Life

Tonight was Trick or Treat and Henry went as Woody from Toy Story. He dressed up as Woody at daycare last Friday and there were three Buzz Lightyears in his class but he was the only cowboy.

Trick or Treat is a lot of fun around here. The men take the kids around and the women stay home, at least on cool and rainy nights like tonight. I was the odd man out tonight in the beer department, one of the neighbors had the wagon equipped with a cooler and was prepared and the others all brought some. I had to run home and throw a few in my coat pocket. I wore my golf rainsuit but it ended up only sprinkling for the first few homes and then it stopped.

We had a lot of kids but still have a lot of candy left over. And Henry got a ton and he's not even much of a candy eater. He'll eat it but doesn't beg for sweets. I bet mom will eat some though and maybe even dad.

I have to say, this is one cute kid.

Hen, open your eyes.


Massillon v. McKinley. It doesn't get any better than this. I'll post later about what this game and what this day means to me but I wanted to get these photos up.

Five years ago my company purchased a nuclear power plant in Connecticut. I was part of an External Affairs team that was sent to CT to inform legislators about the purchase. It was August and it was hot. I had never visited Connecticut but we got right to work when we arrived. We divided up lists and hit the Capitol. I got lucky and was able to meet with the Speaker of the House. Most of the others were home on break so there were a lot of phone calls. After two days, most of the team had gone home (or in the case of the guy who would eventually move there and lobby, back to his family vacation) but I was asked to stick around "just in case" they needed someone on the ground. I didn't mind, it was slow in Ohio and it gave me a little time to see the state.

A little time is all I needed. Connecticut is tiny. First, I drove to New Haven to see Yale. It was okay but I probably needed to get out and walk more around campus to see the great architecture. But it was hot and I figured I would wait until my children were looking at colleges to do that; I did stop at the bookstore and get a sweatshirt. Next, I drove down along the coast to get a look at Millstone, the plant we bought. I got out and walked up to it but didn't go in, security is very heavy at a nuke plant. Groton was my next stop, the capital of the U.S. submarine fleet but I didn't see too many subs.

Mystic was the next stop and I got out and walked around the Mystic Seaport area. Its a neat, touristy area but I liked it. I grabbed a dozen oysters and a beer in a restaurant on the water but didn't go looking for the Mystic Pizza shop. Next up was Stonington and it was a typical Connecticut oceanside town. I ate at the Skippers Dock seafood restaurant and enjoyed it. There was a huge boat docked there, seems to me as if was 90 feet and an old sailboat. There were also a ton of sailboarders in the bay and they seemed to be having fun.

My final stop was Foxwoods Resort, the largest casino in the world. Hard to believe its in Connecticut. It is nice and I decided to win $100 and get out of there. Sounds easy but the execution usually is not. However, on this day I won pretty quickly and drove back to Hartford, 50 minutes away.

Hartford wasn't the most exciting place in the world. It didn't have much nightlife and it was really tough to even find a nice restaurant downtown. I'm sure they were there but you had to know where.

I enjoy getting out and lobbying different states. But I'll leave Connecticut to our northeast guy.

Henry had fun at the tailgate.

Today I hosted a tailgate at the OSU v. Indiana game. It was for our Relay for Life, American Cancer Society team which I've been involved with for five or six years. It was more of a kickoff instead of a fundraiser but we raised over $300. It was Henry's first tailgate and he was mad that we weren't going into the game. I want him to appreciate his first OSU game though; I was 22 before I got to experience a game. Here are some photos from today.

Cruise Part 5

We got off the ship in the Cayman Islands and immediately headed to the beach. Taxis were plentiful and we saw a lot of the U.S. down there, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc. It was very modern, especially compared with Cozumel. Seven mile beach is one of the nicest of the world but it was very built up, there were a lot of hotels and condos along the beach.

We found ourselves on the beach next to our new friends from Boston. Like it or not, they were hanging out with us. I pretty much laid on the beach and worked on my tan all day, Shep and Tony got in the water much more than I. At this point, I had turned very dark. I joked about being the tannest guy on the ship and I probably wasn't too far off. I never really remember getting dark when I was little and I had my share of sunburns but ever since probably my high school days my skin could get pretty dark.

The ship was anchored offshore and it almost looked like you could swim out to it. I took a great photo of it; almost looked like a postcard. The thing I remember most though was the $13 hamburger someone bought from the hotel bar. This was in the early 90s so you can imagine its even more obscene that it is now. Things were definitely more expensive in the Caymans. I liked it but I'm not sure if I would go back. There are other islands I would prefer. I've been to St. John's and would love to stay there for a few nights. Aruba is nice I hear. Cancun, maybe someday if the deal is right and I need some warm weather. St. Lucia, the British Virgin Islands, are also on my list.

We eventually found our way back to the ship. Not one of our more exciting days but then we did what we wanted to: nothing. I like that about cruises. If you want to go to Hell (which is a tourist spot on the Caymans) you can. If you want to swim with the stingrays, go scuba diving or windsailing, it's available to you. But if you just want to go to the beach and relax, well that's an option too.

Next up, Jamaica. I've always wanted to go there so I was looking forward to it. Mom and Dad honeymooned there but I'm sure it was very different back in the 50s.

In 1991, while working for Congressman Ralph Regula, I was involved in planning a Senior Olympic event. There had been an event years previously in Stark County and there was a desire among people to get it going again. I sat on the Stark County Council on Aging and was included in the initial group that founded the Hall of Fame Regional Senior Olympics. Blanche Motts, who sat on the Council, pushed hard for this to occur and I always admired her tenacity. Her son Dave is the VP of Marketing & Operations for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a job which I always thought would be neat, and maybe the only job I would return to Stark County for.

I was elected the Chairman and Coordinator for the event and served in that capacity for 2 years. We recruited many of Stark County's best people to serve on the committee and we had a successful event both years I was involved. Through it, I met Carrie Fanelly who worked for East Ohio Gas and this friendship eventually led to my hiring at the gas company.

I was probably too young at the time to run such a large operation. I didn't have the skills at age 25 to delegate authority and to deal with committee members who were older and had much more experience than I did. I was probably elected because I worked for Congressman Regula. Although I still subscribe to the theory of "if you want it done right, do it yourself" I recognize now that delegation is a key part of being in charge.

We essentially ran a week-long event, with the track and field portion being the biggest. We also had events such as a softball tournament, table tennis, archery, swimming, billiards, etc. We had medals and media and everything associated with a community event. Qualifiers went to the State Olympics and I attended those one year in Dayton. State winners went on to the national games.

I enjoyed my involvement with the Senior Olympics and was always amazed at the competitive nature and the skill of some of the participants. I can't imagine running the 100 meter dash in my 80s but we had people that did it. My time as the Chairman and Coordinator was rewarding and I learned a lot from it.

Big Sunglasses

Do women know how stupid they look when they wear these big round sunglasses that take up 75 percent of their face? I'm sure when they look back at photos of themselves they will but until then I guess I have to see everyone chasing down what the famous people are wearing. Note to women: Just because Paris Hilton wears something does not make it cool. In fact, I'd recommend doing pretty much the opposite of what she does. That's cold.

Cruise Part 4

We slept in the next day but not too late. We had to get out and get our pool chairs. About this point in the cruise, we realized we were racking up a pretty big bar bill. Luckily, we had our Miami purchase (insulated water bottles) and our Mexico purchase (liquor) and all the free iced tea we could drink (at least the stuff that we didn't set up as bowling pins in our room). We did what any young people with limited financial resources would do, mixed the liquor with the iced tea and took it to the pool deck.

This was a fantastic idea but the downside was that you had to return to the room occasionally to refill. On one of these trips, I ran into the Spaniards who were staying right across the hall from us. They forced me into their room and forced me to drink some whiskey, which I do not like at all. Probably goes back to my dad giving me scotch as a kid after I pestered him and me running to the toilet to spit it out.

I don't recall a lot more about this day at sea. Maybe it was the vodka but probably it's the time that has passed since this cruise. I know we went to a show one night and stayed about 10 minutes before we got bored and visited the casino. We were stopping in Cayman Islands next.

Today is my 41st birthday. Isn't it funny when you are young and you know someone who is forty and they are old. 40 seemed old, 41 is worse. I can't complain about my body, its held up fairly well. But we'll see when this next baby comes how often I'm up late into the night. Sarah may have to bear more of the load this time around.

Sunday was a busy day for us. We visited a fire station for a tour and then went to pick pumpkins with the Tibbitts. We had a great time. Monday was even busier. Because of Columbus Day, Henry's daycare was closed so I watched him most of the day. We went to the playground, then the Columbus Zoo then to Chuckee Cheese. After a nap, we went to the Columbus Blue Jackets game tonight. I hope we aren't spoiling this little boy...

We went to the Massillon Tiger football game last night. We only stayed for the first half but we had fun. Henry loves the Tigers but he gets confused about them and the Bengals. He's got the "Go Buckeyes", "Go Reds", "Go Tigers" and "Go Bengals" yells down but a football team is a football team to him right now. Here is a photo of Henry outside the stadium. Note the brick. It encompasses the entire Briggs family, from Mom and Dad to Tami and now Sarah and Henry.

Massillon is a special place to me. I feel like Massillon has a lot to do with who I am and any success I've had in my life. Growing up there has made me the person I am today, on many different levels starting with it being the place where I landed nearly 41 years ago.

Massillon football is unlike anything anywhere. Sure, today there are better programs in the country but there is no better tradition anywhere. I respect the legacy of Massillon so much and wish we had the ability today to compete like we did back in the days. The Briggs family has roots in Massillon football, starting with my Grandfather's brother who was a star QB in 1926 and 1927 and played with Paul Brown. His name was Paul Briggs and he died at a young age; I wish I had known him but I'm glad I was named for him. My Grandfather Bill Briggs was the timekeeper for the Tigers when the Stadium was built and as a result the Briggs family has had tickets on the 50 yard line since 1939. My father played in the Tiger Swing Band but certainly was the driving force in my development as an athlete and without his encouragement and coaching I wouldn't have been half the athlete I was. He taught me the tradition of Massillon Tiger football by exposing me to the program at a very young age.

Henry won't have the opportunity to go to school in Massillon but he surely will know about the history of the Tigers. We will go to games every year and he'll always have some kind of Tiger gear in his closet. He knows daddy's favorite color is orange and that Massillon is the place that Granddad and Aunt Tami live.

Speaking of baseball, here is
a photo of me, Shep and BG at Fenway Park in Boston, probably in the spring of 1992. We had great seats the day before but it was rained out so we had to scramble for these tickets. No one looks very happy but it was probably a fun night before.

Need to get busy on the blog. Last weekend we went over to Pittsburgh to watch the Pirates play the Reds. I had our suite and we stayed in a 4 star hotel. Henry enjoyed the game and didn't mind the fireworks afterwards. He has seen the Reds three times this year and they are 3-0. Two of those have been in loges, I hope I'm not spoiling him.

We visited Ikea on the trip too and got out of there without spending too much.