Idina Menzel Called Me Gorgeous!

Oh my gosh!! So I have finally settled down enough to actually write about Idina's concert. Wednesday night I could barely speak a complete sentence let alone sit still for more than a minute, so writing my blog or in my journal was not possible. My mind has been able to process all that happened so hopefully I get it all down. Prepare for this to be long. :)
As soon as we drove onto the MSU campus, on our way to church dinner, my heart started racing and my excitement grew, evident by my random squeals and giggles. Mercy and family didn't quite understand my excitement during dinner, but Grace and mom shared the anticipation Christie and I were feeling. Time would not move fast enough.
Once at the Wharton Center, Chris and I waited patiently, unlike some others, for the doors to open. I asked around hoping that I could find some way to meet Idina, but everyone I asked told me that she was doing private meet and greets only. My heart sunk at this and my hope began to disappear. Christie continued encouraging me and telling me that I still had a chance to meet Idina. And even if I didn't get to meet her I was at least going to be in the same room as her, seeing her in person and hearing her voice.
We were finally allowed in around 7:30 when the show was planned to start. I expected to see Idina any minute. Nope. Some guys came out and sang songs for nearly a half hour. Chris and I were seriously antsy and getting a little annoyed at the unexpected delay of Idina's appearance. When he finally finished we waited almost 45 minutes in a weird intermission period, unsure of when Idina would appear. Finally at almost 9:00 Idina finally appeared. I broke down right when I saw her. Everyone around me was clapping and yelling, but I was sobbing tears of joy, so overwhelmed to see her there in front of me. Christie cried a little as she reminded me to look up at Idina since my crying was causing me to close my eyes. It was unbelievable.
She began singing and I continued crying until well into her second song. For the rest of the concert I just smiled, the smile never leaving my face and my eyes concentrated on Idina. She would blow kisses to the audience and I'd blow kisses back. She was everything I expected and so much more. Her personality and excitement blew me away. Whatever emotion I felt for her grew more as I was able to see her personality and the way she acted while on stage. She's more my role model now than before the concert; she's so great!
Here's as good a list I can make of what she sang: Brave, I Stand, Gorgeous, My Own Worst Enemy, There's Only Us (Rent), For Good (Wicked), a Hebrew prayer dedicated to her sister, a wedding song I didn't know, and one other song that I can't remember the title of.
She was so energetic on stage and during many songs was walking all around and even laying on the floor for one. Her presence and grace never ceased to amaze me. She left and I was sure she was done but the clapping and yelling of the crowd brought her back for an encore. "Something has changed within me..." she began and the whole crowd screamed. Defying Gravity was her encore piece and everyone loved it. When she had left for sure, my happiness began to fade, she was gone and my time with her didn't feel like enough.
Christie and I hurried up the stairs and then down the stairs to the main lobby. We rushed, running through the parking ramp, to the backstage door. Only a small crowd had gathered by the time we got down there and it grew behind us quickly. We waited for about 30 minutes before Idina's tour manager came out. She said that Idina was tired and that she would do autographs but that she (the manager) would prefer no personal, posing pictures because that was too time consuming and Idina was not a fan of candids so don't take random pictures of her autographing. We lined up and continued waiting. Christie was already 45 minutes late for work so mom took her, leaving me there. I was sad that Chris couldn't stay and be there when Idina came out.
After another 30 minutes or so Idina appeared, my role model. She came down the stairs and started signing. I held my spot and she got to me, signing this journal and my CD cover of her music. I searched for something to say, hoping I would speak clearly and not say something stupid. "You're my role model," I said to her, forcing back my tears of excitement. "Thank you," she said as she looked up at me, finished with the autographs. "Aww... you're gorgeous." I was stunned. Idina Menzel, my role model, called ME gorgeous! "Thank you, so are you," I said, giving her a quick hug. It felt like I was hugging a friend, not a tony award winning broadway star. I was the first person she hugged and the first that she really talked to. I walked a few feet away before breaking down in happy tears. I hurried to the car and jumped in, crying heavily while showing mom my autographs and telling her all that had happened.
This whole experience was so unreal and I wish I could live it over and over again. I wish that my time with Idina had been a little bit longer and that I could have at least one picture of her and me or even a video of my meeting her. It was so great! I have a new swing in my step now and a new hope for things to come in the future. I hope that I have another chance to see Idina and hopefully I'll be able to get a picture with her. But right now I'm happy to have all of the memories of November 5th, 2008 and the autographs that she signed. I'll never ever forget that day!