Backstreet Boys 20 Year Fan Celebration & Hollywood Star Ceremony

Backstreet Boys getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been an event I'd been looking forward to ever since it was announced they would be getting one. It's a tremendous honor and I needed to be part of it. In addition to getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Backstreet was also going to celebrate 20 years together as a group. The details came a bit late but finally their management revealed that on 4/20/13 there would be a fan celebration at the Fonda Theatre and the star ceremony would be on 4/22/13.

I made plans with Jaime, a fellow Backstreet fan, who I went to see NKOTBSB with in Las Vegas in 2011. The fan celebration ended up being free and fan club members had a chance to win tickets. I had recently renewed my membership with my last platinum VIP fan club code that I got in 2010. I honestly was still surprised the code worked but I'm glad it did. Once the contest for tickets was up, I entered. I'm glad I entered right away because before the contest ended, the fan club had already picked winners. Luckily Jaime and I had each won tickets.

Finding a hotel for 4/19 to 4/23 wasn't easy. Everything was expensive. To save some money I decided to book the Loews Hotel from 4/20 to 4/23 and stay at another hotel from 4/19 to 4/20. It was really difficult to find a hotel for 4/19 to 4/20 but at the very last minute I found a decent deal for the W Hollywood Hotel. Part of the reason I chose the W Hollywood Hotel is because it was located within walking distance from the Fonda Theatre.

I left my house around noon and arrived to LA around 7:30 pm. The W didn't have self parking and I wasn't comfortable leaving my car in a parking lot outside of the hotel so I chose to valet. I ended up paying nearly $44 to valet my car for barely a day. Once I checked-in I met up with Jaime and we headed to our room which was 518. I loved that our room number was the same date as the Millennium release date of 5/18. After we unloaded our luggage, I wanted to go out to Beverly Hills to finally get a taste of Sprinkles Ice Cream. There's currently no Sprinkles Ice Cream where I live.

Both Sprinkles Cupcakes and Sprinkles Ice Cream were very crowded. I swear everything else around that area was dead except for those 2 places. Jaime and I first went to get Sprinkles Ice Cream. I got a scoop of salty caramel which was so good. I honestly wanted about 5 more scoops but I had to resist. Jaime got a scoop of pistachio. While we were eating our ice cream I spotted a fellow Backstreet fan named Julianna and her friend. We all hung out for a bit.

Then after Jaime and I had our ice cream I wanted to try the Sprinkles ATM. The line was super long and the wait was even longer because nearly everyone in front of us ordered multiple cupcakes. The machine unfortunately can't handle multiple cupcake orders all at once. Each cupcake needed it's own separate transaction. There were some college girls in front of us practically ordering for their entire dorm which I really think took them about 20 minutes to finish ordering. Then the couple in front of us ordered 10 cupcakes.

When it was finally my turn I ordered a Cuban coffee cupcake because it was a newly released flavor and I was curious to try it. Jaime ordered a chai latte cupcake. We go back to the hotel and I take a well needed shower before going to bed. I was anxious about the 20 year fan celebration. I had guaranteed admission with the chance to buy VIP but in the back of my mind I was scared what if VIP sold out.

Jaime and I woke up early the next morning. We decided to get breakfast at McDonald's because we knew it would be a while before we could get food. After breakfast we changed into our outfits and checked out of the hotel since I had only booked one night there.

On the way to the elevators I spotted 2 guys who looked like they were still in college. I know it's mean to judge but I thought they were jerk frat boys. While waiting for an elevator one of the guys asked us, "You both stayed for one night?" I said, "Actually, we're moving to another hotel." Then he jokingly replied, "Yeah, this place is dead. There's no parties going on here." When the elevator dinged open, he held the door open for us and let us enter first. I'm so easy. I fell in love with that guy's charm. He wasn't bad looking too. He was wearing a tank top so I could see the muscles in his arms. If I wasn't so shy I would have flirted with him so more ;)

After we checked out of the hotel, I retrieved my car from the valet. Jaime and I weren't in a hurry to go to the venue since on Twitter I had found a fan named Bianca who wanted to be next to Brian during VIP. She was already in line and said she would hold a spot for us. I decided before going in line we needed to find the Loews hotel which is the 2nd hotel we would be staying at for the rest of the trip.

I made a right turn at the stop light and I thought I was driving in the right direction toward the Loews hotel. I drove for about 1 mile and didn't see the hotel. I remembered on Google Maps the distance between the W and Loews was less than a mile. I finally gave up and decided to turn back. I figured there would be plenty of time after the event to search for the hotel.

On the way back to the venue, I kept my eye out for a place to park my car. I saw a parking lot on the side of where the fans were lined up. I considered parking there but I didn't feel like having fans being in my way while I tried to park so I ended up parking in the lot on the other side of the venue which was across from the W hotel. There were no fans on that side at all.

When I pulled into the lot, the attendant asked me, "Are you here to see the Backstreet Boys?"

I laughed and said, "Is it that obvious?"

The attendant then mentioned that the Backstreet Boys were having a pool party at the W hotel. I immediately thought that was bullshit since I figured if that was happening: a) I would have known about it and b) There would have been fans crawling all over the hotel to get to that party.

The attendant said that parking is $10 until 5 PM and then another $10 if we stay after 5 PM. We were obviously staying past 5 PM so after we paid $20 I parked my car. My car's CD player is broken so to play music I use my iPod touch and a cassette adapter. I didn't want to carry many things in my bag so I went to put my iPod in my trunk.

While standing outside, I heard loud music coming from a car. I looked in the direction where the music was coming from and spotted a white Escalade from a distance. I thought my hearing was deceiving me because the vocals of the music sounded very much like Nick. The song didn't sound familiar though but the voice was like Nick's. I was also aware that Nick drives a white Escalade since a few weeks ago there were paparazzi pictures of him at a grocery store with his Escalade.

I couldn't make out the face of the person in the Escalade talking to the same parking attendant that I had talked to earlier but my instinct was screaming to me, "THAT'S NICK."

After I put my iPod in my trunk, I gestured to Jaime to get back in my car. Once we were in my car, I tell her that I think that's Nick in the white Escalade talking to the parking attendant. I told her that I wanted to wait until the Escalade parked and see if it's Nick that comes out. The Escalade then goes to park near where the venue is. I kept my eye on it and for the longest time no one comes out. At first I thought, did I miss the person coming out? When I took a closer look, it appeared no one was in the car which baffled me because I had seen no one walk out.

Then I thought, it's probably not Nick anyway and my mind is playing games with me. I get out of my car and I'm bummed at myself for my wild imagination thinking Nick was in that white Escalade listening to himself sing. I mean really, does Nick Carter blast his own music in his car? That's a bit arrogant. I also felt embarrassed for sharing with Jaime I thought that person was Nick. I'm a perfectionist. I don't like being wrong.

Jaime and I walked toward the venue and the person in the Escalade finally steps out. I see a short looking skinny man who looks Asian with a huge backpack and black bag. I felt so stupid for thinking that guy was Nick. Jaime and I kept walking toward the venue and this man who looks like a short skinny Asian man comes into focus.

As we got closer I noticed this man had tattoos on his legs. I begin to walk faster and that's when I realize I was right all along...

That man in the Escalade who I thought was a short skinny Asian man was Nick!

I tell Jaime that's Nick and we walk a little faster. Nick reaches the corner of the sidewalk and stands there. I'm glad he chose to stand there because he could have easily kept on walking and crossed the street. The street wasn't busy. When we get to where Nick is, he spots me and smiles. One of his eyes is squinting at me and the other is squeezed shut.

He said, "Hey."

I said, "Heeeey Nick, what are you doing standing on the corner by yourself?"

"Waiting."

I asked, "Waiting for what?"

He shrugged and said, "Just waiting... excited for tonight?"

"Yes, what's even going on tonight? We're all wondering.We don't even know what's happening."

"It's a surprise."

"A surprise? Ugh, you're gonna keep us in suspense."

"Yeah, it's a surprise."

Jaime then asked if we can take a picture with him. He said sure so we take pictures with him. Jaime had an issue with her camera so I volunteered mine. I almost panicked because Jaime told me that my camera was saying that my camera's memory was full. I didn't understand why she was getting that message since I had an 8 GB that was barely full in there. Fortunately, I had a back up 16 GB card so I immediately switched the memory cards.

I apologized to Nick and said, "Sorry, technical difficulties."

 Once that was all straightened out, I took my picture with Nick. He was wearing a backpack that was filled to the hilt with whatever. I wish I had asked him what's in his backpack. He's worse than me when it comes to putting stuff in bags :p It was so stuffed that I honestly didn't know where to put my hand when I was next to him. I ended up putting my hand below his backpack and if my hand moved one more inch it probably would have been on his ass.

We thanked Nick for his time and he waves bye to us. Jaime and I walked away and toward where the line is. I looked back and Nick was gone so that's when I basically freaked out. My instinct was like, I told you so Jocelyn. I had doubted myself but I was glad my instinct was proven right. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

What I loved about the encounter was it was just me and Jaime. The fans were lined up on the other side of the building so they couldn't see what was going on. Another thing I loved was Nick was ALONE. He had no one with him. There was no bodyguard ushering him away and there was no fiancee distracting him. I really liked that Nick drove himself to the event. At past events, he's either with an entourage or Lauren. I was glad that we got to have him all by himself.

Jaime and I then tried to figure out the line situation. There was a huge line already and it was barely noon. The line was mixed with both ticket holders and non-ticket holders. We tried to find Bianca in line but we were unsuccessful. Bianca had sent me a text saying that she had went to Rite Aid. I wanted to go to Rite Aid too to see if they had bathroom because I had the urge to go.

While trying to figure out where Rite Aid was I spotted Brittany, a fan I had met through the fan club during the NKOTBSB tour. We had done VIP for the NKOTBSB shows in LA and Anaheim. We catch up and I tell Brittany that we're trying to find Rite Aid. She told me that she knew where Rite Aid was but that the bathroom was out of order. I was immediately disappointed but then she told me near Rite Aid is a Denny's and that's where she and her friend went to use the bathroom.

The walk to Denny's/Rite Aid is about 2 blocks. They're both located in a strip mall type place called Gower Gultch on Sunset Blvd. After going to the bathroom, I look at the sign and see there's a Baskin Robbins and Starbucks. I honestly wanted to go to both but ended up going to Starbucks since I had a gift card there. I ordered a tall Hazelnut frapp because I had never had one before and I wanted to try it. I also ordered a maple oat scone because just in case I got hungry.

Once we get our Starbucks we head back and try to figure out the line situation again. When we got back, the huge line was split into 2. There was one line along one side of the building and another one on the other side. We ask around and get in the line that's for those with guaranteed tickets.

Time passes by ever so slowly. I couldn't finish my tall Hazelnut frapp. I drank about half of it. I also couldn't finish the scone. I didn't want to throw them away so I decided that I wanted to go put them in my car so I could have them later. Jaime held our spot in line as I walked back to my car.

Once I crossed the street, I glanced back at the venue and noticed at the back there were 2 fans taking pictures with Kevin! They were the only 2 fans there and I saw Kevin guide them behind the alley so they wouldn't attract attention. It was too late... he already caught my attention lol

After I checked that the street was clear, I jay-walked to where they were. By the time I got to where Kevin was he was already starting to walk into the back entrance of the venue.

I think I said, "Kevin!"

His bodyguard said to me, "He has to go inside."

I frowned and accepted defeat. However, Kevin had heard me say his name and he saw my camera in my hands. He turned around and jogged toward me. He said something like, "Okay, really quick."

(The flash was on so the picture came out bright. I did my best to fix it.)

Then he gestured to his bodyguard to take the picture for us. I freaking love that he overrode his bodyguard to take a picture with me. I didn't even ask for a picture. Kevin could have easily kept on walking and pretended he didn't hear me. I loved that he came back for me. He pulled me close to me and we took a picture.

I honestly wasn't sure that his bodyguard took a picture because I swear it looked like he didn't press the button. The bodyguard gave me back my camera and I even asked him, "Did you press the button?"

He said, "Yes."

I checked to see if he was telling the truth and indeed he pressed the button and the picture came out.

Kevin then jogged toward the back entrance and said to me, "See you in there!"

After that happened, I couldn't believe I had unexpectedly ran into a 2nd Backstreet Boy. What made it even more special was it was Kevin. It's been years since I've had had an encounter with him and I loved that he spared a minute to take a picture with me when I honestly didn't even ask lol When I was done with my picture, I walked back to the side walk and the 2 fans that took a picture with him were there and we all just freaked out for a moment since we were the only 3 to get a chance to briefly meet him. They had told me that they had seen AJ go in but he didn't stop.

I was on cloud 9 when I walked back to my car. The event hadn't even started yet and already all my expectations were exceeded. After I dropped off my Starbucks to my car, I went back and there was more waiting in line. It was so hot but at least we were in the shade. I found out that the mother and daughter sitting next to us in line was from the same area I'm from. They were from Santa Clara which is actually where my work is located.

A few minutes before it was time to go into the venue, we saw a cop car park in front. Then the 2 cops bolted out of their car and ran. They grabbed a homeless looking guy and handcuffed him. Everyone was staring and wondering what happened. I honestly don't know what happened but seeing that helped make time go by faster.

The line then moves and security lets people in by groups. Once we're in, Bodyguard Q welcomes us and invites us to take a picture on the red carpet.

Then we're pointed in the direction to go upstairs for VIP. We had to buy VIP on the roof. Once we're on the roof, it was more standing in line. I saw a cart on the side with bartenders mixing drinks. I wanted a drink so bad but I wanted to buy VIP first. It was another long wait but I finally get a wristband for VIP.

Off to the side where VIP was being sold, was a merchandise table. I decided to buy the grey shirt. I wanted the tote bag but that merchandise table ran out. I also wanted the poster but I didn't want to carry it during the event and risk getting it crumpled and torn. After we get merchandise, I spot a cardboard cutout of Kevin and take a picture of it. Then I see there's an ice sculpture so I take a picture with it too. I wanted that drink I was craving but I decided I didn't want to risk having to go to the bathroom later so I passed.

We all then head downstairs to where the fan event would happen and make a stop at the merchandise table there. Fortunately, there were tote bags there so I bought one. There was already a large crowd of fans in front of the stage. About 5 minutes of being near the stage, that's when Brian peeked from behind the curtain and fans screamed.

We then find a spot to stand near stage left and do some more waiting. The DJ was playing Backstreet Boys songs and trying to get us hyped up.

Finally, after waiting so many hours, and sweating a million gallons Backstreet Boys appear on stage. When I saw Nick walk on stage looking all fine, I was like damn. I'm glad they all dressed up for the event.

Everything was a blur after I saw them on stage. It was a great feeling to see all 5 together on stage. I'm not going to go into detail on everything that happened at the fan event since it's all on YouTube. You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqC2Jmrdu4g

They told stories and Nick set up a story of where Leonardo Dicaprio played with AJ's goggles in London. I loved how after the story Nick said to AJ, "Ryan Gosling wouldn't let you in one of his movies."

They previewed some tracks they had recorded and talked about them. If you go to backstreetboys.com you can listen to clips of the songs.

I remembered Nick talking about the song "Soldier" and how he was inspired because he loves playing video games. So typical of him lol

My favorite preview was of "In Your Arms." It was an upbeat song that I can dance to. I can't wait to hear the full track. Howie introduced the song and I loved how AJ referred to him as "Howie Delicious." :D

Kevin got a little choked up when it was time to preview a song called "Show 'Em What You're Made Of." Apparently it was phrase his father used to say a lot. That reminded me of my dad and how he loves to say, "Now you know."

The most amusing preview was for a song called "PS." At first I thought it meant "PS" like in a letter. Then I thought what if it's a song poking fun of women's "PMS." Then Backstreet said "PS" stands for "Permanent Stain." We all lol'ed. What the hell kind of song title is that? My mind immediately thought, is that a song about Monica Lewinsky :p

After they previewed the songs, a short clip of the documentary was shown. I didn't record it because I thought it would be recorded on the livestream. I found out later that the documentary wasn't shown. There were a lot of people around recording it though.

Here's one fan's recording of it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Ga87ZiFhyfs

I'm anxious to watch more of the documentary. While the clip was being shown, Nick and Howie were off to the side watching it together. I totally gasped and grabbed my heart when the clip came to the part where Nick burst into tears when he was back at his elementary school. I had never seen him so emotional before.

It also surprised me to see them walk the grounds of Lou Pearlman's former mansion. I loved getting to see them in the recording studio and getting a glimpse of what the recording process was for their upcoming album. I thought it was so sweet when Brian lead a prayer circle. I also loved seeing him cook.

After the documentary clip was a Q&A.The questions were okay. Every time there's a Q&A my mind goes blank. I wish I had a great question everyone would appreciate.

I thought Howie's response to the question about what they would say to their younger self was cute. He said that he wouldn't have let his hair grow out and Nick said that he liked Howie's hair like that.

Of course, some questions were on the verge of sexual like someone asked have they ever made love while their music was playing in the background. I remember Brian had mentioned that his son was in the audience and I kind of felt bad that Baylee's ears had to be subjected to those kinds of questions.

Leighanne and Baylee were sitting in the balcony and I remember looking up at the balcony and seeing Leighanne looking not impressed with some of the not so clean questions being asked.

After the Q&A the event is over. At this point my feet are extremely throbbing. I couldn't wait to sit down. Since the line was super long for VIP, we all head back up to the roof to sit down for a bit. I decided to buy a "Backstreet Boy Cocktail" at the drink cart. The drinks were so expensive! I wanted to try all the cocktails but they were like $10 each.

The cocktail that caught my eye was the "If You Want It To Be Good Girl" one aka a Sex on the Beach. I've never had a Sex on the Beach before but wow, that drink was very strong and I drank every drop of it.

Then we all stood in another long line for the VIP M&G. My feet were throbbing and I really wanted to sit but the venue security were being meanies and they wouldn't let us sit. The wait was long but we eventually make it down to the stage where the M&G was taking place.

When it was my group's turn we got the usual pep talk of no hugs and no autographs. Then we're led behind a curtain to where Backstreet is and go up a very short flight of stairs. I spot Bodyguard Drew and say hi to him. He recognized me and said, "Hey, what's up?" I said, "Nothing much."

Then I go to Brian who is first in line. I say, "Hi Brian!"

His face lit up and he said, "Hey! It's good to see you."

Brian then hugs me and I get paranoid about their bodyguard's yelling at me for getting a hug. Thankfully no one yells at me. My mind was blank and later on I regretted not saying anything else to Brian like, "Congrats on 20 years" or "Happy Anniversary."

After Brian, I notice there's a couch where the rest of Backstreet is lounging around. I didn't know if I had to go in front of the couch or around the back of it. I ended up going behind the couch because Brian and the other Bodyguards were sort of in the way in the front.

I said hi to AJ and he said hi back. I wanted to say something about his baby girl Ava but I felt awkward about it so I just shook his hand and moved on. Next to AJ was Howie but his back was to me and I honestly didn't want to make him turn around. Next to Howie was Nick who was sitting down on the couch. One of the fans in my group was already sitting to his left and the spot to his right was open.

As I rounded the corner of the couch I heard Nick repeatedly ask out loud, "Who's going to sit next to me? Who's going to sit next to me? Who's going to sit next to me?"

I walked faster and spotted his right hand resting on the couch cushion looking extra big. Without hesitation I said, "Me, me, me!"

There wasn't very much space between Nick and Howie but I was determined to squeeze myself between them. I turned around so I could sit down. I was about to plant my ass on the couch cushion when I felt Nick's hands grip my sides and then he pulled me down to the couch beside him. His unexpected touch took me by surprise. He could have easily just let me sit down on my own so I really appreciated he was a gentleman and made sure that my ass landed on the couch and not the floor. (If I had known he was going to put his hands on me I should have pretended to trip and land on his lap ;))

I was very self-conscious sitting next to Nick. We were thisclose. I had practically been sweating the whole day from being out in the sun. I wished I had brought some body spray or perfume. His right arm was resting on the back of the couch behind me. I don't know why but I put my arm around him. It kind of felt awkward but I didn't want to move my arm.

There was awkward silence for a bit so I asked him the first question that came to my mind, "How's your eye?" (If you don't know about his eye, he had posted a picture on Instagram where there's a red spot on his eye.)

Nick proceeded to tell me that he got LASIK. I looked into his beautiful blue eyes and I could still see the red spot there in his left eye. (I honestly don't know if he was telling the truth or lying about getting LASIK because I remembered he said on Instagram Backstreet got into a "fight." I didn't think to question him at the time.)

I asked him, "How was it?"

He smiled and said, "Good."

I told him that I was considering getting LASIK. Before I could ask him more about LASIK, 1 of Backstreet's bodyguards said it was time to take the picture. The picture is taken and it's time to go. I didn't even really get to say anything to Kevin or Howie during the M&G but that's okay because Nick touched me ;)

After the M&G I was bursting with energy. Yes, I've met Backstreet before but every time feels like the first time. I always feel so euphoric afterward.

The fan event was over and it was time to leave. Jaime and I say our goodbyes to Bianca and her friends. I didn't want to leave right away because my feet were throbbing so we sat in my car for a bit. A fan that I know from LiveDaily named Mike spotted us in my car and stopped by to chat with us for while.

After that, Jaime and I tried to find a place to eat. It was a bit difficult to find a place on Hollywood Blvd. Mostly everything was some sort of sit-in restaurant. I wanted fast food with a drive-thru. I then remembered there was an In 'n Out on Sunset Blvd. so we went there. The drive-thru line there was so LONG! I had never seen so many cars lined up to get fast food.

Once we got the food, we begin the journey to find the Loews hotel. Finding that hotel wasn't easy. I had thought I was going the right direction but it turned out I was going in the opposite direction. What should have been probably a 10 minute drive turned into over an hour drive.

Finally we find the hotel and park in the Hollywood and Highland parking lot. I had remembered from reading the hotel's reviews online that past guests suggested to park in that lot rather than going through valet. I paid $10 for parking and then found a spot near the elevators. I thought we were so close to the hotel. It turns out that after 10 PM that particular entrance from the parking lot was locked and only guests with room keys could pass through. Since we hadn't checked-in yet we had no keys to unlock the door.

I was so frustrated with myself. I thought, damn it, I should have valeted if I had known the door would have been locked. Jaime and I had no choice but to walk a very long distance around Hollywood and Highland to get to the front entrance of the hotel. What made that more torturous is we both had our luggage with us.

Eventually we make it to the hotel lobby. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing just yet because even though it was past midnight by the time we got to the lobby there was a line! We waited in line for a long 15 minutes and finally we were checked in. The room number was 506. Floor 5 seemed to be the theme of this trip.

Finally when we make it to our room, I just drop myself onto the bed. My whole body was damp with sweat and my feet were pulsating with pain even though I had worn flats the whole day. Once I got some of my energy back I took a very nice cold shower. After the shower I felt refreshed and enjoyed my In 'n Out. Although I was tired it was hard for me to fall asleep so I ended up killing time talking with Jaime and also lurked on Twitter and Facebook.

I was glad that I could sleep in on Sunday and get a chance to recover from the Fan Celebration. I probably fell asleep at around 3 AM but my body is so used to waking up for work that I woke up at around 7 AM. I stayed awake for a couple of minutes and then will myself to sleep so more.

Jaime has a cousin that lives in Hollywood so she went out and spent time with him. I spent most of Sunday cooped up in that hotel room. I was too tired to do anything.

Time seemed to move fast that day. When 6 PM came I knew I had to at least do something productive. Since the hotel is attached to the Hollywood and Highland shopping center I decided to walk around for a bit. The only things I had ate that day was my left over In 'n Out burger and Starburst candy. I needed to get food. I was in the mood for rice so I found a chinese food place. To be honest the food didn't look very good but I was too exhausted to be picky. I got half fried rice, half chow mein, and orange chicken. The chow mein was good, the orange chicken was okay, but the rice wasn't good.

Jaime then gets back from visiting her cousin. Since the star ceremony was the next day we wanted to check out where it would be located. While looking for the star we ran into other fans looking for the star too. One of them is a fan named Jennifer who I had met at the San Francisco Vampire Diaries convention in 2012.

There was a construction block thing (I don't know what to call it lol) over a square near Boys II Men's star. It said something like Gumdrop? (I can't remember.) I had a feeling the star would be there because I remember reading online before that before star's are revealed they're covered with that sign before the unveiling. The other fans were skeptical but I just knew that was where the star would be.

After scoping out the area, Jaime and I go to the CVS nearby. I had $5 in Extra Care Bucks that had expired the day before. I wanted to see if they would let me use it. I was so grateful when the associate said I could use it. Jaime and I got some things like snacks and sunscreen that totaled around $23. After I gave my coupons the total went down to $12. The cashier said to me, "You're a smart shopper." She told us that a guy was so happy to be saving $1 from a coupon he had but I apparently beat him with my $12 worth of coupons ;)

It was getting late and we had to wake up early for the ceremony the next day. Before we got to the hotel we stopped by Wetzel Pretzel for a brief snack. I got a Wetzel Cheese Dog and a frozen strawberry lemonade.

Jaime had set her alarm to about 5:30 AM. When I woke up I felt like I had a boulder over my body. I just didn't want to wake up. Jaime started to get ready while I was huddled in the covers. After a few minutes I had gained some energy. I went on Twitter to lurk and that's when I saw people tweeting there were already over 100 people in line already! I couldn't believe it since the Walk of Fame people had insisted lining up would start at 7:00 AM.

Since Jaime was more ready than I was she went ahead to stand in line to hold a spot for us. I got to the line around 7:15 AM and it was pretty long. I was glad though that we didn't have to wait too long like for the Fan Event on Saturday. Security came by and gave everyone wristbands. Then a few minutes later they came back to write numbers on the wrist bands. I was glad they did that. Then security said that since we had wristbands and #'s we could leave the line to get coffee or go to the bathroom and then come back at around 9:30 AM. Jaime and I left the line to go to the bathroom at Hollywood and Highland. Then we sat down there for a couple of minutes.

When it's close to 9:30 AM Jaime and I head back to the line and continue to wait. The street in front of where the star ceremony was taking place was shut down to traffic. Once that was all coordinated, fans were then escorted there. There were already fans crowded along the barricade in all the good spots. Jaime and I found a spot behind the stage area.

It was more waiting and standing. Fans then started to scream and I look up and see Brian on the roof of the building in front of us waving. Then a few moments later Kevin comes to that spot and waves as well. Sometimes a bodyguard or some random guy would pop up in that place just to see if fans would scream and mistake them for a Backstreet Boy.

In front of where Jaime and I stood was sort of an impromptu backstage area. We could see Backstreet's friends and family arriving and walking by. I remember seeing one guy who looked exactly like Hank from Passions but I wasn't sure if it was him. Then a fan yelled out, "RYAN!" The guy looked and smiled in the direction of where his named was being shouted. I was right it was Ryan McPartlin. Damn, he looks fine in person. I was surprised he was there but apparently he's a very good friend of Kevin and Kristin's. I loved that he took the time to be at the ceremony and show his support for Kevin.

Then I saw Angel and her fiance. Angel has such good hair. I want her hair lol I also saw Baylee, Leighanne, and her nipples poking through her dress lol You would think she could afford a bra or good pasties that could conceal those nipples. I also saw AJ's family and Nick's fiance Lauren.

Backstreet then makes their way out through a door from the building in front of us. They're all looking fine in their attire. They absorb the screams from the fans. There was a helicopter hovering in the sky and I saw Nick look up at it.

Max Martin was there to give a speech about his experience with Backstreet and how they have helped changed his life. I feel it goes both ways and that he too has helped changed Backstreet's lives. He gave them songs to sing and who knows where they'd be right now if he hadn't given them those songs. It's those songs that have had a major impact on me and millions of people all over the world. Those are songs that are so timeless and catchy that even haters know at least the chorus to a Backstreet Boys song written by Max Martin.

I loved it when Max described meeting them for the first time and hearing them sing "I'll Never Break Your Heart" for him. He said that he got chills from hearing their voices.

I absolutely loved it when Max said he wanted to quote ABBA in relation to Backstreet and he said could because he's Swedish. He said to Backstreet, "Thank you for the music." I had always thought about Backstreet whenever I listened to that song in the past. It's such a fitting song and most of the lyrics I can relate to. I was so glad that Max too had the same thoughts as me in regards to that song.

If you've never heard the song, this is the chorus:

Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing.
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing.
Who can live without it?
I ask in all honesty.
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

After Max gave his speech, the fan who won the fan club contest gave her speech. Then after that each Bsb in alphabetical order gave their own speech.

Nick looks soooo delicious.

BACKstreet Boys? :p

I just love this random picture I took of Kevin lmao

I remember during AJ's speech he mentioned how they would forever be remembered through the star and how his daughter could one day take her own children to the star.

I don't remember much of Brian's speech... lol

I remember Howie mentioning that his wife Leigh surprised him that morning by showing up unexpectedly.

I remember Kevin's speech being emotional for him. Either I haven't heard him talk in a while but it seems lately his southern drawl is more apparent.

Last but not least was Nick. The tone of Nick's speech reminded me of like a coach's pre-game speech. It was filled with inspiration and motivation for us fans. I loved that he kept his speech about the music and fans. My favorite part of his speech was when he talked about how he and his mom came to Hollywood when he was about 7 years old and how he saw scary people talking to themselves and the stars on the boulevard.

Honestly, I wish he'd tell more stories like that about his experiences as a young boy trying to make it in the entertainment world. He's truly lucky that he was able to achieve such success and still maintain it at age 33. I'm freaking 27 and I'm still itching to achieve a quarter of the success he's had.

I was a bit amused Nick steered away from mentioning his fiance in his speech. AJ, Brian, Howie, and Kevin all mentioned their significant others and their family. I can see his point though of not mentioning her since she had nothing to do with him becoming a Backstreet Boy. Other than tagging along to his concerts and events she didn't really contribute much to where he is now as a singer.

I forgot when but sometime during the ceremony it was declared that April 22nd, 2013 was declared Backstreet Boys day in Hollywood. Now there's 2 Backstreet Boys days! If you didn't already know October 7th is Backstreet Boys day in FL. I will definitely be celebrating both Backstreet boys days!

Baylee holding the proclamation that April 22nd is Backstreet Boys day:

When the ceremony concluded, security immediately had the crowd disperse because they needed to open the street soon to traffic. My feet were throbbing and I was starving. I couldn't wait to sit down and eat. Before Jaime and I went to eat we decided to see if we could find where Backstreet was leaving. We walked around the corner and saw a crowd of fans around a parking garage entrance.

We saw Brian and his family leave first. They got into a huge Mercedes van. Kevin and his family left in a Range Rover. Howie and his wife left in a Ford sedan. AJ and his family left in a grey'ish/beige Escalade. Nick was the last to leave, driving his Escalade all sexxxy.

A fan from Europe, (I want to say Norway?) approached Jaime and I and we chatted for a bit. She was on vacation in LA to visit her friends and coincidentally she found out that her vacation coincided with the Backstreet events.

Jaime and I decided to take advantage of the coupons an employee of Buffalo Wild Wings passed out while we waited in line. The restaurant was close by and I didn't feel like walking anywhere else. The wings were so good. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. While Jaime and I waited for our food the restaurant played "Straight Through My Heart." It was like they knew fans were in the premises.

After we ate, we walked back to the hotel and noticed that barricades were set up for the "Pain and Gain" film premiere. I would have loved to stick around to watch Mark Wahlberg and The Rock walk the red carpet. However, Backstreet sucked the energy out of me. I didn't feel like standing around and waiting.

Jaime and I rest at the hotel for a bit and reflect on the awesome day. Then I decide I want to go back to Beverly Hills. I wanted to walk around around Rodeo Drive one last time during my vacation. On the way to Beverly Hills I noticed a sign that I wanted to take a pic with. We dropped by and took pictures there.

Jamie and I then walked along Rodeo Drive. There weren't very many people walking around and most of the stores were closed already. We walked by Chanel and I wished I could have gone inside to browse.

We walked by Cartier and I got a random idea to take a picture with me covering the "i" to have Carter spelled out. I liked how the picture came out.

Jaime wanted to take a picture in front of Dolce and Gabana because her friend loves the brand. While I was taking a picture of Jaime there was what looked like a family walking by. A young 20-something looking girl asks if we want to get our picture taken together in front of D&G? Jaime and I say sure.

After the girl takes the picture she says that she feels lots of good energy coming from us. She said if we had time we should come visit her. Jaime and I look at the postcard she gives us and it turns out she's a psychic. We got a big kick out of being approached by a psychic.

I said to Jaime, "Of course she's feeling lots of good energy from us. We just had an amazing weekend with Backstreet Boys!"

I noticed while driving/walking around Hollywood/Beverly Hills/LA that there are a lot of psychic places to visit. I wish the psychic would've told me my future with Nick Carter :p muahahahaha

Jaime and I also walked by the Equinox gym where Nick had played basketball which was streamed online a few months ago.

We also walked by Mr. Chow but it dead. I loved that a few days later the Littrell family was photographed by the paparazzi at that restaurant. If only they had eaten there when Jaime and I walked by :p

We also passed by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant Villa Blanca.

The sun was setting so that meant we had to wrap our Beverly Hills adventure. Before we left, I wanted to stop by Sprinkles Cupcakes and Sprinkles Ice Cream one last time. We first went to get cupcakes. I got 2 cupcakes which I didn't eat until I got home. Then we went to Sprinkles Ice Cream. I was shocked when we walked into Sprinkles Ice Cream and the girl at the counter said "Welcome Back!" I was like, "Wow you remember us?!"

I got a red velvet sundae. It was $6.75 but soooo good lol I wish I had the time, money, and metabolism to try all the ice cream/sundae flavors they had.

We then head back to the hotel so I could park my car there. We still didn't have any pictures with or of Bsb's star so we walked over to the star. There were a few fans there taking pictures. Once it was our turn we tried different poses. I was doing one pose where I was lying on the ground and some random guy laid down beside me lol The picture with him didn't come out though. A lot of the pix didn't come out too good since it was night time and there wasn't much lighting around. The camera flash put a glare on the star.

Jaime and I decided to come back the next morning so that we could get better pictures. On the way back to the hotel we stopped by CVS again. I had another $5 coupon I wanted to use. I bought water and potato chips. The chips and my left over wings became my dinner. Nick would be so proud... not lmao :p

The next morning Jaime and I go back to the star to take more pictures. There were already a group of fans there taking pictures. The group of fans asked me, "Are you Jocelyn? @berrydelicious on Twitter?" I was like O_O I was a bit surprised they knew my name and my Twitter name lol One of the fans said she had recognized me as one of the fans that went to Nick's Vegas birthday event.

We all chat and take pictures of each other on the star. I went a bit crazy with the pictures with the star.

I didn't want to leave the star but I had to. I had to check out of the hotel and I had a long drive ahead of me. I said bye to the star and then reluctantly walked away. It was truly an honor to be part of a career milestone for Backstreet Boys. They've impacted my life so much and continue to bring me joy through their music.

If you made it this far in my review I truly applaud you for having the attention span to do so.

You can follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/berrydelicious

You can add me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/flirtingwithobscene

2nd Annual Nick Carter Hang With The Band Event in Las Vegas, NV

Birthdays, they come once a year for everyone. It's a time to celebrate life. Back in January 2012 I was still experiencing a high from the 2011 Backstreet Boys Cruise. It's part of why I was intrigued by the news of a chance to spend time with Nick Carter during his birthday. The price was insane and it was new concept no other fan had experienced before. I took a risk and went to the 1st annual Hang With The Band event. It was an unforgettable event but I wasn't sure if I'd do it again mainly because of the high cost.

Fast forward to December 2012, the 2nd Hang With The Band event with Nick Carter was announced. I was excited until I read that a lot of what was included in the 1st event like hotel accommodations, food, a Las Vegas show, and an after party was not included for the 2nd event. That turned me off from bidding. I thought why should I bid the same amount of money for something that had less.

I was disappointed but I consoled myself with the hope of 2013 having a lot of Backstreet related events. A few days after the bidding ended I discovered on Twitter that "Gold" packages were being released for $899. One of my Twitter followers Courtney who was one of the top ten bidders with a "Platinum" package (which included a wine tasting and lunch with Nick) was kind enough to forward me information about the "Gold" package. The "Gold" package included a meet and greet and the acoustic show. It did not include lunch with Nick and the wine tasting.

I thought $899 was reasonable. It was still a high price to pay but I justified it by saying to myself that I was a good girl most of 2012 and the last time I saw Nick was on February 12, 2012 in Columbus, OH. I didn't go to Mixtape, talk show tapings, or any of the New Years shows. Plus I got a job a few months ago that gave me lots of overtime hours so I bought a gold package as a Christmas gift to myself.

Once my gold package was confirmed Courtney was kind enough to invite me to stay with her at her time share in Las Vegas.

After working so hard since I started my job in August 2012, it boosted my morale to have a trip to look forward to. I booked my flights through Southwest. I was able to get $70 off my flights since I had $20 I earned from taking a survey and a $50 Southwest gift card I earned from My Coke Rewards. My flight totaled $164.80.

While browsing Slickdeals I found out about a game called MyVegas. It's a Facebook game where you play games and earn loyalty points to redeem for rewards to use at MLife resorts and casinos. (If you want to start playing add me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/flirtingwithobscene/ and I'll send you an invite.) I started MyVegas on January 9th and by January 25th I had enough points to redeem for a $50 credit to Delights at The Signature at MGM Grand, a $100 dining credit to Nine Fine Irishmen at NYNY, and a $10 credit to Jean Philippe Patisserie at Aria.

Courtney and her mom were kind enough to pick me up from the airport. After they picked me up with went to the The Signature at MGM Grand to have brunch. It was my first time redeeming a MyVegas reward so I didn't know I had to go to the MLife counter at the MGM Grand to get a voucher to use at Delights. I felt so bad that I had to let Courtney and her mom walk across the MGM Grand twice.

While waiting in line to get my voucher I saw I had a text message from John with Hang With The Band. He said to call him immediately. I was kind of paranoid and panicked for a moment thinking Nick cancelled the event or that somehow my payment didn't go through. I called John and he asked me if I was in Vegas yet. I told him I was. He said that he just wanted to check in with me and confirm that I knew where the meeting place would be. I told him that I knew.

Then he asked me something that would turn my weekend around. He said that a "Platinum" package spot had opened up for the lunch and that since I went last year he could offer it to me. My first thought was... why did someone drop out off the lunch and my second thought was could I eat in front of Nick?! It was an incredible opportunity so I said, "Yes I'll do it."

We then headed back Delights to eat with the voucher in hand. I had white chocolate cinnamon french toast and a mixed berry smoothie. The french toast was delicious. The mixed berry smoothie tasted fresh but it had too many seeds. I also ordered a mocha pastry which I didn't eat until the next day.



Courtney had ordered eggs and ham, a strawberry smoothie, and her mom ordered a Caesar salad and coffee. Everything was covered by the $50 dining credit. Would I eat there again without a credit? Probably not but it was fun to try. I was expecting it to be a big fancy restaurant but it was a tiny place.

After breakfast, Courtney and her mom needed to go to Target. Then we went to the outlets and looked around for a bit. Courtney needed some wrapping paper for her gift to Nick so we went to The Container Store.

Courtney had brought along her brother for the trip and she and her mom wanted to surprise him to the Rock of Ages show at The Venetian so we all went to see it. Before we went to see it we ate at a food court at The Venetian.

I'd been to The Venetian lots of times before but I had no idea there was food court! I ate food from Wasabi James since I was in the mood for Asian food. While walking back and forth between the food court and the casino I noticed there was an area to make reservations at TAO. I remembered in 2010 he had his birthday at TAO in Las Vegas. I wondered if he was going to do something there... (It turned out my wonderings were true since Nick did have his birthday part there. Damn it, I should have made a reservation for the evening of January 26th :p)

Then we went to watch the show. It a high energy show and pretty entertaining. The storyline was simple but I liked how the different songs went with it. I got a kick out of when the lead actor Drew was being recruited by a manager who wanted to turn him into a boyband type of singer and said he's more of a "Street Boy" than a rocker.

After the show we walked over to the Harrah's casino. Since I had won $160 in credits last year from Total Rewards I wanted to redeem the credits for gift cards before they would expire in February. It was a long process to order but I ordered a $50 Shell Gift Card and a $25 Starbucks Gift Card.

We got back to the hotel sometime past midnight. I had only been through casinos for a couple of hours and my clothes already smelled like cigarette smoke. Indoor smoking is a big downside of casinos. I knew I had to sleep but I couldn't sleep without feeling clean. Plus I was paranoid that I wouldn't have time on Saturday morning to shower so I decided to get it over with.

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. The excitement of seeing Nick again kept me up. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep total. At around 8:30 AM'ish Courtney and I officially wake up and prepare for our afternoon with Nick Carter.

Courtney had a make up appointment at Sephora to get her make up done so her mom dropped her off there and I went with her mom to CVS to find finishing touches for Courtney's present to Nick. I personally didn't put much effort into wrapping and packaging my gift to Nick. I just threw it into a gift bag.

When we left CVS, I saw a creepy looking man standing alone near the entrance. I honestly thought he was a creepy pimp b/c he has wearing a gold chain and dressed sort of dated. After we walked by the man, Courtney's mom said that was Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson's father. I personally am not sure if it was him but it did look like him. Plus he was standing next to a fancy Mercedes Benz. (But then again so many people in Vegas drive fancy Mercedes Benz's.)

We go back to pick up Courtney and then rush over to the Harrah's valet which was where the meeting place was for the Hang With The Band event. We were running a bit late and it didn't help that the traffic lights were super slow. I still had to change into my top for the day so Courtney and her mom dropped me off while they went to the valet and I ran to the bathroom to change. After I changed I was relieved to find that I wasn't late.

The moment I walked out of the Harrah's and to the meeting area I spotted Alison, a fan I had met last year during the 1st Hang With The Band event. We all checked in with a Hang With The Band representative named Nicole. Then around noon we got into the party bus to go to the place where the event was going to be held. Last year in the party bus Nick's "I'm Taking Off" album was blasting but this year it wasn't playing :( It kind of made the ride less exciting. I would have loved to be listening to at least Nick or Backstreet during the ride to get the energy up.

After about a 20 minute ride we arrive to the same place as the 1st event. It's a fancy luxury condo in Las Vegas. It's very high class. I think it'd be fun to live there for a while. We're led to the same waiting area as last year which is like a fancy living room and dining room. Before we went in we were searched by security. I recognized one of the security women from last year named Shannon. She was the one who was so excited to meet Nick in 2012.

We sat around and waited for Nick to arrive via limo. Whoever was the #1 bidder got to ride in the limo with Nick and two other fans. I was so curious to see who the lucky #1 fan was! The 3 fans finally arrive. 1 of the fans was #1 in bidding and she had on a beautiful dress. Then I discovered that 2 of the 3 fans were Matt and Jennifer from last year's event. We all chatted and caught up.

Part of the "Platinum" package was wine tasting so those with platinum went down to the wine cellar for wine tasting. Darren read off the names of the platinum winners in order. He was carrying a clipboard in front of him and when he said my name he made it sound like my name was on the clipboard but it actually wasn't.

We tasted 3 red wines picked by Darren and John but I didn't really like any of them. One of the wines was supposedly espresso but I didn't taste it at all. After the wine tasting the first fans to leave the wine cellar immediately go to the table where we're having a lunch. I thought that we had to go back to the meeting area where we were earlier but I didn't want to wander off by myself so I followed them.

We got to take a look at where we would sit. I discovered that I would be sitting almost across from where Nick sat. I was like, oh yeah I'll be in his line of vision. The other fans started taking pix of his table setting so I did the same.

Nick's table setting:



Darren then came down and confirmed what I first thought that we had to go back to the waiting area before sitting down at the table.

I began to get nervous. I know you're thinking, Jocelyn, you've met the dude a million times, why are you nervous? I don't know... He just makes me nervous. We all then walk to the same place where we waited for the meet and greet with Nick. My stomach is doing somersaults and my heart is beating louder than usual. I went through my head what I was going to say and do with Nick so it's nothing like last year where I rushed myself unintentionally.

Darren asked me if I was ready to meet Nick, I said that I was but I was really nervous even though I've met him before. Darren said that Nick has a hold over me (which is true :p).

We were waiting for about 5 minutes for the meet and greet to start until Rosalee, Darren's wife, had us turn around and walk back to the waiting area. I had no idea why we had to do that but we follow her anyway. She made a remark that we're getting a tour of the place.

Now that I think about it, I think the reason Rosalee had us walk back is probably Nick had finished rehearsing in the venue and the only way to get from the venue to the meet and greet area was to walk by where we were standing. I know they didn't want us to see Nick until the meet and greet.

On the way back to the waiting area one of the fans named Diane S. approached me and said that she had read my blog on the event from last year. She asked if I was going to write another one and I said that I was. I thanked her for taking the time read it.

It's about another 5 minutes and Rosalee has us line up again and we walk back to where we were. My nervousness rises to the sky. I tried to calm myself down by saying to myself just imagine you're talking to Nick like he's a customer on the phone at work.

One by one we each go down the stairs to the area where Nick is to meet with him one on one. Once I'm at the top of the stairs and my heart is thumping so hard. I then get the signal to walk down the stairs. Rosalee is down there and we wait for my turn.

The fan before me named Kriste then walks out and it's officially my turn. I walk into the room and it felt smaller than I remember. There's a video camera following my every move so I get self-consciousness. Also, off to the side are Nick's friends looking at us. John sort of makes an introduction of me to Nick saying I was there last year and Nick gives an indication that he remembers me and recognizes me which surprised me since it's been almost a year since I've seen him.

I say, "Hi Nick. Happy Birthday."

He thanks me. I go to ask the question that I had run through my head a million times: How does it feel to be 33? but something else comes out of my mouth.

I ended up asking him, "How does it feel to be 23, I mean 33! Ah!"

Nick laughs and he says, "23? I like that."

It's time to take the picture so I make a point to put my bag and his gift down on the couch behind us. I remember last year in my picture I was holding something in my hand. I wanted only Nick to be in my hand :p

The photographer takes 2 pictures and then I proceed with the second thing I had run through my head to say to him. I said to him, "I got you a gift. I see on Twitter that you like Under Armour so I got you Under Armour shirts." He opens up the bag and looks inside. He pulls out the white shirt first and says, "This is perfect." Then I said, "There's another one in there." He looks in the bag and sees it. He thanks me for the gift.




Then I proceed to the 3rd thing I had spent thinking a million times to have him do. I know we could get at least one item signed by Nick so I told him, "I have enough autographed pictures of you so I want something a little different this time."

I pulled a white piece of card stock paper and markers. I said, "Draw something, anything, feel free to feel like you're in elementary school."

He takes the black marker and says, "I'll draw something that I always doodle."

He starts making long squiggly lines and it becomes clear he's drawing a person. While he draws I try to fill the silence so I say the first thing that comes to my mind which is, "I like your jacket" and I sort of pet his arm. His reaction was like "yeah whatever."

Then he starts drawing big bulging eyes. I said out loud, "What are you drawing? What is he on?" lol He ignores my questions and concentrates.

As he draws, I notice he's wearing an anchor bracelet so again to fill the silence as he draws, I say, "Oooh I like your bracelet." He turns his wrist and does his "yeah whatever" reaction and keeps drawing. Okay, lesson learned, don't talk to Nick while he draws. (I found out later that the #1 bidder had given him that bracelet as a birthday gift. She asked if Nick said anything about her giving it to him and I said no.)

Apparently it's a drawing of himself and he wrote "Scared to sing?" I don't know why he would be scared to sing. I wish he signed the drawing but now that I think about it I think the reason he didn't sign is because I said I had enough autographed pictures of him.

John is nearby looking on as Nick draws and says, "Wow, we got some sketch-art going here."



When Nick is done drawing, he gives the card stock paper back to me. I thank him and try to scramble for another question. I ask him is there any news he can tell me about the Backstreet album? I told him that we're Vegas and I won't tell anyone else. All he said was, "It's almost done."

Then I mentioned that we're anxious for the new album and tour especially since New Kids and those other groups (I honestly had a brain fart on 98 Degrees & Boyz II Men lol) announced their new tour and album. Nick didn't say anything or make any sort of remark about that. Either he's deaf or he's trying to keep himself from saying something that'll spread online.

After that question, John had Nick and I wrap up our one on one time. I thanked Nick again and wished him Happy Birthday again. John then escorted me out of the room. He verified the spelling of my name which I think was so that Nick would spell it right on the autograph card we all would get with our framed picture.

I climb up the stairs and a female security guard escorts me to a door. Next to the door there's a sign that says, "Media Room." I honestly felt like Alice-In-Wonderland for bit because when I opened the door and walked through it I was faced with another door.

When I opened that door, I saw it was the venue where Nick would do the acoustic show. It was the same place as last year. I go find my seat that has my name and find that I'm in the same row as last year except I'm on the left side this time.

I took a picture of the drawing Nick made and posted it on Instagram.

We waited about 15 or so minutes until everyone is done with their meet and greet. After the meet and greet my adrenaline was at full blast. I felt like I could run a marathon. Darren and John then enter the venue and announce that Nick is ready to perform. They asked us to scream and cheer for Nick to get up pumped up.

Nick enters the room and finds his stool. He takes off his jacket and my first thought was aw, why didn't you take off your jacket during the meet and greet. I would've loved his arms showing off his tattoos in my pic.

He went to lay his jacket down on the counter behind him. Then the candles there caught his eyes. He grabbed one, cradled it in his hands and asked us, "Do you think this is real?"

I think most of us were like "huh?"

I tried to take a pic of him holding the candle but my camera was being mean. The pic came out blurry.



Nick put the candle back down and took a seat. He said that he wanted this year's event to be different that last years. He said he wanted to sing new songs that we've never heard. My excitement grew when he said that! I remember last year he sang songs that I wasn't too fond of. He introduced his guitar player named Dory (SP?). I recognized Dory from last year at Nick's after party in Vanity. I swear he spent most of his time last year talking to Dory at the club than with his own girlfriend.

Dory and Nick playfully bantered with each other which I thought was so cute. Nick had his hand on his Dory's shoulder affectionately touched him and gushing about him. I think Dory jokingly said I didn't know you felt that way about me lol



I knew this year's setlist would be better because the first song he sang was "Falling Down." That is one of my favorite songs of his ever. I immediately hit the record button on my camera.



Then he sang "Just One Kiss." I'm not a fan of that song so I was glad to give my arm a rest from recording.

This picture amuses me. What's he looking up at the ceiling for?



One of my Twitter followers had retweeted this picture that was taken by the fan sitting behind me. You can see some of me on the right hand side.



He then started talking about the new album. He totally made the rest of us jealous when he said he played some potential Backstreet Boys songs for the new album for the #1 bidder and the 2 fans who went on the limo ride with him. He said, "I'm not trying to make y'all jealous." Sorry honey but you did.

Then he started talking about the Seth Rogan news which was already leaked online. I seriously wanted to shout out we already know that but I didn't have the guts to rain on his parade since he looked so happy to be sharing "exclusive news". I didn't want to look like some sort of know-it-all. He was like you can't tweet this... In my head I'm thinking, it's already been tweeted.

He said he was going to sing a song he's never performed live before. Before he did it he was like let me pull something out and my 1st thought was, what? Your dick? It's good I have a filter on my mouth b/c he probably would have given me the look of death if I said that out loud. It turns out he pulled out his iPhone. He had to Google the song lyrics to refresh his memory.

He said that he was going to sing "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel and my first thought was, NAPA! In 2010, in Napa when Ryan Star sang "In Your Eyes" Backstreet joined in and sang back up for him. I was glad that I got to hear Nick sing it by himself. He poured so much emotion into singing the song. I know it's not obvious in the video I took but at some parts of the song he was scrolling this his iPhone to verify the lyrics.

"In Your Eyes"




Then he sang "I Want It That Way." He asked for a little audience participation with us during the song and had us sing out some parts for him. When he got to, "don't wanna hear you say" I wondered if he would sing it b/c he rarely does. He was like, fine I'll do it and he did it and I was like awwwwwwwww and I didn't record it. Oh, well, it's in my head.



For the next song he said we have 3 choices, all of them which are unreleased:

1. Just Kids
2. Prisoner
3. Gotta Get With You - (Nick mentioned that his friend Shadrick (SP?) played it a club and he pointed him out. Shadrick was standing off to the side watching on and so was Chris.)

Most of the fans voted for "Prisoner". I honestly wanted to hear "Gotta Get With You" b/c I never heard it. No one picked "Just Kids." The song title sounded boring to me and I thought it would be a song about having kids.

The he said, "You know what? I really want to sing 'Just Kids.'"

Well Nick... why did you ask us to pick a song when you don't want to sing what most of us want?! :p

Since he was super eager to sing "Just Kids" we started to chant "do it, do it, do it". Then someone made a comment about peer pressure to Nick since he had to decide between singing what he wanted and what most of the fans wanted.

After thinking about it he said, "Okay I'll do 'Just Kids.'"

Nick explained that "Just Kids" is a song he wrote. He said it could be a potential Backstreet Boys song but it might not make the album. He said that Kevin really loves it and wants it on the Backstreet Boys album too.

He said "Just Kids" is a song that is a reflection on the past and was inspired on his time as a Backstreet Boy. It was definitely not what I originally thought it would be about! I listened carefully to the lyrics as he sang and I was shocked. The song that none of us wanted to hear turned out to be BEAUTIFUL. Hahaha I guess we shouldn't judge a song by it's song title :p



After he sang the song he started to talk about what he had heard Michael Jackson say about performing a song live and needing an audience to hear it to get a feel of their reaction. I hope we all gave him the kind of reaction he was looking for. I know I was very impressed by the performance. It was really special for me to hear him sing a song he hadn't performed live before.

The next song he sang was "Prisoner". I felt that he sang it because of the fans voting for that first. He forgot how it started so Dory told him the lyrics have the words, "four walls, black dress." That sparked his memory and he was able to sing it without having to ask Dory for anymore hints. He then made a remark about maybe in the future having to be like Ozzy Obsourne and needing a teleprompter while singing.



He asked if anyone had questions for him. Someone asked about the album and touring. He's aware it's a common question fans ask because we all need to plan. Then he asked does anyone else have a question. No one was saying anything so before he could move on to another song I blurted the first question that came into my mind....

"Who's going to win the Super Bowl?" (I know not the best question but I just wanted to keep him talking and no one else was speaking up!)

He looked right at me and was like, "You want me to go there?!"

I said, "YES."

He started off by saying something like it's not the Bucs. Then he said that he loves the Ravens BUT they're kind of old so that's why he had to say that he's thinking the Niners. I was like yeah! Since I am from the Bay Area so of course like a bandwagon fan I'm supporting them now :p lol

Then the dad of the fan named Taylor who was at the event because of the "Make A Wish" foundation jokingly asked Nick, "Is it okay to tweet that out?"

Nick said that it was okay.

Nick said "Burning Up" was going to be the last song. Dory mentioned that he was listening to the song the previous night trying to get an idea of how to turn it acoustic. He said his wife asked him how he was going to do it but he managed to figure it out. Nick sang the first verse great and I was waiting for him to do Briddy Shaw's rap when... he started singing the first verse again.

I was like whaaa what is Nick doing? I guess he's doing a different version? lol Then in the middle of singing the first verse again I could tell Nick had this look on his face like something wasn't right. Then he was like oh yeah there's a rap! He was having a major brain fart on how the rap goes. After about 5 seconds he was able to remember the rap and continued to sing the song. I thought it was funny he forgot how his own song goes.

When he's done with "Burning Up", a fan says to sing one more song. He said okay which surprised me. I'm just so used to Nick being in a hurry and rushing things so it was nice he took and his time. He said that he wanted to dedicate the last song to Taylor. Taylor is part of the "Make A Wish Foundation" so he dedicated the song "Special" to her. I thought that was sooooo sweet of him to do.



This is the set list which Courtney got. Although the set list includes "More Than That" and "Gotta Get With You" he didn't sing those songs.



Nick wrapped the acoustic show up and thanked us all for coming. I noticed when he stood up to leave he put the bottle of Fiji water he was drinking out of throughout the show onto the stool he sat on. I was a woman on mission. I always read about fans grabbing the water bottles he drinks out of during the show so I was like I want that bottle. I couldn't get it right away since John asked us to say a few words about the event if we wanted to on camera.

I remember saying that I thought it was an amazing event because we got to hear songs he never performed live before.

When it's time to get up and leave, I literally bolt to his stool and grab his bottle of water. When we're out of the Media Room we got divided into 2 groups: Golds and Platinums. The Golds had to leave since they weren't part of the lunch. John announced that he would be at The Harrah's hotel/casino Sunday morning at 10 AM to pass out our pictures with Nick.

The Platinums are then escorted to the dining area. There's loud classical music playing. We all take a seat and wait for Nick. About 5 minutes later he comes in and finds his seat. He makes a remark about sitting at the head of the table and feeling like a knight since we're at a large round table.

Nick asked who was here last year and 4 of us raise our hands. He said he felt 2013 was going to be a good year for him. He mentioned how he kept seeing the number 33 everywhere. I totally understand what means by seeing the same number often. Someone mentioned that the jersey he wore during the Millennium tour had a 33 on it. He said that I don't know if you all believe in astrology but I just feel there's something about the number 33. I kind of wanted to correct him and say numbers are numerology but I'm nice so I didn't say anything. Since Nick was on the subject of astrology/numerology someone asked if he believes in Scientology. Nick said that he doesn't but he believes in aliens.

Someone then asked if he was superstitious and he said that he really wasn't. He has a few superstitions.

Nick noticed the bread basket by him so he took one piece of bread and then passed it to his right. (The bread wasn't so good in my opinion.) Then he asked, "Where's the food? I'm hungry." We all agreed that we were hungry too. The only thing I ate was the pastry from Delights at Courtney's timeshare before I changed into my outfit a few hours earlier. Other than that I was afraid to eat anything else in fear of spilling food onto my outfit and having something stuck in my teeth.

About 5 minutes later the chef for our lunch, Lisa Cornish, served our first course which was a Caprese Salad. I remember when we first started to eat someone's silverware slipped out of their fingers and created a loud clanking noise on the table and plate. Nick said, "Take your time."

To be honest, I didn't really like the salad. I usually love heirloom tomatoes but they didn't taste fresh to me. I got a kick out of watching Nick eat the salad though. I caught him stuffing a lot of spinach in his mouth and the leaves were sticking out.

Someone asked him what he thinks about technology and honestly I don't remember what he said.

Everything after that was a blur. I don't remember what happened in the right order so I'm just going to go through what stood out in my mind.

I remember getting hypnotized by Nick's flexing biceps when he put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his clasped hands.

Someone asked him, "What are you doing on your real birthday? Are you going to spend it in Vegas?" Nick said that he was going to go Go-Cart racing in LA.

Someone asked him, "Where is your favorite place to vacation?" He had a hard time finding an answer to this question. I don't blame him. He's been to so many countries. What's left for him to consider a vacation spot? He finally answered with Hawaii. He was like what was that one island called and I think he said Kaua'i. Then the topic of cliff diving came up and then it shifted to cage diving. Nick said he had heard of a place in San Francisco where you could do that. I asked him for the name of the place because I'm from that area. He said that he didn't know.

Here's Nick's lunch menu which is the same as mine:



For lunch I had the same thing as Nick which was fish even though his name card said chicken. Nick and I had Pan Seared Salmon Filet. The salmon tasted good but last years salmon was way better. I loved the rice from this year though. The chef had put some sauce in it that helped give it a kick.



Since we were eating, someone asked Nick, "What do you like to eat?" Nick said that lately he's been eating a lot of meat. Then he mentioned that he loved sushi. I asked, "What's your favorite kind of sushi?" He said he likes sushi tori (I think that's it?) and salmon. I told him that I love salmon. Then he started talking about the sushi in Japan and how it's nothing like the sushi here in the US. He said they're pretty hardcore in Japan about their sushi. I also remember him mentioning nigiri and sashimi.

Then someone asked, "Where do you like to go out to eat?" He mentioned a restaurant on Franklin in LA but I forgot the name to it and I regret not making a note of it. The second place he mentioned was Veggie Grill which I'm already aware of since there's one near where I live and Nick's tweeted about it in the past.

Nick asked if any of us play Team Fortress 2. I asked him that's on Steam right? He said yes. I told him that I played when he played it in the beginning but that I hadn't played lately. Then I said that I always get killed. He began to tell a recent story where he was playing Team Fortress 2 and there was a player from the other team who was obviously a fan following him during the game. He said whoever that was had the opportunity to attack him but didn't and would just be staring at him and he imitated how the characters in the game stare at a player on the screen.

He asked if any of us played World of Warcraft and all of shook our heads no. He was like come on! One of the fans said something like the only video games I know are Super Mario and most of us agreed.

Then Nick asked us where we were from? I told him that I'm from Milpitas, CA which is about 45 minutes away from San Francisco. One fan was from Belgium and the fan sitting to my left, Elena, was from Russia. Elena had told me she recognized me as BedtimeDelicious on the Backstreet Boys fan club. I'm always impressed when other fans can recognize me and know what my screen name is.

I told Elena you have a lot of patience to fly from Russia to Vegas. She said it took her 3 flights to get from Russia to Vegas. One of the fans said she was from the Philippines and was currently living Riverside, Ca. Nick asked her, "Do you like Manny Pacquiao?" That just made me snicker. It's like Pacquiao is the representative for all Filipinos in the entire world. He started talking about the Pacquiao/Marques fight and how he lost because he was knocked out.

Nick asked us what we do for a living. I had a hunch he wanted to know our jobs because he wanted to know how we could drop so much $$$$$/dinero to spend barely a day with him. One of the fans who I met last year in Vegas named Diane (a different Diane than the one I mentioned earlier) said she was a patent attorney and that impressed Nick. He was like, "You and I need to talk." Then he said how he gets lots of ideas for inventions but then he finds out that what he thought was an original idea has been done before and has already been created.

When it was my turn I told him that I do technical support for the DVD transfer service for Costco, CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, and Target. I said the company transfers VHS tapes, film reels, slides, and images to DVD. I told him if he has any old VHS tapes lying around he could send them in if he wants and I could give him a coupon. The way Nick stared at me as I explained my job amused me so much. It was kind of like this: o_o

He didn't take my offer on a coupon. Oh, well. I tried lol I kind of wish I had the courage to also add that I am a dirty freelance writer of erotica and 50 Shades of Grey ain't got nothing on me :p

Elena said that she was a "Professional Stalker" and we all laughed. Nick said, "You know what? I appreciate your honesty."

Once we were all done explaining our careers/jobs I asked Nick, "So what about you Nick?" Before I could even finish my question he jokingly remarked, "Yeah, uhhh what do I do for a living?" I quickly interjected and said, "Noooo that's not what I meant. I meant what would you have been if you didn't become a Backstreet Boy."

Nick said that his Grandpa Doug was in the army and his dad was in the army. He thinks he would have followed the same path if he hadn't become a Backstreet Boy. He also said now he wouldn't join the army because he doesn't believe in the war that is going on. Then he said he could picture himself working with something dealing with the ocean.

He also mentioned he would have loved to be a sports player like a football player  and he wished that he had started working out when he was younger so he could have bulked up and built more muscles. (Um, Nick, I love your body just the way it is.) He also said that his mom wouldn't let him play sports as a kid because she was afraid that he would get hurt. He mimicked his mom while he said the part about getting hurt.

Somehow the topic of weather came up. Some of the fans came from where it was cold and snowing. Then he said something that really shocked me. He said, "You know what areas have great weather? San Diego and San Jose, CA. It's always in the 60's 70's there." I was like O_O. Did Nick Carter really just say that?! I said to Nick, "That's where I'm from!"(The San Jose part.)

He asked, "Did anyone see 'Lincoln'?" None of us said that we did. I mentioned that Daniel Day Lewis won the Golden Globe for best actor. Then he said a really good movie is "End of Watch" with Jake Gyllenhal. (Now I really want to watch that!)

Someone asked if he was going to do anymore movies/acting. Nick said that he is interested and that it's currently pilot season in LA so he's hoping to get to do something.

For those who don't know what pilots are it's when newly developed TV shows are trying to get picked up by TV networks. He was hoping to get into acting again. Then he mentioned how AJ keeps talking about called the TV show "Friends". He said his favorite show to watch at the moment is "X-Files". He said, "It's the best written show." He said since he's always busy he never got the chance to watch shows from years ago so he's watching what he can at the moment.

Speaking of TV, Nick said, "You know what I'm a fanboy of? WWF." Then the topic of wrestling reminded one fan of Lauren's quest to be a wrestling diva or whatever the hell that is.

The subject of the flu also came up. He said that he hopes he doesn't get the flu and hopes it doesn't turn to swine flu or the snake flu. I asked him, "did you not get a Flu shot?" He said, "No, I don't get flu shots."

Someone brought up the topic of the cruise. Nick asked us if we had heard about what happened on the last cruise where Brian got in trouble. I was the only one to speak up and say yeah I heard what happened. He asked me, "What did you hear?"

I said that Leighanne got mad at Brian for spanking that fan (this was during the 'Truth or Dare' game) and I was surprised she'd get mad over something like that. Then Nick was like, "I baited you guys. I just wanted to see what you were gonna say."

Asshole! lmaooooo He didn't confirm nor deny what I said but I thought it was funny he said that.

I actually got video of it which you can watch above. You can hear me explaining the spanking thing lol I actually didn't start recording until near the end of lunch. I noticed the fan next to me, Kriste, was recording and I thought why didn't I think of that earlier?! I didn't think my camera would pick up audio of Nick talking but to my surprise it did! I regret not recording the whole thing but it's okay. It let me at least absorb and enjoy the moments.

He talked about Fantasy Football between him, the other Bsb's, and management. He said he did really bad because by the end he had 3rd string players on his teams. He said that he tried to do something, like trade players (I'm not sure since I've never played Fantasy football) but they all vetoed him. He said their tour manager came in first and Kevin came in 2nd.

Someone said we should all do Fantasy Football with him next time. He said now that he knows how Fantasy Football works, if we play with him next time we're going to be like "Screw you Nick" after he wins. (Why yes Nick I'd love to screw you ;))

Then he started talking more about football. He mentioned Monte Kiffin because a fan named Jennifer said that the Dallas Cowboys is her favorite football team. Nick said that Monte is the best defensive coordinator in the NFL and that Dallas is lucky to have him. Then he mentioned Lane Kiffin (Monte Kiffin's son and who I have heard about because he used to be the head coach for the Oakland Raiders).

Nick wondered which college Lane coached for and he wasn't sure if it was USC or not. Since I watch the news often and I hear Lane's name often during the sports segments, I helped confirm for Nick that Lane Kiffin is the head coach for USC.

There was one moment toward the end of lunch where Nick stared off into space for like 15 seconds. He didn't move at all and just kept still. I don't know if I was the only one to notice but it amused me and freaked me out at the same time. I almost wanted to ask out loud, "Hey Nick where did you go?" because it seriously looked like he just checked out completely. Oh, what I would have given to have Sookie Stackhouse mind reading powers at that moment to hear what was going on in his brain at that moment.

Dessert is then served. We were given 3 different types. I loved the creme brulee. I didn't like the fruit tart with berries and I usually LOVE anything berry. There was also German Chocolate Cheese but it tasted like coconut to me. Nick didn't eat the coconut tasting thing either. He did eat all of the creme thing. (Yay we have the same taste in dessert :p)

Nick getting his birthday cake


Chef Lisa and John from Hang With The Band then come out with a birthday cake for Nick. We sing him happy birthday. Chef Lisa is standing behind Nick and is acting like she's going to push Nick's face into the cake. I wish she would have done it hehe Chef Lisa joked that they could only find 21 candles and not 33.

Nick then hovered his mouth over the bottom right corner of his cake and acted like he was going to chomp down on it. He teased for a bit before finally attacking the corner and taking a mouthful of chocolate cake into his mouth. The chef then takes the cake back to the kitchen to cut. She makes a remark about marriage in which made one of the fans ask him about marriage.

He said one word, "Maybe." Then he added, "That's private stuff."

That's when I jokingly said, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

Chef Lisa then serves a piece of cake to each of us. The cake was all right.

Video of us singing him "Happy Birthday" and brief marriage talk.

A woman, who I assume is Dory's wife told Nick that her and the rest of his entourage would be waiting outside for him. That was the beginning of the end of our Hang With The Band event with Nick. Nick thanked us and then left. We stayed at the table and chatted for a bit. The chef who cooked for us, Lisa Cornish, took Nick's spot at the head of the table and entertained us while we waited for what to do next.

About 2 minutes later Nick walks back into the room. Apparently he came back to grab his bottle of Vitamin water which I noticed was my favorite flavor: XXX. I thought yay we have the same taste in Vitamin Water ;) He says bye to us all again and leaves for good. That was the last time I saw Nick that weekend :(

While waiting for instructions on what to do next from Hang With The Band, we sit and wait with Chef Lisa who says she doesn't want to be in the kitchen doing dishes. She asks us if we have any questions for her. I ask her, "Who's the most famous person you've cooked for besides Nick?" She says she's cooked for Vince Neil and mostly local Las Vegas celebrities like Wayne Newton.

After a few minutes of small talk with Chef Lisa, we all get the news it's time to leave. I was bursting with so much energy over spending a few hours with Nick Carter. I enjoyed getting to see him in an intimate environment without pushy fans and annoying security guards yelling at fans to back off. I definitely felt like I got my money's worth with this experience. My expectations were very low. I've met Nick lots of times before to know that sometimes he has a tendency to close himself off to fans and rush things to get it over with. I'm glad that he took his time with us and opened up to us.

Would I do this again? I'll have to steal Nick's answer to marriage and say "maybe". It would really depend on what's included in the next event if there is one. I know in my review for the 1st event I wrote that I probably wouldn't do it again and here I am a year later writing a review on the 2nd event so I'm going to keep an open mind and wait to see what's offered for next year.

We all file back into the limo and head back to the Las Vegas strip where we're all dropped off. Courtney and I head to the Mirage hotel/casino and hang out for a bit. Then we went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It felt surreal to me to be back at the Hard Rock since a year ago that's where I stayed for the first event.

After the Hard Rock we go back to Courtney's time share. It felt bittersweet to have to get ready to go home on Sunday and then face reality back on Monday. As I laid in bed and reflected on the afternoon with Nick, I got a bit emotional thinking that even though I have one of the most stressful jobs in the world, in the end it was all worth it to go through the hassle of bitchy customers and long overtime hours to have a wonderful weekend in Las Vegas with great people and my favorite singer in the entire universe, Nick Carter.

I woke up around 7:30 AM on Sunday. I couldn't fall back asleep because I was anxious to pick up my picture with Nick. I decided to get ready and finish up packing my belongings. Courtney then wakes up and gets ready. We were running a bit late but we managed to get to The Harrah's and find John. He had a bunch of gift bags around his feet. He hands us each a bag with our picture inside.



When I first looked at the picture I was so relieved the picture came out beautiful. I always get paranoid that pictures will come out bad. The photographer had taken 2 pictures of us and John said he and the other Hang With The Band people picked what they thought was the best out of the 2. Courtney then asked if it was possible to have digital copies of both pictures and any other pictures from the event. He said they would try to send them to us but that with the other pictures of Nick during the event they would have to first see if they could clear the rights to them. Apparently, Nick and his people have to approve what is sent out and also the photographer has to give permission as well.

I was a bit disappointed Nick didn't write a little note to us like last year. Lazy bum lol

After picking up our pictures, I spot Alison from last year's event and her mom. They were on their way out to walk around Vegas. I had a $100 credit to Nine Fine Irishmen and invited them to a late lunch which they accepted. Elena from Russia spotted me and asked to see my picture with Nick. I showed it to her and she showed me her picture as well. Her picture was cute because Nick is hugging her from the back. Ya know if I was 100 lbs thinner, I'd so do that pose with him. I want Nick behind me. (Wait, that didn't sound right :p)

Courtney, her mom, and I then head to the Aria Hotel and Casino to eat at Jean Philippe's Patisserie. I was surprised at how busy Jean Philippe's Patisserie was. The line was long and all of the tables were occupied. Once again thanks to the MyVegas Facebook game I earned a $10 dining credit there. My credit was for a pastry but I couldn't find a single pastry anywhere!

All I saw were crepes, sundae's, and sandwiches. It was too early for a sundae and I didn't want a sandwich so I got a vanilla souffle crepe topped with nutella. I hadn't had a crepe since high school so I wanted to try something I don't get to have everyday. The crepe was good but it had a TON of nutella. Would I go back and spend money on a crepe there? Probably not.



Once we're done with brunch, we head back to Courtney's time share. I finished up packing and say my goodbyes to Courtney and her mom. Since Courtney and her mom had to handle some business with their timeshare and management, her brother was kind enough to drive me back to the Las Vegas strip where I would hang out until it was time for my flight. I scheduled my flight for 7:20 PM in the evening just to give myself some wiggle room and to not feel rushed on Sunday.

Courtney's brother dropped me off at the MGM Grand. I felt comfortable over there because it's where I stayed last year and I was familiar with where everything was from there. I stopped at a Starbucks first because I wanted to call my parents and gush about my weekend. After that I went to the luggage desk, I noticed there were signs in the lobby saying Joe Montana, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49'ers, was doing a meet and greet there. If I had known beforehand I would have tried to go. Apparently a ticket was needed to meet him and it looked like it was too late to do that.

After I had my luggage stored, I met up with Alison and her mom at Nine Fine Irishmen at the NYNY Hotel and Casino which is close to the MGM Grand. I had a $100 credit I earned from the MyVegas Facebook game so to get the value of the credit, I ordered so much food and drinks and had Alison and her mom order whatever they wanted. I probably looked like a pig to Alison and her mom with all the food I ordered.

I ordered buffalo wings for an appetizer, fish and chips, macaroni & cheese, 2 alcoholic drinks, a Pepsi, and sticky toffee cheesecake for dessert. I know you're thinking, damn, did you eat all that?! There answer is no lol I didn't touch the mac and cheese and ended up taking it home. I didn't finish all of the fish and chips and I didn't finish dessert either. It's okay though because I got to use up my credit :D

We then walked around NYNY and try to find a gift for my mom. Per the request of my dad I bought him playing cards so I needed to get something for my mom. I didn't find anything at NYNY so we went to a souvenir shop across the street. While there I bought my parents each a shirt since it was 2 for $15 plus tax. After that, I said goodbye to Alison and her mom since it was getting close to my time to go to the airport.

I have a tradition of going to the Monte Carlo hotel/casino to get a cupcake at the Cupcakery but I had to break it. I was soooooooo full from Nine Fine Irishmen. Plus it's pretty hard to travel with a cupcake so I had to pass. I miss that place though and hopefully whenever I go to Vegas again I get the chance to go.

Before I went to pick up my luggage at the MGM Grand luggage desk, I decide to try my luck on the slot machines. I hadn't gambled at all so I figured I had to do it at least once. I wandered around the casino trying to find a machine that gave me a winning feeling.

I spotted a slot machine that said "Cougarlicious" and I thought it was sooooo hilarious. I was like this is the machine. It was a penny slot machine so I figured I didn't have much to lose from trying it. I put in $20 and bet the maximum. At first I didn't win anything and I was about to quit but of course I just had to keep on trying. I ended up turning my $20 into $43.34 after the machine told me I had a "big win". As much as I wanted to keep going I was happy with my $23.34 profit and stopped gambling. I redeemed my money and went to the luggage desk.

After I got my luggage, I saw there were stations to print out boarding passes. I thought they were only for hotel guests only but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. I was glad I tried because I was able to print out my boarding pass. That saved me 5 minutes at the airport.

I had so many bags with me so I had to figure out a way to consolidate everything. I didn't want to put my framed picture with Nick inside my luggage because I feared the frame would break. After rearranging everything I managed to get everything into my luggage to check-in while I hand carried my purse and picture with Nick.

I took a taxi to the airport and check my luggage in. The employee checking my luggage in called my name so I stepped up to the counter. Then he yelled out my name again and I thought whaaaaa I'm right here. He's a tall guy so he jokingly looks down at me and goes, "Oh there are you are and by the way that wasn't a short joke." I laugh and think, damn am I really that short?! lmao

I breeze through security and before I head to my gate I spot a Coffee Bean. Another one of my Vegas traditions and getting a frozen lemonade at The Coffee. Once I get it, I make the long journey to my gate. The weekend had breezed by so fast. I wish I could have stayed longer but I needed to get back to reality so I can earn more money for whatever the next Backstreet related event will be.

If you made it this far into my review I truly commend you for taking the time to read my babbling.

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