mOnSTeR TrUck JaM

The boys got Monster Truck Jam tickets for Christmas and were nice enough to let the rest of us tag along. We got into Reliant Stadium right as the show was starting and were frantically trying to find our assigned seats- the ones which the taxes and fees cost almost more than the tickets themselves…ugh! I don’t know why we couldn’t have been running our trademark ten minutes behind tonight.

As soon as we entered our section they cut the lights. The show had started, and they weren’t wasting any time getting things cranked up. The intro featured ALL of the LOUD…incredibly loud…like the loudest noise I have ever heard…trucks…monster trucks…huge engines, mega horsepower… making laps around the stadium...in the dark. We all climbed over people shouting at the family who were in our seats. They couldn’t hear us. I couldn’t hear myself. Mass chaos.

The kids all had their hands cupped over their ears. Then I looked down at Eden. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. As soon as she caught my eye she begged for me to take her home. She was sobbing… “I don’t like this!!! I want to go HOME!” Poor girl. She didn’t want to come in the first place, but Damian told her we were going as a family. Luckily he had put his ginormous ear protectors, courtesy of outings at the local shooting range, in my purse. I pulled them out and quickly put them on her. Then I blindly dug around the massive purse cavity for the box of soft squishy earplugs I brought for the rest of us.

After the first five minutes, we were all kind of numb to the roar of the stadium. but the Having the earplugs finally in actually made it enjoyable. The boys were all mesmerized on the edge of their seats. They kept looking at one another to find their own excitement and disbelief mirrored on one another’s faces. Eden was still not happy, but then I remembered the Halloween candy that I brought in my purse for treats. That quickly dried the tears!

First there was the wheelie competition, then the donut competition, and the show ended with the freestyle show. I am no Monster Jam fan, but I did recognize the beloved Grave Digger monster truck. I wasn’t impressed with the truck, just its devoted fans. There was also Cowboy, Monster Mutt (with his huge floppy ears and wagging tail), Minimizer, a few others I can’t remember, and our family’s favorite of the night: 199.

Some of the tricks were pretty amazing, and even I got a thrill at seeing the vehicles ride almost vertically on its back tires, crush cars to smithereens, and bounce on their enormous tires. The best part was watching the boys, but their excitement took a whole new level when the intermission show brought out the four motocross riders on their bikes.

It was obvious that we should have held out for Motocross tickets by the way the boys belly-laughed at the coolness of each of their tricks. When they started to ride, Landon ripped out his earplugs. I kept trying to put them in but he was obviously annoyed with me. He pushed my hands away and said firmly, “No! I want to hear the dirt motorcycles!” He then put his hands out like he was gripping the handlebars of his own motorcycle pretending to be on his own incredible thrill ride.