I started a new full-time job at the end of February, which I had hoped would help with my finances, but I think I just used it as an excuse to buy things I "needed" for the trip...new outfits (one for each day and one for each themed party night), a new bathing suit, a tanning package, etc. Now two plus months later, my credit card hates me, but I'll deal with it. Every purchase was a part of the planning for the greatest vacation ever.
I also spent the months leading up to the cruise as motivation to work out. I ended up losing almost 20 lbs between October and May. It wasn't enough, in my opinion, but it was something. Every time I played "The Block" on my iPod when I worked out, I visualized what it would be like to meet them, what I would say to make myself stand out IN A GOOD WAY (not a crazy stalker way) and I felt so good about myself. That's probably part of why I love this trip so much, it was so fun AND I was feeling sexy in my smaller body and new clothes. Don't get me wrong, I still have a ways to go to where I'm going to be happy with the way I look, but it was a significant step in the right direction.
Anyway...I'm getting sidetracked. So, after over nine months of anticipation,
May 13th finally rolled around. Jen and I had gotten our hair done, tanned, waxed, etc. We looked like we had just gotten back from vacation, actually. We had a glow that only comes from knowing we were embarking on a life-changing adventure. We flew that evening from Indianapolis to Chicago, and after a 45-minute layover, we were finally on our way to Miami! We arrived in Miami around 11pm that night. We had to catch a free shuttle to our Red Roof Inn by the airport by midnight, so we grabbed some Subway sandwiches and went to get our luggage.The Miami airport was the most confusing airport I'd ever been in...and I've been in airports in the Netherlands, Germany and Croatia. Everyone spoke only Spanish and we had to actually leave the building and walk outside to get to the baggage claim! On our trek to the baggage claim, we also ran into a guy that had gotten the wrong sandwich at Subway and we realized they had given all of us the wrong sandwiches. Luckily we did the switch and got the right ones before getting to the baggage claim, where we proceeded to wait for over an hour for our bags, hence missing the free shuttle to our hotel. We grabbed a cab and finally made it there around 1am and crashed...afterall, we had a BIG day the next day and although I wanted to get the party started (I mean we WERE in Miami) Jen convinced me that we could start it tomorrow. She was definitely right.
So...we actually got a good night's rest and after a very sub-par continental breakfast, we checked out of the hotel, grabbed some lunch at the Bennigan's next to the hotel and had the free shuttle take us to the port. We rode over to the port with an older couple and a group of five women. It took me approximately a minute to realize they were fellow "Blockettes" (I like Jordan's term for the NK fans better than "Blockheads"). I think one had a small pin on, but they were speaking Spanish so I wasn't 100% sure if they were, but I asked anyway. They were all from Mexico and yes, they were going on the cruise too. They had gone to the Miami show the night before and showed me some videos they had taken on their cameras. They were really sweet and we always said "hi" when we passed them at later points on the boat.
Once we got to the port, I
was amazed by the size of the boat. It was like a floating Vegas hotel. We left our luggage with a porter outside of the "terminal" and got shuffled through metal detectors and got checked in. They all thought Jen was a past cruiser because she has a common last name and shared a birthday with a past Carnival guest. We didn't correct them because we figured it would be a pain. It just means you get a gold card instead of a blue one, so we figured it wasn't too big of a deal. The whole process took an hour or so. We were definitely enjoying the people watching while we were in line. In fact, Jen pointed out this hugely buff blonde guy and goes "ugh he is ogling all the girls here". Turned out that I recognized him. It took me a few minutes (and an iPhone Wikipedia search) but I figured out it was Billy from the show True Beauty (I remembered the show just not his name). He was the Chippendale dancer from Idaho or Utah. We later learned that he is a friend of Danny's and was told he had to come on the trip because it was so much fun (and he'd probably meet some females). Every time we saw him the rest of the weekend, he always had girls around him, so it must've been a good plan.So, after checking in and getting our first "glamour shot" (posed pics by the Carnival staff with a cheesy background) before getting on board, we finally stepped onto the ship. My eyes probably widened as much as they possibly could to take it all in. We walked into the main atrium (that probably goes up 3-5 floors) and just kept looking up. There were people everywhere, huge NKOTB posters hanging from above, and music was blaring. Instead of g
oing straight to our room, we decided to follow the hoards of people upward to what I later learned was the Lido Deck. Music was bumping, waitstaff was everywhere with trays of drinks, girls in bikinis were dancing by the pool, and the sun was shining so bright. I hadn't had a sip of alcohol and I was already completely intoxicated by the atmosphere. Despite still carrying my big purse and carry-on bag, we wandered into the party and got drinks. We took a couple pics on the side of the upper deck and met some extremely drunk girls, one of which was already on her way to her room to pass out, when Jen & I decided we should go check out our room and freshen up (since we had already been out in the sun for a while).We got to the room and
it was so cute! We didn't stay in there long because we didn't want to miss anything, but we dropped off our stuff, grabbed our cameras and were back on the Lido deck just in time for them to announce that we had to go for the on-board emergency review. We went to the Dynasty Lounge (the main lounge) and soon figured out we were in the wrong place and we were supposed to be on the Lido Deck for the emergency de-briefing. It was the BEST luck ever because we show up on the Lido Deck (despite looking like idiots for being late) and realized that we would be the first ones on deck for the Sail-Away party. They went through their de-brief and I couldn't tell you a damn thing they said because all I was doing was staring at the five microphone stands on the opposite side of the stage. The second it ended, mass hysteria took over. Girls were rushing to get to the other side of the stage and get as close to it as possible. Jen and I took a different approach, we hung back a little bit and st
ood on the edge of the pool area (where it was a little higher than anywhere else). It was an amazing spot! Everyone spilled onto the Lido Deck within minutes and we were so close to the front in a spot where no one could move us because we were positioned above them.The music started up immediately after the presentation was over and we were all dancing, while staring at that stage, of course. Then all of a sudden, like magic, the New Kids were on the stage. I don't know how they got there, they were just there and they were so beautiful and SO CLOSE! They sang along with some of their songs and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Danny. It was a complete and w
onderful whirlwind. I took tons of pictures of Joe hamming it up on our side of the stage. Danny and Donnie came out into the crowd (not close enough to Jen & I, but it was still really cool). And somehow during that time the boat silently slipped away from the pier and we were on our way.The guys "performed" for about an hour and afterwards Jen and I decided to go back to the room and decorate our door. This was a big thing on the cruise, although some
people didn't participate. People decorated their doors with all kinds of things...pictures, dolls, even fake (I hope) rat tails. I had printed out some pictures at the last minute that Jen & I could put on our door. It was a 20 minute project, and it looked like it, but at least we had something. I'm not really artsy craftsy, so it was good enough for me.On our door when we got back was a note from Jaymee, a girl I talked to on Twitter. She and her sister were from Indianapolis, so we had mentioned trying to meet up for dinner one night. I called their room and we decided to meet shortly and go to dinner together. Jaymee and Missy came to our room and we all wandered our way through the ship to head to dinner.
We were just walking up the stairs minding our own business when who walks toward us? Donnie Wahlberg! He was with a security guy (I think it was Earl, but I couldn't say for sure). He hugged either Missy or Jaymee first and I realized I was holding my camera in my hand. So I shouted "Oh, Donnie! Can we have a picture with you?" He said that we could as long as it was a group picture because he was in
a hurry. So we took the picture and then he hugged each of us before leaving. When my turn came, he squeezed me tightly to him and kissed the spot between my right cheek and my lips. I don't remember him saying "I love you" to me (I'm pretty sure I was blacked out at that point) but I do remember saying "I love you, too" back to him. When he walked away I'm pretty sure all four of us squealed! And we definitely couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the night. Jen kept saying, "I still feel his whiskers on my cheek". It was probably the coolest part of that entire trip, at least for Jen & I. It was actually pretty crazy that we were the only ones in the stairway at that point in time. It was a completely magical moment. I definitely fell head over heels in love with him right then.So, after we re-gained our composure, the four of us eventually found the way to our dining room. We had a very nice meal and got to know each other better. Jen was impressed that Jaymee and Missy were so normal, since she believed all the people I talked to on Twitter were probably a little bit crazy (we are, luckily Jaymee and Missy hide it well). Like I would be friends with crazy people, really? ;) Anyway, after dinner we got back to our room and got ready for the first night of festivities.
Part of our "cruise admission" was a game show that took place in the Dynasty Lounge on the first night. We were divided into groups of two (which determined your dining time as well as your show & photo op times). We were in Group A which had early dining and the later game show (as well as the earlier photo time & second concert on Sunday).
Apparently we got the better deal because from what I heard later the first game show was pretty tame. Not ours! It started off relatively boring with a Jeopardy-like game where 10 girls from the audience were on teams and had to answer questions about each of the members of NKOTB for points. The team that won got a "special prize" which ended up being playing against the New Kids at their own trivia game.So what started off very tame got very crazy relatively quickly. Oh boy, the guys had definitely drank a few adult beverages between the first game and the second because when they came out, the only words I can use to describe it were "shit show". Jon was especially tanked. He kept saying things that made Jordan shake his head. Donnie tried to keep control over the situation but before it was over the guys had talked about how a few them had gotten it on with Tiffany back in the day, Jon called out a girl for having big boobs and made her get up on stage, and Joe was cussing like...well, a guy from Boston. We were all cracking up! I went from being completely shocked to smiling to shaking my head repeatedly. I just kept thinking, I don't know how anyone wouldn't be in love with t
hese guys. They are gorgeous, talented and hilarious!So after the game show hilarity was over, we headed to one of the bars between our room and the Dynasty Lounge for a few drinks before heading up to the Lido Deck for the first party. We were already in our "Casino Royale" outfits (basically just cute sparkly dresses) and we figured it would be a little while before the guys got there. So, we found a spot at the bar and were waited on by a Haitian guy named Serge. He ended up being our favorite bartender for the whole trip. He looked just like Wayne Brady and had the funniest high-pitched laugh. He was also good at stumping us with silly bar tricks.
So, after I had sufficiently spent WAY too much money on "umbrella drinks" I finally got a Long Island Iced Tea and I was set for the rest of the night. We headed up to the Lido Deck and started dancing. Not long after, the guys appeared on the upper level of the Lido Deck (there was a VIP area up there for the really special people) looking A-M-A-Z-I
-N-G in black tuxedos. Whew, nothing is hotter than a gorgeous man in a tuxedo...oh wait, there is. Five gorgeous men in tuxedos that sing to you...yup, that's hotter! And sing they did! It was another mini-concert all over again. With DJ Cheapshot spinning tunes, they sang songs from "The Block", their solo stuff (Donnie did "Rise & Grind" and "I Got It" and Joe did "Here We Go Again"), and whatever else they felt like. We ran into Jaymee and Missy again, so the four of us danced and sang along. And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Donnie, Jordan and Joe all came down and danced by the pool, really close to where the four of us had been standing all night. Joe even did a striptease and got half naked
! It was SO much fun! We stayed up until at least 5am, and the party was still going strong when we headed to bed.9am rolled around WAY too quickly the next morning but the lovely announcements (English accents just make everything lovely, don't they?) started going off around that time. People with certain colored wristbands got to go to the tenders (the smaller boats that take you from the cruise ship to the land) before others. So Jen and I got up and eagerly got ready for our day in the Bahamas! Well, there was no need to rush. We were on the Lido Deck before 10am and I'm pretty sure our group wasn't called until after noon. So we just kinda lounged around and catnapped until it was finally our time to go.
After a lot of waiting in lines, we finally got to Half Moon Cay (Carnival's private island). We decided by then (it was around 1pm or so) that we would get some food and then head to the beach and just chill out for a few hours. Well, despite our best efforts to "just relax" we soon realized that pretty much everyone was at the beach and they were all crowded around the DJ area because low and behold...there were those 5 microphone stands in place on the stage! So we set our towels down a little outside of the massive crowd and relaxed...for about 20 minutes.
Jaymee and Missy showed up and a few minutes later and a huge mass of people headed into the water to greet the little boat that was making it's way from the cruise ship directly toward the beach. Jen and I decided to get a little closer but didn't get too much into the crowd, while I snapped pics of the guys
arriving. The guys rushed up to the stage despite stopping and hugging as many outreached arms as they could and they performed with the DJ again! This time, it was pretty short but they stuck around for a few hours playing games.They had a limbo contest where Jordan took on a bunch of people and fared pretty well. They also had a race where two people ran from the water up to the stage and whoever won got to stay up there. At one point Jon and Joe ran through the crowd into the water. I got a picture of Jon on my camera as he flew past where we were sitting. All in all, it wasn't as relaxing as we'd originally thought, but it was really enjoyable! We also got way too ex
pensive drinks in a hollowed out coconut, which made a nice souvenir. Around 5pm we decided to head back to the ship. We waited in a LOOOONG line to get back on the tenders and finally arrived in time to freshen up a little and head to dinner.This time we just went to the 24-hour buffet. While we were there, we all started to notice the ship moving a lot more than it had the night before and didn't feel well. After we ate, Jen and I went back to the room and took some Dramamine, which seemed to help her, but I laid down for a while and just kept feeling worse. I never got sick but I felt really nauseous. I eventually bucked up enough to get ready for the PJ Party.
We took our time since we knew the first night's concert was going on and headed back to our favorite bar wit
h Serge. Jaymee and Missy met us soon after. I finally started feeling better and had a couple drinks to catch up to the rest of the group. We headed upstairs just before the guys showed up in togas made from the white bedsheets. They were in rare form again, performing and goofing around. They danced and rapped to "Ice Ice Baby" and Joe got carried on someone's shoulders all around the Lido Deck in a conga line. It was another successful night that probably ended sometime around 4 or 5am again.So I swear I had set the alarm on my phone to get up so we had an hour and a half to get ready for our photo op on the Sunday, but for some reason it didn't go off. Luckily, the lovely cruise announcements were in full swing and we woke up with enough time to get cute and head down to the Xanadu Lounge to get our picture taken with the New Kids. I was SO excited and nervous. At this point, I had talked to Jordan and Donnie but I was super nervous because I was going to get to meet and get my picture with Joe, my first love!
We met up with Aimee, another Twitter friend from southern Indiana, and her group of friends to get our group together for the picture. We were still two people short, so we recruited a mom and daughter from Michigan. They were really sweet! I wish I remembered their names. I also met Kristin from Wisconsin and Clair from Nashville, TN. I don't remember the other girls but everyone was really nice. We had all pre-determined who we were going to stand by (this is common practice at these things). Aimee and two others were with Jordan, we had two with Donnie, one with Jon and Jen and I were standing with Joe (the latecomers were with Jon or Danny).
Unfortunately, the event did not go without some drama. First, Clair couldn't find her roommate, who was supposed to be in our group. She had gotten a pretty bad sunburn the day before and just didn't show up. We thought she was on her way, so we got a pass for her, but as we crept closer up in line, it was becoming less likely she would show up. Clair went to go call their room and look for her in line, but she never showed up. We were really worried because the tour company's staff was really mad at us for not having a group of 10. They made us wait outside for a while before going in (I think to find a 10th person) but eventually let us go in with just nine people.
When we walked into the Lounge, we had to leave everything outside of the room (our purses, cameras, etc.). I completely stopped breathing when we walked in there. We waited with our group as we watched a couple groups before us go. It strikes me every time how beautiful the guys are in person, every time I see them. There is never a flaw...their hair is always in place, clothes look like they were made just for them, perfect smiles, etc. They didn't disappoint. I just kept breathing in and out slowly as we got closer, until finally/already it was our turn!
Aimee, Clair and the other "Jordan girl" walked in ahead of Jen and I up to Jordan. He and Joe (who was standing next to Jordan) recognized Clair from prior events (she is drop dead gorgeous, tiny & blonde so it would be hard not to). So, Joe wraps her in a big bear hug and asks as I walk up to him, "So are you going to stand with me in the picture?" I didn't hear her response because I just kept walking. I had no clue what to do. Jen had already taken her spot on the other side of Joe, so I figured I'd stand next to her. I guessed there would just be 3 "Joe Girls" in this picture, since I didn't want to screw things up any worse than they already were.
Luckily for me, Danny was on the other side of Jen, so he slid over and put his arm around me for the picture. I was still in shock from what had happened, my smil
e looks completely genuine. After it was over, all I could think was, I did not wait 20+ years to meet my first crush and not say anything to him, so somehow Jen & I switched places and I told Joe how excited I was to meet him and he gave me a hug. All I remember was that he was so skinny! I felt like I had wrapped my arms around him twice, but his hug was strong and genuine and it made me feel so much better that not all was lost.Then I started to realize, Danny had had his arm around me and I bailed on him without a word of acknowledgment! I felt horrible! So, I turned away from Joe and made sure to give Danny a hug. I was so glad I did because he said, "I love your dress. The red is really pretty." It was really sweet and I was so excited to have gotten complimented! And after getting the pic a week or so after we got back, I was really glad I stood next to Danny. Now my goal is to have a picture standing with each of them at some point.
The whole experience probably took a minute and a half, but I remember certain parts so clearly. It's like time stopped and then sped up and then stopped again. As soon as we left the lounge, Aimee asked me if everyone had stood next to who they were supposed to. I was still upset about missing out on my opportunity for the picture with Joe, but I tried to sound as unaffected as I could when I told her that Clair had stood with Joe instead. Aimee apologized profusely, I know she felt awful. I made sure to tell her that I was just glad to have gotten to meet them and talk to them, so it wouldn't ruin the cruise for me. Besides, it gave me an excuse to go next year. ;)
When the group separated, Jen asked me if I was really ok with everything. She felt bad too because she had stood next to Joe as well (although she had been supposed to and had been a "Joe Girl" since childhood). I told her although I was upset that I was really excited I had talked to him and hugged him. She said that she didn't say a single word to him the entire time. He had talked to Clair right until the picture was taken and she had seen him look at her through the corner of her eye, but she was too scared to acknowledge him for fear that her head would be turned in the picture. She said she had hugged Danny on her way out, probably when I had gone to hug Joe, but the whole thing was as much of a whirlwind for her as it had been for me. We left the lounge area with some amazing memories, but also some regrets. I've replayed the situation in my head a few times, and I don't think I could've done anything different. Sometimes the cards fall where they do and you just deal with it. My new motto is "There's always next time" and with them, I am confident there will be a next time...
Although with Joe, it's is starting to become more than a motto, it's becoming a quest. Between my near miss in Detroit, the photo op snafu and another near miss on the stairs later in the day on Sunday (he was literally running down a flight of stairs when we were coming up the opposite ones), I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get a picture with Joey Mac. I guess only time will tell.
Ok, back to my story...so, after the photo op, we got some food (we had skipped breakfast to make sure we were cute and on time for the photo) and took a nap. The nap ended up being 4 hours, probably the longest we slept on the entire trip. We woke up and realized the live version of DDub's R & B Back Rub was starting in about an hour. So we made ourselves presentable and walked back to the Xanadu Lounge. We were in a line almost as long as the one for the photo had been and some of the tour workers told us that they didn't have enough seats for everyone. A lot of girls left the line (some had been in front of us) but I told Jen I thought we should wait it out and the worst thing was that we didn't get in and would go do something else.
My instincts turned out t
o be correct and we did make it in for the show, although we were in a far back corner. Always the performer, Donnie didn't disappoint. He did an hour long show playing lots of naughty R & B songs, including "Pony" by Ginuine and "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd, and had girls come on the stage for various activities. It was really funny and, at moments, very sweet. Donnie has this aura about him. You know he is a good actor and can play the role of a very suave ladies man, but there is a side of him that is so genuine and loving. He gave a speech about how we were all beautiful and that he loved all of us. I actually teared up, not gonna lie! He says things that just make you believe he's saying them right to you, even if there are a few hundred (or thousand) other women in the room. I can't explain it. So, anyway, our last minute decision to go see the "Live Backrub" was a success.After that, we went to get some food and ran into Jaymee and Missy. They had hung out at the pool during the backrub and ended up getting their picture with Jon. All in all, we had already had a pretty exciting day, and it we still hadn't actually seen the concert yet. After dinner we went back to the room to get ready for the concert.
Ah, the concert...every moment was amazing. It started with Lights, Camera, Action (one of my favorite songs from "The Block") and kicked off from there. They move on stage effortlessly and entranced me with every hip movement or sexy glance. Again, it's hard to describe effectively. Check out youtube if you don't know what I'm talking about. I screamed like a little girl...it's just instinctual I guess.
My favorite part, hands down was the acoustic ballad medley they did of "I'll Be Loving You Forever", "If You Go Away" and "Please Don't Go Girl". I hadn't heard "If You Go Away" live before and it actually brought me to tears. Those songs mean so much to me now. Before they were just borderline-cheesy old-school ballads that I liked but never affected me. But th
ere was something about the setting in that theater and they way they sounded that made me get very emotional. I thought to myself...they told me they'd love me forever, told me how upset they would be if I went away and then begged me not to go...and what did I do? I had done just that. I left them, just like all the other millions of fans had done when alternative/grunge took over popular music. I had broken their hearts, and at that moment, I swore to myself that I would never do that again. I know it sounds crazy. Those songs weren't written for me, but they spoke to me. The lyrics and melody had been written long before all the fans abandoned them, but the way they sang it seemed like they were so in the moment. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it.
Don't worry, I wasn't a blubbering mess for the rest of the show. I quickly recovered because soon after the acoustic set, DJ Cheapshot brought the lounge back into party mode that led to what Jen & I lovingly refer to as "Joe's Gay Cabaret". Don't get me wrong, it is incredibly hot. He does a version of "Sweet
Dreams" by the Eurythmics and mixes it with the New Kids' song "Twisted" in a topcoat with tails (and no shirt underneath) and does what Joe does best, sings, dances and takes his clothes off. He ends up with the microphone stand between his teeth and shirtless, and WOW, it is a sight to behold. Remember how I said his hug was so strong? Well that boy had been working out non-stop since we had seen him in January. An 8-pack and tan looked hella good on him...whew!Then Jordan came on stage and sang "Never Let You Go", a song that I LOVE! It's very sexy and he had a whole gansta vibe going on. It was amazing. I wish I hadn't still been hyperventilating from watching Joe's performance so I could concentr
ate on Jordan's. He definitely got the shaft as far as that was concerned, but he sounded amazing and looked so hot. Finally Donnie came out and sang "I Got It" with lots of audience participation...he does such a great job getting the crowd into whatever he's doing. It pushed the whole rest of the show into the next level. We left the Lounge on a high. It was such a great show!We went back to the room and got ready for the "White Party" our last night on the Lido Deck. It was bittersweet because we were having so much fun but knew it would be over early the next morning. Before we went up to the party, we went to our favorite bar and hung out with Serge for one last time. As we were waiting by the bar, all five guys walked right past us to go get ready for the party to begin
. It was very surreal because all of us at the bar got quiet as they walked by and I was fine until Jordan walked past. He made eye contact with me and I froze. Every time I see that man up close, it knocks the wind right out of me. It was at that moment I confirmed that I will always be a "Jordan girl" no matter how sexy the rest of them look half-naked. ;)So, off to the Lido Deck we went. I danced on my high heeled red shoes for hours on the side of the pool. With wearing white and drinking, that was a pretty gutsy move! They did have a net over the pool, but I'm pretty sure if I had fallen in I would have gotten com
pletely soaked. Luckily the only thing of mine that ended up in the pool was one of my lime garnishes. ;) I stayed up until at least 6am. Jen, Jaymee and Missy all went to bed a couple hours earlier. I just didn't want it to end. In fact, I was pretty drunk and decided to wander through the halls, hoping that maybe I'd run into a New Kid (when in actuality the only one that was probably still awake was Donnie and he was still on th
e Lido Deck partying). I eventually found my room, tweeted that I could see the shore of Miami from our window and passed out for approximately an hour and a half.Needless to say, I was definitely still drunk when Jen woke me up to leave on Monday morning. I was probably absolutely pathetic to watch...packing and trying to look like I hadn't danced for the past 7 hours. I left my phone in my pocket while going through security at the airport. Oh, and I hadn't bother showering. I figured, there's no way I'm going to run into a New Kid today. In fact, they probably would be able to get off the boat whenever they felt like it and we would be long gone before they get to the airport...WRONG!
Jen and I were getting food when I saw Joe walk by. Jen was facing the other direction so I think she thought I was still drunk and seeing things when I said I saw him. I later verified it for her because he walked past us a few times once we were at our gate. We said "hello" to him but he didn't really stop to chat. Jaymee and Missy had met up with us by that point (we had figured out earlier we had the same flights home). I did go walk down the terminal to get some much needed water and a candy bar, but I didn't see him again...I wouldn't have felt right asking him for a picture at the airport anyway. Plus, I still looked like a hot mess, and who would want to look at a picture of that? ;)
While we continued to wait (and I lost and re-gained consciousness a few times) Jon and Jordan walked by our area. We said "hi" to Jon and he stopped to ask us where we were flying to. He seemed in a really good mood and was really friendly. Then Jordan came by and we wished him a Happy Birthday. He seemed a little embarrassed (there were probably a dozen of us fans at our gate) but grateful. They wandered past our gate a bunch of times. I think their gates had been changed and flights canceled or delayed so they kept coming by us.
In between one of the Jon/Jordan fly-by's my mom called me and told me that our family dog, Ruby, who was almost 17 years old had been put down on Saturday. I had known this would probably be coming because she wasn't doing very well before I left. I kept my composure while she told me what happened until she told me how my dad had been crying and wasn't dealing with it very well (he had always been Ruby's favorite) and I started crying too. I got off the phone with her after a little bit and Jen asked if I was ok. I told them what had happened and that I was glad I had gone home the weekend before so I had gotten to see her the last time she had been really healthy and happy.
We quickly changed the subject of our conversation and I started to feel better. So much in fact, that I got a brilliant idea (while finally coming down from my buzz). I had a Twix bar I had bought for the plane ride in my purse and I (being not that drunk anymore) decided I wasn't really going to eat it. And, guess who's birthday it was today? And who's favorite candy bar is a Twix? AND, who is a few gates away in the airport terminal? Yup, you guessed it! So, this puffy-eyed, greasy-haired, slightly-drunk 29-year old decides it is the perfect time to go give Jordan my candy bar.
Jen tried to talk me out of it. Not Jaymee, she was gung-ho, so I brought her with me...you know, for moral support. So we wander down the terminal and come across Jordan, Jon and about 5 other guys (couldn't tell you who they were) all standing together kind-of near one of the counters by their gate.
I walked straight up to the group, locking eyes with Jordan. Somehow I managed to speak (still not sure how). I rambled, "Sorry to bother you guys but I bought this for the plane ride and I don't really need it and I wanted to give it to you for your birthday." As I'm saying this, I'm reaching into my gigantic purse trying to feel around for the candy bar and keep looking at Jordan (his eyes are mesmerizing, I swear). Jordan kept looking at me while I was talking but his eyes kept getting wider and wider. I can only imagine what he thought I was going to pull out of my bag. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jon get this amused look on his face. Jon was probably thinking, "Yes, the crazy one is bugging him and not me...hahaha!"
So when I finally found the Twix bar, and pulled it out, relief washed all over Jordan's face. Then he graciously said "Thank you" and took my candy bar (which had definitely melted a little bit in my bag). I then said "Happy Birthday. Hope you have a safe trip" and practically ran away as fast as I could. Jaymee hadn't said a word the entire time. In fact, she had stood behind me with her face down. I still couldn't believe I had done that. I still really wonder if he actually ate the candy bar. If it were me, I would have thrown it away...who takes candy from a stranger, ya know? But, hopefully I looked harmless (disheveled, but harmless). I could've kicked myself for not asking for a hug or a picture, but I was so proud that I talked to him, even though I AGAIN sounded like a complete idiot. And looked really stellar too, by the way. Oh well, it does make a pretty funny story.
So, we got back to our gate and Jen and Missy grilled us for all the details (and told us they didn't believe it happened because Jaymee didn't take any pictures to document it). Soon after we boarded our plane to Dallas. The flight ended up being delayed once we were in the air and we ended up having a much shorter layover than we had planned. This really bummed Jen and I out because we had made dinner plans with our good friend Melissa to meet her (and her husband and daughter) for dinner. They ended up still meeting us at the airport and we spent about 45 minutes catching up before we had to go back through security and finally fly back to Indy. We arrived around 11pm and were absolutely worn out.
So, all-in-all, I had an amazing trip...funny stories, new friends, great music, and spending time with the five most wonderful men on the planet. I truly couldn't have asked for much more. Looking back on everything that happened, I don't think I would trade this experience for anything in the world. Selfish, I know, but truthful. I can honestly say that I got to meet my first celebrity loves and they exceeded my expectations in every way. Well, honestly, I did think they would be a taller in person. ;) Seriously though, they are the most genuine, appreciative, class-act men, and they're not bad to look at either. The cruise was everything I had hoped it would be and more, and I was hell bent on doing anything in my power to keep those feelings going as long as possible, as you'll read in Part 4 of my NKOTB Adventures.
