Living the Dream With RBRM: Dream It, Believe It, Achieve It (And Then Dream Bigger!) by Ashley Benton

To dream is to believe, then to achieve! I have had the best times of my life over the last couple of weeks because I believed! I went to a few concerts of my favorite band and their entity – RBRM! The concerts in Greensboro, N.C., Augusta, Ga., and Spartanburg S.C., were phenomenal! I don’t care how many times I see the same show, the energy is always different and I leave with more memories! I’m not done. I have a few more places to visit, more New Edition family to meet and more memories with the fellas! I want to thank each of them separately:

• Michael Bivins for that wonderful joke about carrying the Bobby Brown BBQ sauce in my new SportyRich Dope bag. Mike is a hilarious, very smart, business oriented and a wonderful person. He has his own line of clothing called SportyRich Apparel and now sells backpacks, which I had just purchased, and he noticed that at a meet ‘n’ greet in Greensboro. To know that someone of his stature sees me and my adventures is priceless! I had made a previous post when I was at Myrtle Beach sharing that I was grilling with the BBQ sauce and Michael saw it!
  

• Ronnie Devoe, I would like to thank you for sharing my video of your precious twin boys to your page! It was a blessing to be on the front row to capture that moment. Ronnie brought his twin boys on stage for the second time in their father’s career and the crowd roared! He also took the time to take a personal picture with me on the elevator in Augusta, which I will be forever grateful.
  

• Ricky Bell, what can I say? Well, let me start by saying I’m still on a natural high! I was able to sit in the same room with him and his beautiful wife, Amy Correa Bell, in Augusta. Although the meet ‘n’ greet was canceled, I had my own personal meet ‘n’ greet!!! It was awesome! Just to know we were in the same room socializing, laughing, taking pictures, was FREAKING FANTASTIC! I truly appreciate the memory and will see you at another show and hope to get another picture! A girl can dream, right?!
  

• Bobby Brown, King of Stage … OMG!!!! I feel like a friend now. Two places where I was blessed, and Augusta is where it all started! I was allowed to be in the presence of Bobby and some of his family. We had a blast, yet I had no idea what was really in store for me until I got to Spartanburg, S.C. Bobby was the first person I saw when I walked into the hotel. He welcomed me with a hug and a great conversation. We watched a Mike Tyson boxing match on his telephone, which was phenomenal!! After the show was the big finale … I SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE WITH A GRAMMY AWARD WINNER AND TALKED FOR ALMOST TWO HOURS!!! Bobby Brown, his brother Tommy, myself, his cousin William Brinson, Jai “Lady J” Jones (an amazing radio personality) and my friend, Kenyetta McBride, had the best time! We sang together, we heard stories of Bobby’s childhood, we even heard of private moments that will always be in my heart and no place other. If someone would’ve told me that I’d be seated at a table for four with Mr. Bobby Brown, I would’ve laughed out loud and said, “Stop kidding!” But it happened! It actually happened! It was heartfelt. It was fun. It was as if we had known each other forever. The times that he would look me dead in my eyes to tell me a deep story will always resonate my soul. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
  
  

I look forward to many more memories with all of my new friends! I wrote this blog mainly for young girls who have big dreams. Follow them! Never give up on them! I have been following these groups (New Edition, Bell Biv Devoe, Heads of State, their solo careers and now RBRM) for over three decades. I used to write to Fresh and Right On! magazines to win a chance to meet them or receive a phone call, and now I am in their presence 30 plus years later!

DREAMS DO COME TRUE! Stay focused and never give up!

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