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I’ve been thinking a lot about storytelling lately. It’s relevant to everyone. As human beings we crave stories, and our brains are naturally wired to consume information in this format.
With this top of mind, I’ve been reflecting on my family’s last weekend. On paper, it wasn’t anything overly extraordinary: a cold weekend in March, Friday dinner out, Lego building, a hockey game, and an afternoon at the bar. But a double click into each event tells a short story of actually an extraordinary (at least to me) memory or lesson for my kids.
-Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor
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 As a child of the 90s, The Olive Garden was the pinnacle of fine dining destinations. If you grew up in Columbus like me, you might remember when the now closed location opened on State Route 161 a.k.a. "Restaurant Row". For me and my family, birthdays and special occasions were celebrated there, as it was one of our favorites.
We haven’t eaten there in years, but my wife received a generous gift card from a client. Given this is a nationwide chain, The Olive Garden isn’t the typical institution highlighted on CBUS Dads, but really the location isn’t what makes this story significant. We planned to use the gift card on this free Friday night. My wife was hung up at a separate client appointment, so me and my three little ones went to the Polaris location separately to meet her afterward. Upon arrival, we were given a 25-minute wait, so with the draw of conference tournament college basketball on the TV, we saddled up at the nearby bar to kill some time. I did my best to enforce proper restaurant etiquette with my kids, as a few fellow bar patrons enjoyed their pasta dishes. Eventually the bartender greeted us, and I gave the green light for the kids to order a drink: two Shirley Temples and a chocolate milk. He hooked them up too: maraschino cherries, extra chocolate syrup, BIG cups. Our table was ready shortly after, and when I went to settle the bill with the bartender, he told me it was on the house. I tried to insist, knowing that while not as involved as your typical cocktail, there is still substantial effort to concoct the kids’ beverages of choice. I explained how nice of a gesture this was to my kids, as they couldn’t understand why we didn’t have to pay. Later on in our visit, I handed my son a $20 bill to take back up to the bartender. Certainly the $20 didn’t make or break his night, but on our way out, the bartender told my son he was a gentleman. As a former server myself, I want my kids to know how important it is to show appreciation for those in service roles. And if you’re wondering: the salad and breadsticks still held up and were as delicious as I remember. The kids especially loved the chocolate mints as the capstone to the meal. -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor  Westerville City Schools has been hosting a district-wide Lego competition for the last 17 years. This was the first year my son, a kindergartener, was eligible. He definitely doesn’t take after his Lego-inept dad, as he loves to build. Him and I entered the building with a tub of every Lego we own and an open mind of what this event was going to be like. As a first step, our tub was inspected by the volunteering high school lacrosse team to ensure we had no instructions on hand, pre-packaged sets or pre-built blocks. We checked in and found his four feet by four feet spot amongst the other kindergarteners on the freshly cleaned gym floor.  Shortly after, he and 70-80 other participants were given a full hour to build whatever they wanted. He was confident, as he told me he was planning to construct a “space station”. I found my spot to support him in the nearby bleachers with a book and my computer. I’m proud that he didn’t rush through his build, using 50 of the allotted 60 minutes. The judging followed, as my wife and daughters met us then for the awards ceremony. Two students from each grade would receive individual awards: best build and most creative. I don’t know how the judges did it, because every submission was awesome. Of course, this event enlisted true experts to lead the judging, as members of OhioLUG assessed the creations (I didn’t know this group existed until now). He didn’t end up winning an award. And that wasn’t the point. We kept stressing to him to just try hard and have fun, which I think he did. He kept his head up and wasn’t disappointed, rather just more motivated to participate again next year. He tried something brand new and was creative in the process. Combined with a participation certificate, a treat from the concession stand and the memories, he won the day anyway. -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor  My kids have each been fortunate to visit Nationwide Arena for a Columbus Blue Jackets game. I even indoctrinated my youngest this preseason. One thing that has always shadowed all of the on-ice action for them is the allure of riding the zamboni. They see kids enjoying their unique voyage across the rink and wish it was them. An admission: I was on the power patrol for the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2006-07 season. It was a blast. I won’t completely reveal my sources, but by reaching out to past contacts, I was able to arrange having my daughter ride the pregame zamboni for the most recent home game. Of course I kept this a surprise from her.  We entered the arena earlier than usual, which she only mildly questioned. We had a prearranged meeting with the current power patrol regime, and at this point, she started to ask questions on what was actually going on. We were led into the bowels of the arena by a power patrol member who eventually spilled the beans on what was soon about to take place. She simultaneously was elated but also nervous when it set in that I was not joining her on the ride. We got to watch pregame warmups from the zamboni tunnel and take a picture with Stinger. I was given the chance to reminisce with a few familiar faces from 15 years ago and was even reminded that I gave the legendary Braveheart freedom speech for my audition.  Then she was summoned to climb aboard for her ride. After a few instructions and some anxious dialogue with the driver, she was on her way to assist with smoothing the ice for gametime.  When her ride was over, she asked me questions on how this happened for her. I explained how I had to make contact with some people that worked for the team and that this wasn’t something we could just snap our fingers and make happen. At eight, she’s starting to understand the commitments and work her parents do to support her and her siblings. She’s even starting to show some appreciation for it too. Consequently, she gave me a big hug and thanked me for giving her this opportunity. You don’t need me to sell you on all of the fun things for kids to do at Nationwide Arena, as throughout the rest of the night, we took pictures, visited the new Fan Zone and even watched a noncompetitive hockey game. But the highlight for her was her novel ride upon the zamboni. The highlight for me was seeing how much she enjoyed it (and holding the WWE championship belt - it was also WWE night!). -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor   After a dry, mild winter, I’ve been quietly saying recently I wouldn’t mind one more decent snowfall. Remarkably, despite a forecast that didn't predict as such, we woke up on Daylight Savings Time Sunday to a couple inches of beautiful snow. This was timely, as we still had one winter-specific activity on our calendar before we officially enter spring: brewery curling at Land Grant. The reservations were hard to come by, as we’ve had this booked for seemingly months. Each reservation comes with a heated outdoor igloo. Upon arrival, we were taken to ours and given a scorecard for our family’s game. After discussion, we determined the fairest teams would be boys (me and my son) versus girls (my wife and two daughters). After acquainting ourselves with the rules, we stepped onto the ice for a quick warmup to get the feel for the game. It proved to be harder than any of us anticipated to expend the right amount of force to ensure the small keg slides across the ice and stops within the circle on the other end of the rink. The girls started off fast with an early lead, as the boys couldn’t find the proper touch. My son was especially reckless with his initial tosses to say the least. A break was requested after the fourth round (you play ten) for a possible snack. I obliged by picking up a pound of waffle fries from the Ray Ray's Hog Pit food truck on site. We were soon back at it. My youngest daughter, who’s never seen a french fry she didn’t like, was shuffling back and forth from the igloo and the rink, shoveling fries into her mouth as we played. The boys settled in and by the end of the game had taken a four-point lead to clinch the victory. My wife and oldest daughter - certainly the most competitive members of my family - were disappointed if not outright salty (and not from the fries) by the outcome. This late in the season, you may have to wait until next winter for a round of brewery curling, but I highly recommend it. Land Grant with its outdoor beer garden is certainly a destination and one that is incredibly family friendly. We’ve taken our kids there several times, as there’s always activities, music, sports, or some combination available. -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor  |
AboutCBUS Dads is a community of central Ohio area dads balancing an active lifestyle with being an involved parent. A Saturday for us may involve enjoying morning t-ball, lunch at a new local spot and an evening at a summer festival with our families. We may live downtown, in the suburbs or somewhere between, but our common thread is that we continue to experience the community we love - now as parents. Archives
July 2024
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