NKOTBSB

It was the summer of 1989 when I first saw The New Kids on the Block. I was 17 years old & it was the summer before my senior year. It was the first time they had toured & they were playing State Fairs all around the US that summer with Tiffany as their opening act. It was my very first concert that I had ever been to & I remember it like it was yesterday!
Fast forward 22 years.

(Ouch - it hurts to even write that!) This past spring they announced that New Kids on the Block (aka: NKOTB) were going on tour along with the Backstreet Boys (aka: BSB) this summer & I couldn't have been more excited! As soon as tickets went on sale I snatched up 4 of them & counted down the days until the concert. My girlfriend Jilly & two of my co-workers were going to the concert with me & they were equally excited. Then a few weeks later I find out that my neighbor Melissa wanted to go so she got two tickets & joined us.

So July 16th finally gets here & I could not wait for the evenings festivities. Me & Jilly picked up Melissa & her girlfriend Chrystal & we made our way downtown - of course listening to NKOTB & BSB all the way :) We met up with Sam & Nicole for drinks/dinner at The Cashew before the concert & had a great time.
L - R: Sam, Melissa, Chrystal, me, Jilly & Nicole

As we were sitting there eating, Melissa notices that they have a "bus" that will take you to the Sprint Center where the concert is & bring you back at no charge. We definitely took advantage of that seeing how we would have paid $15 for parking had we drove ourselves. Little did we know it was called "The Cashew Short Bus" (cue "short-bus" jokes here) & we all thought that was hilarious.

After a quick ride on the bus, we got to the concert safely & made our way inside. But not before stopping by the 99.7 van & playing a couple of rounds of "pin the rat tail on the New Kid"!

Our seats were in the upper level while Melissa & Chrystal's seats were a section over so we unfortunately parted ways & settled into our seats. While there, I was lucky enough to get to see my "blog" friend Cori before the concert got underway as she was in the suites below us. She was sweet enough to come on over to our section & we met up for a quick hug & some catching up. It was SO good to get to see her :)

Right after I got done visiting with Cori, I noticed a guy next to me that works at the Sprint Center with a bunch of tickets in his hands. He was giving away "upgraded" lower level seats to whoever wanted them so I asked if he had 6 together & he said all he had left was 4 together & 2 single tickets so I snatched up the 4 tickets & told the girls to grab their things - we were moving on down to the lower level. We ended up being SO lucky - those seats were 3 rows from the floor & the view of the stage was AWESOME!

Soon after we got settled into our new seats the lights went out & then 14,000+ girls started screaming....including us! Then they appeared:

NKOTBSB = New Kids on the Block + Backstreet Boys

I ain't gonna lie - I got goosebumps!

I instantly felt like I was 17 years old again. The boys opened up together singing "The One" & each group took turns singing/performing together & separately throughout the night. They opened the show together & they ended it together which I thought was way cool! They also had a four-piece band that played live for a show that rocked!

There was lots of dancing & choreography & high energy as the guys performed the "favorites" like Step by Step, The Right Stuff, I Want it That Way & Incomplete. They also brought it down a notch by singing their ballads' Please Don't Go Girl & I'll Never Break Your Heart.

Jordan Knight of NKOTB singing right in front of us! Still "hot" after all these years!

They sang for 3 hours & put on an awesome show! Back then Donnie Wahlberg was my favorite NK & I must say that hasn't changed. He & his abs didn't disappoint! Nick Carter is my favorite BSB & he has "grown-up" quite nicely also ;) They have all definitely gotten better with age!

::sigh::

For the encore the boys came out with NKOTB in Boston Celtics jersey's & BSB in Orlando Magic jersey's & sang Hangin' Tough & Everybody (Backstreet's Back). I hated to see it end :(

I also managed to get some video clips of a couple of my favorite songs:





See - I told you it was a GREAT concert :) If they ever come back to Kansas City I am SO there!!!

Game-Night

Tonight I headed over to Miss Erinn's house for the July "game-night" gathering. Due to an earlier function, I ended up getting there over an hour late so all the girls were in full-swing by the time I had made my way over. Even though I felt exhausted, I was glad I had stopped by as it was a much needed & well deserved way to end the work week.

When I arrived, the ladies were gathered around the kitchen & we did our usual "grazing" of yummy appetizers around the island while catching up with the neighborhood happenings. Later in the evening, we moved the party down into the family room where we played a several rounds of Family Feud on the Wii. It was a really fun & entertaining game & lots of laughs were shared by all.
L - R: Erinn & her childhood friends Janell & Andrea

Me & Jilly pose for a quick pic between rounds of "The Fued"

L - R: Michelle, Melissa, Chrystal & Natalie

The best part of the evening though had to be the popsicles that Erinn discovered at the liquor store. They are called Shark Attack margarita popsicles & are a fun, refreshing, frozen tube of margarita deliciousness :) They were enjoyed by all & I will definitely be making a stop at the liquor store soon to pick up these yummy frozen treats!

Thanks Erinn for being such an excellent hostess & for the fun evening! Also a big thank you to Melissa for always having her camera with her & taking fun photos of us all :)

Welcome Surprise

On Monday I got a wonderful surprise that totally made my day! I received a text from my girlfriend Desiree saying she was in town & wanting to know if we could meet up sometime this week for lunch or dinner. I got SO excited when I read this because I knew she had Miss Sofia with her & not only was I going to get to see my dear friend, but I was also going to be meeting her precious baby girl for the 1st time!

We decided to meet up at Granite City at the Legend's Wednesday evening & I could hardly wait for the 2 days to pass by so I could see them. When we finally got together it was absolutely wonderful & seeing Sofia was love at first sight! I immediately wanted to devour those cheeks & those cute little chunky arms of hers! She is absolutely beautiful - just like her mama & was the most perfectly behaved baby!

She hung out with us girls for 2 hours all relaxed & chill & hardly made a peep! She let me & her mama get all caught up with each other over a great dinner & a fabulous bottle of red wine! We talked about anything & everything & I just loved listening to Desiree talk about Sofia, being a mom & all the challenges & good times that come with motherhood that she has experienced so far. It was also amazing to watch her with Sofia & see her in that "mom role" & I was in awe at how easy she made it all seem.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end & after 2 hours Miss Sofia decided she was done with all the "girl-talk" & it was time to say goodbye to the both of them :(

I am very thankful & appreciative that Desiree took time out of her visit with her family to come meet me for the evening! It was SO great to see them both!

Going-Away

One of my favorite co-workers & dear friend is moving to the East coast on Friday & although I am VERY happy for her, I am also sad she won't be around anymore :( She went & found herself a Navy boy last year, fell in love, became engaged 3 weeks ago & is moving to Virginia Beach to be with her fiance on Friday - ugh....the nerve of her!

Today was her last day at work & we had a "going-away" party for her tonight at The Well. It was a great turnout & lots of fun was had by all! There was good food, many laughs as we shared our favorite stories of Michelle & lots of tears as she hugged us all & said goodbye.

Here are some pics from the evening:

The cheesecake my friend Stetson made for the festivities: 1/2 white chocolate raspberry & 1/2 strawberry - YUM!Me & Michelle:
Some of the "crew":Me, Lisa & Lori:Michelle & one of our favorite Cardiologists - Dr. Charles Barth:Some of my "south-side" peeps:
Michelle is getting married in April so we will be seeing her again in a few short months for her bridal shower. We are all looking forward to this joyous occasion & being able to celebrate it with her!

Balloon Festival

The Great Midwest Balloon Fest is being held in Olathe this weekend so while Shane was at work, my girlfriend Jilly & I spent the evening seeing what it was all about.

We enjoyed the first hour checking out all the vendors & booths while sipping on an ice cold beer & then we headed over to the open field where they were launching the hot air balloons. We were disappointed to see that the balloons weren't yet assembled so we decided to go & grab some dinner & then we would come back for the evening "glow" show.

We drove over to Gardner & had dinner on the patio at La Carreta's - a great mexican restaurant. While we were eating we ran into our friend Emily & her husband as well as my neighbors from the cul-de-sac. Seems that we aren't the only ones who enjoy the food & margaritas over at La Carreta's!?

After dinner we headed back over to the Balloon Fest & there were about 12 hot air balloons floating upright & it was an awesome site to see. The balloon that looked like the planet earth was pretty cool & probably my favorite:

While there we ran into my friend Erinn who is part of our "game-night" group:

She was there with her son Thomas & a couple of her girlfriends & it was nice to run into her & chat as I haven't seen her in awhile!

Around 9pm, they began the "glow show" where they illuminate the anchored hot air balloons by using the burners. It is a pretty cool site to see:

Definitely glad we took the time to check the Balloon Festival out. After seeing all the balloons, I am even MORE convinced that I want to complete one of the items on my "bucket list" & go up in a hot air balloon for a ride!

Holiday Weekend

After a long & busy week at work, I was ready for a 3 day weekend! I wasn't on call & we didn't make too many plans so it ended up being a weekend filled with rest, relaxation, fun with neighbors & lots of firework-watching!

Saturday was spent doing the usual cleaning & grocery shopping while Shane took the Harley out & met his brother for an afternoon of riding. Later in the afternoon I made a new appetizer to share at our cul-de-sac get-together that evening. It was a Buffalo Chicken Dip & it turned out dee-lish. You can find the recipe here but instead of canned chicken I used actual chicken breasts that I had boiled & then shredded. I think it tastes much better than using chicken in a can.

We brought out the lawn chairs & gathered with the neighbors in the cul-de-sac for our annual July 4th festivities where we eat, drink & watch the little & "big" kids blow up fireworks. It is always a lot of fun & something we look forward to every year.

Sunday was an extremely lazy day. My plan was to lay out by the pool but it ended up being way to hot & humid out so instead I got a couple of movies at our local Redbox & we spent the majority of the afternoon vegging on the couch watching movies in the nice & cool AC.

Later in the evening we joined our next door neighbors for round 2 of the fireworks & enjoyed watching all the other fireworks being lit in the sky from around the neighborhood. A couple of blocks over someone was letting off some HUGE ones that were so pretty & very entertaining to watch.

Monday we ventured out of the house, had lunch at Panera & then went to see the new Transformers movie in 3-D. I love these movies. They always remind me of when I was younger & I would watch the Transformers cartoon with my brothers & would help them assembly their Transformer figurines. Good times!

I really liked the movie - especially in 3-D - but Shane didn't think it was as good as the first two. He was disappointed that Megan Fox wasn't in this one & he kept trying to tell me that it was because he liked her character in the movie - hmmmm, somehow I'm not convinced. Have you seen her? She is pretty hot!

After the movie we headed home & spent the rest of the evening catching up on DVR'd shows & enjoying the end to a very relaxing holiday weekend!

Hope everyone had a fun & safe 4th! Happy Independence Day to you all!

Family, Sun & Fun

This past weekend my family came to KC for a visit over the Father's Day weekend. On Friday my mom & dad drove down from South Dakota with my 2 nieces & then on Saturday morning my sister & my nephews flew in from Wisconsin. To say it was a whirlwind of a weekend is an understatement!

Friday - my parents arrived late afternoon with my niece's Kyra & Joslyn. We enjoyed the evening drinking wine, eating Papa Murphy's pizza & sitting out on the patio catching up, blowing bubbles & coloring pictures for "Aunt Hedder's" frig :)

Saturday - we awoke early & enjoyed the morning watching cartoons, drinking coffee, reading the paper & just hanging out. My sister & nephews' Tanner & Cael were flying in late morning so my mom & I headed up to the airport to pick them up. It was so good to see them & see how big the boys have gotten. Tanner was SO excited to visit "Aunt Hedder in "da city" - as he calls it :) We headed home & spent the afternoon playing on the Slip-N-Slide:
splashing in the kiddie pool: and having a water balloon fight:My sister & Cael sat out in the shade during the water balloon fight:

Later that evening my brother Steve & his wife Meghan came over for dinner & we grilled burgers & brats along with all the fixings of a great BBQ. It was great to get to see them & catch up with all that has been going on with them!

Sunday - this morning I was woken up at 6am by a cute 3 1/2 year old tapping on my shoulder while I was still in bed asking me to come watch "toons" with him. How could I resist that? So Tanner & I went downstairs, watched "toons", had a granola bar (or "a bar" as he calls it) with some juice & waited for everyone else to wake up.

After everyone was up, fed & showered we headed to the Kansas City Zoo & since it was Father's Day all Dad's got into the zoo for free as well as got a free brat, chips & a drink. My brother Steve met us there also to join in the family outing.
It ended up being really hot & humid as the afternoon approached & after about 3 hours at the zoo everyone was tired & ready to head home. Once home the kids played outside on the Slip-N-Slide while the adults vegged in the AC. I ended up making lasagna for dinner (or as my niece Joslyn calls it "basanya" - too cute) with garlic bread & a salad & we enjoyed one last meal before my parents & nieces headed back to South Dakota in the morning.

Monday - my parents & nieces left around 5am this morning because my dad had to work later that afternoon so I got up & saw them off. Went back to bed & guess who woke me up at 6am to watch "toons" again? :) Little stinker! We enjoyed a lazy morning around the house & after lunch & afternoon naps we then headed over to the Spring Hill Aquatic Center.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera so the above pics are taken from the Spring Hill Aquatic center website. Made me mad because I missed some great photo ops with the boys :(

When we arrived the place was packed. We managed to find a couple of empty lounge chairs & set our stuff down. As soon as we were about to head in to the kiddie pool the manager comes over the loud speaker & asks everyone to vacate the pool for a 30 minute break. Well, 30 minutes turned into 45 minutes & while we were sitting there we find out that some kid pooped in the pool & they had to "decontaminate" it before anyone could get back in. Imagine trying to explain that to 2 little boys dying to get into the pool & play!? Surprisingly, they ended up being really patient during the wait.

Finally, they allowed everyone back into the pool & we had a ball sliding down the water slides, running through the sprinklers, floating around in the lazy river & playing in the kiddie pool. So much fun! We spent nearly 3 hours there & had to tear Cael away from the sprinklers when we left. He was not a happy boy :(

The evening was spent eating leftovers for dinner, giving the boys baths, putting the boys to bed early & then my sister & I vegged on the couch & watched trash TV. Great ending to a fabulous day!

Tuesday - said goodbye to my sister & the boys - which was sad :( I hate saying goodbye but I promised Tanner I would come to WI to visit for his birthday which is the 1st week of November so I am hoping the time goes by quickly! I had the day off so I headed home & enjoyed the afternoon of peace & quiet! Even took a 3 hour nap - I was definitely exhausted but so thankful to have gotten to enjoy the weekend with my family!

Memories

I was in the car yesterday cruising home from work on I-35 on a hot afternoon with the top down & my iPod on. It was finally the end of what was a very long day & listening to music on the way home is my therapy. I will often put the iPod on shuffle because I liked to be surprised of what song is coming up next. I have over 2500+ songs on there so I never know what kind of song is going to play. It may be rap or jazz or christian or country or even Christmas music - yes I listen to holiday music ALL year round :)

So as I was making my way home, this little number came on:



::cue the memories::

I was instantly taken back to 1988 - my junior year of high school. My BFF was named Heather also & we were both dating guys who were best friends that went to a "B" school while we both sported "mall hair". You could find us on any given Friday night cruising Main Street in her Chevette or my VW Bug jammin' out to this tune.
It is funny how a certain song can take you back & you can recall everything that was going on with your life at that moment. Music was a HUGE part of my life growing up so many songs do this for me & that is probably why I enjoy listening to my iPod on shuffle so much.

I can remember the Christmas I received my very first tape recorder. It was 1984 & I was 13 years old. I could not wait to put that thing up to the radio & record all of my favorite songs so I could play them back over & over. Oh the batteries & blank tapes I would burn through :) Come on - you know you all did the same thing.

Then a couple of years later I got a "boom box" for Christmas & I thought I was the sh!t with that thing. I would tote it with me onto the school bus & we would all jam out to music on our way home. Fun times!

Then while in college I bought my first real stereo system with components, big speakers & even a receiver. I was always getting in trouble in the dorm for having my music too loud. Those were the 90's so with music by Bell Biv Devoe, Snap, Vanilla Ice & Digital Underground so you know those speakers were thumpin!

And almost 20 years later I got my 1st iPod. The first thing I did when I got it was take all 300+ of my CD's, uploaded them to my iPod & sold them in a garage sale. Then I got an iPod hookup in both vehicles so I could listen to it in the car & I have been jammin' ever since.

I am going to try & link up with Casey over at Align my heart, body & mind every week or so for her Music Experiment post & see what kind of memories I can stir up in y'all! I bet I get the memories flowin' & the booties shakin' :)

The Maids

This weekend my family is coming to visit so I have been busy all week preparing for their arrival. I have made a grocery list, bought the groceries, wrote an itinerary of what to do all weekend, washed bedding, & prepared guest bedrooms but the one thing I have been dreading all week is cleaning the house - especially the bathrooms. I HATE cleaning bathrooms.

So I went out on a limb & did something I have never in my life done before. I hired a maid service to come clean my house. Not because I am injured, or have lots of extra money laying around to spend on maids or because I can't physically do it myself but because I am lazy. Plain & simple. I don't want to nor do I have the energy to "deep clean" my own house. I would rather pay someone to clean my baseboards, my floors, the microwave, ceiling fan blades & my bathrooms then do it all myself.

I had been referred to "The Maids" by a co-worker of mine who raved about their cleaning business so I thought I would give them a try. One time deal - just to do the deep cleaning. They came while Shane & I were at work (much to my husbands dismay) & cleaned our entire house in 2 hours.

When I walked in the first thing I noticed was the smell. It was a combination of a "clean" scent & bleach & it smelled good! Next thing I noticed was the carpet. There was a professional-looking pattern made by the vacuum which looked awesome. Then I noticed the ceiling fan blades & the blinds had been dusted - all this & I haven't even headed upstairs yet. As I looked around the house I instantly fell in love. I could get REALLY used to coming home to this every couple of weeks.

The floors were super clean, the baseboards dusted, the microwave spotless, the bathrooms sparkling, the beds turned down & everything just looked clean. It is such a huge relief to know I don't have to rush & get all this done before my family comes on Friday. Definitely a nice treat & worth every penny to not have to do it myself!

Perhaps I can convince my hubby that we "need" them to come every 3 weeks??? Hmmm - gonna have to work on that one :)

Bagel Beds

Last month I ordered a custom-made dog bed for the bullies. They were in need of something to lounge around on other than our furniture. I am also getting rid of Bubba's kennel in the bedroom to make some room & am hoping he will sleep on the dog bed instead.

I ordered it from a website that was being sponsored through a bulldog rescue organization I am "friends" with on Facebook - Carolina Pet Pantry. They are called "bagel beds" & come in sizes small - X large. There is a HUGE variety of fabric & patterns to choose from & they also make leashes, harnesses, collars & blankets. You can check out their website here. I wanted a neutral color since the bed is for both Bubba & Millie so I chose cute polka dots in lime green, pink & chocolate brown for the top & chocolate brown for the bottom. The fabric is a a super soft chenille which is durable & washable.









Well the bed finally arrived today & we LOVE it! It is SOOO big & soft & fluffy. I wouldn't even mind curling up in it :) The cover zips off so you can throw it in the wash & the stuffing inside is enclosed in a waterproof fabric so if there is an accident it won't soak through into the stuffing. They are a bit pricey but worth it! Especially when I walked into the office & saw this:

And later in the evening this:

And look who else likes the new bed:

Looks like I will be ordering a small one for Neo too :)

The bullies seem to like their new bed - YAY! We have since moved it down to the family room & they take turns laying in it & falling asleep with their stuffies while we are watching TV - so cute!

If you are looking to buy your furry friend a new bed I highly recommend these. And no I am not getting paid to recommend them. I just think their product is awesome & I am wanting to share a good thing with all my blogger friends :)

Starlight

Tonight I joined my girlfriend Jilly & a couple of her friends for an evening under the stars at the Starlight Theater. The first broadway show of the summer series started this week which was The King & I starring Lou Diamond Phillips. It was an awesome production with bright, vibrant costumes, lots of singing, dancing, & LD Phillips did a fabulous job as the King.

It was 100 degrees during the day & I had worried it would be miserable sitting outside but lucky for us it cooled off a bit once the sun went down & there was a breeze which helped . It ended up being a fun & relaxing evening with great company. I am looking forward to joining Jilly this summer to a couple more shows - Guys & Dolls & Mamma Mia!

Thanks Jilly for allowing me to be your "date" :)

Lily's

I am in Asiatic Lily heaven:
These beautiful flowers POPPED over the weekend & I absolutely love them! I must say though that the red ones are my favorite!