#Miller6Pack

I remember as a kid thinking my parents were crazy for not buying each other presents at Christmas. It was so much fun tearing into presents with eager anticipation and experiencing the joy of those wonderful gifts. I can honestly say I was always fully aware and thankful of all the wonderful gifts from my parents and cherished the  memories my parents created for me. They always focused on my sister and me and made sacrifices to make Christmastime special. Oh and by the way, we believed in Santa and suffered no ill effects from this mythical tradition. (well, no more ill effects than normal!) In fact just about the time I was "wise" to the Santa gig my mom simply said, "If you want to continue getting presents from Santa...." and that was all it took! I also remember my teen years that I became more aware of the sacrifices my parents made so they could do more for me. I remember thinking, I don't know if I could make such sacrifices! I know selfish right? Wel...

I was driving to work today when "Sleigh Ride" came up on my phone (Pandora) playing through my car stereo. As I listened to the song a vivid memory came to me as it often does whenever I hear this particular song, particularly the instrumental version. When I was a kid, not quite sure how old I was but I think I was middle school age. (7th or 8th grade) my dad informed me that he had a surprise for me. It must have been late October or November. I remember being very excited having no clue what awaited me. We drove uptown and proceeded to walk up the stairs above Dick & Floyds where I believe there was a dance studio? (not totally sure) Anyway, once we got up there I saw Mr. Dickinson and Claudia Laskey and some other people. I was a little confused as to how this was a surprise for me, until Mr. D began playing his trumpet. My dad then informed me that they were rehearsing a skit/commercial for SilverHorn Ski area (advertisement) Mr. D's laser sharp trumpet sound an...