The Season is underway...

After months of preparing for Opening Night, it has finally come and gone. Operationally we were a little rusty but for the most part the night was a huge success. My main responsibility was the building set up and the outdoor party on the street during pre game that I called "Thunder Alley".

We had inflatable games for all the kids, a Thunder branded basketball court, X Games bikers Keith King and his crew performing stunts, live bands including famous country star Kevin Fowler (I'm not a country guy but he is a big name down here) and fireworks to celebrate the doors of the Ford Center opening for the first time. The team played horrible and lost by double digits but the night went well none the less. It is still surreal to think this is the same team that I grew up rooting for in the KeyArena but that is a story for another day. For now, I'm just enjoying the opportunity I have to learn both professionally and personally.

Speaking of, the following day Nicole and I were sitting at a staff breakfast the next morning with two of our friends and guess who decides to sit at our table... none other than our owner Clay Bennett and the commissioner of the NBA David Stern! The six of us ate breakfast for about an hour and it was a great opportunity to sit and talk with two of the most influential people in my industry.

My parents were here last weekend and it was great to have them here. Although I didn't get to see them as much as I would have liked (they even stayed at my place!), it was good to have them down here for Opening Night and see where I live and work.

We are starting to get into a rhythm at work which is nice. I've been working so many hours over the past few months that it would be nice to have some time away from work and with Nicole.

I've also attached to this post a few pictures from Gabriella's party for her last day with the company. Every once in a while we get out and have some fun!

10 Days Away

Opening Night is only 10 days away! I'm excited because it is going to be an experience like no other and the stress of it all will be over. It is going to be an amazing production and I will be sure to include lots of pictures from that night soon. Also, my parents are going to be visiting Oklahoma City for the first time together so that will be fun to have them here for Opening Night. I haven't seen them since my two day stay in Seattle back in August for my last Storm game.

Nicole and I went down to Dallas two weeks ago so she could get her shopping fix. The first thing we did in Texas was to stop in an L&L restaurant and eat Hawaiian food since they don't have anything like that in OKC. We then went a mall that had a Nordstrom which was the only stipulation that she had for shopping. The next day, Nicole did more shopping and I met Sabrina from my office and we went the Cowboys/Bengals game. We had some great seats.

Oklahoma City Thunder

I had my first Oklahoma event and it was a huge success! We unveiled our new team name, logo and colors on Wednesday and all went off without a hitch. Our name was leaked to the press a few different times but everyone in the office took pride in the fact that it was never anyone with the organization. For those who are living under a rock, our new team name is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Attached is a picture of the stage after the crowd left and the banner was revealed. One of the biggest highlights of the day was working my favorite NBA player Desmond Mason who is the newest member of the Thunder.

I'm still staying busy with all of my events, with Dance Team Auditions being the next on the schedule starting on Sunday and continuing over the three days.

My first blog...

Well, I'm officially a blogger. My Uncle Steve recommended that I keep in touch with everyone via blogging and I'm going to give it a shot.

I've been down in Oklahoma City for two weeks now. My Dad and I drove the 2,000 miles through WA, OR, ID, UT, WY, CO, KS and finally OK. He checked out all the weather sites on the way down and got a brief tour of the city before flying back a few days later.

Nicole and I found a place to live right next door to our office in downtown and about five blocks to the Ford Center (where we will be playing games this season). The city feels a lot smaller than Seattle because there isn't much going on downtown on the weekends. Everyone lives in the outskirts of the city. Even though we are in the Midwest, the "Southern Hospitality" extends to Oklahoma because everyone is extremely nice! I think some of it has to do with the fact that we work for the NBA team and the people down here are very excited for the season to start.

Nicole's Dad is down here and we visit the University of Oklahoma today. I don't think we were suppose to be in the stadium but we found our way down on the field which was a very cool experience.

I have nine events to run over the next month and a half so I will be busy to say the least... I'll write again soon.