From April 21st, 2005 in Denver:  Tara and I are sitting in line waiting to get into the U2 concert. We had a wonderful time yesterday. Actually words can’t do it justice.
    Yesterday began at 11:30 AM as we got in line to wait to get into the show. We had to arrive early so that we could get a good spot on the floor. This tour the band has designated all of the seats on the floor to be general admission, standing room only. So if you get there early you can get a better place closer to the stage. Aside from 5 minutes of sunlight, it was a miserable day to sit on line waiting to get in. After a couple of hours it started to rain, and if that wasn’t enough, it began to hail. I didn’t prepare for rain, and if it weren’t for the kindness of others, we would have been completely drenched. We met a number of very friendly people on the line and as a result we now have some new U2 friends. We met one couple from Minneapolis who were very kind and share a similar age disparity as we do, although they are only 10 years apart in age. It was cool to see that they ended up inside the ellipse and on the front row! (Quick Info: The stage is square with an ellipse shaped catwalk jutting out about 1/3 of the way out onto the floor. The band randomly assigns about 400 of the 2000 GA tickets to land inside the Ellipse. The Ellipse is hallowed out and the band circles the fans inside.)
    After going through the difficulty of hail, rain and cold, we filed inside of the arena. When you come in they check your tickets, fit you with a wristband and then scan your ticket once more to determine if you are one of the lucky few who gets to be inside the ellipse. We did not get into the ellipse, but it did not damper any of our joy. We walked into the Arena and scanned the outside of the ellipse for empty spots. I wanted to get Tara on the rail to protect her from the inevitable crush of fans. We found a spot that looked a little unoccupied and asked the girl if she could help protect Tara by giving her a little bit of rail. I ran off to go to the bathroom quickly before it filled up completely. While I was a gone a woman tried to push herself into that spot and the girl grabbed Tara’s arm and said “No! This is her spot.” When I returned I discovered that Tara and I both had a spot on the rail and that because we were polite the girl wanted us next to her. That is how we found ourselves right on the rail with an unobstructed view of the show.
    The show was incredible. The band sounded really good and we could hear and see them well. The band was also in a good mood which was fun to watch. The spot we were at was wonderful. The band members frequently stopped in front of us playing to the crowd. I tried getting some pictures but I had some real trouble with my camera and eventually gave up on taking pictures. It was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to really enjoy the show from that point on. During the 4th or 5th song of the show, Bono stopped and sung right at us and Tara specifically. She was looking right at him and he was looking at her too. Later on, during the song “City of Blinding Lights” Bono passed us and then after seeing her again, he back-tracked and sung a few lines while staring at her. She was excited that she had a chance to see him so close and was very happy to be at her 1st U2 concert. Fortunately the night wasn’t over yet.
    The band finished their main set and returned to perform Zoo Station as the 1st song in the encore. Bono made his way around the ellipse once more and stopped in front of us yet another time. This time he was performing while looking at her once again. By thiis time I began to point to her whenever he came up and mouthed the words “take her”. Two songs later, “Mysterious Ways was played and Bono again walked toward us and even passed us before returning a couple of seconds later. He then reached his hand out toward Tara and Tara meekly raised her hand toward him. I knew this was the moment as Bono’s hand touched hers and I scrambled to attempt to lift her up and over the rail. Security assisted by pulling her up onto the stage where Bono and Tara slow danced. Tara was clearly all messed up by the excitement and could nothing more than just hold onto dear life. Then as he was about to bid her adieu, he got on his knees and kissed one hand then the other, when she got her composure and decided that it was time to play. She then sought to emulate the belly dancer from a previous tour who would tease Bono but wouldn’t allow him to touch her, then she proceeded to draw him forward toward her while he had a bemused look on his face which betrayed the fact that he was enjoying the fact that she had just taken control. So as she stepped backward to draw him further on, he switched it up, and passed her by taking her hand and leading her on a jog around the ellipse to the other side where he stopped, embraced and danced with Tara as the song closed. She then finished her trip around the ellipse walking on air where security lifted her up and put her right back where she started from.
    As she came over the rail, she embraced me, shaking and smiling from ear to ear. I too was smiling, because I was proud of her. I knew that she would shine on stage and I knew that she would be happy if she got on stage. I’m still really happy that she was able to do this. She got a bunch of high fives from the people around us who were ecstatic for us. As Tara pointed out, when you meet the girl who got on stage, you immediately believe that it could be you, and we were greeted warmly by all who recognized us. After the show a bunch of people congratulated her and many asked if it was choreographed or planned. She was a mini celebrity and they were clearly happy for us. I even got compliments for allowing my fiancé to go up there! She loves me so well, I had no fears with her up there in the Rock Star’s universe. In fact I was rooting for her to have a minute of bliss up on the catwalk.
    After the show we met up with Roi at an IHOP to have some food and to share in the post-concert retelling. Well, Roi had a surprise for us. He was sitting in a prime location to take pictures of the show, and he surprised us by having not pictures but video of about half of Tara’s appearance on stage! Since then we’ve met another couple who have pictures of this wonderful moment for us to keep. Tara’s 1st U2 concert was unforgettable. Our expectations are more reasonable for this show and as a result we slept in today and didn’t stress about getting in line really early because it isn’t as important for us to get the best seats, instead we’ll just enjoy the 2nd show complete with all of it’s surprises the band usually plays some different songs when they play a city for 2 nights. We’re looking forward to enjoying this show on completely different terms from the 1st one.
Well, I’m outta here for now. Tomorrow is CD shopping and Saturday is a trip down to the Springs to say hi to an old friend. I probably won’t have time to update until after I get back.
    From May 7, 2005: I'm finally getting around to posting this diary entry and the pictures that I did get from the show. I also wanted to link up to the video and pictures of Tara during her 2 minutes of fame. Tara dances with Bono

    It's 3:16 PM on Saturday and Tara is trying to figure out She's A Mystery to Me which was written by U2 but recorded by Roy Orbison. We started this morning by handing out free water at a bike path to serve our neighbors and to invite any who wished to listen to our Mother's Day service. After that we went to Wegmans a supermarket with fantastic ambience located inside of a warehouse. Tara got a kick out of it because it reminded her of the west coast. They have a sub and pizza shop and seating on the 2nd level, so we had lunch there. We left Wegmans and headed to the mall to find an outfit for the wedding we're attending next weekend. My sister-in-law's sister is getting married and Tara doesn't have much in the way of dresses out here. She's a good shopper. She is efficient and doesn't dawdle. Once I finish this we'll get back to working on the invitations. We'll be printing them ourselves. We have the technology! :)

    While we were out in Colorado we did our requisite shopping for CD's on Friday and even took a drive up to Boulder. We had to have lunch at the Sink a pizza joint right on the Hill in the heart of the college. It's got cool artwork on the walls and people are free to sign the ceiling. It's got good ambience! Something that Tara and Roi frequently joked about because most people pick restaurants for the taste of the food, while I'm looking for good ambience. I've totally missed out on the purpose of food.

    On Saturday we drove down to Colorado Springs and I gave Tara the quick tour of the town pointing out various landmarks of my stay in Colorado. We passed the club I used to frequent and even drove by my old house. Then we met up with B & L and their two kids for lunch. It had been nearly a decade since I had seen them, and they reminded me that I actually lived with them for a week or two. I couldn't remember that at all! It was a crazy time as I was on my way out of the Air Force with all of the craziness that it entailed. I wish that I could find my ex-roommate Jim and see how he is doing. It was great to bring Tara to see all these people who have known me over the years. We all change as time goes by, but it was great to see that B & L are in a better place than when I last talked to them seriously about their lives. They even took a few pictures which I'll put up here in a second.

    I don't know what else has been happening since we got back. We're back at work and my work is picking up. Hopefully I won't have to travel between now and when Tara leaves for Oregon. I very much love having her around here. Oh, I just remembered something significant! Last Saturday we went to get our wedding rings at Tiffany's. I didn't let on that I was headed there and she was surprised then got appropriately girly by getting a little schmoopy about it. She had never been in a Tiffany's before and was able to see the place where I chose her engagement ring. Well that's it for the new news I think. Time to post some pictures...

    I can't believe that I just about forgot about the birthday's in the family. *Gives forehead a little smack* Happy Birthday to my nephew S, my brother and My Mom with another nephew and a sister-in-law on the horizon. Plus, my brother has earned his master's degree and we're going to celebrate with him. I missed his first graduation because I was in the Air Force, but at least I'll be here for this one. So long! 

In line waiting for U2		After the Show
Garden of The Gods		Visiting Old Friends