We Own Tonight

As I've previously mentioned three or four times by now, after the girls' dance recital, I squeezed in some time and a concert with my friends.  This was so much more than a night out with the girls though.  A really long time ago, I entered a new school in a new town where I didn't know anyone.  I was beginning seventh grade and although excited over the prospect of no longer having to wear a uniform to school, I was in an extremely awkward position.  Not only was I the new girl, I lived about 20 minutes away, which is really far when your parents have to drive you everywhere.  On the first day of school, one of the guidance counselors introduced me to another girl who also had a parent employed within the school system.  I was introduced to her friends and all these years later, we are still friends.

I was obsessed with New Kids on the Block in high school.  I know many claim to be their biggest fan but Grammy (and several others) will attest to the fact that I was crazy.  Maybe this isn't a good thing?  Looking back on it as an adult, there's an easy explanation for the madness.  Imagine being 16 years old and boy crazy but any boy you like thinks that you're a dork or ugly and then all of a sudden, there's a boy named Joey McIntyre who's not only freaking cute beyond words but will sing please don't go, girl to you.  See?  That's not difficult to understand

I didn't attend my first concert (New Kids, of course) until I was 16 years old (I feel like that's considered old by today's standards).  That one was with my friend, Heather.  My friends and I were really into dancing and music and Carolyn and I spent many afternoons perfecting the New Kids' choreography.  That music was such a huge part of my high school experience.  Back in those days, you had a VCR and VHS tapes and I had every show and every performance memorized so much so that if I watch one today (now we have YouTube), I can still remember it all.  Sometimes word for word.  It should be noted that when I'm scrounging around in my closet trying to pull together an outfit for work, I can't remember what I wore the week before.  Funny how the brain works.

NKOTB reunited five years ago but I had yet to find the opportunity to see them.  What started out as an "OMG, that would be so much fun!" thought turned into reality when Carolyn and Heather, who both live in Virginia, said that they would come to Boston and join a group of us for the show.  There were six of us in total but a larger group of us were able to meet up Saturday night.

Purchasing concert tickets in 2013 is a completely different experience from that of 1989.  Carolyn had an Amex card and offered to purchase the tickets via a pre-sale.  There was definitely an anxiety rush that morning as Carolyn and I messaged back and forth.  It was like being a teenager again but with a credit card and technology.  (No one, not even adults, had cell phones when I was in high school. Eeeek.)



That night with my friends was beyond amazing and fun.  For a few hours, life was different.  This was two days before Abbey's birthday and I had been feeling guilty for looking forward to something that was so close to her birthday.  But we all deserved that night out.  Guilt free.  We all earned it.



(Thanks to Dee for the photo!  She's the missing one here.)

(Note how I'm still the shortest.)

Twenty-four years ago, I never ever dreamed that Heather and I would repeat history at 40 years old.  But there we were dancing and singing and even screaming because you know that Joey saw me all the way up in the balcony.  If you were an NKOTB fan back in the day and haven't seen them since, please do.  Admittedly, I'm biased but we all thought it was a fantastic show.



You can imagine my pain and suffering over not having my camera with me.  I've seen some amazing wide angle professional photos of arenas and I'm jealous.  I would have loved to have tried out something different photography-wise.

Shout out to Carolyn, Heather, Jen, Dee and Tina for an awesome night.  I love and miss you all!!!!