New Kids on the Block Concert

The silk screen we used for my shirt.

Where to start? I guess maybe I’ll make this like an acceptance speech to thank all the people who made this proud moment in my life possible…..

First I need to thank my husband for putting the idea in my head. Russ always gets “slickdeals” notifications sent to his email. He forwarded me a note saying New Kids on the Block tickets were only $20 here in Salt Lake. He didn’t want to go (of course) but thought I should take a girls night out with my friends. Now you have to know Russ. He is always happy to take the kids for a night whenever I want to go do something without him. But Russ loves to hang out together for most things. I think having him Suggest that I go out and leave him to stay with the kids was a first! So I jumped on it – instantly. Whether I really liked the New Kids or not, I would not let this opportunity pass. Don’t get me wrong I did like them growing up although I was not a fanatic like my cousin Natalie who’s entire room was plastered with New Kids posters and magazine covers. I also already had their new song SUMMERTIME on my I-pod. But once my friends and I got our tickets – that’s when the fanaticism began. Thank you for spending hours helping us design our shirts. Thank you Russ for laughing good naturedly at me for days on end as I went on and on and on about how much I loved the NKOTB and for listening to me for an hour last night curled up in bed as I gushed about their concert and calmed down enough to go to sleep.

Which brings me to Michelle and Amy. Thank you for being fanatics with me. Michelle, thank you for burning me a CD with the playlist for the concert so we could get to know all the new NKOTB songs. I have listened to these songs about a billion times in the last 4 weeks. I grew more and more excited for the concert every time I got in the car for my daily commute to the gym as I rocked out to GROWN MEN and DIRTY DANCING. Even now just writing about the songs makes me want to turn them on – so I think I’ll listen as I continue my thanking. Thank you for being inappropriate enough to think of the saying for our banner. Thanks for stopping me from making more of a fool out of myself at dinner when I knew that high school chick just had to be dressed up for the New Kids concert – or at least an 80’s theme dance – when clearly she was just in denial. Thanks for the vintage tee-shirt, short mini skirt and bright pink leggings. Thank you for all the glow bracelets and necklaces (and condoms) that really made us stand out in the crowd – although not enough to get pulled up on stage.

These are not actually condoms (although that would go well with our freebie banner) - but some sort of glow mouth pieces that Michelle says she picked up at a rave last weekend.

Amy, thank you for your banner making capabilities. I know if they hadn’t made us throw that banner away as we entered the E-center that Donnie for sure would have noticed me and taken me up on the offer!

Thank you for also having dreams about winning some contest that would let us spend a day with the New Kids. Thank you for trying to figure out with me where we could go to accidentally run into them downtown – if only we had known it was the CRACKER BARRELL! I’m glad someone else would admit that they would actually kiss them back if one of the New Kids pulled us up on stage and kissed us like they did to the lady on Good Morning America. Thank you for introducing me to JOEY. I think I have a small crush on him too now. And thank you for pointing out that SEXIFY MY LOVE might not really be a sweet and pure love song like I suggested. To the both of you for making my life so much fun….and for helping me remember for just a night my 15 year old self . I’m sure we’ll have many more amazing times to look forward to.

Thanks to my kids for listening to THE BLOCK with me every day and for loving it as much as I do. To Bryton for always wanting to hear “the circus” song one more time and for Thyse for always saying “SUCKERRRRRRRR” at the beginning and end of GAMES. And to my daughter Maili for telling me to stop dancing to DIRTY DANCING in the car parked in my garage once we were home – like I was the dorkiest mom ever.

"I go on like a circus"

To my dad – thank you for recently letting me take home the vintage New Kids on the Block towel that someone left in our boat years ago. I’m sure it was destiny that two short months after that event I would end up at their concert – with that towel in hand.

Finally to the NEW KIDS. Thank you for reuniting and giving me a second chance to love you even more and become a proper fanatic the second time around. Thank you for making THE BLOCK such an amazing album. Thank you for giving me so many one liner lyrics that gave my friends and I endless days of laughing and so many ideas to make our own cool shirts. For those of you who think I’m insane right now for gushing so much about this you should really check out their new album THE BLOCK.

Thank you Donnie for instigating the reunion and for the close up of your crotch grab during GROWN MAN. Thank you for wearing the “I love Mormon girls shirt”. For being my tween crush – and then my almost 33een crush. Thank you Jordan for the billowing white shirt dance – which was oh so cheesy but at the same time SOOOOO HOT!!!! (I could have used a better view of your entire chest - but you do have very nice shoulders).

Thank you Joey for growing into such a beautiful man and for PLEASE DON’T GO GIRL – even if you did have to sing it a whole octave lower than when you were 12. To Jon for being brave enough to do a little booty dance for the camera. And to Danny for your cool break-dancing, for trying to get Utahns to bust a move and for just showing up I guess.

Donnie wearing his "I love mormon girls" shirt.