An Entirely Rational Decision

So, we have been sitting on my deck in the back yard for the past four hours talking about what the point of this blog is.

We went back and forth, back and forth, and concluded that we are just really excited about NKOTB reuniting. We intend to document this whole little journey that we're going on... We've been fans of New Kids on the Block for 20 years. That's kind of a big deal.

We have tickets to the shows in Boston, Chicago, and St Paul (not Minneapolis, if anybody is paying attention, ahem). We're also plotting how we are going to get into the MOA performance. It sounds like the rules are bordering on Draconian for that, but we're working on it.

We've got the Chicago trip taken care of... we're taking the Megabus there and splitting the hotel room with three other ladies. We live in St Paul, so travel & lodging aren't really an issue.

Boston, however, has been a problem. We're both college educated and gainfully employed, but we're not exactly swimming in disposable income. The crude math has resulted in some figures that are somewhere in the neighborhood of both our monthly mortgage payments combined...

So, trying to be the responsible 31-yr old women that we are, we've decided that maybe we should skip Boston. We don't think we'll have a problem selling our tickets to that show, since it's their hometown and both shows are sold out. Our tickets are for Sunday (in case anybody is in the market...)

And so, INSTEAD... after some careful deliberation, we've just bought "5 Star" tickets to the St Paul show (hee!!!!).

[Wow, I'm kind of excited... and more than a little giddy right now. Excuse me please.]

The 5 Star tickets include:

» A ticket in the first 10 rows!
» 5 Star souvenir laminate
» Meet and greet - photo op!
» Pre-show party!
» Exclusive New Kids on the Block gift bag!
» Parking
» Crowd-free merchandise shopping!
» Discount coupon to the New Kids on the Block online store

So... to get back to the point of this blog, we're going to be documenting our NKOTB-related activities between now and October 21, and probably beyond that. You can expect to see a trip down Memorabilia Memory Lane, our adventures at the Mall of America (including LIVE streaming video blogging! - hopefully, if we can figure out how to do it...), and lots of other goodies.

Stay Tuned!!!

Our NKOTB Timeline

When The Today show announced that NKOTB was going to be appearing on the show back in May Alexis thought they should fly out to see whatever it was going to be. She stalked the internet (as well as Kim) figuring out how they could get out there. They had a place to stay (Alexis' sister Lauren lives in NYC) it was just transportation on short notice that was the issue. Kim, as usual had to talk Alexis down from her edge when she found out that Alexis had been going Priceline.com and putting in bids for airline tickets. As part of her negotiations, Kim made Alexis an offer she couldn't refuse: Stop this madness and we can go to TWO shows! Alexis made Kim pinkie swear that NO MATTER WHAT they would go to two shows. For several days, they obsessed about which locations they would like to visit. After much debate, their "Top 5 List" was made.
1) Twin Cities
2) Boston
3) Fargo
4) Chicao
5) New York

When the first round of concerts was announced Kim and Alexis decided they were going to go to Boston and Chicago. No one else wanted to fly to Boston with them, but Birdie, Ashley and Becky all agreed to go to Chicago with them.
Then, there was the AmEx presale hurdle to jump through. After some frantic phone calls, Alexis secured an AmEx card through her father. They were ready. They purchased their tickets without problems and began discussing important things like, "What should we wear?"
A few weeks later, the big news came that NKOTB would be coming to the X-Cel Energy Center in St Paul. Emails flew across the internets. Liz, Darcie, Regina and Becky jumped on the bandwagon. This is home tuft for Project NKOTB! Tickets were purchased and talks of hotel stalking commenced.

A Tale Of Two BFF's: The Beginning

So, I feel like I should start from the beginning a little bit. Kim and Alexis met about 4 years ago. After Alexis spent some serious time stalking Kim, Kim decided to be friends with Alexis. They have spent the next 4 years bonding and BFFing over a love for happy hours, NKOTB, brunch, gardening, Justin Timberlake, and other things that their families would prefer that they not mention. When they got wind that The New Kids On The Block may be reuniting, Kim and Alexis starting plotting. Plotting how they were going to stalk (remember, Alexis is a bit of an expert in this) NKOTB and make them their official groupies. Both are a bit crazy, Kim has a husband, dog and a important desk-type job. Alexis has a husband, two kids and is self-employed in a out-doorsy environment. Kim wears colors. Alexis only wears khaki and black. Kim enjoys camping. Alexis’ idea of camping is staying at a hotel without room service. Kim is Alexis’ voice of reason. Alexis keeps Kim’s reason on its toes. Kim and Alexis were destined to meet each other so that they could follow The New Kids OnThe Block around on tour together.

Ugh... Ribbon Cutting? For Reals?

So the NKOTB fans will have to compete with Magic Johnson fans for a spot in line? Lame.

http://www.mallofamerica.com/adults_tenant_profile_objectname_BestBuy_W340.aspx

Best Buy Ribbon Cutting

Best Buy Ribbon Cutting on Friday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. with special appearances, including Earvin "Magic" Johnson. In celebration of the grand opening, Best Buy is donating $5000 each to two local community organizations: Cornerstone, working to prevent domestic violence in South Hennepin County, and the Pacer Center, enhancing the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities.Friday, August 810 a.m.Best Buy store

Best Buy Presents New Kids on the Block

Best Buy's Grand Opening Celebration continues with a special performance and autograph signing by New Kids on the Block at 5:30 p.m. in the Rotunda. Reserve a place in the autograph line by pre-ordering the New Kids on the Block CD at Best Buy Mall of America. Pre-order "The Block" for $9.99, starting at 10 a.m., Friday, August 8. Limited-edition autograph passes will be issued with pre-orders on a first-come, first-served basis. Quantities are limited.Friday, August 810 a.m. - CD pre-orders on sale at Best Buy store5:30 p.m. - Performance and autograph signing in Rotunda

The News That Consumed Our Weekend

http://nkotb.com/blog/2008/07/exclusive-best-buy-grand-opening-performance-and-autograph-signing/

Friday, July 18th, 2008
EXCLUSIVE BEST BUY GRAND OPENING PERFORMANCE AND AUTOGRAPH SIGNING!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
EXCLUSIVE BEST BUY GRAND OPENING PERFORMANCE AND AUTOGRAPH SIGNING!
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8th at 5:30PM
ROTUNDA AT MALL OF AMERICA
Autograph session immediately follows a live performance. Reserve a place in the autograph line by pre-ordering the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CD “THE BLOCK” at Best Buy Mall of America (Mall of America location only). Pre-order “The Block” for $9.99, starting at 10:00 A.M Friday, August 8th at Best Buy. Limited edition autograph wristbands will be issued with pre-orders on a first come first serve basis.
Quantites are limited.*
Mall of America parental escort policy applies.**
*Autograph passes only available with pre-orders placed at Best Buy Mall of America location. Consumer must present receipt at Best Buy Mall of America to pick up pre-ordered CD between 9/2/08 and 9/6/08.
**Mall of America Parental Escort Policy: On Friday and Saturday evenings, youth under 16 must be accompanied by and adult 21 years or older from 4:00 p.m. until close. One adult may supervise up to 10 youth. Anyone 21 years or younger should be prepared to show current valid ID with proof of age during parental escort hours.

Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?

The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world.