I feel like I've beaten the Bieber Thing like a dead horse at this point, but it turns out that I haven't actually written a single word about what may just go down as the greatest night in all of Alexis' life. I guess maybe that means I've just spent entirely too much time watching the video from when I gave her the tickets.
It's the words that go with the evening that make that video so very hysterical.
It started the night before the concert when I primed the kid for what was to be the biggest surprise ever. I asked her if she wanted to have a girls night out, to which she promptly replied, "Can we just stay home and watch movies?"
No, no we can't.
The fact that she asked should have been a hint that I was going to have to drag the kid out of the house kicking and screaming just two hours before the Bieber show was set to begin. She had no idea why I really wanted to go out for dinner with her, so she threw a monumental fit. There were tears and there was door slamming and generally the kid just wanted to stay home and chill out on the couch.
I tried to take a photo or two of her making her most miserable pouty face, but was met with her covering her miserable pouty face with her hands and saying, "No! You'll put it on twitter!"
And there's our answer to whether or not she understands the interwebs. Heh.
Eventually I managed to get her in the car. As we drove down the road, I tried to ask her where she wanted to go for dinner. "Anywhere! It's your choice! Pick anything!" I told her.
She replied by snidely throwing a few words in my face. "You can't make me pick!" she snarled. "And I talked back to you so now you have to ground me. Guess we better go home," she continued.
And there's our answer to whether or not she's too smart for her own good. YES. YES SHE IS.
Despite it all, I drug her to a suburban Olive Garden with the thought that we would be less likely to run into anyone headed to the Bieber concert there. I really didn't want the surprise to be spoiled, so I thought it wise to avoid any and all indications that he was in town. Who goes to Olive Garden anyway?
It turns out that very large groups of people headed to a Justin Bieber concert go to Olive Garden. It's true.
I have no idea how I managed to distract the kid away from wondering why we were surrounded by dozens of Beliebers, but I did. Then we dined on remarkably tasty fake Italian food right up until I handed her the envelope. While I'm mentioning that video again, I think I should point out that there is a very precise moment when Alexis remembered that she was in public and tried to tone down her reaction. She was all set to run and scream and be all sorts of screechy, but she calmly settled for her Bieber dance instead.
Self control. She has it. Sort of.
After the video evidence that she should always listen to me no matter what had been created, we piled into the car and drove to Consol. While there, there was screaming. There was dancing. There was chaos.
And there was a lot of happiness.
At the end of it all, I can honestly say that Bieber doesn't totally suck in concert. Big Time Rush was better (SERIOUSLY), but don't say that to Alexis because she will glare at you so hard you'll think she might be about to murder you in broad daylight.
Not that I would know. Ahem.
If you do happen to find yourself at the center of an Alexis death glare, just ask her what she thought of "Baby Baby." That will put her right back in her happy place. Bask in the glow that comes from the kid being in her happy place and then you'll know what it was like to arrange for her to have what she referred to as the Best Night Ever.
Sometimes this parenting thing isn't all that bad.