Sandi Patty Weekend December 2009

Friday the 18th at 2:00 I met Teran at Carnegie Hall and we hung out waiting for the rehearsal to start. At 2:30ish they started and Sandi came walking in with her tea in hand, looking fabulous! Loved, loved, loved her outfit. The rehearsal went on and eventually she went up on stage and sang some. She and Don did the prayer completely and wow! Just beautiful. We were told in the beginning not to clap during the rehearsal but The Prayer and Jesus, O What A Wonderful Child, well, couldn't help but clap. It was just amazing. Really cool to see the way they did the rehearsal and the place was packed for that. I didn't know what to expect, but that wasn't it. I thought it would be a very small crowd, but it wasn't.

Went home and changed and then headed back to the 8:00 performance. We had 5th row seats, on the inside isle, really perfect seats! The concert was just fabu. Sandi was the guest artist, so she came out after the NY Pops did a few numbers. The New York Youth Choir was there as well and they did the backup for Sandi and OMG, they did a great job. I loved the whole show, I just wish that it was a bit more of Sandi, but I'll take what I got! :-) During intermission we were invited to a champagne and chocolate reception. It was nice, until we saw Ellen Wheeler in line getting a drink. The killer of GL and we have to run into her on such a fun night! UGH!! BUT, we let that go and enjoyed the rest of the show and what a great end to the show. Sandi was just spot on.

After the show was over we were taken backstage where we met Sandi. She was everything I wanted her to be. She was sweet and genuine and tried to engage us in conversation, but alas, peeps jumped in! I know everyone wants to spend time with her, but hello, this is me! LOL We did get some pictures and she signed my CD. We were then kind of taken over by other people and then we hung back a minute and I got Anna's, Sandi's daughter, attention and she got Sandi to sign Teran's CD too.

Teran and I then jumped in a cab and headed to the Laurie Beechman Theater. They were doing a thing called the After Party, a tribute to Sandi Patty. This was just the icing on the cake for me and I think Teran too. We got there and were waiting in line and well, just no seats to be had, but Teran and I being of the same fan-mind were not leaving until Sandi left. Sandi and her entourage showed up and then some in front of us were not willing to wait, so eventually, we got in the room. Very much on the edge of the room at first and then a table. The evening was just beyond explanation.

As most of you know, I love the gay man, yes I do, can't help it, they are just fabulous, no apologies for it, I love 'em! Well, this room was full of gay men and a little bit of variety stuck in for good measure. We weren't the only women there, but we women were out numbered for sure. Well, the whole night was people getting up and singing Sandi's songs and just representing the Sandi Patty love! OMG, it was AWESOME! The people that sang were so good and really did a great job on her songs. Sandi herself got up and sang and mentioned that she had been on the phone with her friend Liza! Well, if the room didn't already love her, they just FLOVE her now! She sang Sandi with an I/Patty with a Y, a version of Liza's song. It brought the house down. She then sang The Stage is Bear, a song she co-wrote with Gloria Gaither. The guy that was hosting the show, Brandon, well, he is one HUGE Sandi Patty fan. Had all her music, videos, articles and such. He had a few bits he did with showing her pictures and talking about how you could tell when she switched to a guy stylists and hair dresser, 'cause her pictures way improved! LOL, he also asked her if she knew she was a gay icon. She said she felt the love. He said, now, for those that want to know, the reason she didn't say yes was because if this ends up on youtube she doesn't want the WOF banning her! LOL, we rolled, as did Sandi. He explained to her and the audience how she became a gay icon. she was just first, amazing at what she did and her voice is just unmatched, but then she had some personal struggles and she fought her way back. Some people tried to keep her down, but she fought back and just came out on the other side stronger, better, and absolutely fabulous looking! That makes her an official gay icon! LOL, he was really good and as a fan that gets it, it was awesome to see his dream happening for him.

One of his friends, who used to be in Wicked, came up and sang Bethlehem Morning. She nailed it! When she was done I think it was Sandi that wanted her to sing again, something from Wicked. Brandon was like, only if you sing with her, so she did!!! Sandi went up and sang For Good with her and it was awesome! The girl was so in awe of it, she was just shaking and she's sang in front of Broadway audiences! It was just perfect.

Each person that sang, as they came down the stairs, Sandi greeted them with a big hug and just thanked them. It was just beyond amazing! Each person had a Sandi story to share and how she had touched their lives and reached them with her songs and music when others couldn't. Brandon talked about being gay and being a preacher's kid and trying to come to terms with all of that and he saving grace was Sandi's music and her songs about the journey and not being preachy and just loving through song. the girl that sang with her said that when she was 9 they gave her Bethlehem Morning to sing and well, it's a really hard song for a 9 year old. She said she didn't nail it, but she did well enough that someone told her parents they should invest in lessons for her. She did take lessons, loved to sing and eventually ended up on Broadway, all because of that song. It was just beyond amazing to see how many people were touched by her songs and her life.

At one point, one of the guys, who was a musical director, I think, got up and he played a song of hers on the piano. Brandon came up and asked him to play some hymns. He played Do Lord, Victory In Jesus, He Lives and one more and the WHOLE room was singing and just worshiping! Yep, you heard it right, a room full of gay men, having church, in a club setting in NYC and Sandi Patty in attendance! It was for sure one of the most awesome nights of my life. Where else but in NYC can you have people in a club, drinking and singing to the Lord with Sandi Patty?! LOL, it was a night I will not soon forget and I already loved Sandi, but now, she's gone up like 8000 notches with me.

I got home that night/morning at 3am! I wasn't tired at all and could have stayed for hours more, but Sandi left, as did we. :-)

Saturday I stayed home and then decided to order a cheap seat and go back and see her at Carnegie again! I'm SO glad I went. The first half I was in my cheap seat and the show, of course, was great. Well, because of the blizzard, there was so many empty seats down front, so at intermission I went down, talked to one of the guys I met Friday night and well, just stayed in the second row! LOL, yep, I so did. It's great being Wilford's child and just acting like him sometimes, I just acted like I own the place and was supposed to be there. It worked, I stayed and yes, I made sure Sandi saw me and acknowledged me!

All in all, this was just an awesomely awesome weekend!

GL weekend 2009

Wow, what a weekend it was. It started off Thursday night when I had a group of friends come over and catch up. We had pizza, drinks, fun and lots of laughs! Rachel B got to my house late, as the group was leaving, 'cause she missed her flight! LOL About 11:00 a few more friends came over and we hung out more and just had a blast.

Friday Rachel and I were a bit lazy and hung out at home for a while then headed to BBQ's to have lunch with everyone. Some bailed and didn't do lunch, but those of us that did had a great time. Friday night we went to the Rock Show for the American Red Cross, it was an AWESOME night. Got to see Kim and when she did see me, came right to me, hugged me big time and we just caught up, it was awesome to see her. We all ended up taking lots of pictures and then the second show started. Kim rocked both shows like it was her job!

Saturday morning we all met at the Marriott for the official Gathering. Had lots of fun meeting people, catching up with others and then seeing Kim again. I didn't go see any other people, I helped work Kim's line. Who needs others when the Zim is there?! :-)

Saturday night was the play reading Kim was doing, we got there and it was a wee bit unorganized, took forever for it to start. The reading was awesome. After was a DISASTER!!!!!! No details needed, but wow, hope that never happens again. You know, I'm learning more and more that, to quote my favorite line from ANTM, God Don't Like Ugly!!! There was a LOT of ugly that night after the reading, but it's all good. I won't EVER have to deal with that mess again! LOL, wow it was something.

Sunday I worked the Bowling Event for the American Cancer Society and we raised over 11,700.00, it was AWESOME! We had a fun time. It was for real a lot of work and I was so tired when I got home, but wow, it was rewarding. I got home about 9:30 that night and was just ready for bed.

My girl Banks left Monday morning and since then, I've been trying to recover!

All in all, it was a great weekend. The Zim was amazing and seeing my FRIENDS was great.

I love living in NYC and being an New Yorker!

Yes, I know I am not a born and bred New Yorker, but I've been here 7 1/2 years, so I'm pretty much a New Yorker. My New York friends say I'm more a NY'r than most. It's funny because at the office if someone who doesn't live in Manhattan needs to go some where they come to me to ask me what train/bus to take to get there!

So, this morning on my way to work I missed the bus, 'cause it left early!!!! Oh well, I'll just walk. It was a nice morning, not hot, but a bit humid still. As a native Floridian, I DO NOT like humidity! It's just not my friend. Now, I don't want to give it up, I just don't like it. It's like being an addict! LOL I really don't think I could live on the West Coast, it's just not for me. I'm not a dry heat kind of girl! LOL

So, as I'm walking to work, it hits me that yes, I am a NY'r! Here I am, headphones on, flat shoes, bag across my body, and I'm just one of a few million that all look the same! Here we go, most all of us in black/dark colors, headed to the office. We come from the busses, the boats, up from out of the groud and we all meet in downtown Manhattan and head into our high rise buildings. It's called the Financial District for a reason! ;-)

I hate to walk to work just because most of the time I get hot and feel icky by the time I get to work, but it's morning like these that remind me so much why I love this city and love being a part of it. It's an energy you can't explain, you just feel it, it's just there and I thrive on it. It's totally like a drug.

I have plans tonight to meet my boys, Marc and John, for dinner in Harlem. I don't have to worry about traffic and if I'm going to make it on time. I just hop on the bus that takes me to the train that takes me directly to 125th street! We may have a few moments here and there where the subway is slowed for a bit, but it hardly ever stops completely between stops, it just works and gets me there! I don't have to pay for parking or try to find a spot for free, I just use the two feet God gave me, pay the $2.25 to ride and I'm there! It's just awesome!

I LOVE New York City!!!

The Paley Center for Media, Tribute to Guiding Light, 72 Years

I had the privilege of going to the Paley Center's tribute to Guiding Light on August 19th. It was held at the Paley Center, on 52nd Street here in NYC. There were 7 of us that met to go. I took the day off, my friend Rachel was in town from Georgia, so we spent the day together before the event. We did some shopping and then went to the St. Regis Hotel on 55th to have a Bloody Mary. The St. Regis is the first place in the US to ever serve said drink. It was such a cool fun thing to do. We took a picture, of course. We also went to Tiffany, Rachel had never been and well, everyone should go. At 1:30ish, we went to the Heartland Brewery to wait for the rest of our friends to meet up with us. They came about 2:00 and we had lunch. After lunch we went to 52nd, just a block up from where we were and basically just hung out until they opened the doors. We weren't there long before others started showing up, so I was glad we had gotten there first. They set up the red carpet and the press started showing up. The event started at 6:30, so they started the red carpet about 6:00. The last to walk the red carpet was Kim Zimmer, as it should be!!!

She saw us and gave a quick hello kiss and then off she went. We went and grabbed our seats, ones we had already scoped out. Thanks to Kim, Brie's mom, she stayed and saved our seats. It seems some tried to take our seats while we were gone, but she stood her ground, God bless her!!! Don't mess with a mama! LOL

After all were seated the panelist came in and Kim was sitting close to us. Of course she blew kisses and said hey again. They then introduced everyone, alphabetically, and so she was last. We gave her the standing ovation she deserves! And yes, everyone else joined us, 'cause they know too! LOL

The interviewer talked to everyone and asked them about the show, what they liked, disliked and various other questions. Kim talked about meeting Stevie Wonder in the elevator. She was trying to get to set and they were holding the elevator, little did she know it was for him. When he got in, someone with him said, Stevie, you are not going to believe who is in the elevator with us, REVA SHAYNE! LOL, he was like, where is she???? He was excited to meet her, just like she was him. Very cool, right?

Micheal O'Leary talked about some stuffed lamb and how he was supposed to be grieving over Philip leaving. The whole thing was just weird and he said he hated it, but you know, it's a paycheck!

Grant Alexander talked about loving the New York stuff from the 80's and Liz Kiefer loved the two dads storyline. Bradley said he loved the time travel stuff, even though he wasn't his story. Kim talked about loving the HB/Reva/Josh, the clone stuff, and the Annie storyline. They also talked about the 80's and how the budgets were just off the chain and how big everything was. We all agreed, the 80's rocked!

The headwriter and the executive producer talked, but really, didn't care for much of what they said, so no need to recap it! LOL EW, the executive producer was asked what she liked and disliked about the changes that had to be made. She was quick to say that what she did was able to keep the show on the air, that was the best thing. Her self importance just made me gag, so I'll just let it go at that!

They took some audience questions, none really outstanding because they wouldn't answer the storyline questions, they are trying to keep everything hush hush. There was a lot of thanks to the cast for their love and devotion not only to the show but more importantly to the fans. I did get up and ask a question, I asked Ellen and Jill to confirm that Josh and Reva would be together, yes, I was persistent, but they wouldn't say. Ellen even had the nerve to say that if she told me I wouldn't watch! She just proves again, she has NO CLUE about the fans! I also asked if they were going to by chance do an auction on like eBay for some of the clothes, sets, jewelry etc., so fans could maybe own a piece of the show. She said no.

After the discussion time was done there was a reception after. We ran upstairs, so much so that basically I fell up the stairs, never actually hit the ground, but it wasn't pretty! LOL, funny, but not pretty! Anyway, we get upstairs and I found Kim right off. We asked her if we could have a minute before everything got so crazy. She said yes. We had decided to give her a gift to just say thanks and let her know we love her and don't take her or Reva Shayne for granted. We got her a ceramic Tiffany Box, just like the ones they wrap your items in, it's just so pretty! Inside the box we got her a Paloma Picasso Red Heart, called the Loving Heart necklace, it's from Tiffany too. The Paloma Picasso Collection is my favorite collection at Tiffany! We gave it to her to tell her we wanted her to know she has our heart forever and since it's red, she will always have a bit of REVA RED with her! She loved it, it made her cry, which made us cry! LOL She took pics with us individually and then as a group.

We had our few moments with her and then Pandora's box opened and she was bombarded for the next hour or so with person after person after person. She was in a corner signing autographs taking pictures and just loving the fans. She is incredible, seriously incredible. There were some actors that weren't on the discussion panel that came too. Most of them were at the reception for a little while, but most left early. Kim, on the other hand, was there the whole time until they kicked us out. On the way out the door she was still talking to fans. I tell ya, that's why people love her.

So, she leaves we all say bye, she heads to her car, we stand around talking to people for a bit. After a bit I was leaving, they all talked me into going to get some food, so I lead the way. I'm headed to 5th Ave, everyone is like why are you going this way, I'm like, I don't know. We get to 52nd and 5th and are standing on the corner waiting to cross. All of a sudden we hear the screaming and honking, it's Kim! LOL I told her I hadn't been cat called at in a long time! Alicia and Teran take off across traffic to say bye to her one last time and off she went! It was just the perfect ending to our really great night.

We then went to TGIFriday's and had some dinner. It was just a great night all the way around!

So glad to have been able to spend that night with my friends, Alicia, Rachel L, Teran, Rachel B, Kim and Brie.

A year, really?

Oh, this is bad, but since FB, I just haven't blogged. I do know I need to, rather than just updates. I will work on doing this more, I know, you've heard it before, but this time I mean it! LOL I do realize that FB/Twitter are great, but to blog the thoughts and events, they get lost on FB/Twitter eventually, so I need to have this to remember the really good stuff!

So, no back logs, let's just start from today! WooT!