When I had Bubba on
Valentine’s Day, we joked that he was the best gift I would ever get! That is the truth! I didn’t really understand boys when I
had Bubba and wasn’t particularly excited about having one to be honest. I was happy for Dan so he could have a
sports buddy but I had no idea how much a mom could love a son. Bubba is very kind to me. He seems to understand how hard I work
and also how much we sacrifice for the kids. Bubba has always made me feel very
loved and appreciated since he was a baby.
In the fall, Dan and I were
watching a Miami Basketball game.
It was a huge victory for them and we had the brilliant idea to take
Bubba to a game for his birthday.
We checked the schedule and were so happy there was a game on a Saturday, the week of his birthday. Bubba
never really asks to do anything major on his birthday like a big party, so this
was an easy solution that he would love. Dan and Bubba have attended a Miami football game for the
last several years but this year Bubba’s football season ran extra long and
they didn’t make it to a football game.
Bubba was very sad about that.
I knew this would be such an awesome surprise because he has never been
to see Miami play basketball. They
have never been very good before but this year they beat the number one team
and have made history at Miami.
The other cool thing was that the arena is on campus so it had that
college spirit with all the students in attendance!
What I failed to remember in
our zeal to purchase the tickets was it was in the middle of our Flag Football
season that Dan and I are in charge of.
I felt physically ill when I finally realized it and was so sad that we
would probably not be able to go.
Thanks to my dear sweet friends John and Carrie Wyatt and Teresa Rogers, and many others who stepped in to help, we were able to bless Bubba! They
handled all the many details of the game, which is way more than anyone
realizes.
After a ridiculous amount of
preparation to leave for one night, the day was finally here. I had packed for Bubba and tried to be
calm so he wouldn’t find out about his birthday surprise. I was a nervous wreck keeping this big
secret from not just Bubba but all the kids who were making all these plans for
the weekend. Finally the day was
here! I barely slept having
nightmares about a manner of things and was relieved when the morning
came. We woke Bubba up at 7 AM,
brought him downstairs and had him open a present. The tickets were on top and his face was priceless. He jumped up and hugged his Dad and
hugged me and kept saying, thank you, thank you, thank you! Under the tickets was a Miami
basketball jersey from my mom that he has been begging for. He was in heaven. I told him to put the jersey on and get
in the car! He was
speechless! It was worth all the
trauma and preparation for that moment!
Bubba is still at the age when he loves hanging out with his
parents. I hope it last forever
but it may not, so these times are priceless to me.
Everything was going along
nicely until we got close to Miami.
We were scheduled to arrive at least an hour before the game. We got in terrible slow traffic and
Bubba and I were freaked out. Dan
kept telling us to calm down, that we would make it. Finally we parked and got inside. The first thing we saw was beautiful Miami dancers and of
course I let everyone know it was Bubba’s birthday and got a special picture for him!!
The game started and was
incredible. The student section
was out of control! Sebastian the Miami mascot was firing everyone up to shout
out C A N E S….Canes!!!! It was bedlam
and I was loving every minute of it and feeling a little sorry for UNC! I leaned over to Bubba and asked him if
the football games were like this and his response cracked me up. He said, “No basketball games are a much
more hostile environment!” and he was right!! They booed and jeered and mocked the UNC team
relentlessly.
It was one of those games
where whatever Miami tossed up, swished in. Whatever UNC tossed up, swirled around and popped out of the
basket! Miami was on fire and took
a commanding lead and kept it the whole time, which is my kind of game! I just got to take in the whole
experience and enjoy with no stress about the score. We heard a little ruckus and couldn’t believe it! Lebron James and Dwayne Wade walked into the game! I was so amazed. We had tried to get Heat tickets for
Bubba the night before but the prices were outrageous so we passed. God gave Bubba such a nice birthday
gift and brought the Heat to him at the Miami Hurricanes game! It was so exciting!!
I did have a melancholy
moment and my eyes filled with tears as I thought of my Dad. My Dad attended the University of Miami
and loved his Canes so much and was such a devoted fan! I have no doubt that is where Bubba’s
gets his passion for Miami from even though he never knew my Dad. I looked at Bubba’s face during the
game and wished with my whole heart that my Dad could be there enjoying his
grandson and cheering on the Hurricanes.
I had to quickly push my sadness away and focus on this incredible time
with my son. I felt like I was
filling in for my Dad. What many
people didn’t know about him was that he was a champion basketball player and
could still swish a ball from anywhere up until the day he died. What has been incredible to watch is
how Bubba plays similar to my Dad according to my mom. This year Bubba almost became an expert
at driving for a basket and drawing a foul. One game he made 12 points from free throws. My mom said Dad would do the exact same
thing! DNA is a powerful thing!
A few security guards tried to move us along but Momma wasn’t moving. Bubba was a little nervous but I told him to not be moved by these security guards with a false sense of power! I acted like I belonged and ended up having a great chat with Barry Larkin about his son and got an autograph for Bubba! I love God and how he always does abundantly more than we could ask! He loves my boy too and looks for ways to bless him! We strolled through the beautiful campus and let Bubba spend his birthday money in the bookstore. He was so pumped about getting Miami tube socks! He looked like a walking billboard for Miami from head to toe!! LOL!
Dan had his own surprise for
Bubba and for me too! On the
Miracle Mile is a historic hotel called the Colonnade. Dan used his travel points and got us a
phenomenal room with a view! It
was such a huge treat for us! I
loved the beautiful marble floors and woodwork! The coolest thing was our room had an upstairs with a spiral
staircase! Bubba loved hanging on
them! We took Bubba to California
Pizza for Dinner and to his first Denny’s experience for breakfast! That kid ate a ridiculous amount of
food with his Lumberjack Slam!
I am so glad Bubba was
surprised, so thankful to God for blessing us and helping us and was glad to
come home to my other babies that my mom graciously took care of to make this
possible for Bubba! What I know is
that time with your children goes on fast forward and you can’t turn it
off. Even though the trip was a
ton of work and at an inconvenient time, I have learned to push through to
create a lifelong memory. I dread
the day I take Bubba to Miami and leave him behind for college. As I walked through the tropical campus
my mind kept going there. I kept
telling myself, I have 6 more years and plan on enjoying every moment with my
best Valentine gift ever!!!! Happy
12th Birthday Bubba!!
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