Sunday March 17, 2013 had the potential to be an interesting/difficult day. It had nothing to Patrick or the Irish, although those celebrating St. Patrick’s Day always have the potential to complicate matters. No, Sunday, March 17, 2013 was the day we took our annual family to the Dallas Auto Show.

I love cars. I always have. My brothers love cars. My kids love cars. My dad used to race cars and my grandfather used to test cars for Ford. We love the way cars look, feel, smell and handle. They are not just modes of transportation. They don’t just take us from point A to point B. They are the intersection of engineering and art. The car show is like a trip to Disney for us car lovers. I guess what I am trying to say is that we are fond of cars.

Almost ten years ago we started a new tradition in our family. My dad and older brother created the family trip to the car show. It’s the same every year. We take the train to the convention center and enjoy the cars together and then take the train back home. The first year there were four in our group, this time we had fourteen. Of those fourteen I had four between the ages of 4 and 10 with me, hence the potential for a difficult day.

The really large crowd is potentially problematic for us on two fronts. One, large crowds freak some of our kids out and, two, we have a house full of runners. Being a parent on car show Sunday is not for the faint of heart. But it is does fill my heart with pride. The good kind.

Tyler (10) has come with us to the last six auto shows, last year Tori (8) and Brooklyn (4) made their first trip to the convention center. This year we had our five year old foster son, J, with us for the first time. He was my biggest concern going in because the “Trifecta O’ Trouble” lives in him…he hates large crowds, he LOVES cars and he is a runner. I was anxious on the way in and thrilled on the way out because all I remember is the pure joy on his face for almost four hours. There was every kind of car he could or want to imagine for him to sit in and pretend to drive.

Sunday at the Dallas Auto Show reminded me of the value of tradition to everyone (forever or foster) in a family because on Sunday we added to everyone’s story. Not only did we add to everyone’s story but we specifically added some joy to J’s story. No matter how short of long someone is in our family they are a part of it while they are with us and are a part of our traditions.

I used to only go for the cars but now I go because it’s a family tradition.