Meeting BSB in Seattle, December 4, 2005
by Chelsea

My name's Chelsea. My friend Kristin and I met AJ McLean and the Backstreet Boys last night in Tacoma at Jingle Bell Bash. We waited nine hours outside in 30-degree weather (trust me, it was freezing! There was snow on the ground!!!). We met some awesome new BSB fans and after being pushed around by security, the Boys' white van pulled up and we were ecstatic!!

The Boys' security was a little pushy, but when we were told to wait off to the side, Kevin spoke up and said to all of us, "Why are you waiting over there? Come here!!!" We all rushed to our favorite boy (ours is AJ) and got a few beautiful moments with our man. I gave him that "Don't sweat the petty things...pet the sweaty things" t-shirt, along with a belt that you couldn't see, that said, "SKULEE ROZE" that was under his shirt. when I gave him the shirt, at first he was just like "Oh, thank you, that's neat," and then I was like "Wait...didja see the back?" He opened it back up and took a few seconds to read it, then laughed to himself, saying, "Haha, that's great..." I reached down and took off the belt for him, saying, "I’ve been wearing this all week, but it's actually yours..." as he waited in anticipation. when I handed it to him, he delicately held it in his hands and with honest sincerity in his voice, said, "Oh wow!!! I'm gonna wear this tonight! Thanks!" My friend and I both said "REALLY??" and he was like "yeah!"

My friend and I were relatively shy at meeting our favorite person of all time, but he made it completely comfortable for us. The only thing I could do when I saw him was give him a hug. I couldn't control myself! After a few seconds of silence, he asked me if I had something for him to sign (in the sweetest voice possible!!) after he signed everything and received the presents we made him, I managed to cough up the words, "Can we get a picture with you?" and he wrapped his arms around us, and with everyone else busy with their own BSB conversations, I grabbed the camera, held it up, and snapped the best picture I have ever taken!!! A few more fans came up to ask for a pic, he gladly agreed, and before he left to go inside, he reached back over to give me a warm "thank-you" hug that lasted forever!!!! He didn't let go until I did, which I was surprised I even could!!! His skin is the softest I have ever felt!!! His cheek on mine was HEAVEN!!!

When we got back into the venue, we walked up to our front-row seats and shared our experience with a few fellow BSB fans sitting in our general area. we only got to see the end of Pussycat Dolls, but that was great anyways. we also got to see Frankie J (who sang straight to us a few times!!) and then, when the Boys finally came out, AJ came right over, saw us, and gestured to his shirt (which was the one WE gave him!!) with a big smile on his face, waved at us, and said, "How ya doin??" Throughout the night, we got TONS of smiles and waves from Howie, got drenched with Nick's water-bottle, and just had an all-out WONDERFUL time!!!

Not only did we meet the BSBs back behind the venue, but we also got great pics and autographs from Tyler Hilton, Click 5, and Ryan Cabrera. We wish we could have spent more time with the other Boys, but that just gives us more incentive for the next time they come around!! My friend and I would love to say hi to Howie, thank him for all the times he's said hi to us. We not only met AJ and a bunch of other celebs, but we met some of the coolest BSB fans and got to share our best moments ever with some awesome people.

Much love
~Chels~