Between a 70 hour work week, a midnight soccer game on Tuesday, and the Celtics game last night I indulged myself in almost ten hours of sleep. When I did crawl out of bed, I found Bradley also just rising and very ameanable to my taking pictures of him.
In addition to today’s recognition, Nico has been invited to an end of the season party where all of the Heros Among Us will be honored together. The Celtics continued their perfect season with a crushing defeat of the Atlanta Hawks.
During the second timeout of the second quarter, Nicolai received his award at center court to a standing ovation from the crowd of 18,000. It was an extremely moving moment for me, and I can only imagine what Nicolai must have been feeling. Click on the photo for a closer look.
Nico was invited to witness the coin toss at center court and introduced to several players, celebrities, and dignitaries. I did not have the greatest shooting position but managed to grab this shot of tiny little Nico among the giant professional athletes. 
This evening, Nicolai was honored by the Celtics basketball organization with a Heros Among Us award. We were chauffeured from our home to the Celtics head office where we were briefed on the evening’s agenda and received a behind the scenes tour of the facility. Nico received 4 tickets and invited cousin Gabe and friend Kevin to join him along with dear old dad.
Our ten-hour meeting was followed by a wine-tasting event, which started with a tour of the wine cellar. The cellar contents were valued in the millions, with some bottles selling for $5000. Needless to say, these were not among the wines sampled. Even though I do not drink alcohol of any kind, I enjoyed the sights and smells.
Our meeting room included a grand piano and fireplace. A nice change from our typical off-site venues.
Day one of a two day management off-site meeting held at the Stonehedge Inn. We covered a lot of ground and thanks to my team I was extremely well prepared. We covered our three year operating plan and 2008 budget.
Another killer day at work, but this one ended with a special treat. I returned home just in time to catch my great nephew, Bradley, before he went to sleep. Jeanine’s sister Lauren and nephew Gabe are visiting for the next few days.
It was a 15 hour day at the office today so no time (or energy) for even one new photo. This image was from the weekend. Nicolai makes a nice thigh trap before laying off a quick pass that results in a goal.
On the way home, I spotted this hawk and pulled off the road for a quick shot. The remainder of the day was spent as a family work day. We tackled the leaves, winterizing the sprinkler system, putting up the snow poles, and cleaning out the garage. This evening Kyle wants to watch the Colts-Patriots game for family night. He continues to defy peer pressure and cheers for his birth town team.
Today was the last match of our regular season. We defeated Stoughton 2-1 earning us a second place standing and qualifying us for the Division one play-offs. I got a lot of minutes today and was pleased with my game. I am still a little rusty and out of shape but with each passing week I feel stronger. After the game we celebrated our win with a cookout.
Maya posses for Cindy. The two share a love of animals and compared many notes on the subject.
Today the weather was miserable as the remnants of hurricane Noel skirted the eastern seaboard. Maya played in the driving rain and cold scoring one goal and one assist. Later in the day our day was brightened by the visit of Cindy Garretson, a friend from my Stanford days. She was in from Seattle for a national squash tournament and was able to spend the afternoon with us.