Journey to Finding Me: Coming Full Circle

Ok, I have a confession to make, I am a super fan girl of the pop group New Kids on the Block (NKOTB)! I'm sure you remember them from back in the day. You either loved them or you hated them. Me, I LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDD them! My room was plastered floor to ceiling with posters of the guys, I wore their t-shirts and buttons to school every.single.day., I pestered my mom until she took me to see them in concert - 3 times, I listened to their music and watched their videos non-stop, I wanted to meet and marry Jordan Knight, and the list could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea! As commonly happens, my infatuation with them waned, they broke up, and I moved on to liking real guys in school, etc. (probably much to my mom's chagrin). I kind of forgot about NKOTB over the years, although to this day I still have all of my memorabilia in a New Kids on the Block trunk in my garage. Yep, I have moved with that thing, probably 4 to 5 times. I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it and I really didn't know why. That is until recently in March, when the group came on The View and announced a new album and a tour for the summer. I was intrigued. Now, this was not their first come back tour. In 2008 they got together with the group Backstreet Boys, and toured with a new album then as well. Only at that time I was having babies and way caught up in Mommy Land. You ladies know how that goes, right? Well, this time around my girls are a little older and I now have a little time to get back to myself again and have my own interests and hobbies. I know, sounds crazy doesn't it??? Insert NKOTB and their new album and tour announcement that I just could not stop thinking about. I wanted to go to that concert soooooooo bad. I just had to check it out. But, I waited. I waited for months. I tried to see if there was any interest among friends for someone to go with me. Nada. So I waited a little longer and then probably about a month or so before the show in DC I bought a ticket. Yep, I bought one VIP ticket for myself. I could not wait! Then about a week or so before the show date, I happened to see a little video clip of Donnie Wahlberg (who some of you may know from the hit TV series Blue Bloods. He plays Danny Reagan. Yep, he's a New Kid!) announcing that there would be additional tickets for sale for an After Party, to be held at a secret location after the concert. What?????  For a small fee I can hang out and party with my teen idols????  I was all over it! I checked the website multiple times a day for a while, and then finally one day I saw that the After Party tickets were for sale for my concert date. I wasted no time and bought one. I was thrilled! I was a little intimidated about going to a concert in DC by myself, but I knew once I got there that there would be tons of other 30-something-year-old women and that I would be just fine. I was right, and I ended up meeting two lovely girls who are sisters that were sitting right next to me. They were also going to the After Party, so it was perfect. We hung out together the entire night. The concert was so awesome! I must say that I was impressed that these men, now in their 40s, could still put on a kick-ass show! Boys II Men and 98 Degrees opened the show, and NKOTB blew them out of the water! If you were ever a fan I would strongly recommend checking out one of their shows on the next tour, because according to them, they will be back!  I am planning to go to more shows in the future myself! Then of course, after the show I was able to meet a couple of the guys from the group and have my photo taken with them. I have to say it was a surreal experience to be standing there in front of this person whose poster you used to practice kissing in your bedroom at 12-years-old (oh come on, you know we've all done it!). It was such an amazing and fun night and I am so glad that I made the decision to go see the show! Since then I have been back to listening to NKOTB. Not their old stuff, though, their newest album, 10, and the album they put out in 2008, The Block. Really great dance beats to get you moving. If you don't believe me, listen to this song and tell me it's not groove-worthy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C87znFYDn4s. It sounds great blasting on the speakers in my car!

With this little come back of sorts, I have been thinking a lot about why NKOTB was so important to me back in the day. I moved during the summer between 6th and 7th grade. Yep, right in the throes of middle school. To top it off, my mom didn't tell me we were moving until 2 weeks before the move happened. I was devastated. My parents had recently divorced, but I had always lived in our house my entire life. I did not want to move. But, now that I am older I can totally see it from my mom's perspective. She had found a better job, in a new place without all of the memories attached. She needed to go. So, we did. I hated everything about the town that we moved to. I hated the people, the school, the neighborhood, everything. The only positive thing I had in my life was NKOTB. They kept me connected to my best friend, also a huge fan, back in my home town. They gave me a safe place to be when I was sad, mad, hurt, depressed. I am not the only fan to have a similar story. I have read multiple accounts from fans stating that NKOTB helped them through some dark and tough times. I guess that's why I have never been able to get rid of all my old memorabilia that is collecting dust in my garage as I type. They were my lifeline throughout one of the toughest times in my life. I recently found my old diary that I received as a gift one Christmas from my dad when I was 12-years-old.  I wrote in this diary off and on from the age of 12 until I was 16 when I met the boy who is now my husband. Let me tell you, it is very interesting to go back and read! Of course when I was 12, 13, and 14, almost all I wrote about was NKOTB and how much I loved them, but I also wrote about how difficult it was to move, to have to find all new friends, and to fit in. As popular as NKOTB were with many prepubescent and teen girls worldwide, there were just as many girls and boys who didn't like them, and I was picked on pretty badly sometimes since I wore their t-shirts and buttons to school. But you know what, I didn't care. I wore them anyway. Of course, I eventually made friends and adjusted to my new home just fine. But, it was nice to have something positive to lean on during that time when I felt totally alone.

Now, you may be thinking, what is the point of all this? Why is this chick writing a blog post about New Kids on the Block? Hello, you're 36-years-old and aren't they washed up? Ummmm, no. But, here's the point. I think it's cool when an individual can come full circle with something in their life, which is what I have done. It's important to go back to the things you once loved, the things or people that helped you through that tough time. You might be surprised about what you learn about yourself.  Another thing I have taken away from this would be thinking about my own daughters as they grow up. They are not at the pre-teen age yet, but I know it's coming. I am sure that they will attach themselves to something, whether it be a band or sport or dance or music, etc. and when they do I hope that from my own experience I will be able to understand that whatever the "thing" is, it truly is important to them. No matter how silly I think it may be, I will not belittle it. I will respect that it might just be something they need at that point in their lives. And, hey, if it is a silly boy band, I will be right there with them waiting in line to order concert tickets (Oh wait, am I showing my age? I guess you can just do all of that online now). My point is, I will be supportive of them, their interests, and understand to the best of my ability any issues that they may go through.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I told you I would write about quite a variety of things on this blog! Until next time!