we've been.......Thunderstruck!!

So the NBA finally rolled into OKC last night with the inaugural season opener of our very own franchise, the Thunder! Jimmy and I signed up for season tickets as soon as the decision was final and the former Seattle SuperSonics were officially on their way. Jimmy is on the road with the band right now so he will miss the first several games. I had to twist Sister Shayla's arm and force her to come to the games with me (wink, wink). What an exciting time we had last night! Although the Thunder came out on the losing end (98-87) it was such an experience to see the city come together with such eagerness, excitement, and anticipation for what our fair city is embarking on. Chills ran up and down my spine when the lights went down and our OKC Thunder entered the Ford Center arena and were introduced to us for the first time. The roar of the crowd made my heart pound! There is just something about that feeling....kind of like when you go to a big concert when the lights go down and you see the artist for the first time. I love it!! I couldn't be more happy about the Thunder being here but Jimmy and I were discussing one evening about how this exactly came to be. Our downtown OKC area has had many improvements for the better over the years and one can't help but realize that this stems from the bombing in 1995 and the increase of tourism due to people visiting the memorial. We got the Ford Center several years ago which has brought in many more big name concerts. When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in '05, their NBA franchise, the Hornets, we temporarily displaced to OKC. If we didn't have the nice Ford Center facility, we may not have got the privilege to host them during their time of need. It was those 2 seasons of having the Hornets that proved to everyone that OKC could and would support a pro-sports team should we ever have the chance to get one. Enter Clay Bennett; fast forward three years, and there Shayla and I are sitting proudly in section 328 and screaming at the top of our lungs for OUR THUNDER!! We have a pretty awesome community of fans that came out to support the team and hopefully that enthusiasm will continue for years to come. Now, if we could just get everyone to quit leaving early when they assume the game has been decided! Stay til the final buzzer, people! You're not going to get out of Bricktown any sooner by leaving early!