I’m gonna take it back to 2019 to start this story, but our love for the Pelicans begins long before that! We’re not season ticket holders and we live on the Northshore, but we make it to quite a few Pelicans games each season. My son and I both thoroughly enjoy watching basketball, so it’s a really fun activity for us to do together. Friday, October 25, 2019 was our last night at the Nest until Friday, January 28, 2022…it was AMAZING to be back, y’all!
So thanks to Facebook and Instagram, I could make an accurate timeline. February 2019 was rough. We had a couple of significant deaths in our family back to back. Nathan still wore his Anthony Davis jersey. I remember that game though, and I remember thinking beforehand how nice it was to be doing something happy.
In March we had our first (and only…so far) court-side seats experience! It was very cool. It was the coolest thing ever to a seven-year-old! I did not let him wear his Anthony Davis jersey to this game. Absolutely NOT! Fast forward a few months, and homeboy was upgraded to a Zion Williamson jersey for his 8th birthday.
A couple of weeks later two of my brothers came with us to the first open practice. And then October 25, the regular season home opener. Who would have thought that would be our last game for over two years. I remember this date for other reasons though…y’all remember that dumb Tropical Storm Olga that came out of nowhere??? Well, she blew through my area that same night. Took out my electricity for four days and it was my birthday weekend too. Probably an omen letting me know 2020 was coming…
When I got us tickets to the game this past January, Orleans Parish had not reinstated the mask mandate. I don’t support the mask mandates (or masking) and if it was just me who had tickets, I would have stayed home. I love home BTW! Home is peaceful, zen, and has a TV. But my kiddo knew we had tickets, and he was really pumped to go, and he doesn’t care about wearing a mask if it means he gets to go to the basketball game! And honestly, a silly mandate wasn’t going to keep me from some joy with my boy! A joy we’ve definitely been missing. And let me tell y’all about the joy had at this game…
Nathan FINALLY made it on the jumbotron! I think life was complete for him this night (until he woke up the next day of course). Every trip to the Nest requires a pass through the store because we just gotta check out the merch. So we did this first. We decided we would eat dinner at the game, so we got our favorite Krispy Krunchy Chicken (fried shrimp and fries). I recommend you visit the counter before halftime or you might miss out! Of course, Nathan made friends with everyone sitting around us, my little old soul social butterfly. We didn’t leave the blender with a win, but we went home with another solid notch in the memory belt.
If you’ve never been to a game or it’s been a while since you’ve gone, you should plan a family night out! I know Zion isn’t playing right now (but he’s back in Nola!). But BI is playing, and Herb, Jose, and Jaxson! We signed CJ McCollum and he’s made an immediate, electrifying impact. We have a feisty and thirsty team who are really fun to watch. Willie Green should be a shoo-in for Coach of the Year. And playoff vibes are activated! We keep teetering in and out of the 9th and 10th seed, but I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to maintain a spot. We’re right there…Ohhh, I’m excited about the Pelicans y’all!!!
