Flashback

When I was 13, I was in love.  I spent the summer fantasizing about my beloved, I wrote letters I would never send him, I talked about him to my mom, and I dreamed about marrying him and having lots of babies with him.  His name was Donnie Wahlberg, and I just realized that I spent all summer 25 years ago with the TV glued to MTV so that when this song came on (this was when MTV played music) I could run into the living room and do the "hangin' tough" arm-swing.

They played at the York Fair that fall, 8th grade, and FM97 announced a contest.  The best sign that read, "NKOTB and FM97 are the best!" would get to go backstage.  I worked for hours and hours and hours on my banner.  I hung it up hopefully before and after the concert.  I didn't get chosen, which is probably part of the reason I'm not Heather Wahlberg right now.

But I did pass a carefully folded love note to a security guard and asked him to give it to Donnie.  I'm sure he did, and to this day, Donnie lives in regret that he couldn't marry the girl who, in poetic bubble letters on pink paper, promised to love him forever, because his flight was leaving and he had to get to a show in some other podunk fair in a place like Zanesville Ohio.  And now he's getting married to Jennie McCarthey.  Oh well.  Life goes on.

Donnie, there's still a piece of my 13 year old heart that will always be yours.  Just so you know.  I can't wait to see who Hannah is crushing on when she's 13.  And to show her this and make her laugh at her dorky mom.