Last MB20 Day - 342/365

Today, we were running a little slow. 

Nana, even though we went to bed AFTER 3AM, was still up raring to go at 6:00am! She was up, sitting on the balcony, just listening to her headphones. She was jamming away. We were so proud that she was such a party animal! LOL! 

 The room was making a crazy howling sound that morning since we had the balcony door open. When Jennifer woke up, the first thing she said was, "Why is the room screaming at me? Is it in my head!?" It was so funny! It was rather spooky. 

We took it a little slow getting up and ready. We had our photoshoot this morning. There was no "set" time, group A was just asked to start lining up at 11:00. We got some coffee and were actually first in line! It turns out, they were sending groups of eight to get pictures with both bands. Our group was OK, except for two people. They were technically THE FIRST people in line, and stated quite bluntly, that they were standing by Rob. WHATEVER. I tried to make a joke that I wanted to stand by "Pookie" (a nickname the band has for Brian Yale) and the husband said, "Whatever, she was first, so she gets to stand by whoever she wants." Yes, we already heard, she wants to stand by Rob. Again, WHATEVER! It worked out because we did get to stand with Pookie and Kyle. Both of which, are super awesome people. We got to talk to Rob for point three seconds. I told him how much fun we were having watching all those old videos in our rooms. He loved that! 

Next, we moved over to have our picture with the Goos. They moved us through pretty fast, but we were howling because Nana and little dirty looking Robbie (singer/guitarist) were holding hands in the picture! It was HILARIOUS! 

 After that, we went to grab some lunch, then explore around the ship. We went back by the water slide area and found some nice lounge chairs. We sat there for a long time just enjoying the sunshine and the humming of the ship in the water. It was awesome! 

This afternoon, both bands were having a Q&A on the lido deck. It was so great, because everyone was just hanging out, swimming, drinking, just listening to the Goos and MB20 answer questions. They joked about everything from who was the clumsiest, them growing up and what they would have been if they weren't famous. It was fascinating!

After the Q&A's we decided to go see how crowded the Goos theater show was. We enjoyed ours so much, that we were hoping to sneak in like we did for the songwriters session. The theater was about half full five minutes before it was supposed to start. We felt so bad. We snuck in and sat in the back row again. A guy from Rose Tours came over and said, "you're welcome to move up, but if the people that have the closer seats show up, we just ask that you be respectful and move back again." We were like, "OK!" We ended up probably in the sixth row. It was awesome! They put on one hell of a show! John Rzeznik actually forgot the words to one of the songs. He started laughing and making fun of himself. It was a hoot! We were just excited because we got to see them do Holly Jolly Christmas again. It was so good! 

Between shows, we went to grab some dinner at the buffet. Since we snuck into the Goos, we had missed our dining time. Oh well, it was worth it! 

Nana and Jenny were going to take care of some other stuff, when I happened to see that John Rzeznik was sitting in the secret room. I told them I was going to hang out there, and when they were done to just come meet me. I didn't think he'd come out, but you never know. I ended up talking with two other ladies while we were sitting there. All of a sudden, out the door he came. I jumped up and said, "Hi John! May I have a picture?" He smiled and said, "Why do you have a shirt that says box on it?" I explained our shirts and that my two other partners weren't there. He just laughed and said, "Let's do this!" His bodyguard snapped the picture. I just love it! We had such a moment!

Next up, was our Matchbox Twenty concert in the theater. We were so pumped!! Before the show, we spotted Randall, who we've been trying to get our picture with. He's a friend of the band that came along and helped them with stuff on the ship. I went over and asked him if we could get a picture. He said, "Sure!" I asked him to come up to our seats, he said he couldn't because the show was about to start. He teased, and said, if you need anything during the show, let me know. I teased back and said, "Actually, we were wondering what's with the camel in the Real World video?" We had been laughing about Rob Thomas walking a camel through a bowling ally for three days. It just seemed so random. Randall laughed and said, "well that's the guy you want to ask! That's their manager." I shook his hand and asked him the same question. He loved it! He went on to tell me that it was originally supposed to be an armadillo, but the armadillo wouldn't walk in the bowling alley, so the brought in the camel. He could of went on, but the show was about to start. What a cool moment that was.

When the show started. the band seemed a little tired from their marathon photoshoot day, but it was still awesome. It had taken four hours for the whole ship to get their pictures taken with them. I can't even imagine that! That had to be hell for them! Rob even opened the show by saying, "So, I met every single person on the ship today!" It was a hoot! His voice was even a little raspy from chatting all day! At one point it got real quiet between songs, and I said to Jenny, (a little louder than I wanted) "Geez, he sounds just like Robbie!" (Robbie from the Goos who we joke sounds like a little troll when he sings) Kyle actually laughed out loud at that, that's how close we were. It was so awesome! 

At the end of the show, each band member came across the front row and was signing autographs. I had brought my boarding picture to see if I could get a few signatures. I never dreamt, I would get all of them! I WAS SOOOO EXCITED! Just SO EXCITED! They were all so completely down to earth. Just very kind people. Paul Doucette actually held up a drum and asked who wanted it. He went on to say, most of you will have to fly with this, so keep that in mind and just giggled. He ended up giving it to a teenaged girl. She was thrilled! Jennifer got a drumstick and Kyle gave us each guitar picks. It was so FUN! 

 After that concert, we went up to the lido deck to give Joe Bachman another shot. He was in his upbeat happy mode, so we had a good time! We were dancing away and having some cocktails! We just giggled and laughed the rest of the night. We bumped into a couple Goos and Paul Doucette again and got some pics. It was so FUN! 

When we were heading back to our rooms, we decided to check down the hall where the bands were staying. It was actually on our floor, but the opposite side of the ship. They had bodyguards sitting in chairs at the top and bottom of their hallway, so you couldn't go down there. The bodyguards were really friendly though. I was joking with the one, when Pookie came around the corner from the other end, heading to his room. I yelled down the hall, "Goodnight Pookie!" He just smiled and went in his room. Yes, I admit to having probably three to many "Real Worlds" at that point! LOL! We just continued to giggle and laugh at everything and anything. We had the BEST time! 

Meanwhile at home, Jim and Reagan went to Reagan's first YSU girls basketball game.They played and lost to Cincinnati University. Jim said Reagan was really into it and watched the whole thing. At halftime she was happy because Jim got her a big Kit Kat. The only thing she didn't like was the buzzers. Being it was such a blowout, Jim tried to leave with five minutes left. When Reagan realized they were leaving, she said, "No Dada, I don't want to leave," so they ended up sitting by the cheerleaders. I guess she spent some time waving and talking to them. It was a very successful trip! 

After the game, they met Jim's mom and dad for dinner at the Cracker Barrel. They had a nice dinner together! 

 The photo of the day is John Rzeznik and I...

Next, us with Brad from the Goo Goo Dolls.

Jim and Reagan - Reagan enjoying the game...

And, all of them at dinner...

Eppie Adventure - hanging in the lamp

 

Nassau Day & Hibernation Class - 341/365

Today it was Nana's Birthday AND we were arriving in Nassau! 

 Nana, the party animal she is, was up at 6:00am after going to bed after 2am. Jennifer and I, both tried to sleep a little bit longer - we are not early birds. 

When we were finally up and about, we just hung out on the balcony as we came into port. I forgot how absolutely BEAUTIFUL the water in the Bahamas is. It's just the most beautiful turquoise blue. I think I even spotted good ole' Sandals, from our Honeymoon. 

 Before, we got off the ship, we went up to have some breakfast on the lido deck. We got a table right by the window overlooking the water and we could see Atlantis off in the distance. While we were enjoying all the beauty, the cruise director came on to make an announcement. He went on to say, the U.S. Embassy had issued a travel alert, because of the increasing violence against tourists in the Bahamas. He suggested you leave your valuables on the ship and stay together. And, DO NOT rent scooters. After all that cheerful news, he continued on to say, "But have a WONDERFUL day on the island!" Yea, that will be easy to do! 

Finally, it was time to head off to our excursion. We got on this tiny little bus, that was more like a van. I was the co-pilot, Nana was right behind me and poor Jenny, had to go all the way in the back. Our driver was crazy and we probably made it to the Atlantis in 8 minutes! 

When we unloaded, we were led to the beach where we had some chairs reserved. We were ready for a little quiet, relaxation time after all the music on the ship. The beach was just gorgeous! We settled in our chairs and just took it all in. It wasn't that quiet though, because every two minutes people were coming up to you asking you to buy something. There was one guy that was selling Pina Coladas out of a big plastic bin. First of all, no thanks. I don't know what you have in there. Secondly, it's 85 degrees and you have a milk-like substance with no ice. YUCK! We opted for some Bahama Mamas from the actual Atlantis bar. 

After we lounged for quite awhile, we decided to go check out The Dig. It's a huge underwater aquarium, where you can explore the fallen city of Atlantis. It's really cool to walk through. 

After that, we decided to use our vouchers to get our lunch before heading back to the ship. They gave us a TON of food! We had pizza, burgers, fries, popcorn and nachos. OH MY!

We were early for the first bus back, so we thought we'd take a taxi. We hopped in, then realized he wanted to fill the WHOLE van, before heading back. We could have just waited for the regular ship shuttle. Oh well. The ride was interesting, because he took some back roads. Whoa, a little scary! 

 When we got back to the dock, we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe, to use some WiFi to check in at home. It was nice to see some pictures of Reagan and text with Jim. I was missing them SO MUCH! 

We rushed back onto the ship to catch our Goo Goo Dolls concert at 5:00. Even John Rzeznik said, "This is really effing early for a concert!" The show was fabulous and it was just amazing being that close. John Rzeznik, almost stepped on our fingers and cameras a couple times! LOL! Jennifer got some guitar picks, too! He ended the show with Holly Jolly Christmas. He even said, "I can't believe I'm even going to sing this song!" It was great and everyone loved it!

After the Goos show, we went over to have our dinner. I ran down to the room for something. When I got in the elevator, I noticed this sad little guy all by himself. At the airport, I was searching #MBGOOSCRUISE on Twitter, when I saw a tweet from a Brian Millar. He said he was on his way there, from Denver. We were laughing at the airport, saying "what if we see Brian Miller?" Here, I ran into him in the elevator. It was a HOOT! He was a really nice guy. You could tell he was really shy. We felt bad he was all by himself! 

After that, we went to see if we could peek at Group B's songwriters session. The doors were open, so Jennifer and I peeked in. The very LAST row was empty, so we just plopped on down. Nana was shopping in the store right next to there, so she came looking for us and plopped on down, too! We are such rebels! We held our hands over our wrist bands the whole time. We were so afraid of getting kicked out! The songwriters session was great to see again, since they talked about different stuff! We loved it! 

We now decided to head over to this room where the band would hang out. They had the doors covered with paper, so you couldn't really see in, but the cracks between the doors were large enough, you could make out who was in there. We saw that Rob was in there, so we decided to stand around to see if he would come out. It was just Nana, two other girls and I. All of a sudden, here he came! He said, "I'm sorry guys, I don't have time to sign or take pictures, I have to get ready for the show. I'll get you later." I blurted out, "Rob, can you at least say 'happy birthday' to that grandma over there." He looked around because my mom was practically HIDING. She looked at him and said, "It really is my birthday." He said, "Well then, Happy Birthday" and went over and gave her the BIGGEST HUG!" It was so awesome! She was SO EXCITED!! 

Finally, it was time for MB20's lido deck show. We got up pretty close and were chatting with some really cool people. There was a ship docked right next to us, that had to be twice the size. There were people on the top deck of that ship looking over the edge. They were probably thinking, what the heck!? 

Matchbox Twenty totally rocked the concert! It was awesome! There was a guy a few people up, holding what looked like a letter. Our little group, kept kidding and saying, "What is that, an essay!?" I said, "Geez, if we give him an "A" will he put it down." We all got a big kick out of him. We still don't know what it was! 

After the lido deck show, we decided to check out Joe Bachman in the Xanu Lounge. He was actually putting on a pretty awesome show. He was doing upbeat covers and everyone was having a blast dancing. Jenny and I were bouncing fools! We were having a great time! All of a sudden, he pulled the same thing he did at Sister Hazel, that turned everyone off. He told this 10 minute story about an experience with the troops, then played a song about the troops. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE and support the troops and appreciate everything they do for our country. BUT, this guy put such a spin on the story to almost make it like HE was the hero and made it all about HIM! HE never served our country. About 1/2 of the people that were previously having a blast, just turned around and left. It's a Matchbox Twenty party boat, at 2:00am, that is not the time or place to tout your heroism, sir. It worked out though, because after we left, we ended up talking to a bassist from the Goo Goo Dolls, who had also left the Joe Bachman concert. I ended up showing him a couple pictures I took of him, at the concert earlier in the evening, and he asked if he could use them on his Facebook page. I was so honored! 

Soon enough, here comes Paul Doucette and Randall (one of their buddies who helped them with stuff on the cruise). We got to talk with Paul and get a picture. I, after SEVERAL "Real Worlds" patted Paul on the head and said, "You are just the cutest little thing." He is pretty short, but I can't believe I said that right to him. I'm surprised he didn't kick me off the ship! LOL! 

By this time, we were just giggling and getting pretty pooped. We headed back to the room, walked in, and there was Rob Thomas singing away in the room. We started howling saying we were "overstimulated" from all the concerts, meet and greets, just everything really. We were laughing, that we just HAD to turn the TV off for a little bit. We needed a little bit of quiet. The first night we didn't even turn the TV off while we slept! It was just ROB all day and night! We were totally immersed in the music. What a fabulous time we were having! We eventually did fall asleep in silence. 

 Meanwhile at home, Jim and Reagan went to Children's Nature Hour at Mill Creek Park. Today they were learning about hibernation. They had a great time. Reagan made an awesome craft of a bear sleeping in a cave. She was so proud! 

 This evening, we got some snow, so they played outside and shoveled the driveway! Reagan just loves the snow!

The photo of the day is, Nana and I with Paul Doucette.

Next, Nana getting her birthday hug!

Finally, Nana, Jenn and I enjoying the beautiful beach

Reagan and Jim - Reagan enjoying hibernation class

Eppie Adventure - sitting on the shelf.

  

Boarding Matchbox Twenty Cruise - 340/365

Today was boarding day for our Matchbox Twenty Cruise! 

We couldn't wait to get on the ship! We got over to the terminal and were escorted right to the desk. The lady handed each of us a tiny envelope with a wrist band inside. We knew we were guaranteed the first three rows, but didn't know exactly where we would be. I pulled out the wrist band and started SQUEALING! We were FRONT ROW! How awesome was THAT! 

When we walked on the ship, our jaws just DROPPED! They had these HUGE banners of Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls hanging in the atrium! They were awesome! 

We took some pictures, then wandered a little bit around the ship. We stumbled on the theater where the concerts would be, so we went in to try to find our seats. I got down to the front. Then, got thrown out, by the road crew of Matchbox Twenty, because they were trying to set the stage for later. Ooops! On the ship 10 minutes and already getting in trouble! 

After getting tossed, we decided to hit the lido deck for a snack and some drinks! They were walking around with these drinks called the "Real World", after one of MB20's most famous songs. They were really pretty and in these awesome MB20 Cruise glasses, so we HAD to have them. I said I'd get the first drinks. We were all howling when he brought the bill and it was $60.00 for three drinks. OMG! They were so worth it, though! 

 As we were sitting there, we noticed, Joe Bachman, from the supporting third band, walking by. Jennifer and I happened to know who he was, because he opened for Sister Hazel this summer in Cleveland. None of us really enjoyed him back then, so we were like, UGH! We decided to get a picture with him anyway. LOL! We kind of felt bad, because he was really nice, and really happy that someone actually recognized him. 

After our snack and drinks, our room was ready, so we went to check that out. On our way, we realized the elevators had these awesome Matchbox Twenty skins on them! TOO COOL! 

Our room was AWESOME! It was nice and big and we had a really cool balcony! Nana ended up sleeping on the huge pull out couch. Jenny was the middle twin bed. We called it her own private island. I, was the other twin bed by the wall. They even had a channel that played every Matchbox Twenty video they made. We tuned to that channel and left it on. It was so fun just hanging around the room watching and listening to old songs! We were really happy with everything!

Finally, it was time for the sail away party. What a good time this was! They had the tunes cranking!! Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls made an appearance as well! They thanked everyone for coming on the cruise and promised an amazing vacation. They talked for a few minutes, then started shooting off these air guns loaded with confetti. It was GREAT! 

Next up, we were off to dinner. The food was GREAT! We were all pleased with our meals. Dessert was pretty good, too! Jennifer got an awesome orange cake! It was bright orange, too! Scrumptious! 

Finally, it was time for our song writers session. We were SO EXCITED! It started a little bit late, but it was worth the wait! They talked all about their songs, and played some awesome clips from when they are just jamming, trying to get it to come together. We were HOWLING! 

At one point, Rob Thomas looked RIGHT AT JENN and asked, "Are you having a good time?" It was so funny! 

They started a little Q&A session next and I actually got to ask a question! They had talked earlier about how they are brutally honest with each other during song writing. Since, everyone has songs they hate, dislike, kinda hate and so on, I asked if there were any songs they have recorded, that their families disliked? I was so nervous when I was handed the microphone. We had our Matchbox Twenty Cruise shirts on, that Nana had made, and Rob Thomas said, "Oh no. This is going to be serious, they have effing t-shirts." LOL! It was too funny! In answer to the question, they talked about their kids and how they are all pretty much unimpressed with the rock star life. They said when the smaller kids, go on tour with them, instead of going to the show, they ask to stay on the bus and watch TV. How funny..what a life! 

During the songwriters session, every band member the entire hour and a half drank wine. It was so funny. They had this girl that would bring out more wine when they needed it. Kyle even snuck of the stage to use the bathroom. They are all just so down to earth. At the end of the session, Rob Thomas stayed to sign some autographs. I didn't really have anything, so I handed him my phone. The case on my iPhone used to have Mickey on the back, but it had rubbed off, so it was completely white. He signed his name in silver sharpie. It was AWESOME! We kept laughing because his signature actually looked like it said, "Judy." 

This evening was the Goo Goo Dolls concert. We REALLY enjoyed their show. It was outside on the lido deck. What an unbelievable place to have a concert. Floating in the ocean, stars above, listening to a great band. We were actually starting to feel pretty bad that we put up a stink about the Goo Goo Dolls being included in the cruise. It wasn't that we disliked them, we just didn't want them taking away any MB20 time. Turns out GGD were really were adding a lot! It was FUN! 

After the GGD concert, we were just hanging around the lido deck, enjoying the DJ, when all of a sudden, Paul Doucette, was up on the next balcony jamming on a set of drums that glowed. He and another guy just pounded away. It was SO AWESOME! You could tell he was feeling pretty good from all the wine he consumed earlier in the evening. When the other guy was playing, he jumped up and sat on the railing right above us. We were so afraid he was going to tip backwards and fall down to our level. Actually, he ended up falling the other way. When he jumped down, he lost his footing and fell right into a chair. It was so funny! 

At this point, it was pretty late, so we decided to call it a night. We wanted to save our energy for our day in Nassau and our MB20 concert the next night! 

 Meanwhile, back at home, Jim and Reagan were continuing on their adventure without me. Jim had to go into work today for a little bit, so Jim's mom came to get Reagan for the day. When Jim got home from work, they all had dinner together over her house. They had ice cream for dessert which made Reagan super happy! 

The funniest photo of the day is....us with Joe Bachman

Our fabulous drinks...

And, my "Judy" phone. The blob above the "J" used to be Mickey's foot.

Finally, ROB!

Jim and Reagan's adventures - Reagan enjoying dessert with Grandma and Papa.

 Eppie Adventure - Sitting over the door.

 

Miami, Tales and OH WOW! - 339/365

It was travel day for Nana, Jenny and I. We were off to sail the seas with Rob Thomas!
Actually, we were sailing the seas with Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls!
We left for the airport at 6:30 and got there with plenty of time to spare.
We grabbed some breakfast at the airport and headed to our gate. Once we got on the plane, a couple next to us, saw our Matchbox Twenty Cruise tote bags. They asked if we were going on the cruise. We said, "YES!" Turns out, they were from Pittsburgh.
 Our flight was great, no problems at all. We got to Atlanta and thought our connector was a little tight. Our new cruise buddies, grabbed a golf cart to take them to our next gate, so they asked us to hop on. It was a HOOT! We were cruising through the airport on this cart passing everyone up. We were howling!
 Once we got to our gate, we popped in a little bar and had a beverage! Our first "cheers" of the trip! YAY!
While we were waiting to board the plain, we met three other groups going on the cruise. They were from Atlanta, Wisconsin and Louisiana. Everyone was so nice and so excited!!!
 Our flight to Miami was pretty good. I was a little nervous because the pilot said it might be bumpy, but it wasn't at all! YAY!
When we got to Miami, Jenn had arranged for a car to pick us up. The driver's name was Paolo and he was super nice. We got to talking about LeBron and Paolo said he had driven him a couple times. That was pretty interesting.
 We got to our hotel, which was absolutely AMAZING! The rooms were so modern and the view was worth a million bucks! We couldn't believe it. It looked right over the water where the ships came in. It was just gorgeous. It had the most comfy beds, ever. The mirror in the bathroom had a TV in it. It was crazy!
The bell boy, Jonathan, who brought our bags up was SUPER friendly. He basically gave us a tour of the city right from our room. He showed us where to go grab something to eat and shop. He also showed us the hotel where all the celebrities stay. He showed us all kinds of fun stuff.
 Once we got settled, we decided to hit the town and grab something to eat. We headed over to the Bayside area that Jonathon told us about. What a great place! It was right on the water where all these boats and yachts were parked. It had all kinds of cool shops, too! We had a great dinner at a place called Largo. Delcious!
 Walking back to the hotel that night, was amazing! Miami has the most amazing lights on their buildings. Everything is lit so classy, but all in neon. It's amazing! It was really something to see. While we were off in Miami.....
Jim and Reagan hit the town at home. They started at Tales for Tots. The theme this month was Mice. They made an adorable Christmas mouse craft. They used a candy cane as the tail and made a body out of green and red felt. It was adorable!
Next, they went down in the nature room. They followed mice tracks to things they liked and things they were afraid of. Reagan agreed with the mice that she was afraid of snakes, too! LOL! After Tales for Tots, they went down to Oh wow to play for awhile! They really enjoyed themselves because they were the ONLY ones in there! They had an absolute blast!!! They spent two and a half hours playing. They did everything from the water table and lego table. Reagan also got to give a weather report and fly a rocket. She was in heaven! Jim said, she refused 

to leave when he was ready to go. They had a great day together!
The photo of the day is Nana, Jenn and I on our way to Miami....

Next, the view from our room...

Reagan enjoying Tales for Tots - Mice Class...

Finally, Reagan at OH Wow...

Eppie Adventure - Figuring out this Matchbox Twenty Cruise Stuff

 

Hershey MB20 - 226/365

Busy day today!

 I had asked Rachel if I could take some pictures of Milana. I wanted to practice my newborn photography, which is NOT easy...LOL! I told her she could leave Milana with me,  then she could spend some time with just Parker. She said "sure" and was thrilled to spend some alone time with Parker. Milana was a perfect angel and an excellent subject. We had fun on our little photo shoot. Poor Rachel, ended up getting locked out of the house, but Ron came to the rescue!

This afternoon, my mom and I were heading to Hershey, Pennsylvania to see Matchbox Twenty. We were so bummed that we have to miss the Cleveland show next week, so we decided we HAD to see hem somewhere else. Hershey was the closest place.

Jim came home from work around 12:30 and off we went. We made it in 4 hours on the nose! 

We ended up staying at the Hotel Hershey. What a gorgeous place it is and you get bombarded with chocolate as soon as you walk through the door. We were here about a half hour and had already got, four Hershey Kisses and a classic Hershey bar! The hotel itself was humongous! It had a couple restaurants, a skating rink, playground and two pools. The location was great, because it was basically across the street and up a hill, from the Hershey Stadium, where the concert was. 

We got settled and went to have dinner at Trevia 5, a little Italian place. We both had the pizza, delicious! 

After dinner, we drove the two minutes to the stadium, found a great parking spot and were in within 15 minutes. It was a strange little place, but nice. 

The stage was HUGE, TALL HUGE! It was bizarre! You almost had to look straight up at them. The sound system was nuts. The bass was thumping so hard that it felt like your heart could skip a beat.

Matchbox Twenty was awesome, as always! Just fabulous entertainers! I was lucky enough to get a guitar pick, too! I was swaying to a song with my arms crossed in front of me, when I felt something hit my arm.  Low and behold, it was a guitar pick! It landed right on my arm! It was awesome!!! I was so excited! 

After the show, we were back at the hotel in less than 15 minutes. Awesome commute! 

It was so fun, we were glad we came.

While I took off for the evening, Jim held down the fort at home. He was so sweet, he got us all caught up on laundry, did the dishes and got my car washed! He even took Reagan and Brinkley to the farm to check out the animals and went on a walk! They had fun spending time together! 

 I'm so lucky! 

The photo of the day is Rob....

 Next is my guitar pick...YAY! 

And finally, Brinkley and Reagan checking out the longhorns....

 

MB20 DAY -180/365

It was a super exciting day today! It was Matchbox Twenty day! 

We started the day just hanging around the house. When it dried out I cut the grass, while Reagan and Jim played in the yard.  When I was done, I went to get the mail and it just so happens, that Reagan got some more mail for her mailbox! Aunt Pam sent her a little postcard with zoo animals asking about her summer. It was SO CUTE! I snuck it down to her mailbox and I guess she found it later in the evening, when her and Jim went back out to play. She get's so excited to get mail. Thanks, Aunt Pam! 

I was so excited all day for the concert! They are hands down, my all time, favorite band! I just love them and especially Rob Thomas! I have been listening to them consistently since 1994 when "Push" came out! I don't think there is one song that he alone, or Matchbox Twenty as group, sings, that I could say I "hate." They are just awesome! 

My mom and I headed out around 4:30 and stopped in Lisbon to have dinner at the Shale on the way. 

There was a little bonus of having the Goo Goo Dolls open the show. I have always liked the Goo Goo Dolls' stuff on the radio, but I never "owned" any of their music. They were pretty good and sounded just like the recordings, which I liked. They did have this weird, little guy in the band though. He was out there in black socks and no shoes. He wore all black and had shoulder length, stringy, JET black hair.  AND, he was a SWEATY mess. He almost looked like he was on drugs or something. It was hard to focus on the music watching the antics of this guy. Crazy! 

Something I had never seen before at a show, was a guy running the sweeper. When the Goo Goo Dolls finished and they started to prep the stage for Matchbox Twenty, there was a guy just sweeping away. It was a sweeper any of us would have in our home! It was strange!

 Matchbox Twenty came out around 9:30 and opened with Parade. It was awesome! They played for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS, it really was phenomenal!! Rob Thomas was a sweaty mess by the end, because he was all over the place! 

Rob loves to play with the crowd and took someone's cell phone and ran around the stage taking pictures. At one point, the whole band even had "adult" beverages on the stage. They were all slugging down beer, except for Paul. He had a lovely glass of red wine! They did a nearly 20 songs and every single one sounded exactly the same as you are used to hearing it!!! It was just awesome! The crowd was very well behaved, too! It was a wonderful, wonderful evening. We didn't get home until 1:00, but it was SO worth it! 

The photo of the day is a collage from the concert, because when it comes to Matchbox Twenty, I can't pick just one! LOL!

The next is a few from the Goo Goo Dolls, with the creepy little guy. 

And last but not least, just a funny worth remembering. This is what happens when Jim eats a string cheese in front of the kids....

 

Cruising with MB20!!!! - 51/365

Today is a SUPER EXCITING day! 

My mom, Jennifer and I have booked a cruise with MATCHBOX TWENTY! OMG! 

The band has chartered a ship leaving from Miami and heading to Nassau for three days in December! A cool thing about it, is my mom will get to celebrate her birthday on the ship, with one of her favorite bands! How awesome is that? 

 With the particular cabin level we booked, we are guaranteed seats in the first 3 rows of all their reserved events on the ship. The ULTIMATE is we get a meet & greet/photo session WITH THE BAND!!! We finally get to HUG, Rob Thomas. OMG! 

He is one of our absolute favorite artists, and I can honestly say there is NOT ONE song that he has EVER sang, that I can say I don't like. I really need to pinch myself because it's unreal!

 We got to book today being fan club members, before the general public could book. Good thing we did, because our particular cabin level was gone in 11 minutes! WOW! It should be a super fun three days with two of my favorite gals! 

Nassau in December with MB20? YES, PLEASE! 

 Here is the photo the day..... 

 

Matchbox Twenty! - 48/365

Family fun continued today!
The day started off with an impromptu trip into Mill Creek Park to photograph the freshly fallen snow. My Aunt Pam said she has always wanted to take winter pictures of Lanterman's Mill, so they decided to go after church.  My mom texted around 8:00 to see if I wanted to go and I jumped at the chance to take some pictures...LOL! We had a great time wandering around in the snow! It was gorgeous! After our "hike" we headed off to Bob Evan's for some breakfast.
Then, we all headed home to rest up and get ready for Zabel girls night with Matchbox Twenty! WOO HOO! We had dinner at the Phoenix in Canfield and were taken care of by our friend, Cindi! It was such a nice dinner!
We finished up dinner and got on the road. We wanted to be early because Jennifer loves Phillip Phillips who was opening for MB20. He was fantastic! Usually, openers are a little rusty and not too swift but he was excellent!
 Matchbox 20 hit the stage at 8:30 and played for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS! It was AMAZING!!! I've seen them countless times, but this time had to be the best yet. They were spot on and did every single hit they had. It was an absolutely phenomenal show!!! Rob Thomas just seems like such a nice guy and has a great sense of humor. He plays with the crowd and his band mates. The one guitarist, Paul's guitar wasn't working and he teased about that. He also took a girl's cell phone off her and started making a video of him walking around the stage...LOL! It was just such a good time all the way around!
On the way home us girls reminisced about all the fun times we've had together down in Myrtle Beach. Perfect day with some of my favorite ladies! Love you girls!
Today's picture is Rob Thomas taking a video of Kyle with the stolen cell phone.