The Day I Touched the Stanley Cup by Patty V

Yesterday was a very exciting day. I got to touch the Stanley Cup AND shake hands with Coach Q. How did that come to be, you ask? I will tell you.

I got home from a continuing education class (Cloud based apps for differentiation- so interesting!!) a little after 2:00. Jack and Sally had spent the day together, doing wedding errands and having a father-daughter lunch. They arrived home around 2:45 and the three of us were talking wedding stuff when we received a group text from Wayne that said, "sounds like the Stanley Cup left the Hyatt just now with Coach Q. Keep your eyes peeled for it at York Tavern". Sally's immediate reaction was, "Let's go!" Jack had things to do, so Sally and I headed over to the York. We figured we had nothing to lose since the York is such a great place to hang, especially on a Friday afternoon, 8 days before the wedding :). We pulled into the parking lot and there were four spaces open.  Highly unusual since the York is small and so is the parking lot. We even got a table. We ordered some drinks and a snack and as we waited for our order, we checked our phones. I answered an email from Teri and mentioned  what Sally and I were doing. Teri called 2 minutes later and asked if she could join us, we said of course and she was there in minutes. ( Teri had been to the parade and rally in Chicago in the morning, btw) Not ten minutes later, in walked Coach Q and his family! Two minutes later, in came the Stanley Cup! Amazing! Such a fun positive energy in the room and it was very intimate since there were only about 75 people there. Everyone was so excited, but orderly. Teri cleared a path to the Cup for Sally, saying "this is the bride! She's getting married next week!" It worked!
After pictures with the Stanley Cup, we went over to meet Coach Q. I cannot begin to tell you how super nice he was. So gracious. I introduced myself, then Sally. I told him that Sally taught at the high school where his kids attend and that she was getting married next week. Here is the conversation, almost word-for-word :)-
Coach Q: "Oh, really you are a teacher at HC? What do you teach?"
Sally: "Spanish"
Coach Q:" Have you ever had any of my kids?" (and named them as if Sally wouldn't know them!)
Sally: "No, but I have heard great things about them"
Coach Q: "When are you getting married?"
Sally: "A week from tomorrow"
Coach Q: "Oh, congratulations, that's great. Where?"
Sally: [gave brief details...should have invited him!]
Coach Q: "Are you going on a honeymoon?"
Sally: "Yes"
Coach Q: "Where?"
Sally: "Spain"
Coach Q: "Well, that is great since you speak Spanish!"

(Coach Q was doing "whole body listening" as we like to say in our Social Skills groups)
Teri, Sally and I were in shock afterwards. It was such a spur of the moment thing that did not require any advance planning. It just sort of happened and that is what made it even more special. We owe Wayne big time for the text tip to go to the York.
It was an excellent way to kick off the wedding week.

We were able to get some pictures and a few short videos. Not my best work, but I was pretty excited!