Free Hockey (and cake)

Scott is a huge hockey fan. Ever since I have known him he has looked forward to the season beginning and grieved when the play-offs were over. Robby seems to be following in his Daddy's footsteps, although his attention is limited to the first 30 minutes of the match at which point he becomes more intrigued by the "man food" that is consumed during the game versus the action on the ice. Needless to say, both boys have been eagerly awaiting the start of hockey season. The announcement of the end of the lock-out signaling the return of his beloved sport was a cause for celebration in our home.

The official opening game for the Washington Capitals was on Saturday but the first home game was on Tuesday. In anticipation of the boys watching the Capitals play on home ice for the first time after the lengthy delay, I spent my time between appointments prepping a smorgasbord of "man food." A crock pot full of lasagna, a large bowl overflowing with assorted raw veggies (with dip), homemade nachos and sugar cookies were all awaiting Scott and Robby when they came home from school. The house smelled wonderful!

In the few minutes at home between dropping off Robby and going to work with Abby (the blind child I see twice a week), I decided to log onto Facebook. Clicking through my notifications, one caught my attention. In disbelief I had to read the message three times before I was sure what it said.

I won tickets to the home opener for the Capitals! Not only did I win tickets, but they were in a private suite. Both of my hockey fans were dumbstruck when I told them that we were going to the game. I rescheduled my appointment, put the food away and dug everybody's Capitals shirts out of the hamper (they weren't stained so I reasoned it was okay).  In record time, we were off to DC.

It wasn't until we were riding the escalators to our viewing suite that Scott asked me how I won the tickets. I explained that I saw a post on a page that instructed fans to "like" the post for a chance for tickets. Never wanting to miss the chance for something free, I liked the post and didn't think much about it. When we arrived at the suite and he read the name of the company on the door, Scott stopped in his tracks. 

In a strange twist that could only happen on Facebook, I won tickets from a company which I had actively campaigned against for the past few months. The only reason I liked their page was because I wanted access to leave a scathing review for substandard electrical work which they performed. In my defense, we had tried to rectify the situation with this company for seven years before I took my case to social media. Within an hour of posting my experience on Facebook and Twitter I received calls from customer service, and the work was completed and finally passed inspection within days.

On the same page where I waged my campaign, there is now a prominent photo of our little family, happily posing with our tickets in front of the company sign. I wonder if anybody will scroll down the page and discover my negative reviews!  Despite the loss and the source of the free tickets, we had a great time at the game. Scott was delighted to watch the home opener in person; Robby was delighted that we were in a private suite and he could use the bathroom whenever he wanted; I was thrilled that the suite tickets came with access to the all you can eat cake buffet in the hallway.