To Be 14 Again

There are a few of you who will laugh royally when you read this post. Not because you find it funny, but because you can't even imagine that I would waste my time like this.

Last night my sister and I took my niece to the American Idol Concert. We went last year and found the show to be very entertaining. What's not to like about 10 people who genuinely want to perform and are enjoying themselves immensely? This year, we assumed would be no different. We got there early. Really early. This was by design. We knew that they would be charging an arm and a leg for parking, so we got there before they were manning the gates and we drove right in. Did the same thing last year too. Good thing. Parking was $20 this year. Something doesn't seem quite right about that. Do you realize that's $100 for every 5 cars? For the privelege of parking on flat asphalt? Sounds like corporate greed to me.....but, that's a post for another day.

Feeling very smug and a little like we had just pulled off some huge scam, we killed some time by walking through Target. Then it was off to an awesome dinner at Black Angus. Where, by the way, my niece ate an entire of piece of Mud Pie by herself! My sister and I shared one and then teasingly picked up our forks to start in on hers. She instinctively wrapped her arm around hers in a protective mode. Hmmm.....we must teach that girl how to share.....lol.

When we got back to the Sports Arena the lines were long. The doors weren't open yet and people were standing in line. This is when we realized that this year's concert was going to be different.

Let me rewind a little here. Like all the way back to 1972 and I'm 14 years old. Same Sports Arena. Different concert. The Osmond Brothers. Yep, now you know......I was in love with Donny Osmond. While I intellectually knew that I was never going to meet him, my heart thought I was going to marry him. He was 4 days older than me. That just had to count for something. His pictures were plastered all over my walls. I read Tiger Beat and every other teeny-booper magazine. I saved my allowance for months to pay for half of my ticket. My friends Patty and Georgia and I went to the concert. While we didn't faint or throw any undergarments at the stage, I can guarantee you that when Donny sang 'Puppy Love,' each of us was sure he was singing to just us. I still look back at that night as one of the best concerts I ever went to, as it serves me with such fond memories.

Fast forward to last night. There were teeny-boopers EVERYWHERE! Most of them with way too high of heels, way too much make-up and smiles on their faces that would make any orthodontist proud. They were wearing T-shirts with HIM plastered all over them and a lot of them were carrying 'I Love You' posters that they had no doubt spent hours working on. When asked why she wasn't dressed like this or carrying a sign around, my niece replied that she thought it was silly because "you're never going to actually meet him." She is way too practical and grown up for her own good.

The concert finally starts and the top 10 performed in 10 - 1 order. They each sang 3 or 4 songs and it gave you a chance to see what going to one of their concerts would be like. Some of them were better than others, but all entertained. Carly Smithson, our local girl was welcomed in a big San Diego way. Then it was finally time. HE was finally going to sing. The arena went crazy and out of the floor rose a piano and David Archuletta was sitting behind it. The girls were insane! It brought a smile to my face to think that 36 years later they were acting the same way I was when it was Donny Osmond. They screamed and they yelled and they waved their signs. It's good to know that some things never change.

The concert wasn't over though. After all, the American Idol had yet to perform. When David Cook performed he was amazing and soooooooo cute! He is entertaining and humble. When he flashes that little grin of his (come on, you all know what I'm talking about) the inner-14 year old in me considered for a moment of screaming "I Love You David." Of course, the grown-up, refined and sophisticated (hold your laughter) 50 year old did no such thing. My sister and I were in total agreement that if he ever comes to San Diego again, we might just have to make an evening of it. Should I start working on a T-shirt or a sign?

Recap:

American Idol Ticket $86.00
Parking (Doesn't matter that we skipped this) 20.00
1/3 of Dinner (I promise we paid this) 20.00
Entertainment factor and trip down memory lane: Priceless