Thursday, May 26, 2011

Aunt Adventuresome

Yesterday I flew with my niece Colleen and her 12-year-old son Ben from Seattle to San Jose to see a Glee concert. I'm a fan of Glee. I love the singing and dancing and the campy story line. I'm especially impressed with the positive role model the kids have become for their real-life counterparts in middle and high school, where kids are ridiculed mercilessly for any deviation from the perceived behavioral norm.

In addition to Colleen, my husband Art has 15 other nieces and nephews. Usually I see them only at family gatherings, where there may be 50-plus people in attendance. This is my second marriage, so most of the nieces and nephews were around before I was. I came later to the party, so to speak.

Of all these nieces and nephews, Colleen is the only one I really know. We meet for coffee every few months and enjoy the camaraderie and the conversation. Since we're both Glee fans, we decided to splurge on the plane fare and the concert tickets as part of celebrating Ben's birthday.

We flew to San Jose at 7 a.m. yesterday and spent parts of the day with Colleen's college friend Emily and with Colleen's brother Adam. We chatted about my recent trip and discussed the pros and cons of home exchanging and couch surfing. While they went off to a museum, I took a nap. Then the concert in the evening.

I'd say 15,000 people attended the concert. Lots of preteens and their parents. Lots of screaming soprano voices in the audience, excellent show on the stage. As we joined the throng streaming out of the HP Pavilion at the conclusion of the show, I could tell adrenaline was running high for many of the kids. Ben was hoarse from screaming and as we walked to the car he revisited his many favorite parts - they were all "amazing", it seemed.

After a short night's sleep we flew home this morning. I commented to Colleen that it feels odd to be part of the "older generation" now. She said, "Linda, I don't think of you as older. And my brother Adam texted me yesterday and said, 'Wow. Linda is really adventuresome, isn't she?' He had never talked to you outside the family gatherings. " We talked about stereotypes and how different people sometimes turn out to be when you talk to them one on one.

So I'm adventuresome! I may need a nap this afternoon, though, to recover from Glee.


15 comments:

Deb Shucka said...

I love Glee, too. So glad you had this experience. It must feel good to know that your young spirit still shines through. I spent the afternoon yesterday with a bunch of seniors, just days away from graduation. The energy was so delicious, it made me want to cry (in a happy way).

Jenn Flynn-Shon said...

What a great time it sounds like you all had :-) What a cool experience to connect with Colleen & Ben at. I never think to watch Glee but when friends post links to some of the songs, etc I always love the show so who knows why I haven't gotten into watching it. At any rate, the best adventures do usually involve a nap later, its true!

CB said...

Linda, when a 12-year-old high fives you and says, "Alright, great trip!" you know you're in. =)
Thanks for joining us!
- Colleen

marciamayo said...

What a compliment! Sleep on it.

Olga said...

You are adventursome. And, obviously, one cool aunt.

wheels4me said...

That is a GREAT birthday present for Ben! I am sure he will remember it forever.

#1Nana said...

Another thing we have in common, I love Glee too! I especially love the relationship between Kurt and his father. I agree that Glee has provided positive role models and addressed some of the many issues facing teens. But, most of al I love the singing and dancing. I wish I lived in a world where we all broke into song at random moments.

Terra said...

How cool to be seen as adventuresome, and I love that you splurged and flew to see a concert. You made some great memories on the trip.

Tracy said...

Linda,
What a memorable trip and I would have been right there in the mix. I love GLEE! It is one of my all time favorite shows!
I'm so glad you were able to spend time with your niece and her son....

DJan said...

Sheesh! Do I ever feel out of it, since I've never watched the show at all. Time to get into synch, I guess...

Sally Wessely said...

I'd say you are very adventuresome. I love your spirit and willingness to try new things. I'm glad your trip was such a success. High fives to you!

I'm like DJan. I've never watched Glee. I've heard about it for a long time. My friends and family love it. I'm just not a t.v. person. I'm sure I'd like it if I saw it. I'll have to actually check it out sometime.

Grandmother Mary said...

I don't know Glee since I don't have a TV but cool aunts rule! Good for you.

Tom said...

I am a BIG fan of keeping in touch with nieces and nephews and their children, even if you do have to go to a Glee concert to do it, so good for you! (Sorry abt. the "shot" at Glee. Only seen it a cpl of times. I found the characters kind of off-putting, but the music is pretty good.)

Jo said...

That sounds ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL...! I have watched the show a few times, and I am quite impressed with what good role models those kids are!

http://dkzody.wordpress.com said...

Isn't it funny how others see us? My dental hygienist commented on how we (hubby and me) do so many things. I don't see it that way, but she said we are much more adventuresome than others she knows. Wonder what that means?

You are fortunate to have a good relationship with nieces and nephews. My niece died a couple of years ago and my two nephews are not fun people at all. Haven't seen either one in a number of years, except at funerals.