Every day for the past two weeks, like a high school senior waiting for an acceptance letter, I've been checking the mailbox as I waited impatiently for my envelope to arrive. With each day that passed, I became more and more disappointed and nearly certain that my run of good fortune had come to its end and I would not be one of the chosen ones. But on Saturday, as I sifted through the stack of junk mail and bills, in the left hand corner I saw it: the familiar red and blue logo outlining the white silhouette of Jerry West, alongside the words National Basketball Association.
Barely unable to control my excitement, I tore through the envelope and skimmed the letter inside. Wow, this was even better than I had imagined, and most definitely worth the wait! Not only had I been approved as a volunteer for the NBA All-Star Jam Session next month, but they had selected me to work all four days! When I had initially read on nba.com over the summer that they were looking for volunteers, I jumped at the chance and signed up immediately. How cool would it be, I thought, to be up close and personal with NBA legends, both past and present? (At the time, I hadn't even heard of the HP Insider contest and had no idea of the adventure that awaited me in January.)
I talked to my friend Holly, who also signed up, and we attended the initial information meeting together in December. (We were even in the picture from the event that was posted in the Dallas Morning News!) As soon as I read my letter, I texted Holly and learned that we had been scheduled for all the same shifts on all four days. As I've said before, once in a lifetime experiences such as this are always more fun when you have someone with whom to share them.
Being able to be a part of this All-Star weekend is extremely special for me, because the last time All-Star festivities were held here in Dallas, in 1986, I hadn't started watching basketball yet. It wasn't until the following year that Dad introduced me to the NBA, and I developed my fascination, which would eventually grow into an obsession with all things basketball.
Even though the All-Star events take place over Valentine's Day weekend, my dear sweet husband Rickey has again agreed to let my basketball fixation override other aspects of our lives...maybe because he realized that if I didn't get to participate in the All-Star weekend festivities, there would be no Valentine's Day for us! Just kidding, babe, but thanks for tolerating my basketball addiction yet again!
By the time All-Star weekend has come to an end, and after the HP Insider experience, I will have burned nearly half of my vacation time for the entire year. But you know what? I really don't care, not this time. Because for me, 2010 has turned out to be the Year of the Maverick. Years like this only come around once in a lifetime, and a true basketball junkie like myself wouldn't miss this for the world.
Barely unable to control my excitement, I tore through the envelope and skimmed the letter inside. Wow, this was even better than I had imagined, and most definitely worth the wait! Not only had I been approved as a volunteer for the NBA All-Star Jam Session next month, but they had selected me to work all four days! When I had initially read on nba.com over the summer that they were looking for volunteers, I jumped at the chance and signed up immediately. How cool would it be, I thought, to be up close and personal with NBA legends, both past and present? (At the time, I hadn't even heard of the HP Insider contest and had no idea of the adventure that awaited me in January.)
I talked to my friend Holly, who also signed up, and we attended the initial information meeting together in December. (We were even in the picture from the event that was posted in the Dallas Morning News!) As soon as I read my letter, I texted Holly and learned that we had been scheduled for all the same shifts on all four days. As I've said before, once in a lifetime experiences such as this are always more fun when you have someone with whom to share them.
Being able to be a part of this All-Star weekend is extremely special for me, because the last time All-Star festivities were held here in Dallas, in 1986, I hadn't started watching basketball yet. It wasn't until the following year that Dad introduced me to the NBA, and I developed my fascination, which would eventually grow into an obsession with all things basketball.
Even though the All-Star events take place over Valentine's Day weekend, my dear sweet husband Rickey has again agreed to let my basketball fixation override other aspects of our lives...maybe because he realized that if I didn't get to participate in the All-Star weekend festivities, there would be no Valentine's Day for us! Just kidding, babe, but thanks for tolerating my basketball addiction yet again!
By the time All-Star weekend has come to an end, and after the HP Insider experience, I will have burned nearly half of my vacation time for the entire year. But you know what? I really don't care, not this time. Because for me, 2010 has turned out to be the Year of the Maverick. Years like this only come around once in a lifetime, and a true basketball junkie like myself wouldn't miss this for the world.
woo hoo!!! we're going to have so much fun!
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