Happy Rickiversary To Me

One year ago today, April 23, 2011 – I officially met Rick Springfield. Apparently the one time my friend Kim and I (actually, truth-be-told, my husband was driving and her husband was in the passenger seat) followed his limo all the way from a little concert in Osage City, Kansas, to the inside lobby of the Ramada Inn in Topeka, Kansas, and totally chickened out without saying anything, doesn't really count as "meeting him." Seriously, what ARE you supposed to say when you "happen" upon a celebrity? "Hello Mr. Springfield" or "Hey Rick!" or, what we were really thinking, "OHMYGAWD." None of those seemed right at the time, and our husbands were no help, so we missed our chance. He was three steps in front of us and we let the moment get away from us. BUT, it does make for a great memory, right Kimmy??

Thanks to the lanyard that has hung from my rearview mirror since the moment I left the concert at Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma,(well, there was that brief moment when I worried that the guy servicing my car would draw a handlebar mustache on Rick's face *GASP* so I tucked it away safely in my glovebox - but only for a couple of hours) hardly a day has gone by that I don’t get butterflies in my tummy thinking about that day.

I know some of you think I'm off my rocker, but to say that day was a moment in my life that I will never forget, is NOT an understatement. It's really hard to explain. I also know full-well that it sounds outrageous for a 40-year old woman to think this way, but it's true. Is it too much to say it was life-changing? Probably not. I think I became a little more grateful and thankful for the people in my life. A little more thankful for ... my mother's gambling habits.  But seriously, I think it made me appreciate and celebrate my youth in a whole new way. It brought back wonderful memories of growing up that were long forgotten. I think, maybe most importantly, it allowed me, once-again, to believe that dreams REALLY can come true. *insert glitter, rainbows and twinkling wind chimes here*

Since then some of my highlights include meeting Snoop Dog, tweeting with Martha Quinn (and a quick shout-out from Michael McKean), meeting a couple of KC Royals players and hall-of-famers, and seeing a couple other concerts, but (and, I really do love you Martha) none of it has compared to fulfilling the life-long dream of meeting Rick, or is it Mr. Springfield? I’m still waiting to meet him again to get a good picture (hopefully without the tears). I admit that I do check the tour schedule weekly to see if a date is popping up near me. I also, only occasionaly, re-arrange the household budget to afford tickets, gasoline and tour trinkets, then I proceed to Mapquest to research how far a Rick concert may be from my house (for instance, May 17-19, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a mere 9 hours, 52 minutes, or 629.76 miles). I also have dreams of getting to one of the film festivals to see the wonderful documentary about Rick and his fans, An Affair of the Heart. I only checked plane tickets to Orlando and Toronto. Twice. :)

A girl CAN dream, CAN'T she?!


Happy Rickiversary to me.


UPDATE: AHHHHH!!! I just looked on the schedule - he's going to be in Wichita on June 2!!! Who's going to get me backstage at the River Festival????