"I'm gonna run!"

If you aren't my Facebook and/or Twitter friend, then you probably didn't see what happened to me yesterday. I met Thomas Vanek for the first time about two years ago, when the Sabres had played the Penguins in the preseason and there was an autograph session afterwards. My sister-in-law and I made a quick getaway from the 100s to go find out where he was set up, and waited for awhile before he came to sit down at the table.

I was nervous as hell because this was the first time I would be meeting a professional hockey player. I had the chance to meet Michael Peca at Wegmans a long time ago when he still played for Buffalo, but was too shy to take it up. I happily was telling my sister-in-law this story so that my nerves would get all out of me. Didn't exactly help much.

So we got up to him and I set my jersey down. He signed his name and I said thanks, before my sister-in-law backed me up and said 'She's a little starstruck right now and can't talk, so would you please get a picture with her?' With this he replied 'Sure!' and we promptly got the picture taken and I thanked him again. That was then:

This is now:
Obviously a completely different situation and it was just after he finished practice (so he looks all 'rawr!'. He could've said no, though!) The best part about THIS picture was that I actually asked him myself. Funny story: Tamara and I made a quick stop the the bathroom at the Pepsi Center and walked back into the rink, and I saw him going towards the door to get off the ice. At this point, we were a little ways down and he came off. I turned to look at Tamara and went 'I'm gonna run. I'M GONNA RUN!' so I ran. I made it before he got in the locker room and asked for a picture. Then I was shaking because Tamara mentioned to me how the flash wasn't off and I was freaking out when I was turning it off, but it turned out okay. I need a new picture of us to keep me preoccupied but the first one will always be the best.