Top 13 of 2013

Happy New Year everyone! In honor of wrapping up 2013, I thought I'd recap my 13 favorite memories from this past cruise.

13. Door Decoration- I really enjoyed seeing our door decoration come together. I think it came out better than I ever could've envisioned, mostly thanks to Chrissy's hard work on it! It was also very rewarding to have other fans stop by and give compliments on the door.

500 Reasons BSB is Larger than Life

12. Pranking friends in Miami- So we got to Miami a few days early to enjoy the beach and get settled. However with a lot of rain in the forecast, we didn't get as much beach time as we had hoped. Instead we largely stayed at the hotel. We also happened to have access our other friends' room before they arrived. So we took some of our leftover door decoration pictures and placed them throughout their hotel room. We even included funny notes. Oh Backstreet humor!

11. Seeing AJ in the Hallway- I love my unexpected random moments and running into AJ one night chatting to a small group of fans was awesome, even though it was brief. He chatted about the upcoming Bachelorette night and Friends. I always love those moments that only a small group of fans get to experience, it makes it that much more special.

10. Sail Away- I loved the guys coming out in their sailor suits and just kicking off the cruise with a bang.

9. Reuniting with old friends- I always say one of my favorite parts of the cruise is sharing the experience with friends. I'm fortunate to see some of gals who live closer to me throughout the year, but others I don't get to see anywhere but on the cruise. Either way- its so nice to catch up with everyone and that's just what we did.

8. Rum DMC- What can I say, I loved the fact that Howie got his time to shine. The event totally suited him and it makes my top 13 list because Howie never went on tour in the US with his CD so this was really the first time I got to see him really perform some of his solo material.

7. Being recognized- I had a bunch of you all come up to me at various points and ask me if I was the "girl from the blog." You all seriously made me so happy!! I got a teeny tiny dose of what the Backstreet Boys must feel like. In all honestly, it makes me feel so good to know that not only are there people out there who read my humble little blog, but also enough so that you actually recognize me. So thanks me making me feel so special!

6. Relaxing in Fort Lauderdale- After 3 exhausting days at sea, it was so nice to actually lay out by the ocean and float down a lazy river. They even had a pool-side waiter so we didn't have to get up. It was delightful. 

5. Answering my question during the Q&A- Both of the questions I asked got picked during the Q&A to be answered and that was super exciting!   

4. Meeting New Friends- Since the last cruise I've met so many wonderful girls through this blog and the fanclub. It's just so nice to finally meet you all in person after months of getting to know you over email. Just a few of you who I managed to get pictures with....

3. Incomplete with Kevin- There was a moment before Kevin's official cover story where he came out and played Incomplete on the piano while the entire atrium full of people quietly sang along. It sounds odd, but it was such a pretty moment. And of course Kevin's cover story was equally as enjoyable. I just liked seeing Kevin have his moment to shine and really open up and get personal with us through the songs he chose to sing.

2. Brian Encounter- Any interaction with a Backstreet Boy is fun, but what made this one neat was the fact that it was very unexpected and the fact that Brian initiated it. I was turning the corner when he yelled over to my friends and I. When else does something like this happen but on a Backstreet cruise? It doesn't!

1. Halloween Picture with AJ- I really had no expectations for the cruise, but the only thing I was really hoping for was for AJ to just see my costume, as I figured he'd appreciate the Friends reference. That's it. I didn't need a picture or anything fancy. But in the end not only did he see my costume but he liked it and I did in fact get a picture with him. *Squeeeeeeal*

I'm actually quite proud of myself for the fact that a lot of my top moments aren't BSB interactions. In fact, some didn't even make my list. Wow- I must be kinda sorta growing up!