First we dropped off Erika and Stephanie, who both got hugs and kisses on the front porch. (Im sure there mom was thrilled about that!) Then we dropped off Shannon, and then Courtney (of course Im the last one to get dropped off!) Brian went inside Courtney's house to meet Megan and Kaitlyn (the cat), and to say goodnight (or good morning if he's dislexic!) He came out shaking his head and laughing.

"Courtney's mom, she's a trip," Brian laughed. (Gee, you don't say.) I aggreed. As we pulled out of Courts, I got a terrific idea. "Hey guys, could you do me a big huge favor?" I asked. "Sure," they said. "What?" "Well, my 8 year old cousin Shannon (hope this doesn't get confusing!) loves you guys and she would die to meet you! (Wouldn't anyone?) Do you think we could pay her a little visit? I'd be so greatful!"

"No problem!"they all said. I called the house just to be sure she was home. Of course, when my cousin Lori answered the phone, i could hear BSB in the background. (Ok, explanation time. Lori is my first cousin, her two kids Shannon and Shelby are my second cousins. Get it? Good.) "Hey Lor." "Oh, hi Nicole! How was the concert?" "Excellent! I have some...uh...souveniers for Shannon. (You could call them souveniers I suppose) . Is it ok if I come over?"

"Yeah, no problem. Hey, did you get close to any of the boys?" "Unbelievably!" I replied. (Yeah, just a little close!) "I'm on my way." When we got to Lori's house, I asked the guys to wait in the limo for a sec. Lori opened the door with Shelby in her arms, who immediatley screeched "COLE!" and threw her arms around my neck. (Hey Court, she did the same thing to Paul. XPect? hehe.) "Hey Shelbs," I said, loosening her grip which was cutting off circulation. (Oxygen...need...breath...) "Hey Lor." "Hi, uh, what's with the limo?" "Where's Shannon?" I asked. "In the playroom. Why? Limo?" "I have the Backstreet Boys in the limo." "Seriously, why do you have a limo?" "Because I have the Backstreet Boys in the limo." (Woah, De Ja Vu). "I'll explain later. They're here to surprise Shannon. Don't say a word!"

I went into the backroom. Shannon was on the floor, playing Sega and listening to BSB, singing at the top of her lungs. She looked so cute. "HI NICOLE!" She screeched. (Can't little kids talk quietly?) "Did you meet Nick?" (He was her favorite too.) "Did you get me a shirt?" "Yeah, hold on, I'll go get it," I said, closing the door. (Sure I will) She continued singing "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss".

I truged out into the driveway and led the guys inside. Lori just stood there, her mouth agape. I resisted the urge to say I told you so. I led them down the hallway. "Shh, listen," Brian said with a grin on his face. Shannon was crooning "All I Have To Give". "That is so cute!" Kevin said. "SHH!" I warned. I opened the door, and peeked my head in just enough so she could see me. "Hey Shan, want your present now?" I asked. She turned off the game and jumped up. "Yeah, Yeah!" she said, jumping up and down. "Allright, comeon out." I closed the door, and we stood in the living room, waiting as she shut off the CD player and came out. As soon as she got into the living room, the guys began crooning "As Long As You Love Me." Shannon just stood there in disbelief...(Yes, those are the BSB singing in your living room, just in case you were wondering...). And then she started crying, like, hysterically crying. (Great idea Nicole, give your 8 year old cousin a nervous breakdown...) But once she calmed down, she got a huge smile on her face. (WHEW!) Nick sat next to her and held her hand.

"Well Shan, what do you say?" Lori asked when they were done. Shannon just sat there, staring at Nick. Finally, she asked, "Will you marry me?" The guys struggled not to laugh, as did I. Nick grinned and said "Call me in 10 years." (HEY, he's mine!) Shannon got big hugs from all the guys, a t-shirt signed, and her posters signed, and lots of pics taken. She calmed down enough to talk to the guys, who were all so sweet to her. (Of course they were, they're always sweet.) They asked her about school, her hobbies, and her favorites. Nick even had a "Mega Bomber Man" tournament with her...(Although I think he enjoyed it more than her). By the time we got out of there, it was 10:00!

"I'm sorry about that guys, I had no idea it would take so long!" "No, it's ok. We had fun," Kevin said. (Sure, just what you wanted to do, hang with an 8 year old). "You guys just made her milennium. Thank you so much!" I gushed. "Well, it's not like we had any big plans!" AJ joked. When we got to my house, I asked if they wanted to come in. They did, of course. (If they didn't there wouldn't be any more story!) First I introduced them to my mom, then my dogs Gracie and Twinkie, my cat Lou, and my Rabbit Lucas. I showed them my room, which as my mom says is "Throwing Up Backstreet Boys". They laughed at my obsession, and shuddered at some really bad pics.

"Hey, what are these?" Kevin asked, picking up Erica's homemade BSB tapes that she let me borrow. "They're tapes that Erica made of all the times you've been on TV. That one is 5 hours long, the other is 4." "Can we watch them?" "Both of them? That's nine hours!" I said. (Why was I arguing?) "No, just one. 2 hours worth. We'll fast forward through the boring parts," Brian explained. "There are no boring parts," I said. "Well, then we'll just watch the first 2 hours." so we all piled in my room to watch. My mom made us popcorn and brought us sodas. (What a gal!) AJ sat in my inflatable chair (until it popped, no, just kidding...), while Brian sat on my beanbag chair and Kevin sat on the floor. Me, Nick, and Howie sat on my bed with the dogs and cat. First we watched the MTV Live interview. The guys cracked up when AJ's phone rang. Then we watched the Much Music stuff, the ABC stuff, and the WB stuff. The guys were rolling over things they said and how they looked and acted. They talked about making the videos and everything.

At about 1:30 a.m. we said goodnight. (Actually, it's good morning). While the guys headed towards the limo, Nick lagged (not straggled K-DOG!) behind. He looked at me shyly. (Why get shy now???) "I had a great time today," he said. "So did I. The best." He kissed me softly, and stroked my cheek. (Hello, my mom is in the next room...ahh, who cares?) "Night luv," he said as he closed the door. I melted right there. (And boy did it stain my rug!)