first time i met RJA

[Cari Treadway]

Idk, I felt like sharing my story because I'm still excited about it, and it happened like 3 weeks ago. XD

Anyways, so I was visiting my dad in Jacksonville, FL. (well, Middleburg to be more accurate) for a few days around Christmas, and my older brother was trying to find something to do with me. Hangin' out, you know? His friend Josh called him up and was like, "Dude, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is playin' at Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville. Grab your sister and let's go!" So Andrew (my brother) says "Hey, have you ever heard of Red Jumpsuit Apparatus?" And I was like "Oh, yeah! I like them." And he says how they were playing at Jack Rabbits and I'm like, "That's awesome. Yea, I'd love to go." So that was cool in itself (I'm new at this whole 'groupie' thing lol). There were these three other little bands that were just starting out. Making their name and such. Then RJA came on and I was just like, "Yay!"

Afterward, I was thinking about how I'd like to get autographs, or pics or something. , but I had no camera, no pen, and no paper-products. So I was kinda bummed because I didn’t have money either to buy anything. But turns out they were giving away free posters and stuff. So I grabbed an RJA poster and a sharpie, and went around to get my signatures. and (this is the blonde moment of the night), being new to this whole thing, I walked up to this security guard guy (who was surprisingly super cool, though incredibly intimidating looking) and I was like “so, hypothetically here, if someone were to walk up to one of the band members and ask 'em for a hug, would they hug them?" He goes "Yea, go ahead." (Then later tells Joey about how I asked him that >.>) and I’m like "Cool." So I went to Joey to get my autograph from him and I handed him the poster and pen, and I’m like "Will you sign this? Can I hug you?" He laughed and says "Yea", and gave me a nice hug. =)

Well, anyway, like I said I had no camera. So I just had my poster, and my guitar pic from Joey ^-^ But, Josh has one of those phones with like a real camera in it. You know, with the flash and the megapixels and all that. So I borrowed his phone. Of course, I didn’t know how to use it. So my first pic was with Joey and I was like "Ok, I don’t know how to use this, so bear with me, ok?" And he goes, “No problem. Just don’t ask me for help, I am phone-impaired." XD So I managed to take a pic, but me and him were like "o.O ?? " in the pic (<-- haha, funny description there).

Then I went to Jon, who helped me out because he is mister phone genius I guess. Lol. But I had to tell him that you have to hold down the button, but before I could tell him to wait for it to flash twice before moving, he moved it. So half of his face was in one side of the pic, half my face was on the other side. We took a couple pics of the floor trying to get the cam back up. Finally got my good pic with Jon, took my pic with Matt and Duke and Ronnie. Ok, now I’m an expert at this phone cam. So I was like "Ok Joey, I know how to use this thing now. So I was wondering if maybe I could get a better pic with you?" So he goes "Yea sure. I’m sorry I looked so bad in the other one." I was like, " Oh no, it wasn’t you lol!" So I got my better pic with Joey. And then I was good. I was happy.

Did I mention that Josh was good friends with Duke in high school (and so friends with them all now), so he knew them and stuff? Well, because of that, we got to hang out with them (me and Andrew and Josh) at this little bar/restaurant place at like 1:30 in the morning. Well, only Joey and Jon. But that was awesome anyway. It was a decent night. I would keep hitting these moments where I'd suddenly remember they were a big band and I'd turn to Andrew and be like “This is so cool!" Then I'd relax again and forget, I'd be just laughing and stuff. =)

Then like around 3:30-ish, the little party broke up and I said night to Jon (who was having a convo about bubble baths with his girl lol). Then I went to say night to Joey and he hugged me again and was saying "It was great to meet. Hope to see you again at another concert. Have a Merry Christmas!" I was like “I'll try to make it to another one. You have a good Christmas too =) " yea, money is the issue for me =(

Sometime later, between that time and when we left, Joey pretend-scolded my brother for letting me stand there and freeze XD it was funny. But yea, that was my experience and when I got to meet RJA ^-^

[rjasnumberonefan]

Just wanted to let you know that your story is making an extemely miserable day into a great one. Been up all night...called in sick to work...pain medicine not working---and yet the few short paragraphs you wrote down has put a smile on my face. RJA really is the best medicine for whatever ails you.