Rock and Roll Sweetheart

You know those moments in life when things are going amazingly and its as though everything you had wanted and more happens - you find that your dreams are fulfilled; but then you learn that that's all it ever was...a dream. You see, actually the bell that you hear in the background is not a musical accompaniment it is in fact the alarm buzzer, and that shout out of your name didn't come from the rock stars mic as you had previously believed, but is actually your other half waking you telling you that you need to get up because your now running rather late. Well, this Monday was the most amazing night ever, and when I woke up on Tuesday morning, I nervously looked to my boyfriend for some form of confirmation that I hadn't created the memory in my dreams and I am astonished (and ecstatic) to confirm that this actually happened!

Lets start at the very beginning, apparently its a very good place to start .

Nearly three months ago about 1am one sunday morning my boyfriend (who is going to need a tag and as a result I have decided to write him as Himself and I drove home from his gig in Colchester and I was babbling (because I babble alot) about my favourite band 'The Creepshow'. He wasn't too aware of them, but had remembered seeing something about them on his friends Facebook profile (yes - I know how much I hate Facebook, but in this instance I'm pretty chuffed) and said his friend from Aberdeen was hosting their gig in Scotland. I don't remember the exact reaction, but I think it involved me bouncing up and down like a crazy saying in very fast succession 'canwegocanwegocanwegocanwego?' and bless his heart the brilliant man said yes. So 2am in the morning and I am booking flights to Scotland.

So, this week was the week of the gig and so on Sunday morning we left the sunny world of Essex and began our journey t'up north. Cue Sunday evening, hanging out in a hotel balcony...oh hang on - first I need to tell you about this hotel. We had taken three wrong turns and had pulled into a wrong hotel coming away saying 'thought it was too nice'. Eventually we found the sign for the hotel but as we pulled into the carpark of Beamers and Lexus' we decided this was even posher than the first hotel and no, this too must be the wrong hotel - so we drove back out. Turns out, that was the hotel, and the chandelier and grand piano entrance was the opening to our hotel...not a bad start for our first holiday.

Right, now I can get back to hanging out on the hotel balcony, when out of the blue  Himself decides to say 'I was going to tell you this tomorrow, but I want to tell you now that your going to meet the band and you can be there before the gig for the sound check'. After telling him he best not be joking, the super babble began once more and the bouncing recommenced.

You can only imagine what I was like by the time Monday afternoon came around - except from after all the chipmunk babbling, I was so crazily excited that I couldn't even string a sentence together - each time I tempted to speak all that could come out sounded like a Chip or Dale on helium...eventually the power of speech left me all together.

Lots of wine and a fair bit of vodka later (when in Scotland and all that) and the band arrive. As speech had left me, I figured I could play a cool-mute. Except for when this cool mute decided to lean on the bar door, rather than the doorframe and found herself falling backwards through the doorway - luckily nobody had noticed, but internally I could feel my inner cool-person (what does one call their inner cool person? I feel like she should be called something like Ethel or Maude?) shake her head, role her eyes and tut repeatedly at me. 

The band all rolled out of a green van and the grand unloading began. Himself took in some equipment, whilst I ran the scenario through my mind - if I carried in a guitar, would that make me like 'baby' in Dirty Dancing 'I carried a guitar'.

Himself returned saying that I should go and talk to them. Now, I am under no illusion that I'm cool and when nervous, I tend to blurt out ridiculous replies, but as began to eye him a response, he had already grabbed my hand and was half way through telling the Rev McGinty how I much I loved the band and that we had travelled the length of the country to see them, to which the Rev thanked me and being the bright spark that I am, I responded with 'thank you' back. At this point my inner cool person (aka Ethel or Maude) raised her palms to the sky and stomped off into the shadows leaving me to my own geeky devices - a worry event I admit.

Himself then walks me over to 'Sickboy' and Kenda and introduces me, asking if it's ok to get a photo - to which the lovely people responded by popping me in the middle to pose. I'm not too sure hat happened after that...I think I went into some form of geeky coma, because the next thing I remember was the soundcheck - where I so desperately wanted to take a photo. However, being unsure of the protocol and cool-people etiquette wasn't so sure about doing. Again, luckily  Himself's brain cells still functioned perfectly and he took a photo of me with the band in the background. I can't quite convey how surreal this all was for me and the photos are actually essential for my belief of the event. 

For Himself,who is used to performing at his own gigs, the world of other bandness isn't anything too out of the norm - but as I get starstruck watching my very own boyfriend on the stage, I truly didn't stand a chance of a Nonchalant-Nu in the company of my favourite band of all time.

It felt like an age before The Creepshow actually took to the stage that evening. The starter band, just kept playing 'one more song'. Now ordinarily, I am sure they are lovely, but as it stood, it was like that nightmare where you are trying to get somewhere and keep getting delayed. I even contemplated flicking the trip-switch to get them off the stage, but luckily, contemplation was as far as I actioned...see I can be well behaved if the right carrot is dangled.

When the band took their places on the stage,  Himself and I took to ours - slap bang in the middle in the front row, and apart from some spinny dancing, that is pretty much where I rooted myself for the next hour. In fact, when people tried muscling in on my position, I was swept back to the front row by  Himself  and his friends. 

All concerns I had over the band not living up to my expectations instantly dissipated. I was mesmerised from start to finish. Oh and whilst I’m talking about exceeding expectations, I should also mention at this point that Kenda (the lead singer) not only held my hand whilst on stage, but also jumped down into the crowd and danced with me. Hell yeah, that happened. At that point, my life could not have been any cooler, or so I thought. 

You see, moments later, thanks to my brilliant boyfriend and his fabulous friend an amazing turn of events occurred. The Rev McGinty took to the mic and asked into the crowd a 'Nic from Essex'. At this point I sourly thought 'Lucky cow', but then the brain cells started to connect and slowly my limbs began to move, and my hands rose into the air. That lucky cow was me. The Rev dedicated not only my favourite song to me, but also the entire set in my honour. It was such an amazing moment, I didn't even recognise my own name, even writing this now, it feels as though my memory belongs to a move, because lets face it, it’s pretty mind-blowing.

So just to clarify, as I know this is being typed via a chipmonk memory - not only did I get to see my favourite band play live, I also got to meet them, have them dance with me during the set, dedicate  my favourite song to me and have the gig in my name. Oh Ethel / Maude, you should have stuck around, because by all stretches of the imagination - that is damn cool!

I wanted to write this entry in so much detail, but the details arn’t there, because my mind was so utterly dumbfounded. What I do know is that every time I think of Monday I get the most heart warming feeling and the most insane dopey grin. I have to say that yes, I am smiling because of my favourite band, but I smile even wider for the man who made it possible. 

A year ago, if you had told me how my life be right now, I would never have believed you. In the past year I have wished on so many stars to find my happiness - and today when I looked at the clock at 11:11, I had nothing to wish for. I have found my happiness and so much more. I said to my mum the other day that Monday was the best day of my life, and she said that I was wrong, and that it wasn’t – she said the best day of my life was when I met  Himself...and you know what? Mother knows best, it truly was.