Tootsie Pops & the Indian shooting a Star

Is there any sucker as delicious as the Tootsie Pop?  When we were kids Eric and I would get Tootsie Pop's from local stores in Whitefish; Grogan's, Town Pump, and a candy store on Central ave near Crystal winters, heck maybe it was Crystal winters lol, either way they were delicious, and my mom would buy us one each.

We both would open our wrapper gently, because, you see, if you had an Indian shooting a star you got a FREE Tootsie Pop! Are you kidding a free Tootsie Pop, for just opening the one you were going to eat anyway?! That seriously was the best thing ever when we were kids, (I was probably 7 Eric 4).  We both, I assume, and for sure me; would wish so so hard for an Indian Shooting a Star. I would concentrate all of my energy, and harness all of my wishing power, cross my fingers, hold my breath, close both eyes, do a lucky dance and then peel back the wrapper anxiously looking for the Indian shooting a Star. Now my memory may be a bit fuzzy but I'm pretty sure I ALWAYS found one, lol. While that may or may not be historically correct, I do remember wanting that Indian shooting a Star more than I had ever wanted anything in my life, and that pretty much held true for many many years. I always seemed to have some span of control on "getting things" in my life, If I wanted a car, clothes, hot tub, home arcade, new house I would save up and buy it; pretty easy.  But with the Tootsie Pop it was all chance and I wanted another one so so badly.

I guess that's why after we found out Brenda was pregnant I started hoping, wishing, doing my lucky dance ect. hoping for a baby boy. We already had the perfect little girl, Madeline Elizabeth, and I really felt, and still do, that I have so much I can teach a boy. I have experienced a great deal of things in my short time as an adult and I really wanted to pass that along to Son, to help raise a sweet boy and a strong man.

But I was helpless, in a sense, I had zero control of what the baby's gender would be, much like my inability to make an Indian shooting a Star appear on a Tootsie Pop wrapper.  So one day I was reaching in my candy bowl in my office, at work and pulled out a red Tootsie Pop.  I paused for a few seconds, and thought to myself, if this Tootsie Pop has an Indian Shooting a Star; we will have a Son. Well it did, and I kept that wrapper in a safe place until he was born. Brenda  probably though I was crazy when I explained this is how I knew we would have a Son lol. But we did, and he is amazing he makes me..... so happy, so joyful, so adventurous, so passionate, so excited for every day; he makes me feel  like a kid again, one who just won a free sucker. 

 That wrapper is pressed in the pages of his baby book and Brenda bought us matching shirts :)

**Update**

Tattoos... they are permanent and everlasting; they will be with me for the rest of my life and even still be a part of me after I have left the earth. Much like the love I have for our son Evan Bryan, the best most meaningful Father's Day gift to date is the tattoo I received on July 2014.  Dada loves you Evan Bryan Hill