Rockets Night!

I have not been to a basketball game in over a year. My friends and I have been so busy this last year that we were unable to go to any games. And now it's Playoffs time and I still haven't gone. That changed when I told Andrew that there was a home game on Tuesday. He suggested that we go because he has never been to a basketball game before and he knew how much it means to me.

SO WE BOUGHT TICKETS TO GAME 2 OF THE PLAYOFFS AGAINST THE MAVERICKS.

I wanted the Rockets to play the Mavericks ever since pre-season started. Losing Chandler Parsons, my favorite player, to Dallas really affected a lot of things. I watched basketball less (also because of work and school), my opinions on him as a person kind of changed because of the trade. It hurt to see my favorite player leave. Last year's team was my dream team. I know that we don't have Kevin Durant or Lebron James, but the team that we had was special to me. One by one, almost all of them dropped like flies. Having Chandler gone was the hardest part of it all. I thought that he'd stay with us because he loves Houston and the fans love him. He's definitely a fan favorite and I felt like he was improving with our team. Each year, his numbers have been going up and he's getting experience by training with our other players and legendary former players. Leaving Houston to go to Dallas because of money felt like betrayal. It hurts to see him post pictures wearing a blue jersey now, or talk about Dallas in any way. It's silly if you really think about it. Why be upset about a player leaving? But I was, and I still kind of am. Anyway, the whole point of that rant is because ever since he left for Dallas, I wanted Houston to play them in the playoffs and then beat them. I kind of want them to show off and to prove a point to Chandler that even though it hurt to lose him, we didn't need him. I think our guys have been great and they managed to get the #2 seed in the West and win #1 position in the Southwest Division. They're great, regardless of whether Chandler is with us or not. (I later find out that he doesn't play in Game 2 because of a hurt knee, and that sucked, cause I wanted to see him. He looked amazing in his suit though, I'm not gonna lie).

Before heading to Downtown, we got dinner at Carrabba's. His dad gave us a gift card and man, was the food delicious. I haven't had Carrabba's since my junior year in high school and that was so long ago. I do love my Italian food. He ordered the Chicken Marsala (which is his absolute favorite thing to eat there) and I was so lost on what to get because I wanted everything, that I decided to order the Lobster Mac and Cheese. I think I chose correctly. It was really good and it wasn't too cheesy. I'm not sure what kind of cream sauce there was at the bottom, but it was delicious. We were thinking about ordering Tiramisu when we first saw it on the menu, but I'm really glad we didn't. By the end of our meal, we were too stuffed to eat anymore. I didn't even finish my entree. Oops. Regardless, dinner was great and it was really nice to eat real authentic Italian food and not the kind my family tries to make (no offense).

After we got ourselves back to the car, we made our way to the Toyota Center!

I couldn't contain my excitement. Once we got out of the car, I couldn't stop smiling and I kept jumping up and down like a kid. We walked a few blocks and then we finally made it to the entrance. The new image at the entrance is beautiful! Doors opened at 7 and we were in the stadium at 7:05.

We walked around the first floor and stopped by the team shop along the way. I wanted to get all the shirts, but I decided against it because I should be saving money and we'd be getting a t-shirt for going to the game anyway. Maybe it was a smart choice? I don't know. Looking back now, I still kind of want a shirt that they sold. My opportunity is totally gone though. I got a souvenir cup that features the entire team on it. Last year, they sold souvenir cups with just James Harden & Dwight Howard and I have that already. I'm not sure if they did the same design for last year's playoff, but I'm really happy with the new cup that I just got. We went upstairs and walked around the floor, as well. I also took a snapshot of the stadium filled with the two colored playoff t-shirts. I think it's beautiful. Everyone in the crowd either wore red or silver to show support for our team.

After we made it around the stadium, we went to our seats. Personally, I love sitting at the top because I can see everything that goes on when the guys are on the court. I liked our seats, a lot.

                                     

I also liked the red t-shirt we got. All the shirts around us were XL's so we assumed that everyone received an XL shirt. I told him that we'll just have to shrink our shirts to make it fit. Regardless, we put it over our shirts and wore it proudly. Before the game started, we snapped a few selfies and some of the memorabilia stuff for his dad to see. His dad's a big fan of the Rockets but couldn't make the game because of work.

                                     

                                     

Andrew isn't a big fan of sports, but he did play basketball when he was younger, so if there is one sport he could see himself watching, it's basketball. Before we got to the game, he kept telling me that I would have to tell him everything that's going on because he thinks he wouldn't understand. But he proved himself wrong. The game started and he caught on really quickly. I had to tell him maybe a few rules, but he got the gist of it. 

He got so into the game! He yelled and cheered on the Rockets every time they made a basket. When the Mavericks scored, he cursed. Just like me. We yelled, cheered, and clapped for all four quarters. It was so nice seeing him engaging in the game. He learned names quickly (which is difficult for him. I'm not sure if he remembers them today still, but in the moment, he knew). Sometimes he yelled just as loud as I did. I loved that.

                                       

In the middle of the fourth quarter, our team was doing fantastic. It was obvious now that we were gonna lose, but still, with every basket, I yelled and threw my hands up in the air, sometimes even getting out of my seat to yell from up above. I saw from the corner of my eye that he had his phone out, ready for the perfect moment to take pictures of me cheering whenever they score again. Well, he got it. 

                                     

                                      

Just as I wanted, the Rockets beat the Mavericks 111-99. Confetti fell down from the ceiling and everyone in red & silver cheered as we win our second game of the first round. We play again on Friday in Dallas and it'll be really interesting to see if home court advantage will help them win, or if our Rockets will take it out and try for a third consecutive win. It was a great game, though. The Mavericks were able to take lead a couple times throughout the game. They only missed 1 free throw throughout the entire game (and there were like 24 free throws shot from them). I recognize that the Mavericks is a good team. However, I don't like the way that they treat the Rockets, thinking it's okay to belittle them. I'm never gonna forget how the Dallas coach called Dwight out for choosing Houston over Dallas last year when he joined the team and thinking that it was a stupid decision. I think he's rude and could have behaved more appropriately. I hope the Rockets kick some Mavericks ass in Dallas. Let's sweep it up, 4-0. I can hope. No matter what, my bets are always going to be on the Rockets.

Andrew had a very good time at the game. He said he'd love to go to more games in the future. Secretly, I hoped that he would so we could go together. And it worked! I'm glad he enjoyed his first basketball game and that we won. It would have sucked to take him to his first game and have them lose. 

The game's over and we leave. We worked up an appetite and went to IHOP for a late dinner. Our friend Brad joined us and we sat there talking and joked around until the very late evening. But it was a perfect ending to a very great night. 

THE NEXT DAY

Andrew and I decided to go out and get lunch before he went to work and I had to go back up to Huntsville to study for a test. I wanted tacos, and so he brought up Berryhill Baja Grill. It's in Market Street, and as soon as I looked at the online menu and saw that they had Korean Tacos and Breakfast Tacos all day, I was sold. We got there and he ordered a Grilled Fish Taco and a Korean Taco. I got a Korean Taco and a Pulled Pork taco. They were delicious! The Korean Taco is definitely my favorite of the two. It's kolbi-marinated pork with srirachi chili sauce, and with every bite that I took, I just wanted more. Had I known just how good it was going to be, I would have ordered two Korean Tacos instead. Eating that definitely makes me want to learn how to cook one myself so I can have it any time I want. Andrew agreed that the Korean Taco was his favorite, too. Berryhill is also known for their Fried Fish Tacos, Tamales, and Tres Leches, though. I'd definitely want to come back and try the last two, as I have already had their Fish Tacos. It's also a cute little restaurant with a Sals Bar. You get up and serve yourself with however many chips and dips that you want.

                       

                       

We were extremely full after having just two Tacos, that I decided that we needed to go walk everything off. It was then that he decided that we should go to the new Whole Foods Market that just opened in The Woodlands a few weeks ago and browse. I've never been, but he and his family went probably four or five times the first week it opened. I got there and I could see why they did.

The place is very appealing because they sell organic and healthy food. I've been getting into that trend lately, and so it was really interesting walking through the aisles and seeing their products and comparing them to the stuff you see in HEB or Kroger, for example. The coolest thing about it was that they have a bar in the middle of the market. There, you can get food and drinks, and walk around the market and grocery shop with a drink in your hand. I don't know if any other markets allow this, but this is definitely the first time I've heard of it and it's cool. I think it's smart and appealing to many people. They also make and sell hot Sandwiches and Pizza. They have their own Bakery and when we got there, I couldn't look away. I wanted everything. They make it all look so pretty. Because we both have a sweet tooth, we grabbed a piece of cake, bought it, and sat down and ate. Maybe it was a bad decision because eating that crossed the line of full and exhaustive full. But it was really good. 

After that, we walked around Hughes Landing, the area which Whole Foods is at. They're building more restaurants around at the moment, so I already know that we'll be back to try them out in the foreseeable future. 

The last two days have been really great. It was great watching a live basketball game again and seeing my favorite team win. Andrew enjoyed it as well, and so that only means more games in the future and that excites me! And of course, whenever we're together, food is always involved. I'm excited for more dates. In the meantime, off to studying I go. The semester is almost over and then I'm gonna be free to do absolutely nothing at all if I choose to. I'm excited!