Life and Times

Sunday Snapshot {A Snowshoeing Adventure}

2012-01-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

So, we took our daughter snowshoeing for the first time this weekend. We only walked in the woods behind the house but it was nice to get out and enjoy the snow and have a little "adventure."

Grandma and Grandpa came along too. Here I am with my mom.

Getting ready to head out, with the dogs.

My husband is in the background with the dogs.

Beautiful snowfall... it snowed earlier in the day.

Sunday Snapshot (Rommey's First Play-date}

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Rommey had her first play-date. She got to meet my friend Sarah's son Finn who is about a month and a half younger than her but a little bigger. It was a fun day.

Sunday Snapshot {Christmas Celebration #1}

2011-12-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Christmas with my maternal grandpa and my mom's sisters and their spouses. Everyone went over to my parents house. We had a nice dinner along with a small gift exchange and lots of interesting conversations. We took some walks and just enjoyed being with family.

4 Generations

Rommey in her Christmas dress

Meeting Great-Grandpa

Going for a walk

She loves being held by her grandma and boy does grandma love holding her. :-)

Sound asleep in Grandma's arms

Sunday Snapshot {One Month Check-up}

2011-11-20T07:58:00.001-08:00

Rommey had her one month checkup this past week. I can't believe she's been here that long already. She is just over 6 weeks old now. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and is now 20 1/4 inches long. She's added 2 pounds and 2 inches since birth!!

Our Day

2011-11-18T13:50:00.001-08:00

Today Zac, Rommey and I visited a friend. We went over to Petoskey for my postnatal appointment and then stopped by our friend Donnie's house. All went well at my appointment. I'm almost down to my prenatal weight of 130 pounds... Only 6 pounds to go! Boy, am I glad I have a high metabolism. Basically, I lost 23 pounds in 6 weeks. Awesome! Now I just need to slim down my thighs so I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans and lose my pregnancy "pooch." 😄

Anyway, our visit with Donnie was quick but nice. He loves seeing Rommey and holding her.

Sunday Snapshot {Rommey's 1 Month Old}

2011-11-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

Today my little girl is one month old. Where has the time gone? We still don't have any "routines" really established but we are enjoying being parents. Sorry some of the pictures are grainy. I had the camera set at the wrong thing.

Sunday Snapshot {More Rommey}

2011-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Apparently again I forgot to post the Sunday Snapshot on Sunday. For some reason, I always seem to remember it on Monday.

Well, I wanted to post more pictures of our new little angel. I can't believe that she's 18 days old now.

Sunday Snapshot {Rommey's Here}

2011-10-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is a little late. Life's been busy.

Well, our adorable little girl is here! She was born on October 6, 2011, via c-section (she was "frank breech"). She weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 inches long. We named her Andromeda Star Beavers. We call her Rommey.

Sunday Snapshot {Colorado Teaching Certificate}

2011-10-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's official!!! I have my "interim certificate" for teaching in Colorado!!! (Too bad we don't currently live in Colorado.) Now I am officially a certified teacher!

These aren't the best pictures of me but oh well.

Perhaps on next week's Sunday Snapshot there will be a picture of our newborn baby girl! Exciting!

Sunday Snapshot {The Remodel}

2011-09-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently I forgot to post for the Sunday Snapshot yesterday so here's my post a little late. We spent the day working on the baby's room and getting the house ready for the arrival of our little girl (in just over 1 1/2 weeks). Yesterday was a painting day. These pictures show some of our progress but not the completed painting project (which should be done today).

I really like the little "nook" here for our cell phones.

This picture shows the rest of the wall but the only part painted here so far is the ledge on the wall.

Finally, we aren't painting the outside of the house but I wanted to share a picture of the room from the outside (our house is a double geodesic dome).

Sunday Snapshot {Photography}

2011-09-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well, today I don't really have anything "prepared" for the Sunday Snapshot as my days currently consist of waiting (5 weeks to go) for our baby to arrive, working and doing baby "research." I have no nursery pictures yet because that's still "under construction." Hubby is finishing the walls and new subfloor and will hopefully be able to get the carpeting and carpet padding in a week or two... nothing like cutting it close. I had an ultrasound on Friday and the baby is still breech. :-( She's being a little stubborn, apparently. We're hoping she shifts to a head down position by delivery. So, please include us in your prayers so that we can have a natural and safe delivery.

Anyway, in place of pictures of the dogs or hubby working on the nursery, I decided to post some pictures I took at the beginning of the spring/summer that were more along the lines of practicing my photography skills. I don't have a digital SLR camera (but would sure like one). I use a Fuji FinePix S2550HD camera. Enjoy!

Sunday Snapshot {34 Week Belly Picture}

2011-09-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm now at 34 weeks and 4 days! We can't wait for the baby to get here. The wait is driving me nuts! I know that she'll be here when she's "ready" though so I have to have patience. Afterall, her lungs and everything else need to be ready for the "outside world" before we can hold her in our arms. In the meantime, I've got the growing belly and the "kicks" to look forward to. :-) So, enjoy the belly pictures! (Sorry about the funny expressions on my face. LOL)

The Nursery

2011-09-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, my husband has been working on renovating the "little dome" on our house (we live in a double geodesic dome) to make it safe for our little girl when she arrives. Over the years there was a lot of water damage due to poor construction and a concrete pad that wasn't poured properly. Unfortunately, we weren't able to start from scratch and pour a new foundation, etc. but we were able to rebuild a lot of the walls and the floor. It's coming along and should be done in the next few weeks. After the floor is finished then he'll put in new carpet padding and new carpeting and then we just have to paint. After that, we get to really get the room ready for the baby! I can't wait until all the furniture and baby clothes and stuff are in the room waiting for her. That will be so exciting! In the meantime, here are some pictures of the progress.

The dome right after he tore out the carpeting, before taking out the flooring and the "wall" on the riser wall. (The structure on the right is our platform bed that he made.)

The old floor is gone, the new wall is being built.

The new wall... "mudded."

Starting the new floor.

The new flooring going down. Looking good. :-)

He's also making the old laundry room into a closet but I don't have any good pictures of the progress of that.

I can't wait to show everyone the room when it's all done. It'll look great!

Amway/Quixtar

2011-09-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

So, I just set up an Amway website. I'm an Amway IBO (Independent Business Owner) and have been since college. I'm not so interested in getting you to also sell Amway stuff but I do want to make the products available to you since so many are great products. Don't get me wrong, I don't buy all of my stuff from the company but there are a few things that I really like.

I'm partial to their energy drinks (when I'm not pregnant).

Their laundry detergent.

Their facial cleansing products and makeup.

And the Nutrilite vitamins.

They have lots of great products but these are the ones that I mostly purchase for myself. The prices are comparable to something you might find at a department store. If you want to get the products at a discount, the easiest way to do that is to sign up as an IBO (which is why I am an IBO... the discount *wink*) or an Amway customer. You can do this by clicking on the "Start a Business" link on my Amway website.

To take a look at my Amway website, click on this link. http://www.amway.com/HilarySBeavers There's also a link on the right side of my blog.

Almost 34 Weeks

2011-08-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

Boy is time flying! The baby will be here before we know it. Tomorrow I hit the 34 week mark. Most people don't believe me when I tell them I'm that far along but I am. :-) I'm SO excited for the arrival of our little girl. It's such a blessing! I'll be sure to let you all know when she gets here.

Sunday Snapshot {ultrasound pictures}

2011-08-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

These are 31 week ultrasound pictures. I'm at 33 weeks now but I wanted to share these. This is our first child. She's due on October 13, 2011.

At this point she was breached but at my last appointment, the doctor thought she had shifted. We'll find out for sure on September 9 when I get another ultrasound.

Her face.

It looks like she's sucking on her fist here.

A Slight Setback With Working on the Nursery

2011-08-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

The other day hubby was cutting some drywall for the baby's nursery and he wasn't exactly paying attention, plus he was in a hurry and using a "dull" utility knife. Take a guess what happened... Yup, he sliced his finger. To be exact, he cut right through the nail on his left thumb. Ouch! After a 5 hour trip to the emergency room (most of that time was waiting), he left with two stitches and a tetnus shot. Fortunately he'll be okay but the bummer is that now he's going to be cutting it much more closely with getting the baby's room done in time for her arrival, which is expected on or around October 13. I'm REALLY glad he's okay. He's a little frustrated with this setback as well though.

29 Weeks

2011-07-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I'm now 29 weeks. So far everything is going pretty well. At my last ultrasound the Dr. noticed that the baby is in a frank breech position but she seemed optimistic that the baby would shift positions by delivery. At my next appointment there will be another ultrasound to check the placement of the placenta. Last time it was sitting a little low and in front. I hope that everything moves to where is should be so that I can have a "natural" birth. Please pray for me and the baby.

23 Weeks

2011-06-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm 23 weeks along now. Technically, it's more like 23 weeks and 5 days but still. My pregnancy has been pretty "easy." I haven't had any problems so far. My only complaint right now is that I have this persistent cough that won't go away. I'm pretty sure it's allergies and the doctor told me some allergy medicine to take but that hasn't made much difference. It's a bit annoying. Other than that, so far, so good.

Update

2011-06-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

I doubt many people read this blog so I don't think that it's a big deal that I haven't updated in FOREVER but I wanted to give a quick update.

The biggest news is that hubby and I are expecting our first child in October! Perhaps when she's born this blog will serve as a way to keep friends and family updated on life with her. (Although I do use Facebook for that stuff a lot.)I've added a Lilypie ticker at the bottom of this page to show how my pregnancy is progressing.

I'm happy to say that I didn't have to deal with "morning sickness" at all in my pregnancy. Yeah! I'm now nearing the end of my second trimester. My pregnancy "symptoms" have been pretty mild the whole pregnancy. Lately I've had a pretty persistent cough but I doubt that has much to do with the pregnancy. However, I do worry how it's affecting the baby.

This is my second pregnancy. In July 2010 I had a miscarriage very early in the pregnancy (I think I was only a few weeks along.). I found out I was pregnant and then about a week later I found out I miscarried. About 6 months later we were able to conceive this child. I'm very excited that this pregnancy is going so well. God willing, it will continue to do so. Admittedly, I do constantly worry about something going wrong this time around. I can't really help it because of the previous miscarriage. So far, we've been REALLY blessed though. I do thank God daily for this wonderful blessing and continue to pray that she grows and develops as she should.

22 Weeks Pregnant

Jordan Knight- "Let's Go Higher"

2011-04-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

This is the video for Jordan knight's new song, "Let's Go Higher." Enjoy!

New Jordan Knight Song

2011-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Check out Jordan Knight's new song! "Let's Go Higher" Love this guy!!! (BTW, Sorry for it not being centered... the person who filmed it did so with a wide screen shot.)

New Plan for this Site

2010-10-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it has come to my attention that people do actually look at this site once in a while. I really didn't think anyone ever saw it. I've been using it as a place to talk about things that I maybe shouldn't make so public. So, I deleted several posts. Anyway, from now on, this site will be more positive in nature and perhaps look at bigger events that are happening in the country and around the world. Of course, I'll still have my celebrity updates, particularly when it pertains to my favorite celebrities or positive things that they've done but it will no longer be an outlet for "everything under the sun." I'll post cool pictures that I take or videos I like... that kind of stuff. Enjoy what comes. :-)

Beverly Hills, 90210... Where are they now?

2010-09-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

Had to share this... I want to keep a copy of this. :-) I am totally a "Beverly Hills, 90210" fan! I loved the show and am still a huge fan of Brian Austin Green. Gotta admit, I'd still totally love to have the chance to spend the day hanging out with him snowboarding or surfing. :-)

Cheekade Meekade

2010-09-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, work is going well at the store. I just wanted to share with everyone that you should really come to the store and check it out. We have really great kids clothes and toys, much of it you can't find any place else. The owner tries to order stuff that is really unique. Also, a lot of things are from European companies and are eco-friendly. Stop by the store some time and check it out. It's right on Main St. in Bay Harbor, Michigan. Also, we have a website too. Check it out. http://www.cheekademeekade.com I'd love to see you. :-)

Update... August 4, 2010

2010-08-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

Okay... so it's been FOREVER since I've done an update here. (Somehow, I doubt there's anyone out there that really cares but still.) I guess life has just kind of gotten in the way. I've been working a lot and I'm still taking my GCU classes online. Now I've got 2 weeks left of my current class and then just one more class and then I'm done with classes. In January I'll start my student teaching. That'll definitely keep me busy too. About two weeks ago I found out I was expecting and then less than a week later I found out that I miscarried. :-( That was tough to take. At least we know I can get pregnant. :-) Now it's just a matter of having the faith that God will make sure that it all works out "next time." My 33rd birthday is coming up on August 25. I can't believe that I'm already going to be 33. Time sure does fly! (Which is also part of the reason why hubby and I are so anxious to get our family started.) Work is fine for both hubby and I... not a lot to report there, which is good. All in all, life is good in spite of the fact that it's not very eventful right now.

Update- May 19, 2010

2010-05-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid that there isn't any "new and exciting" news to report. Life is pretty mundane right now. I'm still taking my classes for my Masters in elementary education. Counting the class I'm taking now, I think that I only have 3 more classes to go before I do my student teaching. That's exciting and scary at the same time.

This weekend I'm starting work at my summer job at Bay Harbor, in Petoskey. There are some new stores opening... Mac Professionals, Segway of Michigan and Cheekade Meekade. Mac Pros and the Segway store are in the same place and the Cheekade Meekade store is around the corner. Cheekade Meekade is a kids store that's opening. They'll have kids clothes and toys. Mac Pros is a Mac store. It's not owned by Apple but they will have Mac products. They'll also have an iPad lounge where you can rent an iPad and have an opportunity to see what they're like. Unfortunately, we won't be able to sell iPads, Apple has an exclusive contract with Best Buy, but at least customers will have an opportunity to use one and see what they're like so they can be better educated on them before deciding to buy one. I'll start out working at the Cheekade Meekade store but I'll be trained to work at all the stores. Here's the company website: http://www.macprofessionals.com/. This site has information on the Segway part of the company: http://www.segwayofmichigan.com. There's not a website for the Cheekade Meekade store yet but I'm sure there will be eventually.

Other then the job update, there's not much else to talk about.

Cruise 2010 Pictures

2010-04-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Our cruise took place March 21-28, 2010. We went on Carnival Cruise Lines on the ship Legend. We were unable to stop at Grand Cayman as planned but we did go to Cozumel, Belize City and Roatan, Honduras.

The Lido deck on the boat.

Me and Hubby as the boat is leaving Tampa.

At sea.

All dressed up for dinner.

The Mayan Ruins of Tulum in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. There were SEVERAL buildings among these ruins.

The beach at Tulum.

Bannister Island, Belize, where we got to enjoy some "beach time" after snorkeling.

Belize City. This guy gave us a free coconut. Yummy!

Roatan, Honduras. Unfortunately, we were kind of stuck in the Mahogany Bay area and didn't get to see any of the island (we were kind of out of "fun" money by this time). Guess we'll have to go back there. :-)

Hubby enjoying some of the local beer in Honduras.

On the "beach" in Roatan. Yes, where we were it was man made. I'm still SO bummed that we didn't really get to explore the island. It seemed like a great place to do some off-road driving... very tropical, lush and interesting. Maybe next time.

R.I.P. Corey Haim

2010-03-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

I was so sad when I heard the news of Corey Haim's death on Wednesday morning when I was checking Twitter. I saw the @CNNbrk post about it. Unfortunately, like I've posted on here before... I saw it coming. I never met or knew Corey but I saw "The Two Corey's" and the episode when Feldman and Haim had a major fallout after Feldman learned that Haim was using again. Around that time I posted on here a "A Message to Corey Haim" pleading that he stop using before the drugs kill him. I doubt that he ever saw that blog post but at least I said something. At 38 he was still far too young to succumb to death. I was a big fan of him growing up and I would have loved to see him in many more movies and TV shows. I wish that he could have stayed clean long enough to reestablish his reputation and prove to everyone (including himself) that he still had amazing talent and could produce a great performance... sober. Unfortunately, I think that the drugs just got the best of him and he couldn't stay clean long enough to be successful again. He will be greatly missed and I'm very sad that the younger generations and the generations to come will never have an opportunity to experience the talents (and great looks) of this amazing actor. R.I.P Corey Haim.

Here's the full "cause of death" report, according to Ktla.com:

LOS ANGELES -- According to early autopsy results, actor Corey Haim died of pulmonary congestion.

The former child star died after an apparent accidental drug overdose on Wednesday.

Haim's mother Judy told "Access Hollywood" that the Los Angeles County coroner's office revealed her son's cause of death to her today, and also said he had an enlarged heart and his lungs were filled with water.

The coroner's office also said that prescription bottles containing four different medications were taken from Haim's room, according to "Access Hollywood." The coroner did not confirm whether the medications were found in his body.

The former actor collapsed in front of his mother around 1:00 a.m. inside an apartment in the Oakwood Apartment Complex, located between Burbank and the Hollywood Hills, officials said.

"As he got out of bed he felt a little weak and went down to the floor on his knees," said Asst. Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.

His mother called paramedics and the actor was transported to Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank where he was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m., Winter said.

Haim had been suffering from flu-like symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said.

Four prescription bottles, not related to his illness, were found inside the apartment, according to TMZ. No illicit drugs were found inside the apartment, the site added.

The Canadian-born actor had struggled with drug addiction for many years.

Haim became a teen heartthrob in the 80s after appearing in the 1986 film "Lucas" and 1987's "The Lost Boys," which also starred fellow teen idol Corey Feldman.

Both actors appeared together on the A&E show "The Two Coreys," which aired from 2007 to 2008.

Haim was nominated for a Viewer's Choice Award at the 22nd Annual Gemini Awards in Canada for his role on the show, which was canceled after two seasons.

Feldman issued the following statement on Wednesday regarding his friend's death:

I was awakened at 8:30 this morning by my brother and sister knocking on my bedroom door. They informed me of the loss of my brother Corey Haim. My eyes weren't even open all the way when the tears started streaming down my face. I am so sorry for Corey, his mother Judy, his family, my family, all of our fans, and of course my son who I will have to find a way to explain this to when he gets home from school. This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend. We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with while they are still here to make a difference. Please respect our families as we struggle and grieve through this difficult time. I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived.

Corey Feldman
"The Two Corey's"

Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004, saying, "I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint."

"I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack," he said.

Haim said he went into rehabilitation and was put on prescription drugs, which he began abusing.

"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck," he said. "But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day -- the doctors could not believe I was taking that much," he said.

"And that was just the Valium - I'm not talking about the other pills I went through."

In 1997 he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing debts for medical expenses and more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes.

His assets included a few thousand dollars in cash, clothing and royalty rights.

Palm Pre Plus Review

2010-02-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, so, I've had my Palm Pre Plus (Verizon) for a couple of weeks now. Overall, I LOVE the phone! My two biggest complaints are that the battery life isn't very good. Fortunately, I do charge my phone every night when I go to bed but if I spend a significant amount of time playing around with it, it does go through the battery quickly. My other big complaint... There's not an app that does turn by turn directions... at least not that I've found. You can pay for VZ Navigator but I'm not about to pay extra for that. My brother has the Droid (also on Verizon) and that comes with a program that does turn by turn voice directions. I wish my Palm Pre did that. It's got Google Maps so I can see where I'm at and I can get directions but I can't have the phone "guide" me with directions. I'd like it if I could. I like the touch screen and the keyboard doesn't give me any problems. I do love having the keyboard. The keys are a little small, I have small hands and usually use my nails to type, but it's not a big deal. The size of the phone is good and I like the size of the screen. It's not too small. It would be nice if the phone had a miniSD slot but the phone itself has 16GB of space so it's not like I really need a miniSD slot. The camera works well and I like the flash feature on it. I downloaded a Twitter app and a free TwitPhoto app, which I do like using. I was able to sync the Palm Desktop software with my phone when I initially set it up but I did have to download something onto my computer to do it and the phone isn't designed to backup to your computer like my Palm Pilot Zire 31 did. It would be nice if I could back it up like that. You can set up a Palm Profile (which you do on your phone and can't really access through a regular website) where your information is backed up to online so at least there's a backup of everything if something does happen to your phone but it would be nice if I could backup everything easily right to my computer. All in all, I really like this phone and I'd definitely recommend it.

Cruise 2010

2010-02-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I will not be going on the NKOTB Cruise in May of this year (and I didn't go last year either). However, I am still going on a cruise... for a longer period of time for the same price (and sooner). :-) Hubby and I are taking a cruise in March. I'm SO excited!!!! On March 20 we're flying down to Tampa, Florida where we'll stay at a hotel that night and then leave the next day to go on a 7 night cruise on Carnival Cruise lines. It's classified as an "Exotic" Western Caribbean Cruise. We're going to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Honduras. I'm excited for Zac to experience a cruise since he's never been on one and I'm excited to take another cruise. Back when I graduated from college in 2000, my grandparents took the whole family on a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Princess Cay. That was a Princess Cruise lines cruise. It was fun. This cruise that Zac and I are taking is 2 nights longer. We won't do many shore excursions... maybe only one but we are definitely going to enjoy the chance to relax and take in the sun, sea and sand (when we do reach each destination). We plan on doing some reef snorkeling and then we'll play it by ear on other excursions. I'm also looking forward to the chance to enjoy some tropical weather and leave worries by the wayside (for a week or so). I'll try to remember to post some pictures when we return. It'll be a good time!

A Day in the Life of NKOTB

2010-02-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

I found this video, thanks to a link from Joe on Twitter. Talk about a busy day.

Joey McIntyre Concert- January 19, 2010

2010-01-30T17:17:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I hadn't posted about my experience at the Joe Mac concert in Detroit. I guess there's not a lot to say. Nothing particularly exciting happened but it was still a lot of fun to go to. I did go to the concert by myself. It might have been a little more fun if I had been with some girl friends or my sister but my sister is back down in Florida and I don't really have any girl friends that would have wanted to go.

The doors opened at 8 pm. I got there around 7:30 pm. When I went down there, I stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in Grosse Point Park because I didn't want to stay at a hotel and I didn't have the money to spend on a hotel. My aunt was nice enough to take me to the concert and pick me up. That worked out well because then I didn't have to try to find the theater or a place to park. When I got there, there was a pretty big line of fans waiting outside. The temperature was really cold too. I wore a black dress, some tall, heeled boots (that I borrowed from my aunt) and tights. I was still really cold though. It took a little while to warm up once I got into the Magic Bag Theater.

Joe opened the show by singing, "Here We Go Again." I don't remember the full playlist but he did several of his own songs as well as some NKOTB songs. One great thing about watching him perform is that he just really enjoys it. He loves being up on stage and interacting with the fans. I don't know if he prefers smaller venues are larger ones but I can tell that either way, he just likes being on stage. It's fun to watch him in a small venue because of all of the fan interaction that takes place. You can get a good sense of what he's like and that just makes him even more likable. During one part of the show, he brought a guy up on stage who also went on the NKOTB Cruise last May. He's just a big NKOTB fan. He sang the rap from the NKOTB song, "No More Games." The guy did a good job too.... not as good as Donnie does but still a good job.

All in all, it was a good show and I'm glad that I made the trip down to Detroit to go to it.

The person who took this picture was only a couple feet in front of me. I hate when that happens. I look kind of crazy in this picture. LOL

Movies

2010-01-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

So, what's the deal with all of the gory, killing, demonesque movies that are coming out? Seriously. Each time I rent a movie, I see previews for movies like this. What is wrong with the people making these movies and why do people go and see them? There are movies about zombies, people being possessed by demons and movies that have tons of blood and gore. It's just wrong! Movies like that should not be made and it saddens me that they are. It really makes me sick.

Joey Mac

2010-01-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well all, for now the New Kids are not on tour but I do hope that they tour again. However, Joey will be doing a short solo concert tour this month. On January 19 I get to go and see him in Detroit at Magic Bag club. I'm looking forward to seeing him in concert again. Besides seeing the whole group in Denver for their Denver 2008 and 2009 concerts, I saw Joe in Detroit when I was in college and Jordan in Tampa when I lived there. I look forward to seeing Joe in Detroit again. It'll be a good time.

Warren Miller

2009-12-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Well, now that it's ski season (I went snowboarding for the first time this season, two days ago), it's time to pull out the Warren Miller movies. Who's a fan!? I also decided to take a look at some more of his films and add them to my Netflix. In the process, I decided to update myself on Warren Miller. He hasn't been a part of any of "his" films since 2004! Bummer! Time Warner bought the company from Warren's son and Warren has pretty much retired. Such a bummer! I can't believe I didn't know that. Guess I need to pay better attention.

I remember when I was growing up, it was always a big deal to get together as a family and go to the premier of Warren's new film each year. They were such big events and so much fun. The films just aren't the same without him narrating. It's going to be a major loss to the ski/snowboard culture when we lose Warren (who's in his 80's now). At least we have his films! So, get to your local video store (or online rental store) and rent a Warren Miller movie. Talk about pure winter sports entertainment! :-)

Another NKOTB Video

2009-12-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

Here's another NKOTB video! This is the video for "Coming Home." They also have put together a DVD titled, "Coming Home" that has footage from the concert tour that was from September 2008 to July 2009. I pre-ordered a copy. :-)

On a side note, Joey McIntyre is doing a short tour in January. He's headed to Detroit on January 19. I got my ticket! I think Zac might come down to Detroit with me but he won't go to the concert. I'm excited to see Joey again in a club though. Should be fun.

NKOTB Update

2009-11-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... the boys just keep it comin'!!! Gotta love it!!! No news yet on a summer 2010 NKOTB tour but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I just hope that if and when they tour again, I'll have the money to buy VIP5* tickets for a show. That's the only way to go when seeing the whole group. :-) In addition to a constant stream of Twitter tweets from the guys, they're doing a charity event on December 20 for Toys for Tots. I can't make it because it's in a different state and I don't have that kind of money to spend for a ticket and the trip. Donnie keeps tweeting about new things coming... we're just holding our breath, waiting for news. Boy, he sure knows how to keep the excitement and anticipation flowing. Donnie is working on some solo stuff. He's released one song so far with more to come, I'm sure. Danny finished his album in which all proceeds will go to Komen for the Cure. I got a copy. Great album and great cause! If you're familiar with the singer Jamie Walters and like his music (he never really got super big) then you'll enjoy Danny's album. It's the same kind of sound. The biggest thing happening is Joe's new album. He just mentioned that some copies will be available tomorrow (only 3000 copies) so I've gotta make sure I jump on that and get a copy ordered. In addition, he says (according to his blog and website) that he'll be announcing tour dates soon. Sweet! He's going to do a solo tour (probably a fairly short one) pretty soon here. Again, I'm hoping that I can get the money to buy a ticket. If he does a show in Detroit, I'll go down and stay with my aunt and uncle the night of the show and possibly the night before if my work schedule will allow it. I've seen Joe in concert by himself one other time (when I was in college). I really enjoyed it and would love to see him again. Jonathan and Jordan are remaining pretty low key other than Jordan doing a "Jordan Idol" thing in various cities where he's giving people the chance to audition to sing backup on the album he's working on. Jonathan is back to living his "normal" life and enjoying it during the NKOTB down time. I guess that's pretty much the latest update on NKOTB. Keep watching for their tweets for the latest and most current updates.

Also, check out Joe's video.

Meet and Greet- Denver- NKOTB

2009-07-24T07:39:00.001-07:00

Here are my meet and greet pictures from the Denver show on July 15, 2009. I was in group P.

Also, if you want to see ALL of my pictures from the concert check out this link. http://www.photoworks.com/photo-sharing/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=A2355A2C8DF&cp=ems_shr_alb_pml&cb=PW

Emotional NKOTB Good-bye- July 2009

2009-07-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

This was posted on YouTube. This is from the last show of the 2008-2009 tour. The guys totally got emotional (especially Jon). I wasn't there but had to preserve this video in my blog. The love between NKOTB and their fans is so immense and strong. Nothing compares. I hope we get to see them again in 2010(I won't be able to go on the cruise they'll do. It's too expensive.). I'm hoping for another tour next summer. :-) If they tour next summer, I HAVE to do a VIP 5* then too.

NKOTB- Denver- July 15, 2009

2009-07-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

I went to the July 15, 2009, New Kids on the Block concert in Denver. It was an awesome experience. To top it off, I also had the opportunity to do a VIP 5*. I had done one in November 2008, when they were in Denver too. The second time around, I wanted to take my time and truly enjoy the experience. For the most part, I was able to do that. The waiting area at the meet and greet had all kinds of food… hotdogs, hamburgers, pretzels, pop (soda) and beer and wine… among other things. There were good choices and a good selection. I had two bottles of water, a little bit of Coke, and a hotdog. The temperatures that day were in the low 80s so it wasn’t too bad but it was still hot. My group had gotten together online so that we each knew who we were going to stand by and we all got to stand by who we wanted. We were group “P.” So, we were kind of towards the end of the groups which probably gave us the opportunity to spend a little more time with the guys than some of the earlier groups. We were in the meet and greet area with the guys for probably 2-3 minutes, I think. I’m not 100% sure though because I didn’t time it. I was the first one in our group to go into the area where the guys were. As I walked in, the guys were kind of all standing around, in no particular order. They didn’t seem to be in much of a rush to meet us. I pulled my sunglasses off of my eyes and placed them on my head so that the guys could see my eyes. As I got closer, the guys noticed our group coming in and prepared to greet us. First I went to Danny, said, “hi Danny” and reached to give him a hug. I put my arms over his shoulders to hug him and squeezed pretty tightly. Next I went up to Donnie, said, “hi Donnie,” and reached to hug him, giving him the same kind of hug I gave Danny. I don’t remember if I approached Jordan or Joe next. Either way, they both received the same kind of greeting and hug from me as Danny and Donnie had. After greeting those two, I stepped away from the guys to asses who I had hugged and who I had missed. I realized I hadn’t hugged Jon yet. So, I start to walk over to Jon. As I was approaching him, his attention shifted to a girl in my group named Angi, who had a tattoo on her right shoulder that said, “New Kids on the Block” and it also had vines and flowers on it. I reached to grab Jon for a hug but missed him and touched his side. He went over to Angi, touched her shoulder and looked at her tattoo. I waited for him to get done with Angi. After he got done looking at her tattoo, I told him that I still needed a hug from him. He turned towards me so I could hug him. I gave him the same kind of over the shoulder hug that I had given the other guys. When the guys hugged me there wasn’t anything extra special about how they hugged me. They kind of just put their arms around me and didn’t really squeeze nearly as hard as I had squeezed them. Next the photographer told us that it was time for the picture. Everyone got into their places. I paused, looked in Joe’s direction, and then headed towards him. He is my favorite New Kid and the one I was supposed to be by in the picture. When I got over to him, I said, “I’m supposed to be here” or “this is my spot,” I can’t remember which. Anyway, I slipped in between him and the girl to his left (she was supposed to be by Jon and was standing between Jon and Joe as I approached). I put my right arm around Joe and then tried to reach around to touch Jon’s back with my left arm. I think that I ended up resting my hand on the girl’s arm instead of Jon’s arm. Oh well. Then they took the picture. Right before the picture was snapped Joe yelled something that involved the word, “balls.” I can’t remember exactly what he said. Then I was going to yell, “it’s sweating balls out here” or something to that effect but I don’t remember what I actually said, if anything. The next thing I know, security is telling us it’s time to leave. I have no idea at what point the photographer took the second picture. I just know that one was taken. I hope I don’t have some kind of weird expression on my face in the pictures. Before leaving, I turned to Joe and told him that I wanted one more hug, which he gave me. Then, on my way out, I saw that Donnie was open and I gave him a second hug as well. When I got back into the meet and greet waiting area, I noticed that my hand was shaking. I just smiled. I was definitely nervous throughout the whole time I was with the guys but I handled it much better this time than I did the first time I did a meet and greet. In the meet and greet, when I met the guys, their demeanor wasn’t extra excited or anything. Both Jordan and Joe were smiling but I didn’t notice the other guys really smiling. Donnie seemed kind of serious and focusing on something else. Jon and Danny also seemed to be very mellow. I didn’t take it personally. I figured they were probably just preparing for the concert, mentally. Nothing extra special happened to me when I was meeting the guys. I was a little disappointed with that fact but I still really enjoyed the experience. I’d definitely say that my experience this time was better than last time. I was better prepared and a bit less nervous and shy. I hope that the guys do another tour in the not too distant future. I’d totally do another meet and greet. The third time’s a charm. :-)

As for the concert itself, that was also awesome! I wish that I could have a video of the entire thing. The guys were on top of their game and put on a great show. Danny even sang a few solo parts. He rarely does any solo parts. When he did, the entire audience cheered extra loud. Donnie, Jordan and Joe each had solo performances. Donnie sang, “Cover Girl” and brought a little girl up on the stage. It was SO cute. Jordan sang, “Give it to You.” This is not one of my favorite songs from his solo stuff but he still had an awesome performance. Joe sang, “Popsicle” from the first NKOTB album that came out in 1986. He was dressed in his topless hat from back in the day, as well as a “Members Only” jacket from the 80’s and SUPER tight pants. He looked kind of funny but was still super cute. After he sang that song, he ditched the topless hat and sang the song, “5 Brothers and a Million Sisters,” which he had written while they were on tour in the spring. During the concert, towards the end, the guys sang, “Step by Step” and when it got to the part where they sing the steps, Donnie’s son Elijah (who is 8), walked out on stage and sang that part. He was a cutie. At the very end of the concert Danny’s two youngest kids, both girls, came out on stage for the final bow. Also, Elijah came out on stage again and bowed. The kids were all super cute. For the majority of the concert, I was looking through my camera lense… hence why I have 447 pictures from the concert. :-) I wish that I hadn’t done that but, on the other hand, I’m glad that I have so many pictures. It was just so cool! The guys are pretty much done for now with touring. I hope that they come back again in the near future so that we can enjoy them more. I guess that we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

"Cover Girl" Denver- July 15, 2009

2009-07-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

So, I got to see the New Kids on the Block again on July 15. The show was awesome! I did the meet and greet again too. I'll tell you more about it when I have the time to write the blog. Anyway, here's a video of Donnie singing, "Cover Girl." He pulled this cute little girl up on stage for it too. Enjoy.

A Reason to Keep Music in the Schools

2009-06-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Someone passed this link on in Twitter and I just had to share it. This is the PS22 school choir. These kids are great and are really enjoying themselves. This is an excellent example of why we need to keep music in the schools.

NKOTB Showin' The Love

2009-06-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this video with everyone. Among other reasons, this is one of the reasons why I love the New Kids on the Block. They are AWESOME about being accessable to fans (most of the time). Here is just one example.

Zack is Back

2009-06-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Zack Morris that is. Just saw this video via a link that Jordan Knight tweeted on Twitter. Mark-Paul Gosselaar went on the Jimmy Fallon show as his character Zack Morris from "Saved By the Bell." This was pretty funny so I had to share it. Enjoy.

Here's what's even more funny, I fell in love with the name Zack thanks to that show. Ironically, I met my Zac when I was 14, became best friends with him, and am now marrying a Zac (him). Funny, huh?

A "Twisted" Compilation

2009-05-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block and he will continue to keep the fans motivated. A couple of weeks ago, Donnie asked all of the fans to submit "twisted" video or pictures to him via a Myspace Video website. He asked that the fans dress in Goth make-up and do a dance routine to the song, "Twisted" performed by the New Kids on the Block. Around the same time, he put together a video he called, "Twisted Helena" (I believe that it's in one of my early posts). Another guideline to the submissions was that they have aspects of the "Twisted Helena" video that Donnie put together. Well, what did Donnie do with all of the video and pictures (with a little help from some friends)? He compiled a video with everyone's submissions. So, here it is. Enjoy!

The Unofficial Officially TWISTED Video

Top 15 Most Infamous Child Mugshots

2009-05-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

I'm watching this show on E! right now and they are talking about infamous celebrity mugshots. Sadly, most of the actors and actresses covered in the show are not acting or performing anymore. Many of them are people who could probably be still contributing a lot to the entertainment industry, besides negative stories. One of the actors, Brian Bonsall, he played Andy Keaton on "Family Ties," got into trouble with the law due to a domestic abuse incident. Anyway, apparently, Brian is wanted by the police now. Oh boy! Brad Renfro, another one of the celebrities, has since died, of a drug overdose. :-(

Well, the reason I wanted to blog about this show is because I just think it's really sad. I mean, these people had all kinds of opportunities and they couldn't deal with the stresses of life in a more positive manner (i.e. without alcohol or drugs)? It's really too bad that so many celebrities can't deal with life after being famous, or while they're famous. Honestly, it makes my heart ache. I dread the day when we hear about Corey Haim dying of a drug overdose or other people that I grew up being a fan of. It's a real shame that stuff like this happens.

I hope that the tides change and that all of these people can turn their lives around and stay clean and sober.

Twisted Synch

2009-04-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

So, Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block posted a link to this video on Twitter. I'm sure that the person who created it, passed the video onto him. Anyway, have you ever seen Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" synched with "The Wizard of Oz"? This video is the same kind of thing. The song is NKOTB, "Twisted" and the video is by a group called, "My Chemical Romance." Enjoy.

Twisted Helena

Denver 3-Day

2009-04-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Let me just say, that one thing I've noticed about myself is that I'm kind of ADD. I don't mean that I have ADD but I do tend to get bored easily. My focus is always changing. I'm really into something for a while and then my focus changes to something else. I can't seem to stay focused on one thing for very long. of course, I always come back to things but I have found that I'm the type of person that really needs to have a few things going on.

Well, right now my focus is primarily on the Denver 3-Day walk that I'm doing in August and on my wedding planning. Come May 4, I'll have to fit school into that too as I'll start my first class to get my Masters in Education on that day.

Anyway, last night I was on http://www.the3day.org and finding out more about the 3-Day. They had a training schedule on there. One was for 24 weeks out and the other one was for 16 weeks out. Well, I counted down on the calendar and learned that I'm about 18 weeks away from the Denver 3-Day. Needless to say, I kind of hit panic mode... just a little. I live at 11,600 vertical feet and because of that, I think that I'll have a little easier time getting prepared for the 3-Day with less time to spare. Still, I realized that I really need to step it up and start my training. I also realized that I need to get a lot of things together that I'll need. I have a pair of running shoes that are pretty well broken in but according to the 3-Day website, I'll need to have an "extra" pair as well. So, that means trying to come up with the money to buy a second pair and then I'll need to break them in as I'm doing my training. New shoes will cost $75-$100 for a good pair that isn't TOO expensive. Oh geez. I hope I can get the money together soon so I can start breaking those in. I also learned (I kind of already knew this since I work in a shop that carries hiking gear) that I'd need to get some new socks and have a few pair to train with. They don't recommend cotton socks so I need to get some synthetic, breathable socks. I can get some through the shop, luckily. I also might want to get some "work-out" clothes that wick moisture rather than use just my standard cotton stuff. I can't believe how the expenses are adding up. I will be staying at the 3-Day "camp" while I'm doing the Denver 3-Day so at least that will save on a hotel room in Denver for me and I won't have to have money for additional food over the weekend. Also, they recommend doing some cross-training as part of your training... i.e. work-out machines, bike riding, swimming, etc. Well, I don't have a bike right now. So, in order to do the cross-training stuff I'll have to get a membership at the rec center. That will allow me to have a wide variety of options regarding my cross-training part of the training. That's $53/mo. There's just really a lot of training and stuff to do and the date is getting closer. Let's see how I manage it all. :-)

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter... Technology

2009-04-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so, it seems that just as you're REALLY getting the hang of something... something "newer and better" comes along. It's constantly a game of catch-up.

In my life, there was first a cell phone (after I had graduated from college and not counting the family Apple Mac computer we had when I was 12 that had a black and white monitor and the "internet" didn't exist). Then came designing my own website. Then there were text messages, MySpace, Facebook and now there's Twitter and "Tweet Deck." I'm of "Generation X." Computers in every home, internet and everything else related to that, were JUST becoming a part of life when I was in high school (graduated in 1996). I remember playing the computer game "The Oregon Trail" when it was essentially a DOS program... not Windows and point and click. I really wanted a beeper, to keep in touch with my friends, and never got one. Isn't it just amazing how times have changed?

When I wanted to know what was going on with my favorite singing group, I had to buy a "Teen Beat" magazine or something else like that and hope that the local radio station was interested in playing their music and giving the listener updates. If you wanted to buy concert tickets, you had to wait in line at a Ticketmaster ticket window and hope you got lucky. Meeting the group? That was pretty much completely out of the question unless you, somehow, had an "in" and knew someone who knew someone. Now you just get online when the tickets go on sale and select to buy a VIP package. It's a guarenteed meet and greet! On top of that, I can now "follow" the group members on Twitter and see anything they want to say or what they're up to, first hand. Pretty cool.

Here's the thing... it seems that just as I was getting really comfortable with MySpace and using that to find out what's going on with friends and celebrities I like, people were talking about Facebook and setting up accounts with Facebook. So, I had to set up a Facebook page if I wanted to find out what my friends were up to and reconnect with people. Then I heard about Twitter... ahhh, another "social networking" site to find out the latest about what's going on in the lives of friends and the "rich and famous." Now I'm in a position where I'm updating 3 different sites a day. Talk about time consuming. I mean, afterall, you want to make sure that everyone you know and that knows you, knows what's going on, don't you? :-) It's just all pretty amusing.

I wonder what they'll think of next?

Cricut Expression

2009-02-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so, I had to do a blog about this. This is the Cricut Expression. I've wanted to get one for the last several months and I FINALLY was able to get one. This is such a cool die-cutting machine. Prior to this, I only had the Xyron Personal Cutting System. The main things I disliked about the Xyron are that it will only cut out shapes and letters as big as about 3 1/2" and each time you want to use it, you have to cut out 4"x4" pieces of paper and put them on the cutting mat. You can also only do one letter or shape at a time. Now, with the Cricut Expression... you can print a shape almost as large as 12"x24". You can also do more than one letter or shape at a time (depending on the size you're cutting). With the Expression, you can also position the cutting blade where you'd like it to cut on the paper so that you can use almost an entire piece of paper, very easily and it's much less wasteful. So far, I've only been able to do a little with the Expression as life hasn't been very eventful so there hasn't really been much to scrapbook. I am, however, very excited about all of the projects I can do over the next several years, using the Expression. I'd say that the biggest "problem" with the Expression is just that the cartridges are very expensive ($50-$100 each). However, at least we have eBay. :-) So, you can get the same cartridges for half the price (or better). I also think that owning an Expression can save lots of money in the long run. Some of the main things I spend my scrapbooking money on are stickers and paper embellishments. With the Expression, I don't have to buy as many stickers or paper embellishments because now I can just make everything I'd like to use on a page very easily. It's pretty cool. I'm SO glad that I got this machine and I look forward to many, many years of creative scrapbooking projects with it.

Denver 3-Day- 2009

2009-02-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

This year, I'll be participating in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

I'll walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

I've agreed to raise at least $2,300 in donations. I've set my personal goal at $2,300. So I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation of $10 or more? Keep in mind how far I'm walking - and how hard I'll have to train. You can give online at http://www.the6day.org/ or just follow the link below to visit my personal fundraising webpage and make a donation. You can also call 800.996.3DAY to donate over the phone.

I'm walking for several people. I'm walking in memory of my Aunt Barb (who lost her battle in 2001), in memory of my Great-Grandma Jo (who was a survivor), in support of my Aunt Robin (a survivor), in support of Zac's grandma who is a survivor, in support of my Grandma Stover (a survivor) and in memory of Betty Wood (one of the New Kid's mom's who lost her battle), as well as all of the other women out there who have survived or lost their battle and the many others who know people or will have to fight this battle at some point in their lives.

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That's why I'm walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Sincerely,
Hilary

P.S.Ask your employer if they will double your donation through a matching gift program! Click here to visit my personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://www.%20the3day.%20org/site/TR/Walk/DenverEvent?px=3098521&pg=personal&fr_id=1310&et=UpqPMHdOCFDZBQCvH_58Qw..&s_tafId=85236

Click here to view the team page for Rocky Mt.Cover Girls. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://www.%20the3day.%20org/site/TR/Walk/DenverEvent?team_id=71640&pg=team&fr_id=1310&et=2sVwbMOKzRfMUY5i4fr_ww..&s_tafId=85236

For more information about the Breast Cancer 3-Day, Susan G. Komen for the Cure or the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, visit http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnRoZTNkYXkub3JnLw== or call 800.996.3DAY.

Scrapbooking

2009-01-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

Well, as most of you know... I'm a scrapbooker. I even have an entire room devoted to this hobby. (Maybe one day, when we build a garage, I'll have an even bigger room for it, above the garage.) That would be sweet!!! This hobby is my year-around "outlet." With snowboarding, I can only do it in the winter and then it takes time to get to the area, get my stuff on, and get out on the hill. With scrapbooking, I need only go to my bedroom (which isn't really a bedroom at all) and I could even stay in my pajamas, if I wanted to. It is kind of crazy that this hobby has become such a part of who I am, especially since I only began it in 2003. Given, my life is not currently very exciting so there aren't a lot of "moments" to scrapbook but there's still some stuff going on. Also, nothing says that I have to scrapbook only big events or outings. I can also scrapbook day to day life or do a page about where I'm at in my life at this time. I really enjoy this hobby. I've even used it to show my family story. I have a series of Genealogy scrapbooks that I'm working on. That is definitely an ongoing project, as new information and research comes out. I look forward to scrapbooking "life books" for my children one day, as well. The one bad thing about this hobby.... it can be SUPER expensive. There are always new products coming out that are designed to make your pages more elaborate and easier to put together. It's ongoing. My favorite places to buy products are http://www.scrapbook.com and at Archiver's scrapbook stores. The biggest problem with going into the store is that it seems like I want everything that's there. So, when I do have money to go, I usually have to go with a budget in mind and stick to it. I could easily spend thousands of dollars at that store if I had the money to do it. I also have a scrapbook homepage online. On this page, I usually post some of the pages that I've put together. Check it out http://www.scrapbook.com/places/COscrapper It's really quite rewarding to put together my scrapbooks because it's more than just a bunch of pictures, like in a photo album. Pages usually include journaling and sometimes they even include things like audio clips or ticket stubs or things like that. It's a fun way to be creative, especially since I'm not a very good drawer.

One of the big things happening with it now is I plan on "redesigning" my room to open it up a bit, remove things from the floor, and make it more accommodating to my scrapooking. My room is fairly well organized but it could be better organized. Also, the floor has all kinds of shelves and things on it and I'd like to move stuff from the floor to shelves on the wall. By doing this, I think that I can also get all of my products, paper, embellishments, and various other tools, better organized. Plus, maybe it would open up the floor in the bedroom a little better to accommodate company when they come (not much but maybe a little). I'm hoping that I can start this project in February. I don't expect it to cost a lot of money because all I'm really going to do is buy some wood for shelves (maybe paint the walls too) and a couple of other things. Then, I'll just move the products and stuff I have to the shelves and put the stuff that's on the floor downstairs in the crawl space. This will kind of be a big project but I think that it will be a lot of fun. Also, it's something that Zac and I can do together. Afterall, he does have his construction knowledge and all of the tools needed to make the shelves exactly the way I want. :-) I'll be sure to post pictures when it's all done.

2008 Christmas Picture and Letter

2008-12-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

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. :-)

NKOTB in Guadalajara, Mexico

2008-12-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

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.

My "Chance of a Lifetime"

2008-11-24T10:35:00.001-08:00

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. :-)

New Kids on AMA's

2008-11-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

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!!!

My New Kids Concert and Meet and Greet Experience

2008-11-15T01:14:00.000-08:00

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.

10 More Days

2008-11-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

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.

29 Days to Go!

2008-10-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

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.

New Kids on the Block Concert and Meet and Greet

2008-10-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

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. :-)

More on 90210

2008-09-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

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.

The Anticipation is Building

2008-09-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Tonight at the Toronto Show

2008-09-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

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

24 Hours to Show Time!!!

2008-09-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

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. :-)

Donnie checks in from Toronto

2008-09-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

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! :-)

NKOTB on The View

2008-09-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

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. ;-)

New Kids video for "Single"

2008-09-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Best Buy Signing Video

2008-09-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

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

USA Today article on New Kids

2008-09-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

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!

More Reviews from the Net

2008-09-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

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!

New Kids on Sky News

2008-09-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-05T09:03:00.001-07:00

Check it out.

The Block Review- add'l

2008-09-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

Other People Review 'The Block'

2008-09-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

Donnie's Video Blog- part 2

2008-09-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

The Block- My Review

2008-09-02T12:58:00.001-07:00

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!

The New Kids

2008-08-31T19:10:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

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/

New Kids on CNN

2008-08-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

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

A Message to the New Kids

2008-08-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-29T11:56:00.001-07:00

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.

New Kids on Walmart's Soundcheck

2008-08-27T20:33:00.001-07:00

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

New Kids Tour and "Face Time"

2008-08-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

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)!

Local CASA Article

2008-08-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

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

Child Abuse

2008-08-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

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

First Snow of the Season

2008-08-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

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!

CASA Volunteer

2008-08-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

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.).

Coldplay

2008-08-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

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

CASA

2008-08-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

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. :-)

New Kids

2008-08-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

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.

The Two Coreys- For Corey Haim

2008-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

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.

The New Kids on YouTube

2008-07-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-30T18:37:00.001-07:00

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. :-)