The Memory Of A Life Time!

Today was the BIG day!!! I went to see Oprah and it was so much fun and the memory of a life time. There is so much to tell (that was a warning that this is going to be long) and I will start from the time my alarm clock went off at 5:30 am and my first thought of the day was.....I wonder what Oprah's doing right now? LOL

I live an hour away from the Harpo Studios but with morning rush hour traffic/construction that could easily turn into a three hour drive. We were told that the doors for the afternoon taping would open at 11:00 and of course we wanted to get there early for a good seat. So we left at about 8:15 and wouldn't you know it....hardly any traffic and we were in line by 9:40. We were numbers 32 and 33 which in the end don't matter because you aren't seated according to your position in line. FYI....Starbucks was two blocks away and well.... I wasn't about to lose my place in line for a Grande Mocha. (Later, I regreted that decision.)

We stood in line for about an hour and then things started to move. Security at the Oprah show is as tight as the airport. We were instructed to take off our coats and the last person in the party (which was Vicki) was to go to coat check and the first person (which was me) was to go to the reservation check in. After check in we had to hand over our purses and walk through a metal detector. Then get in another line to watch them search your purse and give it back. Vicki got her's back as is and I got mine back minus my calendar book, paycheck stub and my business cards. I thought that was odd considering I removed my cell phone and camera in the car but didn't think anything else would be a problem.

After we got our purses we headed upstairs to the waiting room where we waited and waited and waited....for two hours!!! Good thing I brought two granola bars on Beth's advice. It was freezing cold upstairs and this is where I could have used a warm Starbucks. Basically, everyone sat in the waiting room speculating about the subject of the show. We were all in the dark and clueless.

Then we were given instructions that we would be going down to the studio and we needed to give our blue reservation card to the usher and then take a number from another usher on our way into the studio. (Someone was going to win something....what could it be?)

The studio is very small....it looks so big on screen but it's really small. You know when she walks in and it looks like a long tunnel...it's not. There are basically two levels and we were on the upper level but first row. If you are look at the stage Oprah usually sits to the right with her back to a section of the audience. We were sitting directly opposite with Oprah facing us. However, we did have the camera guy going back and forth in front of us...that was a bit annoying but at least he moved around.

The staff came out and gave us some instructions and did a little warm up music/dance time. The VIP guests were ushered into the front row at the last minute and then it happened...Oprah walked through the tunnel and the crowd went crazy! It was so exciting to be so close and actually see her in person.

The number one question I have been asked is...what does she look like. She looks exactly like she does on TV and exactly as I had imagined her to be in real person. She is pretty, average height and probably a size 14. She pretty much as people all around her telling her what to do at all times.

The show was taped with commercial breaks and during breaks she pretty much kept to herself because people would rush out to do her hair, make up and wardrobe adjustments. The infamous Dean is constantly telling her what to do and where to stand and briefing her on the next segment. (It is obvious they are close and he is her right hand man.)

OK...now the show details. The title of our show was called "The Faces Behind the Names" and we were not told an air date....just told to check the WEB site. We are guessing it will be aired in one or two weeks because everything that was shown to us we were told would make a nice Christmas gift of stocking stuffer.

As you probably know, Oprah's Favorite Things was recorded this past weekend in Macon, Georgia and will be aired tomorrow. Obviously, we were not on that show which was fine because I was just grateful to be at any show. Today was what I would call a "mini" My Favorite Things day. We were introduced to creators of many different products that we all might use or that Oprah was introduced to recently.

I don't want to give it all away but we were fed two treats and given over $200 of gifts. It was exciting to see the creators/inventors and to find out we were going home with two bags of items. Just to make it a little fun let's see if you can guess what we received by my clues. 1) Look in the pic below and you can see a clue as to what is in one of my bags...it's one of my favorite stores and the owner is 92 years old (and it has nothing to do with the Starbucks in my hand....that was just due to a stop on the way home!) 2) Oh see if you can figure out this clue.....I am going to have the best damn lips in town for the next four years! 3) I was so excited about this one I could hardly "contain" myself. 4) Let's see....if you ever saw the movie Romie and Michelle's High School Reunion.....we met the real inventor of this product and he gave us a nice supply of his newest invention. 5) Cold and creamy....and oh so yummy!! 6) Finally, only one person in the audience got this last item and it wasn't me or Vicki.....it was a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes that sell for $785 at Saks Fifth Ave.

Anyway, that was my full day and I am so happy that I was blessed to have this experience. It was a fun and memorable day that I will talk about to anyone that is willing to listen. As soon as I see the air date I will share it with all of you so you can watch. Keep taking a guess at my clues and as you get them right I'll reveal the gifts we received.