Hangin' Tough

A broken computer. An out-of-town husband. A baby impersonating that gross doctor in Minority Report that blows snot all over everything. Parent/Teacher Conferences. All these things would normally have me in tears or hiding under my bed in the fetal position. But not this week. Nope. They haven't even managed to wipe the smile off my face. All because I had the BEST WEEKEND EVER.

Yes, the best weekend ever. And pretty much the best birthday ever. It started on Friday when Carter whisked me to a beautiful mountain getaway. He arranged the babysitting and took me to The Invited Inn, a bed and breakfast in Midway. Saying that I love this place doesn't even begin to cover it. This place had a steam room and sauna (not to mention a HUGE jetted tub) right in our room. It had gourmet tea and breakfast (with the most delicious steamed milk, complete with whipped cream and sprinkles). It had a giant screen tv where we could order up just about any movie we could think of. And it had two of the most solicitous proprietors out there (hi, chilled sparkling cider with goblets waiting for me in the room to say happy birthday!). Add in a fancy dinner and a bed covered in enough down to make a "sleeping on a cloud" comparison inevitable, and that was my Friday night into Saturday morning.



Seriously, if you're ever in Midway you've GOT to drop in and stay with our new friends Bill and Suzi! And if my story ended here, it would be super happy. But it doesn't because Saturday night was all about these guys:


A 20-year-old dream of seeing them in concert came true on my birthday! You'd think that after waiting that long for something, it could never live up to expectations, right? WRONG! It was one of the most incredible concerts I've ever been to (the best, really, save for Paul McCartney). And, on top of that, I got to have a reunion with a long lost friend.

See, Katie (who got the tickets for me) was supposed to fly in for the concert, but just couldn't swing it. She let me keep the tickets. But who do you take to a HUGE night like this? Not your husband because he would just mock (I honestly saw a man a few rows ahead of us sit down and hold his head in his hands when Jordan belted out Baby, I Believe In You shirtless. I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that!). And not just a casual fan. No, for this experience to be just right it needed to be someone as diehard as I am. And that person HAD to be Lynne. Lynne, our devoted babysitter (who transitioned into a dear friend without missing a beat when sitters weren't required anymore), INTRODUCED us to the New Kids. She was right there with us making up dance routines, memorizing songs and adoring her favorite Kid (she loved Joey, for the record, to Katie's Jordan and my Jon). I knew I had to go with her. So yeah, I tracked her down and randomly called her after having no contact for five years. We picked up RIGHT where we left off at dinner and then screamed our brains out at the concert.



Though the boys looked a little different (they were sporting faux hawks instead of rattails), they were still my beloved New Kids. What is with my compulsion for following rules? The tickets said "No Photography" so guess who didn't bring a camera? I'm so stupid. Anyway, I'm waiting for Lynne to send me her pics so this will have to do for now. But we had great seats on the floor. We were happy with them until about halfway through the concert when the Kids popped up on a special stage two feet away from us. Then we were THRILLED with them. Even if it was only for three songs, we had front row seats! We rocked out to all the classics (Hangin' Tough? Yes. Step By Step? They did it! Along with Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time, Games, Cover Girl, The Right Stuff, and many, many others) and almost fainted from excitement (and pregnancy).

So yeah, a little snot can't erase the image of Donnie Wahlberg pulling on his "I HEART Mormon Girls" t-shirt before serenading me with Tonight. And a broken down MAC can't take away the taste of that vanilla steamer in my mouth. I'm just too happy!