Super Bowl Bound!

I have some big news to report!! My wonderful wife decided to purchase a Super Bowl ticket for me, so I head out tomorrow for Tampa Bay to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine. My beloved Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to play in their 7th Super Bowl and I get to be a part of this whole experience. This gift from Estalita came as a complete surprise to me. I got the approval from my boss to miss a day of work, so now I am preparing for my big trip. As an added bonus, I will be writing a short feature article to be published in the Aberdeen News which will focus on a fan's experience at the "Big Game." The article will run the week after the contest. I will be sitting somewhere up in nosebleed heaven where oxygen may be required, but I am certainly not complaining. Many of you know that the Steelers use my high school field (Latrobe High) for a scrimmage every year. My hometown of Latrobe is considered the birthplace of professional football and the Steelers hold their summer training camp at a small Catholic college in the town called St. Vincent College. As a kid, I used to hang out at Steelers training camps and pester the players for autographs and pictures. Things were alot more open in those days and the accessibility to the players was not a problem. My autograph and picture collection includes many of the past greats from the 70's and early 80's teams including Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, and even one with Tony Dungy. Dungy played defensive back for the Steelers for a few years back in the mid 70's. He was, and still is today, a very class act. Latrobe is also known for many other things including being the hometowns of both children's television icon Fred Rogers from the TV series Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and the world famous golfer Arnold Palmer. I will discuss Latrobe more in depth in a later post, so for now it is back to the game. I have a unique connection to this game. As I've said before, I grew up in Pennsylvania near the city of Pittsburgh and I lived in Phoenix for nearly three years before our family moved to North Dakota. The Cardinals fans have been accustomed to years of losing and frustration, so it is nice to see them make it this far. My final connection is that I lived in Sarasota, Florida for a short time as a kid, which is about an hour down the road from Tampa. I plan on doing some posts from Florida to include my attendance at the "NFL Experience." This event is for the fans and it includes card shows, interactive games, coaches clinics, picture and autograph sessions, etc....

I will also follow-up with some pictures from the game, so stay tuned!!!

My son Kodie and I decked out in Steelers Gear.

Up Up and Away

Well, I have finally launched my new blog. I've been wanting to do this for some time now, so fasten your seat belts and get ready!!! One of the main purposes of this new endeavor is to stay connected to you as Estalita, Kamryn, Kodie, Kaylin, and myself prepare for our upcoming summer adventure to Finland. In case you haven't heard, I have accepted a head coaching job to coach an American football team in Finland called the Seinajoki Crocodiles. The position will require us to be overseas for about 4 months total. I am heading over for about a week in early March for a short training camp with the team and to scope out the lay of the land. I plan on using the blog as a way of sharing our experiences with you and giving you a bird's eye view of our lives in Scandinavia. I must confess I have other motives for writing this as well, some of which I will reveal at a later time, so stay tuned!

One other aspect of this whole experience that excites me is the chance to do some ranting and raving. In case you don't know, I am formally announcing that I find great pleasure in ranting and raving from time to time. Just remember, you've been warned. I have many topics that I want to discuss. Many of these are quite serious, while others are more light hearted. I hope you will find a few moments each week to log in and check things out. I would be honored if you choose to comment on a post or join in with some of your own input. Your feedback is welcomed. Just make sure you are nice or I'll have one of my new Finnish offensive lineman take you out behind the woodshed and teach you a few lessons!! Just briefly bare with me as I give you some perspective on ME. I like to think of myself as a contrarian. I actually took the time to look this up and Mr. Webster says this about a contrarian. One who makes decisions that contradict prevailing wisdom; a person who takes an opposing view; one who rejects the majority opinion and is a habitual opponent of accepted policies. I think you probably get the drift by now. In a nutshell, that is how I would define me. There are many other aspects to me, but I will use this as a starting point for my new blog. My mother used to put it this way. "Eric, just because everybody else is doing something, doesn't mean you have to do it." She would add on by saying, "March to the beat of your own drum." That advice has served me well in life. Thanks mom. I will leave you with that thought for today. Lights out.