Simply Amazing

I'm sitting here trying to think of the perfect title for this post, and coming up with nothing, absolutely nothing, that could sum up everything I want to say. I'm not sure I can even put it into words, to describe it for you, Internet. As much as I want to tell you, there are some experiences that simply have no words, or maybe words just aren't enough. I don't know. But, I'm still riding the wave, still walking with my feet off the ground. I'll tell you right now that I didn't take nearly as many pics as I intended- once I was there, I just wanted to watch.

I left with Tami on Friday morning, heading for Cleveland and the boys. We were both excited, and we listened to NKOTB all the way there. We got into the hotel, met up with outr roomies, some other fans, and started to get ready. then we hit Hard Rock and had some food and drinks. Damn they have strong drinks- we all quit with one. LOL Tami was at her meet and greet (lucky gal, I heard it was fantastic) so we were all hanging out- the Blockheads had taken over Hard Rock. We were everywhere. It was amazing to see all the shirts, buttons, even dolls that people had. There was almost a hum, we were all so excited. EVERYWHERE we went that day, we ran into other fans. It was non stop. We seemed to be all over Tower City, just waiting.

me, before getting ready @ the hotel

Then it was time. We headed to the arena, and it was on. I took some pics of Cavs stuff for J, bought a beer with Amber, and walked in to scope out the seating.

Looking out over the arena

That was when I cried a little. It was finally REALLY hitting me- I really was there, in the same building, and in an hour or so, these men would be on stage. It was surreal, and that feeling never went away- I don't think it has yet.

My seats were CLOSE. They had spread it out enough that my section ended up behind Section 1, which put me closer to the stage than I'd thought. 1, 2 and 3 were in the first rows, stretched out all along the side. I was an aisle seat.... which worked out somewhat interestingly as the evening wore on. Heh.

Colby O'Donis was on first and he was pretty good. Then came Natasha Bedingfield. I love her anyway, so that was enjoyable for me. By the end of her set, the energy and excitement was palpable- you could just about reach out and touch it. There was a good 10-15 minute wait in between, and when the lights went down again, we all went wild. then they started, and I did everything I swore I wasn't going to. LOL I screamed like a horror movie queen. I jumped up and down like friggin Tigger on crack. i waved my arms, I pumped my fists. And it was that way for the whole two hours they performed. It was insane. But in a good way.

Spelling out "NKOTB" before they come up through to the stage

"Single"

"Let my song get ya higher"

"Grown Man"

• They opened with "Single", blended into "My Favorite Girl". I was enthralled, all the way through the "Didn't I Blow Your Mind/Valentine Girl" medley. And then, then I saw a familiar video flash on the huge screen they had on the stage. The familiar music started and I was totally lost. "Please Don't Go Girl" is my song, always has been. Seeing my favorite guy sing my favorite song? Absolutely priceless. That was the point, five songs in, when i thought the night couldn't get any better. I was wrong. LOL Amazingly, I hadn't cried yet. I think i was too excited to at that point. Although, i bounced like I had a spring in my ass all through PDGG, hands fisted in my hair for a time, then waving like a maniac as I continued to jump. If that poor man saw me, he was probably frightened. I shit you not.
  

**Blogger is being a shit right now, and will not let me upload more pics at the moment. I'll post more, promise. **

The best part was yet to come. LOL There is a second stage on this tour, in the middle of the crowd. That's where they do "2 in the Morning", "Dirty Dancing" (good GOD!!!!) and "Tonight". Joe's wearing his old school smiley face jacket... you know you remember this jacket. That was when I jumped up on my chair to watch and take pics. Security made me get down. LOL


And when they were done? They walked back to the main stage. Right past me, to the main stage. Less than five feet away from me. I missed Danny, brushed Jordan's wrist, Donnie's wrist/hand , and then Joe's. He semi winked at me, and this is when I got lucky. Lucky I wasn't taken down by security, that is. I grabbed his wrist, and somehow ended up in the aisle, sort of behind him, still holding onto him. I'm seriously lucky that he didn't toss me off, or that security didn't. I can fit my hand around his wrist. And I immediately texted J to tell him I'd touched him. Then I texted again to say I'd grabbed him. LOL

I swear to God I'm not a psycho fan, and thanks so much for not having me arrested, or throwing my hand off of you. I was simply overwhelmed at that point, and had a moment. LOL

I made it till "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" without crying, and have NO idea why that song made me cry! I cried through stay the Same (got an AWESOME pic of that, and will definitely share that with all of you) and lost it again during Hangin Tough, when I turned and looked all around the arena. Every arm, from the fist seats all the way to the very top row, was waving in the air. That was an amazing moment for me, seeing that.

All in all? Best show I've ever seen. All five of them were having a ball, everyone seemed in tune, comfortable and just super relaxed. Donnie cried a little when he spoke to the crowd, and even though they are always saying this city or that is the loudest? When they said we were louder than Boston, I thought the roof was going to collapse from the noise. And the last words? "Ohio, we love ya.... See ya next year."

Yes, yes you will. I can't wait to do it again. I'd do it again today. There just isn't any way to properly describe the experience, and if I tried, I'd come off sounding like an idiot. It really is magic, the way they interact with one another, with the crowd. They truly have an appreciation for their fans, a humility, that is very very touching. Being told that this experience has gotten a man through a rough year, the ending of a marriage, means a lot. Sound odd? Not to me, because maybe now they finally understand what they did for us, still do in some ways. Maybe now we are their escape as much as they were ever ours.

All in all, it was the best time. the city was great, seeing sights, etc., was fun. But for that show? For that two hours, I'd have done almost anything. It was unbelievable, still is, that I was really there. It honestly was a long time coming, and it proved to me that sometimes the best things in life don't happen once in a lifetime. Sometimes, they happen twice.

Something Different

Here is a new piece of fiction I am working on. It's new and raw; I have not edited it at ALL, so any errors, spelling or grammatical, will be fixed later on, should I choose to continue on. This is not the one I am working on every day; that one is driving me mad. This one is actually a version of something I wrote in the 7th grade, and started again, with revisions, thanks to an article I found through the woman I want to be my bestest friend on the internet, forever and ever, amen. The article itself was shocking, heartbreaking, inspiring, sickening, strong, weak, awful, and wonderful all at the same time. There are some people who should be saints, seriously, and I cannot imagine going through these challenges daily. Especially with a child so severely impaired, who is not my own. I am not that selfless. I won't apologize for that; I think those who accept these challenges. welcome them even, are beyond special. They are divinity on Earth, and should be treated as such.

The actual article is here. The audio and video to it, which I have not been able to bring myself to watch/listen to, is here. Read (or listen/watch) with your tissues handy and with your heart ready to shatter into a thousand pieces. Seriously, this is the most horrendous case of child neglect you will EVER come across, please be prepared. What I wrote, or will write, is very much NOT this story. This story simply reminded me, in a way, of one I wrote long ago, for a best friend (hello Teresa Kawa) who bet me I could not finish a book. I did, and now I'm looking at it again, mixing things up and changing things, making some things less innocent, and some things more so. I was 12 the first time I wrote the story of a child thrust into a world without a true family unit, going on sheer 12 year old instinct. Now, I am an adult with kids of my own, I know a little better. And this story inspired me, as much with its evil as with it's absolute goodness. So, here you go:


It was putting your coat on that did me in, did you know that? It wasn't the hours I'd spent with you previously, filled with other people. It wasn't the pieces of cookie I'd fed you, the home baked cookies with shapes in the middle meant very little when there were others who'd fed you similar pieces. It wasn't the cup of juice I'd filled; anyone could, and had, done that. Anyone could have played with you, fed you, changed you... and we all did. You were so easy to please, for the most part. It was that coat, and the way no one else could put it on you but me. I will remember that until the day I die, and you will never have any idea how many things I compared to that over the years.

I'd like to think it was personal; that you knew I cared. That in some way you knew I'd taken a job to pay for things to buy, just for you. That maybe you knew you were wanted, even when you were something I was not allowed to want or have. Even though I did both. But, in the end, it doesn't matter that I bought you endless toys, it doesn't matter how it felt when I carried you around and we laughed, just laughed, for no reason. It all comes back to the coat.

I was the one who had to put you in your coat, that large foreign (to me) object of sleeves just perfect for little fingers to grab onto and refuse to budge. I can't, for the life of me, remember the color... how silly, when it seems to matter so much? But, it was for me, and only me, that you would sit without crying and allow yourself to be maneuvered into this piece of clothing. When anyone tried, you cried, I remember that clearly, and reached your arms out. For me. You cried, and when I came to offer help, you stopped, sat, and watched me as I dressed you. And for a second, I understood. That very moment made a lot of decisions for me, as you sat and watched me; looked directly at me. Trusting me, even though we were barely introduced. And I loved you, even as I dressed you, knowing that all those things I'd worked for would never be acknowledged, never be played with, never be yours. Not really. I wasn't allowed to say it, so I knew better, even in a "safe" place. I don't think I knew then how hard it would be, but I remember that I held onto you, even as the horn honked outside, and eyes pleaded with me not to make it harder, God not any harder, than it already was.

What I remember, other than that, was how you reached out to me, crying, as you left. That tore my heart out. I cried too, feeling an ache I had never known. One I wouldn't know again, not for some time. I'd have loved you, regardless, because of some things. What I did not know, until much later, was that I loved you despite it.



So, there you have it. Opinions? Criticisms? Give 'em to me.....

Pic-a-palooza (How We Have Grown)

I've posted a lot of pics of Taylor since starting this blog. she's a baby, babies are cute, and they change so much, so fast. Like today, she started drinking from a sippy cup, which I am trying NOT to call her "cuppy." That's a hard one to break.
But, anyway. It made me think, and that led me to post some pics of all 3 of my rugrats when the older two still WERE rugrats. So, here we go. In no particular order, Zee Growth of Zee Small Ones. :)






This is Alyssa at one month, celebrating her first Easter. you can't tell, but the pants she's weating have little carrots and bunnies all over them. Yes, she was only one month old. And not impressed. :)





This is my guy Jake @ 2 months. He sported a preppy look as a baby- the shorts were khakis and that shirt buttoned over the other one. Too cute.



Miss Lyss @ 7 months. Her first christmas was coming up, and she loved the camera.



Jakers @ 1 month. He was peaceful his whole first year... then he walked... LOL.








Alyssa's first birthday. Anyone remember Bear in the Big Blue House?? He's on her head. And looking at this pic, I see just how much my girls look alike.



Jaker's first birthday party. He loved tearing into all those gifts!



My oh so serious guy @8 months, chillin in his Exersaucer. This was pre-walker, and pre busted up toes for me!


My babies, he @ 1 month, she @ 23 months. Yup, they are THAT close together. And I so loved that hat.



Miss Lyss turning three. Shortly after this picture, she yanked the barrettes out of her hair and cried about it. She wanted those presents, NOW.



Mr. Basketball @18 months. Look at that gorgeous head of hair! Yes, we are a binky bunch.



Me with Lyss @ age 3, on NYE in our new house. Yes, again the binky.



My first born @3 months, with her Pooh. I have one similar to this, somewhere, of her with the Stay The Same cassette. Mr. McIntyre, even then... LOL.



Miss Taylor Madison @ not even a whole day old yet. My last born, always baby, baby.




Jake at four, in preschool. Curls no more....



Miss Lyss on her first day of kindergarten. she thought she was uber cool that day, I'll tell ya!

Jake, thuggin @5.



The toothless wonder @ 5 almost 6.



Taylor today with her brand new friend, Sippy Cup. Sippy Cup was an immediate hit, especially filled with juice. also a hit, vanilla pudding, broccoli carrot and cheese baby food, and cheese puffs. She did not notice my not so subtle crying as she chugged out of the cup while grasping a Mum Mum rice cracker. too fast, too fast, too fast they grow up.




Miss Lyss and the Jake man, today. It flies, doesn't it? You blink, and it's gone. Amazing.Absolutely amazing.

I Love YouTube

I don't know the girl(s) who did this, but I DO know a handful of Bravehearts who thank her (them) from the bottom of our blockhead hearts! Without further ado, I present to you.... Have Mercy! (The Joe Version)

Movies, Movies, Movies!

I'll admit, I'm a movie junkie. Good God I'm a junkie for lots of stuff, huh? But it could be worse than music, movies, the net and food, right? Anyway- I love movies. Scary movies, funny movies, suspenseful movies, musicals, chick flicks (which I RARELY get to see anymore... I need a chick flick buddy!)... there really aren't many genres I'm not into. Just leave out the kung fu, martial arts movies and we're good. So I was curious, and wanted to see what kind of movies you guys love, hate or have been watching lately. and I'll start off with a few I've seen lately. **there may not be a lot of new NEW movies I've seen recently- I have three kids, lol. Sometimes I'm only seeing the brand new episodes of Hannah Montana or Dora.**

Last night we watched Mission: Impossible 3. We've had it on the DVR for over a month now and just got around to it for a few reasons. Number one being it takes a lot for me to be able to watch Tom Cruise lately. He's made himself out to look like a crazy, and I can no longer take him seriously.... or watch Cocktail, one of my all time favorite movies, in quite the same way.

That aside, M:I 3 was pretty good. Action packed and with a twisty plot that slammed you in the face when you thought you had it all figured out. My kind of movie, and for a minute, I forgot all about jumping on couches and bashing moms with depression. Great cast, an openeing left for yet another one. Not my favorite of the series, but one I'd watch again.

Premonition we watched last week. The one with Sandra Bullock where she keeps reliving her husband's dead? Then not dead? Then... you get it. this movie was a WASTE of TIME. It made very little sense, the days never added up properly and the sequence of events was a mis-match of too many things happening, and not happening in every "day", "week" or whatever the hell dimension they were living in. That and you couldn't really sympathize with the husband. At all. Not to give anything away, but the other woman was the only consistent plotline. So, yeah. Definitely don't recommend this one.

Ocean's Thirteen! Ahhhh, where do we begin?? With George? Brad? Matt? Casey? It's a festival of eye candy, girls, with a fun filled plot full of action and Ocean's team doing what they do best. Not to mention Al Pacino as the bad guy about to get his from the scrumptious crew. My only reservation was there was no Julia Roberts appearance in this one... and I love her to death. But, I'd say this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Watch it, and say "Yum, yum!!" along with me. : )

PS I Love You. Ahhh, a chick flick. Hilary Swank plays a grieving widow who keeps getting letters from the husband who passed away, as his last attempts to help her deal with his death and start living again. A slow mover for me, but it had its moments. You'll need your tissues, and some chocolate. I wasn't overly enthused, but it was all right. Not falling into the great romantic films category for me, but I'd watch again with a friend.

Now, your turn. anything stand out lately? In a good, bad or ugly way? you tell me... Go!