Here We Go Again

Here it is people! My big debut as a video vixen!
(I am clearly visable in the background @ the 1:29 mark, I can also be seen behind Joe's arm as he is landing the flying punch, and over Salar's body as he falls..IF you pause)



(Sorry the video screws up my page...but it's worth it!)



Now head to itunes on 12/8 and buy Joe's new EP Here We Go Again!!!!

La La La Loving Life!

Oh my gosh, where do I start?
Ok, let's try going from where I left off...

After I finished my previous post I drove myself to Ohare and hopped a big ol' jet to sunny Los Angeles. My nerves were still getting the best of me at that point. I was just waiting for something to happen to keep me from living out this crazy fantasy.

Once I was in my seat on the plane and in the air, all my anxiety seemed to just vanish. I had 4 hours of uninterrupted time with my own thoughts. I realized that all the nervous energy I'd been dealing with over the last few days was all related to actually making the trip happen. Now that I was on my way, I had nothing to be nervous about. I had a few hundred people telling me how happy they were for me and how much I deserved this opportunity just before I got on that plane. Seemed logical for me to go ahead and believe that they were all sincere. I never in my life expected to have that kind of love and support behind me. I was and am truly touched by it. At that point I was definitely feeling lots of excitement about finally having an opportunity to speak face to face with Joe, but I wasn't nervous about it at all. I was feeling pretty confident actually. Confident, and proud to have the opportunity to play "ambassador" for my Million Sistahs.

I did have a moment of panic when my flight landed at LAX and I discovered that my phone had died during the flight. My friend was coming to pick me up at the airport, but we hadn't actually discussed where we were going to meet up. ACK! Fortunately I kept my wits about me and quickly found a wall outlet and plugged in my charger. Rachel and I successfully located each other (eventually, but that's another story), and we were off to her place to wind down and prepare for my big day. (Just to prove that my anxiety really did vanish on that flight- We stopped at Jack In The Box on the way to her place and I devoured an order of Chicken Fingers and French Fries...the first food I'd eaten in at least 2 days!)

Rachel and I sat and chatted for a while. Caught up with each other a bit since we hadn't seen each other since June (and only very briefly then!). Then we went over my wardrobe options together and packed up all the things that I would need so that I would be ready to go first thing. The call time was 8am and we had a bit of a drive, plus she wanted to give some extra time just in case we got lost. I think I fell asleep in about 20 seconds once I made it to the bed. I know I didn't even say good night to Rachel.

Wednesday morning I woke up bright and early and hopped in the shower to get ready. I'm so glad that I'm not very tall, because the shower head hit me just about at the base of my neck as it was! I finished getting my make up on, dried my hair, and submitted myself for a quick once over by Rachel. I had some trouble figuring out if I was supposed to actually wear one of my wardrobe choices, or just bring them along. Eventually I decided that taking the outfits separately seemed like the wiser choice. Rachel grabbed a CD for me to have Joe sign for her, and we were off.

I was incredibly calm during the drive to the studio. Rachel was pointing out interesting landmarks as we drove. She showed me the studio they shot Boston Public in and a few other places of interest. We made it to the studio with plenty of time to spare. There wasn't a lot of parking available, so Rachel dropped me off in the parking lot, gave me a big hug and wished me luck, and went on to find a way to keep herself entertained for the day. I met a few of the other girls getting out of their taxi and showed them where we needed to go. (Sorry girls, but I can't remember who it was!) We walked around the corner to where the studio had set up a booth to sign in, and as I approached the rest of the girls someone said "Hey! You're Simply Shannon!". It was so funny to be recognized that way. Definitely one of the more amusing memories that I'll hang onto.

About 5 minutes after I got there, Taryn (the sweet girl who got to call us all and tell us all the details of the shoot) came outside and had us all start signing our release forms and getting checked in. We had to sign the release and then hold it up next to our face for a photo. They checked our id's to make sure that we were who we said we were, and sent us inside to await further instruction. The area we were set up in was basically a big warehouse space. There were folding tables and chairs set up, but the lights hadn't been turned on yet. One side of the room was taken up by what was obviously the set. We were on the back side of it, so we still had no idea what it looked like. There were some girls from the wardrobe department hanging around and they seemed almost as confused as we were! Eventually they started taking us back to a changing room a few girls at a time to go over our wardrobe choices and decide which outfits would work best.

Once I had changed into my approved outfit I went back to hang out with the rest of the girls. At that point things still felt very chaotic even though it was pretty quiet. One person would say an outfit was perfect, and then 2 minutes later someone else would come around and question it. (Were the colors too bright? Should she wear a hood or a beanie? Is that jewelry too shiny? Is that lipstick too much?) Fortunately I appeared to be in the clear, so I just kind of milled about chatting with the other girls and taking pictures.

After a few minutes of chatting I looked up to see a group of young men walking in the door. I recognized that they were the members of VFC immediately and without really even thinking about it I called out "Hi Drew!" to Drew Ryan Scott (He co-wrote the single that we were shooting the video for). Drew smiled and walked over and began introducing the rest of the band to me and the girls that were standing with me. Once he had finished with the rest of the crew he said "& I'm Drew"...I laughed and said "Well I KNOW you!" and Drew gave me a big smile and then leaned over and gave me a big hug. It was very sweet. After that we stood and were chatting for a few minutes. Drew asked if Joe was there yet and we told him we hadn't seen him yet. Drew started joking about how he was going to have to give Joe a hard time because he beat him there and I cracked up and told Drew that Joe had actually lied to him. We were all told that the call time was 8am, but Joe told Drew that it was at 7:30 because Drew is notoriously late. (in Joe's defense- I think it was about 8 when Drew walked in the door) Drew seemed to think it was pretty funny. After that the guys kind of wandered around and a few people asked to take pics with them, so I decided I might as well get one too.

(l-r Jayk Purdy, TC Carter, Drew Ryan Scott, Me, and David Lei Brandt)

A few minutes later Drew announced that he was going to go to McDonald's and they all left. Since none of us really knew what was going on, we continued to just chat with each other and some of us ate some breakfast while we waited to be told what to do. By then there were some tasty male extras wandering about and we grabbed one of them and had him take some group pics for us.

At some point we heard that Joe was there and that he was excited to hear that we were all there too. I remember noticing that there was some music playing on the other side of the set, but the volume was very low and I couldn't make out what it was. A short time later one of the crew came out and asked if we liked the song. Turns out that it was THE song! It had a great beat, but I still couldn't quite make out enough to know if I loved it or not. We already knew the name of the song (Here We Go Again) at that point because it was listed on the release forms we'd had to sign.

A little while later a large group of people emerged from the other side of the set and one of them signaled for everyone to quiet down and pay attention. I can't remember how it all happened because it was during the speeches that Joe quietly entered the room-
but I know that Ferris (The Production Manager?), John Davis (The Producer), and John Brenkus (The Director) all spoke briefly. I know that we were given information about safety on the set and told where the emergency exits were...but I haven't a clue what was actually said. After they all finished welcoming us and telling us what to expect, Joe stepped up to speak.

He thanked everyone for coming and then explained to the rest of the cast and crew that he had invited about 30 of his fans to participate in the video via a twitter contest. He said that we had come from all over- including Europe! He laughed and said "I think they're crazy, but I love 'em!" I can't remember what else he said, but once he finished we were told to hang out just a bit longer, and someone would come tell us what to do soon.

A few minutes later one of the guys from the crew came out and started taking a few girls at a time onto the set. Standing around waiting felt a bit like being back in high school gym class waiting to be picked for a team. I can't say that I was terribly surprised to see that the hot little mamas were asked to go on set first. Eventually we all made it onto the set and were given directions for the first scenes. I can't go into detail yet, but I can say that the directions I received were not very specific and left me feeling a bit confused about what I should do. I spent the first half hour or so of shooting feeling like a total moron. I could see that I wasn't the only one though, and that made me feel a little better. Things got easier as the morning progressed.

Joe was not in the first scenes that we shot and he was sort of wandering about the set doing other things. At one point he wandered right over to where I was standing with a camera man and reporter and proceeded to give an interview for E! right in front of me. It was awesome. I was standing on top of a table and had the perfect view over the reporters shoulder. They were maybe 10 feet in front of me. I still don't know when the interview will air, but hopefully I'll be able to record it, just because it would be cool to have. I also watched Joe pose for some publicity shots. I wasn't sure at the time what he was posing for, but I saw the pictures online right after I got home from LA. So cool to that I got to watch them take the pictures that everyone else is now drooling over!

During one of the breaks from shooting I went to use the restroom, and when I came back out I practically ran TC Carter over as I walked out of the hallway. He just smiled and said hello. Then I came around the corner to find Drew casually chatting with Joe (who was wearing jeans and a WB at the time...GAH!) I didn't want to just walk past them without saying hello, so I casually punched Drew on his arm as I walked by. He turned and said "Hey!" and Joe turned to see what was happening. This was the first time that I'd actually been close enough to Joe to say anything, so I just smiled and said "Hi Joe" and then continued walking. I heard Drew saying that he was taking off and that he was sorry he couldn't stay, and some girls were asking Joe to sign something. He politely turned them down saying that he would be happy to do it later. I stopped to say good bye to Drew, and mentioned to him that one of my friends would be upset if I didn't say Hi for her. He laughed and said "Um..ok. Hi Mel."

There isn't all that much that I can really say about the majority of the day until after the video is made public. I will say that it was truly amazing to watch Joe at work. The video concept was his idea and he was very involved in the entire process. The man is DEFINITELY a perfectionist. He was visibly anxious all day long. I think mostly because he had to do things that he is not used to doing and he was nervous that something would go wrong. In this case, a slip up could mean that someone might get injured. I can't say I blame him for being a bit on edge. I think that having some of his fans around really helped him out. He feeds off that kind of energy and knows exactly what to do to get the kind of responses he needs to boost his ego in precisely the right way. That quality in another man might come off as obnoxious, but somehow Joe makes it seem charming.

The cat is already out of the bag about Joe being shirtless for much of the day. I can't say why, or how the shirt comes off...but it sure was fun to witness! The first time it happened was hilarious. I think we all knew it was coming, but we couldn't really wrap our brains around it until it happened. He was very casual about it. Just sort of did it, and then waited for us all to react. He had the most evil grin on his face too. We were all VERY well behaved. I think you could have heard a pin drop in those first few seconds...right up until Drew decided to step in and make us all laugh. He's good at that. The shirt was on and off all day long. I hate to say that it became routine because it never got old...but I did get sort of used to the fact that I was within a few feet of a shirtless Joe McIntyre by the end of the day. (Never did stop staring though! He wasn't lying when he said he's in the shape of his life. YUM!)

I will also tell you that shooting a video is no picnic! We were on our feet for 12 full hours. It was in the upper 80's that day and the lights on the set get so hot! I was wearing a thick, lined hoodie and leather pants ...NOT ideal. (I should probably mention that the leather pants actually split up the rear end part way through the day! Thank goodness it was right before the final take of the scene we were shooting!) & it wasn't like we were just standing around twiddling our thumbs all day. We were actively involved in pretty much every scene that was shot. There was a lot of down time between takes though. It was cool to have a chance to chat with all of the other extras. Most of them were pretty young and had some amusing stories to tell. They all seemed to get a kick out of the "twitter girls" and enjoyed joking around with us about Joe. It was definitely a long and very tiring day. Poor Joe had to have been completely exhausted by the end, but he was such a good sport.

Once the final scene was shot, Joe came and stood on a table right next to where I was standing to announce to everyone that we were finished. He said that he had a few more things to do, and that we should go relax and he would come to chat and sign autographs and take pictures in a few minutes, but that first we were going to take a cast and crew pic. Since I was standing right there, I decided I would seize the opportunity to be near Joe for the pic. Everyone else immediately collapsed in on us and Joe looked down at me and said "We're going to take more pics later...you should go up to the front so that you can make sure that you're seen". I looked up to see where the camera was and knew it wasn't going to be a problem, so I decided to stay put. I thanked him and said that I would be ok. After we took the picture I waited to make sure that Joe got down from the table ok, and then I turned to him and said "I LOVE the song by the way!" He lit up like a Christmas tree and thanked me. I don't know for sure, but it seemed like I was one of the first people to actually tell him that.

Afterwards I joined the other girls in the restroom as we tried to make ourselves decent. Thank goodness someone thought to bring body spray! I can't imagine what I must have smelled like at that point. ICK! After I changed into more comfortable clothes I went back and devoured an apple and chugged some water while we waited for Joe to make his grand entrance. I was catching up with twitter while I waited and saw that Rachel was waiting in front of the building and had seen Joe take his things out to his car. It was funny to see her tweets telling people what she could see and hear from her vantage point. Dave Harris from Retro Rewind was wandering about and so I took some time to chat with him while we waited for Joe. Somehow I became the official photographer for the group as everyone took turns taking pictures with Dave. It was fun.

A few minutes later Joe casually wandered in grasping a big slice of pizza. He smiled and greeted us and then joyfully declared "My first carbs!" and took a nice big bite. (sorry Joe, but it was too cute to pass up)
Then he said that he thought it would be easiest if we all stayed where we were and he would come around and make sure he got a chance to talk to everyone. At that point I saw Heather walking over to present the cards that we had all signed for Joe and his family and I decided that it would be a good time to give him the letters that some of the girls who couldn't make it had asked me to pass on. I handed the letters to him and told him what they were, and then I returned to where I had been sitting to wait for him to come around to me.

It's funny because I had so many things that I wanted to ask him about, or tell him- but in that moment my first priority was making sure that I got Rachel's CD signed for her. If she hadn't offered to let me stay with her, I'm not sure that I would have been able to make the trip, so it was really important to me that I take care of that for her. So Joe finally came over to me and I said "Before we do anything else, can you please sign this for my friend Rachel? She let me stay with her and she was actually at the book thing you did at the school the other day" At first I think I took him by surprise because I didn't try to get a hug or anything, but once I mentioned the school thing he was like "Oh yeah!"...once he finished signing I said "Oh, I'm Shannon by the way" and he said "Oh...right! Hi! It's nice to meet you!" I laughed and said "It's nice to meet you too Joe!" and then he sort of pulled me in to take our picture. He pulled me in real tight kind of hugging me against him, and then leaned his face over to mine so that we were almost touching. I was enjoying every second, but it took me a bit by surprise (as you can probably see in the pic!)
I think Dave Harris took the picture for us, but I wouldn't swear by it. I was still in a bit of a daze and Joe wandered off to talk to the next person before I had a chance to say anything else to him. I was kicking myself for being so dumb and forgetting all of the things I wanted to ask him about. I continued to take pictures while he was chatting with the other girls, and tried to get his attention to find out if we could hear the whole song because we'd only heard a tiny snippet during filming. I'm not sure he ever heard me ask, but one of the other girls finally got his attention. He looked almost surprised when we asked, but then he said "Oh! Hang on a sec, let me see what I can do" and then he disappeared for a minute. He came back and told us to follow him. I was so surprised that I didn't even think to grab my camera, I just took off after him!

He led us into a theater where John Brenkus was sitting at a conference table in front of a computer. As we walked in I decided to ask Joe if he would sign my tshirt (I was wearing my LGT shirt) when he got a moment. He got all flustered and said "Um..yeah, I don't have a marker though!" I told him it was ok and he said I should go find a good seat before they were all taken. Then...we entered paradise! Joe and John allowed us to view the rough edit of the video and listen to the song with them. It was amazing! Not only was it absolutely incredible to be some of the first people to see the video, but we actually got to watch it WITH Joe! Watching him soak in our excitement was probably one of the coolest moments I've ever experienced. We were all hooting and hollering and singing along and he and John were just beaming. After the video finished we asked if we could watch it again. They happily obliged. We managed to convince Joe to take a group picture with us after that. Of course he had to give us a hard time about it first, but I think he was pretty much on cloud 9 at that point. I know we were!
As we were all filing out of the theater I could tell that he was feeling much more relaxed than he had been all day. I asked the girls if anyone had a sharpie and Elizabeth graciously loaned me hers so Joe could sign my shirt.
After he finished I had the opportunity to ask him a question that had been bugging me for weeks..."Joe, did you sing any part of Truck & Fish?" (for those of you who don't know- T&F is an unreleased and very silly song that Jordan Knight recorded several years ago) Joe got a perplexed look on his face and he said "No. Why? Does it sound like me?" I said "People keep trying to convince me that it's your voice, but I never thought it sounded like you" He started to say something else about it, but then he got distracted by something else and moved on.
I also took a moment to discuss Rock The Block and LGTF with him at that point. He was very sweet and seemed sorry that he couldn't be more helpful about answering the questions I had.
At that point I felt like it was time for me to get back to poor Rachel who had been waiting for me ALL day long, plus I had a 6 am flight to catch- so I just quietly said good bye to everyone and left. Rachel pointed out Joe's car to me in the parking lot as we pulled away. I don't think it will ever matter, but I know what Joe's license plate says. :)

It truly was an amazing day. I made a whole bunch of new friends, and have memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I just hope I don't look like an ass in the video! (Joe says the single is due to drop on November 16th...I'm sure the video will be right on it's heels. I'll make sure to share it as soon as it's out)

If you happen to be on twitter and are curious- all of the twitter girls have been sharing our favorite memories. The can be found by searching for #jmvidmemory

What parallel universe is this?

I am truly sorry for neglecting my blog so horrendously over the last year. I've been terrible.
However, this is something that HAS to be shared...because things like this just don't happen.
Well, not to me at least.


Obviously anyone who has read my blog knows that I have a little bit of a crush on Joe McIntyre (Yeah yeah, ok...I'm obsessed. Shush)


I have been following Joe on twitter ever since he decided to hop on the bandwagon. I have been fortunate enough that he actually responded to me on a couple different occasions. The first time it happened I was in total shock. Joe McIntyre "talked" to ME? Weird.
The shock quickly faded and turned into an obsession with making it happen again. I don't know how people kept following my twitter feed...I would have run screaming! lol People did though, in increasing numbers actually. Apparently I'm kinda funny. Who knew?
Anyway- I got my responses from Joe and I was over the moon. Then I went to the Full Service show in June and Joe actually acknowledged me from the stage. WHAT?! He saw my sign, laughed at the joke, and made sure that I knew that he knew who I was (at least on some level).
I think my screams were heard in Zimbabwe.


All of that has been AMAZING. I feel like I'm 15 again. I have made a whole slew of new friends through our mutual love of this man and his friends. My level of self-confidence is the highest it has EVER been in my life. I'm feeling good. This has been a tough year for me and my family personally, but NKOTB and the Blockheads have helped me keep smiling through it all.


On 10/10 I was lucky to be a part of the Rock The Block party in Chicago hosted by The Fat Boys. ( Yes...THE Fat Boys- you know...the rap guys from the 80's? Krush Groove, Disorderlies, Wipe Out, The Twist...? Yeah- them) I got to hang out with all of my new BH friends, meeting many of them for the first time. I was also treated like a princess by the Boys themselves. Uncle Louie greeted me like family, and Prince Markie Dee actually came over and started dancing with me at the bar. These are NOT things that would ever have happened to me in the past. I would have been too shy to talk to people. I certainly would NEVER have actually strapped on a pair of roller skates! Heaven forbid I should fall down in front of people! But I DID put on roller skates (only went around 1 time because I thought I was going to kill myself, but I did it), and the dancing? Oh my gosh! What if I look stupid? But guess what- I said screw it. Who cares? and I boogied down with Prince Markie Dee! I was so proud of myself!


I've been feeling so good about all of these things. Happy and free and loving life. And then on Saturday this happened...(read from the bottom up)





WHAT?! ME? *I* am going to be invited to spend an entire day with Joe McIntyre and actually be IN his new video? I get to hear his new music before anyone else?! NO FRIGGING WAY!
Not that there weren't a few tiny issues with this. I had about 5 minutes to figure out how I was going to get time off work and get my rear end to Burbank, CA by Wednesday. Oh- and I can't give it away yet- but the wardrobe instructions? About as far from my regular wardrobe as it gets.
BUT...I figured it out and I am GOING! That's right people! Tomorrow morning I will be hugging Joe McIntyre...and it won't be a crazy rushed thing where there are hundreds of other people waiting for their turn. Sure- he'll be super busy shooting his video, but we have 12 hours. I'm pretty sure I'll get the opportunity to have a real conversation...instead of spitting out verbal diarrhea like "Thanks for keeping it real Joe" because I only have 20 seconds and I can't think of anything else to say.


I have no idea what wormhole I got sucked through...but I sure hope I don't stumble back into it and get sucked back the other way! This is the best universe EVER!


Stay tuned for all the fun details! I have to go...gotta go catch my plane to C A L I Fornia!

Saying it loud & proud

I am a Blockhead.

In the past that was a confession that I always hesitated to make. Not because I have ever been ashamed of that fact, more so because I know the response that it will garner...a chuckle, a roll of the eyes, sometimes people are even flat out rude about it.

The last year and a half has changed all that for me.

I no longer care what anyone has to say about it. I would happily run outside right now and scream it in the streets.

I AM A BLOCKHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It fills me with pride to be able to make that claim.

I know that most people will never understand...COULD never understand what a profoundly beautiful gift it is to be able to say those words.

A year and a half ago I never would have imagined that my life could have been affected so completely by the reunion of a pop group. I could not have predicted the deep friendships that have developed, and the unbelievable outpouring of love that I have been a witness to on a daily basis. Love not only for these 5 Gentlemen (and that is truly what they are), but for each other, and for the world as a whole.

I have had the privilege of being a part of something truly magical.

Last April when the guys stepped onto the stage at the Today Show and announced to the world that they were coming back for a second chance, women all over the globe had the same reaction...pure, unadulterated excitement. We were being given an opportunity to revisit our childhood fantasies.

Over the years the stresses of life have stripped away the innocence of youth and dulled the pure joy of just being alive for most of us. Many of us are wives and mothers who had forgotten how important it is to do things for ourselves. Forgotten about what it's like to just let go and have FUN! Lost a little bit of who we are as individuals.

I challenge anyone to attend a NKOTB concert and NOT get swept up by the excitement and emotions. I honestly don't think it's possible (even for those who can't stand the music). Those men know what they're doing when they get on that stage. I don't know how they do it, but they make every single person in the audience feel like they are singing for them. It's truly something to witness.

Beyond that, the guys have always made it a point to connect with their audience outside of their performances. Now more than ever! Social media is making the world smaller and smaller every single day. Initially the group started off by giving the fans a forum on their website. We flocked to it in droves to share information and find out the latest news. It didn't take long for people to start making friendships with other women who regularly visit the site. Many of us quickly became "ning addicts". Not only was it fun to communicate with each other, but there was always the added tease that the boys were lurking and checking out what we had to say.

This was a perfect set up for the group! They were able to keep their fingers on the pulse of their fans and deliver the goods night after night. They could find out what we were feeling, and what we weren't and adapt the show based on our reactions. There were also blogs, vlogs, and NKTV to look forward to. The guys remained true to their playful personalities as they continuously played pranks on each other and on us and began interacting with the fans in ways that were previously not possible. At one point they caused mass hysteria by posting a vlog that made it appear that Jordan had been injured just before they were to take the stage at Madison Square Garden. It didn't take long for us to figure out that it was all a joke as people at the concert sent text messages to their friends that Jordan was on stage and apparently in perfect health.

Then Donnie made the brilliant decision to get on twitter and changed the group/fan dynamic forever. He convinced the other guys to join him in his little experiment and pretty soon the Blockhead Army was breaking every social media tool around.

All of the sudden we were given the opportunity of our childhood dreams...the ability to communicate directly with Donnie, Jordan, Joe, Jon, and Danny. People questioned if it was really them...it is. People wondered if they really actually read the tweets that are sent to them...they do. I can tell you this for certain, because I have been lucky enough to have personally received answers from 3 of the 5 guys over the last few months. (If you'd told me that this would happen when I was 15 I would have thought you were totally insane)

The guys embraced their supporters via twitter in true NKOTB fashion...playing games with us, scolding us, and teasing us every single chance that they had. They felt the love and made sure that we knew it. They introduced us to their band members and the family grew even larger. Twitter not only brought us closer to the group, but it also brought us even closer to each other. All of the sudden going to a concert felt more like going to a family reunion. I now have friends all over the country. TRUE friends who would do anything for me even though many of us have never met in person. I'm sure that there are a lot of sceptics reading this and thinking "yeah, sure they would", but I can promise you that I have seen these women in action, and I know this to be true.

Twitter also had quite an impact on the group. They realized the possibilities that twitter held for them, and quickly took action. Most notably, Joe started his Let's Get This Foundation and used twitter to spread the word. He asked all fans attending one of the Full Service Tour Dates to bring a book to donate to children in need. I think that it is safe to say that even Joe could not have imagined the outcome. Over 26,000 books were collected over the course of 30 shows.

This brings me to the real reason I am writing this post. The real reason that I am so damn proud to call myself a Blockhead...my fellow Blockhead Sistas!

2 crazy men (who shall apparently remain nameless for all eternity) had a crazy idea to send a group of crazy women on a mission. They asked us to work together, get creative, and come up with as many books for the LGTF as we possibly could...and to have some SERIOUS fun in the process. 2,023 books and $2,842 later...THIS is our story...



Through all this they helped us to find ourselves again. They reminded us how powerful we can be. They gave us back our voices, and put joy back in our hearts.
They encouraged us to dream big, and to reach for those dreams. Taught us that nothing is impossible.

They let us know that no matter what anyone else has to say, or whatever else happens in this world, we will ALWAYS and FOREVER be

5 Brothers and A Million Sisters.

On Saturday the Full Service Tour came to a bittersweet end. We all know that the guys need a break. They need to unwind and spend some hard earned time with their loved ones. We know this, we respect this, and yet it is still so hard to see this chapter come to an end.
I think that this video says it all...


Sunday morning after attending the show, one of my Blockhead Sistas passed in her sleep. I had never heard of Jackie before her passing, but I know several people who were proud to call her their friend. The outpouring of love has been truly touching. As always, the boys have shown themselves to be truly loving and classy individuals by posting this blog as soon as they heard the news.

RIP Jackie

So I'll say it again because as far as I'm concerned being a BLOCKHEAD is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

I AM A BLOCKHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I have so much more that I could say, but it is very very late and I have to Rise and Grind in a few more hours)

Until next time...

Let's Get This!

Several weeks ago my man Joe McIntyre gave me one more reason to love him as he decided to use his influence via social media to start his very own foundation.
He made an announcement on twitter, and shortly after wrote a blog for nkotb.com giving a link to his new website. http://letsgetthis.org
The foundation doesn't have a set goal, or even a specific cause. The idea is that every individual person has the ability to make a difference in this world...and if we all work together, we can make an even bigger difference. The foundation is all about "Helping the World Step by Step". (a little corny- but still awesome!)
The first project of the foundation has been a book drive to benefit under privileged children. Joe asked everyone attending a NKOTB Full Service Summer Tour date to bring a new book to donate, in exchange for a free download of his new song 5 Brothers and a Million Sisters. The response has been overwhelming...

The Griffster says "Sure" we can get to 25,000 books! from LET'S GET THIS FOUNDATION on Vimeo.

The 15,000+ books does not even include the online contributions that have been made via the link on letsgetthis.org

I am very happy to have been a part of this effort. Anyone who knows me, knows that I live to see children learn and grow. Helping to give more children that opportunity fills my heart with joy. However- we still have not done enough! I'm not going to any more shows this summer, so I can't donate any books by hand, but I can ask everyone who reads this blog to help me out!

Please visit http://letsgetthis.org and click on the "Buy a book" link. A donation of just $10 will buy 5 books! How cool is that?! (and how can you resist Griffin's adorable little face?)

One last thing...if this blog inspired you to donate- please list Owl's Nest/Supasoakers as the company name when making your donation. Thanks!

Much Love,

Shannon

The Best Weekend EVER (so far)

Alright Jen...you asked for it girl!

Here is the tale of my crazy NKOTB weekend extravaganza!

Before I can tell the story I'm going to have to give a little bit of background info.

Anyone who has ever read my blog is already aware of the fact that I am a HUGE Blockhead. (If you have never read my blog you can go back to the October archives to find the blogs about the 2 concerts I went to last fall if you're interested.)

Last fall after attending the concerts I began visiting the fan forums on nkotb.com. At first it was just for kicks to see what was going on, but I ended up meeting some really cool women there and before long I realized that I had become addicted to the site! The forums were a wealth of information about the guys, their concerts, their projects, etc. They were also just REALLY fun! I was having a blast chatting to these amazingly witty women! We quickly became great friends, chatting with each other til the wee hours almost nightly.

Then the boys announced the Spring leg of their tour. This time they were going to be hitting the smaller markets. I quickly discovered that several of the shows were within reasonable driving distance for me and I spent a few days trying to decide which show I should buy tickets for since I could only afford to do one. I spoke with the friend who had gone to the previous concerts with me, and we decided that the best choice for us was the show in Grand Rapids, MI. It's roughly 3 hours away, and the show was on a Saturday so we would not need to take any time off work.

THAT was the plan. Simple right? 1 concert with my friend. Nothing big.

That was the plan until I was chatting with my friends on yahoo and discovered that a few of them were planning to attend a show in Des Moines and had just upgraded their tickets to 12th row center...and that there were still seats available in the very same row! Oh my! Dream seats AND a chance to meet some of the women I had been chatting with for months? This was just not an opportunity I could pass up! Did I care that it meant driving 5 1/2 hours by myself? Did it matter that I was going to have to request time off work AFTER purchasing the tickets and hope for the best? NOPE! Didn't matter one bit! I was going to sit 12th row center if it killed me. So I spoke to my husband and he reluctantly agreed that I could buy the ticket.

Ok...so now I'm going to 2 shows. Oh, did I mention that they were 2 days apart and in totally opposite directions? Crazy? Perhaps...but ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

Fast forward to the Thursday before the first of my 2 shows. I'm driving to work and one of my friends sends me a text that she's at O'hare waiting for her connecting flight to take her to Moline for that night's concert. I texted her back and said it was cool that she was so close, and that I wished that I could go with her to the show. Then she asked me if I thought I could make it to Moline by showtime, because one of our friends still had an extra ticket and if I could get there she would buy it for me. (Blockheads freakin' ROCK!)

WHAT?! A free ticket to see my boys and all I gotta do is drive for 2 1/2 hours by myself, and then drive home again right after so that I can be at work the next morning? Ok, so I MIGHT be a little tired, but COME ON! How could I pass up such a sweet deal? Oh, and going to Moline also meant meeting some of the friends I'd be seeing in Des Moines a few days later.

Lucky for me I was scheduled to be off work at 1pm that day and getting to Moline by showtime would not be a problem! I dropped my daughter off at home with my husband, changed my clothes, and hopped in the car without a second thought.

The show was amazing! We had really good seats, just to the side of the stage. I don't have any pictures because I left my camera in the car when I was meeting my friends for dinner. When we left the restaurant my car was on the opposite side and I decided that it might be cool to watch a show without looking through a lens for a change! I was right...it was cool. Meeting the girls I had been talking to for months...even more cool!

Immediately after the show I got back in my car for the drive home. I was completely exhausted, the entire drive was nothing but fields, and it was raining that night. Thank goodness I had one of my friends in California to talk to while I drove or none of you would be reading this blog right now. The things I do for those boys! I am proud to say that I did manage to make it to work without incident the next morning. GO ME!

Saturday morning I woke up and was on the road to pick up my friend to drive to Grand Rapids by 9:30 am. My friend isn't really a very big fan, but I convinced her that we should drive over to the arena to see what was going on. We quickly found where the buses were parked and went over to see what was up. As we arrived at the parking lot Danny was just walking out of the arena and getting onto his bus. He gave a quick wave to the crowd, and my friend was hooked! (He's her favorite). Convincing her to stick around for more was a piece o' cake!

After a little while Jordan got off his bus to go into the arena for the M&G's. He did a cute little dance for us and waved to everyone, but didn't stop to say hello.

Next Jon came off his bus, pulled his hood up over his head and ducked between the buses for a smoke. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to play. He rarely is. He's really funny, but pretty private.

A few minutes later I was rewarded for my persistence as Joe and his family got off his bus to head into the arena.

We were able to witness a very sweet moment between Joe and his wife before they came out of the bus. Again, there was limited interaction, but he was friendly and seemed to be in a good mood as he waved to us. Even his son Griffin got in on the action!

We waited around for a few more minutes to see if Danny would come back out, or if Donnie would make an appearance, but we needed to go to the hotel before the show and it was getting late so we left without seeing them.

The Grand Rapids show was on the Anniversary of the NK reunion and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The energy was amazing!


Donnie got all choked up about the reunion and what it has meant to them and us. It was a great moment. I'm so happy that I was there for it!

We met up with some of my friends from the forum again after the show and decided to go back over by the buses again. This time there was a huge crowd. After a few minutes Joe came out and quickly waved to the crowd before getting back on his bus. A few seconds later Donnie came out and started saying hello to people. I was able to get close to him, but the crowd was huge and I wasn't about to push people around to get closer. I tried to take pictures, but they didn't really come out because it was dark and I had trouble getting around the crowd. My friend wasn't feeling the crowd at all, so we headed back to our hotel for the night.

The next morning we drove back to Illinois. I dropped my friend off at her house, went home for 2 hours, and then got back in the car for my 5 hour drive to Des Moines. I was staying at the home of one of my friends from the forum. Another one of our friends was flying in from Seattle that night. Her flight wasn't due in until after 11pm and then she had to drive for a few hours to get to Des Moines. While we were waiting for her to arrive, Mel and I chatted like old friends and made signs for the concert and just acted like 2 teenage girls at a slumber party. We had so much fun! Then Sarah arrived and the party just kept right on going. We ended up staying up all night!

The next morning Mel's 2 friends arrived and we all watched some old school NK videos while we got ready for the concert. We dressed Mel's 12 year old daughter up and even put some make up on her. She looked adorable!

Once everyone was ready we headed off to the venue. We took 2 cars. Sarah drove her rental car with Mel, Mel's daughter and me as the passengers, and Mel's other 2 friends drove together. When we arrived at the arena Mel suggested that we drive around the building to see where the buses were. When we pulled up to the corner next to the parking lot I looked over and saw a small crowd, and a man wearing a sweatshirt and baseball cap was standing on the corner near the barricades. I did a quick double take and then managed to spit out "Um, guys...That's Donnie". Then all hell broke loose!

I sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out what I should do while my friends tried in vain to get out of the car. After what was probably 20 seconds of listening to them rattle the door handles I said "I'm sorry guys, but I'm out!" and got out of the car, crossed the street, and joined the crowd as Donnie walked down the line giving hugs and taking pictures.


Mel and her daughter were right behind me. Poor Sarah who was in an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar city was abandoned! She floored it around the corner and drove up the block where she ran a light as it changed to red and whipped into a parking lot on the other side of the street. Then she ran as fast as she could back to the corner to join us. While all that had been going on, I had been walking the line with Donnie trying to get his attention and failing miserably. My friends got their hugs, Mel's daughter got an extra long snuggle and a kiss on her head, and I was there to take Sarah's picture for her while Donnie hugged her.


(Didn't feel so bad about abandoning her after that!). My friends were on cloud 9, but Donnie went back into the arena without giving me a hug. I was a little bummed, but let's face it...he was not the one I was there to see!

I'm a little fuzzy on the order of the rest of the events of the afternoon, but we were lucky enough to be able to see all 5 guys that afternoon. Donnie was the only one to come around and give hugs, but the rest of the guys (with the exception of Jon) interacted with us from a distance.





Joe was easily the most playful of the guys. The first time we saw him he was coming out of the arena to get on his bus. As he walked out he shushed all of us acting like we needed to be quiet for his son...and then laughed and told us that he was just joking and that Griffin was awake. He didn't come near the barricade, but he told us that he would be back out later.

Quite a while later the head of security went onto Joe's bus. Then he came back out and told us that Joe would be coming out with his family and asked us to please not take any pictures of the baby. As Joe walked off the bus he yelled "Shaaaaaaaaadup!" at us and then started laughing. He helped his wife with their son, and then walked his dog. We all started shouting things to him while he was walking Duncan. In a fit of insanity (ok, not really- it was totally planned) I shouted "Joe, you know those jeans are killing us, right?!" (For those not in the know- he has a particular pair of jeans that we all LOVE, and he wears them constantly. He happened to be wearing them at the time) He was looking down at the time and I couldn't see his face, but my friends told me that he smirked after I said it. Mel asked him about a stuffed animal that is in the window of the bus and he answered her, and some girls asked him to sing particular songs during the show...he told them to go listen to the cd. (Sarcastic SOB!)


Then he and his family went into the arena and my moment was over.

No hug :(

A short time later the security guy came back and told us that Donnie was going to come back around again. He asked that anyone who was there earlier and got a hug please step back and allow the rest of the crowd to have their turn. Sarah gave Mel's daughter her hat to wear, and she got another great hug from Donnie, then Donnie spotted Sarah and asked if he'd seen her earlier (she was over the moon!), Donnie accidently kicked a can of Mtn Dew on one of my friends and apologized to her while giving her a hug...and then it was my turn. I said, "I was here earlier, but I never got my hug!" He looked at me for a second then said "Yeah, ok" and opened up his arms. Mel's daughter was able to take a picture of the moment.


After my hug he moved on and Mel asked if she could get a kiss. He said that he couldn't kiss her on the mouth because he didn't want to make her sick, but then gave her a smooch on the corner of her mouth. I swear I've never seen a happier woman in my life.

The show was AMAZING! 12th row center turned out to be 8th row DEAD center because of the part of the stage that juts out into the audience. I was mesmerized the entire show. I've honestly never had so much fun in my life.










The best part of the whole experience was that I got to share it with some really great friends. It took me a week to recover, but it was truly a magical weekend and one that I won't soon forget.

Stay tuned, because THIS weekend they're coming back! My friends from all around the country are flying in and we get to be together to see our boys! I'm so excited!!!!! I promise I won't wait quite so long to tell the story this time.

Sorry- but it's too funny not to!

Beyond the obvious

I'm going to go ahead and warn you in advance that this is yet another New Kids inspired post. It is also going to be long and I completely understand if you are not a fan and don't want to continue reading. I will ask you to reconsider the decision just this once because this post is actually more for you than for my fellow fans, but I will still understand if you choose to go. I promise there will be plenty of non- NKOTB posts in the future, and I hope that you stick around to see them.

I am writing this post because for some odd reason, I just feel the need to explain exactly what it is that makes me so smitten with them. I have always had a difficult time dealing with the haters. People like my husband who simply hear the words "New Kids On The Block" and cringe. The ones who have decided that they are automatically going to hate everything about them, without ever even listening or giving them a chance...just because of who they are.

I don't think that it's just because I like them so much. I think that it's the close-minded attitude that bothers me the most. I don't understand how anyone can be so negative about something they know absolutely nothing about.

I have certainly been guilty of it myself over the years. For a long time I had an extreme prejudice against country music. I had it in my head that all country music was whiny and that all country singers had an annoying nasal twang. I was particularly hardened against Randy Travis. Then one day my sister told me that there was this song that she wanted to sing at my wedding and she wanted me to listen to it...and then she told me that it was Randy Travis. My immediate reaction was "Hell no!"- but then I decided to give her a chance. She played the song for me and I loved it. I'm not saying that I became a country music convert on the spot, because I definitely didn't. I still don't really listen to country, but I am open to the possibility of enjoying it. I guess I really just want other people to do the same for my favorite boys from Boston, because I really feel like they deserve it.

I'm really not asking anyone to love them the way that I do. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, and that is one of my favorite things about life. How boring would it be if we were all exactly alike? All I want is for people to give them a break. They are totally different from what they were 20 years ago. The music really isn't even similar.

I absolutely believe that there are still going to be a LOT of people who totally hate the new stuff. I understand that, and I accept it. I'm not asking anyone to like it, I just want people to give it a chance. I honestly believe that if you played many of the songs from the new CD on the radio without telling anyone who it was, there would be a bunch of people who would love it who would have said they hated it if they knew who it was ahead of time. Personally, I like the new stuff. Most of it is not particularly deep, so if that's what you're into you probably won't like it. If you're looking for something lighthearted and fun... give it a listen. You might be surprised.

Now that I've gotten the preaching out of the way, let's move on to my original purpose...explaining what it is that I love about them.

As I stated in a previous post, for me it is more about the people than it is about the music.

As with most things- it all started with a first impression. I saw them perform Please Don't Go Girl on Don't Just Sit There...my early-teen hormones went into overdrive and I was completely smitten. Eventually it turned into much more than that. During the early 90's you couldn't walk 2 steps without running into something New Kids related. One of the benefits of this (for fans) was that there was more to the hype than just products. There were constant interviews with the guys, both on TV and in magazines. Plus they kept releasing the "behind the scenes" mass-produced videos. We fans really felt like we got to know who they were as people. They have always been very silly and open with us. I'm sure part of that was due to the fact that they were just teenagers themselves. They just wanted to have fun!

I really identified with their positive attitudes and their ability to remain "normal" people throughout the chaos. I wanted to know everything I could about them because they seemed so kind and genuine. The concerts were the best thing in the world to me because the 5 of them have always had this unbelievable ability to connect with the audience. I will never forget the moment during the one concert I went to when I swear Joe looked right at me and laughed at me even though I was in the nosebleeds. I saw a recent interview with them in which they say that they hated it when they got so huge and started playing stadiums. It wasn't fun for them because they lost the ability to really connect with the crowd.

I have to admit that I was never one of the fans just dying for them to reunite. It's not that I didn't want to see them back together, I just didn't want to see them make a mockery of themselves. Coming back on any terms but their own or without new material would have been a disaster. I am very happy and proud that they stayed true to themselves and didn't sell themselves out.

I would not be a fan if they had reunited under any other circumstances but the current ones. The way that they have handled the reunion and themselves has proved to me that everything I have always believed about them is true. They really are just 5 regular guys trying to have some fun and put on a good show in the process. Even with all of the fame and fortune and craziness- they never lost what it is that makes them so special.

This post started to form last night as I was reading posts on the NKOTB forum. There was this one post that asked about Joe's blue eyes. The question got me thinking about the day that I "met" him. I started thinking about the moment that he looked up at me (I can still see the expression on his face clear as day in my mind) and what it was about that look that made me weak in the knees. The smile was unbelievably sexy and the color of his eyes is definitely striking, but it was more than just that. It wasn't the way his eyes looked that did it- it was the way his eyes looked at me. He really locked eyes with me in a way that let me know he was really seeing me and that he cared.

I don't think that you get that with many people. I'm not even just talking about celebrities. I think it is unusual to find that even just talking to people that you see every single day. Most people are so caught up in themselves that they don't take the time to truly connect with people when they are talking to them. We have a tendency to only half-listen to each other. I think that it is especially unusual for a celebrity to be able to maintain that ability. It has to get boring to sign autograph after autograph for people for hours on end. It would be very easy to become jaded about it and do it with half a heart. The thing about Joe that was so staggering to me that day was that with just that one look, he let me know that he honestly cared that I was there. He understood how important it was to me and he wanted me to know that he understood.

He said it all without saying a single word. That look made me want to return the favor, but I just didn't know how to say thank you to him and make him understand what I was thankful for. I only had seconds to let him know what was in my heart and it wasn't nearly enough. So I said the only thing I could think of that came even close to telling him what it was about him that kept me coming back for more..."Thanks for keeping it real Joe". It sounds so silly and trite and I laugh at myself for saying it, but it really was kind of what I wanted to say to him.

I know that it is silly to be so obsessed with a person I don't know. I understand that I know only what he wants me to know about himself and that what I know is the celebrity and not the person. I get that. I honestly do. It just doesn't stop me from wanting to know the man behind those sparkling blue eyes. I know in my heart that he is a truly beautiful person and knowing that helps to give me a sense of hope. Knowing that there are people like him in the world makes me happy.

I guess I just want to share that feeling with as many people as possible.

My happy place

New motivation

Thanks to the girls on the NKOTB forum, I now have something new to help keep me motivated in the Looking Fine by 2009 challenge! I thought that a few of my loyal readers might get a giggle, so I'm sharing...

No Joe, No I do not.

Now I just need to make it poster sized and hang it above my bed like in the old days. (TOTALLY kidding...maybe)