3. prologue: when life gives you lemons, or how I learn to shut up and root for kraken hockey
How did we get here? Maybe a simpler question - how did we get to Belize? It's actually a pretty good story, and it involves Seattle Kraken hockey, a troll, and a lot of luck.
On November 11th, 2022 we went to a Kraken hockey game versus the Minnesota Wild. This day we happened to show up early to the game to have some time to explore the arena and check out more vendors than Ding Tai Fung where we almost exclusively always went to.
Almost as soon as we walked in, I pulled Emma towards a marching band playing in the atrium after she stopped by the bathroom. I say these details because the absolute luck in the location and timing of us crossing paths with exactly the right person, at exactly the right time, is nearly unbelievable. We didn't make it to the marching band because we were stopped in our path by an official looking man in a Kraken hat with a clipboard and pen. Anyone with a clipboard looks legitimate off the bat.
He asked us if we were interested in participating in an intermission game on the ice between the first and second periods. Immediately I jumped on the opportunity. Well, he really asked Emma but once he gave the details she kindly volunteered me to participate. He let us know the game would be Hot or Cold, where you'd be blind folded on the ice and have 60 seconds to find Buoy, the new troll mascot, with only the cheering of the crowd to help. The prize? Round trip tickets anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.
A signature and getting his number later, he told us when and where to meet him.
Excited and a little scared, we ecstatically found our seats and started game planning our strategy for the game. We wanted those tickets. We schemed a strategy of big, telegraphed movements to make it easier for the crowd to guide me. I quickly signed my liability away with a swipe on my phone after about 50 pages of contracts. With 3 minutes left in the period we headed behind the scenes down to the ice.
Of course when you get out there and you're blindfolded everything goes out the window. I shuffled as fast as I could in my Birkenstocks with ice spikes quickly slapped on. I had never even stepped foot on a hockey rink before.
The 60 seconds flew by as I had no idea where I was and worried about running into the ice rink wall. It was chaotic
With less than 10 seconds on the clock unbeknownst to me, the roar got a little louder and I braced for impact. Suddenly, I was enveloped by Buoy's fuzzy troll suit and the subtle scent of cologne. It might have been Axe. I unmasked and celebrated with Buoy.
Victorious! We celebrated with Ding Tai Fung popcorn chicken and beers as we, sadly, did not watch Kraken take home the victory. But we sure did.
The rest is straightforward. After finally getting the tickets, we carefully read the fine print and although the new direct flights to Belize were blacked out, Cancun wasn't. Which explains why our trip begins and ends in Cancun. So all in all, we are extremely lucky to have had our round trip flights made free because of the Kraken, and got to experience the best of what happens when you go with the flow. Honestly, just getting to meet Buoy was reward enough.
-Billy