A relationship I have had since Jan. 2, 1982, will end in just a few months. That's when I will attend my final Dallas Cowboys game at Texas Stadium.

Honestly, I do not recall if the Cowboys divisional playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers I attended with my dad in 1982 was the first time I went Texas Stadium. But it was the first I remember.

My dad loved the Cowboys. He purchased season tickets in 1966 at the Cotton Bowl, and my family has maintained them ever since.

A week after my first Texas Stadium game, I cried in my living room after Dwight Clark's catch helped the 49ers beat the Cowboys in the NFC championship.

Just like the Cowboys, this is my last season at Texas Stadium. I've been attending home games since 1983. I attended these games with my father until his death in 1996, making our two seats extra special as they represent some of my best memories with my dad.

Now, I'm preparing for the end, while looking forward to the future in Arlington. Texas Stadium is kind of like a brother or sister when you are a child. It's OK for you to say bad things about it. Anybody who has visited a restroom during a game knows the facility is past its time, and the discolored rooftop has been an eyesore for years.

But when others, notably non-Cowboys fans or folks from out of town, criticize a place representing so many memories, it hurts. That's my stadium. My memories.

The Dallas area is losing a landmark, and we are not a city that can afford to lose too many. Dallas is a great place to live. Sure, summers are very hot, and winters can be dicey. There's no beach or mountains.

This area is a great place to live, but not a tourist destination. Visitors want to see Southfork Ranch, Dealey Plaza and, for sports fans, Texas Stadium. Unlike Dealey Plaza, Texas Stadium represents some of the city's best times.

It's our Yankee Stadium (also being replaced), Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field and Fenway Park. And, like Reunion Arena, it will be probably be demolished within just a few years. It only makes sense. Nothing will rival the new stadium in Arlington, so I would not want to see Texas Stadium rot away without any permanent tenants or events.

The Cowboys may be leaving, but my memories will remain. As a fan, I hope the Arlington stadium creates even better moments – it's off to a good start with a Super Bowl in 2011. And, in the plush new surroundings, I'll still be able to watch the Cowboys beat the Redskins, Giants and Eagles.

But Tom Landry will never coach a game there. Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman will never throw touchdown passes to Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin there. Emmitt Smith will never gain a yard of his rushing record in Arlington.

And I will never attend a game in Arlington with my dad.

Twelve years after his death, I still miss going to games with him, and I can only imagine what I will be feeling upon leaving Texas Stadium for the final time. Even if it follows a Cowboys victory in the NFC championship game, there will be a feeling of sadness, as I know an era in my life has come to an end.

New memories are in store at the new stadium, and for this, I could not be happier. I will still have season tickets, and, while I will not be there with my dad, I will take my son and daughter as they get older. I cannot wait to create new memories with my kids. I've learned as great as it was to experience things as a child, there is nothing better than enjoying these memorable moments as a parent.

I'm sure my dad would agree.

Chase Wofford of Keller is the journalism teacher and newspaper adviser at Coppell High School. He is also a Teacher Voices volunteer columnist. His e-mail address is bchasew@yahoo.com.