Saturday, October 27, 2012

To Ellen We Will Go

Labor Day weekend, my good friend Nicole offered me a ticket to see a taping of the Ellen Show.  I was thrilled at the chance and Todd nodded in agreement that it would be okay to escape for a while.  Our taping was scheduled for Thursday, October 18th at 6pm.  I was more excited at the idea of escaping for three day, despite the 12 hour car ride...wait...that 12 hour car ride was going to be HEAVEN!  As much as I love "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Where is Thumbkin"playing on constant rotation with kids in the car, I couldn't wait to hear what new soundtrack would accompany us on this trip.

The last time I had been on a road trip with Nicole was when I was just 16 years old and we drove together to Montana.  The music we played then has stuck with me more than a picture would.  Every time I hear Celine Dion or Sarah McLaughlin, I recall that little get away and the fun times Nicole and I have together.

The soundtrack for this trip, however, will always be anything by Taylor Swift..because of the concert that almost was.  More on that to come later.

Wednesday morning, I kissed my family good-bye in Nicole's driveway.  None of them seemed heartbroken that I was going to be away for three days.  The drive there was full of the music that we love and passing stories back and forth as to what has been going in our lives.  I'm somewhat of a paranoid/cautious driver, so Nicole let me take the wheel for about an hour.  Then she took back over, she's better able to handle the crazy California traffic.  Proof that I don't get out much.

We arrived at Nicole's friends' house around 9pm, and each of us pulled out what we thought we were going to wear the next day, to get a stamp of approval (once we were there the variety of wardrobe was from ultra classy to somewhat trashy...I don't think there was much in the way of "wardrobe rules" .  Then we got a great nights sleep...with the exception of the spider I swallowed while sleeping.  I know I swallowed a spider because I woke up coughing with something strange in my throat...what else could it have been?

Thursday morning was the day of our great adventure.  I was somewhat excited, not super duper thrilled, but excited.  We drove down the Malibu Coast, trying to find Oprah's house listening to Nicole, Gina and Bobby share stories about their time together.  We stopped in Santa Monica, took a walk down to the beach, soaked my toesies in the Pacific Ocean...feeling closer to Hawaii than I have in almost 4 years and ventured down the famous Santa Monica Pier.




What trip to L.A. is complete without a proper exploration of Hollywood Boulevard and Grauman's Theater?  We attempted to get close to the Hollywood Sign, and then drove up a windy road to the Griffith Observatory where we changed into our more "glamorous" clothes to prep for our 15 seconds of fame!  The butterflies in my stomach started to flutter at this point.


Finally, we arrived in Burbank for our assigned taping of the Ellen Show.  We had reserved seating, so we felt super special.  Pulling in to the parking garage and getting a spot was quite the feat, it took nearly thirty minutes just to do that!  I was expecting a waiting area inside an air conditioned building, but we waited in a line in the parking garage and got our hands stamped to prove we were ready to go!


Waiting outside, the music was playing, more and more people started coming and we learned that just across the street, the 3pm taping had begun.  It was Taylor Swift!!!  A special concert!!!  I think you could feel the sadness of everyone around that we weren't there watching this great singer/songwriter...especially the girl with the Taylor Swift T-shirt on (no, that wasn't me).

Eventually they informed us that it was time to get our numbers and begin the whole cattle call process again.  The energy wasn't super buzzed, but the people sure were anxious to just get through the line.  I got number 136.  I had no idea what that was supposed to mean.  We'd heard that others that had been to a taping before us had filled out questionnaires, but we didn't.

The butterflies were really flying at the point!  My adrenaline was pumping and I couldn't wait to get across the street and into the studio.  We crossed the street in numerical order, went through metal detectors and then went into the little shop and wound our way through some comfy benches to wait and dance...I swear I was the only one dancing or feeling any amount of excitement at this point.  I honestly feel sorry for Ellen cuz this crowd was a bunch of duds.

We walked up the stairs into the studio, it was a little smaller than I had thought, but it was AWESOME!!!  I thought with as spastic as I was that we were certain to get a good spot, but we got plopped on the second to last row.  Nicole got a great end seat and the energy started flowing...and we were encouraged to shake our groove thangs...which I gladly did!  I did it so much that I got to go down in the front of the crowd and show 'em what moves I got!  It was  BLAST!!!  That was my very favorite part of this whole experience.  The people were smiling and dancing and happy....it's so contagious.  I wish the whole world could feel like that every day.  Eventually I was stopped, thrown (and thankfully caught) a T-shirt for my participation and went back to my seat, but you couldn't stop my dancing feet.

The guests for the episode were LL Cool J, Victoria Jackson and her Daughter, Jerry O'Connel and Portia De Rossi.  The guests were good, but the commercial breaks were better, especially when I shoved Nicole out into the aisle and she had to put on her dancing shoes, she did awesome!  I love watching people dance!!!

We walked out of the taping with some calories burned, I got a bruised and scraped finger from wearing a huge ring (lots and lots of clapping), and a book by Victoria Jackson and her daughter.

The thrill died quickly and the realization that it wasn't as amazing as I had hoped hit me.   Maybe it was knowing what the episode was like before us, or seeing that other people have gotten more than a book before.  But mostly, I danced and sweat way to hard to have not truly gotten my 15 seconds of fame (lame, I know).  That was confirmed after watching the taping and the only glimpse of our crew was a millisecond when you could see Gina's hands up in the air clapping after a commercial break (I had thought that FOR SURE Bobby sitting up straight at the mention of Rebecca Romij coming out would have made it on TV).

The drive home was beautiful past orange orchards and vineyards.  Nicole said it reminded her of her time in Italy.  Maybe that will be our next trip!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

A Pinterest Halloween

Every year, my Mother-In-Law throws a rather impressive Halloween Party for all of her grand-goblins.  Each year, it gets better and better, and as adults, we are all so anxious to see what she comes up with!  The kids are always excited to get into costumes early on in the month and I am happiest to get the costumes ready and off of my hectic October To-Do List (best part, I didn't spend a DIME on costumes this year!)

I hope you are ready for lots of links via Pinterest, as this Halloween was brought to you in part by the many creative contributors there.


This little bum of a guy was so fun to dress up.  He totally got into my smothering his face in dark brown eye shadow and then dabbing his face with a washable brown marker to get stubble on those soft cheeks. Sign, compliments of Dr. Todd.

What surprised me the most about this costume were so many of the comments I read on the link.  People chose to be offended by the term "homeless" as though dressing up your baby as such might be meant to be hurtful or as an insult.  However, as one whose husband has lost a job in this poor economy, we chose to dress him up as such, grateful that we have a home and more importantly to be able to laugh at our own situation.  You can choose to be the martyr/victim or laugh about it, start your own business and see where life can take you (we chose that route)!


Do you see this adorable little guy?  He is one of our many nephews, and I was so excited to see him wearing this giraffe costume that Connor, Abi, Carly and Dakota have all worn!

Here's where we get to see all of those things people pin on Pinterest, but never do...until now!



(I loved how she put bows on the bags that belonged to the girls) 

I have a funny little tidbit to add here.  Connor dressed up as Indiana Jones, and we all know about Indiana's aversion to snakes, so Connor, taking his role very seriously, refused to eat any of these cupcakes because worms are too much like snakes.


 Jack-O-Lantern Putt-Putt was just one of the many games the kids played.  Mom, brilliantly, divided the kids into four different groups by age and had different dads in charge of the activities.
1) Diving for Doughnuts; the kids had to eat a donut hanging from a string, without using their hands
2) Jack-O-Lantern Putt-Putt; using a putter, get the golf balls into the hole
3) Bowling for Ghosts; using a pumpkin as a bowling ball, knock over ghosts made from t.p.
4) Pop the Pumpkin; using darts, pop open the balloons that form a giant pumpkin

Once each activity was completed, the kids earned a treat that they got to place in their little ghosty bags.

 Dad did the flipping at the grill and placed these little cuties on top of the patties.

 Shall we play the guessing game?
Abigail: Rapunzel, complete with frying pan and bare feet
Carly: Rock Star with the bangles and microphone to prove it
Hanky: 5th Generation Giraffe
Whit: Dancer...really
McGarry Clan: Vampires...and a little bat...with another little bat in the making!
Hannah: Ballerina
Sissy: Pirate Bird
Jack: Batman (it took some convincing from his mom to even wear the mask)
Connor: Indiana Jones (using a jumprope for a whip)
Jakey: Captain AMERICA!!!!
T: ZOMBIE, he scared all of the little boys.  They'll get him back when they're older
A: Grimm Reaper (nobody was harmed that night)
Grandma: Spider Lady
Kota: Baby Bum
Dallin: Woody
Rach: Jessi (her mom made her costume, it's so awesome, it should be on Pinterest)
May: Cowgirl

And, on a last note: recently, my girls made a trip to my mom's house.  They were so surprised by her Halloween decor spreading beyond the front door that they began a scavenger hunt throughout her entire home to see which other rooms had been "haunted."

While I was at the General Relief Society Broadcast (with some rather important ladies, to me) my own sweet little ladies began some decorating of their own!  I was so excited to come home and see that each and every room of our own house had been "haunted" too, with these little foam pumpkins.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!