So we're driving to the venue and it's starting to sleet freezing rain. It's windy and cold, and miserable. The traffic around the venue is a nightmare. The parking ramps are full, it's bumper-to-bumper traffic, and there's actually police directing the traffic, trying to maintain order. There's people everywhere.
You see the stats on that picture above? You can imagine that, in the middle of the day, parking to this event would be a problem.
As I said earlier, the ramps to the venue were full. We were directed to overflow parking, which is blocks from the venue, and out in the open. We pay our ten dollars to park and find our way to the back of the lot, about the furthest you can walk. We get out of the car and the freezing wind takes your breath away. I am in short sleeves, no jacket. The ice is pelting my arms and it feels like tiny needles. I am not over exaggerating here, it actually hurt. We get about two rows away from our car and I tell Chad that I can't do this. The ice is physically hurting me. I have given birth to three babies, one of them completely drug and epidural free. When I tell you this was painful, I mean it. We go back to the car and try to formulate a plan B.
Our plan B consisted of trying to find a closer parking spot. We ended up moving up about 10 rows, but nothing really that close. We realize that we have no other choice but to brave it. We decide that we are going to run to the venue. We start running.
Remember those sandals I told you about? The sandals I am wearing have no back. They are slip on shoes. So, while I am running, I have to try to run and yet keep my feet and legs positioned so my shoes don't go flying off my feet.
After about a sorry 100 yards, I have so slow down and start walking. My calves have now cramped up from trying to keep my shoes on. The wind and freeing rain have completely wrecked my cute hair. My mascara is running down my face because my eyes are watering, both from the wind and from me crying. It is now abundantly clear to me that if there was a zombie apocalypse, and we had to run for our lives, I would be the first to be eaten. I was an extremely pathetic ball of mess. We aren't even close to the venue doors yet and I cannot continue to run. This is where being a plus sized girl also factors in. I am looking at Chad with the most apologetic expression I can muster. You see, Chad still has a six pack from high school, and a sized 32 waist. He's spry and can run just fine. Even though he has long sleeves on (those long sleeves I teased him about earlier), he is in just as much pain and suffering as I am due to the elements.
After what felt like an eternity, we make it inside the venue. We decide that there must be a jacket, blanket, or sweatshirt for sale that we can purchase to help our situation out when we have to venture back outside. Of course, we are located at the complete opposite end of the venue where the girls are competing. We begin making our way through the crowds to the girls.
We find a spot where they are selling NCA apparel. Bingo, they have windbreakers. Not winter jackets but at this point, anything long sleeved will do. Wait a minute. I should have known. They are selling them in sizes youth and women's small and medium. There are no larges or extra larges to be found. Super.
We find the shorts Courtney wanted, but the shirt was sold out. We order the shirt to have it shipped to Minnesota.
We finally find the girls, and they are waiting to go into warm ups.
We tell them we're going to find a spot to sit down and we'll see them after Storm (Carly's team) performs.
We still have some time to kill, so we wander to another part of the arena and find another spot where they are selling apparel. This time, I find a windbreaker in XL. I feel like I have won the lottery. It still wasn't a perfect fit for me (so embarrassed), but I don't care. We haven't eaten anything, so we go purchase an $8 smoothie and a $5 pretzel. We go find our seats and wait for Storm to perform.
Cheer competitions are loud. I mean LOUD. There's noise from the crowds, there's noise from the music. It really starts to get to you after a while. I begin to get a headache. It's no wonder, after the four hour drive with no food, then our run in the freezing rain, and now the loud music. The headache makes me nauseous.
Storm performs and we follow the team across the venue again so they can get their backpacks, which is left in a supervised area that is just for athletes. We wait outside the room and then let Carly know that we are going back to the hotel so I can get away from the crowds and noise to nurse my headache. We needed to go back to the hotel anyway because we needed to load Carly's luggage into the car. The coaches decide that after Blaze (another PS team) competes, they will send Storm back to the hotel so the team can give Carly a gift and say goodbye in private. They can eat, change, and refresh before going back to the venue to watch Lady Thunder (Courtney's team) compete. We also planned to go back to the venue to watch Courtney compete for the last time (sniff, sniff).
We make our way back to the car (miles away) and I now have my fluorescent pink windbreaker on. It helps, but let's face it - it's a thin windbreaker. I needed a freakin' parka.
We go back to the hotel and wait in the lobby. This is where we begin hearing about the ice storm that passed through Dallas and surrounding areas. They are talking about road closures. The hotel manager is advising people not to go out and drive. We begin to worry as we have a four hour drive home and we have left our son alone for the day (he's 12 and can handle being alone during the day by himself). We begin to realize the gravity of how dangerous the situation is and decide that we cannot wait until 8 p.m. for Lady Thunder to perform. We need to get on the roads as soon as possible because we know it is going to be a slow and dangerous trek. We are upset over these new events because Courtney is still at the venue and we are at the hotel. That means we cannot say goodbye to her, or give her a goodbye hug. She is coming down in a few weeks for spring break so we decide that it sucks, but we have to get going.
Carly is now back at the hotel with her team. We get her bag and it is time for her to say goodbye to her Minnesota cheer friends. Oh my gosh. Everyone was crying. She hugged each girl and received a scrapbook made especially for her.
It was the nicest send off the team could ever give, and I am grateful that the girls came back to the hotel especially for her to say goodbye. They all had to face the ice and wind as well as they ran from the venue to the hotel. It is not a short distance.
We get in the car and load our GPS up with the home address. We get on the freeway and start towards home. This is where things went from bad to worse.
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