Even though I had very little sleep the night before, I didn't have as difficult of a time waking up on Day 2 as I thought I would. I was excited to relax on the beach with my girls and my Boys and I was even more excited that we were going to get to see Kevin Richardson reunited with the group for the day. I felt bad that my friend Tammy had not been able to come on the trip because she is a Kevin girl. I promised I would take a lot of photos for her but I suspected my camera was going to gear a lot towards him anyway since I had gotten thousands of photos of the other Boys over the past years. It had been 3 years since I had seen Kevin perform in "Chicago," and even longer since I had seen him as a member of the group during their Never Gone tour.
Ready to hit the beach with the girls
We got into our beach wear and we went to eat our breakfast...but there were no Backstreet Boys to be seen during this meal....or any others while we were on the cruise for that matter. I know it appears as if we at a lot but when you have 20 hour days full of activities then you need that extra fuel. Plus I was going to get my money's worth....which came to be my slogan during each meal. We then made our way to wait for our turn to board the buses to head to the beach. I vowed to myself this year that I was going to relax more during the Beach Party this year and actually enjoy the beach. Last year I was so worried about getting a good spot that I didn't get to enjoy the fact that I was on a beach in Cozumel in December. Nassau was going to be different! We debarked the ship and were standing in the Bahamas! What a glorious feeling. We waited patiently for our shuttle to take us to the beach.
While the rest of my friends were stuck in the cold weather
I was in The Bahamas!
Since we were in Group B, we were the second group to leave the ship. By the time we had arrived to Cable Beach, the Group A fans already had their spots staked out by the stage. There was a large group there and I didn't know how long we would be standing before the Boys actually showed up. Several fans had set up blankets further back on the beach and that is where we decided to set up camp as well. Once we had established our spot, the roommates and I decided to get some photos of the beautiful scenery. Here I was, once again, in paradise about to spend the day with the Backstreet Boys. Our group then got our lunch and I got my fruity girly beverage to enjoy while sitting on the beach in the Bahamas. After lunch, some of us relaxed while the others decided to grab a spot closer to the stage. I was perfectly content where I was so I decided to take a short nap. I decided that I was more than likely going to stay right where I was when the group showed up because I still had a great spot to see what was happening on stage. I'm glad we had decided to get a spot further back because the Boys did not show up for several hours. I knew there was going to be much more cruise to go where we would be standing. Plus, I am sure it was rather warm in that large group.
Brian's Beads!
Eventually, I began to hear cheering and saw that the Backstreet Boys were coming out of the resort and heading towards the stage. I counted...one, two, three, four.....four? No, there should have been a fifth head. Kevin would follow shortly behind them and all was well with the world. The first thing the Boys did on stage was throw beads out into audience. I knew that we were far enough back that we would not get any...unless Brian decided to throw some our way. The next thing I know, a pair of Brian's bead are flying in my direction! I had a finger on them and then my friend practically ripped them out of my hand...okay maybe that's an exaggeration but she did end up getting them. I gave her a playful push and joked with her about taking "my beads." I am not sure if Brian saw this or not because the next thing I know there was another set of beads flying in my direction. I slightly stepped in front of another girl and grabbed them. Now I had my own set of Brian beads! I know they are just a cheap trinket that can be bought at any dollar store but even something as simple as that can make a grown woman so happy when associated with her favorite Backstreet Boy. It was the first time I had ever caught anything thrown by any of them and I was on cloud nine.
Cheers to the return of Kevin
It was actually at this point that Kevin joined the rest of the group on stage. The five men that had helped me through so much were together again. Kevin made several comments about how we all looked so grown up now. I hated to break it to him but we were grown up, although many of us still feel like we are 15 again when we see them. I guess they help to keep us young at heart.
After the Boys spent some time reuniting, it was time for some Beach games! I was excited to see what they had in store and was hoping for more than just the same games that they had last year. it started out on a good note when it was announced that they would be playing musical chairs. Now most adults would not have the slightest interest in watching other adults play this elementary game. However, we discovered that AJ did not know how to play the game because of what he claimed to be a "deprived childhood." He thought that the last person to sit was the person that was out but Kevin quickly set him straight. The game got even more interesting when it turned out to be a showdown between Backstreet Boys.
Musical Chairs Backstreet Showdown
Backstreet Boys Twister made another appearance during this year's beach party after the warm reception from the crowd last year. And who doesn't want the butt of a Backstreet Boy sticking up in the air in front of you? Not to mention the unique positions you discover that they can indeed do. Nick proved once again that he is the most flexible of the Backstreet Boys...
Nick showing his skills
Backstreet Limbo was next on the agenda and we got to see just how flexible our Boys really were. The answer was not so much. Nick and Kevin decided that they were going to hold onto the bar because they were too tall to actually Limbo, although Nick did give it a try at the end. The only one that really got into it was AJ and Brian decided that we wanted to go over the bar, rather than under.
Jen, BSB's manager, then announced that there would be a three legged race on the beach off to the side so many fans moved over there. However, the Boys did not seem to be going anywhere. They huddled up and remained that way for several minutes. Jen didn't seem to know what was up at first. Apparently, they were working on some harmonizing because the next thing we knew, this happened...
"Safest Place To Hide"
If anyone had doubts on whether or not they wanted Kevin to return to the group, I hope that this helped to settle your uneasiness. I have to admit that I was one of those that wasn't sure about a return from Kevin but after hearing all five guys sing together again, I realized that it would not be a bad thing. I believe they sound better as five and he appeared to be having a great time with the rest of the guys on the beach. The Boys seemed to welcome him with open arms and their behavior did not become more reserved like many expected it would when Kevin made his appearance.
It appeared that the Boys were still not quite ready for the three legged race, as some water guns were brought out. They happily sprayed their fans and then Nick decided that he wanted to have a wet t-shirt contest. Watching barely dressed girls get sprayed down by the Backstreet Boys is not really my thing...and then it was decided that AJ had to participate because he was in white. Brian quickly called dibs on spraying AJ down and AJ danced around like he was a wet t-shirt contest pro.
Wet T-Shirt Contest
We even got a little surprise at the end.....our first shirtless Backstreet Boy sighting on the beaches of Nassau! Thank you AJ. Nick and Howie were quick to follow. And as I suspected, no shirtless Brian for me.
Eye Candy for Us All
Anything after that was kind of a jumbled mix of events as the Boys left the stage and I stayed right where I was. Nick eventually made it into the water, followed by hundreds. Kevin started signing autographs. The Boys took a break for lunch and started to take photos and sign autographs. Several my my friends got photos with one or more of the guys. I'm not sure if the three legged race ever actually happened. It was announced that Brian and Howie were going to go play volleyball while AJ and Nick decided to ride some jet skis. I heard Brian and volleyball in the same sentence and off to the volleyball court Laura and I went. I missed out on this last year and I was not going to miss my chance to try to play volleyball on the beach with Brian this year. Many girls were busy watching Nick and AJ out in the water on their jet skis so Laura and I got a prime spot next to the volleyball court, which people (a mix of resort stayers and Backstreet fans) were already playing on. I wondered if their game would finish by the time Brian came over or if they would be kicked off. I saw Brian heading over and I knew I had to try to get on his team. As he came closer I simply put my hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eye, and told him that he had to pick me for his volleyball team because I was good (not to toot my own horn or anything...). I told him to just trust me on that and Leighanne said that she would remember the girl in the green coverup. I thought I might actually have a shot of being picked! Unfortunetely, Brian, Kevin, and Howie just joined in the game that was already being played. I still got to be right behind Brian as he served and I loved watching him in action. Kevin was also good but Howie can definitely work on his skills. Maybe I should just set up my spot on the volleyball court next cruise....playing volleyball with Brian would be a dream come true...not that I don't mind my current team.
Brian playing volleyball on the beach
It was announced that those from Group A had to start boarding the buses. I was glad that we were in Group B because we got to hang around just a bit longer to get a little more Backstreet action (if you were in Group A you didn't miss much). I had been in the first group last year and had not wanted to leave the beach knowing the Boys had still been there. Not long after this announcement, Howie left the game. Soon after, Kevin left....but we knew were going to be seeing him that evening (they had announced earlier that he would be joining us at the Prom Night Deck Party). Then it was time for Brian to leave. We held back for a few minutes because we didn't want it to appear that we were leaving just because he was. We found the rest of our group and then made our way to the buses. it had been an amazing day and I realized that we still had our concert and a deck party to go to still! It got very windy and cold on our way back to the ship and we knew we were in for a windy, cold deck party that evening.
I think your eye candy chart is officially my favorite part of your blog :D
ReplyDeletei LOVE the eye candy chart as well!!! i may need to blow that up and hang it in my room...haha!!! =)
ReplyDeleteIt would be better if it included two certain Kentucky cousins.
ReplyDeleteLove your eye candy collage!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the boys did do the three legged race. I ran over to it and got some of it on video. The boys kept falling down it was funny.