Scavenger Hunt: Callie & Kristie's Casino Time with Howie D

As promised, Callie is back along with roommate Kristie to share their super exciting experience on winning the Howie scavenger hunt. I absolutely love this story, and part of the reason I love it so much is because I played cruise matchmaker setting these 2 gals up. This is yet another example of what can happen even if you have no one to travel with....I swear after reading this post I thought these girls were lifelong friends. but it was their first BSB cruise! Love these girls!

A little about Callie- Aside from being a huge Brian girl, she's super sweet and the mother of the two cutest boys I have ever seen! So don't forget to follow her on twitter @calliewoodland or on Facebook.
A little about Kristie- She is a huge Nick fan from New Jersey. And by huge Nick fan....even her boyfriend is named Nick (ha! sorry I find this really amusing). She's so much fun to hang out with so make sure to follow her on on twitter @kristie_sacch.

Now that our post cruise depression has FINALLY somewhat subsided, we figured why not relive the memories of one of the best BSB events that we have ever attended-- the BSB Cruise 2014, specifically Howie’s scavenger hunt event. This article is written by cruise roommates, Kristie and Callie, from Callie’s perspective.

This was both Kristie and I’s first cruise, and we were super excited, and had no idea what to expect! While checking in at the port we learned that something new was happening on the cruise this year; a scavenger hunt.  The prize was special time with the Backstreet Boy whose clues you had solved!  As soon as my roommate Kristie and I learned of this information we were determined, we were competitive, and we were certain that we were not going to lose.  In fact, from that moment on we began strategizing. We did everything from looking up maps of the ship online to placing ourselves at a good spot for getting onto the ship early once they started boarding.

The scavenger hunt form and first clues

Scheming in the terminal right before we are about to board

Soon after the Backstreet Boys boarded, the employees released the rope and began general boarding.  Kristie and I flew through the embarkation picture, ran up the ramp and were the first two people to board the ship. With Kristie being a Nick girl and I being a Brian girl, we hoped to find either of their clues. We finally decided that we would start with Nick and then if that plan failed, then try for Brian. As soon as we boarded, we soon realized that this was going to be much harder than we originally thought.

Clue #1 for Nick: “Typically Sunday is a day of worship for many including Nick during the months of September through February. Where would you find Nick and the object of his desire if he were to worship this coming Sunday on the ship? If you are a lucky BUC then you will find the next clue”

From this clue, the first place we wanted to look was a bar, thinking that it had TVs to watch football on Sundays. The first bar we came across on the ship was the piano bar.  We flew into the piano bar and what did we find?  We found Kevin, who was checking out the ship and playing around on the piano.  Although we were frantic, and in quite a rush to find the clue, we certainly found time for a quick selfie with Kevin. 

Kevin and I

Kevin and Kristie

We were not even 2 minutes into our first BSB Cruise, and we already got a selfie with one of the boys- we knew this was the start of something great. However, despite our high hopes, we didn’t find the clue in the bar.  In fact, we didn’t find the clue (or any clue) in the next 257 places that we looked, or those we relooked and then looked again.  We did all of this while carrying our super heavy carry-on bags and running around outside on the Lido deck in hurricane-type wind and rain (I may be exaggerating there slightly, but not much); but really- we almost slipped and broke an ankle many times.

After what seemed like an eternity, we still had not found the next clue for Nick, the Backstreet Boy we were searching for. We also came across a group that had already found the majority of clues for Brian, so we knew that us winning was a lost cause. We retired to our room to begin hanging our door decorations and pout in the fact that we didn’t win.  When we emerged, Kristie had gone to the bar to get the rum punch drink in the souvenir Carnival glass [this is actually an important detail to the story which you will find out later], and we also learned that some of our friends, Chrissy and Cory, had won the AJ event.  Other friends of ours, Laura, Annemarie, and Ana, had won the Kevin event.  We were also told by the Rose Tours employees that both the Nick and Howie prizes had not been claimed.  This reignited our fire, and we began searching again.

Kristie and her rum punch drink

Since we were not having any luck finding clues in places we thought they were, Kristie and I came up with a new strategy of just going somewhere completely new that we had not yet been. We entered a random restaurant/nightclub and found a clue envelope taped to the wall. Hoping and praying that it was for Nick or Brian, we opened in in great suspense. It was clue #3 for Howie.  Even though it was not one of our top choices, we were ecstatic that we even found one clue. This meant we were one step closer to winning SOMETHING!

We currently have misplaced clue #3, so we do not remember exactly what it said, but bottom line is that it lead us to the lounge to search for clue #4. We ran into Laura, who had just won the Kevin scavenger hunt, and helped us find clue #4. Thankfully, she was with us, because we were so close to having it stolen by someone else. This was found taped to the backside of a speaker in the lounge. Thanks Laura! Clue #4:

“On the 2013 BSB Cruise, Howie hosted an event based on his favorite alcohol to drink. Soon yours and Howie’s glasses will be able to clink. Go to the nearest bar and buy this type of alcohol, and bring it to Rose Tours Hospitality Desk. We are on Promenade Deck by the car.”

So, remember that drink that Kristie brought before and was carrying around in her hand? Well, it just so happened to be RUM, Howie’s favorite drink!

Kristie's winning rum drink

It was fate, and Kristie must have fortune teller tendencies! So we brought it to the Rose tours desk with all of our other clues, but we were still missing clue #2. They informed us that we must have ALL the clues to win the prize, therefore we we were required to find clue #2. They sent us on our way to find clue #2, and told us to come back with it AND with some of the drink left. So there went Kristie’s idea of drinking on the job! Of course, we looked over the first clue again.

Howie’s clue #1: “Oye! Howie loves to catch sun in his mother’s native land. He loves laying out, splashing in the pool and shaking his culo (booty) to the music. You can also do all that at the ship’s party headquarters. This is where you will find your next clue, and hint, it’s red white and blue. Dale!”

We searched and searched where we thought for certain it must be based on the clues given and still could not find it.  My roommate and I were convinced that someone else had found the 2nd clue, taken it and just not been able to follow it to the 3rd clue.  After returning to the hospitality desk AGAIN and talking to the Rose Tours employees, we were told that they would chat with higher ups and determine what to do and that we should check back.

When we checked back we were told that we absolutely had to have the 2nd clue, because someone had not already found it.  By this point, we were slightly bummed that our first day of our cruise was not spent relaxing like everyone else’s, and we felt like we were wasting our time. It was almost time for the sail away party, and we were exhausted from running around the ship, and soaking wet from the wind and rain. Although all of these feelings were occurring, we felt like the end result was worth it, and we would do whatever it takes for BSB!

Therefore, we dissected that first clue and looked some more.  Eventually, miraculously, we found the clue hidden inside a plant next to the “Blue Iguana” bar on the Lido deck.  Clue #2 obviously would have led us to the random restaurant to find clue #3 (where we started). Kristie and I were overjoyed as evident by Kristie screaming to me across the Lido deck, “I FOUND THE LAST CLUE! IT WAS IN A PLANT!” As you can imagine, everyone on the deck, both BSB fans and Carnival employees, were staring, in confusion, at the girls screaming waving a drink and piece of paper around in their hands. But we had NO shame; we knew that we had just won a once in a lifetime event with a Backstreet Boy.  

We ran to the hospitality desk, for what felt like days, but was really hours, the last time, and we were given an envelope with instructions to meet Big Pat (the security guard) in the atrium at 5:45 the next day. The ladies at the desk told us that we will be having a special event with Howie that he chose for us to participate in together. Kristie and I spoke about that since Howie and Nick are best buds, MAYBE there will be some way that Nick would be involved; but it was a HUGE stretch, so really it was discounted as a possibility. However, the more real this notion became that we are actually getting one-on-one time with a Backstreet Boy, the more excited we became, and those worries started to fade. With anticipating what our special Howie event would entail, some of our guesses included salsa dancing or bartending [based on Howie’s drinking track record LOL], but we really had no idea; we were just excited and ready for some fun with a Backstreet Boy!

And here it is - the prize of a lifetime!

The moment had finally arrived. I cannot even explain to you the excitement that we felt in anticipation of our Howie event.  While getting ready, we literally went back and forth between jumping up and down from excitement and feeling like we were about to throw up from the anxiety! We headed down to the atrium with Chrissy and Cory who won the AJ scavenger hunt, to find out that Big Pat was not waiting for us, and we were confused.

From L to R: Chrissy, Cory, Callie, Kristie

Therefore we paid yet another visit to the hospitality desk to ask what was happening. They had informed us that, in true Backstreet fashion, the event had been pushed back until the next day, but they did not know what time it would be; just that it would be at some point after the beach party. We were so disappointed and extremely nervous that our event would not occur. So what do we do when you can’t hang out with real BSB?? Take pictures with the cardboard BSB (a must-do on a BSB cruise)! We made a quick stop there first before participating in the other events of the night.

Kristie and Nick

Callie and Brian

So the next day at the beach party, we figured that just to be safe, we would leave early, so that we had enough time to get ready for our Howie event. Once we felt that nothing else important was happening at the beach party, we decided to leave. Later on, we found out that our friends who we were hanging out with found a hidden spot where Brian and Nick (our two favorites) were playing beach volleyball, and they got to play with them! We were super bummed, but hey, at least we got a private event with Howie. We got back to the room and started getting ready. We finally got our call from Rose Tours to establish a time that our event would take place- 5:30PM. So then it finally hit us—it was REAL and it was ACTUALLY going to happen! Time to fangirl!

FANGIRLING.

We were ready early, so we decided to wander around. As we left our cabin, Kristie, the “fortune teller”, said “I just have this funny feeling that Nick is in the casino; I don’t know why, but I feel like we should go and check it out.” Well, as fate would have it, we walk into the casino, and there is Nick, looking as good as ever, playing craps. Kristie and I had a drink, and walked around the casino for about 15 minutes. Knowing that you can run into the boys on the cruise at any point was still such a cool feeling that we could not get over, and now we got to hang out near Nick while he gambled in the casino. But little did we know, the best was yet to come.

About 15 minutes before our Howie event, Howie comes up to the table and starts playing craps with Nick. Our first thoughts were- “Oh I guess Howie is playing craps for a few minutes before he has our event with us?” As it became 5 minutes until our event, the progression of our thoughts became “Is Howie going to ditch us? Our event is so soon- what is he doing?! What if we’re playing craps with him? No way, we would die. We’ve never gambled before!” Then of course Kristie’s out-loud thoughts became- “But Nick is there- what if we’re playing with him too?!” With Kristie’s track record of her somehow knowing the future, it was all too much to handle and it was impossible to contain our excitement. So with those thoughts in our head (and some said aloud), we headed to the atrium.

Arriving at the atrium, Big Pat was waiting for us.  After verifying that we were in fact the winners he asked us a question: are you ready to play craps with Howie?  Kristie, the “fortune teller” and I just stare at each other open mouthed, and we both scream “no way- we were just up there, and thought that!” Kristie I freaked out a little bit, as we had never played craps before, but Big Pat assured us that Howie was going to be there to teach us how.  On our way up to the casino, Pat said, “Nick is going to be mad because we’re going to have to kick him off the table.” I could almost hear Kristie’s thoughts in her head and it went a little something like this: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!” Kristie asked if maybe he could stay, and Pat said no, so Kristie’s dreams then became slightly crushed, although she was still excited that she was the one girl on the cruise going to get to kick Nick off the table, so that she could play craps with Howie.

Entering the casino, Howie (and Nick) were still at the table.  Big Pat went to him and said, “These are your winners.” He then pointed us towards Howie.  I walked up first, hugged Howie said “Hi I’m Howie, what’s your name?”  At the time I thought this was hysterical-here a Backstreet Boy was introducing himself to me!  Of course I knew he was Howie!  Howie of the Backstreet Boys!  Then Howie said “Hi” to and hugged Kristie, and it was time to play craps. Right away, Howie pulled a wad of money out of his pocket and said, “We are going to be playing craps courtesy of the Backstreet Boys.” Then he threw $150 on the table-$50 for each of us.  He also ordered us a drink.  When asked what I would have, I said I would take a rum punch as I knew rum was Howie’s favorite.  Kristie ordered a rum and coke. As you can probably imagine, the only thought that fulfilled our brain at the moment was “We are playing craps courtesy of a Backstreet Boy, AND he just bought us a drink?! IS THIS REAL LIFE?!” Furthermore, Kristie had an extra thought in her head: “NICK WAS STILL HERE!” And here’s an important fact- Nick never left the table! Kristie, the Nick girl, (and “fortune teller”), was dying inside. Our arrangement around the table went myself, Howie, Kristie, a bodyguard and then Nick.

And there we were, with Howie AND Nick (and Nick looking angry because he was watching the football game on TV)

Howie taught us to play the entire game of craps.  Although he did a great job of walking us through the game and explaining things, I was so nervous that I basically just did whatever Howie did.  At one point I could feel myself rubbing shoulders with him (we were standing in pretty close proximity next to each other at the table). My first instinct was to step away give Howie some space.  But then I realized that I was rubbing shoulders with a Backstreet Boy-there was no way I was going to move!

Kristie and I concentrating on How teaching us how to play

We continued to play, chatting the entire time.  The three of us talked about everything.  We discussed how Kristie and I had met, the concert the night before and even whether there would be another cruise. Howie also asked where we were from. I said I was from Kansas City, and Kristie said that she was from Central New Jersey. Howie then asked Kristie if he had met her before. Kristie was shocked because although she had met Howie many times, a few years ago, she had an in-depth conversation with him about New Jersey and how both she and his wife’s family live in the same vicinity, etc., and she could not believe that he remembered! So this was a turning point for Kristie in being completely 100% satisfied that we won the Howie event. It was really cool to see that Howie finds meaning in conversations that you have with him.

 
A few of our favorite moments are as follows:

• Howie blowing on my dice for luck before I rolled them!
  
• Talking about our kids.  This was a big one for me.  I have 2 boys, as does Howie.  They are around the same age and it was lots of fun to tell him about my children and share stories of our kids. 
  
• The casino had been one of the places on the ship where Backstreet Boys music was playing constantly.  At one point while we were playing Howie looked up, listening to the music.  He looked over at Nick and said, “Nick, is this you singing?”  Nick gave Howie a funny look and said, “Yeah, this is ‘The Answer to Our Life’-one of our songs.”  In response to which Howie was like, “Oh yeah-that’s right.”  I found it so absolutely funny that Howie didn’t even recognize one of his own songs! 
  
• While talking about the concert the night before I mentioned to Howie that it really was just like the Homecoming Live in Orlando concert.  In fact, I told him that it was one of my favorites and that I had just watched that concert 5 days before in preparation of the cruise.  (Did I admit to too much fangirling here in front of a Backstreet Boy?!?  Haha!!) Then, for laughs, Kristie said, “So, Howie- want to know how old I was when Homecoming was released?? Fourth grade.” Howie laughed, and said “Whatttttttttt?! Thanks for making me feel old!” Making a Backstreet Boy laugh- let’s check that one off our bucket lists!
  
• Snapping a selfie with Howie during the game
  

  

  My selfie with Howie while playing craps

After about 30 minutes one of Howie’s bodyguards tapped him on the shoulder and let him know that he would need to start wrapping it up as he needed to get to the question/answer session. We finished our round. Howie thanked us for playing with him and gave us each a big hug.  He told us that the money, including any winnings, was ours to keep.  He also told us that later that night, if he was playing again he would be happy to continue coaching us.  Unfortunately this never happened, as it was the final night of the cruise and after the deck party, the casino was closed.

At this time we (Howie, Nick, my roommate Kristie, and I) all got into line to cash in our chips. Again, was this real life?!  Originally, Howie was behind Kristie and me, but we encouraged him to go ahead of us, as we knew he needed to get to the event quickly.  Nick was at the cashier cashing in his chips and I began thinking to myself that it would be awesome to get a photo with him commemorating our time playing craps together.  I pulled my cell phone out so I would be ready if I had the opportunity.  Nick’s bodyguard, Mike, saw me with the phone and said, “No pictures.”  I was like, “Oh, okay” and put my phone away.  When Nick was finished cashing in his chips, I thought I would at least try to say goodbye.  I stepped up to him and said, “It was fun playing craps with you today.”  Nick said that he had fun too and then said something totally unexpected.  He said, “Would you like a picture?”  Nick Carter was asking ME if I would like a picture with him?!?  Well, of course I do!  We snapped a selfie, he gave me a hug, and I was in heaven! Kristie was looking on trying not to die and only hoped that he would ask her the same. Sure enough, he walked over to her, and said “Would you like one too?” and they took their picture. Oh Nick, what a gem. This was more than Kristie could have ever hoped for a Howie event.

Nick and Kristie in the casino after playing craps

Nick and I in the casino after playing craps

The event was awesome.  I fully understand that we were so lucky to be able to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime event with not one, but TWO Backstreet Boys.  It was something that we had never even dreamed of, because we never knew it was possible.  My roommate and I had Howie’s full attention for about 30 minutes.  We talked about real life.  Plus, we had the added bonus of playing with Nick as well.

A very happy Kristie back in the cabin with her winnings

As previously stated, this was our first Backstreet Boys cruise, and we chose to make the most of it (luckily, we were fortunate enough). We also found out that we prefer to complete scavenger hunts backwards and that Kristie should have been a fortune teller. Who knew BSB cruises could be so fun AND educational! Our entire cruise, especially the last night was AMAZING. In addition to our Howie event, we celebrated at dinner with part of our large group of friends, who happen to also win the Kevin and AJ events. There was definitely luck running around our group. It was so hard to believe that on a ship filled with almost 2000 BSB fans, our group made up 7 out of the 11 girls that got to spend extra one-on-one time with a Backstreet Boy. Between winning this event and all the other amazing aspects of the trip, including the many selfies we were able to take with the boys, I don’t know that another cruise will ever be able to live up to this one.  Until the next one though, we have many once-in-a-lifetime memories made from this cruise with our boys.

Cheers to the luckiest girls on the 2014 BSB cruise!

Recap 2014: Day 3 (Part 2)

Returning back from the beach party, I was once again on cloud 9 from the amazing day spent with my friends and the Backstreet Boys.

As soon I got back to the ship, I was busy enjoying in the excitement of my friends who won the Howie and AJ scavenger hunts, as they were getting ready for their 1x1 time with the boys. Both groups were told to wait in the atrium lobby, so I sat and waited with them. My 'Howie' friends were whisked away first by a staff member, which I would later find out they were taken to the casino to play craps (guest blog post coming soon). Of course we were expecting staff to come up pick up the AJ girls, but lo and behold, AJ himself came. So that in and of itself was worth the wait.

At this point I was kind of torn, but I decided to follow my friends to see where AJ was taking them. Turns out they went to the coffee bar for a 'Friends - Central Perk' type of hang out. You can read all about it in the post 'Scavenger Hunt: Chrissy's Coffee Date with AJ.' I basically hung off to the side in a non-obtrusive way in order to take pictures for them. I felt kind of awkward being there. I assumed if AJ saw me, he would've thought I was just being obnoxious trying to take pictures of him. But that wasn't the case AT ALL! I was solely trying to get pictures of my friends on their experience, again, because I appreciate it when people do the same for me.

And in the spirit of the Friends themed prize...this picture perfectly sums up how I felt being there.

C'mon, I know I'm not the only one out there who has felt this way on a BSB cruise! Anyway, their coffee date continued on for close to a half an hour, and actually ran over into the Show 'Em promo and Q&A. Since I had already seen the documentary at the NYC premiere, I didn't mind being late. Plus I really wanted to chat with my friends to see how it went. And after all, I didn't mind watching AJ from afar.

As soon as AJ got up to leave, I ran over to Chrissy & Cory to get all the gossip. They looked just as I had looked the night before after my time with Kevin...a mix of pure elation and disbelief. They went on and on about everything they talked about and it seemed like such an amazing experience! I won't get into everything as Chrissy already touched on it in her blog post. But there was one thing that Chrissy did leave out, which brought me to tears.

They shared with AJ about their own door decoration, which led to a natural segue to bring up my door decoration. As soon as they mentioned the door, AJ immediately responded, "Oh yeah, cabin U299. I'm going to go check it out tonight after the deck party." Are you freakin kidding me, McLean? You actually know off-hand my cabin number and have plans to come visit. I stopped breathing.

And as if that wasn't enough, my friends also shared with him a little bit about me - how I dressed up as Spudnik from Friends the night before and they also brought up my blog. Apparently AJ knew exactly who I was. Queue the tears to start falling. I obviously wasn't there to judge for myself how genuine he was being with his response, and I still have trouble believing it, but my friends reassured me. The thought that AJ knew of me, without even having the context of seeing me in front of him....and the thought that he may have actually heard of, or potentially be reading this blog....ugh, I can't even begin to explain the rush of emotions.

Now I was a hot mess rushing off to the Show 'Em premiere...


Show 'Em What You're Made of Preview and Q&A

I arrived about 10 minutes into the movie, right at Kevin's hometown visit where he's sharing the details of his dad. I lost it the first time I saw that scene, and being in the emotional state I was in, it got me right in the feels again.


I honestly had trouble concentrating on the rest of the movie because I couldn't wait to share the news with them that AJ said he was going to come see our cabin that night.

A couple of highlights from the event:

• Howie- "Did anyone cry?"
  Crowd- "Yeahhh"
  Howie- "A bunch of babies!"
  
• Howie- "Now I know why AJ sneezes all the time."
  Nick- "My shoulder's wet."
  Howie- "He came from a house that had a lot of mold."
  Brian- "He's actually allergic to Howie's voice."
  
• AJ's story where he recounts a time when he was with Ava and asking her to identify among the Backstreet Boy's 'which one is daddy?' And she replied 'yes' to everyone. AJ joked that him and Rochelle had some talking to do and it could've been the end of BSB.
  
• Kevin sharing some stories about Mason's reaction to his first taste of BSB world. My favorite was when Mason was watching them rehearse their choreography asking "Are they supposed to be [dancing] together?" and Tony replied "No, but they're supposed to."
  
• Fan asks what happens to unreleased tracks and Nick matter of factly replies, "Go to youtube."
  
• AJ revealed he just learned how to do his laundry 2 years ago
  
• I liked hearing Brian's story about his dad coming from home from work and playing catch with him, mainly because it was a story I had never heard before
  
• Apparently Howie was going to let Kev have the master bed in London during their recording time, but Brian swooped in and took it first.
  
• AJ- "Hi, I'm AJ. And I love attention."

Overall this event was good, but perhaps not my favorite of this cruise, nor my favorite Q&A compared to past Q&As. It was a bit more serious because all the questions were based around the documentary. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm all for digging a bit deeper. But compared to other Q&As, I just wasn't laughing nearly as much. Though of course the boys still managed to infuse a lot of humor, as you can see from above.

My other minor complaint, well complaint isn't the right word, but rather observation with this event is that the bulk of the audience had only seen the first 20 minutes of the film. Well there's only so much you can ask based on 20 minutes of a film. As a result, the questions got a bit redundant. Had we had this Q&A after seeing the movie in it's entirety, I think it would've been completely different because there are some topics that the film brought up which had previously been taboo to mention...and now all of a sudden are fair game to discuss.


Evening
Next up was dinner. One of my favorite non-BSB parts of the day. This meal was particularly memorable because we had the AJ scavenger hunt winners, the Howie scavenger hunt winners, and the Kevin scavenger hunt winners at one table. We had fun swapping stories. Yay for downtime with my girls!

The gang at dinner

ABC Night
I'll just come out and say it - I had no idea what to wear for this night and I frankly didn't have the time or energy to get too creative with it. So I opted for a very fashionable trash bag dress.

I thought this theme night was pretty good, certainly no Bachelorette Night, but then again I don't know if anything will compete with that. I really liked that they brought fans up on stage to show off some of the better outfits. We put so much effort into these outfits, doors, etc, its just really nice to see that they're being acknowledged in some way. I hope they continue to do this in the future. I'm sure it will raise the bar even more knowing that you could be called up on stage for the boys to see your outfit.

Here's the obligatory group photo of the guys from the evening. I just loved Howie's costume, very appropriate with his '100 Kisses' song. Plus he was throwing chocolate kisses into the audience, which is always a good thing.

Backstreet Boys - ABC Night

I'll focus on the highlights of this theme from my perspective. I was up on the top deck and avoiding the crowds. Well I didn't have to wait too long before AJ headed in my direction, which should'nt have surprised me. I couldn't seem to get away from him! Not that I was trying to, but I somehow ended up with so many pictures with AJ this cruise. I didn't really chat with him too much, I was just appreciating his outfit from up close. Of course before I left, I had to grab some popcorn from *ahem* his popcorn bucket.

Shortly after AJ stopped by, Brian was the next Backstreet Boy to come to the upper deck for pictures. I'm telling you, it really is about being in the right place in the right time...and being patient!

Brian was such a sweetie that night. There were about 4 of us standing in a circle and he came over and said 'hi.' Of course I had to compliment him on his outfit. He went on to tell us that he and Leighanne actually worked on a lot of it themselves, unlike the other guys who had their outfits made. If memory serves me, he spent at least 4 hours working on it. It was at this point we were chatting for a record-setting 30 seconds or so. Thus I figured it was time to get our picture so he could move onto other fans who were waiting. I tried to make a segue into pictures but instead, he kept on talking!

I was caught off guard because my normal experience when running into a Backstreet Boy on board is make 10-20 seconds of small talk, take picture, and immediately leave to make room for other fans. But this time was different. We probably ended up chatting for 5 minutes or so, which may not sound like a lot to a non-cruiser. But in the world of Backstreet Boy cruises, 5 minutes is like an eternity. At least for me it is.

So I continued to chat with Brian for a few more minutes, savoring every precious second. We chatted more about the theme outfits and he shared how they have a wardrobe person to help them put something together. The conversation then segued into Halloween night and how the boys picked who would be who. Apparently AJ, Brian, and Howie were all easy to pick and that their characters kinda matched their personalities (Ie- Brian was the cowardly lion who got brave, etc). It came down to Nick and Kevin debating on who would be the witch and who would be Dorothy. I'm pretty sure he said Nick lost that bet.

Having this chat with Brian was really nice. I felt like he was the one carrying the conversation more so than we were, and I never once felt like he was anxious to rush off to get to other fans. It was just great to be able to have a more substantial interaction with any of the guys beyond the usual 5-second selfie. It was a great way to end the cruise.

Random thought- Had I known I would've gotten pictures with 2 Backstreet Boys, I probably would've put slightly more effort into my outfit. I never thought I'd have a picture with a Backstreet Boy literally wearing a trash bag.

After my interactions with AJ & Brian, I noticed AJ had a big ole line forming around the upper pool deck to take pictures with him. That was so nice and I really hope they do more of that in the future rather than the crazy mob scene. Kevin and Brian also followed suit and did a lot of pictures. The evening turned into the last chance to get a picture with a Backstreet Boy, and they all did a great job of getting to as many fans as they could.


The Final Hours
I eagerly went back to my cabin while the deck party was winding down, not wanting to miss AJ. He said he was going to come, so I wasn't about to miss that! Well, as the clock kept ticking away, there was no sign of AJ and my eyelids were super heavy. I was fighting to stay awake, but ultimately my body gave up. I just prayed that if and when AJ came, he would knock on our door and hopefully one of us would hear it.

Sadly, I woke up the next morning to the sound of the cruise director (or whoever it was) on the loudspeaker, which meant we had arrived back in Miami and were getting ready to leave the ship. Fortunately, the story doesn't quite end there.....

Callie's First BSB Cruise

I'm pumped to have one of my good friends, Callie, be a guest blogger and share her experiences coming off the last trip as a first time cruiser. I really wanted Callie to share her story because I think it's so relatable. I hear from so many of you in her exact same situation - wanting to go on the cruise but no one to go with. So I hope her story can inspire some of you for next time that it is not only possible to travel solo, but well worth it and totally doable! Callie is a Brian girl from Kansas City, MO. She's super sweet and she'd love to meet more BSB fans so feel free to follow her on twitter @calliewoodland or on Facebook. She'll also be doing a special follow-up post on her scavenger hunt prize with Howie.

I’ve been a Backstreet Boys fan forever. Or, at least it feels that long. I’ve always been amazed to “just be breathing the same air” as a Backstreet Boy, I about died at the This Is Us tour when AJ brushed my hand and it was a full on dream come true when I met them in 2011. I’ve always wanted to go on a Backstreet Boys cruise, what megafan wouldn’t? But, scheduling, money, the fact that no one else I knew was as nuts about the BSB as I was therefore I didn’t have anyone to go with-all held me back. This past March, I happened to stumble upon Laura’s blog. Reading through past entries and living the cruise vicariously through Laura I realized that I had to make this happen. I had to go. I emailed Laura with some questions, and she emailed me right back. She was extremely friendly, easy to talk to and she urged me to go if it was at all possible for me. A few days later I received another email from Laura. Another BSB fan she knew, Kristie, was considering going but also didn’t have a roommate. Laura asked if it was okay to give Kristie my info, Laura thought that we both possibly needed this extra little push to go. Sure enough, within just a few days of Kristie and I talking we had a stateroom booked together.

Now I can’t say that I wasn’t a bit anxious about going and not knowing anyone. In fact, for my level-headed and extremely protective husband, going on a cruise out of the country with someone I had never met was about one of the most insane things a person could do. But, this was something that I really wanted to do and since I knew the Backstreet Boys would be on the ship I knew I would have a good time.

Here is the thing. Although I knew not a single person going on the cruise (not even my roommate) when I booked the trip, I can honestly say that I was never without a group of friends for a moment on the cruise. For starters, I met lots of people on social media sites. Through BSB Cruise and general Backstreet Boys Facebook groups I began to converse with and make friends with people from all over the world right from my home. I even met some people from my hometown of Kansas City who were going on the cruise. Some of those people and I became really great friends before the trip-meeting up with our kids for playdates where we could talk about the trip, hours at night through Facebook chat planning our theme night outfits and what boy we most wanted to meet.

Callie, Nikki and Ashley hanging out before Halloween Night

Once in Florida I found it easy to make friends as well! The night before the cruise Brian’s wife Leighanne had a Wylee Party promoting/selling her fashion line. Since Brian is my favorite Backstreet Boy, there was no question I was going to be attending this event (which also just happened to be on my birthday), even though my roommate (who was a huge Nick girl) was going to be attending the Nick event. After getting ready at our Miami hotel I took a taxi to the venue the event was being held. There I met fan after fan who was friendly and ready to talk. You have to remember that in this type of setting and on the cruise-everyone has an instant connection. Every single person is there because they are a huge Backstreet Boys fan. That automatically gives you something you have in common, something to start a conversation with. After meeting new people, browsing and taking a selfie and picture with Brian I headed back outside. Some girls I had been chatting with inside were outside waiting for a cab to grab something to eat, and invited me to join them. So, I did! I had a great birthday dinner with my new friends at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Once aboard the cruise ship I continuously met knew people. Many were friends of my roommate Kristie’s. Some were people I stood in line next to for hours holding my spot for a show. All were so friendly. If you have ever considered going on the cruise, but didn’t because you didn’t know anyone or didn’t have a roommate-don’t let that hold you back. Put yourself out there. Step outside your comfort zone a bit. Consider the roommate match program; I’ve heard great things about it. Take the time to get to know people through social media before leaving. Start conversations with total strangers (possibly to become new friends) while waiting. Going on this cruise was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had the time of my life. Much of that was due to the new friends that I made along the way.

Recap 2014: Day 3 (Beach Party)

I was so thrown off by the beach day being switched around with the sea day. I woke up feeling like I still had an extra day, but alas, I didn't. It was the last day on the cruise so I had to make the best of it.

Due to the shift in schedule, the day got bumped up nice and early. How fun! (Note sarcasm) I am not a morning person. Though it certainly is easier to get out of bed knowing I'll be spending the day on the beach with the Backstreet Boys! So I got ready to go to the beach, and I try to pack pretty minimal.

Not to beat a dead horse, but this was my last day and last chance for AJ to see our FRIENDS door. Given that he was headed our way the day before, my hopes were high. I also knew that right before the beach party is an ideal time for the boys to be roaming the halls, because they've done that in the years past when the ship is nice and quiet with everyone waiting for them at the beach.

Thus I decided to not rush over to the beach to try to grab a good spot, but instead I lingered on board for as long as I possibly could without missing the beach party. As the ship grew quieter and the beach party loomed closer, there was still no sign of AJ. I felt so torn! Part of me wanted to stay put and wait for AJ. And the other part of me didn't want to miss their grand entry onto the island. I finally gave up and took a tender to the beautiful Half Moon Cay.

Beach Party

By the time I got to the beach it was pretty packed, so I headed down to the water in hopes to find some friendly faces. Well, as good luck would have it, on my way to find some friends to set up camp with, I ran into two women from the Rose Tour staff walking in my direction with a clip board. From my experience, I know Rose Tour staff with a clip board could only mean one thing. They were looking for people to play in the beach games.

Well, I couldn't pass up that possibility so I approached the women and asked if they were in fact looking for people to play in the games. They confirmed my suspicions and asked if I would like to play. Ummm, let me stop and think about that for a minute....OF COURSE!!!! They asked me my name and where I'm from. At that moment I realized that I should probably ask what I would be playing. Not that anything they could've come back with would've stopped me. If they said I'd be up there eating bugs, I'd still gladly sign up. Fortunately they said I'd be playing water balloons. Perfect! I could handle that. I thanked them both profusely and then continued on to find my friends. Now, wanting to share my good news!

Once I found my friends, I was honestly almost embarrassed to tell them about getting to play in one of the games. I already felt so blessed for all my good fortune the night prior, but I still couldn't pass up the opportunity!

The good thing about arriving late is that I didn't have a long wait until the boys showed up. They arrived with the typical fanfare via a boat. Then played around with water guns, per usual.

Brian playing with his water gun

And Nick playing with his water gun

Beach Games

Egg game
This game felt a little disorganized to me but it boiled down (see what I did there?) to the Backstreet Boys getting egged by fans. The game seemed to evolve as they quickly realized that it wasn't really working as they initially planned...

"We know what's going to happen with you guys. You guys want to see egg all over the Backstreet Boys' faces."- Howie

Yes, Howie. That's exactly right. So their solution was to hold a hard boiled egg in one hand and a raw egg in the other. We would cheer for which hand/egg we want to be smashed against the forehead of either the fan or BSB.

Nick concentrating on holding those eggs

The long and short of it is that we saw Brian and Kevin get egged. The rest of the game felt a little drawn out to me, but I still commend them for trying something new.

Brian clearly not as amused as we are that he's covered in egg

Coconuts
They realize this game is a fan favorite, so they brought this back for the third time. I'm still not sick of watching it either! ha This is one of those where I'll let the video speak for itself...

Water Balloons

I heard them announce that the next game on the agenda was the water balloon toss so I started making my way through the crowd to the side of the stage. And I HATE being up on stage in front of so many people, let alone being up on stage with my 5 idols. I thought I would be more nervous than I was, but funny enough, when I was up there the crowd pretty much disappeared. I was really focused on trying not to look like an idiot.

When I got on stage I put my stuff down and said hello to the guys. I went to give Kevin a hug and he did in fact remember me from the night before, which was nice. I never expect them to remember my face from one moment to the next with the sheer amount of fans that they meet, particularly on the cruise.

Jen announced that each fan needed to pair up with a Backstreet Boy. I honestly did not care who I was with, though I was slightly hesitant to be paired up with Howie, only because I ditched him the previous night. I hoped he wouldn't remember, but I still felt awful about it. I did a quick scan of the stage and of course Howie happened to be the closest boy to me. I looked over at him to see if he wanted to partner up with me, but he was very much spaced out. Meanwhile I see Nick make his way towards me out of the peripheral of my other eye. He then throws his arm around me and asks if I want to be his partner. On the inside I was squealing, "Hell yes!" but on the outside I tried to remain semi-calm and play it cool.

Nick swooping in to be my partner (Please pardon this awful picture of me)

So there I was, up on stage partnered with my favorite Backstreet Boy, about to play a game with him. It was really too much to process in the moment. I think I was more focused on the task at hand than anything, which is probably good or I would've started freaking out. So I took my spot across from Nick and the game began. Basically just tossing the water balloon back and forth, trying not to drop it. I think I dropped it a couple times, but all things considering, I feel I did alright. We ended up coming in second place, which is respectable.

Me on stage ready to play water balloons

After Jen announced that we came in second, Nick got distracted and starting throwing water balloons into the audience. Then I realized that was my queue to go. It felt very quick, especially because the previous group of girls were up on stage for probably 15 minutes, and I was up there for closer to 5 minutes. Though before I left, we took our group picture. But I also wanted to get some solo shots with the boys. Heck, I couldn't pass up that opportunity.

Group shot from the water balloon game

First I approached Brian, and he graciously took the picture with me. I just snapped and didn't even bother looking at it. He even asked me if it came out okay and I just said ,"Oh I'm sure its fine." When I finally got a chance to look at the pic, it ended up being on the dark side, but we're both in the frame and smiling. So I can't complain. If I wasn't so lazy Im sure I could brighten this up in photoshop or something ;)

Me and Brian at the beach party

Next up was AJ. No story behind the picture other than I managed to get a picture with AJ. There wasn't much time for interaction. Though I'm happy with how it turned out.

Me and AJ at the beach party

At this point I felt them trying to rush us off the stage and get ready for the next group. I consciously made the decision not to ask Kevin for a picture because of the time I spent with him previous night. He clearly remembered me and I just thought it would come across the wrong way if I asked him for another picture. I didn't want to taint that experience. I also didn't want to bother Howie for a picture because I was afraid he might remember me from the night before as the girl who wanted nothing more than to leave his blackjack game. Sorry Howie!! That definitely wasn't the case! *hangs head in shame*

Last, but not least, was Nick. I was going to give up on him, just because I know of how he is. In my 4 years of cruising, I've never been able to get a spontaneous picture with Nick around the ship. Ever. I just don't really bother trying. I think it was almost engrained in my DNA that you just don't get a picture with Nick on the cruise. But, I decided that he was my partner and there wasn't a massive herd of girls surrounding him - so I had to go for it. Even if they were trying to kick me off the stage at that very moment. Alas, I approached him and he agreed! My inner fangirl was jumping up and down!! He grabbed my camera and took the picture for us. So now I can tout that I was finally able to get a picture with Nick on the cruise.

Water balloon partners

ANOTHER SHAMELESS PLUG- If anyone was able to get any pics/vids of me on stage, I'd really appreciate if you could email them to me. I don't care how bad or blurry you think they are, I want them! Many thanks in advance! :D

More Beach Games
The boys continued to play more beach games including the caterpillar game and slip & slide among others.

Both the caterpillar game and the slip & slide seemed like a lot of fun, but the issue is that they were played laying on the sand so not a whole lot of fans could actually see what was happening, unless you were up front. I sadly fit into that category and wasn't able to see much of anything, though they sounded like a lot of fun from what I'd hear after the fact. The caterpillar game seemed to be quite intimate with the fans and boys lying adjacent to each other and passing a ball down the line. I liked the idea of these games, but I think Rose Tours needs to make sure as many people can see the games as possible. Otherwise I think it defeats the purpose.

Anyway, once the boys finished the caterpillar game the crowds seemed to disperse a bit, as did the boys. Howie & Kevin were out in the ocean taking pictures. Believe me, I was tempted to get a picture, but for the same reasons I didn't approach either of them earlier, I didn't want to approach them now either. At one point Brian tried to set up a nice photo op for us with the ship and ocean in the background, setting up chairs for himself and a fan. Brian- this was SUCH a good idea. But of course the fans ruin it by crowding him, rather than waiting patiently for their turn. This is why we can't have nice things, people!

Kev in the ocean before the fans got to him

I stood back and watched a lot of happenings from afar- chatting with friends, grabbing some lunch, enjoying the beach. I met a super sweet fan, Hayley, and we were chatting for a bit. I love how after 4 cruises, I'm still meeting new friends and first time cruisers. It's just wonderful and I wish I had more time to get to know everyone better.

Meanwhile AJ was taking pictures by the stage, and I easily could've gotten another picture with him. But I already had one, so I wanted to let others have their chance. It was then that I realized I really got everything out of the beach party that I could - pictures with Nick, AJ, and Brian. Playing beach games with Nick. Beautiful weather and beautiful beach. Seriously, I couldn't ask for anything else.

Volleyball

Anyway, on my way out, we were just about at the tender, and I notice a small mass of people off to my left. I inch closer to the crowd and I see that Brian is playing volleyball. And as I get even closer, I see that he's playing against Nick. Jackpot! When I arrived there were maybe 20 fans there. I got a spot right up front with my friends and settled in to enjoy the show.

Frick vs Frack volleyball

Well, I didn't get very settled because their security guards were announcing where the line was forming for people who wanted to play. The thought crossed my mind for a second, but I didn't bother trying to play for numerous reasons:

1. I'm not very good at volleyball.
2. In fact, I think playing volleyball hurts. Maybe I'm just not doing it right. But my poor wrists are dying whenever I play.
3. I already had my moment with the boys at the beach, I wanted someone else to have their turn.
4. Last and most importantly I was with my friend, Chrissy. Her goal from day 1 on cruise 1 was to play volleyball with Brian. I know how much this meant to her so I wanted to make sure I did everything in my power to make sure she could play. Just as I know she'd do the same for me if Nick ever held a video game contest or something. That was her man and her activity.

I was sooo happy that she ended up playing. Even though it was on Nick's team, I know she still had fun. Thus I sat by and played photographer/videographer. I must've looked crazy because I was double fisting it- with a camera in each hand. I wanted to make sure I captured the moment for her as best as I could. When Chrissy's turn was done, I was getting ready to leave, but then I saw my roommate Ana and another friend take the court. So I resumed my spot and my photography skills. I make a point to take as many pictures/videos as I can for my friends, knowing that that's what I'd want when the roles are reversed.

Brian finding something very funny during volleyball

Nick sharing in on the laugh

With that, we left while the boys were still playing. Which was previously unheard of. I don't like to leave anything while the boys are still there. That's my number 1 rule! Though I made an exception as I was anxious to get back to the ship because I wanted to beat AJ back in case he stopped by my door (I know, I know. I promise I'll shut up about it soon!) Meanwhile my friends, Chrissy & Cory, had to be back for their 1x1 time with AJ. 

Me and the gals leaving Half Moon Cay

Overall it was an amazing day at the beach. We had nice weather. The boys were out and about, mingling with fans. Lots of fun games. Of course I'm biased, but I'd venture to say it was probably the best beach party yet.

Chrissy & I heading back to the ship

Recap 2014: Day 2 (Part 3)

I'm still on cloud 9 from the Howie and Kevin interactions that I just had, but the day was far from over. We still had the In a World Like This Redux concert as well as Halloween night.

In a World Like This Redux Concert

This concert was sooo amazing. Not at all what I was expecting, but absolutely for the better! I was expecting the In a World Like This concert, with just a few modifications. But this was an entirely different show. It was very laid back and reminiscent of the 2011 cruise concert. They did a few classics but a lot of songs we rarely get to hear. And some songs we haven't heard in ages!

A random picture of Nick from the concert for no particular reason

Set List

Backstreet's Back
Hey Mr. DJ
(AJ Talk)
If I Knew Then
ALAYLM
(Brian Talk)
Undone
That's the Way I Like It
Permanent Stain
(Nick Talk)
Siberia
Just to be Close
More than That
(Howie Talk)
Hot Hot Hot
IWITW
IAWLT
(Kevin Talk)
STMH
The Call

There were so many awesome moments of this show:

• Brian messing up his intro. I absolutely love how many goofs they have during the cruise concerts! And somehow this segued into a random chorus of DMXs 'Up in Here'
  
  "Oh crap, I got the wrong one." - Brian
• Nick's incredibly cheesy introduction of Siberia, "In this place, on this next song, it's very cold."
• Howie's equally cheesy intro of Hot Hot Hot, "Nick sang a song that had a cold temperature. Now this song has the opposite temperature."
  Seriously boys?! Good thing I love cheesy intros.
• Brian's tale on how rehearing for Just to be Close was a "trainwreck."
  
  
  Brian explaining how Just to be Close made the set list
• AJ- "Is it me or was Ariel like the sexiest Disney princess ever? Oh and Elsa was pretty hot."
  The best part of this line is the sheer randomness of it. It came out of nowhere.
• Kev brought out his 'INBYH' deep throaty voice at one point
• Hearing songs we'd never thought we'd hear again (Straight Through My Heart & Undone)- and with Kevin!
• Hearing songs we REALLY never thought we'd hear again (Just to be Close)
  
  Just to be Close a capella

My personal highlight of the show was actually As Long as You Love Me. Now this is a song I would never expect to be at the top of my list as I've heard it hundreds of times. But during this particular rendition, none other than Nick came down the aisle and stopped to sing to me for a few lines. In reality it lasted probably 2 seconds, but in the moment it felt a lot longer than that. Thank you, Ana, for capturing that moment!

Oh you know, Nick singing to me. No big deal

I think it was right around 'That's the Way I Like It' I actually got quite emotional and got a little teary eyed from being so happy. It was a culmination of all the events of the day - playing blackjack with Howie, chilling with Kevin before the show, having Nick "serenade" me during ALAYLM (albeit super brief, but I'm counting it!) ...and then experiencing this amazing one-of-a-kind concert. It just all caught up to me. I just felt like the luckiest girl in the world and I didn't know what I did to deserve this kind of luck.

Just to be Close

Bri singing his heart out (eyes closed of course)

This concert ranks up there as one of my top BSB concerts. I think it was partly due to the experiences I had early that night, but it was so nice singing and dancing to this phenomenal set list without a care in the world. Even the little things like taking my shoes off and having carpet under my feet. How often does that happen at a concert....never! There was just such an energy in the room and I love being at a concert where everyone is a die hard fan like myself. There's no judgment. Everyone knows all the words to all the songs. There's nothing like it. I reallllllly hope they do something like this again.

Post-Concert

After the concert I went back to cabin to change for Halloween night. Well soon after I got there, a fan whom I never had met approached me. I figured she was going to look at the door or perhaps recognize me from my blog. But instead she shared some exciting news...

She was a few cabins down the hall from me and told me that AJ was headed in the direction of my cabin. She overheard him say, "I've gotta see this f*ckin FRIENDS door." Apparently he was headed our way, but there was a mob of fans that deterred him and he retreated back down the opposite hall his own cabin. Queue me freaking out!

I had mentioned the door to AJ earlier during the meet & greet, but based on my interactions, he didn't seem to fully process the information. And understandably so, I was just a number in a sea of hundreds of girls he was meeting. Meanwhile I had several friends and fans tell me that they mentioned the door to AJ or planned to tell him. So based on this amazing update, I'm inferring that he must've heard about it enough to the point where he actually intended to come see it.

I really hoped he would get to see the door, so now I'm super excited and my dreams are starting to turn into a reality. And with all the luck I've already been having on the cruise thus far, I was really hopeful my good luck would continue just a little bit longer! The only downside of this news - there's no way I was going to miss him if he came to visit my cabin. So from this point forward, I knew I would be glued to my cabin until he came.

Halloween Night

Given the recent update about AJ and my door, I decided to stay back and hang around my cabin in the hopes that AJ would come by before they went up for the deck party. Plus it was cold outside, so I didn't have any problem being comfortable and resting before heading up to the lido deck.

Alas, he did not show up. So I went up to the deck party, clad in my repeat outfit from last year. I went as Spudnik, from FRIENDS. It seemed very fitting and I didn't have much creativity (nor budget) to come up with anything different for this cruise.

Chrissy, me, and Anne Marie

By now I'm sure everyone has seen the pictures. But in case you live under a rock, the boys came out dressed as the cast of Wizard of Oz.

AJ- Scarecrow
Brian- Lion
Howie- Tinman
Kevin- Wicked witch
Nick- Dorothy

BSB as the Wizard of Oz

My fave was of course Nick dressed up as Dorothy. He was complete with the red ruby shoes and even lipstick. AJ, "It's not every day you see Nick Carter in drag." Very true, AJ, very true. Nick on the other hand didn't look as happy with the costume assignment...

Why does no one seem happy except for AJ?

Once again, the Halloween party didn't have a whole lot of meat to it. It's pretty clear that the boys are really shifting their deck parties to a more 'after party' type of atmosphere where it's basically selfie-hour. Which I inherently don't have a problem with as they're coming to hang with us, but in all honesty, there isn't a lot to do other than chase down the boys for a picture. 

I stayed put on the upper deck, waiting patiently for one of the boys to come upstairs. And AJ was the first and only boy to come up my way that night. Thus I was able to get a picture with scarecrow AJ. Yippee! So now I have 2 pictures with AJ dressed up as Spudnik. Go figure! Not only is AJ actually looking at the camera this year, but I also didn't poke his eye with his antenna this time :P

The scarecrow and Spudnik

Halloween Night from the 2013 cruise

He was very nice and immediately recognized my outfit, "Spudnik, right?!" He appeared excited at the reference and said he loved my costume. He then went on to quote a few lines from that episode and I just remember he kept saying "Doody!" Which again is a reference to the episode, for those of you don't watch the show. I was super tempted to bring up my door decoration, after all, I had the perfect segue. But I didn't want to beat him over the head with it.

So basically both times I've interacted with AJ on this cruise involved potty talk. The first time during 70s night he made a joke about balls. The second time he jokes about doody. I'm not really sure what to do with that random factoid, but just felt the need to point that out. Ha!

Unfortunately Halloween night was just getting going and the sky opened up. Rain, rain, and more rain. I held my ground for a bit, but then the rain really started coming down. One by one the boys fled as well. Such a bummer! I really wanted a picture with Nick as Dorothy. Obviously they cant control the weather, but I found it funny that the night prior they moved the event inside and no rain. The night it actually rained they held outside.

They moved the party indoors to the atrium, but sadly none of the Backstreet Boys returned to the party. Definitely a shame that the night had to be cut short, but I went to bed that night with the biggest smile on my face from all the excitement of the day.