Nostalgia

Ok, so go ahead and call it lame, but I had an amazing day/night this past Friday preparing for and partying at the NKOTBSB Concert!!!

For those of you that are too young (or too old) to understand the above acrostic...

New Kids on The Block (NKOTB)
Backstreet Boys (BSB)

Now, I was a huge fan in the 5th/6th grade...basically like my little girl in her love of Justin Beiber! New Kids were THE THING!!! Now, have I moved on and should they have? Yes. I will say that at first I couldn't believe the reunion happening with the New Kids a few years back...the dances were terrible, the receeding hairlines were not attractive, the fact that 40 year old men were singing songs about "girlfriends" hit me as a little scary, and the singing no longer impressed me like it did when I was too young to care about what they actually sounded like.
BUT...last year they announced they would be touring with Backstreet Boys in a collaboration effort and had some very successful shows. I still wasn't sure if I could believe it. And then...I was offered an opportunity to find out for myself. Should I go? Well, a sweet friend said she had an extra ticket I could buy from her and for some reason I jumped on it! It had to be the 6th grade heart pumping I am sure. And hey, if anything, this would bring back some memories, be a blast to hang with friends, and maybe even good material to make fun of.

My friend Kelly and some of her friends got together early Fri after my sister left for PA (a great distraction from my sadness of her leaving) to make T-shirts with NKOTB iron-ons, puffy paint, and more! Why? Because this was a late 80's/early 90's group that needed to be re-lived!

These are the boys I remember and the group I was excited to see...

The finished project! We are a little scary...I know! We had no regrets and weren't worried if we were the only ones dressed up. We were going back to the 80's and planning to PARTY! This was about US and no one else!

On our way! Kelly is ready!

Lauren and Betty were super cute in pink and couldn't be more excited to see Joey and Jordan!

And I had to be comfy and I thought white decorated tennis shoes with pink laces were a must to complete my outfit!



Downtown on the way to the Arena!

Had to take another snapshot for those that know Kelly and wouldn't believe her ability to lose inhabitions and be completely silly!!!


We ended up having to run to the arena because a wild storm was rolling in. Our planned dinner outside at Hamburger Mary's (which was rockin with NKOTBSB music), was ditched as we sprinted down Church Street to find shelter. After our "stadium" style food (such a bummer), we headed to find seats to see the opening acts. Matthew Morrsion from Glee did an amazing job. He has an INCREDIBLE Voice and Band!

And then....
The show we were waiting for exploded on stage! Screams kept us from hearing most of the first half of the show, but the guys actually danced well, had obviously all visited the gym, and put on an eye-pleasing show none the less!



When the screams began to settle and girls slowly started to lose their voices, we could hear the boys...geez....I mean "grown men" a little better. They actually sounded much better than I was originally anticipating. Harmonies were spot on! And they seemed on pitch and pleasant to listen to. The only downer to me was that Joey lost his boy'ish falsetto in "Please Don't Go Girl." The song had obviously been dropped a few keys to make it possible for the group to pull off. It wasn't bad. But, it wasn't the same.

Jordan Knight, however, seemed to keep his crazy high voice going strong. I have to say I have never been a fan of his sound (sorry girls), but was overly impressed he could hit the notes so confidently and stay in key!
Jordan's famous - "Ill Be Lovin' You Forever"

The place was filled with girls...ugh...okay..."women"...everywhere! And yes, there were men too...mostly husbands and boyfriends from what I can tell.

But, some had New Kids shirts on....?!?!?!? Think they were more than a tag-a-long...



The best suprise of the night, other than seeing Brian Littrell's Christian songs played by video during the pre-show wait (really cool), was having BOYZ2Men join the stage!!!

They were in town for Food and Wine Festival and decided to come grace us with a few classics and promote their upcoming album #TWENTY (celebrating 20 years together).

They were AWESOME!

The last song, HANGING TOUGH, of course, was a collaboration from both boy bands which was quite entertaining! The Boston based New Kids on one side, the Orlando based Backstreet Boys on the other, both sporting their town NBA Jerseys! Even though, my favorite "Man Band" was the New Kids, I think BSB won the screams because of the baised team being represented (a little unfair I must say...but way fun)!

After a few rounds of "WE WILL ROCK YOU," confetti went flying all over and the guys met together and circled up before high-fiving the event!


It was a fantastic evening out! No, my heart didn't flutter or skip a beat, and I did manage to keep all screams on the inside (more due to sickness than anything else). But, I can't say I wasn't giddy most of the night with memories of old songs and my pre-teen years!
However, I know I am getting old for a few reasons...

• 
  
  The sex symbol they believed they still were got on my nerves a little...or maybe a lot. Kind of funny at first when Joey lifted his shirt and the Arena went BAZERK! But, I was done with most of the shirt ripping, inappropriate body movements and gestures, and wished they would stick to the cool choreography and leave the vulger crap at home. I think they liked taking advantage of the fan demographic of 2011 that were choosing alcohol instead of cotton candy.


• 
  
  The screams were loud. Very loud. Each time one of the guys would yell loudly into their mic - "EVERYBODY SCREEEEEEEAAAAAAM," I would hunker down and cover my ears. That stuff hurts!


• 
  
  I don't mind the nosebleed section anymore. I can see the entire stage, have a mega screen to see the close-ups. And I don't have to stand the whole concert! Those lower levels don't get that luxury!


• 
  
  The concert may have went a few min too long in my opinon. I could have taken the concert being about an hour shorter. But, I guess with 2 opening acts, taking half and hour striking the stage of all instruments from the groups that actually use full bands, 2 headliner groups, and a surprise guest, what was I supposed to expect? And I guess being pregnant and uncomfortable didn't help. My lemonade didn't give me much energy. Now I know why many of the non-pregnant girls said they could have partied all night...hmmm...

So much for the negatives...probably a little grumpy from pregnancy and jealousy that I can't handle what the younger girls can :)

I had a great night out and a time I will never forget!!!!!

Hanging with the Matincheck Family!

My sister, Ami and family came to visit last week and we had a blast! It's not often that we can get together since they live in PA. But, we take every chance we get! Here is a glimpse of our time together. I can definitely tell you that this pregnant girl couldn't keep up. I chose to hang at home during some of the outings and tried to remain stationary on the trips I did make. Thank goodness for lounge chairs at Aquatica, benches at Gatorland, and reclining leather seats at Monkey Joe's!

Gatorland!

Aquatica! (thanks to sweet friends)!

Playing "Minute to Win it!"

Sister's doing their favorite thing...EATING! Yummy Thai Food!

Monkey Joe's!

Can't wait to see them again at Christmas! I should be a few pounds lighter (I hope) and have a little more energy! As of now, I am enjoying the light schedule that we have this week!

Tiny Ballroom Dancers

This is what happens when we let our kids take the camera for a few minutes. Apparently, Abbie and Annalise taught these little youngsters something new today and had to catch the moment. So glad they did! Would have hated to miss it!!!

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Sunny Days in Hollywood, FL

A few weeks ago, Jarrett had a business trip in the Ft. Lauderdale area (what a bummer, right?!)

He was coordinating various projects for a Firm Retreat for almost 500 attorneys (insert lawyer jokes here...)! The good news is that the girls and I were able to come along and spend the week at the resort with Daddy. The bad news is that Daddy didn't really get to have much play time and it was more like the girls and I only got to hear him snore at night :(

We did, however, have a great time visiting with friends during the week that kept us company! Some sweet friends of ours, the Perez's, just recently moved down to Hollywood a few months back and we were able to hang with them a few times which was wonderful! It is so good to catch up! Also, Jessica and her kids decided to come down for a few days and bunk with us and enjoy the pool. Then, Jackie, another friend (also Jarrett's boss's wife), came with her kids for the weekend! We were so glad to have friends and converstation for the week!

On the last day, Jarrett was able to come and swim, enjoy the day with us, have dinner out, and finally play! The girls were so exicted to play with Daddy in the pool. And he was EXHAUSTED!

The Resort view from our balcony!
The third picture below is the Retreat Group gathered on the beach for a group shot!

Jessica's crew and Our girls!

Jackie's Crew and Our Girls!

So wish we could have had more time with Daddy but I guess I should be thankful that we even got to tag along on this trip. We sure are spoiled!!!

School Changes

The summer is in full swing and my girls are the busy busy busy! They are swimming, going on trips with mommy and daddy, having play dates, sleeping in, going to VBS, music camp, and enjoying the freedom to not have a schedule!

This will soon be changing....So, In a little over 5 weeks our girls will begin a new school adventure! After much prayer, Annalise and Allison will be attending school full time in the fall. Annalise was accepted into one of Orange County's Magnet programs!!! Allison will begin a 4 day a week preschool program in Downtown Orlando near Daddy's work!

Annalise has had mixed emotions about this adventure. We have homeschooled since preschool and she has enjoyed having the freedom to schedule school around play dates, holidays, family trips, and more. Now, we will be no longer doing Math and Reading laying on the floor of her bedroom. She will now experience the life of a public school student. We are nervous and excited all at the same time. Annalise received the news a few weeks ago and keeps asking questions. I think she is slowly turning her apprehension into giddiness as she is learning that we will be going school clothes shopping soon, she will have field trips to Sea World and Science Center this year, and she will be allowed to purchase school lunches from time to time :) See, there are things to be excited about, right?

And little Allison...she is SUPER PUMPED about the upcoming school year! She likes her new school and the playground :) She also loves that Daddy can take her to his office every morning to hang out a bit before walking down to the school. I am really looking forward to packing lunches (with little Austin Ryan in tow), picking up Allison and going Downtown each afternoon to eat with Daddy! This will be a great way to fill the gap between the 2 school pick up times. We may even visit a fun park, library, or do some grocery shopping some days while we wait to pick up Annalise.

This fall will definitely be a challenge with the new transition. We have no idea what it will truly look like until the time is here. A new baby, school changes, and Jarrett's work schedule with upcoming trips will make this fall an interesting new adventure! Whew! Just makes me want to get on my knees and start praying again. We will be doing lots of that over the next few weeks and months and would appreciate yours too!

Maternity and Family Pictures!