**Brow Down, Goggles Up - We Brought Eight Back to Rupp**
2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four
New Orleans, LA
March 31, 2012 - April 2, 2012
The 2011-2012 University of Kentucky basketball season could be summed up in one word....AMAZING! In mid-March I had been lucky enough to see the Wildcats play in Round 3 of March Madness in Louisville (check out my Looking at the crowd entry). If that was the only game I attended for the season, I was going to be happy...although it was constantly at the back of my mind that the Final Four just happened to be during the Spring Break at the school I worked for. UK went on from Round 3 to face Indiana University in the Sweet 16...the same Indiana University that gave UK one of their two losses. I had decided that if Kentucky won in the Sweet 16, I was going to purchase tickets for the Final Four and Championship games down in New Orleans....and hope that they made it through the Elite Eight so I wouldn't have to sell the tickets I had just bought.
Kentucky ended up winning in the Sweet 16 against IU and I hopped on StubHub and found a ticket for the Final Four and Championship games. Unlike my Round 3 games in Louisville, I decided not to take the chance of buying two tickets since I didn't have anyone in mind to make the trip down with me. I was going to be making the trip by myself...as long as they won in the Elite 8 against Baylor. I was going to make sure that everyone I knew was cheering for Kentucky in this game to ensure that they moved onto the Final Four. I was going to be so mad if I had bought the tickets and they ended up not making it. I made sure that I even tweeted Brian to ensure that he was cheering for his Wildcats. To my surprise, he even tweeted me back...my first chirp from Brian Littrell! This might have made me even more excited than the fact that I would be going to the Final Four if Kentucky won. I mean, not only was it a tweet from Brian, but it was a tweet about the University of Kentucky Wildcats...it was my two favorite things in one.
Kentucky ended up going on to beat Baylor...they were making the trip to the Final Four for the second year in a row AND they would be facing one of their biggest rivals...the University of Louisville. It was going to be the Battle of the Bluegrass in New Orleans. I was just so happy to be able to be going to the Final Four, but the fact that they were going to be playing U of L made me even more excited because of the rivalry that these two schools have. The next week of work was going to go by so slow and I desperately needed Spring Break (most people who work in a school setting know this feeling well). The Final Four game was going to be held on the first Saturday of my Spring Break and the Championship game on the Monday.
Flying was going to be out of the question because flights were about $200 each way. I was going to have to make a 16 hour minimum drive down to NOLA by myself. There was no way I was going to be able to spend that much money on this trip. There was also no way I was going to pay $200 a night to stay at a hotel in New Orleans, at least for those hotels that happened to still have room (which was not very many). A hotel an hour outside of the city was booked instead. It was going to be a long drive but I couldn't really take the Friday off before Spring Break because of my work responsibilities so I was going to have to leave striaght from work at 6pm, which would get me to New Orleans at 10am on Saturday at the earliest if I made no stops along the way. We all know that was never going to happen.
Michigan City, IN -> New Orleans, LA
Luckily, I was able to leave work an hour early on Friday but I still didn't get out of the city until 6pm because of a short stop I had to make in order to show that I was a proud member of the Big Blue Nation. My car was ready to go and so was I! My next stop...New Orleans, LA.
Proud Member of the Big Blue Nation - Kentucky Wildcats - Final 4
Go Big Blue!
Nothing really exciting happened on the drive down, which can be a good thing compared to some of my past road trip surprises. I had a whole discography of Backstreet Boys to listen to and I made sure to stop often at every rest stop, since I was getting tired. About half way to New Orleans, I decided that I needed to sleep for a bit before I continued on. While the game was not until the evening, doors opened at 2pm and I wanted to make sure I got there as close to that as possible since I was in a new city and did not know what traffic was going to be like. This meant that I could only sleep for about 3 hours and I wasn't about to get a hotel for that little amount of time. So, once I crossed over into Missouri, I found a rest stop, crawled into the back seat, set my alarm, and slept. With so little sleep, I was going to have to rely on adrenaline and excitement to get me to NOLA. At 5am, I continued my trip and it was at this point that I started running into Final Four traffic, displayed by the flags, magnets, and car decorations. Fellow Wildcat fans honked as we passed one another and I only got flipped off once...by a Kansas fan, go figure (there will be more about that later).
I got to the hotel at about 1pm and got cleaned up quickly (19 hours after having left home the day before). I still had an hour drive to get to the arena and had no idea what traffic was going to be like since I had been told that New Orleans traffic is not much fun. However, I had absolutely no problems getting to the arena. Maybe it was because I was there earlier than most since the first games didn't start for several hours. As I parked I couldn't believe I was actually there...I mean there was a very strong possibility that I was going to get to see my favorite team win the NCAA championship, something that was definetly on my bucket list.
I was going to get to see two games that evening. First was the University of Kentucky against the University of Louisville. The second game was going to be Kansas University against The Ohio State University. One reason I enjoy getting to games early is because I enjoy watching the warm ups of the teams, it is just that little bit extra that you pay for in your ticket but not a lot of people take advantage of. As the arena started filling up, I started to meet the people around me. One thing I learned about the Final Four is that there are people who come from all over who had bought tickets very early on hoping their teams had made it this far in the tournament. When their teams do not make it, many of them still come anyway. To my left was a couple who were fellow Kentucky fans. At least I wasn't going to be completely by myself in rooting for the Wildcats. To my right was the gentleman who had sold my ticket on Stub Hub to me because one of his party could not come. They were from New York and were Syracuse fans. The people in front of me were Texas fans and then there were some VERY rude Kansas fans in front of them. Behind me were some Ohio State fans.
It was finally time for the game to start. Monica sang the National Anthem and the starting lineups were announced and whoever had made Baylor's bright yellow uniforms for the tournament must have also made University of Louisville's neon red/orange unifroms.
Starting Lineup - Terrance Jones #3, Doron Lamb #20, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #14
Anthony Davis #23, Marquis Teague #25
Time to get the show on the road!
Even though UK had only lost 2 games the entire season, U of L was not going to make the game easy for Kentucky. Louisville outrebounded Kentucky 40-33 with a 16-9 advantage on offensive rebounds, the main reason Louisville was able to keep up with Kentucky. However, Kentucky was not going to let Louisville win this game and they played hard...so hard that Anthony Davis went flying off of the court twice, making it all the way into the media row once. Whenever one team made a run, the other team answered with their own. Kentucky went into halftime leading by 13 points.
Marquis Teague for 2
Anthony Davis going over the defender
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist driving the lane
Darius Mille driving the lane
However, Louisville came out in the second half with a 15-3 run and a 3-pointer to tie the game at 49 with 9:11 to play. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who had only played 23 minutes due to foul problems was not going to let this happen and made back to back baskets. The Wildcats then regained control when Jones scored on a jumper and Miller made only the second Wildcat 3-pointer of the game. Just so Louisville wouldn't get any wild notions of a late comeback, Kidd-Gilchrist threw down a monstorous dunk with 1:05 left to play. The Kentucky crowd was on their feet and we were one step closer to a championship after shooting 57% and beating Louisville 69-61.
Kentucky fights for the rebound
Darius Miller takes it up the court
Anthony Davis fights two Louisville players under the basket
Terrance Jones drives to the basket
Kentucky celebrates - headed into the championship game!
As I mentioned earlier, the Kansas fans in front of me were very rude. As the clock ticked down to zero of the Kentucky game, they turned around and started flipping off all of the Kentucky fans behind them and stating how the team is all a bunch of "one and dones" anyway. Their team hadn't even played yet and I honestly think they knew that if they were going to have to play Kentucky, they were going to get beat. It wasn't just that but just a lot of the things they were saying during the game as well. So, I did the rational thing during the next game of the evening and cheered as best as I could for Ohio State. The Ohio State fans that were behind me were great. They were good sports about everything, to the point where they were teasing their own team when they made mistakes. Unfortunately, Kansas came out on top and I hoped that those Kansas fans would not be there for the championship game.
I took the hour drive back to my hotel but I was too pumped to sleep even though I was way sleep deprived. Luckily, the next day was just a day of relaxation since the championship game was on Monday. I had originally planned on possibly going to explore the city but I decided that since I was by myself, it wouldn't be a great idea...nor would it be much fun. So I slept a good part of the day, which felt amazing because of the little sleep I had gotten with the drive down and the stress I had been under at work. I did find a little local restaurant for dinner and had my fill of some Cajun cuisine with a nice sampler platter. I was also extremely lucky that the city I was staying in happened to have the theater chain for which I happened to have free movie passes. So for the first time in my life, I went to a movie by myself. I saw The Lorax because I am absolutely in love with Zac Efron and even a movie with just his voice makes me happy.
Then Monday came....Championship game day!!! I was so absolutely pumped. I left the hotel in plenty of time to get to the dome for the Final-Four Tip Off Tailgate at Champions Square where there would be a pep rally and a performance by Better Than Ezra. I knew of the group but can't tell you any of their songs. However, it was free so I wasn't going to pass it up. A DJ got the crowd going...a crowd of mostly Wildcat fans. The sky grew darker and darker and darker....and then it started to rain. Okay it wasn't just rain...it was a flat out storm with thunder and lightening. Therefore, the pep rally and Better Than Ezra performances were cancelled (that's what you get with outdoor events though). The small crowd that was there headed up to the Superdome but all we could do was wait since the doors were not open yet. Luckily, the crowd wasn't super huge yet so the staff allowed us to get under the over hang to stay out of the downpour. Bolts of lightening struck not far from the dome and the thunder was deafening. They decided to let us into the arena early to get us out of the weather hazards. Since I was able to stay under the over hang and was there early, I stayed dry for the most part....I could not say the same for the people from Syracuse that set next to me that were soaked to the bone right before the game.
Since I was in the arena early, I got to see the student practicing their flash mobs that they were going to perform later. I only recorded the Kentucky student section (which, by the way was way fuller than the Kansas student section) when they performed it during the game.
UK Student Section Flashmob - Party Rock Anthem
This was it, the moment I had been waiting for all season...the moment that the University of Kentucky was going to return to their rightful place as champions and be able to raise their 8th National Championship banner...we just had to get through the game with the Kansas Jayhawks. The storm was so bad outside that you could actually here the thunder inside the arena, even over the roar of the crowd and speakers.
This game wasn't going to be easy, much like the Louisville game had not been easy, but I knew this group of guys had the fight in them. It didn't help that Kansas had been fighting all season long in come from behind victories and that Anthony Davis did not have a good shooting night (just 1 for 10 with his only shot falling with 5 minutes left to go in the second half). However, he showed that he could still contribute to the team with 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assissts, and three steals. It truly demonstrated how well this team worked together to make something happen. Luckily Doron Lamb led the team with 22 points, including back-to-back threes to put the Cats up by sixteen with ten minutes left. I forgot to mention that the very rude Kansas fans from the night before were back this game and they were awfully quiet each time Kentucky got a nice lead. That felt really good and proved that one really shouldn't run their mouth or else it'll come back to bite you in the butt.
Driving to the hoop
Lamb for 3
Teague driving to the basket
Miller for 3
Moving the ball around the court
Rebounding
Kidd-Gilchrist to the hoop
Wiltjer for 3
Davis over the defense
However, with 1:37 left to go in the game, Kansas had cut the deficit and the Wildcats were only up by 5 points. It was a two possession ball game with a lot of time for something to go horribly wrong. Instead I was able to take this footage at the end of the game...
They had done it! The Wildcats had gone the season only losing 2 games and winning their 8th National Championship. After 14 years of waiting for the trophy to come back to Lexington (their last championship was in 1998), Kentucky was going to be able to raise another banner at Rupp Arena. I could not even begin to tell you how excited I was as that confetti came streaming down on the court. I had actually witnessed one of the greatest teams in college basketball win a national championship.
I was smiling from ear to ear as the team and the fans partook in the ritual of playing and singing "My Old Kentucky Home," a ritual that occurs after every basketball game, win or lose. I'm not from Kentucky but it is the place I truly feel the most at home when I'm there so I proudly stand and join the Big Blue Nation in the ritual anytime it happens. And I'm not going to lie, I totally had tears streaming down my face as this played because I was just so happy to be a part of all of it.
"My Old Kentucky Home"
The celebration continued as the team was presented with the Championship trophy (where I had to crack up when the team decided to tousle Coach Cal's hair) and cut down the nets...
Trophy Presentation
Cutting down the nets
The Celebration Continues
As the celebration would down, I was sad that I was going to have to leave. I knew celebrating would continue into the evening at the Wildcat's hotel and on Bourbon Street but I also knew the weather was bad, I was by myself, and I had a long journey ahead of me the next day. I knew I was going to have to go back to the hotel and celebrate on my own. First, I wanted to make sure all of the celebrating was done at the arena. I am glad I stayed because as the Wildcats made their way back to their locker room, several of the team members decided that they needed to go show some love to their families. It was great to see these guys trying to get through the crowd and climbing over seats so that they could get to those that mean the most to them and celebrate with them.
Celebrating with Family
Alas, it was time for me to leave the arena and head out into the stormy night. As I made the hour trip back to my hotel, my hands would not stop shaking...I'm pretty sure it was from the excitement and not the fact that bolts of lightening were hitting pretty regularly right off the highway I was on. I was on a high and I knew that sleep would elude me that night. It did as I searched the internet for celebrations going on throughout New Orleans and Lexington...wishing I could be there with the masses to help celebrate. I don't mind going to event alone but I can't help but think about how the trip would have been different had I been there with someone to help me celebrate and share in the happiness that I was feeling.
The next morning, with little sleep, I packed up the car and headed back north. I was hoping to be able to get home without having to stop to sleep but I was also on very little sleep. I was excited about two things though...I would be driving through two cities that are the homes of two of my favorite places to eat.
My first stop on the way back home was going to be in Memphis to get a burger and sweet tea from Dyer's on Beale Street because they have, simply, the best hamburger out there. It's not exactly the kind of burger that a health nut would eat, since what makes it so good is the "ageless cooking grease" that the burgers are cooked in. I scarfed down my burger but knew I had to save room because the real meal would be coming in a few hours...and it was a meal that there had to be room for. As I drove, I wished that I had gotten a few burgers to go. Usually, I make sure that I make it down to Memphis once a year (my sorority works very closely with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) but I'm not sure when I will be down that way again. It would have been nice to have some extra burgers for the week.
My next stop was a few hours north in Sikeston, Missouri to a place called Lambert's Cafe. This restaurant has been featured on numerous shows on the Food Network and is a must visit. They have three or four locations but this is the only one I have ever been too. Let me tell you why you have to eat at this restaurant....because it is just plain awesome for a number of reasons. First, you get SO much food. The dinners usually come with two sides. Then they have what are called "pass arounds." Basically servers come around with pots of fried okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, black eyed peas, and sorghum for your rolls. Oh and the dinners are all you can eat. I've never been able to finish a plate there because the original servings are already huge. The second thing that makes this place so cool is the food. Not only do you get a lot of it, but it is your down south, comfort type food. It is delicious. And the final thing that makes this place my favorite is the fact that they don't just pass out the rolls with your dinner...they throw them to you across the room. I mean where else can you get something like that? It was extremely odd going to a place like this by myself since I'm usually with a whole table full of girls when I go. However, I did run into some fellow Wildcats and had a nice chat with them after I had finished eating. I left Lambert's feeling like I normally do...miserable because I just ate way too much.
Because of my lack of sleep the night before, I had to stop in Illinois that evening to sleep. I had to be at the house early the next morning to be there for the electric company so it was not worth my money once again to get a hotel. So I found a rest stop, crawled into the back seat, and slept for a few hours...doesn't that sound familiar? People always ask me how I felt safe enough to do that. First, there were usually about 10-15 cars at the stops I went to...all with people doing the exact same thing. Second, these particular rest stops had security in place. I park in a place that is well lit and I lock my doors. By doing this I saved about $100 on hotels that I would have only used 3-4 hours at a time.
23 hours after leaving New Orleans, I finally made it home. My total traveling mileage was 2,034 miles and every single mile and minute I was in that car was worth it. I wished I had been able to go to Lexington afterwards instead to see the raising of the banner but that just wasn't a possibility. I was going to just have to be happy with what I witnessed...and trust me that was enough for me!
Title Credit - "Masquerade" - This Is Us - Backstreet Boys
Now that I am FINALLY done with my 2011 Cruise Reviews, I guess I can actually write about BSB Cruise 2013. There is really not much to report yet. The cruise will be October 25th-28th on the Carnival Imagination. As of right now, the itinerary calls for us to go to The Bahamas but does not give us an exact island for our "private island beach party." For the 2011 Cruise the original destination was Half Moon Cay, which was later changed to Nassau.
More importantly, Kevin will officially be a Backstreet Boy again when this cruise takes place. I am very interested to see what his return to the group holds and how it will change the feel of the cruise. I think he did an excellent job interacting with fans during his guest appearance on the 2011 cruise but that was one day of crazy.
Cruise Roommates - Cory, Chrissy, and Laura
Most importantly, I will be on the ship again! I will once again be rooming with Laura and Cory, my roommates from last year. We were able to get a cabin on the 6th deck Aft (U229). We had tried for the last cruise to get a deck on the 6th deck to see if that would give us more opportunities running into the guys. When we were not able to get on the 6th deck, we decided to go one deck down and ended up with a cabin on the 5th deck. We decided this year that we were going to try to get onto the 6th deck again but if we couldn't, we would get a cabin on the lowest deck (deck 4) and save a little extra money since deck 5 really didn't give us any advantages last year. I think we are a little more aft that we really want to be (that would be my fault and reading the cabin number wrong), but we're on the deck of our choice and, most importantly, we are on the ship!
Last cruise, we had a group of 7 girls. This year, that group has grown to 10 and doesn't that just work out perfectly for the group photo? E-mails are already in the works regarding both pre and post-cruise plans. I think after the last cruise it was decided that one almost needs a vacation after a Backstreet Boys cruise. I know I didn't have a full and complete voice for up to two weeks after I got back home.
There may just be one little problem for me. One of the reasons that I have not been very active on my blog (besides the 60 hours a week I was working the first three months of the year and the traveling I have been doing) is because I have made the decision that I would like to go back to graduate school to get a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I have spent the last two month studying for my General GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and my GRE Psychology Subject Test. If I do get accepted, it means that I will have to miss some classes in order to go on the cruise. Luckily, they moved the cruise up two months so that it would be less likely to interfere with finals. I also think that it is late enough in October that it should not interfere with midterms. And it could be that I just don't get accepted anywhere and not have to worry about it. I should find out in April what I will be doing with my life come next fall. However, I just can't imagine having to attend class the day after I return from the cruise so that I don't have to miss more classes than I have to. I would think that it would be nothing but miserable.
Well, there it is...my first post on BSB Cruise 2013. I will actually be starting the Grad School application process here very soon so I'm not sure how often I will be able to update (I know I still have 4 entries to complete to catch up from this year's events). I also have a job interview this week (I quit my job back in August because I was so miserable) but that position is only a part time position. Thank you all for being so patient in the 6 months that I was MIA from this blog.
I know this post is a very long time coming since it has been months (okay two months shy of a year) since we got off of the Carnival Imagination. Sometimes life just happens. This is the last of my BSB Cruise 2011 reviews so I hope you have enjoyed my reviews as much as I enjoyed being on the cruise.
Ashley and Cortney's
Winning Door
The last day of the cruise began with the phone ringing in our cabin. All I could think about was the fact that it had been another late night the night before and I still had another 30 minutes until the alarm went off. I had no idea who was calling and I thought maybe the clock on my iPod was off and we had overslept and were going to miss the photo. I answered the phone and heard Ashley's excited voice on the other end. She was calling to tell us that her sister and she had won the door decorating contest! Their prize was front row seats to the group A concert that evening...the lucky ducks were going to get to see the concert again! Their door was great and they totally deserved the win.
After Ashley's phone call, all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep for days. However, we had a full day of photo shoots, karaoke, enjoying the sea, and the pajama deck party. I decided to drink down a 5 hour energy shot to see if that could get me going. Between that and knowing I would be meeting BSB again in a few short hours, my energy was back and I hoped I could make it through another long day and night. We got dressed for our photo and decided to explore some more door decorations. There were some very creative doors and we loved seeing all of them. There were not nearly as many as last year. My guess is that it had something to do with the fact that no official door decorating contest was announced. After we killed some time, we decided it was time to go get in line for our photo with the Backstreet Boys.
Bottom Row: Jen, Ashley
Middle Row: Cory, Chrissy, Laura
Top Row: Anne Marie, Cortney
Fans were supposed to be in groups of 8 for the photo (2 girls for each boy). We had seven and hoped that there would not be an individual to be put into our group (although I would not be the one to be alone with the Backstreet Boy of my choice). However, there was an individual person who needed a group and it just happened that she wanted AJ, who happened to be the Boy with only one person in our group. This fan seemed nice enough and was very grateful we let her into our group. We took some nice photos while waiting to meet the Boys and tried to get over the nervous feelings we were all feeling. Yes, I have gotten several photos with the Boys but still get star struck every time I meet them.
We spent the biggest marjority of the time in line figuring out what kind of pose we wanted to do. It was decided that we would each do "Huggie Pose" and have everyone hugging whichever Boy they were paired with. We had it all planned out but as we got closer and closer, some girls decided to get a bit nervous, especially after the security guard told us "no hugs." They didn't want to get in trouble if we did huggie pose. The rest of us knew that it was going to be okay, it was more that we couldn't give them hugs before or after the photo. As we got closer, we got into the order we needed to make the photo go smoother and faster...we didn't want to be scrambling when it was actually time for the photo. Howie was up first and I told him how much I loved his album and he thanked me for the compliment. Then I asked Nick if he would be coming to Chicago for his tour (he had released some of his tour dates but had announced that there would be more dates added). He told me "probably." That made me happy. By that time we were all next to the person we were going to be standing next to in the photo so we all stayed where we were as we knew we could continue with the rest of the guys as we left the photo. Brian squated down in the front of the group and Cortney and I kneeled down with him and then threw our arms around him. As we did, he giggled and stated, "Oh their holding me." It wasn't until I got the photo that i realized that he had his hand wrapped around mine.
So it appears that two of the girls chickened out on "huggie pose," I guess that is their loss! After the photo we continues on with the rest of our greetings. Brian shook my hand and said, "It's good to see you again Kentucky Girl." I couldn't believe it! He had remembered me three days later, in a different setting, and a different outfit. I simply placed my hands over my heard and exclaimed, "Oh, you remembered?" He smirked and nodded his head as I moved on to shake the hand of the final Backstreet Boy, AJ. I also told AJ that I loved his album. Even with all of the amazing things that happened on that cruise, I think this was my most memorable moment because it was a special personal moment. It made me truly believe that Brian was actually starting to remember me.
After the photo session we knew we had time to kill before karaoke began. We did what we always seemed to do when we had time to kill...we ate. We also took the time to grab some photos around the ship.
As we waited on the Lido Deck for Karaoke to start, we noticed the skies getting darker. Karaoke was a little different during this cruise than the previous. Before the cruise, Rose Tours sent out an e-mail with a sign up for karaoke. Those who could potentially sing, were picked and placed into the VIP area. The guys then had the names of the people and songs in their pockets that they chose from so not everyone who was originally sent an e-mail was chosen. But first, karaoke started with something very special. A fan had tweeted the guys sometime before the cruise explaining that she would be going through chemotherapy and wanted them to shave her head for her. So that is exactly what happened. I thought it was a very cool thing for the guys to do and an experience for the fan to maybe associate something good when she was going through chemo.
BSB Hair Cut - Part I
BSB Hair Cut - Part II
I think that was the shining moment of karaoke on this cruise. I have to say that, overall, I was not impressed with the event for a number of reasons. First, the location of the event was not ideal. The bars on the deck made it difficult to see at times. Second, the guys weren't as into it on this cruise as they were the last. Granted they would sing every now and then with the girls, they didn't do all of the dancing that they did the previous year. They did bring back the "Baby Got Back" fan but if you were on the first cruise, it just wasn't as good because you knew it was coming. It wasn't as spontaneous and surprising as on the first cruise. Karaoke was also cut short when it started to rain. I think that shaving the girls head took them a little longer than they had expected, which also cut into the actual singing. While I think this was my least favorite of the events, it still had its funny and good moments.
My favorite featured none other than my favorite Backstreet Boy, Brian Littrell, singing a little country music....and divulging a little information about fellow group member, AJ, regarding a situation with an ex-girlfriend. (I had to take my video of this song off of YouTube because of copyright issues but I'm trying to find a way to get it on here for all of you.)
The Backstreet Boys decided to do a song with just them. Again, not as good as "Bust A Move" from the 2010 cruise, but its still the Backstreet Boys singing. They could sing the alphabet and I'd love it. Now, if only they truly understood how sexy they really were.
BSB Sing "I'm Too Sexy"
After karaoke, my roommates and I decided we needed to grab a quick snack since we still had some time before dinner so we made our way to the sushi bar. There we chatted away about anything and everything we could think of. We also had a Lauren and Nick sighting in the casino as we sat there. Finally, we made our way to dinner....where we totally took advantage of paying for the food with our cruise fees. Several other of my dinner mates and I decided that we wanted two appetizers and two main courses....as well as dessert. And it was all delicious. Dinner just wasn't the same without Ashley and Cortney since they were at the concert because of their door decoration win. Dinner was also very hard because we knew at that moment, the Backstreet Boys were performing a concert and we weren't there to see it. I think we were also getting to the point that we knew the cruise would be ending soon...it was our last night together and with the Backstreet Boys. After dinner, we all went back to our rooms to change for pajama night and attempt to pack so we wouldn't have to do it later, when all of a sudden we heard an announcement that the deck party location would be changed to the Atrium due to the weather. Laura and I bolted out of the room and joined the hundreds of girls running towards the atrium to get a good spot. Apparently, they had made this same announcement at the end of the concert because the atrium was already full of girls. Despite the change, this ended up being the best night on the ship!
First of all, my group had shirts made for PDA Pajama Jam night that said, "I dream of BSB," as well as pants that had "BSB Cruise 2011" down the pant leg. While I purchased these items, I went a different approach with my pajamas...the University of Kentucky approach. This included a Kentucky t-shirt over a long sleeve shirt with UK repeated on the sleeves, UK pajama pants, my UK shoes, and my UK earrings. I also ran into what appeared to be a fellow Wildcat fan (sometimes I don't know if fans wear it because they are truly a fan or because Brian is a fan). The only problem with my ensemble was that it was HOT during the "deck" party and the shirt layers were not helping. I know some of the girls actually went and changed from their pants into their shorts at one point because it was so hot.
As I mentioned earlier, this was, by far, the BEST night of the whole cruise. I was truly grateful at this time that this cruise happened to be a full charter so that they could move the deck party into the atrium. This avoided the disaster that was Black and Blue night on the first cruise. I don't know if this particular night would have been the same if we had been out on the deck so I was perfectly happy with the way things happened to play out. So why was this evening so good? Three little words for you....TRUTH OR DARE. Words cannot really explain this evening in its entirety so I'm just going to have to show you.
Brian crowd surfs and it wasn't even a Dare
Nick shares his marshmallows with some fans
Brian's Dare - The Worm
Howie's Dare - Love the Pillow
AJ's Dare - Tickle Nightmare
Nick's Dare - Massage by Fans
Fan Dare - Booty Dance with Nick and AJ
Fan Dare - Beg to be spanked by Brian and Howie
There....I hope those videos explained to you why exactly this was the best night of the cruise. Because of the lighting, it was difficult to get good photos at times but here are some of my favorites from the evening. I think the two photos with alcohol pretty much sum up that night on the cruise for Nick and Howie...
We left the party sometime after 4am but we weren't quite convinced to go back to the cabin to sleep just yet even though we were tired, our legs and feet hurt, we were starting to get some cold like symptoms, and we really just wanted to do this right where we were...
We thought we would grab one last bite to eat in the 24 hour pizzeria (most brilliant idea by the way) before we went back to our cabin to call it our last night. As we ate, we kept hearing cheering coming from the balcony just behind the pizzeria. We thought that it couldn't really have anything to do with the Backstreet Boys at this hour of the night. We were pretty sure that all of them had gone to bed. However, it piqued our interest. As we stepped onto the balcony there was a large swarm of girls surrounding Nick and AJ. They were having a nice intimate Q&A session...no photos, no videos allowed. It was very hard to hear them at times because they were just talking and there were some very rude fans behind us who wouldn't stop talking and laughing. Because of the nature of this event, I feel like it is my duty to keep what was said private. There may be others that have discussed what was talked about but I don't feel like its right for me to divulge what was discussed. The fact that this happened is one of my top cruise moments because of its intimacy and the fact that we have stumbled upon it by chance.
I honestly don't know what time we finally went to bed that night but I do know that we had to get up early the next morning to debark the ship. It would be the final moments on the Carnival Imagination with the Backstreet Boys and my friends.
Call off the search party, I'm alive! First, I would like to apologize for not writing in MONTHS! This year has been full of work, big life changing decisions, and lots of travel. I know I still have to finish my 2011 cruise review and do my reviews on the UK baseball regionals, UK basketball championships, my cruise reunion in Washington D.C., and a trip I took to New York to see some former UK baseball players play. However, with my first post back, I just couldn't go without writing about my birthday weekend last month. It was a weekend full of my favorite things and favorite people, a weekend that will forever stay with me in my dreams.
September 15th was my birthday. I had been super excited when it was announced that there would be a University of Kentucky Alumni Charity basketball game on September 15th, which would bring back former Wildcats who are currently playing in the NBA. Well, any University of Kentucky athletic event is to my sports world as the Backstreet Boys are to my music world. To make things even better, there was also a UK football game that day AND my husband was actually willing to go with me for once. I was totally ready for a day full of Wildcats!
And then something happened that completely changed my course of action...Leighanne announced that there would be a Wylee Party on Saturday, September 15th in Roswell, Georgia. Now I was completely torn. Lexington, Kentucky was only 6.5 hours from me and would entail an entire day of festivities. Roswell, Georgia would be at least a 12 hour drive and the Wylee Party would only be five hours. To some this would seem like an easy choice, but I was presented with two options and I had to make a choice. No matter which I chose, I knew I would have a great time. I discussed my options with my husband and my friends and took suggestions. I guess my husband really knows me best when he told me, "Go spend your birthday with Brian." He was right. There would always be another UK game but spending my birthday with Brian would be something that I had only dreamed of ever happening. Little did I know that even afterwards, it would seem like a dream. So I made my decision. I was going to drive down to Roswell, Georgia for my birthday.
Then some news was announced that I thought would once again change my plans. Just a few days before I was supposed to take my trip, it was announced that the Backstreet Boys would be performing in New York at an event for Old Navy on Friday, September 14th.....yes, the day before Brian was scheduled to be in Georgia for the Wylee Party. Since the Old Navy Event seemed to be so last minute, I was worried that Brian would not be able to be at the Wylee Party. Don't get me wrong, I love Leighanne and I've bought my fair share of Wylee products. However, I would really have to think about making that long of a drive without Brian being there. Luckily, there were still tickets left for the UK Basketball Alumni game if need be. There had been no word one way or the other as far as whether or not Brian would be at the Wylee event. So I decided to send out a little tweet to Brian, Leighanne, and Wylee to see if I could get some kind of confirmation one way or the other. Anyone who has tweeted Brian or Leighanne know that it can be a bit difficult to get a response back. Apparently, my birthday was going to start two days early because I received my second ever tweet from Brian Littrell...
Let's just pretend that it is my birthday that he wouldn't miss for the world...
Alright, so I was going to be heading down to Georgia after all. My plan was to drive to Louisville on Thursday night and stay with a friend so that I'd only have an 8+ hour trip, rather than 12+ hours. However, a baseball team that I had been following all summer had made it to the playoffs and were playing the championship game on Thursday. I had started listening to and following the Hudson Valley Renegades (Class A Short Season Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays in the New York-Penn League) as soon as I had discovered that one of my favorite UK Baseball players, Michael Williams had been placed on the team after he had been drafted to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was also very convenient that another UK Baseball player, Luke Maile, had also been placed on the team. I had actually taken a trip to New York just two weeks prior to see the two play, but that will hopefully be another blog entry at another time. Anyway, the Renegades had tied a best of three series up with the Tri-City ValleyCats and were going to be playing the Championship deciding game on that Thursday. If I drove down to Louisville that night, I was going to miss it. I made the decision to stay at home and listen to the game (yes, listen since it is only minor league baseball and not on TV). The Renegades ended up winning the New York-Penn League Championship that night! Two of my Bat Cats (UK Baseball players) were Champions and this would be considered early birthday present number two!
2012 New York-Penn League Champions - Hudson Valley Renegades
And I bet your wondering where this talk of UK Baseball all of a sudden came from? Don't worry there will eventually be a blog post about that too!
So, Friday rolls around and I am on very little sleep. I never get any sleep the night before I leave for a trip because I'm up late getting everything packed and prepared. It's the one aspect in my life that I never finish early and I have no idea why. In order to pack for Georgia, I still needed to unpack from New York two weeks prior since the vacation fairy had failed her job miserably and hadn't done it for me. Even though I was on little sleep, I knew the adrenaline of the trip would keep me awake. The fastest way to get to Georgia from the Chicago area is to head straight down to Nashville and then over to Atlanta. However, I was heading south. Lexington is south. I love Lexington. Do you see where I'm going with this? By cutting over to Lexington and then heading south, I was only going to add thirty minutes to the drive. The feelings of pure joy I get when I am in Lexington was going to make that extra time well worth it. I had been getting some suggestions of places to eat in Lexington that I wanted to try. Additionally, I thought it was very convenient that Lexington is pretty much the exact half way point between here and Roswell (6.5 hours for each leg).
Michigan City, IN -> Lexington, IN -> Roswell, GA - Approx. 733 miles
As I crossed the bridge over the Ohio River and into Kentucky, I immediately felt a sense of peace. It's the feeling I always get when I travel to or through the state. I just feel so at home there and there is a calmness that passes over me as I see that "Welcome To Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit" sign. I said so long to Indiana and hello to the place that I most want to live. I said goodbye to the miles and miles and miles of this....
This is the only cool part of Indiana, our wind turbines amongst the corn fields.
And said hello to this...
The hills of Kentucky between Louisville and Lexington
If only it had been slightly later in the fall so that the leaves would have begun to change....then the drive is even more beautiful and breathtaking.
I finally got to Lexington at about 4:30 or so. It was an odd time since it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner really. However, I had planned it so that I would be hungry at that time. I stopped at a recommended hamburger joint just off of campus called Tolly-Ho's. I ordered my burger and was just getting ready to leave when early birthday present number three walked in the door (although it took me awhile to figure this out).
I saw a young guy walk in wearing a Milwaukee Basketball shirt. I thought it was funny since one of the UK Basketball players, Doron Lamb, from the 2012 Championship team had been drafted to the Bucks. Then I noticed that he kind of looked like Lamb. He walked away to the bathroom (I'm assuming) while the two people he was with ordered and sat at the table caddy corner from me. It was then that I realized that one of the other guys looked like Marquis Teague, who was also on the 2012 Championship team and had been drafted to the Chicago Bulls (and was from Indiana). I started to get pretty excited but wanted to make 100% sure it was them before I went up and made a fool of myself. I always have a problem recognizing athletes when they aren't in their jerseys...you're just used to seeing them that way. Luckily, Tolly-Ho's calls out your name when your order is done. Then there it was.... "Marquis"....."Lamb." I started to do some major fangirling. These were like the Backstreet Boys of my sports world. Not only did I have two University of Kentucky basketball players sitting next to me, but two UK players that played for the 2012 NCAA Championship Team.....AND were now professional basketball players. They were in town for the UK Basketball Alumni Charity Game (remember that was supposed to be happening the next day). It took me a few minutes to work up the nerve to go ask them for a photo. When I did, they had already started eating. Remember, I had already finished eating when they had walked in or else I would have waited to bother them until they were done. The friend they were with (I later found out his name was Dion) asked if I could wait until they were done eating and I willingly obliged. Thank goodness the restaurant had wi-fi so I could fangirl on Twitter and Facebook for the thirty minutes I had to wait while they sat there in silence, not saying a word to one another, and on their phones. Finally, they started to get up and Marquis gave me a little nod to let me know they were ready. I told them what a big fan I was and how I had been there in New Orleans to watch them win the championship (again, another blog entry eventually). I don't think they said a single word to me. I got between them and they of course towered over me. I'm glad I got my photo but their social skills need some working on. Maybe its because I'm spoiled by the four Bat Cats that I've met, chatted with, and had photos with (three of whom are now pro in the minor leagues). The photo could have been better in so many more ways but I will gladly accept it since it was a totally unexpected part of my trip. Just think, if the Renegades would not have been in the Championship game, I would not have been at Tolly-Ho's at that exact moment to get that experience. Everything does happen for a reason.
Doron Lamb, Me, and Marquis Teague - Former University of Kentucky Wildcats (basketball)
I was walking out of the building at the same time, thanked them, and wished them a good weekend. What happened next was just weird. As I got into my car, which they had parked right next to, Dion (the friend) asked if I was from there and if I wanted to hang out with them. I explained that I was just driving through and was headed to Georgia (but really I was thinking that there was no way I was going to put myself in a sticky situation)!
I was sad to leave Lexington, even though I knew I was headed to see Brian that next day. I'm just always so happy when I am there. Because of my stop in Lexington and other pit stops along the way, my total trip to Roswell took about fifteen hours, although I did have a little motivation along the way from one of Leighanne's good friends, Jodi...
Thanks to my friend Jessica, Leighanne had been informed that I was coming a bit of a distance and I got my first tweet from Leighanne, thanking me.
It feels really good to be appreciated for my dedication
I was still too pumped from everything that had happened to me thus far to really get any sleep. It was officially my birthday by this point and I was going to get to spend the day with Brian and Leighanne Littrell. I knew the next day would go by incredibly slow as I waited for 2pm to roll around. Luckily, I had an old high school friend that lived in Roswell to go to lunch with and get my mind off of the waiting.
I showed up to the Teal Gallery about 15 minutes early and there was only one person waiting outside at the time. It made me wonder how many people were actually going to be at this Wylee party. I looked in the window and Leighanne happened to be standing right there setting things up. We waved at one another and I took a seat outside to wait for the party to start. More girls started to show up as it got closer and closer to 2 o'clock. At one point Brian came out to make a quick trip to the Wylee trailor that was parked outside. He apologized that it would only be a few more moments...imagine that, the event was not going to start on time. Don't we all know and love Backstreet time? Brian then poked his head outside again to take a photo of the group that was so patiently waiting to get inside and tweeted the photo.
That's me in the "Birthday Girl" sash
He tweeted the photo at 2:09 and I would say that we still waited another 10 minutes or so before they finally let us into the building. I would say that there were probably 20-25 people in line to get in as Brian took some video.
Video courtesy of SimplyLeighanne
I knew exactly what I wanted but I decided to look around anyway. As I looked around Jodi and pretty much all of Leighanne's family wished me a happy birthday and thanked me for making the long trip. I knew that she would have some new stuff that wasn't on her website yet. There was and I, of course, wanted it. However, I'm not made of money and knew that there was one item that I wanted more than anything else there...the Brian Cross Necklace.
I didn't see any as I looked around and had to ask Leighanne if she happened to have any with her. She gladly helped me as I became the first customer of the day. As she was checking over the necklace to make sure that it had not been damaged at all, Baylee and Prue (Jodi's daughter), came up to Leighanne to let her know that they were leaving (they were going somewhere with a family member, I'm pretty sure it was Leighanne's step dad). Leighanne asked if Baylee had visited any of the customers and told him that it was my birthday. Both Baylee and Prue told me happy birthday. Baylee then told Leighanne that I should get the special birthday discount. The boy is just too adorable and so much like his father. I would say that I was done with my purchases by 2:45 but there was no way I was going to leave that party until it was over. Brian, Leighanne, Jodi, and all of Leighanne's family (mother and sisters) were busy selling away as the crowd grew bigger. I would say at one time there were maybe 50-60 people there at one time, since people were constantly coming and going.
At about 3:00, Brian said that he would be taking photos in 20 minutes. I found some very nice fellow Backstreet fans to talk to as we waited. An hour later, Brian finally started the picture taking. He was running on Backstreet time once again but I really didn't care. I was having a good time with everyone as I waited. I got into line and started chatting with some new girls around me. At one point, Leighanne was standing next to me so I got my photo with her...
Leighanne Littrell....looking gorgeous as always
It was at about this point that Brian announced that he would really appreciate it if everyone only got one photo so that those people that were in the back of the line would get a chance to get their photos. Apparently, a lot of girls were asking for a serious photo and a funny photo. When he had started the line, I was pretty much the end of it. By the time that I got closer, there were 15-20 people still behind me. As I had waited in line, I new exactly what I wanted my pose to be. The girls in front of me said that they would be happy to take my photo for me. When I finally got up to Brian, I asked him, "Since it's my birthday, do you think that I could get a kiss on the cheek for my photo?" That was when he leaned in very close and whispered into my ear, "Now if I do that for you all of these girls are going to want that," and it just so happened that the girl with my camera just happened to get a photo of it.
He asked me if huggie pose was okay instead. Ummmm, what girl would ever refuse being in Brian's arms for a photo??? Not me....Happy Birthday to me!
Before the party, I had been trying to decide if I was going to wear something Wylee to the party or if I was going to wear my University of Kentucky football jersey because Kentucky was going to be playing later that day (and because I wanted to see if he would remember me as "Kentucky Girl" like he called me on the cruise). I eventually had decided to compromise and go with my Wylee No EGO's (Edging God Out) shirt but was wearing my University of Kentucky shoes and earrings. I had brought my jersey with me in case I decided last minute to change my mind. After my photo, I decided that it was time to show my team spirit and threw my jersey on over my shirt. I was now in football mode. In between a set of photos Brian had looked across the room at me and just kind of laughed as he shouted, "You changed!" I had to shout back "Of course, Go Cats!" I'm not going to lie, I had a huge smile on my face because 1) Brian had noticed me specifically in a room full of people and 2) He had remembered what I had on to realize that I wasn't wearing the same thing. Leighanne also got a big kick out of it. She asked me if I was trying to make it look like I was at two separate Wylee parties in my pictures.
It seemed as though once people got their photos, they left. I had kind of been hoping for that so that the crowd would get a little smaller and Brian wouldn't be so busy trying to get around to everyone. I do hope everyone that was there bought something though. If it is one thing I can't stand, it is those fans that go to Wylee parties for the sole purpose of seeing Brian. I have been to five Wylee parties and have bought something at every single one because I love her stuff. The girls I had been talking to stuck around for a little while longer before they decided that they had to get going. Once they left, I just kind of wandered around.
Brian eventually finished his photos and started interacting with those left a little more, rather than going back to selling things. I did have a few conversations with him. We talked about how I had run into Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb on my way down and got to show him my University of Kentucky shoes. He seemed to like those. I had also started a conversation about the UK Baseball team and then he called them the "Bat Cats." It made me smile because only UK fans really know them as that...at least those of us that are more than just fans of their basketball team. Then we started talking about Corey Littrell....a junior left handed pitcher that pitches for the University of Kentucky. Brian actually wasn't familiar with Corey and I had to show him the photo I had of him on my phone. Apparently, Brian did not know of this Littrell (who also happens to be from Kentucky, only Louisville). It seemed to intrigue him.
Corey Littell - Junior - LHP - University of Kentucky
It was also quite funny because as I was looking for the photo, Brian happened to notice my background on my phone, which just happens to be a photo of my favorite poster...
When he saw it, he started cracking up laughing and asked "who is that young good looking guy?" as he struck the same pose as he was in the photo. The whole situation just made me laugh.
Earlier I had overheard him talking about how he had actually flown back into Georgia that morning from New York where he had been with the rest of the guys for the Old Navy event. I asked him about it and he had told me how Kevin, Howie, and he had gone out after the event and time had slipped away from them. Before they knew it, it was 3am. Brian had to be at the airport at 6am so he only got a few hours of sleep. Once he got back into Atlanta, he got home, showered, and then basically started to get ready for the Wylee party. Sometimes I just don't know where he gets his energy! I had noticed that during this conversation that more girls had come in and were just kind of standing there. I told him that since there were some people waiting to get photos with him, I was going to let him talk to them and that I would talk to him later. I wanted to make sure that everyone got a fair shot to talk to him and get their photos with him. I knew that as long as I kept talking, Brian would probably keep listening and I didn't want to hog him. I know I dislike it when other people do that. I moved on and chatted more with Leighanne's family, who couldn't believe I was still there. I told them that I had traveled 15 hours, I wasn't going anywhere!
I was eventually able to catch Brian again and since I had changed shirts and there wasn't a line of fans to talk to him, I decided to ask him for another photo. And in case you were wondering....he did not call me "Kentucky Girl" at all this day.
With about an hour left, there were probably only about 10 fans or so still there. I realized that if I was ever going to tell him the story about how he brought me closer to God, it was probably a good time to do it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this story, I encourage you to read about it in my You did reach out your hand post. When I had decided that it was finally the appropriate time to tell him, he was having a conversation with what appeared to be a nice couple.
At about 6:30 I saw my chance when he had finished talking with them. I went up to him and told him that I just needed to thank him. He told me you're welcome and we both laughed since I hadn't told him what I needed to thank him for. I told him that I needed to thank him for helping me make what I thought was the most important decision in my life, the decision to become a Christian. It was then that I went into the story about how God had found a way into my heart during his Christmas tour with Rebecca St. James at the Naperville show (he told me that he loved that tour by the way). I told him the whole story with tears in my eyes and rolling down my cheek....something I knew would happen if I ever got to tell him my story because of what it meant to me. He thanked me for telling him that story and that he enjoys hearing stories like that...than he wrapped me into one of his hugs and just held me for a few seconds.
I went on to explain how its been very hard for me for about the last two years since I moved back to Northwest Indiana because I don't have the same support with my faith up here like I did when I lived in Southern Indiana. I told him how I hated being back north even though all of my family (and my husband's family) is there. Then Brian told me something that I think I always knew but could never really put my finger on....he simply said, "Because you've changed." He was absolutely right. He then told me how it was okay because change can be good and that I should just keep changing, there was nothing wrong with it. He explained that now that he was out of Lexington, he was probably never going to live there again even though he loved it growing up...because he had changed.
I couldn't believe it, I was having a heart to heart life lessons conversation with Brian Littrell. And it was only going to get better...
I went on to tell him how I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2006 and how when I get into my depressive states after my high anxiety states, it is knowing that God is there and his album that usually helps pull me out of them, especially my favorite verse of "Angels and Heroes." He asked me if it gets especially bad for me during the winter. It totally does, especially now that I am back north and the winter suck with the lake effect snow that we get from Lake Michigan. I just couldn't believe how much he just genuinely cared about everything I had to say.
There were two more amazing parts of conversations that occurred while in this conversation. However, I am sorry to say that I just don't feel like I can share them. They were stories that Brian shared with me about his life so I believe that they are his stories to share when he wants to and with whom he wants. I will say that the fact that he shared them with me makes me feel very special because he felt comfortable enough with me to share them and he was sharing aspects of his personal life with me. A Backstreet Boy was sharing a part of his life with a fan (there was actually one other fan with us and one of Leighanne's friends). I'm sure he's shared the stories with others and I am not the only one. If the stories ever come to light in the fandom then I will be more than happy to share them.
The whole conversation from start to end was probably about a good 45 minutes. That was 45 minutes of personal heart to heart conversation, with his strikingly sparkly blue eyes looking me right in the eyes as he focused his attention on me as I was sharing with him some of my stories. The fact that it was my birthday, was just icing on the cake. I'm getting goose bumps now as I even just type this. I have to believe that the conversation actually would have been longer but it was already 15 minutes after the party was supposed to end and they started to kick us out so that they could get out of the there before they were charged extra for going over their time. I said goodbye to Brian, thanked him again, and gave him one last hug. Before I left I had to say goodbye to Jodi and Leighanne as well.
Jodi and me
As I was saying goodbye to Leighanne, I thanked her as well for everything and for having the party because I had finally gotten to tell Brian my story of how I was influence to become a Christian because of him. I wish that she had also been standing there when I had told my story. She thanked me, wished me a happy birthday, and asked if I had gotten some cake (they had finger food, wine, and sweet tea the entire day....at one point when I was talking to Brian I had spilled my glass of ice all over right in front of him...only me). I ensured her that I had and realized that I have a lot of photos with Brian and a lot of photos with Leighanne, but none with the both of them together. So I asked for one more quick photograph as they were ushering us out...
Brian, me, and Leighanne
Once I got into my car, all I did was sit there for about 15 minutes and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe what had just happened to me. Even that 45 minutes would have made the 15 hour drive all worth it. I probably could have sat in that car for hours just thinking about what had just happened...but I had a Kentucky football game to watch at my friend's house and I had already missed the first 30 minutes of it, except that once I got to the friend's house, he told me that he was recording it for me. Kentucky lost, imagine that. They may know basketball but they do not "know their way around the pigskin," as Brian had mentioned earlier that evening.
Once the game was done, I went back to my hotel room but there was NO way I was going to be able to sleep. My computer at the time was broken or else I would have actually typed this whole thing up that night instead of now, one month later thanks to all the studying I have been doing for my Graduate Record Exams. At about 3am, I started to not feel too great. The next morning when I was supposed to drive back home, I was flat out sick. There was going to be no way that I was going to be able to drive home. So, I got the hotel for one more night and spent Sunday sick as a dog in Roswell, Georgia. I was just thankful that whatever it was (I'm pretty sure it was because of my dinner from the night before) hadn't hit me the previous day. I woke up Monday much better, although tired and weak and drove home in some pretty crappy weather, stopping once again in Lexington, this time to have a Hot Brown at Ramsey's.
So, there you have it....what is the the best birthday I have EVER had and a birthday that pretty much started two days before my actual birthday.
Kentucky ended up going on to beat Baylor...they were making the trip to the Final Four for the second year in a row AND they would be facing one of their biggest rivals...the University of Louisville. It was going to be the Battle of the Bluegrass in New Orleans. I was just so happy to be able to be going to the Final Four, but the fact that they were going to be playing U of L made me even more excited because of the rivalry that these two schools have. The next week of work was going to go by so slow and I desperately needed Spring Break (most people who work in a school setting know this feeling well). The Final Four game was going to be held on the first Saturday of my Spring Break and the Championship game on the Monday.
My first stop on the way back home was going to be in Memphis to get a burger and sweet tea from Dyer's on Beale Street because they have, simply, the best hamburger out there. It's not exactly the kind of burger that a health nut would eat, since what makes it so good is the "ageless cooking grease" that the burgers are cooked in. I scarfed down my burger but knew I had to save room because the real meal would be coming in a few hours...and it was a meal that there had to be room for. As I drove, I wished that I had gotten a few burgers to go. Usually, I make sure that I make it down to Memphis once a year (my sorority works very closely with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) but I'm not sure when I will be down that way again. It would have been nice to have some extra burgers for the week.
My first stop on the way back home was going to be in Memphis to get a burger and sweet tea from Dyer's on Beale Street because they have, simply, the best hamburger out there. It's not exactly the kind of burger that a health nut would eat, since what makes it so good is the "ageless cooking grease" that the burgers are cooked in. I scarfed down my burger but knew I had to save room because the real meal would be coming in a few hours...and it was a meal that there had to be room for. As I drove, I wished that I had gotten a few burgers to go. Usually, I make sure that I make it down to Memphis once a year (my sorority works very closely with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) but I'm not sure when I will be down that way again. It would have been nice to have some extra burgers for the week. 
