Affair of the Heart

Anyone who knows me, knows that I've had an Affair of the Heart with Rick Springfield since I was 10 years old. On many occassions while growing up, I informed Bebe & Pop that as soon as I turned 18, I was moving to Austrailia, marrying RS, and they would never see me again! I had every photo from teen and tiger beat, posters, and album covers hanging on my walls. I know and love every song, every track, every word. I endured Luke and Laura's love affair on General Hospital, just so that I could watch RS play Dr. Noah Drake. Who cared if Luke and Laura worked? Not me!

Two years ago, Ryan took me to see RS in concert at the Wild Horse. It was amazing. As RS walked through the crowd (on top of the tables), he started heading our direction. RS stepped on the "fencing" that was in between the tables in front of us and our table. It was not secured to the floor. The amazing Ryan stepped up, grabbed RS's arm, and stabilized him as he got his footing on our table. I could not believe it! RS standing on my table, just in front of me, singing to me!!! My hubby is holding him up so that RS can sing directly to me! I pulled out my concert shirt from 1983 and RS sees it, grins, thumbs up my shirt, wipes his sweat with it, and continues to sing. He knows! RS knows that I love him!!! And with that incident, I thought that would be the closest to my destiny that I would ever come. Until last night...Friday night...October 22, 2010 at 7:49 p.m.

A few pics from the Wildhorse...here he is...one table over...


Of course, I was so busy soaking in the love (aka sweat) and holding on to my tee and RS's legs, I don't have a great close up pic but here's a pic of him moving to the next table to sing...:-)


A little over a week ago, I purchased RS's new biography, Late, Late at Night. And I have to admit that I was afraid to read it. I really did not want my image of my childhood love shattered. But my curiousity overcame my fear and I dove into the book at 4 pm on Friday afternoon. I finished the book at 1:15 am Saturday morning. I knew a lot of the story. I knew where he grew up, that he played music as a kid, that he'd toured in Vietnam. Wouldn't it have been totally cool if RS had played a concert for my dad in Vietnam? Back to the story, I cringed when I read the stories of RS being a play-yah. So dissappointed to learn that RS had not saved himself for me! I loved the stories of how some of my favorite songs came to life. And then I learned from RS's website that he was doing a book signing on Friday, October 22nd at Davis Kidd in Nashville. I'm so there!

Bebe and I showed up at 4 pm. I walk up to the counter and say "Where do I need to get in line for the RS book signing?" The 12 year old boy at the counter says "You want to get in line, now?" My reply "Well, of course, I do...It's Rick Springfield!" Unfortunately, I find out that I can not get in line yet, and that I have to purchase a book to get a ticket to get in line. That decision took about .0000005th of a second. Yes, sell me a book (that I already own and have with me) and give me a ticket. Awesome! We are in group 4. No need to line up now so Bebe and I decide to window shop in Green Hills mall. It was so nice. No kids saying "Hey I want this!" Just casually strolling, just looking, not needing to find the "it" thing that I'm looking for, just looking, dreaming and lauging with my mom!

At 6:15, we head back over to Davis Kidd to get in line. I am a nervous wreck! Is this really going to happen? Will I really get to meet, talk to, hug, and smell Rick Springfield? Too much!!! I mean I've already met Jeff Gordon this year. If I meet RS too, I really can just go ahead, die and go to heaven!!!

The Davis Kidd staff lined everyone up by groups. He arrived promptly at 7 pm. While in line, we had a blast talking to all the other RS fans. The fans that really appreciate him the way I do. He's laughing, smiling, posing for pictures, signing books. He looks happy and relaxed. He's interacting with the crowd. At one point, he says he feels like Santa Claus at the mall with a line full of kids. And then, it was our turn in line.

Now this all happened in a span of about 30 seconds...We walk up. The person in front of me, unfortunately, her camera freezes. She moves off to fix it. Seizing the opportunity, I step up next to him and say "So, since her camera is frozen, I get extra time with you?" He grins, oh that precious grin, chuckles a little, and says "Yeah, absolutely." I tell him that it is so incredible to meet him, he says good to meet you too, we chat (really don't know what I said, hopefully it made sense) and he takes my book, signs it, and he hugs me for our pic. I forget that there are hundreds of people around us. For that moment in time, it was just me and Rick Springfield. After our moment, Bebe steps up. She sticks her hand out to RS and says, "I'm here with her, my name is Barbara." He says, "Barbara, that's a good name, that's my wife's name." Bebe and I both reply "I know." We all smile and laugh and move through the line. My moment is over. My knees buckle, I can't breathe, tears well in my eyes. I check my camera for "the pic" and well, can I just say, it's awesome!!! Insert drum roll from Human Touch here....

And here it is cropped, so that you can see how beautiful he is...

RS was loving, generous, and kind. He talked softly in his deep voice. He, of course, looked amzing and he smelled so good! 5th grade dreams do come true!

Heart in my mouth; pulse in my head,
Mercury rising into the red,
The smell of your skin can light up all the fires in me.

Hungry to touch; I'm eager to please,
Out of control and I hand you the keys,
Every night I am burning to make love to you.

But don't try to tell me it's all physical,
It goes much deeper than that,

It's an Affair of the Heart.

I heart you Rick Springfield!!!

Melissa

Bring Me Some Water - B Side

Literally, the B side!!! I was on the phone when I picked up K from school today. I was talking Bebe so the conversation lasted for the trip home. The rule at the W family home is that if momma or daddy is on the phone, you do not interrupt unless you are bleeding, or something is on fire. We get home, we are unloading the car, and I'm still on the phone. (In my defense, I haven't talked to Bebe this week.) Finally, K couldn't stand it anymore. Grinning from ear to ear, and kind of hopping in place, "Momma, I've got to tell you some amazing news!" I paused my conversation long enough to give her the momma look and she says really, really, really, quickly so that she could get it out before I said I'm on the phone, "You are looking at the CCMS basketball water girl, I'll tell you my story when you are off the phone!" and she skipped down the hallway to her room.

When I got off the phone, I called K into the kitchen and said tell me your story. It went something like this.

M: So you are the new water girl for the boys basketball team?

K: And the girls team.

M: How did this happen?

K: (This story was told in total of 4 seconds.) Well, while I was waiting on you to pick me up and Coach R came by and asked me what I was doing after school now that football season was over. So I told him, I go home, do my homework and then just hang out. So he says, "I hear that Coach M is looking for water girls for the basketball team. Do you want to go talk to him?" Sure. So we walked down to Coach M's room, he asked me if I would be the water girl for b-ball and I said yes. And I'm the first one they asked, but I'm sure there will be others. And guess who's on the boys team? Robert. (Insert hands clasping and laying over her heart, jumping up and down and a big, big cheesy grin on her face here.)

M: That's awesome, sister! So happy for you! (While in my head I'm thinking, aaaawesome, aren't there like a ka-jillion basketball games in a season, I can't eat another concession stand hot dog, how much is gonna cost for us to get in each game.)

I'm not a basketball fan. But I'm sure I will become one!!! Go Cavs!!!

Melissa

Bring Me Some Water

Kendall is a girly girl. She loves music. She loves Jesus and she loves to be safe. She enjoys and thrives on following and enforcing the rules. She loves words of affirmation. She is a listening to her ip*d, acting/drama queen, all things vampire (She's a Team Edward all the way!), TV/movie watching, making her outfits "pop", talking/texting on her phone, still playing with Barbies (just don't tell her friends), hanging out in her room kind of girl. So we were a little surprised when she came home from school on one of her first days there and informed us that she would like to be a Team Manager for her new school's football team.

Let me back up a minute and fill you in on a couple of details. Ryan and I were very concerned that this move would be hardest on Kendall because of her age, being a girl, and always wanting/needing to be in her safe and comfortable world. She never wanted to move. She worried about not fitting in at a new place. She did not want to leave the church and children's ministry that she'd been a part of ever since she could remember. Even when we had discussed moving around the block when we still lived in TS. She wouldn't even hear of it!

So, when she came home after a couple of days in her new school and wanted to join the football team, we were elated. This was a direct answer to prayer! We discussed it as a family, the who's, what's, when's and where's, and decided that this would be a great thing for Kendall, and so we told her to go for it!

Meet Kendall - Crockett County Middle School Football Team Manager.

You might be asking, what is a team manager? Well in the old days, we called them water girls, but now they are called Team Managers.

Being a Team Manager requires commitment. Kendall had to stay after school every day with the football team for football practice, attend all of the games and provide high quality H2O for her teammates . In the blazing 100+ degree heat of August and September, this was not a fun job. But, she loved it!!! She has made friends of the guys on the football team, the other team managers, with the coaches and the cheerleaders. Every time I go to pick her up, she has a smile on her face that reaches from ear to ear. She would get in the car and talk about special teams, offense and defense, running sprints, bear crawls, and a certain player with the number 10 (His name is Robert and he is officially her first crush - and she will be mortified that I put that on the blog for the whole world to read - remember I called her a drama queen). She often did the work outs with her teammates even though that wasn't a requirement. And she received praise from the coaches for being able to hang with the boys on their workouts and on occassion, she was even able to out work them!

Kendall and her co-managers.

Kendall and her sweet friend Molly. They've quickly become BFF's. They are so much alike. And we are so thankful for Molly and her sweet family!!!

Carrying the water bottles.

Watching the game from the sideline...which I have been informed that this is her new favorite place to watch a football game!!!

Action shot...headed to the locker room for halftime. By the way, the girls have to wait OUTSIDE the locker room!!

Celebrating with her team after their Cotton Bowl win. K is on the far left of the group.

It is a good thing that Ryan and I like football. We attended every game, near and far. We cheered when our girl heard the time out buzzer and picked up her water bottles and headed out to the huddle on the field. We cheered when our team made a great play or scored a touch down. We ate a lot of nachos and hot dogs. We praised God that our sweet K found something she loved and that the move has been a "not so bad" thing for her. (Those are her words.) Goodbye Fall 2010 Football Season! We hear that we will be seeing you again next fall, and we can't forget about spring practice!!!

P.S. And watch out Ole Miss Rebels, after her first game as a team manager, K got in the car and said..."And that's what I want to do on the field at Ole Miss!" Maybe sports training is in her future!!!

Mel