Concert 2- Tulsa, Oklahoma

Today's jonas watch is sponsored by Dramatic Adventure Theatre. www.dramaticadventure.com


For sponsorship information go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

June 23, 2009

It is my goal to post a blog once a day. Occasionally, there will be so much happening, you may see two or three blogs in one day. Or if I am driving for 11 hours, going to a concert and driving another 11 hours, I may miss a day here and there.

Concert 2- Hannah and I were interviewed by Eric Bailey of Tulsa World. This led us to the BOK Center for the concert where we met Sherry Brown, a photographer and Adam, a videographer. It was fun to play with them and pose for some pictures and video.

Adam decided to hang out with us for 1 1/2 hours and he video and audio recorded us sharing memories of the concerts. It was an unexpected, unplanned, surprising time with him. Hannah and I shared things with Adam and with each other that we hadn't really talked about in this kind of detail. There was laughter and joy and memories. (Another, "trust life to bring things to you that are greater than you can imagine" moments.)

We talked about all of the 27 concerts we had attended and found anecdotal moments with each one. Maybe we will write a book about the first group of concerts and then another one about this summer. There have been some great, funny, crazy moments!

I told Eric a variety of stories about how crazy moms can get when they think their daughters are going to miss the coveted "meet and greet" with the Jonas Brothers. There is something instinctual that happens when a Mom thinks her "baby" is in danger or needs help or is going to be hurt physically, mentally, or emotionally. We go into hyper-drive. I have done it myself.

I told him a story about the DC Metro system. A group of about six home school families were in DC looking at exhibits as part of a learning tool. It might have been the Holocaust Museum and one of the Smithsonian museums on that day. It had been a full day. We were all in the Metro station getting ready to board the train to go to the parking lot and drive home. Everyone was tired and it was crowded. When the subway arrived, we scooted the kids on first so they could have a seat. I was the closest adult to the door when the doors began to close with all of the kids on board and no familiar adults. The subway car wasn't full, but I guess to stay on schedule, the doors were closing.

I pushed through the people in front of me and threw my body between the doors. My backpack was so big, the doors were shutting on me over and over and I was struggling to get onto the train. People were staring and looking at this crazy woman. I didn't care. The safety of the children was all that mattered to me. I did make it onto the train. I calmed the children who were scared because their parents didn't make it on. I got everyone off at the next stop and we waited for the rest of the group to join us. Everyone was safe.

That same instinct comes into play with the meet and greets. A mother or father sees their child, can I say obsessing, over the Jonas Brothers. And then, they win a contest or a random pick from the fan club. It is their moment to meet the Jonas Brothers. They may have arrived hours in advance so that they are ready when the meet and greet line opens up.

Let's say the meet and greet says 6pm. It is 6pm and the line hasn't opened. You think that your child is not going to get to meet the boys. No one has any information or experience with this. They don't realize that the boys were in Canada last night at an awards show and that the interviews of the day have made everything late so they are changing the meet and greet to 7pm. But, the mothers go into survival mode. (I have done it myself!) You think that your child may miss the opportunity. Maybe it will be cancelled and then what will happen to your child! It feels like their emotional safety is threatened.

All is well, folks. The Jonas Brothers are committed to their fans and it is their intention to see all of the girls who have a meet and greet ticket. We can all take a breath. The children are safe!

Here is the link to the article and the slide show of pictures: http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=269&articleid=20090623_270_A9_Adorin801623

Enjoy the adventure, Andrea

Watch and Listen

Today's jonas watch is sponsored by Dramatic Adventure Theatre. www.dramaticadventure.com



For sponsorship information go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

June 22, 2009

Tonight we are going to the concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Then, I am driving ten hours to Aurora, Colorado to get a passport for Hannah so we can continue into Vancouver in a week. I am leading a book discussion and we have two concerts to go to in Vancouver.

I want to share a few things that happened in the last few days. I will write about the concert tomorrow night, after the passport and some sleep.

A few stories to share with you:

Irving, Texas, June 21, 2009

We stayed at a Comfort Inn in a business park for two nights. The staff is very friendly to the hotel dwellers because:

1-they are friendly and
2-many of the people are repeat customers or extended stay customers.

At breakfast, Jimmie, the front desk guy, shared about an event he was going to in the evening with his girlfriend, Brittany. His church has a group called Spokesperson's (like Toastmaster's) and tonight was a ballroom dancing event. He was wearing a tuxedo for the first time. One of the hotel customers was a ballroom dancer by profession and spent an evening teaching Jimmie some steps.

Brittany arrived, as we were packing the car to leave. Jimmie in his tux, waiting for his front desk replacement to arrive. Brittany in her beautiful burgundy, long gown. They were adorable. Excited about the event and looking so beautiful in their formal attire, I took their picture with my camera and asked them to e-mail me so I can send it to them.

What an honor to observe this moment in time. The present moment was beautiful and...who knows where this will lead.

********

As we were driving from Dallas to Tulsa, a 14-year-old teen told her father, a sports writer for the newspaper Tulsa World, about us. She told him about a mother and daughter who are traveling to 45 venues to see as many concerts as possible. The daughter, Justine was one of the teens around the world who was waiting to see Hannah's video clips of the concert. The video clips th

Eric wrote to us on Facebook yesterday. at she worked on in the car on the way back to the hotel and stayed up until 5 am to finish editing and uploading. He had the assignment to write a story about the Jonas Brothers concert in Tulsa. Justine and Ashley, a friend, are going to the concert with Eric tonight.

We arranged to meet at the Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa. And through this arranged meeting, I had the opportunity to watch and listen to my daughter share her thoughts and feelings.

I thought about how this is preparing her for life. Formulating experiences into thought. Meeting people from different states. Sharing the story from her perspective. Meeting people from different cultures- Eric is full blooded Native American.

We met the whole family. Eric's beautiful wife, his daughter, his son and their precious baby. A snapshot in my mind. I watched as Hannah shook hands with everyone and interacted with the family. I watched as I saw two families connect halfway across the country over a meeting over the Jonas Brothers.

**********

I was thinking about a story I read in a magazine. Denise Jonas was getting her haircut and Nick Jonas was, I think, six years old. He was singing and entertaining everyone in the shop. One of the customers told Denise that Nick should have an agent. This led to Broadway shows and commercials and writing and performing music in the world.

*********

Who knows where each of these interactions are leading us? I can imagine Hannah as a reporter, a film director, an actress...But, at the core of all of that is a young woman with a heart who is passionate, caring, determined and hard-working.

I am grateful to be along on this journey. I am watching and listening and singing and dancing.

Enjoy the adventure! Andrea