Top Eleven of '11

its that time again...its new year's eve and its time to reflect back on the year that was 2011...i thought about how i wanted to go about closing out the year here on my handy dandy blog...i could have went with this month by month recap but i decided to stick with the countdown style like i did last year with my top 10 of '10...so without further delay i present you with my top 11 of 2011!!!

11. Saturday Lunch Crew

for a while at the beginning of the year i participated in saturday lunch crew with little sis, bff and the mayor...every saturday the four of us went out to lunch...we rotated who picked the spot and we never repeated...we had a lot of good convos during lunch...the most important ones revolved around the vampire diaries..haha!!!

10. The Princess' Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party

we had the shower at hemmingway's in seaside...and for the bachelorette party we went to jenkinson's in point pleasant...both parties were tons of fun...we played cheesy games and had a ton of great food at the shower...and we got other people kicked out then proceeded to get kicked out ourselves at the bachelorette party...be sure to check out my full recap of the bridal shower!!

9. Shannon Rose

shannon rose is a bar about 10 minutes from my house...i like it there because its not too clubby but its not just a boring bar either...i like the club bar hybrid it has going on...i only went to this fine establishment twice this year...once to celebrate blla's birthday and once to celebrate little sis' birthday ...there were many memorable moments that happened during these 2 nights...some i still laugh about on a regular basis...so all i have to say now is: i whip my hair back and forth i whip my hair back and forth!!...hahaha!!!!

8. Saturday Night Movies

during the summer i went down the shore most weekends...which i love doing for many reasons...but i would have to say that saturday night movies is what stuck out to me to make this summer different from the rest...every saturday night (weather permitting) i grabbed my squeaky chair and took a walk up to the beach where a giant blow up movie screen waited for me...there was something about digging my feet in the sand and watching a movie that was so relaxing...i really did love it!

7. Medieval Times

i went to medieval times back in march for the mayor and tjd's 24th birthday celebration ...this place is super cheesy but if you embrace the cheese you will have an amazing time...we were all cheering soo much for our green knight to win...too bad he was the villain...oh well...we still had a blast!!...i kinda want to go back...haha!!

6. My 26th Birthday Bash

i turned 26 this year...the time leading up to it was a little tough for me but i decided i wouldnt let any depressing feeling i was having ruin my birthday...so to kick off my bday celebrations i threw myself an awesome party down the shore...it wasnt an outta control house party but it was perfect for me...i had lots of fun...and it served as a turning point for me...so over all it was great!!!

5. Making New Friends

this year i was lucky enough to get to make a bunch of new friends...thanks to the backstreet boys and their cruise i was able to meet some new girls who share the same love and devotion for bsb as i do...it all started because i commented a lot on Laura's BSB Cruise blog...my comments lead to emails...and some how i ended up in an amazing email group...we have shared countless emails...mostly about backstreet boys but not always...we talk about real life too sometimes...getting emails from them always made me happy!!!...the most memorable email chain we had by far was the great ab debate of 2011...who has better abs? aj or donnie? this debate went on for days!...these girls are all so amazing...im so happy i met them and spent time with them...hopefully we can find time to meet up during 2012!!!

4. Dropping 50 Pounds

its not something i say much because i dont really believe that its real but its true...i lost 50 pounds this year...like i said before my birthday was my turning point...i decided that im not going to sit around and mope any more...i am going to change my life...but i dont think i would have been able to do it without all of my new backstreet friends...i participated in the lose it all challenge laura created and ended up winning...thanks girls for giving me the push i needed to get started and for supporting me along the way...im not done yet but i think im off to a great start!! =)

3. NKOTBSB Tour

its NKOTBSB baby! ...i went to see this show 6, yes 6, times this summer!!!...it was sooo good...you know that i cant get enough of my boys...but it was also great that i became a new kids fan as well...they were very entertaining and i enjoy their music...i had sooo much fun at all the shows...i did vip 3 times...one silver, one gold and one platinum...those were all great experiences...yes i spent a lot of money on this but it was def worth every penny!!...i mean how could i put a price tag on my happiness???...haha!!!

2. The Princess' Wedding in St Maarten

the whole family packed our bags and headed down to st maarten for the week in the middle of december...we had an amazing time!!!...the weather was beautiful...the rooms were great...the company was fun...it was a super fun and relaxing...what more could i have asked for...oh thats right, a perfect wedding for my sister...and guess what, she got it!...everything about the wedding was so great...even when we thought things were messed up they turned out even better...my sister looked absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day!...everything was just...PERFECT!!! (soon ill be writing a full recap so stay tuned!)

1. BSB Cruise 2011

surprise surprise!...haha!!...once again the backstreet boys cruise tops my list of top moments of the year...i had an absolute blast on this cruise!!!...if you read about it in my three recaps thane you already know that...and if you haven't, well what are you waiting for...here are the links (day 1 day 2 and day 3)...go enjoy!!...im not sure what else there is to say about the cruise and how much i loved it!!!...i cant wait to go again!!!

well readers, thats all i have for you this year...but dont you worry your pretty little heads cause ill be back again next year..2011 was a really great year for me...im kinda sad to see it come to an end...but i am excited to move forward into 2012...i cant wait to see what the year to come has in store for me!!!

BSB Cruise 2011 (Day 3)

day 3 was our day at sea...and dare i say it, yeah i think so...it was the BEST DAY YET!!!

Wake Up Call

 we had nothing on our itinerary until our meet and greet at 130...so little sis and i thought it would be the perfect opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep...we were both happily in dream land when we heard a knock knock knock on the door...i sent little sis to answer it...and while she made her way over to it my mind raced trying to figure out who it could be!...first i thought omg its aj!...then i thought no way aj would come around in the morning....so my next guess was one of our friends coming to tell us we over slept and we were late for our picture...but i just couldnt be sure...so i listened closely when little sis opened up the door and the following exchange happened...

LS: hello

other: are you ashley and little sis?

LS: yeah

other: hi im from rose tours and i wanted to tell you that you won the door decorating contest!

LS: omg are you serious?!

other: yeah you guys worked really hard on it

at this point i popped outta bed faster than ive ever popped before!...haha!...we did it!...we actually won!!! aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!...the lady from rose tours gave us each a letter and told us to meet her later that night and she would take us to sit in the front row at the concert!...front row!! whaaaatt?!?!...we couldnt thank her enough...we were sooo excited...it was only about 9am and i planned on sleeping until 1130...but there was no way that sleep was going to happen at that point....i wanted to tell every single person i knew...but since we were on a boat in the middle of the ocean that couldnt really happen...so i did the next best thing...i called my friends on the cruise, woke them up, and told them the good news!!!...(sorry again to those who i woke up but i just couldnt help it!!! haha!)....i still cant believe that it happened...it just doesnt seem real...but it is! eeekkk!...please enjoy these photos!!...(ps for more info on this stay tuned to laura's awesome bsb cruise blog...ill be guest blogging all about the big win sometime soon!)...

 

 Meet and Greet

meet and greet time is everyone's guaranteed chance to meet the backstreet boys...the last cruise was the very first time i ever met them...it was so exciting...this cruise was my 5th time meeting them...and it was just as exciting as the first!!!...i wish i thought about something to say before hand because when i got up there my mind went blank...laura was in front of me and i heard her thanking them so i followed suit...so i thanked howie then nick then brian (nick and brian might be reversed)...and then it was picture time...i was no where near my assigned spot next to howie...so i trotted back over there and said something along the lines of "wait for me wait for me" or "oh no...let me in!"...it all happens so fast its hard to remember...but what i do remember is howie said "its like a Chinese fire drill!"...haha!!!...i feel like my response to this would be "totally!" and laugh...but again my memory of these couple minutes is fuzzy at best...haha!...so i might have said that but who knows....anyway...i got to my spot and totally neglected the huggie pose we had planed...turns out anne marie and i were the only ones in the group to chicken out!....ugh!!!...whats wrong with me?!?...haha!!!...even without me sqeeeeezing howie, our picture still came out super cute!!!! love it!!!! <3...oh and on the way out i managed to say thank you so much to aj...pretty sure he said "your very welcome sweetie"...so yeah love them!!!...i just wish they would allow hugs...i understand why they dont and im not mad at them for not allowing it...but i still wish they did...i think it would be a nice touch...

Karaoke

instead of being held in the theater this year it was held out side on the lido deck...it was a good idea because everyone would be able to go to karaoke at the same time and not miss a thing...so everyone started gathering on the deck probably about an hour before the boys came out...waiting for a long time can def get boring...but lucky for me the bar out there had the jets game on!...we got to see my future hubby mark sanchez and the jets score 3 touchdowns!...woohoo!!!...it was a little strange watching it there...little sis and i cheered for jets while the rest of the crowd pretty much stood there, not caring at all about football...oh well...haha!!!

just as the game ended the guy in charge of rose tours came out and announced that we won the door decorating contest...of course we screamed and cheered...i was hoping that the backstreet boys them selves would announce it...but its okay...then the boys came out!!!...they told the story of a girl named michelle...she recently started chemotherapy and was going to lose her hair soon, she requested that the backstreet boys shave it off for her...so the 4 of them took turns shaving her head...it was by far the most touching moment of the entire cruise...i dont think there was a dry eye on the entire ship...she was so brave up there...you go girl!!!

when karaoke got underway there were some highs and some lows but i congratulate everyone who was up there...it must be super nerve racking...my fave was raise your glass!...she was soooo good!...and she was the one who put together the awesome omg were back again and lets have a party shirts!...it makes me happy when i recognize someone who seems to contribute a lot to the fan community...there were a bunch of other ones that were fun too...and we were treated to an encore performance of baby got back!...but then thanks to rain the event was cut a little short...boo!...overall i'd say that karaoke was better last year...it was def better inside the theater...and it went on longer last year...but i liked the sign up process much better this year...rose tours sent out an email and you could respond with a song if you wanted to participate...i thought this was a very fair way of doing it...i hope they do this for all the events where there is fan participation...oh and in case you are wondering i signed up to sing proud mary...sadly i did not get picked...oh well...theres always next time!!!!

Concert #2

  

per our letter, little sis and i met with the rose tours people and were escorted to the front row...woohoo!!!...while we were waiting for the concert to start the head rose tours guy came over with the camera guy to talk to us about our door and winning and stuff...soo maybe we'll make it onto the dvd..but i doubt it cause im a terrible speaker...haha!!!

so the concert started...and i loved every second of it just like i did the night before...i took an bunch of pictures and videos the at the first one so i decided just to enjoy this one...one important thing about this show that i loved (and totally forgot to mention) is the solos...all 4 were amazing...i feel like almost everyone knew burning up...but i was a little surprised that not too many people knew "london" and even less knew "lie to me"...at one point durring london aj sang right into little sis' camera...and brian singing "mary did you know" was so moving...you could really tell how much his faith meant to him while he was singing that song...it was truely beautiful!!

when the boys sang "helpless when she smiles" they picked girls from the crowd to sing to...since we knew it was coming, little sis started calling them...howie was the closest so she screamed him name...he looked at her and she said can you pick me?!...he nodded and gave her a famous howie wink!...so then he went out into the audience and pretended to look for someone then came back and picked little sis!!!....aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!....so she climbed up on stage and had a convo with him while the others were singing...haha!...dont believe me?...watch the video!!...haha!...i was so happy...of course i wish it were me but if it cant be me im so so so happy it was my sister!!!!!! she really deserves it...and if it werent for her i wouldnt be a fan...(*gasp* i know!)...so it will just have to be my turn next time! =)

PDA Pajama Jam

after the concert we went back to our cabin to change for pj night...we had awesome shirts made that said i dream of bsb in rhinestones with a smokey dreamlike photo of them from the nkotbsb tour...they turned out super cute!!!...the boys also had on great pjs...aj had a striped number on with slippers that looked like giant feet...howie had on a silk set complete with hugh heffner style robe...brian had on elmo pjs (which can be found at your local target!)...and nick..nicks was the best...nick had on ninja turtles feetie pajamas...complete with hood, mask, slippers, AND turtle backpack...it was soo great!!!!

i had a lot of fun at this "deck" party...i put deck in quotes because it was moved inside...we had pj night in the atrium...i thought it worked out really well there...the boys played truth or dare...they all took dares...some awesome and very funny moments came out of this game...at one point i was so embarrassed for howie but still loving it the whole time and kinda wanted to be that pillow (who didnt?!)...aaand lets just leave it at that...haha!!!...as the night went on brian and aj disappeared and it turned into the nick and howie show...at one point drop started playing and i got super excited but nick cut it off before the third "whatever i say yall gotta do"...i was so sad...but then i realized he stopped it cause he wanted to talk about how awesome the song is...so i was excited again cause i know exactly how awesome drop is....and that ladies and gentlemen that is how i decided that my karaoke pick for next time will def be drop!!!...haha! =)


brian crowd surfing!


we stayed at this party later than most...but howie and nick were still partying so we didnt want to leave until they did...well that moment finally happened...when the left they walked right past us with a parade of girls following them...we decided not to get in line because i thought it was kinda pointless to follow them to their room...so we went over to the buffet to get some water before heading back to the cabin...we sat in there for a while chatting with our friend jen...we kept seeing people heading towards the pizza...at one point jen made a comment about wanting pizza but ultimately decided against it because we saw sooo many people head that way...turns out that was the worst decision we could have made the entire time...nick and aj were out on the deck behind the pizza with about 50 fans just chatting away...i cant believe we were sooooo close to catching this but we missed it...ugh!!!...

anyway we headed back to our cabin and had to take our award winning door decorations down...but before we did, we made this video at about 430am...watch it! its funny!...haha!!!...little sis is the star...you just hear me laughing a lot in the background...haha!!!




well thats all folks...thats my full story of bsbcrusie2011 and im sticking to it!!!...i had sooo much fun and i will def be on the next one!!!!

in case you missed them check out my recaps of the first 2 days...and dont be afraid to check out my many other backstreet adventures!!!
BSB Cruise 2011 (Day 1)
BSB Cruise 2011 (Day 2)
My Backstreet Adventures

BSB Cruise 2011 (Day 2)

waking up on day 2 was not an easy task but we had places to go and backstreet boys to see!!!...and it didnt hurt that we already docked in the bahamas...that little fact totally added to the excitement of the big day we had ahead of us!!!

Beach Party

we kinda planned on meeting our friends at the beach since we were in different departure groups and didnt really know how crazy it would be getting off the ship...but as luck would have it we all ended up getting off the ship at the same time so we were able to get on the bus over to the beach part together...and i use the term bus very loosely...it was more like a shuttle van...but the thing that made it great was the seats that folded out into the aisle...i cant say that ive ever seen that before...haha!



beads...yay!!

 when we got the beach party we got our wristbands (thanks to my many years of dance conventions i knew to fold the extra over...most people just left it hanging...that would have annoyed me all day...haha!)...we made our way to the beach and a ton of girls were already standing by the stage...so instead of heading for the crowd we found some open space, spread out our towels and settled in...we knew we would be there a while...and we were right cause after about a 3 hour wait the boys finally showed up...i know it sounds like long but the itinerary said games at 130 so thats the time i thought they would get there...they came out around 145 so as far as backstreet time goes its not really that bad...

no beads...boo!



howie brian aj and nick came out onto the stage full of energy...they were throwing out beads...5 girls in our group managed to get one (myself not included...boo!)...everyone was pretty excited and amped up then the moment we were all waiting for happened...kevin came out!!!! eeeekkkk!!!...let me tell you, i was way more excited than i thought i would be...the 5 boys proceeded to play some fun games with some extremely lucky fans...kevin seemed to fit right back in with them...when he went on oprah with them he seemed out of place but at the beach party it was like he belonged there...the best part of the whole beach party had to be when they sang safest place to hide acapella...that moment was magical!...the day went by quickly and before i knew it we had to get back to the ship to get ready for the nights festivities...

Concert

for this oh so special concert we were asked to vote on our fav songs...this was pretty cool because i knew we would get to hear songs that they normally dont sing...but what i wasnt expecting was awesome remix versions of songs we do hear all the time...i absolutely LOVED the incomplete remix!!!...another song that i LOVED was dont want you back...that one should have been a single...its soo good!!!...i also like that we didnt here ill never break your heart or quit playing games (dont get me wrong i love both songs but they always sing those)...i could have done without i want it that way (but you all know that already...haha!)...i liked that even though they had the some lyrics printed out and taped to the stage and nick still forgot the words to if i knew then...i liked all the chit chatting the did between songs...and finally i love love love that brian and aj did the hat dance!!!!...my loyal readers may remember that the lack of the hat dance was my biggest problem with the this is us tour...

what happened next was the encore that tops all encores...the crowd was going crazy, chanting, screaming, making just about any noise possible...then 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 backstreet boys walked out on stage...when i realized what was happened little sis and i grabbed onto each other and proceeded to jump up and down screaming like we've never screamed before...i felt like i was on an episode of oprah's favorite things (or an snl parody making fun of the over excited audience!...haha!)...that reaction was def unexpected...the 5 of them sang drowning (which is the song i listed as missing kev the most in...i wonder if thats because its the only one howie doesnt take his solo...hmmm...haha!)...words cant really express how amazing that moment was!!!...so ill leave you with this video...

thanks to anne marie for the awesome video!!

Prom Night 

as if we didnt have enough kevin for one day, he also made an appearance at prom night...kev in a tux...does it get any better?...i dont think so...the other 4 decided to wear silly tuxes...howie had a white saturday night fever john travolta type suit on...very 70s but he rocked it and looked amazing!...nick and aj went with a dumb and dumber look...nick wore an orange tux and aj had powder blue (both complete with ruffle shirts...haha!)...brian had on so sort of turquoise outfit...not sure who he was supposed to be...and since kev didnt get the memo he was there in a classic black tux...very suave...very james bond...very billy flynn (haha! i had to say it!)...needless to say they all looked great!!

the activities for the evening were very promy...they each crowned a prom queen...then they had a first dance...nick and howie didnt take the first dance seriously at all...nick was all over the place with his queen...and howie, oh howie!, howie was doing the dirty dancing lift with his queen...but not just him lifting her...she was also lifting him...very funny!!!...they also played fun prom songs like cha cha slide and the electric slide...nick didnt know the electric slide...(big surprise!...haha!)...he said the only reason brian and kevin knew it was because theyre from kentucky...my response to that was "um...jersey girl here and i can electric slide with the best of them!"...haha!...so its just another example of simple things (like family feud) that nick has no knowledge of...haha!...

i had a blast at prom night...at about 330 kev had to leave because he had an early morning flight to catch...so when he was leaving little sis and 4 of my friends were able to get a picture with him!!! (again myself not included and again boo!!!)...haha!!!...after kev left i lasted about another hour...howie was still out there going strong...that party animal showed no signs of stopping...i wanted to stay but i just couldnt...my feet were killing me...i dont think they ever hurt so bad in my intire life...so back to the cabin i went...

so thats that for day 2
if you havent already done so please check out DAY 1
please stay tuned for day 3!!!

oh and for more great video's check out anne marie's youtube page!!!

BSB Cruise 2011 (Day 1)

That’s right folks the 2nd annual Backstreet Boys Cruise took place the first weekend in december and I was there loving every single second of it!!! I guess the best way to tell you about everything is through a day by day recap just like I did last year (which you can check out here here here and here)…so lets dive right in with day one shall we!!!

Embarkation

Little sis and I woke up pretty early put on our “OMG we’re back again!” shirts and headed for the port…we wanted to make sure we got there early because last year we missed the boys getting on the boat by like 5 minutes…that wasn’t going to happen again!!...we got to the port and checked in…check in didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped…we had a suite so our tickets said VIP on them…since we were there so early, most of the carnival employees were not informed that there was a different VIP area for us…we ended up in the one reserved for the boys…we saw them all come in there (which was super exciting!) and then we got kicked out (which was a major bummer!)…its not like we snuck in there…its where we were told to go…so anyway since we couldn’t check in in the vip area we got in the regular line…nbd because the line was small…but when they went to give us our keys, they didn’t have them and said they were in the VIP room…yup the same place we were just kicked out of…oh boy…so someone from rose tours went to get our stuff…after that was all sorted out we got our keys and wristbands and we were good to go!!...all that was left to do was wait to get on the Carnival Imagination and for our adventure to begin!!...while we waited little sis was able to snag a photo with AJ…woo hoo!...

we also got to meet a bunch of girls ive been chatting with online all year…it was awesome to finally meet them in person!!!...the crowd in the port was growing rapidly and the boys finally made their way onto the ship!!...we made sure we were sitting right by their path so we had a great view of their grand entrance…the best part of the whole entrance was when brian went by doing the janet jackson “if” dance…not sure how many people got it but I def did!

Next it was our turn to board the ship…we decided to go on in our group of 7 and take a picture together before getting on..im so glad that we did this because the picture came out super cute!!!...we then made our way to the lido deck buffet to grab some lunch…brian was sitting 2 tables away from us…eek!!...he eventually left so we did too…it was time to get to work putting up our door…last year it took us over 2 hours…we wanted to be faster this time…but I don’t think we were…haha!...Oh well…we were almost finished but we had to take a small break to go to our muster station for the mandatory lifeboat drill…but then we were right back at it putting up the finishing touches…I thought it came out great!!!

Just a quick side story to share here…while we were putting our door up 2 guys walked past our room…little sis looked at me and said “I think those are the guys from last year” (the ones I said were super hot and I couldn’t believe I was talking to them…haha!)…and I said “no way! It cant be them”…so she said “its definitely them!”…the 2 guys must have heard us talking because all of a sudden they turned around and said “yeah, its us!”…haha!!!...how great is that?!...there was some mixed reviews on the guys who would become known as the frat guys in plaid…it seemed that you either loved them or hated them…I heard that they were making up a lot of stories trying to pick up girls…but anytime I talked to them they were nothing but nice…they told little sis and me that we were their favorite fans (along with baby got back girl)…I think the difference in opinion is because they were never flirting with me or hitting on me or whatever…they were talking to me like a regular person…so maybe that’s why I liked them and others did not…oh and when I say they I really only mean one of them…I only ever talked to the shorter one…haha…so yeah, love him and I hope they make an appearance next time…cause if I see them again i need to get some more info like a name would be helpful…haha!...oh and a picture…and maybe ill do a little flirting myself…even though we all know im terrible at it and desperately need some lessons (as discussed here) …okay maybe it wasn’t a quick story…sorry!...

Sail Away Party

This was a fun addition to the cruise…the boys came out on the deck for what was essentially our first deck party…it took place while we were leaving miami…they played a bunch of fun music and everyone was having a good time…little sis an I got there a little late because we were finishing our door but I don’t think we missed too much…we opted to stand back away from the crowd a little bit…you may not be as close standing back but I can usually see better and I have space to move around…so I tend to like this spot better then being in the thick of the crowd…the boys really hammed it up and made this party awesome…it def set the tone for the whole cruise!!!

In It To Win In

It was game show time!!...little sis and I made our way to the lounge for the game show…our seats were in the SECOND ROW (eeek!)…we were so freaking close!!!...these seats were a million times better than the great last row debacle of 2010…haha!...while we waited we had our eye out for rose tours people because we wanted to get picked for the game show…we spotted one the row behind us getting the info of a girl sitting there…we tried to call him over to us but he completely ignored us…(im pretty sure i know why but im not certain so I don’t want to wrongly accuse anyone of anything)…so anyway we didn’t have to wait too long before the game show was under way…it put brian, nick and 2 fans against aj, howie, and 2 fans in a minute to win it-esque game…

even though im totally a howie girl I found myself rooting for nick and brian because they were on my side of the stage…there were 9 different mini games played and they were all a ton of fun…my faves were orange pass, mini bike relay, nose dive and coconut smoochie…I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time we were in there…the boys are super competitive with each other…its great to see them goofing around and having fun in a different setting…things I learned from the games…nick’s a maniac, maniac on the floor…brian is a professional mini bike rider…howie thought he was good a flip cup but really wasn’t…and aj was the only one who attempted to play by the rules…that’s right the bad boy was the only one not cheating…haha!!!

Dinner

Before dinner started little sis and I had a little bit of time to kill so we took some pictures and the spots they have set up around the ship…there was one beach scene with a giant umbrella…there was another lovely fall set up with fake leaves…I took a picture throwing the leaves into the air…haha!!...then it was time for dinner…I sat with my group of friends and again we were sitting just a couple tables away from brian…twice in one day!...thats pretty cool!...it was great to sit and chat with these girls in person after months of constant emails…they truly helped make this trip awesome!!!...it’s weird to say because we haven’t spent much time together in person but over the past year these girls have become some of my best friends! Love them!!!

Sphynkter 80’s Night

At first glance 80’s night doesn’t make much since for a band who was at the height of their popularity in the 90’s…but in 2005 they made a music video for “just Want You To Know” that took place in the 80’s…the boys each played 2 characters in the video…they were the fictional hair band known as Sphynkter and they were fans of the band…the video is definitely their funniest to date and its my favorite!...so if you’ve never had the pleasure of watching this video please please please go over to youtube and check it out!!

So now that the explanation of the night is out of the way, lets get down to what happened…little sis and I got dressed in our 80’s jazzercise gear, took some funny pics in the hallway, cracked our glow sticks and headed out to the deck…I loved seeing everyone’s outrageous 80’s costumes…everyone looked awesome!!...while we waited for the boys to come out the dj played a bunch of fun 80’s tunes…like pyt…I wanna dance with somebody…sweet dreams…footloose…and pretty much any song mandy moore has ever choreographed to on sytycd…haha!...little sis and I were having a grand old time singing and dancing all over the deck…so the time passed pretty quickly and the boys finally came out in full sphynkter attire…LOVED IT!!!...after they came out the music switched from fun girly 80s to hair band 80s…I liked the earlier music better but eh, what are ya gonna do?...as the night went on the boys started up a game of beer pong…it was great for the girls that got to play or be on stage to form a wall to block the wind but it wasn’t so great from the rest of us…at least it gave me a chance to rest my feet!!...haha!!!...after the break we continued to dance the night away…at one point leighanne (brian’s wife) ran past us and grabbed little sis’ coolie!...def wasn’t expecting her to do that!!...haha!!...we had a ton of fun but eventually my feet couldn’t take anymore and we had to retire to our cabin…it was probably about 3 or 330 at that point and howie was the last man standing…I really wanted to stay but I just couldn’t…

i stole some of these pictures from jen and little sis...so thanks guys!...haha!!

stay tuned for days 2 and 3!!!

Quick Update

Sorry I've been so mia lately...ive been super busy!...tomorrow i leave for st maarten...where the princess and prince charming are finally getting married...they've been engaged for years but it still feels like it came up so fast...since im going to be gone for the rest of the week i just wanted to leave you with a quick update before i go...and what you can expect from me when i get back

slowly but surely the thought of something happening between me and clark kent is becoming a thing of the past...i really havent run into him...so the who outta sight outta mind thing is working...hopefully ill find some other guy to take his place...and who knows maybe that one will work out...

december 2-5 was the backstreet boys cruise!!!...it was sooo much fun...you can expect a full day by day report sometime after i get home

and lastly...you can expect a full report of my trip to st maarten and of course the wedding!!!

i really must be going now...i have a ton of things to do tonight...

try not to miss me too much!! =)

The Hunger Games

i know im a little late the the party but i just finished reading the hunger games!!

when i went to see breaking dawn there was a trailer for the hunger games movie...i was immediately intrigued...a story about a girl volunteering to fight to the death to save her little sister...it seemed so exciting and interesting...i wanted to know more!!!

i did some research online and found that the first chapter was available to read on the barnes and noble website...so i printed it up and read it on the subway wednesday night...by the time i got to the train station i just had to get my hands on the whole book!...i bought it at the news stand at penn station...i could not stop reading it!!!...i stayed up pretty late that night despite being super tired...i couldnt put it down...i kept saying to myself "just one more chapter"...before i knew it, it was after 130 and i was about 2/3 done with it...

yesterday i didnt read much since it was thanksgiving...i cant just show up with a book to dinner...that wouldnt be right...haha!...so i finished the rest today!...

it was so good!!!...it was exciting...touching...sad...happy...triumphant...defeated...so much action...so many emotions...it was just great!!!...

now im itching to read the next 2 in the series...i need to know what happens next!!!

so guys, have any of you read the hunger games series? what did you think???

movie weekend

this past weekend brought us the openings of Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Happy Feet 2...i was super excited going into the weekend...but i must say that i was slightly disappointed coming out of it...

BREAKING DAWN PART 1:

i think the biggest problem i had with this movie is it was extremely slow moving...some parts just dragged out a little too long...like i dont care that bella and edward played chess on their honeymoon...when it comes to vampires, im so used to the extremely fast pace of the vampire diaries...tvd would have fit everything that happened in the 2 hr breaking dawn movie into one 42 minute episode...it started getting good and exciting towards the end...but then it ending and we have to wait for the next part...

i know it sounds like i didnt like the movie at all but thats not true...there were some really great parts...the friends from high school were at the wedding and they added some great commentary...bella's dad charlie was awesome as always!...young werewolf seth provided a few great moments...and of course there's emmett...he doesnt say much in the movie but oh.my.gwad. he is HOTTT!!!!...i just like to look at him...haha!!!

HAPPY FEET 2:

first i want to say, the little penguins are super duper adorable...little erik! omg, i wanted to squeeeeeeze him!!!...there were also some great dancing moments...and a few laughs...but my problem with this movie is that they made it way too political...the whole thing was pretty much about global warming...if im going to see a movie about tap dancing penguins im going to see it for entertainment...if i wanted a lesson about global warming i would have stayed home and watched the news or discovery channel...this is the biggest problem i had with the first happy feet...but that one only got political at the end...i wanted less politics from the second instalment not more...ugh!...the happy feet people should watch surfs up...now thats a penguin movie done right!!!

well thats all i have for now...did any of you see these movies? if so what are your thoughts?!?...let me know...dont be afraid!...

why do i torture myself?

*disclaimer* if you dont want to listen to me whine then please stop reading!...haha!

its been about 3 weeks (i think) since i told sports guy how i feel about clark kent and got the disappointing news that he doesnt want to date anyone from work (i think thats stupid cause its not like we're on the same floor but whatever)...so since all that went down i havnt seen clark kent around...which is totally what i wanted...outta site outta mind...i told myself everyday that i had to get over him cause its never gonna happen...i thought it was working...

but then today came...i was on my way to the caf for coffee and clark kent turned the corner and walked straight towards us...and i got the same crushy butterflies in the stomach feeling that ive been getting...so clearly telling myself to get over it isnt working...ugh!...the worst part is that i used to feel happy after passing by him in the morning...now i just feel sadness...sadness because i know nothings gonna happen...i used to have hope and now i have none...this blows!...

obviously i just have to get over it but how...i just dont know what to do...i cant help the way i feel...i dont control the butterflies...they just appear!...haha!!!...maybe it just wasnt enough time!...hopefully they will go away and i can stop being sad over my latest failed attempt at finding love...*sigh*

1 month until...

...BSB CRUISE 2011!!!!!

i am so excited i can barely contain myself...i had so much fun last year and i know this year will be better!!!

so far i have done a lot to prepare for this year's adventure on the seven seas...
~ 80's costume...check
~ prom night dress...check
~ custom pjs for pda pajama jam...check
~ 2nd timers tshirt...check
~ meet and greet outfit...check
~ hotel in miami...check
~ flight...check (i just got it yesterday and im kicking myself for not getting my ticket earlier!)

so now the only thing left to do is finish my door dec...i must admit that i started working on it a lot later than i did last year...im a little worried that i wont get everything done...the original plan was to come up with something much easier than last year...we thought we did but i dont know...it doesnt seem easier to me...haha!!!...i have 6 things...well not things...lets call the projects, yeah thats a good word...so i have 6 projects for the door...1 of them is about 75% done and another is about 15% done...the other 4 i havent started yet...i have sketches and stuff for them but thats it...i feel a little over whelmed right now...but ill get it all done...oh and i need to make another trip to michael's...the last time i went there i didnt have my plan fully hashed out yet so there's a few more things i need to pick up...on the positive side im a lot less stressed about it this year than i was last year...so yay!!!

well thats all i have to say for now...for any and all fun details on the cruise be sure to head over to laura's cruise blog she has all kinds of fun stuff to read over there!!!

womp womp

after tuesday's encounter with clark kent, i couldnt stop thinking about it...i thought about what i should have said...i thought about what could have happened if i opened my mouth...i thought about what i could do to make next time better...i thought about everything....but mostly i thought...what is the matter with me?!?...i decided nothing would ever happen if i didnt do something about it...

so thursday night i finally broke down and told sports guy about my crush on clark kent...lets just say it didnt go as i had hoped...he pretty much said its a no go...ugh!...at first i was bummed out a little, i thought oh well ill just add him to the long list of crushes that went no where *sigh*...but then as the night went on and i had time to process what sports guy said, i got more and more upset...i even cried a little (not completely because of this but it was def a factor)...it makes my heart hurt that i have a long list of crushes that went no where...and it just plain old sucks!!!!!

so what now?...i dont want to continue letting this guy consume my thoughts if nothings ever gonna happen...so i have to get over him...it sounds simple but it will take some time for me to completely stop thinking about what could have been...in the mean time i will do the same thing i always do, i will pick myself up and continue to move forward the best i can...im gonna be okay, alright, fine...

perfect opportunity down the drain

this morning i was presented with the perfect opportunity to make some sort of social contact with clark kent...and what did i do?...nothing!!!...ugh!!!...cue story time...

as you know i go to the caf every morning to get breakfast with sports guy and super genius...on our way back i noticed clark kent walking in front of us...sports guy said "look, its your boy"...not sure if he was joking because he always says stuff like that or if he knows that yes, he is my current fobo...haha...well anyway...i got super nervous...you know butterflies in the stomach, shortness of breath, sweaty palm...the usual...haha!...i tried to continue with the conversation i was having without looking too obvious...it was tough...haha!

so we caught up to clark kent when we reached the elevators...he held the door for us...so i got on and said "thanks"...and then he proceeded to talk to sports guy about last night's jets game...and here is where my perfect opportunity was...im a jets fan...i watched the game...i could have said plenty of things about it...and yet i said nothing...NOTHING!!!!...the whole time i was screaming inside my head to say something, anything...but nope, it didnt happen...ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!...the worst part (or best depending on how you look at it) is 2 minutes earlier i said all the same exact things about the game that he did...it would have been so easy for me to just agree with him...and still nothing came out...ugh!!...

im so disappointed in myself...everything about the moment was perfect (we even matched...haha!)...and yet i choked under pressure...i just couldnt do it...i know that one stupid elevator conversation wont magically make him fall in love with me...but if i cant even have one stupid elevator conversation then how am i supposed to have a real conversation???...

why does this happen to me?...im so jealous of the people who can just say whatever they want to whoever they want any time they want...i wish i could be that girl...but its just so hard...

so there you have it ladies and gentlemen...my big in person speaking debut was "thanks"...womp womp!!!...well theres always next time!! (and i guess "thanks" is beeter than nothin!...haha!)

would you rather? bsb cruise edition

earlier today i was reading laura's super awesome bsb cruise blog...her latest post asked a bunch of would you rather questions...so i decided to steal them and answer them here...so here goes nothin!!!

play blackjack with aj or go clubbing with him?
clubbing!...i know there would be little opportunity for chatting but imagine dancing in the club with aj...how cool would that be...and i talking about dancing right next to him...i would have to show off my best moves!...haha!

get a hug from your favorite or get autographs from all 4 of the guys?
HUG!!!! i already have their autographs...and they are pretty easy to get these days...all you have to do is go to vip for a concert...but a hug...those are a little tougher to get...im still havent gotten the elusive hug...*sigh*...one of these days!

play basketball with brian or jet ski with brian?
basketball!...im not the greatest basketball player but i think it would create a lot of fun interaction with brian...also if your out in the ocean on jet skis you might not even be close to brian...unless of course we're talking about ridding on the back of the jet ski brian is driving...cause in that case i would totally change my answer!!!...haha!

get a bonus concert or a Q and A session thats twice as long?
Q and A...ive been to lots of concerts and ill go to lots more...but listening to them answering fan questions for hours is not something that happens too often...im always interested in what they have to say...and it also lets us see their personalities more!

workout with nick in the gym or eat breakfast with him?
breakfast...i feel like he would be very intense in the gym and thats just not for me (haha!)...i love breakfast and to be able to sit down and and eat it with nick would be even better...

take a workout class taught by nick or a dance class taught by aj?
if you dont know my answer to this question then you dont know me at all...haha!!!...dance class of course!!!!!...this one really is a no brainer for me...taking a dance class taught by any one of the boys would be a dream come true!!!!

get picked to participate in one of the game shows or get a solo pick with you and all 4 guys?
game show!!!!...i already have a solo pic with them...but ive never participated in a game show with them...a picture takes 3 seconds to take...the interaction durring a game show would be sooo much more...and i think being a part of the game show would be sooo much fun!!!!!

have a drink with howie or play volleyball with him?
well i dont really drink so im gonna pick volleyball by default and pretend that its beach volleyball and howie didnt bring a shirt...haha!!!

you're in the spa, would you rather be sitting next to their manager jen or one of their wives/girlfriends/fiances?
i voted for significant other here...but it was a really hard decision and i dont really remember what swayed me to vote this way...hmmm...

accidentally miss the beach party or accidentally miss Q and A?
Q and A...this one was so hard because there is no way i would miss either...haha!...but i picked Q and A because i didnt go to the beach party last year and i dont want to miss it again!

have aj visit your cabin or be in the hot tub with him? (both activities rated PG)
cabin!...i would def rather have aj come to my cabin...i feel like i would be able to talk to him at my cabin...and i would be able to show him all the awesome details of my door dec!...and i would be able to get a picture and an autograph and whatever...so it seems like the better option to me...

have a guest appearance by nkotb or by kevin?
this one is really tough because unlike all the other questions where i want to answer both, this one i want to say neither...but ultimately i picked kevin...because its a backstreet cruise...kevs may not be a current member but he'll always be a backstreet boy...so i guess it wouldnt be so bad if he made a cameo appearance at a deck party or something but i wouldnt want him to be a part of any of the other events...it really wouldnt be fair to the other 4...

take a wine class taught by howie or a cooking class taught by brian?
again i dont drink so a wine class really wouldnt do me any good...so i picked cooking class with brian!...and i could use some cooking lessons so why not!

get selected to be brians prom queen or be serenaded by him?
prom queen!!!! i dont know what being prom queen will get you but i just feel like its more special...i want that crown!!!! haha!!!...there have been tons of girls who have been serenaded and there will probably be more opportunities in the future...prom queen is a one and done situation...it would be pretty awesome to be the only one with that title!

win door decoration contest or get $500 of free cruise merch?
door dec!...i worked so hard on my door last year and i was crushed when i didnt even get a mention...so to win would mean sooo much to me...a win is worth so much more than $500 to me!

do a makeup class with rochelle or a fashion class with leighanne?
makeup class!...i dont wear too much makeup and i dont really care about fashion...but of the 2 i would have to say i like makeup more...actually i like makeup...really the only reason i dont wear it everyday is because im too lazy to put it on...haha!

get a kiss on the cheek from nick or have a 5 minute conversation with him?
convo! a kiss on the cheek would be great but it would only last like 2 seconds, if that...so i think id rather talk to him for 5 mins...

hear them perform an unreleased song or sing a preview of a song off their next album?
both!!!! haha!...i had to pick one so i voted for new song...everyone knows all the unreleased stuff...but to hear a brand new song before anyone else would be pretty cool!

run into howie in the elevator or run into him in the buffet line?
buffet!...i feel like most people would pick elevator...but what if he got of on the next floor?...those buffet lines can go on forever...also im nosey and like to know everything so i would find it interesting to see what he eats for breakfast or lunch or midnight snack...haha!!!

get front row to all of their events on board or get a backstage tour from your fav backstreet boy?
backstage tour...i didnt pick this for the tour its self but for the opportunity to spend some quality time with my little howito!!...haha!!!

forget to pack your camera or forget to pack your theme outfits?
theme outfits...definitely!...if i forget the specific things i planned i should be able to make do with what i do have...im an over packer so i would def have something i could use!!!...

well thats it...what do you think??? agree??? disagree???...let your voice be heard!!! dont be afraid to share below...and definitely go VOTE!!!!

TV Time!!!

the best part about the fall is new episodes of my favorite tv shows!!...well there are other things that are great about the fall like football and pumpkin muffins...but new tv is my fave!!!...haha!!!...so the logical thing for me to do next is to share with you my fall tv schedule...im sitting here with my copy of Entertainment Weekly, the fall tv preview edition, because i want to make sure i dont miss anything...haha!!! =)

SUNDAY

Football (CBS or FOX 1pm or 4pm) 

 thats right, sundays are reserved for watching football...if im not at the JETS game then im watching them play on tv...i also like to watch the giants play...and keep an eye on whats going on around the league...im not playing fantasy this year, which stinks, but i still like to know whats going on...it also helps me add to the conversation at work on mondays...im the only girl in the group so this gives me something to talk to the boys about...haha!!

 Amazing Race (CBS 8pm)

this is my long time fav reality competition show...i love it so much that i want to go on it one day...race around the world to win a million dollars...does it get any better?...theres only been one episode this season but i like the cast so far...we'll see how the rest of the season shakes out...im sure there will be a team or two that become super annoying...there always is...haha!...

MONDAY

Dancing With the Stars (ABC 8pm)

this show is one that i love to hate...and hate to love...haha!...every year i say im going to quit DWTS, take it off my schedule, and never watch it again...and yet i am never able to pull the trigger...here i am addicted to a show that i dont even like...i cant stop watching the sequin and fringe wearing pros and "stars" dance their little hearts out in pursuit of the coveted mirror ball trophy ...right now i like ricki lake and jr martinez...but there is a whole season ahead of us and anything van happen...oh and carson is a terrible dancer but soooo entertaining so i love him too!!!...haha!!

Terra Nova (FOX 8pm)

this is a brand new show about a family from the future who go back in time and are now living 85 million years in the past...thats right, with the dinosaurs!!...only the pilot has aired so far and i already love it...if you liked lost youll probably like this too...it has the same sense of adventure and danger...and its not as confusing...haha!...so give it a try!

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS 10pm)

this show is probably the most successful remake in resent history...its a great cop show located in beautiful hawaii...what more can you ask for?...the relationship between dano and mcgarrett is great...their banter is so funny!...oh and ps if you dont think that alex o'loughlin is smokin hott then you have a problem...haha!!!

TUESDAY

Glee (FOX 8pm)

glee is back and so far this season looks like its trying to get back to how it was in season 1...last year took a bit of a dip but so far im loving this season...a lot of the new directions kids are seniors so i cant wait to see how their story lines are wrapped up...i also have a lot of hope for there to be at least 1 bsb song on there this year...i mean matthew morrison did open for nkotbsb this summer sooo i hope he gets them on there...haha!!

Dancing With the Stars Results (ABC 9pm)

ugh...here it us again...haha!...i actually like the results show more than the performance show...i know its weird but the results show is when the pros dance alone and there are musical guests and cheesy packages...i love it all...(and i love that i can fast forward through most of it...i can watch the whole hour in about 20mins!...haha!)

The Biggest Loser (NBC 8pm)

i used to watch this then i tool it off my schedule to make room for other shows but i decided to bring it back this year...i figured i could use some extra motivation...its so inspirational...it shows these people who are struggling and they work hard and over come their problems...to be honest i think i have gotten teary eyed during every single episode i have ever watched...

WEDNESDAY

Survivor: South Pacific (CBS 8pm)

i love survivor!!!...i know its not as popular as it used to be but im still a fan...well actually i wasnt a fan when it was popular...i became a fan a few years ago because people at work watched...but since then i have gone back and watched a bunch of older seasons...right now im not super crazy about the redemption island thing they have going on but it wont last forever so its fine for now...this season also marks the return of coach and ozzy...these people are dumb if they dont get rid of them soon...if they dont then we can see a repeat of last season when boston rob ran the show and went onto win...

The Middle (ABC 8pm)

everyone is all about modern family but my comedy of choice is the middle...it is so funny!!!...its about a family in indiana and their lives...mom, dad, 3 kids...just a standard family...but they are all a little wacky in their own way...the way they interact with each other is so funny...i feel like the mom is exactly what a lot of moms are really like...well my mom is at least...haha!!!

Revenge (ABC 10pm)

brand new show starring the lovely emily van camp...her name in the show is also emily... basically she lived in the hamptons with her father when she was little...things happened and her father was framed for all kinds of crimes...so now shes all grown up and back in the hamptons ready to get revenge on all the people who framed dear old dad and ruined her life...theres been 2 episodes and im hooked...i cant wait to see what happens next!!!

Psych (USA 10pm) 

sadly this did not start yet but it will in a few weeks...i cant wait for shawn and gus to come back to my screen...they are by far the funniest crime fighting duo out there...i cant wait to see what crazy things they have in store for us this season!!...

THURSDAY

Vampire Diaries (CW 8pm)

BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!! if you arent watching this then you are seriously missing out...go get season 1 on dvd and start watching right now...i do not recommend watching it real time unless you have seen the first 2 seasons...sooo much has happened and you'll only be confused...but trust me when i say it is def worth taking the time to catch up...its WAY better than twilight and true blood...best vampires out there!!!!

The Secret Circle (CW 9pm)

another new show to my line up...its about a group of 6 teenagers who happen to be witches...they are all learning how to deal with their powers and such...and there is a ton of mystery surrounding the town and their parents...so far so good...if you like witchy shows then you'll probably like this...give it a shot!!

FRIDAY

Supernatural (CW 9pm)

my only friday show now that smallville is gone (and i dont even watch friday night because its too scary...i like to watch it saturday morning...haha!!!)...the winchester brothers are back for season 7...every time they get out of a situation and you think it cant possibly get any worse for them, it does...this season it looks like they are going to be battling all the bad stuff that got out of purgatory...and there is that little task of putting sam's soul back together...nbd...if you like scary movies this is the show for you!!!

so guys...what are you watching this fall????