6/1/16: I Met The New Kids On the Block Rock This Boat Premieres

There are times in life when you get to do things that even you don't believe you are doing.  Recently I had that experience when I got to interview the New Kids on the Block Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, and Danny Wood then go on a Boston Cruise with them!!!  Yes you read that right!  My 14 year old self was screaming inside.  Did you know they have Season 2 of "Rock This Boat" is premiering on June 1st at 8:30 pm EST/7:30 CT on Pop TV?  The show goes on an extremely popular NKOTB fan cruise.

I got to sit down with them and interview them with only a couple other Boston Bloggers.   The guys were really down to earth and I was impressed that Jordan even asked me by blog name when we sat down to talk.  They explained to us that this season will allow viewers to see their point of view during as they prepare for the cruise with their fans and then on the cruise.  You get to see a "day in the life" of a New Kid on the Block preparing for the cruise and on the cruise.  The show gives you the perspective from each of the band members including going through an airport taking selfies with fans and then their experience throughout the cruise.  Joey explained his experience with one fan who had guilt for leaving her kids to go on the cruise and how he could identify with that having his own family now.  I love that this a band that I totally grew up with.  They are the same age as me now and have families but still get to reunite and have a lot of fun on this yearly cruise with their fans.

We talked about what they would do if they were not in the band, Joey explained he would have stayed in theater.  Danny explained that he had a four year scholarship to Boston University but also said he didn't feel like he missed out by joining the band.  It was really amusing hearing them talk about Jonathan Knight and how he is a farmer complete with his own bees.

To further immerse viewers in the NKOTB experience, Pop has teamed up with Littlstar, a premier global network dedicated to virtual reality (VR) and 360 degree video, to launch immersive content on web, mobile, headset and Apple TV platforms.  The dedicated VR and 360 degree experiences will include live performances with the band, selfies with Donnie, surf lessons with Joey and Jonathan, and more.  They explained to us that everyone wants a selfie with them and they are happy to accommodate.  I must say Danny is a pro with selfies, he grabbed my phone right away to take this photo.

Of course who wouldn't want a selfie with these handsome guys?

They really do focus on the fans and they talked about the theme nights they have on the cruise and how creative fans can be.  One specific theme they talked about was a Cowboy night and they laughed at how they were split at first if they wanted to do it but then they agreed and it turned out awesome.  

They also talked about the impact they had on the music industry and Joey joked that they had the most sung O's on an album - Hangin' Tough.  They are excited that they were a part of pop history.  They were influenced by New Edition and Jackson Five.  Joey explained how he felt Jordan's voice influenced N' Sync and Justin Timberlake.

They had a very comical commentary about Justin Bieber and how he is a star and how much pressure he is under.  Joey explained how he went through the pressure himself but had four other guys to lean on.  Danny spoke of how his mother would not have tolerated some of the things that Justin B. does.  Joey even stated that he is a talented kid and that you don't have the most talented writers and producers working with you unless you are really talented.  In addition to the social media coverage that stars get these days.  They do enjoy social media themselves and use it to share their experiences with their fans.

  The NKOTB have sold more than 80 million albums worldwide!  The band's annual party cruise has sold out eight years in a row which is a true tribute to the band and how beloved they are.  While on the boat the band members were enjoying the entertainment by the "Sing It On" members and meeting media.

After we completed the interview we headed over to the Boston Harbor for a Cruise with the band.

This was the lovely boat we got to go on.

Here is Sing It On performing on the boat.

Here they are with "The Right Stuff".  They were very relieved when the band members clapped and liked their rendition of the song.

We had lovely views of Boston on the boat.

The guys had a blast on the cruise and so did we!  I couldn't believe how close I was to them the whole night!

Here I am with my Boston Blogger friends on the boat.

Get ready to get up close and personal with these guys!

Here is a little preview!  Get ready to "Rock This Boat"!

Tune in weekly and watch "Rock This Boat" on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT on PopTV!

Join the conversation online:

Twitter:  @RockThisBoat #RockThisBoat #NKOTB

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Disclosure:  I was invited to interview the New Kids on the Block members and take a private cruise with them for promotional purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

5/6/16: Saying Goodbye to a Part of the Family

Some days it is difficult to be an adult more than others.  Today was one of those days.  It might have been one of the hardest decisions my husband and I had to make but we made the decision to put our first baby Fred to sleep.

It has been a long time coming for Fred.  He is almost 15 years old which is pretty old for a dog.  For about the last year he has had trouble getting up on his own.  He has had arthritis in his back legs and we have tried 4 different medicines to help him with the pain.

It has been difficult as he is still so aware and sometimes seemed so happy.  Over time though he has declined where he couldn't get up at all on his own and even would fall down sometimes outside when he was trying to have a bowel movement.  Often times we would find him in a puddle of pee because he just couldn't get up.  We would often find him under a chair or table and he would be trapped there.  

He also recently started barking out of the blue.  He never was a dog who barked much so this was very strange to hear.

If you don't know what happens when you make this decision for your pet I can step you through what happened.  We brought Fred to the Vet and I held him in his blanket.  The doctor came in and injected him with a sedative.  At this point he got very mellow and pretty much fell asleep.  I felt like at that point he was already gone.  We then put him on the table and they shaved a little section of hair on his leg.  They then injected him and within minutes his heartbeat was gone.  Here he is right before the sedative.  He was shaking and his breathing was a little strange as he always gets nervous going to the Vet.  We also had options of to have him buried in a pet cemetery, have him cremated alone and receive his ashes, or cremated with other dogs.  We chose to have him cremated and receive his ashes which will come in a picture urn.  We will take some of his ashes and spread them in our yard where we are going to plant a tree for him.

The kids have loved Fred and he was always so good with them.  I spent many hours holding Fred on the couch and talking to him.  He truly was always my baby and it broke my heart to have to say goodbye to him.

This is during this past Christmas.  He always posed with the kids for pictures.

 This is Fred when we first got him.  He was only 5 pounds and the sweetest little Shetland Sheepdog puppy.

I loved him like a baby.  I taught him tricks and trained him.  I read books to learn how to train him.  I even made a scrapbook of his pictures!

We took him to see Santa when he was a baby.

I always make it a point to have a birthday party for him.  I got Clifford the Dog party hats.

Fred was the first baby but was there for when both Evan and Lauren came home from the hospital.  I thought it was a sign when we had Evan as Carter's had a dog set that had just come out and it had little dogs and it said Fred!

He made sure to keep an eye on the kids when they were babies.

And even as they got a little older.

He went on the first walk with Evan.

He was playful.

He liked leaves and snow.

He never cared if we dressed him up, put hats on him or even costumes for Halloween.

Here was Fred as a Ghostbuster for Halloween!

With his bunny ears for Easter.

He was always involved.

He was a wonderful dog and we will miss him dearly.  I hope now he can spend time with his parents, run with sheep, meet his Uncle Rocky (my Yorkshire Terrier growing up), and catch frisbees again.