Mavs Parade: Wish I Could Be There (Sort of, Not Really)

I've jumped on the bandwagon. Yes, I'm a fan of the Dallas Mavericks like never before.

My boy and I at a game circa 2008

I'm not usually a huge sports fan. But I found myself glued to the television Sunday night cheering for my home team.  There was something about the way they were playing, as if their desire to win was without question. They wanted it more. So I was ecstatic when they whipped up on the Miami Heat to go ahead and win the 2011 NBA Championship.

On Monday, the kids and I munched on our lunch as we watched die-hard Mavs fans welcome them back home at Dallas' Love Field Airport. I love watching live television news unfold as historical events happen. There's always so much energy. You could see the reporters trying to stay composed as they screamed into their mics, hoping their voices were louder than the crowds. People were sweating profusely, some getting really weak in the near triple-digit temps outside. Choppers were flying above showing every move of the Mavs as they touched their beloved fans through a wire fence.  Back at the television studios (I was flipping back and forth between WFAA 8 and FOX 4) there was talk of a victory parade coming up possibly by the end of the week.

That's when I knew I had to go to the parade.


I started fantasizing about dropping my hubby off early at work downtown and setting up shop along the parade route with the kids.  We'd be decked out in Mavs T-Shirts, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen.  I'd be sitting next to our cooler full of water and snacks, and James Charles and Audrey would be comfy playing in their wagon. We'd make new lifelong friends while we waited for the parade to begin. JC would get annoyed at me from taking too many pictures. "No Mommy, no more pictures!" he'd scream. It would be perfect. Of course it would. We go to the Children's Parade every year. How could the Mavericks parade be any different?

I told Jason we were going to the parade. He thought it sounded fun and said I should go for it. Yes! A new adventure with the kids! That's what I was thinking until I turned on the 5 o'clock news Tuesday. There were reports on how an estimated 250,000 people were expected to turn out and traffic and transportation into downtown was going to be a nightmare without careful planning. City officials recommended that people arrive extra early--like 7 am--for the 10 am celebration. Hmmm, it was starting to sound less and less attractive, but I wasn't really ready to admit it just yet.

Then I saw this story by Brett Shipp on WFAA. I didn't remember the 1993 Super Bowl parade. But seeing what happened back then made me come back down to earth. I realized that it would be best to stay home and watch the parade from the comfort of my couch in my air-conditioned living room. It wouldn't be a good idea to expose my kids to the extreme Texas heat and other unforeseen dangers in an unpredictable crowd.

So that's where I'll be today. Glued to my TV, hanging out with the kids.  We'll still have snacks and drinks. It'll be close to lunchtime after all. And we'll get a bonus. My hubby will be with us.  He's "working" from home until the parade is over.