Gotcha!
Lakers game!
Hollywood sign.
Hanging out on the beach
Pepperdine!
Spring break has come and gone already. I had a nice, relaxing break with a few "dream come trues" intermixed in all that down time. First, I headed to LA to visit Lisa and Mike in the ever so lovely town of Calabasas. The weather was miserable when I arrived. High 70s?! How dare you, California for being so perfectly warm. Boy was it great to see some family! Lisa and Mike sure have California figured out.
The day after I arrived was dream come true #1. Yes, there are more dream come trues, as I said earlier. So, #1...Lisa and I drove to Burbank, CA. Isn't that everyone's dream? Oh, right. The reason! A lady by the name of Ms. Ellen DeGeneres. Have you heard of her? If you haven't, a: You have never read my early blog posts. or b: You should stop reading them right this minute because we have nothing in common. Good-bye.
Lisa and I had guaranteed tickets. This meant that we were guaranteed a seat somewhere in the audience if we showed up by 3:30 for the 6:00 pm taping. Naturally we were there by 2:15 and watched everyone shuffle through the line for the taping right before ours. I was getting especially antsy. Lisa and I grabbed a snack and an Ellen water bottle "It even tastes funny" and waited. I may have glared at a few Ellen workers because I am so envious that this is what they do. They say you should love what you do, well, um, hire me Ellen and that will be no problem at all! Finally, at 4-ish, everyone was asked to get in line and receive a number which would be the order we would file into the studio. Then the unthinkable happened. As I was waiting for the numbers, a woman behind me called her friend over. I will sum up the conversation using woman 1 (who was in line) and woman 2 (who was not in line).
Woman 1: I just found out the show doesn't start until 6
Woman 2: How long does it take?
Woman 1: About an hour to film, but I didn't realize we would be waiting this long before it started.
Woman 2: Yeah, that's a really long time.
Woman 1: What do you want to do? Do you want to wait that long? What would we do if we weren't here?
Woman 2: I don't know. I just didn't think it would take this long. I'd probably go for a run.
Woman 1: Okay, should we just leave? I mean, I like Ellen but I don't want to wait this long.
That hurt. Go for a run? Wasting time waiting to see Ellen? Why come in the first place? These questions will never be answered so I should just continue on with my story but for a moment, know that I was NOT pleased with these women. I was given 35 and 36 for Lisa and I. We lined up in numerical order and proceeded inside. Wow, is that studio a LOT smaller than it looks! I could not believe I was standing in the same area that I see on TV every single day. Lisa and I walked to the top right side of the audience's seating area. A man, who clearly had a lot of power, was seating everyone. He asked how many in our party. "Two!" We went down a few steps, a few more, and then a few more until he motioned to the seats on the right in the....FRONT ROW! My goodness, what a surprise! How did Lisa and I handle this? Giggling. Uncontrollably. The Ellen gods were obviously on our side. Ellen's chair was closer than ever! I'm getting excited just remembering this momentous time! We were not on TV because we were a bit far to the right but it's okay, I will forever remember that moment and the view! Pierce Brosnan and Betty White were on the show. They were just as you'd expect them to be; Pierce was full of himself, boring, not funny, and annoying. Betty was the cutest little woman, hilarious, charming, and entertaining! Ellen was the main star though. Oh, maybe that's why it's called The Ellen Show!? It's all so clear now. :-D We won a $100 Shell gift card that I have already used. In fact, it's halfway gone. I just can't stop buying those hostess cakes and slushies. Just kidding, it's for gas you guys!
I suppose Ellen could have been an entire blog post but I will move forward. I still miss you, Ellen. Melissa, Brad, and John joined us in LA on Friday evening through Monday. We went to the Calabasas farmer's market (the best I've seen), Venice beach, Santa Monica, the local restaurants and dessert places and so much more. Dream #2: The Lakers game with Lisa, Mike and John. It was such a fun experience! Although Kobe Bryant did not play as much, I was still excited to see him out there and everyone else! Next time, we'll sit court side (after winning the lottery). I'm sorry I don't have a story with as much anticipation as Ellen but it was a dream come true. Those Lakers are a wonderful team...I can't wait until they play the Seattle Supersonics! Oh wait...........
Before I knew it, it was time to leave. California, I'll miss you. Special thanks to Lisa and Mike:)
Now it was time for some Mom and Dad time. My mom was there to greet me in Washington to spend her vacation time with family and her favorite daughter (Sorry Meliss). We spent the week relaxing, shopping, cleaning---well, mostly my mom (thanks!), eating great food, playing cards, and more! My dad arrived Thursday and we went to Vancouver the next day. I can't stay away from that beautiful town! I loved having my parents around. We had a few laughs in there. All in all, it was a great break. I miss everyone already!
I shall end this rather quickly because I'd hate for you to get a headache from staring at the computer screen for so long. Take care until the next time. Also...If I have any words that are misspelled or sentences that don't sound right, I apologize. I am definitely not re-reading this lengthy post before I post it. I just don't have that kind of time, folks.
Best,
Anne
