Monday, December 15, 2008

2008 Christmas Picture and Letter


Happy Holidays everyone! I hope that this letter finds all of you in good health and happiness.

2008 has been an interesting year for Zac and I. Right before Christmas last year, when we were driving back from visiting family in Michigan, we hit a deer with the Volvo in Iowa. Somehow the car kept running (thanks to Zac’s amazing ability to keep “junk” running) and we were able to make it back to Colorado safely… it just took a bit more time as we could only drive during daylight. When we got back to Colorado we began a search for a replacement vehicle. We found a 1993 Subaru Legacy on Craig’s List and were a bit hasty in buying it. As a result, we ended up with a car that didn’t have a working “reverse” and needed a new radiator. The girl wouldn’t take the car back and give us our money back. :-( So… I took the major plunge and decided to lease a car since, at least that way, I could be sure that I’d have a vehicle that was 100% reliable. I got a 2008 Subaru Outback. So far, so good. The rest of the winter and spring were pretty uneventful. Zac and I still haven’t taken “the plunge” and gotten married. Hopefully that happens soon. :-)

Zac spent the year working construction near our home in Fairplay. He had the opportunity to build his first log home which he really enjoyed. Now, maybe one day, he can build us one. It turned out really well and he’s very proud of it. I continued to work at Wells Fargo bank in Breckenridge and part-time at Bahnhof Sport until August when the bank was starting to change some things and I didn’t like what they were doing so I gave my notice. I decided to go back to working full time at the Bahnhof in Breckenridge. I am pleased with this decision as it is much less stressful than the bank and more fun. The pay is better too. :-)

In June/July, I had the opportunity to take 2 weeks of paid vacation and visit my family and some of Zac’s family in Michigan. It was nice to have that time off and to enjoy the Great Lakes. I miss the water, living in Colorado. I spent most of the time relaxing and hanging out with my parents at Bay Harbor since Dad is working for Walstrom’s Marina there. It was just really good to see everyone and enjoy some “down” time.

In the spring, the New Kids on the Block announced that they were reuniting and releasing a new album. Yeah!!! They’ve been my favorite singing group since I was 11 years old. Not long after announcing the reunion (by appearing on The Today Show), they announced that they would be doing a tour as well. This announcement took the cake since I didn’t get to see them in concert back in the 80’s and early 90’s. They came to Denver on November 14, 2008 and performed at the Broomfield Event Center. In addition to being able to see them in concert, I also got to meet them through a meet and greet opportunity. I was in heaven!! If you want to read about the entire experience, check out below.

Another major thing that has happened this year is that I have become a CASA volunteer. If you don’t know what CASA is, check out this website: http://www.nationalcasa.org/. Basically, I volunteer about 20 hours a month and my “job” is to get to know a family that is involved in a dependency and neglect case. Then I write a report for the judge for each court hearing that follows. The cool thing is that I get to have an impact on a family and I get to be the kids’ voice to the judge. You spend approximately 1 to 1 ½ years on a single case. When that case is closed, you are released as the CASA and take on another case. It’s cool because, lots of the time, the family and the kids see all kinds of different people in that time and the CASA is the only person that is guaranteed to remain on the case from beginning to end. It’s something that is constant in their changing lives. I love having such an impact on children’s lives.

Well, I think that about covers our year. Not too crazy… just enough. :-)

Monday, December 1, 2008

NKOTB in Guadalajara, Mexico

So, this was posted on the New Kids site. Someone put together some of their video clips from the show in Guadalajara, Mexico. It's a nice mix. Enjoy.

Monday, November 24, 2008

My "Chance of a Lifetime"




So, here are the pictures from my "chance of a lifetime" opportunity to MEET the New Kids on the Block! YEAH!! I do hope that I get another chance in the near future though. :-)




Sunday, November 23, 2008

New Kids on AMA's

The New Kids on the Block were on the American Music Awards this year!!!! I just got done watching them perform (on TV)! Awesome! It was great to see them again. They did a collage of music. Personally, I don't think it was one of their best performances... too rushed... but it was still really cool. Check out the video!!!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

My New Kids Concert and Meet and Greet Experience

Well, I thought I’d take the time to share my experience with all of you. It was a day of ups and downs. I arrived at the Broomfield Event Center between 8:30 and 9:00 am. Kelly and her friend Kris arrived about 5-10 minutes before me. We hung out there all day and pretty much only saw the crew unloading trucks. People were arriving throughout the day, maybe starting around 11:30 or noon. At about 2:00 pm, I think, Lady Gaga’s bus showed up (for a second time) and everyone rushed to see who it was. At that point, I pulled out my camera and it got knocked out of my hand, by accident, landed on its lense and stopped working. So, I had to high tail it to the nearest store I could find and buy a whole new camera. L There was no way that I was going to the concert without a camera. By the time I got back (maybe 30 minutes or less) most of the busses had arrived so I totally missed the guys arriving, even though I waited all day for them. L

At about 3:00 or 3:30, myself and some of the other girls I met (you know who you are) headed over to the north side of the event center to start waiting in line for ILAA. We wanted to be in group A. From that point until 4:30, we were all shuffled inside and outside, back and forth. Needless to say, we lost our spot, even though we were first in line and even were the first people to get to the event center in the morning. That completely bummed me out and kind of put me in a pissy mood, sorry to anyone that thought I was not being nice, I was just super frustrated with how unorganized things were becoming (due to lack of communication between ILAA and the event center). In the end, it didn’t really matter which group you were in, you didn’t get any more or less time with the guys. So, we got our lanyards, my group was letter E and then we went to the party room to have food and drinks. I ended up not using my drink tickets, I just drank lemonade. We had a great selection of food… chicken and beef skewers, desserts, pot stickers, sugar snap peas, lots of good stuff. We saw the guys enter the room where we would be meeting them. It was so surreal. I mean, I saw the guys and it still felt like I was just looking at pictures of them. Not too long after the guys arrived, they started to herd us in, in our groups. It went super fast. They flew through the line.

When our group entered the room, I handed Zack the mini scrapbook I made for the guys. I probably could have handed it to the guys and it wouldn’t have made a lot of difference since it didn’t seem like Robo was really enforcing the “rule” that gifts needed to be handed to him or Zack. So, I hope that they saw me give that to him and I hope that they took a look at it later in the evening (or over the next few days). My shyness kicked in big time when I entered that room and I didn’t give any of the guys eye contact. After I handed the scrapbook to Zack, Joe started to approach me for a hug. I didn’t give him a hug and I approached Danny. Joe’s my “favorite” though. The guys were lined up, left to right, Danny, Joe, Jordan, Donnie and Jon. I just went down the line, hugging each guy. Like I said, I didn’t give eye contact to any of the guys and I also gave them all super weak hugs. Shyness. I’m so pissed at myself! I gave all of the guys quick hugs, only speaking to Joe, telling him my name. When I got to Donnie, two girls were by him, already on each arm, so I just slid my arms in and gave him a quick hug then moved on. When I got to Jon I said that I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I don’t remember if he said anything back. Since he has a reputation for being one of the quieter guys, I felt the least shy with him and probably the most comfortable, for what it’s worth. Then someone said that it was time to take pictures and I had time to pose nicely with Jon (I was on his right). When they took the second picture Donnie said something like “turkey balls,” or something like that. I laughed. After the pictures, we were told to head out. I quickly said “bye, guys” and that was it. I did NOT take it all in. I was too shy. I’m so upset about that. That’s my biggest regret, which will probably make me upset every time I think about it for the next few weeks. Would I do the meet and greet again… yes. However, I hope that if I ever have the chance to do it again (like in a summer tour, if they do it), that I can not be so shy and actually take in the whole experience.

Okay, the concert… it was in Denver. I had section BBB row 3 seat 12. So, I was the second row, in the center section, on the aisle… right up front! It was nice to be on the aisle because I had lots of room, except when people tried to snake their way up to the front. Luckily, security was pretty strict about that so people usually weren’t up there for very long. I bought my ticket about an hour after they initially went on sale (VIP5*), not Amex though. My seat was great. I’ll add pictures in my photos later. Lady Gaga opened. It was interesting. She’s all techno. Natasha Bedingfield was next. She did a great job. Then the guys came on. The show was awesome and when the concert started, that’s when I came out of my shell a little more (too bad it didn’t happen sooner). I was screaming and jumping around and just having a grand old time! I won’t go into details of the show because I think that the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. I think that the guys saw me standing there and stuff but I wasn’t ever really acknowledged. Some girls were dressed like they were going to clubs and they were pretty much the ones that got any attention. I was totally into the concert! The guys sang and danced awesome and were just really having a lot of fun… so was I.

After the show, I headed out towards the south side of the event center to try to catch the guys at their busses. At the meet and greet Donnie had told us to go to his bus after the show. When I got to the south side of the event center, I was promptly stopped by the cops and not allowed past. I sat there for about 45 minutes and pretty much had a breakdown (still was feeling terrible about being so shy at the meet and greet). After 45 minutes, I was shivering too badly so I just decided to head back to my hotel. Then, that was it. L I can’t believe that the experience is over. I just hope I get another chance this summer and I hope that if I do, I am not shy and really take it all in.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

10 More Days

Ten more days until I get to meet the New Kids on the Block!!! I'm SO excited to meet them. It will be incredible! I hope that I have a great seat for the concert. I wish that we got more than a couple of minutes with the guys at the VIP meet and greet but at least we get to meet them. It will be the time of my life!

Election 2008

Barak Obama is the 44th President of the United States!!!! The first black President! Let me just say that I generally vote Republican. I voted Republican on everything but the Presidential race. Yes, I voted for Obama. I was undecided until Colin Powell endorsed him. That was the clincher for me (Powell is a Republican and I have a great deal of respect for him). Now... don't get me wrong... I don't agree with Obama 100% nor did I agree with McCain 100%... personally, I think that's not possible... to agree with a candidate on 100% of the issues. The other reasons why I voted for Obama, besides Powell's endorsement, are because he is younger and less conservative than McCain. I think that Obama will look at "managing" the country in a very different way than McCain will. They are from different generations. I also think that Obama will surround himself with the right "support staff" to help him make educated decisions for the country. Since he doesn't have as much experience in government (compared to McCain), Obama will need to utilize the resources he has available and he'd need to listen carefully to his advisors. I have confidence that he'll do that and that he will prove to be a good President.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

29 Days to Go!

Twenty-nine more days until the New Kids concert! I can't wait! I might be heading down the night before to hang out with some of the ladies I met on nkotb.com. We are going to try to see if we can spot the guys. :-) I have my VIP so I am guarenteed that I will meet them the night of the concert but they have changed their meet and greet routine so we can't get individual pictures with the guys anymore and we also don't get an opportunity to mingle with the guys. :-( Since that has changed, I'd like to try to get an opportunity to get some individual pictures with one (or a few) of the guys... hence... hanging out around Broomfield Event Center (and the surrounding hotel bars) to see if we can see them and meet them on November 13th, the night before the concert. Well, we'll see. It sure would be cool if we got to meet them outside of an organized event.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

New Kids on the Block Concert and Meet and Greet

I'm still waiting for my chance to see the guys live and meet them in person. :-( I still have over a month to go. I don't think that the show has changed much since the beginning but the meet and greet definitely has. Everyone who got their chance early on got to spend a bit more time mingling with the guys and they got to take individual pictures with the guys. This is changing. There is still the group picture with the guys and about 10 fans but they have decided to enforce the "no cameras" rule at the meet and greet. I think that the reason for this is so that the guys have enough time to get around to every table at the mingling before going on stage. This makes sense because taking extra pictures definitely takes extra time. It's a bummer though because a lot of us have waited 20 years to meet the guys and were really looking forward to being able to take some individual pictures with them. I know that the experience will still be incredible but I wish I could get some individual pictures too. Also, there has been some talk about eliminating the mingling as well. This would also really suck. Again, this takes extra time but it really is a special chance and it stinks that some people get to do it and some people may not. At this point, the Denver show is still not even half sold so I imagine that the meet and greet won't be very full either if more tickets for the concert aren't sold. I see this as a good thing. Maybe if the Denver meet and greet isn't very full (say 50-100 people) they will relax on those rules and give the guys more time to mingle and possibly take individual pictures with us. I guess that all I can do is wait and see. Hey, at least I get to meet them. I've read some great meet and greet stories. It sounds like some of the girls are really getting extra attention from the guys. How cool. I'd LOVE it if I got to be one of those people at the Denver meet and greet. Maybe a little harmless flirting? That would be fun (as long as it's "two-sided" flirting). Man, I sure can't wait! I'm so excited! I'm still planning on trying to get a hotel room for Friday night but I may not be able to due to finances. :-( That would stink because I don't really want to drive home after the concert and get home around 2 or 3 am. Maybe some money will become available to get a hotel room between now and then. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Well, the time is approaching! I still have about 6 weeks though. :-( Patience, Hilary... Patience. :-)

Monday, September 22, 2008

More on 90210

Okay, so I've watched the first episode of, "90210" thanks to YouTube. It really is the "next generation." On the original show, Kelly's mom and David's dad got together and they had a daughter. Her name is Erin Silver but she goes by Silver. In this new show, their daughter is a student at West Beverly Hills High and Kelly is a guidance counselor... sisters. Andrea Zuckerman was a member of the paper in the original and in this new one, there's a girl who is a part of the high school TV show who's middle name is Zuckerman. She is probably Andrea's daughter. There are a few other connections to the original cast as well. It's interesting. The first episode isn't so bad but I'm sure it will get more dramatic as time goes on... which will waive my interest. I don't see why there has to be so much drama in teen television. I mean, teenagers already deal with enough drama. Oh well, what can you do.

90210

Well, apparently there's a "new generation" of Beverly Hills, 90210 which simply goes by "90210." Honestly, I haven't seen this show yet. I thought it started tomorrow but apparently, it started a couple of weeks ago. I would like to see it... out of sheer curiosity. I was a big fan of the original show and I'd like to see how it compares. The "new generation" is clearly not geared towards the original fans (most of us are in our 30's now) but it definitely looks like the show itself is very much based on the original one... a family from the mid-west moves to Beverly Hills and has to adapt to life in this crazy, rich community. One of the kids from that family gets a job at "The Peach Pit" which, apparently is just called, "The Pit" now. Everything looks similar to the original except the cast is definitely younger. On the original show, the cast played teenagers but the only one who was actually a teenager at the time was Brian Austin Green. It looks like this new cast actually is a bunch of teenagers and they are dealing with common teenage issues of today (which are definitely more dramatic than they were when I was a teenager). I'm honestly not crazy about them re-doing this show. I wish that they would have done something that carried on from the original, with the original cast, in full, but I'm sure it's all about getting the attention of the new teenage audience. It is the CW, afterall. Well, I guess that I'll have to try to watch episodes online and see what the show is all about. I'm sure that there are tons of comparisons to the original.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Anticipation is Building

Man, now that there have been 3 New Kids on the Block shows and I've seen pictures, heard stories and seen videos (thanks to the New Kids network on Ning), I am SO much more excited about their show in Denver. I mean, I was already ecstatic about finally being able to see them after 20 years but now it's even more so. It's great to hear everyone's stories about their experiences both at the concert and at the VIP events. I'm SO happy that I decided to invest in a VIP5* ticket/pass. This is definitely the opportunity of a lifetime for me and I can hardly contain myself. I just wish that I didn't have so long to wait.

It will be interesting to see how the shows and the VIP experiences evolve and change through the course of the tour. I definitely think that it will be different for me in 2 months than it is for the fans who are seeing shows now. I wonder if the concert set list will change? I wonder how the VIP experience will change? It's all very interesting and exciting.

I really can't believe that I actually have another opportunity to see the New Kids in concert and, even better yet, meet them. Twenty years ago, when they were HUGE and I was 11, I never got to see them. I'm not really sure why. I guess it was probably because my parents weren't interested enough in finding out about concerts in Michigan and then investing the time, effort and money in getting me a ticket, getting a hotel, etc. I wish I would have had the opportunity then but I think that it will almost be even more exciting now. For starters, I'm an adult and so are the guys. I think that both of us really understand how important it is to take in the experience and truly enjoy it. You can bet that I will enjoy every moment. I'm afraid that it will all go by too quickly though. I look forward to taking lots of pictures and being able to relive the experience for the rest of my life.

I wonder how I'll react once I get there? I bet that I'll just be smiling from ear to ear and overcome with happiness. I don't think that I'll be shaking or have a hard time finding my words. I think that I'm pretty level-headed. I'll probably be observing a lot... taking it all in. I probably won't say a lot... not because I can't get the words out but because I'll be absorbing everything. I just think that it will really be a surreal experience.

I REALLY can't wait!!! I hope that it's everything I expect and more.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tonight at the Toronto Show

I really like this clip. I didn't go to this show but I saw this clip and I just love it. Enjoy.


New Kids article in Canadian paper

I like this article. One thing that was interesting though was the comment about the Spice Girls selling out several shows in Canada but then they ended up cancelling several US shows that followed due to lack of sales. Man... I hope that doesn't happen with the Denver concert. That would be devistating. I've waited 20 years for the chance to see the New Kids in concert and I'd be pretty pissed if the show I was planning on going to got cancelled. I sure hope it doesn't. Anway... check out the article.

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/501170

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

24 Hours to Show Time!!!

Wish that I could be there!!! This is a quick little message from Donnie. Twenty-four hours until the kick off of their tour. The first concert will be in Toronto. Wish that I could be there. If I had the time and the money, I would be. :-)

Monday, September 15, 2008

Donnie checks in from Toronto

I just thought I'd share this. This is Donnie's video blog from Toronto. They're hanging out there right now until the start of their tour on Sept. 18 in Toronto. Wish I could be there! :-)

Friday, September 12, 2008

NKOTB on The View

I didn't actually see this show. Honestly, I've never seen it but I found this video and wanted to share it. I think that it's pretty cool to see the host of a show, show so much excitement about a guest. How cool. I guess that also shows her age. ;-)

Thursday, September 11, 2008

New Kids video for "Single"

Well, I tried to add this video to my blog but it looks like every clip of it on YouTube has the embedding blocked, so I can't. :-( So, check it out on YouTube. It's a pretty cool video. The guys are lookin' hot in it.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Best Buy Signing Video



On a side note, the album is at #2 on the Billboard top 200!!! Nice!!!

Monday, September 8, 2008

USA Today article on New Kids

Now, this is big time! :-) There was an article on the New Kids in USA Today. The buzz is definitely growing. I just hope that the album sales and tour are successful. I'm here for the ride... I bought the album and I am going to the Denver concert. If I could, I'd go to more concerts. I was a kid in the late 80's and early 90's. I definitely want to enjoy it this time around.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-09-07-new-kids_N.htm

New Kids- Making the Reunion

Here's a shortened version of the DVD that I've seen. This is kind of fun to watch. This is just a 4 minute video about the guys getting back together and stuff. Enjoy!


Saturday, September 6, 2008

More Reviews from the Net

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/ny-etdrops5825068sep02a,0,959078.story?track=rss

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_10377930?source=rss

One thing that I am constantly seeing is comments about the guys being too old or just simply old. Not so! Jon was born in 1968, Donnie and Danny were born in 1969, Jordan was born in 1970 and Joe was born in 1972. In my opinion that does NOT make the guys old. I was born in 1977. They are definitely still young enough to rock out. They are awesome!

Friday, September 5, 2008

New Kids on Sky News

Check out this link... yes, another one. I'd say that it's pretty much a good article. They say the guys should have a different name but, whatever. They're known as the New Kids on the Block. Deal with it. Anyway, check out the link.

http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=264808

New Kids on Z100 New York

I had to share this link because this is the most that I've ever seen Jon talk (you may need to search for the New Kids interview). When I meet them in Denver, I'd love to have a conversation with Jon. He's so quiet most of the time. He's like my brother... he only talks when he has something important to say. Jon has a strong accent too. It's weird because you're not used to hearing it.

http://z100.com/pages/podcast.html

New Kids TV Guide video

Check it out.


Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Block Review- add'l

I thought I'd go into more detail about what I thought about the New Kids new album, "The Block." When I did my last review, I had only heard the album once. Now, I've listened to it at least a dozen times and can give a better review (I think).

Overall, like I said, I love the album. There aren't any songs that I think are bad. There are definitely some that I favor over others though. The "sound" of the album is really all over the place. There are R&B tracks, dance/club/electronic tracks and a couple of pop tracks. I love that the album shows the guys growth and maturity. The album is pretty raunchy though. A lot of the songs are about sex and the related. It's definitely not an album for younger listeners. I probably wouldn't let my teenagers listen to it if I had teenagers. It works for listeners in their mid to late 20's and 30's though. This makes sense considering that the album was really made for the guys original fans (at least I think so).

Okay... the tracks... break down.

Click, Click, Click: This track is R&B all the way. It's one of my favorites. I've heard other people review it and consider it to be pretty raunchy. I don't think that this song is necessarily that raunchy. There are references to taking pictures of the girl, naked but I don't think that it really focuses on that. I consider the lyrics to be more about enjoying the beauty of the girl they're with, taking a mental picture of a particular moment in time, enjoying that moment and remembering it.

Single: This is another R&B track. This song is with Ne-Yo. Honestly, I'm not all that current with new artists so I never heard of him until this song but I think that the song is a great mix. It's a good dance song. It's about being at the club, seeing a girl and wanting to simply enjoy her company while at the club. The girl was ditched at the club and the guys are just saying that they would be happy to dance with her while at the club. It's a dance song.

Big Girl Now: This is more of an electronic track. It's with Lady Gaga. She dominates the song. It's a little raunchy but not too bad, except for the chorus. This song is purely dance.

Summertime: I love this song! It's definitely pop with a little doo-op. I've been listening to the old New Kids stuff lately so I really enjoy this song. It reminisces about summers past... in particular, the summer of 1988. It's got a good beat and is just a fun song. It's also easy to learn the lyrics to.

2 In the Morning: Another pop song (for the most part). This is Donnie's divorce song. It's got a good beat and I actually enjoy the fact that it's got a little bit of a story in the lyrics. This will probably be the next one that I can learn the lyrics to pretty easily.

Grown Man: This song is more R&B, I think. It features The Pussycat Dolls and Teddy Riley. This one is raunchy, but not too bad. This song is pretty much about hooking up with a girl.

Dirty Dancing: I love this song! This one is definitely all electronic with some major synthesizers. It references the movie, Dirty Dancing, obviously. It's a bit raunchy but, again, not too bad. It's about dirty dancing with a girl while your woman is back home (at least that's the impression that I get). It's fairly innocent though.

Sexify My Love: This is a club song, 100%. It's a bit raunchy. It's about making love throughout the house and giving in to your inhibitions. It's a good song for couples who need a little, "kick start" in their sex life. :-)

Twisted: I'd consider this to be another club/electronic song. This one's raunchy. I think that it's mostly about kinky stuff.

Full Service: This is a club/electronic song. New Edition is featured in this song. I can't really decipher NKOTB from New Edition in this one. This one's raunchy too. Use your imagination. Obviously, it's about pleasing a woman.

Lights, Camera, Action: This one is kind of pop/electronic. This one is super raunchy. I think that this one is the most rauncy because it dominates the song. It's about making love in front of the cameras.

Put It on My Tab: I love this song! This one is R&B (with some electronic), featuring Akon. I've never heard of Akon before this but I really like this song. It's about seeing a beautiful girl in the bar and just enjoying a drink with her, having a conversation with her.

Stare at You: (This is the last song on the standard album but I got the deluxe edition.) This one is totally a pop ballad (kind of R&B sounding in some aspects too). I really like this song! It's about the looks shared between two people who are in love. A simple, timeless, subject. The song ends with a soundclip between Donnie and his son Elijah. Too cute.

One Song: This song is kind of pop/club/electronic. It's about dancing with a girl at the club on New Years and just kind of being in the moment, getting down and dirty. It's not raunchy. I guess that it kind of reminds me of disco but it's not.

Don't Cry: This one is a pop ballad. It's a good one. It's about saying good-bye and having a hard time doing so. It's also about arguments that couples have sometimes and about making up, when that's possible.

Officially Over: This song is kind of a pop song. It's about a relationship ending, with no chance of working things out. It's a good break-up song.

Looking Like Danger: This song is definitely a club/electronic song. It's about a girl being super hot and the guy having a hard time being faithful because the girl is so hot. It's a good, appropriate club song. (Hence, why I was never into going to clubs... to many unfaithful guys. :-) Not a good place to meet a guy you'd like to end up with.)

Well, hopefully this review was a bit more helpful than my last one. Sorry for being so general in the last one.

Donnie's Video Blog- Part 3

Other People Review 'The Block'

Here are some reviews. Some are good and some are bad. See, I like the album because 1) it's New Kids, 2) it really is a great mix of songs and 3) it's fitting for my generation (both in subject and in references).

http://www.hiponline.com/music-reviews/new-kids-on-the-block-the-block-review/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-ap-music-review-new-kids-on-the-block,0,6923042.story

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etdrops5825068sep02a,0,7446067.story

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Donnie's Video Blog- part 2

Check it out!


The Block- My Review

I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!! Of course, part of the reason for that is that it's new New Kids but it really is a great album. Lately, I've been listening to music from the 60's and 70's (and old New Kids stuff) so it's a bit out of my realm but I love the album. I'd say that, overall, the sound is club music. It sounds NOTHING like any of their old stuff. There aren't any songs that I dislike and it's a really neat, unique sound. I'd say that my favorite songs are, "Click, Click, Click" and "Dirty Dancing." They both have their own sounds and are fun to listen to. Of course, I still love "Summertime" but those two are just cool. The guys worked with lots of different artists which made the album that much more interesting. Donnie and Jordan were the main contributors regarding writing the songs. They had guys who wrote most of their songs but those two helped to write a lot of them. At the end of, "Stare at You" there's a soundbite of Donnie talking with his son Elijah. So cute!!! I also bought the deluxe edition of the album so I got a few extra songs and a DVD about the guys getting together again. That was pretty cool. Some of the songs are definitely "dirty" in content but it just reiterates the fact that the guys are all grown-up (they're all in their mid to late 30's and Jon is 40). I give the album 5 out of 5 stars. I really think that it's great!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

The New Kids

I just wanted to share more thoughts here.

First of all... I love the internet! It's pretty cool how, anywhere you look, you can find articles, pictures and videos on just about anything. It's a great platform to share thoughts, joys, sadness... everything (if you want to share). It's a great way to "talk" to celebrities you like (even if they never read or see what you write). It's nice to know that there's a way to share your thoughts with them. For those of us who are die hard fans of a particular individual or group, it's especially cool. I mean, we can completely get our "fill" of our favorite celebrities and even feel like they are having conversations with us. How cool is that?

Well, the New Kids on the Block released their first album in 1986 with their self-titled album. They hit it big in 1988 with the album, "Hangin' Tough." I'd say that's probably when I really became a fan (I did buy their debut album around the time that "Hangin' Tough" came out). It's been 20 years since they first hit it big and had droves of fans watching their every move. I'm sure that was pretty crazy for them. Well, what is even more amazing to me is that, after 20 years, they can come back with a fan base almost as big as it was at their peak in the 1980's. They've grown up, matured and lived their lives and so have we, yet we are right here to support them 100%. What does that say about us? What does it say about them? Are we all crazy? Maybe a little. :-) I think that, more than anything, we are just dedicated and the guys have it figured out. Their new album is right on with the current music trends (from what I've seen) and we fans have followed those trends too (for the most part). It all works together. We are extremely excited about this second opportunity to see the guys and meet them and, in a way, get to know them.

Speaking for myself... I never got to see them in the 80's. I was 11 years old in 1988 and, to say the least, my parents weren't about to buy tickets to take me to one of their concerts. I had to settle with TV specials (like their concert and special in Disney World), which I watched over, and over, and over again. It got to the point where I had every part of that special memorized. The crazy thing was that we didn't get the Disney channel (our cable company was just doing one of their promotions where we got that channel for a week or so). I'm glad that now, 20 years later, I finally have the opportunity to see the guys in concert (I wish I had the means to follow them around and go to every show this time around). I also felt that this was an opportunity of a lifetime so I decided to invest in a VIP5 pass through their website to ensure that I'd not only get a great seat at their concert but that I would also get to meet them (and maybe chat with them a little). There's one thing I'd like to add though... I'd love to have a video crew follow me around for the day to capture every moment of the day so that I could watch the memory over and over again. I definitely think that it will be one of the happiest days of my life. I'll carry a smile from ear to ear all day on that day.

I'm really glad that all of the guys decided to get on board. There couldn't be a reunion without all of them. It wouldn't be the New Kids and it just wouldn't be right. I'm anxiously anticipating their new album. I pre-ordered the deluxe edition on Barnesandnoble.com so I won't get it on the day that it releases but if I can, I might just go to Wal-mart on Tuesday and buy the regular copy of the album just so that I can hear it when all of the other fans are. I can't wait to hear their "mature" sounds and listen to music that is just, simply, great! The album will also heighten my anticipation about their Denver concert. Unfortunately, that concert isn't until November so I have a few months to wait. I'll be heading down to Denver earlier in the day to do some shopping and check into my hotel. I decided it would be best for me to just stay at a hotel in Denver after the concert rather than drive the 2 1/2 hours back home to the mountains after the concert. Although, I'm sure that I'll be so hyped up after the concert that I won't be able to sleep anyway, but oh well.

One last thing... Thanks guys for coming back. We couldn't be more ecstatic!!!

Donnie Interview in Boston Globe

Check out the article below. Someone from the Boston Globe interviewed Donnie over the phone and this is what he had to say. It sounds like the new album is going to "fit" and it sounds like it will be really good.

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/08/29/wahlberg_all_about_the_music/

Saturday, August 30, 2008

New Kids on CNN

This aired the other day and I believe it will replay a few more times on CNN. Check it out.


Friday, August 29, 2008

A Message to the New Kids

I thought this would be a good platform to say some things to the guys. No one will probably read this and those of you that do will either be fans like me or be my friends who just laugh at me (oh well). I don't mind.

The the New Kids:
Thanks a million!!!! Thanks for coming back. Thanks for creating great songs and putting so much time and effort into creating a great album and concert. I'm sure both will be great. I look forward to hearing the new album. I pre-ordered a copy of the deluxe edition. I can't wait to see you guys in concert in Denver and get to meet you guys (thanks to the VIP pass I bought). I never saw you 20 years ago because my parents never got tickets to a concert for me and my little sister (she's 6 years younger than me). Thanks for being so personable. I think that it's awesome that you guys are taking the time to post blogs and video blogs for us to read and see. There aren't a lot of celebrities that take the time to do that. It's pretty cool. Thanks for everything!!!

Donnie:
I get the impression that you're the one who took the initiative to get everyone together again. Thanks! We are forever grateful. I also think that it's pretty sweet that you seem as excited to meet us, as we are to meet you. I have to tell you... you can bet that you'll get a nice, big hug from me when we meet. I'm known for my awesome hugs!!! :-) Funny story... my boyfriend was looking over my shoulder when I was checking out the blog site and he commented that you and Danny seemed like the ones who would be my type. I guess now, you probably would be (if I were single). :-) It kind of seems like you and my boyfriend might be kind of similar personalities. Unfortunately, he won't be at the concert with me. His favorite band is Slayer. :-)

Danny:
I'm glad that you agreed to do this all over again. Based on your music site on MySpace, it kind of sounds like sometimes you would rather just leave the New Kids story in history and do your own thing. Well, I'm glad you signed on with this. It wouldn't be the same without you. I can't wait to meet you.

Joe:
You were always my favorite (probably because you're only 5 years older than me). I love your voice. Congrats on the new baby. It was a boy, right? Won't he be a year old in November or something? That's pretty exciting! I want to thank you too for signing onto this reunion. I did get to see you in concert in Detroit back when I was in college. You rocked! You were at the Fox theater. I drove from Michigan State in Lansing to see you in Detroit. I wish I could have met you then. Well, I am super excited to meet you when you guys are in Denver. I hope you guys are ready to pose for pictures because I'll be taking a ton of them! :-) See ya in just over two months!!

Jordan:
You were my second favorite (again, the age thing). Also, you have a great voice. I'm glad that you signed on for the reunion as well. Of course, it wouldn't be a reunion without all of you. :-) I can't wait to see you guys perform and meet you. Expect big hugs from me. This will be an experience of a lifetime for me. I can't wait!

Jon:
Last, but certainly not least. I saw the video blog today. The guys are right, you do look like you're the youngest. You're lookin' good! I'm glad you signed on to do this reunion. I'm sure it was kind of a difficult decision for you considering that you had your realtor job going on. I think, you, more than anyone else, is who I'd like to have a conversation with when I meet you guys. You've always been the most quiet of the guys. As a result, you are kind of the most mysterious. I'd love to sit and have a conversation with you. I saw you with Jordan back around 2003/2004 in Tampa Bay when I lived there. Jordan was playing at a club there and it was completely dead (I was the one dressed like a school girl... my boyfriend at the time wanted me to dress like that... not one of my proudest moments). It was good to see you then. It was a nice surprise. I wish I could have met you guys then though. Well, this time around, I will. :-) I can't wait. Thanks for all you do to make a great team. We love you!

Video Blog from the New Kids

I LOVE THESE GUYS!!! This video blog that they just posted shows exactly the way that the guys are. I'm so excited about meeting them. I think that it's a 3 part blog. Cool!!! Check it out.


Wednesday, August 27, 2008

New Kids on Walmart's Soundcheck

HOT!!! HOT!!! HOT!!! This footage just got me so excited!!! I was almost cheering and I was grinning ear to ear. It just heightens the anticipation of seeing them in concert and meeting them. When I go to the concert and meet them, I think that I'm going to be like a kid in a candy store. I'm going to be SO happy!!!! The new album comes out in less than a week (I pre-ordered it though and my copy probably won't arrive until a few days later). On Soundcheck, they also performed, "Tonight" from their early days. It's such an appropriate song for the reunion. It literally describes their experiences. I'm sure that they'll perform it while on tour. I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET THEM AND SEE THEM IN CONCERT!!!! I want to talk with each of them (at the meet and greet) and make sure that I get tons of pictures with them. I wish that I could have a camera crew follow me around through the whole experience, for the entire day. That sure would be interesting. :-)

Below is the link. Check it out. http://soundcheck.walmart.com/new_kids_on_the_block.html

Monday, August 25, 2008

New Kids Tour and "Face Time"

Man... one thing I LOVE about the New Kids (especially Donnie, these days) is how stoked they are to meet the fans and show us their appreciation. On their website today, Donnie did a Blog just telling all of us fans how excited he was to meet us while they're on tour. He said that he expects a lot of hugs and is just really excited to meet as many people as possible. That's awesome!!!! How many "celebrities" are like that??? Not a lot. That just makes me even more excited to meet them at their Denver concert. I hope I get a chance to chat a little with each of the guys. The Denver concert is still two months away, which seems like forever, but it will be awesome and the time will probably fly by (unfortunately). In the meantime, their album comes out in one week and the web is full of stuff too (videos, interviews, etc). Not to mention the upcoming TV appearances they're doing. Way to go guys!!! Keep it coming. You know we can't get enough of you. :-)

On another note... Happy 31st Birthday to me (Aug. 25)!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Local CASA Article

Today, in the local paper, there was an article about CASA. It mentioned that there's a 22% increase in the number of children that need a child advocate. This is just for Summit, Lake and Clear Creek counties. They went on to say that it's not necessarily because of more cases of abuse or neglect but, "new philosophies in child welfare." Check out the article below. http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080821/NEWS/2016&parentprofile=search

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Child Abuse

While doing research on child abuse for one of my training exercises for CASA, I came across this video. Check it out.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

First Snow of the Season

Can you believe it!?? Today, at 11,600 vert. ft. (where my house is) we got our first snow of the season. Luckily, it did turn into rain later in the morning but I'm definitely not ready for snow right now. I hope we get temps in the 60's and 70's very soon. It's too early for winter. If it starts now, it will be a VERY long winter!

Friday, August 15, 2008

CASA Volunteer

Today I met with CASA of the Continental Divide to find out more about CASA and essentially interview to be a voluneer. I'm really excited about this program and being a volunteer. I think that it will really give me the chance to make a difference and it will also help me to understand the foster and Human Services system so I can be better informed if Zac and I adopt in the future (or course, first he has to open up to the idea of adoption... which may or may not happen.).

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Coldplay

So, I don't know how many of you have heard of Coldplay. I don't listen to the radio much so I don't know about a lot of the groups out since the mid 1990's but this group has a new album out and one of the songs is a really great song. The album is called, "Viva la Vida" and the song I'm talking about has the same name. It's a catchy tune and the lyrics sound very poetic. Of course, I'm one of those people that thinks of lyrics as poems with music attached but that is particularly the case in this song. Check out the video below.


Viva La Vida

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

CASA

Court Appointed Special Advocate. This is my new endeavor. It's a bit more difficult to get into social work than I expected, without a degree in that field. I could probably do it but will need a bit more experience in the related subject. Yesterday I saw an ad on TV for CASA and I checked out the website. CASA volunteers do exactly what I'd like to do... help kids in the system find permanent, loving homes. Too bad it's not a paid position. Today I decided to look up the CASA office in my area and give them a call. I called them and the lady sounded pretty excited that I was interested in volunteering. They also have a new training session starting in September. I happen to have this Friday off work and her availability is open on Friday so I scheduled to meet with her on Friday to find out more about the program and stuff. My only concern is working all of this into my work schedule. I REALLY hope that it's possible. Luckily, I'm just working at the ski shop now (instead of two jobs) so I should be able to make the time. I hope David, my boss, is helpful too. He's kind of self-involved so I hope that he understands my desire and need to do this and will work with me on my schedule to make it possible. We'll see. He's back from vacation tomorrow. Well, wish me luck in my journey to make a difference in Children's lives. :-)

Monday, August 11, 2008

New Kids




I had to post this New Kids picture. My boyfriend was looking over my sholder as I was checking out the New Kids blog site (where this picture was the header). Anyway, I was commenting on how good looking the guys are and Zac thought that Danny and Donnie (in the middle) would be the ones that I would like the most (with looks). Actually, I like the clean cut look better. Although, you probably wouldn't guess that based on how Zac looks. (He's in the top picture.) Zac's hot but he's "smokin' hot" when he's shaven. :-)
I sure am excited to see the guys in concert in November. I can't wait to meet them. Seeing all of the pictures online and their Blog updates just makes the anticipation stronger. I'll be smiling from ear to ear all day on November 14.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Two Coreys- For Corey Haim

I just saw a clip at people.com of tomorrow's episode of "The Two Coreys." I'd like to think that Corey Haim isn't using, like he claims when Todd Bridges and Pauly Shore show up at Feldman's house to try to get him to stop using but I'm afraid that he is using.

Corey... only you know for sure if you're using (unless there are other people around you when you are) but I really hope you're not and if you are, PLEASE get help. Apparently rehab didn't help you in the long run, all of those years ago. Maybe you should try a different route. Check out NA. A friend of mine is involved with that support group and it continues to help him. Once you've been an addict, you always will be, even when you're clean. You know that. Just don't be a user until it kills you. I, like many of your fans, really want to see you succeed (both personally and professionally). You sure as heck can't succeed if you're using. The only result of that is tragedy. Don't let the drugs get the best of you. I don't want to hear about you dying of an overdose or suicide or something. You're too young, with too much to live for and strive for.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The New Kids on YouTube

Well, obviously, I got that video below from YouTube. I wanted to comment on the guys more though. Since I don't feel like setting up a user name and password for YouTube, I'm going to post my comments here.

I find it amusing that so many people on YouTube are commenting that the New Kids are old. Really, they're not. I guess it depends on your age but, to me, they certainly are not old. Jon, who is the oldest, is only 9 years older than me. When I was a kid, that was a lot, but not now. Jon was born in 1968, Donnie and Danny were both born in 1969, Jordan was born in 1970 and Joe was born in 1972. I was born in 1977. That's not old. Also, the guys are still SMOKIN' HOT!!! :-) I think that it fit the video for them to have models and actresses who are in their 20's to be in the video. I think that's funny though because, my guess is, that most of the girls in the video weren't even in elementary school when the New Kids first came out. Those of us who are in our 30's and 40's now have been here for the guys the whole time... since the 1980's. Honestly, that's a pretty cool feeling. :-)

New Kids "Summertime" Video

Well, I felt very inclined to post this video. :-) This is the New Kids new video for their single, "Summertime." It looks good. My only complaint with the video is that Jon is not shown more in it. Given, Joe and Jordan were always my favorites but I think that Jon is just as important as the other guys. It takes all five to make the New Kids. I guess that Jon has always been the most soft-spoken of the guys and less into the spotlight but it would have been nice to see him in the video a bit more. One thing that was a little strange to see on the video was the guys with the girls. The fact that both Joe and Jordan are married, made it seem a little awkward when they were with the girls. Still cool though. Their new album, titled, "The Block," will be releasing on September 2. I'll be first in line to buy the CD and then put it into my iPod. :-)


Sunday, July 27, 2008

The Two Coreys- Another Message to Corey Haim

Hi everyone. Well, tonight I watched, "The Two Coreys." I have another message for Corey Haim.

Corey... Hang in There!!! As for dating... women pick up on a lack of confidence. Be confident. You're an actor... act confident. :-) Also, try to meet people in new ways. You could try the internet, but, based on personal experience, that's probably not the best way to meet people. Sometimes they're really "fake" on those dating sites. Since you're a celebrity, that could hurt you with online dating. If you want to try that method though, try sites like eHarmony.com, not match.com or matchmaker.com. Avoid the free online dating sites. Try to choose women who like some of the same things that you like (but NOT actors). What do you like to do? Hiking, biking, surfing, skateboarding, art galleries, hanging out at the beach? What do you like to do (besides drugs)? Try to meet women while you're being active. Don't date women in their early to mid-20's (unless you want to date my little sister, who's 24 *smile*). Stick with women closer to your age... late 20's or early to mid-30's. The women closer to your age are probably less likely to have an "agenda" and more likely to want to get to know you and settle down. Look for women who are already settled in their career, not women who are still searching for a career path. The type of woman?... Well, figure out what you want and stick with it. Don't waive on that one bit. Don't be too aggressive. That rarely works. If a woman likes you, she'll let you know in one way or another when she's ready to.

Corey... on the subject of acting. Keep hanging in there. You're still a hottie. :-) You know it's a tough business. There are more challenges than successes but don't give up. We love you. Keep going to auditions. Prove your worthiness for a part by performing well in your auditions. Also, you seem to focus more on movies. Try television. It may or may not work but it's a great medium and the general public prefers television to "straight to video" movies. Maybe you could start again by auditioning for cameos in TV shows and made for TV movies. You won't immediately be back on top but you will have the opportunity to work and prove to everyone who doubts you that you can and will be reliable. Like with any job, actors need to be reliable. The directors and everyone else on a set needs to know that they can depend on you. That's how you can show everyone that you are, in fact, ready and willing to be working again. Also, another gentle reminder... keep your head on straight and don't let yourself get stressed or worried about a job. That will be your downfall, if you do. If you let yourself get worried, you'll do the same thing you did with "The Lost Boys part 2." That would be horrible. I want to see you succeed!!! :-) Good luck Corey and my prayers are with you.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A Message to Corey Haim

I've been a fan of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman since I was a kid. I always had a mad crush on Corey Haim. I loved the movies they did and have many of them on video.

Here's my message to Corey Haim... STOP IT!!!!! The last thing that I want to hear in the news is a story about you overdosing. It would be a total waste! You have a great deal of potential and you're letting it all pass you by. Yes, you were big in the 80's and you're struggling big time now. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I understand that you feel like you're totally alone and nothing seems to go your way and you can't seem to get out of the rut you're in. I understand that you want to be as big as you were in the 80's again and that you don't feel like you're going to make it. You may never be that big again but you can succeed!!! Stop thinking that you won't succeed. The first thing you need to do though is stop blaming everyone else. You made the decisions you made. You got caught up in the "Hollywood lifestyle." Don't get caught up in it again. One of the most endearing traits of a well known actor is that they are down to earth. Try to be down to earth. The second, and probably most important thing you need to do, is get clean. I missed the episode of, "The Two Coreys" tonight but could probably catch it on YouTube. I understand that you showed up on set high. What the heck were you thinking!!?? Corey, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the US who would LOVE to have the opportunities you've had. Hang in there. You'll find success again. Do what you need to do to be successful in the industry again. Those of us who are true fans will always be there to support you. Even better, you have the chance to reunite with people you have a history with... some is good and some is bad. If there's one thing I've learned in my 30 years of life, it's that friends are one of the most important things in your life. We all change... good and bad. Hold on to those friendships, accept the differences that have developed and charish the similarities. There are still similarities. Corey, your fans will always be here for you. Heck, if I lived in L.A., I'd love to be your friend. I make a great friend. :-) I've always been someone who my friends can depend on for love, support and encouragement. As for your romantic relationships... hang in there. If I were single, I'd love to get to know you. :-) My suggestion is to check out girls who are down to earth. Don't date an actress and try to find someone who isn't "using" you. As for depression... I don't know a lot about it. In most cases anti-depressants work great but in your case, that probably would be one of the worst options. I think that it's great that you are in therapy. I hope that can help you and you continue to do it. Also, try to look at the positive things in your life. There are always good things, even when it seems like there aren't any, there are. You are pursuing your dream. You have fans who love you and want to see you succeed. Enjoy life. It's a wonderous thing. Help others. You will find a great deal of satisfaction in it. Also, remember, there is ALWAYS someone who is worse off than you. Do your best and pursue your dreams wholeheartedly. Don't do anything half-ass'd. We will support you 100%! Hang in there, bud. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

Monday, June 30, 2008

The New Kids Meeting Their Fans

Okay, so, I just had to talk about this for a second... One thing that is great about the New Kids is that they are so personable. They truly appreciate their fans and are very accomodating to them. I was recently checking out their site, and they have a blog section, well, on the site, sometimes the guys will post blogs and talk about different things, give updates, etc. Donnie was posting a blog and in his blog, he commented that we fans had better be ready because when they start touring in the late summer/fall, we can count on him to be out and about, meeting fans, chatting with us, etc. I think that's pretty cool. How many people, as big as they are, will essentially go out of their way to meet their fans and chat with us? It's just really cool. Fortunately, I got that VIP pass for the concert (looks like some are still available if anyone's interested), so I have kind of a "double opportunity" to meet the guys and talk with them but it's nice to know that even if I didn't have the VIP pass, I might actually have a chance to meet them anyway. You can bet that I'll be taking a lot of pictures. :-) Only 5 months to go.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Northern Michigan in the Summer


I love Northern Michigan in the summer. As I am writing this, I'm at the local library in Petoskey, Michigan, checking e-mail and stuff (my parents cancelled their internet service when my sister moved out). Yesterday my mom and I went up to Mackinac Island. It was a beautiful sunny day. I'm currently in Petoskey visiting my parents and brother and seeing my friends. I'm on vacation here for two weeks. It's a real pleasure to be here. The temps are way warmer than the temps at my house in Colorado and the water is great. I haven't been boating yet but I'm hoping to get out sometime next week. I have dinner plans with a friend and his girlfriend tonight. I'm looking forward to that. I just really love it here in the summer. Everything is so green and it's just really nice. I'd love to buy a vacation home in northern Michigan someday and spend the summers here.

Monday, June 9, 2008

New Kids Concet in Denver

I got my ticket!!!! :-) I decided to go all out and get a VIP ticket (I had to make up for a missed chance when I was a kid). I am SO excited to see the guys and actually MEET them. That's pretty cool. It will be an event to remember!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

New Kids Tickets

Well, the New Kids tickets for the general public (Denver show) go on sale tomorrow! I can't wait! I'm going to try to get a VIP ticket so that I can meet the guys and take pictures with them. I just hope that all of the AMEX card members that got to buy pre-sale tickets don't buy all of the VIP passes. I'm such a dork but I am so excited about this concert. Seeing the New Kids performing again just makes me happy. I watch all of the media that's available (thanks to the internet) and it just makes me really happy to see them again. They are a talented group of guys who clearly love the interaction they get from the fans when they perform live. They have always been known to be very aproachable when someone sees them in public. You don't get that with a lot of celebrities so I think that's something that just makes them that much better. :-)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

The New Kids are Coming to Denver

The New Kids on the Block are coming to Denver on November 14, 2008!!!! Yahoo! Tickets go on sale on June 9. You can bet I will do everything in my power to buy a ticket for the show. I'd love to get as close as possible too. I just hope that they aren't sold out before I get a ticket. I'll go by myself... I don't mind. I don't have any girl friends in Colorado and the people I am friends with probably wouldn't want to see the New Kids in concert anyway. For additional information on them, check out the following site. http://nkotb.com

NKOTB on the Today Show

I love you guys!!! :-) They were on the Today Show (I missed it because I was at work but it was posted on YouTube.) I am SO excited about seeing them live this time around. I've never seen them all together before in concert. I hope I can get to a concert. I'll fly somewhere if I have to.






Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Hard Facts on Foster Children Waiting for Families

There are 114,000 children in the U.S. foster care system eligible and waiting to be adopted. These children have lived through loss, neglect and abuse and it is not their fault.
They wait an average of nearly 4 years to be adopted, with 21% - one out of every five, waiting, just waiting over five years for someone to love them.

Thus, many children languish for years in the foster care system frequently relocated, not belonging to anyone – feeling unloved, isolated, unwanted, undeserving – afraid to reach out to anyone, to trust, to believe in or to plan a future. If they remain un-adopted, the crushing heartache they experience affects their entire being every moment of every day for the rest of their life.

Each year, 38,000 of these children “age out” of the system when they reach their eighteenth birthday. Without financial or emotional support from anyone, many of these young adults struggle to belong and gain a place in society, to become productive citizens of our communities.
Of all youth aging out of the foster care system, national statistics indicate:

· 56% are unemployed and face poverty within two to four years,
· They represent 70% of all homeless youth,
· They constitute 88% of incarcerated youth and young adults,
· 40% receive welfare within two to four years,
· 40% do not graduate from high school, and
· 60% of the teenage girls will have a baby within two years.

These aging-out children are walking tragedies, waiting to happen

The above information is from http://www.adoptamericanetwork.org/

Friday, April 18, 2008

NKOTB... I Love You!!


Yes, I am a HUGE fan! These guys just make me happy. I can't believe that even after 19 years (I became a fan when I was about 11 or so) I am still a big fan and I still dream about seeing them in concert and meeting them in person. I know... I'm such a dork! I hope that they either come to Colorado or I can make a trip to where ever they tour this summer. I think that it's great that they have reunited and I will ABSOLUTELY buy their new album when it comes out. I can't wait! Admitedly, I never had New Kids sheets or a beadspread but I still have some of the dolls and I even had this huge, poster-sized puzzle. I wonder if my parents still have that? I'm guessing not. Joe was my favorite, Jordan was my second favorite. It's so funny... I feel like I am watching myself from the outside. I still get so excited when I see new pictures of the guys or hear songs, or whatever. I think that one thing that can be said about New Kids fans is that we are die hard. It's funny, their fans are all about ages 25-35 now and still mostly females. Many of us are married with kids (not me but I'm not far behind those ones). The guys are ranging in ages 35-40. I can't believe that it's been so long since they "disbanded" but I'm so happy that they are together again... working on an album and planning a concert tour. Maybe this time around I'll get to see a concert and even get a backstage pass. I'd be in heaven. :-) For updates on the guys, check out: http://nkotb.com/

Sunday, April 13, 2008

The Martian Child and A Child Called 'It'

I read these books over the course of this weekend. Both were very good and full of information. "The Martian Child" was a single father's story about adopting a son through the US Foster System and "A Child Called 'It'" was an adult's story about the abuse he went through between the ages of 4 and 12. At the end of that book, there were several abuse statistics for the US. At the end of the book, we also found out that this guy's case of abuse was the third worst in the entire state of California at the time. I decided to look online for the most recent statistics. WOW!! There are MILLIONS of abused children in the US and tons of them need permanent, loving, protective, homes. I want to help! I want to give at least one of these children a loving home with a loving family. I am still researching all of this and I still have to talk to Zac but I would really like to adopt a child from the Foster System (this is also one of the most inexpensive methods of adoption). Yes, these are the "problem kids" according to the schools and "professionals." My mom knows, she's a "chapter" teacher at a local elementary school in my hometown. That doesn't mean they are any less deserving of a permanent home. Now, the challenge for me in this journey will be to get Zac to support me in it. He can be a complete part of it (by adopting with me as my "domestic partner") or he can be a small part of it by simply being my live-in boyfriend. Under either circumstance, I am allowed to adopt. Since he lives in the house, he still has to have a background check and be part of the home-study but he doesn't have a very big part in the rest of it all. (Although, I imagine that he would still be a big part in the child's life.) Well, I pray that this is something that I am able to do. I am considering children born in 1997 or later (that's at least 20 years younger than me).

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

NKOTB is Back!

They're Baaaack!!!! Yes, the New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) are reuniting! I know it's juvenile but I am SO excited. At the "ripe 'ol age" of 30, I still love these guys. They don't have any concerts planned for my area yet but I sure hope that they add Colorado to their schedule. If they don't do Colorado and go to Florida instead then I'll just have to visit my little sister in Florida and we can go together. Girls Night Out!!! Their new album should be out this summer, I think. ...And they're doing it their way. Unfortunately, when I was a kid I never got to see them in concert. Fortunately, I did get to see Joe and Jordan in concert individually in the late 90's and early 2000's. I can't even begin to convey the level of excitement that I have. This is such exciting news for me!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Why I Want to Adopt

The main reason I would like to adopt is so I could have a positive, lasting, effect on a child and his or her life. I used to mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and I enjoyed it but it bothered me that I couldn't have a greater impact on the child's life. There are so many kids, both domestically and internationally, without "forever families" and I'd love to be the "forever family" for some of those kids. I am very patient and nurturing and I think that is a major thing that these kids need. I also feel like I was born to be a mom. I love children and I want to help kids be everything their potential allows. I think that the best and most rewarding way to do this is to be a parent because it's something I can see through the course of development and growth. This is best realized by constant love, encouragement, patience and nurturing which I believe is best achieved as a parent through a lifetime rather than simply by mentoring or something like that. I absolutely want to have biological children so my family history and geneology can be passed onto future generations. I also think that we'd have beautiful children. However, there are many kids in the world today that need families now. I know I can't be a mom to all of them but even if I could only parent one or two, it still makes a difference in that child's life. Every little bit helps. :-)

I'm interested in international adoption because there are several programs available. I'm interested in the Asian programs, in particular. They are streamlined programs and the Asian culture is very fascinating to me. Also, I think that the Asian people are beautiful people.

I'm starting to become more and more interested in the domestic adoption program as well. The nice thing about the domestic program is that it's a fairly quick process to adopt and there's far less paperwork involved. Also, there's little to no expense involved in adopting domestically.

The "types" of kids I'd like to adopt are classified as "waiting children" or "special needs." In the international programs these kids are usually older with or without "special needs." The "special needs" can be either minor or major from cleft lip/palate to limb differences to something like cerebral pulsy. With the domestic programs, the "special needs" are usually age and/or social or developmental delays, mostly due to a poor home environment prior to being available for adoption. In the domestic programs all of the children that are available for adoption are in the foster care system and their birth families have had their parental rights relinquished due to neglect, abuse, etc.

I think that the biggest problem I have right now with being able to start an adoption (domestic) is that my house is only 576 square feet and the second bedroom is only big enough for a twin bed and a dresser. Also, since I live with someone I don't think that I can adopt until we're married. If we weren't living together I could adopt as a single mom.

NOTE: If you would like to share your experiences and thoughts, please due so. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

More Snow

It's March 29 and it's snowing... again. I'm SO tired of snow. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the snow but it's spring time and I'm now tired of winter. All of the snow near my house won't be completely melted until the end of June, beginning of July. That's 8-9 months of snow. That's nuts! Enough already!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Chows and Kids







These pictures were taken yesterday. My friend Stacy and her son, Aspen, are in Colorado for the USASA Nationals (Aspen's competing) and they stayed with us their first night here. It was a lot of fun to see Aspen with Target and Chewy. As you can see, he really took to Target. Both puppies (they still aren't even 9 months old) did really well. As far as I know, this was the first time that Target had been around a younger kid. He enjoyed the attention and both dogs were very well behaved. The dogs enjoyed all of the attention and Aspen got a lot of doggy kisses.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Pop Fiction

Executive Producer Ashton Kirscher presents: "Pop Fiction." Okay, so, I saw this show for the first time today (I FINALLY had a day off of work). What a good idea. Basically, the show is about celebrities setting up the Poparazzi. Anyway, the first part had Mario Lopez and Eva Longorio. These two have been best friends for years and NEVER had anything romantic happen between them. It was incredibly amazing to me how crazy the poparazzi is. They are horrible! These two were COMPLETELY surrounded by them during the whole thing (Mario sure is a "hottie".) More and more poparazzi would show up as time went on. For that reason, I'd HATE to be a celebrity of that calibur. I'd love the money :-) but that's about it. I feel bad that celebrities have to put up with that much crap. Everything that is normal and mundane to the rest of us is a big event and a bit of a hassle to them. If they wanted everyone to see pictures and video of them everywhere they'd hire someone to do that and they'd have a myspace.com site set up or something (some celebrities actually do have myspace pages that they'll update periodically though). Anyway, to the poparazzi, I have this to say... "Lay off!!!" Let the celebrities live their lives without so much interferance from you! There are pleny of opportunities for legitimate pictures to be taken of celebrities.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Cute Puppies









Just wanted to share a picture of my puppies. Target (in the top pic) is so funny. Sometimes he'll just be sitting down and he tips his head backwards as far as possible so that he doesn't have to turn around to look at what ever he's looking at. Chewy is in the middle picture.

Monday, February 25, 2008

More on International Adoption

Well, I recently heard about a website about adoption in China. http://research-china.blogspot.com/ This site talks more about the process and some of the problems with adoption from there (i.e. rural families having healthy children and then selling them in the "black market" because they can make more in a year with a child than with raising a pig, for example). This is the kind of thing that I think is discouraging Zac from wanting to adopt Internationally. So, this guy encourages American families to adopt Special Needs children and make more healthy children available domestically (in China and other countries). Well, to be honest, I've thought about adopting a SN child from Asia. This other site kind of reinforces the need to adopt SN children. I, for one, am open to that idea. As I've said in previously blogs, there are certain special needs that I am open to (skin problems, deafness, cleft lip/pallat, limb deformities... things like that). Not to mention, the wait for a SN child is much shorter than the wait for a healthy child. Well, that's something to think about and certainly an argument I could make to Zac FOR International Adoption.

Adoption Videos



Snow Day

It's a snow day. This is NOT a good thing. About 20 minutes after I called into work, my "acting" boss (my main boss is on vacation), called me and asked if there was any way that I could make it into work. I asked him where the other tellers are (they both live in Breckenridge and can walk to work if necessary) and one of them has pneumonia and the other one is down in Denver. He probably got stuck down there because I-70 is probably closed. Not good. Cole is stuck, being the only person on the teller line on a Monday (which is usually a pretty busy day). After I got stuck trying to drive down my road, I decided to give up and wait for the plow truck. I didn't care to get stuck again. I HOPE that they come by today. Our road is a county road and it should be plowed regularly but Park County is essentially being lazy (supposedly due to budget cuts) and not necessarily plowing our road when it needs to be done. They have plowed it the last few years and at the beginning of this year when it got really bad, we called the county roads and bridges and they said our road wasn't on their list of roads to plow. Interesting, since it has been plowed every year prior. Fortunately, they have been out a few times this season to plow the road but it's really a hit and miss situation. Sometimes they plow and sometimes they don't. I sure hope that they come and plow today. It would certainly be good if I could at least get into work at some point today to help Cole out. I just don't want to chance it until the road is plowed. I'm sure that Hwy 9 is perfectly fine, it's just a matter of getting down there. It's about 1600 vertical feet below us.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Chewy and Target Hanging Out



I love this picture of Chewy and Target on the bed. They don't climb up on the bed much... they prefer the cool, hard floor. They are so sweet. On this night I was cold so I put the dogs on the bed to help warm me up. :-) It worked pretty well.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Puppy Pages





I just thought I'd add some pictures of my scrapbook pages. These are the pages I did about my dogs and how we got them. Enjoy.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Bring Me Hope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC2rmCRQRKQ

I had to add this link. This is a video about the millions of children in China that are waiting for homes. It's very touching.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Scrapbook Dreamin'

This is my dream scrapbooking station. I love to scrapbook and I just have a drafting desk and misc. storage. This set-up is nice because there's great storage for everything and the add-ons you can get are great. It's made by Scrap-N-Cube. Right now I don't really have the space for this storage set-up (or the $2500 for it) but maybe some day. :-) I don't have a pluthera of supplies but I am constantly adding to what I have and I have some neat stuff. I'd love to have more time to scrapbook but right now that's kind of hard (I work 7 days a week). I have to try to fit it in where ever I can. I think it's a great, creative way to preserve memories and I enjoy going back through my albums. I also have an ongoing project for genealogy scrapbooks that I am working on. I'm fortunate to have several old pictures from my grandparents and lots of research from my grandma's brother. He was able to trace some of our genealogy back to the 1500's, which is pretty cool. I look forward to having kids so I can put together scrapbooks for them too.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Weather Woes

Well, we're having a lot of bad weather here in Colorado right now. Actually, today it's clear and sunny but yesterday it was terrible. We got tons of snow and wind and now the road to my house is wind-packed with at least 3 feet of snow. My boyfriend drove the Pathfinder over the road to try to clear a trail. I tried to drive down the path he made but got stuck since there wasn't enough clearance under my Subaru. It's got pretty high clearance but it wasn't high enough. So, now I have to wait until my boyfriend's boss can get to our house with his plow truck and clear a route to get down the road. Needless to say, I'm already late to work and, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get in for at least half the day. Ahh, the trials of living at 11,600 vertical feet in Colorado.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

My Friend's Son Aspen




This is my friend Stacy's son Aspen (yes, he is named for the ski area). He was born in November 2000. The picture of him in the T-shirt is at age 6 and the picture in the tie is at age 7. This kid rips on skis. He's been skiing since the age of 2 and his dad is from Austria. The last time I saw him, he was 3 1/2. Aspen loves to ski and he also loves to BMX race. In the fall of 2008 they are moving from Michigan to Colorado. I can't wait to have another friend from Michigan here in Colorado. It will also be so cool to see Aspen grow and improve as a skier and biker. He is such a cool and smart kid