So why be alive if you don't follow your every dream...

**Brian Littrell - Welcome Home Tour - 11/4/2006 - Elmer S. McVety Centre - Toronto, ON, Canada**

*Part II - The Concert, Meet and Greet, and Road Trip Home*

After an interesting Road Trip to Toronto, we were ready for Brian's concert to start.  His set list was very similar to that of his Grand Rapids Concert, except there were some differences.  It was seeing these two shows that made me a firm believer that every show is different, even during the same tour.

Brian's opening act for this show was a young Canadian Insipirational artist by the name of Roshana.  I enjoyed her music and ended up purchasing her CD at the show.   

The playlist of this concert was similar to his Grand Rapids show but there was also one more song that was added.  It is a song that is not one of his own, but instead was made popular by country music artist Tim McGraw.  Brian sang "Don't Take The Girl," during this concert, which was shortly after his appearance on CMT's Studio 333 where he sang this song.  Just a little tid bit for you - the son of the man who wrote this song actually did the gardening for Brian at the first house he bought.  This is probably one of my favorite Tim McGraw songs so I was in heaven when Brian's amazing voice was the one singing it.  I was able to get part of it on video....but after watching it, I realized that I should NEVER sing along during concerts when I am taping.  So as you watch this, I apologize for the awful singing in the background, ruining Brian's heavenly voice.

"Don't Take The Girl"

The "Birthday Party"

At one point, Brian brought up a bunch of young girls.  It was one of the girl's birthdays and she was there with a bunch of friends.  There were a lot of them and I thought it was so sweet of him to do this.  I am not sure if the birthday girl was a fan of Brian's or not since she was so young.  My guess is that she would not have been there if she wasn't.  I can't even imagine what I would do if Brian were to ever bring me on stage, espcially during my birthday.

If you remember reading my Remembering 9/11 post, you will remember me talking about how it was during this concert that Brian shared the story of how Leighanne was supposed to be on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.  This was the first time I had ever heard this and my heart just sank.  I had been exploring my faith (or at least the start of it) a little more at this time and knew that it was God that kept her off of that plane on that Tuesday morning.  There is no other explanation for the feeling she had gotten to stay with her husband on that morning, instead of flying to the west coast.  It was an emotional story because that day was an emotional day and he was telling it before an emotional song.  Make sure to check out my Remembering 9/11 Post to check out the video of Brian talking about this and him singing "Gone Without Goodbye" afterwards.

Brian and Leighanne share an intimate moment

I also loved this concert because we got to experience an intimate moment between Leighanne and Brian when she came on stage and they shared in a nice simple kiss.  Every time I have ever seen them together, you can tell how completely in love they are with one another.  As a matter of fact, sometimes I wish my husband and I were more like them....as much as I love my relationship with my husband.  Brian and Leighanne are so much in love and you can see it just by looking at them and listening to the way that talk about one another.  Looking at them, you can see what love truly is and what it is supposed to be all about.  I cannot even imagine how life would have changed for Brian if Leighanne would have been on that plane on 9/11/2001.

The show itself was amazing, but what happened afterwards was even better in my eyes.  Tammy and I always wait until venues clear out a bit before we even attempt to leave the show.  We just never see the point of waiting in the crowds.  As we were waiting for the venue to clear out, we heard through the grape vine that Brian would be coming out for a Meet and Greet after he was done doing an interview.  I was so excited!  At this point, I had never met Brian...a dream if mine was going to come true.

Tara and I went to the table that Brian was going to be signing his autographs and were the first in line. Tammy was trying to figure out if she wanted to stay in front with us or if she wanted to go to the end of the line.  If she stayed first with us, she was guaranteed to meet Brian but probably wouldn't have the chance to actually talk to him about anything.  If she went to the end, she was not guaranteed that he would stay around that long but there might be a chance to actually talk to him.  She had met him before and he actually had influenced her to become a Christian.  She decided to go to the back of the line and take her chance there.

Brian and Leighanne visiting with the fans

Brian eventually came out and we were ready!  Leighanne was sitting with him as he was signing autographs and I thought it was awesome that she wanted to be a part of that.  She talked with the fans as well and was just so friendly to everyone.  I will be the first to admit that when Brian and Leighanne started dating, I was not very happy about it.  I was teenager and was jealous.  My friends and I would call her names and talk about how bad she was for Brian.  It was at this point that I realized that I did not know Leighanne at that time and had no right to talk about her like that, for she was being incredibly nice and friendly to everyone that approached that table.

We were informed that Brian would not be taking photos. I was upset by this because I wanted a photo with him.  I handed my camera to the person behind me so that they could take a photo of me meeting him.  As Brian was signing my item, I thanked him for his "inspirational voice and music."  When he thanked me for the compliment there was such a look of thanks and gratefulness in his eyes and smile.  You could tell that he was truly thankful for his fans and what he was doing to inspire others.  I then asked him for a hug and he gave one to me over the table.  I couldn't believe that I was actually in the arms of Brian Littrell, something that I had dreamed about for so long.  I could not wait to see the photos that the person had taken behind me.  Unfortunately, the person was too close and the photo did not turn out as I had hoped.

Getting ready for my hug

Anyone want to take a guess as to what I did next?  I walked away and cried.  I could not believe I had just met the man that was such an inspiration in my life...a man that I was absolutely in love with....a man that was teaching me about God and faith....a man that is just plain amazing.  I was overwhelmed. When I became a fan in 1998, a never in a million years thought I would get to meet Brian, let alone get to hug him.  I had made sure I had walked away so he would not see the emotions I was showing.  After settling down a bit, I returned to the table area, as we still had to wait for Tammy to get up to the table.  At that point, Roshana was out signing her CD's so I bought one and had it signed by her.  Leighanne had also left Brian's side at that point and was talking to fans off to the side.  Tara and I went over by her and also had her sign our items and then got a photo with her.

Tara, Leighanne, and I

My First Personal Brian and Leighanne autographs

Tammy eventually made it up to the table and had the ability to talk to Brian for several minutes.  She talked to him about the first time she met him and how he influenced her to become a Christian.  I was happy for her time with Brian, but I was also very jealous.  Brian had always been my favorite and I though I deserved that kind of time with him as well.  I know Brian had greatly influenced her but Kevin was her favorite.  I see now how it was stupid to feel this way but I did.  Maybe it is because I now have had conversations with him, although I still have not been able to tell him about how he influenced me to become a Christian, a conversation that I do want to have with him at some point.

Tammy's Brian hug

It was all such an amazing time and we went back to the hotel in high spirits.  I had problems sleeping because of what had just happened.  However, I knew we had a long drive back the next morning.

The trip back started out uneventful...at least compared to the Road Trip to Toronto.  We did want to stop for lunch and were specifically looking for a McDonald's because we knew that is one restaurant that we could actually find.  I mean there are McDonald's all over the place....except when you want one.  We could not find one to save our lives!  We did eventually find one, however.....after several hours of driving along the highway.

Remember how I said the trip back started out uneventful?  Well, that changed as we were coming back into the states.  As we passed through the passing point, we were informed that we were randomly selected to have our car searched.  Now, you have to remember that we had borrowed my brother's car.  He is a pretty good guy but I didn't know what he could have in that thing or if one of his frat brother's had something in there.  As the car was being searched we had to go inside a building and show our credentials.  Everything checked out and the car ended up coming up clear.  Whew.  I can now say that I have been checked out at the United States border.

As we were driving through Michigan, a Brian Littrell song came on the radio....so in the many, many hours of driving we were able to hear at least one Brian song since there was no CD player in the car.  We returned the car to the pizza place that my brother worked at and offered to pay for the light plug that had been damaged on our way to Toronto.  Larry's boss refused to charge and said he should have taken it out in the first place.  Larry gave us another free pizza and we exchanged vehicles.  We were on our way back to Muncie, crammed in my little Ford Ranger.  The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful.  We got back to Muncie pretty late and Tammy still have the long drive back to Nashville.

Overall, it was an amazing weekend and road trip with some great people!  Tara decided not to join my sorority after all.  I would see her around campus every now and then but never really talked to her much after the trip.  We are still Facebook friends and so I stay updated as to some of the things going on in her life.   Sometimes I wished we would have stayed in better contact but I have to remember that she decided to join this trip at the very last moment when I needed someone to replace Megan.  I think if I would have actually known her better beforehand and she would have joined our sorority's chapter, the friendship could have grown into much more.

Tammy and I have pretty much done all of my Backstreet trips after this one together.  It is pretty much the only time we get to see each other so we always have a great time anytime we do.  Who wouldn't have a great time when you are doing anything Backstreet Boys related.

But I don't know gone without goodbye....

**Remembering 9/11**

I know I have not written in a few weeks but I thought today needed an entry.  Everyone knows that today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon, so I thought it appropriate it write in remembrance of all the lives that were lost on this tragic day 10 years ago.

I believe that almost everyone who is old enough to comprehend what was happening on that day remembers where they were and what they were doing when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower at 8:46am on September 11, 2001.  I was in my senior year at Hobart High School and in first period, Music (either history or appreciation or something along those lines).  We happened to be in the computer lab next to the library that day doing research for a project.  We, of course, actually missed the first plane hitting the tower because we did not find out about it until after it happened.  The computer technician came into the computer lab shortly after it happened and told the teacher, who immediately turned on the TV.  Needless to say, not much work got done after that.  I just could not believe what was happening.  Who would do such a thing?  How many people were going to lose their lives because of this?  How will it affect people across the United States and the world.  My mind was going a million miles a minutes and I am sure I was not the only one that was confused about what was happening and why it was happening.

I found this video on YouTube that I had never seen before.  It is actual footage of Flight 11 hitting the North Tower.  I don't appreciate some of the comments that go with the video but it appears to be one of the only videos that shows the plane hitting the building.  All others that I have found just show the smoke and fire after the building has been hit.  The plane actually hits at about minute 1:28.

Video from ALexM615 on YouTube

By the time the bell rang for second period (we had 90 minute class periods), every teacher at Hobart High School had their TVs on.  For once in their school careers, students rushed to go from one class to the other, for fear of missing any of the news coverage.  The South Tower was hit at 9:03 by United Airlines Flight 175, just after second period started.  My feelings changed once again when I realized that it was not a reshowing of Flight 11 crashing into the North Tower, but of another attack on the South Tower.  This footage is a compilation of many of the new channels footage of Flight 175 hitting the South Tower.

Video from aaroman01 on YouTube

At that point, I wondered what else could be happen that day.  Could it possibly get worse?  The answer - YES.  At 9:37am, American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon.  As I was searching for video coverage of this, it was amazing at how many people believe that it was not a plane that flew into the Pentagon, but a missile instead.  Not sure why people are so bent out of shape on conspiracy theories of 9/11.  People lost their lives.  If you believe that 9/11 was an "inside job" then you can believe that but don't try to change my opinion that this was truly a terrorist attack on our nation.

Video from dave46563 on YouTube

At 9:59am, things got worse.  After burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.

Video from Xenomorph911WTC on YouTube

At 10:03am, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA.  It is believed that the intended target of this plane was either the Capitol Building or The White House.  However, the passengers of Flight 93 fought the hijakers and after the terrorists believed that the passengers might regain control of the plane, they intentionally crashed it.  

Video from  CBS on YouTube

The North Tower of the World Trade Center would then collapse at 10:28, after burning for 102 minutes.

Video from environmentalist21 on YouTube

Debris from the North Tower collapse fell onto the nearby 7 World Trade Center Building.  This damaged it and started fires.  The fires burned for several hours and compromised the building's structural integrity.  The 7 WTC building collapsed at 5:21pm.  

Video from Xenomorph911WTC on YouTube

It was just such as sad day and other events seemed to be a blur.  Everyone's eyes were glued to the TV set the entire day and a sense of patriotism spread throughout the United States.  There were a total of 2,996 casualties resulting from the multiple attacks.  This number includes the 19 hijakers, 246 passengers from all four planes (no survivors), 2,606 in New York in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon.  Over 90% of the deaths in the Towers were workers and visitors who had been at or above the point of impact.  At least 200 people fell or jumped to their deaths from the burning towers. 411 of the deaths were emergency workers who responded to the scene, trying to rescue people and fight fires.  The city has only able to identify remains for 1,631 of the World Trade Center victims.  It was estimated that about 17,400 civilians were in the World Trade Center complex at the time of the attacks so most people did make it out alive.  However, over 3,000 children lost a parent in the attack and many health issues have resulted from the toxic debris resulting from the collapse of the towers.  Because of these attacks, the War in Afghanistan and Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7, 2001 and have lead to thousands of injuries and deaths among the troops who have fought to protect the freedoms we have as Americans.

So on this day, I would like to remember those victims of 9/11, as well as all of those Fallen Heroes of Operation Enduring Freedom and any soldier that have lost their lives in the battles since then.  All of the family and friends of all of these people are also in my prayers.

So, some of you may be saying..."Finally, something not related to BSB."  Think again.  I think you will find I can relate almost anything to them and this is no different.  Most people are surprised to find out that Brian Littrell's wife, Leighanne was supposed to be on Flight 11, the first plane that crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  The Boys had been in Boston for a show during their Black and Blue Tour and Leighanne was supposed to be flying back to the West Coast for a dental appointment.  On September 10, she told Brian that she just had a bad feeling and should not get onto that plane.  She stayed with Brian and was spared her life.  I believe God spoke to her and being a devout Christian, she listened.  The Backstreet Boys did lose a stage crew member, Daniel Lee, who was flying back home to the West Coast because his wife was having her second baby.  Here is a video I found of Brian talking about Leighanne's fate on that tragic day:

Video from BriansBabyDuck on YouTube

The bad thing is that I did not even know that Leighanne was supposed to be on that place until I saw Brian during his Welcome Home Tour in Toronto in 2006.  Remember that these events took place in 2001, the time when I decided to let the Backstreet Boys go from my life for a brief amount of time (read about it here).  When Brian talked about it during his Toronto show, my heart just sank.  I had become more open to the idea of God and Christianity when I purchased his Welcome Home album and had seen him in Grand Rapids.  This news edged me even closer to becoming a believer.  Only God could give someone feelings that deep down to save them from tragedy.  Here is a video of Brian talking about it and his song "Gone Without Goodbye," which discusses the tragedy in the first verse.

"Gone Without Goodbye"

November 4, 2006 - McVety Center - Toronto, ON

Video from michibelle on YouTube

The day is drawing to an end and I was unable to watch any of the 9/11 specials on TV.  I am sure that they did justice to the fallen.  I hope that no one ever forgets what happened on that day.  I know Brian took part in a ceremony yesterday but I am not sure where.  Here are the photos that he has on his Facebook page.

The Littrell Family - One that would not have existed if Leighanne would have  gotten on  Flight 11

There was one flag for every casualty.  I believe he is carrying this one for Daniel Lee.

So I wrap this post up with a prayer that God helps to heal the wounds caused by these attacks.  I am proud to say that I am an American and appreciate all of the freedom that I have because of those that fight for that freedom.  God Bless.