At Otto’s I ordered a mashed potato, bacon and scallion pizza, which was better than I remembered. I enjoyed talking with Dad about what I thought of homeschool and who I thought was going to win the hockey game.

I'm eating a mashed potato bacon scallion slice of pizza.

When we arrived at the civic center where the game was being held, Dad said that he would buy me a souvenir to remember our time together. There were many different items which had Portland Pirates’ logo on them. I don’t understand why anyone would buy the stuffed moose and cow bells that don’t have to do anything with the team. It would make more sense to buy stuffed Portland Pirates mascots. I got the last small t-shirt, which I changed into in the bathroom.

Dad and I at the hockey game.

This is the hockey stadium.

Some hockey players would break into fights when they were slammed into a wall or were pushed out of the way of an opposing hockey player. I thought it was unprofessional that hockey players fought because they were losing the game.

Break it up! Five for fighting!

When I asked my dad about this he told me that it was a strategy to scare the other team into playing badly. Dad answered all my questions in a way that I would understand. In the end the Portland Pirates beat the Worcester Sharks 4 to 2. I loved bonding with my dad. This date really brought us closer together.

During the drive to Portland we talked about Skye’s relationships with her sisters, Festibond, homeschool and what it’s like to be an adolescent girl. It was nice to get to know Skye better and have some exclusive time with her.

Otto’s was good, as usual. Skye ordered her favorite slice: mashed potato, bacon, and scallion. I got one of those and a pepperoni (the sauce is crazy delish). We continued our conversation from the drive, which was nice.

Beer and a couple slices at Otto's Pizza.

Skye and her mashed potato pie

After finishing our pizze we parked in the garage adjacent to the Civic Center. The first order of business was to buy Skye a t-shirt. She picked out a black one with the large logo on the front, which she wore during the game.

Brent and Skye at the Portland Pirates hockey game

Skye had read the rules of hockey and had an impressive understanding of the game. However, during the first fight she had a look of shock and disappointment. She exclaimed that it was unprofessional to start a fight with someone just because you’re losing a game. While she was right, of course, I tried to explain to her the intricacies of sports psychology and fighting in hockey. I think I mostly failed. She still doesn’t know why fighting is part of hockey. Neither do I.

Fight! Fight!

The Pirates won an impressive 4-2 victory. It was fun to watch a hockey game with my daughter, for which she was actually interested and knowledgable. It’s great when I find activities I can do with my girls that we both enjoy. I will be looking forward to attending many more hockey games with Skye.

It was cold outside, so we first stopped at Starbucks to get some hot drinks to go. Skye ordered the eggnog latte, and I had a flavored espresso. In retrospect, we should have gone to Bard Coffee instead where the coffee is significantly better, but at least the beverages warmed us up as we embarked on our adventure in the chilly winter air.

Skye and me at Starbucks

Skye immediately wanted to go into Coastal Maine Popcorn Company which displayed a wide variety of flavored gourmet popcorn in the window. She loves popcorn, and I think she might still be excited about eating it after not being able to consume it for about a year and a half while she had braces. She tried some samples but then decided it wasn’t worth purchasing any.

We walked into Old Port Candy Company which sells an assortment of amazing handmade fudge and truffles, as well as other tasty, fun, and nostalgiac candies. We were both amused by all the bacon-flavored treats that have recently become popular.

Skye holds a bacon lollipop, one of the many unique bacon-flavored candies at Old Port Candy Company

It was fun to laugh and joke with Skye about some of the gifts and souvenirs we saw in the plethora of gift shops.

We thought these glasses were both disturbing and funny.

Skye brings a baboon marionette to life in one of the gift shops.

Skye recently discovered that she loved reubens, so Brent recommended we go to Rí Rá, an Irish pub, for lunch. Skye was very happy with the reuben there, as well as her sweet potato tater tots. I was disappointed that the “soup of the day” was not my favorite tomato dill, but I decided the curried carrot soup was just as delicious. I ordered my favorite salad with spinach, strawberries, walnuts, and feta cheese. We had a lovely view of Casco Bay upstairs. Skye was surprised and impressed when the waiter boxed up her leftover lunch himself. It was nice to sit down in a quiet setting with Skye and talk about her interests, concerns, and ideas, and to get to know her better without the normal daily distractions.

Skye enjoyed her lunch at Ri Ra.

About to eat my soup and salad.

We continued exploring the shops along Commercial street and discussing Skye’s love for photography and marine biology. Early during our walk Skye found a necklace with a turtle hatchling crawling out of its shell and fell in love with it. We returned to the shop where she’d seen it so that she could purchase it.

Skye walking down the sidewalk in Old Port

It was really nice to have the one-on-one time with Skye and to hear her concerns and thoughts about the changes, discoveries, and challenges she is encountering as she is approaching her teenage years. I appreciated her insight, and I love that she is comfortable disclosing with me her thoughts and feelings. I had fun laughing and talking with her throughout our date, and seeing her excitement about so many things that I often take for granted. She is such a sweetheart!

Our first stop was the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company. There were many flavors of popcorn. Some common flavors include cheddar, garlic parmesan, and caramel. I thought it was weird that there were flavors such as buffalo wing, sour apple, and red hot cinnamon. There were huge bags of popcorn which were about two gallons! I think it’s silly that they have such huge bags; Nobody should buy that much popcorn for that price at a time.

Mom and I are at the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company

The cheddar popcorn looked really good.

Mom and I then walked to the Old Port Candy Company,a small candy store on Fore Street. Some weird, but interesting candies include chocolate covered potato chips and pickle mints. The bacon flavored items were most interesting. There is bacon frosting, mints, lollipops, and gummies. Mom had recently won a bacon balm and had given it to Jenna, which reminded me of the funny reactions and laughs when Jenna put it on. I enjoyed spending time with Mom at the candy store, and loved laughing with her when we saw weird candy.

We went to many gift shops on the way to lunch. It was enjoyable to see the many funny postcards, magnets, key chains, books, and toys because they were funny. Some items such as a fun straw, “Farts Around the World” book, and a poo log made Mom and me laugh.

Mom is taking a picture of some silly books.

This is so gross!

Mom showed me "Farts Around the World."

Mom and I went to Ri Ra’s for lunch. It’s dimly lit, open spaced, has quiet music, and was not too crowded. My mom and I were seated on the second floor by the window that we could see had a nice view of the ocean, along with some docked boats. I ordered a reuben and sweet potato tater tots. I shared my sweet and crispy tots with Mom. The reuben was crunchy, warm, and delicious. I enjoyed talking to Mom about how our day was going so far and what we were going to do after lunch. Re Ra’s is a nice place to eat and talk.

This is the view from the second floor of Ri Ra's.

Mom enjoys her carrot currie soup.

Lunch is served!

After eating at Ri Ra’s, we headed to Cool-As-A-Moose where I bought a necklace with a turtle hatchling crawling out of its shell. The necklace means a lot to me because I’m fascinated with marine biology.

This is the store Cool-As-A-Moose.

I enjoyed spending time and bonding with Mom. Her laughter to things I said and showed her really made me happy.

Zach and Skye ride the lift

I wasn’t going to go, as I didn’t want to be one of “those dads.” However, she insisted she didn’t mind and would like to see me up there. I wanted to share the experience with her, so I told my boss I wouldn’t be in the office and headed to Shawnee Peak for a mid-morning start. I took several runs before meeting Skye at the lodge, where she and her friend Zach were having a bite to eat. I purchased Skye a hot dog, which she inhaled so we could get back on the trails.

Zach was a good ski instructor

Skye missed her ski lesson that I’d paid for, saying that the chaperone never told her where to go. In fact, it didn’t seem like there was anybody in charge. Students were all over the mountain with no supervision, which is fine with me, but it would have been nice if someone would have at least made sure the students knew where to go and when. Luckily, Skye’s friend Zach is a strong skier and offered to help. Unfortunately, Zach is not a strong ski instructor.

Skye enjoyed skiing

I took the two of them to the top of a long blue that I thought Skye would surely be able to handle. I was wrong. Those five or so runs she told me she’d done already and with little problems must have been far less steep than the trail on which we then found ourselves. She was in completely over her head and scared. I tried to help her master the wedge, without success. She removed her skis and began walking down the mountain while I rode down to find out about ski school.

Skye and me

Her lesson, I was told, was at 10:30. It was now around noon. They agreed to put her in the next class, which would be at 13:30. Perfect, as long as the bus was not leaving until at least 14:30. When she finally got to the base of the mountain she informed me that she had to be on the bus by 13:30. The ski lesson I had paid for was not going to happen. Fortunately, her instruction from Zach was sufficient to allow her to navigate the shallow bunny slope and have a great time.

Skye had a great time skiing. She says she would like to go again, and take a lesson. I hope she does.

Brent in Alaska

The Family Skate Center in Falmouth is a wonderful facility that features both an indoor hockey rink and an outdoor skating pond. After Skye and I had our skates laced up we headed outside where Maine was experiencing unseasonably balmy 40+°F temperatures. Much like my return to snowboarding the week prior, I was a little rusty on skates. I could stay upright, cross-over in the turns and skate backwards, but none of it was pretty. Skye had been only one other time and was quite unsteady. I didn’t mind, and enjoyed holding her hand as we made our turns around the frozen pond.

Bonding on Ice

After a while Skye said she was hot and wanted to go inside where it was cooler. The indoor hockey rink was boring and cold, but I enjoyed talking to Skye about school, boys, her sisters and other things she had on her mind.

The rental skates I was wearing were too big and quite uncomfortable. After a few more turns on the outdoor pond I was relieved when Skye told me she was done and asked if we could leave.

After a quick stop at L.L. Bean in Freeport we drove back to Saco to have lunch at Rapid Ray’s. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the holiday. Apparently people wanted to celebrate it being the last day of the year.

My date with Skye was wonderful. We talked, skated, and just enjoyed being together. She’s a wonderful young woman, and I’m super stoked to be her dad.

Skye enjoyed our date

Brent on the outdoor pond

Skye was a bit unsteady

Skye and Brent

Dad, Hayley, and I drove up to the mall to meet Mom and Jenna after their date together. We met them at Claire’s because that was where Jenna and I were going to get our ears pierced. Jenna and I picked out the exact same earrings to get our piercings. Jenna looked very calm for a girl going to get her ears pierced for the first time. I felt like I was in Hawaii on a hot day because boy, was I nervous. I was aching to get the piercing over with. I had gotten them pierced before, but the holes had closed up. As much as I wanted to seem tough I couldn’t help remembering the painful pinch that made me wince while getting my ears pierced the first time.

Jenna got her ears pierced first. I was surprised to see that she didn’t seem to flinch at all while getting her ears pierced. Jenna had a huge smile on her face after seeing her beautiful earrings shining in her ears. I was proud when I saw Jenna’s ears, because I think I influenced her in her decision to get her ears pierced. When it was my turn to get my ears pierced, I was fidgety and nervous, but excited at the same time. Once my ears were pierced, I was glad that I went through with it, because my ears looked amazing.

After that, mom and I parted ways with Jenna, Hayley, and Dad before leaving for Bath and Body Works. After looking around quite a bit, mom and I found the best smelling items for me. I got ‘Coconut Lime Verdana’ and ‘Midnight Pomegranate’ body spray and some lotion titled ‘Secret Wonderland’.

We then headed for our movie after buying a few snacks at Hannaford. The movie we watched was called “Little Fockers”. It was hilarious mostly because Ben Stiller was in this production, and I think he’s really funny.

I'm ready to watch "Little Fockers"

After the movie, mom and I had dinner at Sea Dogs Brewing Co. We talked a lot about my friends, school, and more. I ordered a cheesy enchilada which was very delicious with salsa. After dinner, I had a peppermint cheesecake. It was really minty, but I didn’t finish it, because I had already had a hot chocolate and it was too much sugar for me.

Delicious peppermint cheesecake

My date with mom was a blast. I loved spending time with her and enjoy talking to her about my personal life and hearing about hers on our dates.

Mom and me

Writing the letters took some time and thought. As one of my paragraphs to Jenna I wrote: “You always look very fashionable, Jenna, and I think that when you grow up, you will become a model. If you don’t become a model, I’m sure that you’ll look stylish wherever you go.” I could think of thousands of things to say about my family, which is how I could easily think of things to write about each of them.

On Festibond morning we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Outside, a blizzard was whipping up and to me it was a beautiful sight and it was definitely going to be a white Festibond. I ordered scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and some homemade biscuits off of the adult menu and some sweet apple cider off of the kid menu. The scrambled eggs were delicious because they were cheesy and soft.

The girls and I enjoyed playing the “Peg Game” repeatedly until our food came. Hayley shared her success of being a “genius” because she only had one peg left by the end of the game. Later in the car I achieved “genius” status while playing the Peg Game that mom had bought for me from the Cracker Barrel gift shop.

Festibond breakfast at Cracker Barrel

After Cracker Barrel, we headed towards Staples where dad was going to put the booklets together. When I first saw the booklets, I was fascinated. On the front cover of each booklet there was a picture of us at Bard Coffee all gleaming. On the bottom of the booklet was the name of the person the booklet belonged to. That meant that all of the letters written to them were stapled inside of the booklet. On the top were the words “Festibond 2010” printed in an arch.

Festibond 2010 letters booklets

The reading of letters and the giving of gifts generated huge smiles, loving smooches, and big bear hugs. I especially liked what my family had to say to me. I especially liked what my sister, Hayley said; “Don’t ever think your braces look bad, because I think they look good on you, and I like the colors you picked for the bands.” I was glowing by the end of each letter, even the ones that were not meant for me. They were all very meaningful and thoughtful.

Jenna was very thoughtful with the gift that she gave me. When she gave it to me, I had a smile on my face that was reaching from ear to ear. It shone throughout Earth because it was as bright as the sun. She had given me a mirror, painted the frame blue, and glued on sea shells, dried starfish, coral, and sand dollars that were actually collected in Mexico.

A special gift from Jenna

When I handed the present to Hayley from me, she ripped it open as fast as she could as if her life depended on it. I loved seeing the smile on Hayley’s face when she saw the gift that I gave her. It was as bright as the brightest star. She was delighted to receive an eye mask because she had wanted one of her own since she had a hard time sleeping and didn’t want to continue asking to use mom’s every night.

Hugging my family never gets old

When I handed Jenna her present, she gently opened her present, careful not to rip the wrapping. She acted as if there was a bomb in there and if she damaged it the slightest bit, it would explode. Once she saw the present I had gotten her, she gave me a huge hug and a big kiss. She loved the gift card that I gave her for free ear piercing because she always loves to look pretty and fancy. She especially liked the hoop earrings that I bought for her, because she’s always wanted to wear hoop earrings.

After the letters and gifts we had a wonderful time playing games such as ‘Uno’ and ‘Apples to Apples’ while snacking on cheese, crackers and homemade treats that my sisters and I had spent time baking with mom the day before. Festibond is an awesome tradition and I’m glad that we created it.

Kirsten and Skye

Brent, the girls and I met at the mall before our movie to watch Jenna and Skye get their ears pierced. Skye had gotten hers pierced the year before, but the holes closed up after she removed the original studs. She already knew what to expect, and she was very good about preparing Jenna for the procedure. She has been helping Jenna and reminding her about all the steps to taking care of her newly pierced ears.

Skye is happy to have pierced ears again

After the ear piercings Skye and I walked around the mall so she could spend the money Brent and I allotted as her Festibond gift from us. She already knew that she wanted to get some body splash spray from Bath and Body Works and enjoyed testing every scent in the signature collection. She narrowed it down to two sprays and a lotion. We left the store smelling quite fragrant. After looking at clothes and finding nothing she really liked, we headed for the movie. On the way we stopped to pick up a snack for the movie. Skye just got braces, and she cannot eat popcorn until they are off. The movie was very predictable with some funny parts. I enjoyed sitting next to Skye, watching her laugh and make comments.

Skye is ready to watch "Little Fockers"

Skye requested the Sea Dog Brewing Company for dinner. The food was alright. She ordered peppermint cheesecake for dessert, and it was pretty good. It was very nice to sit across from Skye, to talk to her and hear her thoughts and feelings about growing up and about middle school. I love her goofy sense of humor.

Peppermint cheesecake. Yum!

During the drive home Skye put in a CD of songs she liked. She loves listening to the latest music and has an amazing memory. She can recite all the lyrics to a plethora of songs. When “The Way You Love Me” came on we belted out the lyrics right along with Faith Hill. I had such a great time with Skye. I always appreciate the one-on-one time we have together.

I like dates with dad

We had the greatest time ice skating. Outside there was a frozen pond and inside was a hockey rink. I enjoyed skating on the pond outside because the ice was not as slick as the hockey rink. It was also warmer outside. Wherever we were I was happy because I was with my dad. While many people were zipping past us, we were just slowly skating and having little conversations.

Skating was pretty challenging for me. I kept losing my balance, but dad helped me stay in control. Even when I fell, just knowing he was by my side made me feel better. He was there for me every step of the way.

After skating we headed for Rapid Rays and the Post Office. Unfortunately they were both closed because it was New Year’s Eve. He said he’ll take me to Rapid Ray’s soon, anyways.

I like to ice skate

I had a wonderful date with my dad.