Sure enough, first day of skiing, all I could see was little kids all dressed in their ski suites and sliding down the mountain in their little skis ~ cute as baby kittens and puppies. It was only the first day and I already missed my Evan Mies. Sure, drinking beer on the slopes and tackling moguls and chutes was a blast but in the back of my mind was a constant video clip of my baby's face and the special way she calls me "Da-da!"
After two glorious days on the slopes and a relaxing day watching the NFL playoffs, I was ready to go home and see how much Evan might have grown. The plane ride back home was excruciating. It didn't help that I had to fly from Reno to San Jose first before heading to my home port of Orange County. The whole trip took 5 hours. It might as well have been forever.
When I finally arrived home, it was past 8pm and Evan was already in bed. I peered into her peaceful sleeping face and saw a changed girl. In 4 days she grew a bit and had the aura of a girl who has seen the world. Her trip to Sea World with Mom and cousins broadened her horizon and exposed her to new wonders she'd never imagined. I wanted to wake her and give her a big hug but settled for kissing her on the cheek.
The next morning, as usual, Evan got up around 5:30am and ran to my bed yelling, "Daddeeee!"
My title took on a very special meaning as I tightly embraced my Evan and wondered at how much she had changed, yet felt so warm and familiar.
