Go Kings!

My heart is swelling with pride.

I’m glued to local television coverage of the Sacramento Kings

Long Live the Kings Rally.

As a Kings fan, we’ve been in turmoil and a haze of wonder for the past few years.

Would our team stay?  Or would they go?

And finally, I can finally sit here with immense pride

not only for my beloved team, but for my city.

I have so many amazing memories of this team.

Above is just a small picture of the years I’ve spent cheering for this time

beside my family, and now, my husband to be.

I’ve been attending games for as long as I can remember.

My brother and I made friends with the long time usher in our section,

and we even have developed our own pre and post game rituals.

And if Dad comes with, there’s always the after game jog to the car,

just so we can hear Gary Gerould’s final commentary following the game.

The Kings came to Sacramento in 1984, the year I was born.

And my life has been filled with Sacramento Kings memories since then.

My high school graduation party guests sat glued to the television

as the Kings (sadly) lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Another season, my brother and I found ourselves on the Jumbo-tron

with a giant poster for Beno Udrich – “Beno es Bueno.”

And one of my favorite memories was my first date with

the soon-to-be Mr.

See!  I even saved our tickets from that night.

Then there are the memories of sitting in the arena

during the two “Final Games” in 2011 and 2013,

where we didn’t know if this would be the final time

we’d watch Sacramento Kings basketball.

Both were two, very different nights with different emotions, but both held uncertainty.

But the end is here!  The Kings are here to stay!

So, long live the Kings!

For this is only the beginning of more memories to come.

I can’t wait for the day that Chris and I get to take our kids

to a Sacramento Kings game.

—

Though as a city, we’ve been through a rollercoaster of emotions,

the best are ahead.

Never been prouder to be a Kings fan!

Go Kings!

Let it not be the Last

 April 13th, 2011

is a day I remember pretty vividly,

yet the parts of the day that stick out most

are the early morning and the late evening.

It was the “Last Game” that the Sacramento Kings

were supposedly going to play in Arco Arena

ever.

My day began listening to old Kings memories on the radio

as my old favorite morning show (that is no longer)

reminisced the days of old, the Good Times with the Kings.

Tearfully as I entered the parking lot to work,

I just had to call Dad.

My boyfriend and I had tickets to the game

and so did my brother and his girlfriend.

But Dad’s plan was to sit at home and watch the game.

It just didn’t feel right.

I couldn’t imagine that the team he’d taught me to love

would be playing without him in the seats watching.

Flash forward –

That night, I took in every moment.

Would this really be the last time I’d cheer my heart out for this team?

I sat in the upper deck, with a perfect view of our season ticket seats.

As the warmups began, I couldn’t help but replay memories

of my childhood memories in that place.

The game turned out to be a nail-biter, with the Kings losing in the final minutes

to our eternal rival, the Lakers.

But it was a good one.

And when it was all over, I had a hard time leaving.

How could I get up and leave?  Leave these memories behind?

—

Two years later,

and the story isn’t much different.

Tomorrow is the season finale for the Sacramento Kings.

Yes, they’re still here.  But our future is still unknown.

We’re still waiting for an answer.  For clarity.

Still waiting, for the confirmation that our team is here to stay.

The newspapers around here report a different story every day.

We really have no idea.  There are still so many questions that go unanswered.

Yet tomorrow I know there won’t be tears,

because this time I go to the game with hope.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m a fan of the underdog

and I’m pulling for the underdog in this case.

I’m hoping that the nation and the NBA will finally wake up

and see what an amazing franchise the Sacramento Kings really is

and that they will let the team stay where it belongs.

But the most important thing, is that if it really is the “Last Game”

everything will be okay,

because Dad will be in the stands with me

watching our team to the very end.

Go Kings!

Thankfulness Thursdays

Back for week 3 of Thankfulness Thursdays

thanks to the Domestic Fashionista.

—

This week was the start to one of my favorite parts of Fall:

NBA Basketball.

Though I have been posting an awful lot

about my love for the San Francisco Giants

my heart will always belong to the Sacramento Kings first.

Basketball season means time spent beside my family

cheering, laughing, and stat trading

in front of a game I love to watch.

It means a little less sleep a few nights a week

because you better believe I don’t miss a game without an incredible excuse.

There’s nothing I love more than blaming my exhaustion

on staying up past my bedtime just so I could see the end of the game.

I won’t lie… Basketball season is the reason

I recently upgraded my cable service just so I wouldn’t miss a game.

Last year I even kept the Kings schedule in my car,

so that if I was in the car during game time,

at least I could listen to the play call on the radio.

A little extreme…I know.

But this is coming from the girl

who called her Daddy at 7am the day of the “last” Kings game

crying because I had tickets to the game and he didn’t.

I was feeling guilty.  How could I not watch this last game with him?

(Luckily, that wasn’t the last game.)

Sounds a little silly, but really, it’s the reason I’m thankful today.

Because to me, this game stands for family time.

—

Whether it be on the couch in front of the television for TNT Thursdays,

or sitting in our season ticket seats at Sleep Train Arena,

I am so very thankful for basketball season!