My Adventures in Fresno

On April 16th, my friends and I drove four hours to the "armpit capital" of California, also known as Fresno! You're probably thinking, "Why on the earth would she go there?" Well, we had our reasons...five very good reasons! Despite this being our first trip to Central California, my three friends and I (my Godsister merely went for the experience) made the trip because we were going to go see another NKOTB concert and were going to meet the guys again!

My Godsister and I actually arrived an hour ahead of my three friends, who decided to take another route. We didn't have much time to relax, so we started getting ready because we needed to be at the venue, located at Fresno State University, by 4:00 pm. Then we had to be in the building by 4:30 so that we could be directed into the VIP lounge. However, before heading over to the venue, we stopped off at BJ's Restaurant and ate some lunch. I was famished, but I only managed to eat like 30% of my salad and french fries. Yes, I believe I was starting to feel a bit anxious as to what was to come.

As we drove into the venue, I noticed all these women standing alongside this little hillside looking down. They were looking down at the tour buses, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the guys. A few people saw Joey and Jordan waved hello to a few fans. I met up with my friend K, who brought her friend B, and then my group of friends (H, K, S and my Godsister) and I gathered together to get in line. A few days prior to the concert, I had read that if we didn't already have a pre-made group of 10 people, we were likely going to be separated. We weren't going to let this happen, so we were fortunate to find three more girls--twin sisters & a younger (younger as in 29 years old) fan. YEAH! We were set!

We were the 6th group lined up, which meant we were Group F. As I stood underneath the doorway of the venue, I started coughing this nervous cough. I was experiencing a bout of anxiety because I was going to meet the guys again. :( Why now?! As we got off the elevator, I finally felt better when we found ourselves a table and started chatting with the rest of the girls in our group. We discussed different aspects of the group, as well as what we all did for a living.

Finally, at around 6:00 pm or so, a rep started talking and began to call out the letters of the alphabet because it was time to get ready to meet the guys! There I go again with the nervous cough. When our group letter was called up, I started feeling weak in the knees. Then as we approached the black curtain, my anxiety woes went away when I saw the guys!

I noticed from right to left were Jonathan, Jordan, Donnie, Danny and Joey. Of course, I went to Jon first and received a great big hug from him. As I tried to make my way to another guy, I remembered what my friend N told me: Stay put where you are and don't leave his side. If there's any time left later, go back and give a quick hug to the other guys. At one point, just before the group photo, I showed Jon what I had found the night before. It was a flier that was passed around my high school in Oct. 1988 announcing a benefit concert the guys participated in near my town. It was the one and only time they were in my area. I showed him both sides of the flier and, of course, I knew he wasn't going to remember. :( This small concert was likely the second one they had ever done to promote their sophomore album, "Hangin' Tough," and occurred immediately after their first, historical show, which was at the Fulton Mall in Fresno in 1988.

Well, needless to say, I stayed put next to Jonathan because within a minute or so, someone called out that it was picture time! We got into our places and they snapped the pic. The entire time I was thinking that Jon didn't look so good. Well, my friend had read Jon's Twitter message stating he was sick with the flu, so you could tell he was not well. Dang, he still looks good, sick or well!! So now I figured I'd have a few seconds to go give Donnie a quick hug and show him the flier too, but the Knight Brothers assistant, as well as a security guard, were rushing us out because they needed to bring in the next group. Literally, we were in the VIP room for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. :( One funny thing that happened as we left the meet and greet was when my friend K asked if she could get a solo pic with Donnie, which she did! Note to self again: Be more assertive and don't forget to introduce myself next time!

My group of friends and I re-grouped, and we finally received our tickets for our seats. As the usher helped my Godsister and I, we noticed we were sitting in the 2nd row, just steps away from the stage! I was blessed again with such great seats! My friends H and K were about two rows behind me, my friend S was near H and K, and my other friend K and her friend B were just one person away from me! K and B decided to stand right at the corner of the stage, so as soon as the lights went down, we joined them there!

The night was fantastic and I had a great time meeting up and hanging out with my friends! We decided to go to Denny's after wards because we were all (*insert Bostonian accent here*) stahving!

Our final morning together, my friends and I had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory and discussed the great time we had at the concert. I think all of us agreed that we (minus my Godsister, who will be moving soon) can't wait for our next adventure(s) this summer!