Seeing RED ... Part One

Part One:  Pre Concert Mania

Here's what I've got for today....a feel good story.

Everyone loves a feel good story, they're just the best.

Way better than all that depressing crap I've written about

before.

Much easier to read.  No tears from reading this post.

I promise!

I'm pretty certain I've mentioned before what a great neighborhood we live in.

Especially when the chips are down...our neighborhood is really

good at picking up chips.  

Of the human variety.  Less flavorful than BBQ, but in desperate need of being picked up at times.

And even though people are heavier than chips, and less tasty than BBQ, this Olympus neighborhood lifts together in some

pretty amazing ways.

Mind blowing ways, actually.

Thank goodness, or we wouldn't be unable to make it through

this.

A few weeks back there was a "DING DONG" at our door.

And on the stoop... (I've always wanted to say "stoop" even though we really have a front porch.  With steps.  Is that even a stoop? I will have to look up the definition of "stoop" when I'm done blogging.)

Anyhoo, on the STOOP, there was an envelope.

Kyle picked it up and opened it up.

I am not ashamed to admit this, although HE may be (but I

highly doubt it, he's always been very in touch with his feelings)  ...when he looked inside he started to cry.

What he saw inside was the following:  

4 Taylor Swift RED Concert tickets, a HUGE WAD of cash (ok not a "huge wad" but a nice amount to eat dinner with before the concert), and a note from those who were treating Kyle and the girls to the show.

(Huge wad also sounds so amazingly descriptive too).

The girls, sniffing excitement, ran to the living room to 

see what was a-clatter, or the matter, or to see if we had 

brownie batter.  Or something else that rhymes with "-atter".

Oh wait!  I've got it!  

Then they started to CHATTER...

...And "girl shriek", and yell, and scream and, I think, a few 

more tears were shed.

I only know things got very loud over here in the 'hood.

(I don't want to scare any potential suitors off for my girls, 

but consider this fair warning...we are a LOUD bunch here

at the Nielson home.  And by "loud", I mean really loud. We apologize in advance if you're overwhelmed by our estrogen

and loudness.)

Even the dog ran away and hid under my bed.

And she's a girl.  She should take all this girl stuff in stride.

She a nervous thing anyway though, so that's not saying much.

(That's secret code for "wimp", but we mean it ever so lovingly).

Anyway, back to the noise and loud stuff.

And jumping and screaming and hugging and more screaming.

If you have a girl who is ANYWHERE near "teen age" or "teen stage" or just plain hormonal, you will know that Taylor Swift

reigns supreme.  She is "all that" and then some.

The hottest ticket to have around town.

Tickets had been sold out since about .5 of a second after

they went on sale months ago.

But someone had "a connection" and found 4 tickets for my family.

A memory in the making.  And a pretty darn good one at that.

Even Kyle was giddy at the prospect of seeing his idol, T. Swift,

in concert.  (Ok I may be fudging a little lot on THAT part--the part about T. being his idol).  Because don't tell anyone, but

he DOES have "RED" on his IPOD.  

SHHHHHHHHH.....It doesn't get played as much as MUMFORD, but it HAS seen some play time now and again.

But what he was THRILLED about was getting to spend time with his girls, going with them to something that they were ecstatic, and giddy and thrilled and delighted and excited and 

swooning about, and well, you get the idea....

He was over the moon about doing THIS with THEM.

I had to (just had to) find a way to thank so many people for

contributing to a joyful moment for us....So even without the

help of Pinterest (I know, right? Sometimes I shock even myself!)
I made those cute (aren't they cute?) gumball "thank you bags."

I may have chemo brain (without the chemo) most days--but every

once in a while I find my old self shining through.

Hopefully my "old self" comes through this thing in one piece.

If not, I guess I'll just find a "new self" and go from there.

A GINORMOUS THANK YOU to sweet friends and neighbors.  (that's as big as my computer will let me go...hope

it's "ginormous" enough!)

You made 3 girls and 1 dad very very happy. (And me too, even

though I sat home that night with a Dt Dr Pepper and a Redbox.)

It was nice, in a quiet way, for me. 

Part Two:  At dinner and an insider look at the concert 

           coming up.  Stay tuned.  (I must add Kyle was in 

           charge of pictures from this point on.  When I said

           "take lots of pictures!!" He thought I said "Take 

            only a few pictures!"  Me?  I'm a little overboard

            with all the picture taking.  Him?  Not so much.

            It's a good thing I'm in charge most of the time.

P.S.  DO NOT LOOK AT THE LAST PICTURE (which I've separated from

all the rest if you're offended by profanity.  I TOLD YOU I would swear when I started this blog.  I just told you!  You should always listen to me...I speak the truth.)

Tickets and such...

 Puddy's face = best face of all time here! 

 My creative genius (I use the term "genius" loosely of course)

 Concert Night...RED Attire all around on the girls

Shut down your computer NOW if you don't want to see

a naughty picture of my family.  You have been warned!

This is what we get when we say ..."SAY CANCER" at our house.

Some people say ..."SAY CHEESE" and we used to, but things have changed.  Can you see Puddy's (Olivia's) look of disgust that

we are all such bad examples to her?  She horrified to be related

to a bunch of hoodlums.  We are hoodlums, so I don't blame her.  Next thing you know we will be robbing banks.  (Although with all that lies ahead, that may not be such a bad idea.)   

I'M KIDDING!!!! (most law abiding person ever here!!! I get nervous when I drive 5 MPH OVER the speed limit!!) 

Listen folks, haters gonna hate...when you have a case of the

"terminals" going on in your house, THEN you can judge us!

Until then, just know we're doing all that we can to laugh

and survive.  And remember, it's really only a finger.

(I sense I'm loosing readership by the tens....)  I apologize.