Thin Ice (Corey Crawford)

Picture Perfect

Corey

As August rolls around I start to pull my pads and sticks out of the hallway closet. I get my skates sharpened and ramp up the off ice training in preparations for the new hockey season. There was a lot that went into the offseason that it almost doesn't feel like there is one, especially when the last two seasons you ended in the finals and semi finals, there hasn't been much down time. It doesn't help that I live with the assistant goalie coach and she's about the meanest coach you can have. And it's not that she wants to see me break or that she thinks I need to get better. It's that she knows what it takes to be great and she believes that I am, I just have a lot of work to do to stay that way. She won't be the one to let me slack or become complacent, she will drive me to be my best every day and because of her I am.

"Why do goalies even need cardio? We don't go anywhere" I defend as I get ready to go on the treadmill. She had it set to one of the hardest settings and I was already dreading this thing.

"Cardio is just a way to be healthy. It isn't for the game, it's for you. It helps with longevity considering you never leave the ice and if you ever need to haul ass for a extra skater you'll be ready" she explains.

"Do you ever get tired of being right" I ask her as she smirks at me.

"Nope" she replies.

Of course not.

So she works me out good and hard and I honestly could have played a game today if I wasn't so sore. Luckily I will be in shape by next month for training camp when I need it most.

Once I get the feeling back in my arms I jump in the shower and change. I go out to the living room where I find my girlfriend standing there with a huge box leaned against the door.

"Corey... did you order a new girlfriend" Sam teases as she points to the box that was almost taller than her.

"A new girlfriend would never fit in that box" I scoff as I walk over. She just rolls her eyes as she looks the box over again.

"What is it" she wonders as she watched me set the box down on its side.

"It's a surprise" I say as I take my keys off the key holder and open it up. I see the pieces of what I ordered inside and smile to myself.

I had purchased one of the pictures we took and got it blown up, but it wasn't just a picture you can hang up anywhere in the apartment. I got the one picture spread out onto three separate canvases and when they were put together they made the picture come together and it was honestly beautiful.

I picked the picture from the shoot that looked like it would be on the front of a magazine. Sam and I were standing in front of the bean and I was kneeled down in front of her kissing her stomach. She had the biggest smile on her face as her hands wrapped around her growing stomach. The sun hit the beam perfectly that it made it look like the picture was fake. But it was real, and so was this feeling I got when the picture was put together.

"Oh Corey, that is absolutely beautiful" Sam gasps as she walks over to it. She looks it over then does it again to try and take it all in.

"It was honestly Abby's idea because she said she wished she did that with Sadie when she was pregnant with her. Since the pictures turned out so good I figured we can hang this up for a long time" I shrug.

"I love it so much" she claims. "I love you so much."

"I love you too baby" I smile.

She pulls me into a quick kiss but I hold her close not willing to let her go. She just smiles up at me as I hold on to her tight.

"This makes it seem so real" I admit as we admire how lucky we were to have such a picture perfect life.

"You know, we probably should have taken some classes on how to swaddle and change diapers and stuff like that" she teases and I laugh.

"Yeah, in retrospect that would have been helpful to know considering neither of us has raised a kid before" I agree.

"But I kinda like not knowing what I'm getting myself into, I won't freak out knowing I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do. I know I'll learn along the way and that's the best way to do it" she claims.

"And what if we don't know something we need to" I wonder.

"We'll figure it out. We're smart people and we have plenty of friends and family around that can help us when we need it most. Plus there isn't anything we need to know that we can't find on the internet" she reminds me.

"You're right" I laugh. "And if I had to put my money on someone who can get through anything, it's you."

"I think we're going to be just fine. And if we're not I'll call my mom and she'll be here in five minutes with whatever we need" she promises.

"Is your mom going to be over a lot? Because I like to walk around in my boxers" I defend.

"I'm sure she will try to be over as much as possible. But I'll make a deal with her that we will go to her place when we need help" she claims.

"Okay good. The last thing I need is your mom walking in on me in my underwear crying because I don't know why Mia is crying" I laugh.

"That would be something to see" she giggles.

"Well I want it all. The good, the bad, the ugly. Just as long as you're by my side" I beg.

"I'm right here" she promises as she cups my chin. She pulls me into one last kiss before we break apart.

We decide to head into the babies room and hang up our new piece of art. So we rearrange things and get the canvases up. I think it really pulled the room together, and it is something that when we are in here trying to keep her happy we can look at the picture and be able to smile. Remember why we wanted this so bad in the first place.