In the beautiful picture above, David is searching for this favorite bible verse--Psalms 101:1. It reads in the King James version which is what we use: “I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.” Does that fit David or what? Any question why he might have chosen that as a favorite?

Great blog rascal, as always.

Not only did we meet David & get autographs & amazing photos at the autograph signing (pre-show), but we also got to go back into a private room.. JUST THE 5 OF US… to meet each of the Idols!!!!

It is SUCH a long story, and we promised the Idol who helped us do this that we would not reveal how it all came down. It took some effort, but it worked out — and we got our USO banners signed (to be hung in the new FT Drum USO center for soldiers).. and more autographs, and GREAT conversations with all of the Idols. No pics were allowed at this (unlike the usual meet and greets) because there just was not time. But I have photos from earlier that day where we got autos.

I am now a fan of EACH AND EVERY IDOL. Not only were they kind, engaging, relaxed, and down to earth -- they treated our kids so sweetly and compassionately.. giving them hugs & asking them questions about their dads service, and when they were coming home, etc.

Ramiele was particularly sweet… she was extremely tiny!

Chikezie was so warm, with a genuine smile -- and made complete eye contact, as did Michael… In fact, they were ALL equally nice.

(I’ll get to DA in a second)

The girls were absolutely gorgeous… which I expected — but they had gorgeous personalities to match.

They all seemed genuinely excited to receive the girls’ gifts (personalized, real U.S. Army dog tags).. Kristy Lee wore hers on stage, and dedicated God Bless The USA to the “little girl (and her mom) whose daddy is in Iraq, and who gave her the dog tags earlier that day.” My friend’s daughter let out the most UNBELIEVABLE squeal of her LIFE… LOL I bet it’s audible on a youtube clip if there is one!

David Cook immediately wore his dog tags, too -- wore them during his performance as well (he had SO many necklaces on, I don’t know how he dealt with it -- LOL).

They all wrote wonderful messages to the soldiers on the USO banners… and I got an opportunity to talk with David Cook about going to MD Anderson Cancer CTR in Houston… put the bug in his ear. I hope they might be able to do that .. I told him my friend, Christie, wants to have lunch with him in her room there… (with some humor, of course, as I’m sure this is an impossibility- couldn’t hurt to ask though). We discussed his upcoming trip to D.C. to meet with Sen Kennedy & discuss Cancer funding!

O.k.. now for David Archuleta…

When he came out for the pre show autographs, he had a constant smile, was incredibly accommodating -- especially given there were a LOT of people pulling him in all directions. His Dad was up on the level above us, looking down every once in a while -- and he was SOOO friendly & “smiley”.

I immediately got the sense that David is tired. He signed my daughter’s shirt & was sooo soooo friendly, but you know when you can tell that someone is verging on exhaustion? I got that impression with ALL of the Idols. I think the fast pace of the schedule is kickin’ their hineys now. I don’t know how they do it…

When meeting David later (in back-stage-like room), he was really busy chatting with Kristy Lee. He seemed tired.. I don’t know why I was getting that feeling, but I decided only to shake his hand and thank him for being so kind as to sign our banner and for his music… then Kristi Lee and I began talking about her father’s military service, and the “minder” was moving us along. I’m actually glad, tho, that I didn’t chat his ear off as I had imagined I might.. as this way I didn’t do anything I would regret later (something fangirly and the things that going-to-school-naked-dreams are made of). I was just so glad to have met him. He’s everything other fans have said.. and more.

I have to add that as I finished talking with K.L., Ramiele & Syesha, I hear my daughter (next to me, face to face with J.C.) say, “Jason! DUUUUUUDE!” Jason laughed.. and I couldn’t believe my daughter… it was so funny (and harder to describe). Just trust me.. it was FUNNY.

As we left, David Cook gave out HUGS to the girls and to us…. and Ramiele came over and gave us hugs and was soooo sincere.

I would be remiss to leave out two things worthy of noting:

1. Chikezie is an amazing entertainer, and you just want to hug him, sit down, and chat with him forever.

2. Michael Johns is an incredibly nice person -- spent so much time talking to his fans and to us, and MUCH better live than I could have imagined.

3. Syesha’s last song made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, goosebumps on my arms, and tears in my eyes. I hope someone has it on youtube… in a word: IMPRESSIVE. I realized why she was in the top 3 immediately.

4. David’s voice is DEEPER… I’m sure of it! He effortlessly carries across the auditorium with a tone that is spine chilling (in a good way, of course), and his facial expressions (yes -- EYES CLOSED) tell his audience how deeply he is feeling every word, and he’s as close to bearing his soul as a human can come.

5. Carly Smithson is AMAZING… as are ALL the Idols… I was completely educated on why these guys are the top 10.

I probably shouldn’t mention this, but the Review the local paper gave was just absurd… write the drive-by-author and tell him what you think of his lack of journalistic skills if you are so inclined:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807280328

I will try to post some AMAZING pics I have of David, and the idols, as well as video, etc ASAP.

Thanks for letting me rattle on Rascal… Really enjoyed (again) reading your latest comments/blog .. and the artwork is superb!

In your eyes
the light, the heat
In your eyes
I am complete
In your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
In your eyes
The resolution of all the fruitless searches
In your eyes
I see the light, the heat
In your eyes
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light, the heat I see
In your eyes

It’s great hearing from folks on this site, all the above comments are wonderful. We couldn’t (didn’t know how) to get close to him in SLC, now I ‘m jealous when I read of so many others’ experiences, some more than once…so unfair!! You can surely feel his spirit when he sings in person, however, be ready Rascal! Can’t wait to read your reaction!

So happy to see a new article this morning, YIPEEEE!!