Hello friends!  It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  One of my favorite parts of Skylar’s autism has been the total lack of “filter” that she possess. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest she is, but it can be embarrassing.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Today’s story is a total blast from the past.  Last week I was flipping through an album when I came across this picture from when we took the girls to see Josh Groban in concert in March of 2005.

Many of you know that Skylar LOVES Josh Groban, but let me tell you how that came to be. Not long after Skylar was diagnosed, I saw a PBS concert special with Josh.  It was wonderful and the next time I was in Target I decided to pick up his CD (it was well over $20).  I remember thinking “that’s really expensive for a CD” but went ahead and bought it.  When I got home, I was thrilled to find out that it not only included the CD, but also the DVD of the concert I had just seen.

A few weeks later, the four of us made a trip to northern Virginia to visit my parents. We were stationed in Dayton, OH at the time.  About 2 days into our visit, Skylar had a complete melt-down.  She was crying and kept repeating “Want my room!”  I could not console her at all! She usually did pretty well at my parents’ house, but she was really struggling during this trip.  I remember saying “Skylar, come sit by mommy and let’s listen to this nice man sing.”  Chris quickly popped the DVD in and as the music started she sat down next to me on the couch.  She immediately started to calm down.  I was amazed that she sat and listened to song after song. After about the 4th or 5th song she said “I like him!”  And the rest, as they say, is history!

She watched that concert EVERY night before she went to bed for almost 2 years. She sang along and she mimicked Josh as he introduced guest musicians, directors, and his producer.  When anyone came to the house, she insisted they see the concert too.

So almost 2 years later when I heard that Josh would be in Louisville, KY (about 3 hours from Dayton) I knew that we HAD to take her.  I called my parents and told them about the concert.  I remember my dad saying “We are going to that concert! I will NOT miss being able to see Skylar see Josh in concert for the first time.”  I love that they drove the 8 hours from Virginia the day before and then the 3 hours with us to Louisville for the concert.

We arrived at the concert, took our seats, and anxiously waited for the concert to start.  As the lights dimmed and the music started, a guy named Chris Botti walked out on stage with his trumpet.  I had not even thought of the fact that someone would be opening for Josh as it had been years since we had been to a concert. Before I could even turn to Skylar she blurted out “He is NOT Josh Groban!”  A couple of the people sitting around us kind of giggled and I quickly explained that this man’s name was Chris and he would be playing a couple of songs before Josh would come on stage. Skylar nodded her head and sat quietly and listened.  When he finished his second song, she clapped excitedly and smiled.  Chris Botti then started talking about the next song he would be playing. The smile immediately left Skylar’s face and she screamed:

OH NO! NOT AGAIN!

I. Was. Mortified!  I couldn’t move. My face was on fire and I totally wanted to crawl under my chair.  The people all around us immediately started laughing!  It also helped that the gentleman next to us said “Honey, I’m ready for Josh too!”

I believe that this was the beginning of Skylar’s brutal honesty!  She has not stopped since!

Josh did eventually come on stage and she didn’t stop smiling the entire concert.  As each of his songs started to play she would smile, clap, squeal with excitement, and say “I LOVE this song!”  It was one of the most wonderful experiences.  As we were driving home we asked Skylar how she liked the concert and if she would ever want to see him in concert again.  I can still hear her words in my mind today:

“I loved it!  Maybe next time, I’ll get up on stage and sing with him!”

I have no doubt that Skylar will totally find a way to do just that!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Make it a great one!

JuJu