Because I never felt so good with anyone...

**2012/2013 New Year's Celebration**

12/28/12 - 1/1/13
New York City, NY/Atlantic City, NJ/Bethlehem, PA

Just when I thought that I would have no BSB in my life in 2012, they decided to spring a New Year's Celebration show on the Backstreet world. I was so excited when the show was announced because I didn't want to go any longer without seeing them. To make matters even better, the guys decided to add two additional shows around that time (only one of which we decided to go to). It had been over a year between the 2011 cruise and the shows that I went to and you better believe I was in some major Backstreet withdrawal even though I had seen Nick in February during his solo tour and Brian in September at the Roswell Wylee Party. Seeing the guys alone and seeing them as the Backstreet Boys are two completely different things. The only downside was that Kevin wouldn't be joining the rest of the group on this very small almost mini-tour. Supposedly, these three shows were booked before Kevin decided to rejoin the group but I have my own feelings about all of that which really aren't important. This was going to be like a last hoorah for the four boys before the group starts their 20th anniversary festivities this year. Not only was I super excited to be seeing the Backstreet Boys again, but I would get a chance to see my girlies again! I hadn't seen them since our reunion in D.C. in June and I was very much looking forward to the fun that always commences when I'm with them. This was also the first time I was going to get to meet Kristen, the newest addition to our group.

My received gift in the gift exchange...love it!

Saturday, December 28 - I flew out of Chicago and into Newark where I had volunteered to wait about 2 hours for Kristen to land so that Ash and Cort would only have to make one trip to the airport. After hearing word that Kristen was stuck at the airport in Toronto with engine problems on her plane, the girls came to pick me up since we had no idea when Kristen's flight was going to get going. I got to experience my first gas station visit in Jersey, where it is illegal to pump your own gas. How I wish this were the case on those freezing Northwest Indiana days here. I caught up with the girls before we had to make our trip back out to the airport to pick Kristen up after her long day of travel. The four of us exchanged our gift exchange gifts and I spent a good portion of the night staring into Brian's sparkly blue eyes on my gift. I loved my gift and the girls seemed to enjoy the calendar I had made Cort. Like the good old high school days, we stayed up entirely too late chatting away and laughing...it was just like our old Backstreet sleepovers.

Saturday, December 29 - A trip into New York City was in store for us on Saturday as we hopped on the train. When we had left Jersey, it has been snowing.  Rain was awaiting us in the city when we stepped off the train.  Luckily, I kow the art of layering (thank you Chicago) and stayed warm the entire day...even if I did look extremely fat in all my clothes.  Our first stop was Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas Tree all lit up and pretty before heading to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. 

Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

Madame Tussaud's was packed but we still had a great time getting some great photo ops. We were able to show the shapes of our heart to the Backstreet Boys mural on the wall and I'm sure the person taking our picture wondered why we were standing behind the Spice Girls rather than with them. If we could have moved those girls, we totally would have.

Ignore the Spice Girls and just admire the sexy guys on the wall

Ash was then given a heart attack as she rounded the corner as saw the most horrific site we saw all day....that other boy band that I refuse to use their name. We decided to show those five guys how we felt about them and I'm sure we were given funny looks once again.

Getting beat up by some girls

And not only did we have to deal with that stupid Ramen Noodle head once....but twice as we came upon a solo figure of him later in the museum.

what we think of this guy...

Madame Tussaud clearly needs to get her priorities in line. I mean which group is still performing and recording another album and is celebrating their 20th anniversary? That's what I thought. Anyway, we still had a great time being silly and goofy.

Me and Aaron Carter

Our next stop was to the Jerry Orbach Theatre to see that nights showing of "The Fantasticks," starring Aaron Carter (yes, the little brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter for those of my readers who may not know). During the show there was an endless cycle if laughing between the audience (read here "our group") and the actors in the play. I really do blame Ash for this. She was making us and the actors laugh with her incessant giggling, which made her laugh even more. After the show, we were complimented on what a great audience we were, but really they should have just been thanking Ash. After the show, we waited our turn patiently for Aaron to come over to our group for photos and such. Thankfully, he pretty much knows Cort so we knew we wouldn't get left out even though we seemed to be one of the last group of fans left there. He immediately started to hug each person in the group and as he hugged me I told him that it was my first time meeting him (this was really my first time seeing Aaron live in anything ever). After he gave us all hugs he signed some playbills for those of us who were seeing the play for the first time. I wish I could write about the dialogue that occurred during that signing session but it was an inside conversation that needs to stay within the group (calm down....boop). Next was photo time and as I got in next to him he told me that he was going to call me "new girl."  After taking my photo in my new favorite hat (my hair was a disaster from wearing it all day and taking it off and on as we went in and out of buildings) he decided that he was going to call me "blue monkey head" instead. He then commented on how I was wearing all blue...hat, shirt, jeans....so I needed to tell him it was because the University of Kentucky had a big game that day and I had to wear my team colors (the game was against in-state rivals University of Louisville and they ended up losing by three points). I was happy that my hat had served as a conversation starter (as I had also hoped) and he was really sweet to all of us. He had mentioned that he would be coming to Chicago during his solo tour and I probably wouldn't mind going and seeing it.  He got a new fan in me on that day.  The train ride home was spent reliving all of the exciting details of the day, as we once again stayed up entirely too late.  Staying up that late in high school was simple...now that we're older it's a little more difficult.

Sunday, December 30 - It was finally the day!....the day that I would FINALLY get to see the Backstreet Boys in 2012 (well, minus Kevin of course)!  Even though my friends and I had flat out said we weren't going to get VIPs for either of the shows we were going to, we ended up caving....rather I was the enabler on this one.  My husband and I had been able to work our budget so that I would be able to buy a Silver VIP for the Atlantic City concert on this day.  I mentioned this to the girls and they gladly informed me that if I was going to do Silver, then they would join me.  I, myself, would not have done the Silver VIP if they didn't do it.  I've done a Silver VIP before where I only knew one of the five people in my photo and it's a picture I never share with others (especially since the guys are behind a barricade in it).  I hadn't seen the guys in a year so I wanted to get as much of them in my life as I possibly could.  The photo was also going to give me the opportunity to do two things - 1) get a momento of the weekend with not only the Backstreet Boys, but with three of the girls that I was spending the weekend with and 2) see if Brian might by any chance remember me from my September heart to heart with him (he sees so many fans all the time so I truly didn't know).

We traveled the two hours to Atlantic City and got into our VIP line, awaiting check in.  While waiting, each person in our group saw someone we knew and we spent the time waiting to catch up with some long lost friends.  I was SO excited when it was time for the soundcheck to start.  Unlike the last two soundchecks I had been to, the guys had a specific list of songs for us to choose from and girls started screaming out song titles left and right. 



Soundcheck photos



The first song chosen was "Panic" (from Unbreakable) which I hadn't heard in some time.  It's always good to hear songs that you very rarely get to hear them sing live.  The following video also explains why I enjoy soundchecks...the guys just have fun with them.  The little dances that are done by Nick and AJ in this video crack me up.

Next was one of my favorite songs from This Is Us, "PDA."  Apparently, just because its one of my favorites and I know all of the words to it does not mean that the guys do.  As they often have to do during soundchecks, Nick googled the words to their own song.  I always laugh hysterically when this happens because it shows how human these guys really are.  They've recorded so many songs over their 20 years together, I can imagine it would be difficult to remember every word to every song.  I also just can't stop laughing at the end when Nick and Brian decide to show Howie some PDA of their own...

I thought for sure that after the first two songs, it would be picture time.  After all, every soundcheck I had been to in the past only got two songs.  Why would this one be any different?  Imagine my surprise when they decided to sing a 3rd song after profusely apologizing for how "awful" PDA had been.  It made me happy that it was one of my absolute favorites that they decided to sing next.

I've heard "Siberia" (Never Gone) done in a soundcheck before and it was included in both the 2010 Pre-Cruise Acoustic show and 2011 Cruise concert - before those times it had not made an appearance since the confetti rained down like snow on the Never Gone tour in 2005).  It truly is one of my favorite Backstreet Boys songs so I was ecstatic to be hearing it again.  I also know its one of the guys' favorite songs (almost everyone agrees it should have been a single).  All of the guys sounded amazing in it as usual and Nick decided to give us a little time behind the drums.

Brian in my favorite outfit -
If this is your photo then
please contact me so I can
give you proper credit

Now it was time for Q&A...or was it?  I thought my little heart was going to explode from joy when they agreed to do just one more soundcheck song.  FOUR soundcheck songs???  You mean we were actually going to get what was advertised with the VIPs for all that time (3-4 Soundcheck songs)?  It was almost too much!  The Boys went into "More Than That," (Black and Blue)  which is always a song that I forget how much I like until they sing it.  It also makes me think of my ALL TIME favorite concert outfit that Brian wore during the This Is Us tour.

Now it really was time for Q&A.  I hoped that there would be some good questions that would lead to some great Backstreet discussion.  The funniest part of the Q&A portion had to have been during Howie's answer of his question...but it wasn't necessarily Howie that was the funny part.  Nick's reaction to Howie's rambling is the highlight of this Q&A session!

Q (to Howie):  Describe your experience of being a Backstreet Boy in 10 words or less....(EPIC FAIL Howie....you're STILL talking?)

Q (to AJ):  What is your biggest accomplishment other than your wife and daughter?...(which really turned into talk of him being a father.)

Q (to Nick):  What would you be doing if you weren't a Backstreet Boy?
A:  Unfortunately, I don't have video to this one because it was a question that many of us had heard before.  However, Nick's answer was different than usual when he answered with "football player."  He said that he was called a "beefcake" and given a microphone instead.

Q (to Brian):  Who is to blame for the loss against the New Kids on the Block during your MixTape Softball game?  (Brian would get the sports question...and apparently there is more than one person to blame)

The VIP Soundcheck party was going great and now it was time for our photos.  The girls and I had prearranged who we would be standing next to (and had even done some color coordinating with out outfits) and got in the order that we would need to be in order to make sure that everyone got the chance to see all the guys.  This wasn't our first rodeo.  I was disappointed when we were told you just put our stuff at our feet and that no hugs would be allowed (even though rumor had it that hugs were encouraged the day before at the Connecticut sound check).  I know people who still ask for hugs when they are told this but I'm always afraid I'll get into trouble if I disobey the rules.  They tried splitting our group up by putting six people into the group in front of us.  We told them absolutely not and since when do they put six people in the VIP photos (it can usually range between 4-6 depending on the groupings...I had five for my Grand Rapuids VIP because there were two of us and a group of 3 that were put together).  Again...this was not our first rodeo.  We also believe that they then tried to put six people into our group but the girls behind us were also a group of four I believe.  I was the last in line for our group since Brian was the closest to the line (the first girl in line stands by the furthest boy away so that when you get to your boy, you stop, take your photo, and then continue down the line as you leave the photo). 

 I shook Brian's hand, where he immediately looked into my eyes, said, "It's so good to see you again!" with a big smile on his face.  I can't even imagine what the smile on my face looked like because my little heart was going about a million miles a minute...Brian Littrell did, in fact, remember me....unless he is just that good of an actor (I have to believe it was the real thing because of the conversation we had back in September at the Wylee Party).  Since AJ was right next to me, I quickly shook his hand and then I was going to get Nick and Howie's on the way out.  However, Nick reached out his hand to me across the group and I gladly took it.  Brian seemed to be waiting for me to shake Howie's hand before he got into photo position but I told him I'd get him on the way out.  Brian laughed at that and then stood next to me.  Our group hadn't really come up with a specific pose for the photo but I had told the girls that I was going to do huggie pose with Brian (I guess it was my own special way of getting the "against the rules" hug).  I told Brian this and just as we were putting our arms around each other, AJ grabbed my waist and pulled me into him so that I was with the rest of the group.  I guess huggie pose wasn't happening this time, but our photo still turned out super cute (and I still want to thank Cort so much for letting me stand next to Brian...she had had her moment the night before with Aaron....)

Photo by Justin Segura

Originally, Eddy was supposed to have been the photogrpaher for these shows. which is one reason why we had decided against VIPs int he first place.  Eddy is a great guy but Justin is a much better photogrpaher in our opinion.  I think that knowing that Justin was going to be doing the photos, gave us all that extra push to go for that Silver VIP.  He is a pretty cool guy and is a great photogrpaher.

We had some time before the show was supposed to start so we met up with the rest of the girls who didn't have VIP and grabbed a quick bite to eat.  That's when several of us started debating the possibility of getting Bronze VIPs for the next day.  We didn't necessarily need another photo but we kind of didn't want to miss out on the Sounndcheck and Q&A, which is really the best part of the whole VIP experience (well except for maybe the backstage tour included with the Platinum VIPs).  We also discussed how incredibly happy we were that we had decided to go with the balcony seats and not general admission for this show.  We were able to enjoy our time together without having to worry about getting back to stand in line for GA (even though we would have first entry with our VIPs).  Also our group would not have to be separated since those of us with VIPs would have been able to get into GA before those without.  Even though our tickets were bought in two different groups, we had been lucky enough to get 6 seats all right next to one another for this show.  One of the best parts of the weekend was to be able to just experience everything with my girls...who are way fun to be with at concerts.

The concert finally started and we immediately rose to our feet.  There were a lot of people around us that we believed were there because they got tickets from the casino we were at...they didn't seem to know the words to any of their newer/non-single stuff and they sat at points during the show.  It really was a shame.

So the set list for the Atlantic City show was as follows:

Incomplete
Larger Than Life - This also had a little surprise thrown in as we got to see the guys dance Gangnam Style.

Straight Through My Heart
We've Got It Goin' On/Get Down Medley
PLARS - AJ Solo

Don't Want You Back - We all know this should have replaced "The One" as a single.  Thanks Nick.

Inconsolable
Drowning - I love it when they just sing.

Gone Without Goodbye - Brian Solo - I can't even begin to explain how emotional Brian's solo was.  Not only is it a sad song but he dedicated it to all of the victims of the CT shootings.  I had tears falling down my face before he even started singing....and that was with knowing that it was coming thanks to a spoiler I had received earlier that day.  If I wouldn't have known it was coming, I can't imagine the mess I would have been in.

Bigger - One of the girls believes Brian caught sight of us doing the Bigger dance out in the audience.  Who knows if this is really true but we had a fun time doing it.
If I Know Then - Those with Platinum VIPs got to go onstage to dance the guys during this song.  I was happy for most of them but some of them needed to put more clothes on.  I did not need to see as much as I saw on some of those girls.
100 Kisses - Howie Solo

Quit Playing Games/As Long As You Love Me/I Want It That Way Medley
Burning Up - Nick Solo - We were up in the balcony and when this song started I thought that the balcony was going to collapse very quickly.  That whole thing was shaking underneath us like it was going to let go at any time.

The One
The Call
Everybody (Backstreet's Back) - My all time favorite concert song...

It truly was an amazing show.  I loved that for the most part it was very uptempo.  We had a great time dancing and singing along.  Plus, I got some great photos...

And finally....my favorite photos of the evening....

After the concert, two of us decided to attend the after-party that was advertised with Howie and AJ.  This was going to be my first after-party and I was interested to see what it would entail.  We were extremely surprised that AJ was advertised as being there with the news he had shared just a few days before of him falling off the bandwagon with his drinking.  I had heard good things and bad things about after-parties so I thought it might be good to try one out for myself.  We waited in line for about fifteen minutes while trying to avoid a very loud, rude, drunk guy behind us.  However, once we got into the club, we had quite a bit of room to move around.  I was honestly expecting to be jammed into the club like sardines.  It wasn't nearly as packed as I thought it would be and we were able to freely move up right in front of the DJ's table.  Howie and AJ did make their entrance and went straight into the VIP area.  The entire club seemed to move that way and then we really had room.  We decided to stay where we were in case the guys decided to make their way over to the DJ booth.  While we waited to see what was going to happen, we danced away to a very good DJ.  Eventually, Howie made his way out onto the dance floor with his bodyguard, Josh, right by his side.  Howie was taking photos with people and for the most part as soon as one person got their photo, they moved out of the way.  There were some very eager girls but we all stayed civil for the most part.  Eventually, Howie made his way over to us and I got my photo with him.  I'm not really sure where he was looking but I was still happy to get my photo.  I made sure to especially thank Josh because I don't think the bodyguards get nearly enough recognition for dealing with us crazies.

It was getting late and we decided that our money had been well spent with our photos and dancing.  I saw a friend that I hadn't seen in two years and met her sister for the first time even though we were friends on Facebook.  Most importantly, I had a good time.  We weren't sure if AJ was going to come out and get photos so we decided that we were going to head back to go to sleep.  Just as we were leaving, AJ was also leaving the club.  Because he had just left, the security told us we couldn't exit the club yet.  We really weren't trying to follow him, it just so happened we were wanting to leave at the same time.  They held us back for about five minutes or so and then told us we had to walk down the hall and to the elevators and that we couldn't go down the escalators that were right there (the one's AJ had gone down).  We stopped off in the restroom because we knew we had a bit of a drive ahead of us and then continued on our way to the lobby.  Imagine our surprise when AJ was walking along in the lobby just as we were getting out of the elevator....it totally was not planned on our part.  There was a small group of about 8 girls following him and we decided to stick around just a little while longer because it appeared as if he was going to hit up the casino and do some gambling.  On the 2010 cruise, several girls had some nice interaction with him as he gambled in the casino and we were wondering if we could get that there.  As we were waiting, AJ stepped into a little room and kind of disappeared up the elevators in the room.  We weren't sure if he was going to a high rollers room or what but we decided to wait a few minutes before we decided not to wait around any longer.  It's always so difficult making decisions when it comes to leaving events like that.  We didn't want to miss anything but we didn't want to sit around and wait for nothing to happen.  We found out later that he gambled until very late that night but wasn't really doing any interacting with anyone.  This also means that he never went back to the club or the after-party.  I asked another friend who told me that we didn't miss anything at the after-party after we left either.  Overall, I enjoyed my first after-party but I'm not sure that I would do one again.  I like the fact that it extends the night but I was never guaranteed to get that photo with Howie...plus Brian doesn't do the after-parties so its not like I'm missing out on any B-Rok action.

We drove back to where we were staying and quietly got into bed so we wouldn't wake the other girls (two of whom had to work the next morning).  We were going to have another long day of Backstreet the next day as well!

Monday, December 30 - The day in which this whole trip had been originally planned around was here.  It had already been an amazing weekend but now I was going to end 2012 and start 2013 with some great friends and the Backstreet Boys.  It really was a win-win situation.  While two of the girls were at work, the rest of us decided to sleep in.  We were super happy when one of the girls was able to get off work early and we sat around and chatted about everything that had happened from the day before, as well as how awesome that night would be.  We had decided that we were going to do Bronze VIP and wanted to make sure that the guys sang different songs than they did the previous night in Atlantic City.  We pulled out the craft supplies and made some quick signs for "Trouble Is" and "This Is Us."  We were very excited when we heard the news that our fifth person was probably going to get off work in time to make it to the Soundcheck after all.  Her sister decided to wait back for her while the rest of us made our way to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  We got there and did what Backstreet fans do best...wait.  Let me tell you something, this was probably the most drama filled VIP I have been to.  First, the guy at the door wasn't going to let Kristen in because she had her Canadian drivers license, even though it had been swiped and cleared while going through the casino.  Then, Ash and Cort were cutting it very close on time to check in.  When they did finally get there, there was no one at the door to let them in.  I had opened the door for them to get in but was stopped by one of the employees of the venue who wasn't quite on the clock yet.  I found another employee and explained the situation.  He told me that they were just out of luck.  I was so angry because the two had rushed to try to do soundcheck with us (luckily they had not bought their VIPs yet).  Then the guy told me he was just joking and let them in.  When we were finally ready to buy our VIP, Justin told us he would be right back and was gone for what seemed like forever (he was extremely flustered since he was running the check in table by himself).  It was a complete mess!  After things settled down and we all got our VIPs, it was more sitting and waiting.  We met a nice couple who was doing their first VIP and exchanged Facebook information.  Justin came around and explained that it would still be some time before we could get in because there was some last minute rehearsal being done.  However, we are such experts at the "hurry up and wait" Backstreet game that one of the girls brought something to occupy our time and "Boy Band Taboo" was invented.  Basically you use the game cards from Taboo and have everyone else try to guess the key word by not only not using the words listed under the key word, but by relating the key word to a boy band.  Unfortunately, I was at a bit of a disadvantage since the group of girls I was with are also very big Big Time Rush fans and used their TV show for a lot of clues.  It was still a good thing to occupy our time as we waited.  

After what seemed like at least an hour of waiting, Justin started to walk each VIP group in according to color.  We were bronze so we were last.  As a matter of fact, the guys started to sing their first soundcheck song, "I Still," as we were still walking down the isle and before we even got to our seats.  Needless to say, I did not get that one on video.  We were ready for the next song though as we put our "Trouble Is" signs high over our heads.  Between our signs and the fact that we were the only one's standing during the soundcheck, the guys picked our song.  Not only had we wanted to hear different songs than the night before, but we also wanted to see if we could get songs in which they might not know the words since those seem to be the most fun during soundchecks.  We succeeded with our first song, as Nick pulled out his phone and googled the words.

  

The thing I always like when the guys forget the words is that Brian always seems to remember everyone's part.  I wonder how often he listens to his own music at home....

I thought for sure that since they were running so late, we would only get the typical two songs.  I was happy when they agreed to do another and we turned our signs over to display our second request, "This Is Us."  As girls were yelling out other titles, Nick specifically pointed to each of us and our signs and stated that he saw a lot of requests for "The Scissors," as the guys like to call it (there must have been someone up front with a sign as well because he pointed somewhere up there).  Then the best part of the soundcheck happened.  Not only did they not even know where to begin with the words, but they even thought that the wrong song was being played.  It truly was hilarious.

So, my group had dominated the soundcheck portion of VIP by having two of our requested songs played out of the three they sang.  Next was the Q&A and we once again hit the jackpot when two of our group of five got chosen to ask questions.

I honestly don't remember what the other two questions of the evening were but our two questions were as follows:

Q:  Who is responsible for Backstreet time? (it was AJ's fault this time)

Q:  If there were a Boy Band Softball League, which Boy Bands would you be able to beat? (this was a spin off of the question the day before and Brian answered that the Backstreet Boys could beat any boy band in anything).



Soundcheck photos



Excited for the show...

We were all very excited that we decided to do the Bronze VIP because we got a lot of love from the guys when they picked our songs and our questions.  However, we were ushered out before the other groups started taking their photos.  I was happy to have done our Silver the day before because all of the guys had looked good for the picture.  Nick didn't try so hard for this show, as he showed up in red sweatpants and a t-shirt.  We received information that the guys wouldn't actually go on stage until 11pm so we had quite bit of time to kill before the actual concert started.  We went to go get a bite to eat and killed some more time playing Boy Band Taboo in the hallway so that we didn't have to deal with the noise of the DJ inside the venue (until we were told to move by an employee of the casino).  Our group was going to be split up for this show (into four different spots) and it made me kind of sad that I wouldn't get to spend midnight with everyone.  However, right before the show started, there were some empty seats right around two of the other girls and we decided to stand together...so at least four of us were able to bring in the New Year together.

Bringing in the New Year together...

This particular show was even more for the frequent fliers of the casino than the show in Atlantic City as we were surrounded by a lot of way older couples.  We hoped that would be a good sign for us so that they would sit and we could see over them.  We might have had the only old people that stood up in front of us.  Luckily, they didn't stand up the whole time and we still didn't have too much trouble seeing since it was all on a flat surface.  Because of the concert population, the solos from the previous night were taken out and the set list order changed slightly and they threw in "Shape of My Heart."  This song was especially cute because AJ had Rochelle on video on his phone and was singing to his phone.  Occasionally, we would turn the phone to the audience so that we could see her and she could see us.  It was sad that the other three had their significant others there but AJ didn't.  There weren't as many talking segments to provide an intro to the next song either.  Still, it was a great show.  The Backstreet Boys stopped the show with about one minute left until midnight and provided the live feed from the countdown in Time Square.  We counted down to midnight and as the clock struck twelve, balloons rained down on us.  The guys' families came out to help them countdown and we got to see Lauren marking her territory with Nick big time.  The four of us gave each other big hugs and I was so happy to just be there with friends and a music group that I love.

I was sad when the concert was over because it meant a couple of things.  1) There's no more Backstreet planned as of right now until the cruise in October.  No one knows yet when they are releasing their new album and, therefore, touring.  2) I was going to have to leave my friends, who I probably won't get to see again until October.  I hate that these friends live so far away and I only get to see them once or twice a year.  When we are together we have the greatest time.

While I had flown into Newark to start my trip, I had decided to make the drive back to DC with Laura because it was cheaper to fly back from there than it was to fly back from Newark.  I said goodbye to the rest of the girls and Laura and I drove to her grandfather's to stay the night.  We got up the next morning and made the trip to DC and the airport, where I was dropped off much earlier than the two hours before that they recommend (it was like five hours).  Luckily, I had my computer, photos, and videos from the weekend to keep me occupied.

After an uneventful flight back to Chicago, I got off the plane with two minutes to spare before my bus back home was to leave.  Needless to say, I missed my bus and had to wait at the airport for two more hours before the next (and last bus of the evening) came.  I still needed to go to work the next day and knew that it was going to be difficult.  It was...and the day after that I woke up with absolutely no voice.  Most fans can tell you that it never fails that we get sick after a big Backstreet adventure.  However, every second is worth it in the end.  I was in 8 different cities and 6 different states within a span of 5 days, spending time with 4 great guys and 6 great gals.  It was a tremendous way to end 2012 and start 2013.

My travels for the weekend...

*Title Credit - "Trouble Is" - Unbreakable - Backstreet Boys*