Chris called me around six o’clock our time and we talked until 2:30 in the morning! After twelve years we had a lot of catching up to do, that’s for sure. Although we covered a lot of ground, obviously, the main things were:

• he now has three beautiful daughters: Danielle is now 14. Marissa is 11, and the oh so cute Mackenzie is 5. He and Tina have been together twenty years now.
• my beautiful daughter, Heather, got married last year to a “great guy” and she is expecting her first child in about a month.
• my wife is still happily married to one of my oldest buddies, Gary Ellis, and they run a business together.
• my mother-in-law, Marion, who I loved very much, passed away in 1998 of cancer. She was a truly great lady.
• two of my favorite aunts and uncles on Janice’s side, Con and May Hill, have both passed away. May in 1998 and Con in 2000. They were both terrific people and very important to my kids. They had a place in Kincardine and we went up pretty well every summer and loved it. Chris and his family still go up there to see their kids – Andy, Scott and Jennifer, who now all have their own families.
• Chris is still in touch with many of his old hockey buddies and sees a few of the them regularly. They were a great bunch of guys. I knew that way back when and I know that now because they bugged Chris to call me, which was nice of them. So glad it worked!

It was incredible to hear from him after all those years and I can only hope my daughter feels the same and makes contact as well. Chris said she knows I am on Facebook and also hopes she sends me a message. I at least hope to hear from her when she has the baby.

Chris suggested I come down for Christmas this year, which sounds like a good plan because I have nowhere else to be this year. I would get to meet my four grandchildren! Now THAT would be a real Christmas. Better start saving now, eh? That’s a whole lot of Grandpa presents to buy.