Full Strength

Dean

Now that we have made it to the second round of play-offs, we have a couple days off before we start playing again. We know we are playing the Minnesota Wild, and we a ready to dominate. We get home ice for the first game, and we are pretty stoked about that. You want home ice as much as possible because you just get a different energy, and it makes you want to perform better.

                  Scottie has to stay up at school for a while because of finals. She is going to be leaving soon for the Big Ten tournament in New Jersey, so we won't get to see each other all the much in the coming week. I wish I was able to go watch her play, but we have a game practically every other day. I'm definitely going to watch her games on TV. Mrs. Brown already invited me over to watch the game with the Brown family. She did say that more of the Blackhawks are going to be there to watch too. I, of course, accepted the invitation, and I'm actually looking forward to it.

                  I still can't believe that I'm getting to play in the Stanley Cup Play-offs my first year of being on an NHL team. I do feel bad for some of my other teammates who have been here longer, and still haven't gotten their chance at playing in a play-off game. Derrick told me that that's just how it is, and it's okay for me to excited for myself. I played in every game of the first round, and even racked up some points. I assisted on a few of the team's goals, and even got a few shots myself. I have yet to score my first play-off goal, but the guys are telling me that it's going to happen this year. I doubt it, but they were setting me up with some shooting lanes in a couple of the games.

                  I love how supportive this team is, and how it really feels like we are family. We hang out outside of practices, and even meet up in the locker room on off-days to play Ping-Pong. Everyone is still trying to beat me, but so far, no one has caught up to me. Hossa is still making it is goal to beat me. I've walked in some mornings to see him playing by himself, and when he sees me watching, he stops and points from his eyes to mine, and we both start laughing. A lot of people don't expect Marian to be such a jokester, but he really is one of the funniest people on our team.

                  I know I have made some life-long friends within this Blackhawks organization. No matter who gets traded and to where, I have feeling I'm going to keep in touch with most of these men. I got lucky with this team. Every since I was pulled up in the beginning of the season, my life has been going pretty good. I've gotten to play on one of the best NHL teams, I met the love of my life, I've made some really great friends, my relationship with my father is a lot better, and I've just been an all around happy guy.

                  Speaking of the love of my life. When I told Scottie she should start leaving some things in my apartment, what I was really asking is if she would move in with me. I didn't realize that's what I wanted until Scottie agreed to leaving a few clothes. I think one thing that has ben good for us is that we haven't rushed in to the physical aspect of our relationship. Sure, we've gone further than making out, but we both know that having sex with each other is going to be a big step for us. I was thinking that this summer, Scottie could move in with me and we could see how things go. If it's too soon, then we can wait until the time is right. I know its uncharted territory for Scottie, but I have a feeling she is going to go for it. She'll be heading in to her junior year of college, and interning with the Blackhawks, so I think it's a good time for us to see if we should take it to the next level.

                  What I think I'm going to do is ask her parents for permission first. I just feel like that's the right thing to do. Scottie is their baby, and I want to make I don't offend any body. If her parents agree to it, then I'm going to ask Scottie. I'm going to cook us a nice dinner, and we're going to have a romantic evening, and then I'll ask if she wants to move in. I get nervous just thinking about.

                  Today is Monday, the start of a new week, and we don't really know when we play yet. It'll probably be Wednesday. Coach gave us today off, so I slept in later than usual. By later I mean, instead of waking up at six a.m. I woke up two hours later, at eight a.m. I'm an early bird. I made myself some breakfast. I went grocery shopping a few days ago, and got some food to stock my kitchen with. If Scottie was going to be staying her more often, I thought I should get some food for us to eat. I got some eggs because she burned my last few.

                  I spent the morning catching up on emails, or any business-y type stuff, and then watched some TV shows I had recorded. I then showered and put some clean clothes on. In my quest to find clean clothes, I realized I hadn't done laundry in a long time. Thank goodness I had a small washer and dryer in my apartment because I would've hated having to lug all my clothes to a community washer and dryer. I'm just too lazy for that. While I did my laundry, I reorganized my dresser. Again, if Scottie were going to be leaving a few things here, she would need a place for them. I cleared out a drawer for her, and if she needed space in the closet, that was cleared too. In the bathroom, I already had one of those toothbrush holders that can hold multiple toothbrushes, so that wasn't a problem. I checked my shower, and saw that only having my two-in-one shampoo in there left a lot of free space.

                  I think I'm being a little anxious about Scottie starting to leave things at my place. The fact that I want to ask her to move in with me is sort of sending my brain into over drive. After all my laundry was done, folded, and put away, I laid in my bed staring up at the ceiling. I needed to give my brain a break. I looked over at my bookcase that had very few books in it, and saw my favorite novel, The Great Gatsby.

                  Unlike American schools, in Canada we weren't required to read this book in school. I read it for fun. I've always liked reading, and when I was sixteen my mom bought me this book for my birthday. She said it was one of her favorites growing up, and she thought I would enjoy it too. I read it that night cover to cover. Since then, I've read it upwards of one hundred times, no joke. The binding is worn; pages are starting to rip, and the ink from some of my notes are starting to smudge. Yes, I write notes in my books. I'm what you would call a 'literary nerd' of sorts. I don't know what it is about Gatsby that I love so much, but seeing this book in my bookcase, I walked over, picked it out, and sat back down on my bed to read it.