SharivilleLife stories from Shari

Good friends are hard to find and then sometimes hard to hang onto.  I have found a good friend in Joy Jones.  She came to me via Judy Lou back home when Jerry was stricken with the bad news of another heart surgery. Judy Lou has spent the last several years trying to keep the class of 60 together and united, so she was up on the fact that Joy lived in a near by town.  Joy  and I went to school together in Chico and she will be coming out for our 50th class reunion in Sept.  We do not remember each other from high school, but we had a big class.  Joy was so supportive of us with Jerry’s heart surgery and I think she was an angel sent in disguise.  So I am not going to lose track of her.  She and I have really got a lot  in common and think alike on a lot of things.  I am thankful for her friendship.

Thurs. Jerry and I  drove up to Sherman where  Joy lives for a visit and to go to lunch.  Its about 60 miles north of here.  It was drizzling rain, but rain never bothers me.  It was a nice drive to someplace we have never been and that’s what we are all about.  We are here for a reason, an unplanned one, but here.  We are going to take advantage of these adventures, you only have one go round here and I want to see and do it all.   We went to lunch at The Olive Garden, had my favorite, fetachini alfredo, Jerry had his favorite spaghetti and meatballs and Joy had her fav lasagna.  It was a good lunch and a very good visit.  We returned to Joy’s house for coffee and to visit with her precious pup, Missy. She is the cutest little girl, only 10 mos old and a ball of energy.  I can see why Joy loves her so much. 

Joy is also the craft person of all time and she makes the most beautiful jewelry.  She really has a flair for color co ordination.  She also does silk embroidery, very fine work.  We visited for a couple of hours and then had to leave so we could get back to the Metroplex before dark, which we did.  It was a really nice drive, and a good visit with a friend I have come to greatly appreciate and love.  She is also a face book buddy and a computer fan.

Jerry’s birthday started out good and only got better.  We went to a place called Boopa’s Bagels for a cranberry orange bagel with apricot cream cheese for me then walked down the street to Starbucks so Jerry could get some coffee cake and some coffee for both of us. We sat there and enjoyed our breakfast. From there I walked next door to get my hair cut, had to look nice for Jerry’s pending birthday party that night.  While I was there, and since she did such a good job on my hair, I decided to have some waxing done.  Just to be sure to look extra wonderful.  Well that was possibly asking for to much.  The eyebrows went very well, when we got to the upper lip, you know the mustache touch, well something went very wrong. The girl got the wax on, but there it stayed….. ON.   Boy were we both surprise at that.  When she went to flick the tape off nothing came off.  Nothing was going to get that wax off my upper lip.  I really thought that girl was going to pee her pants when that wax stuck like glue.  And I’m sitting there thinking how attractive I  was going to look on our big night out.   We ended up literally peeling it off and I have whats called sensitive skin.  It seemed to me I could feel the top layer of the skin on my upper lip peeling away with the wax.  A cheap dermabrasion,  but only on one side of my lip.  So then I had a very red half  mustache.  Fortunately the day did get better.  We bought some Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and went home, because everyone knows Thin Mints will solve lots of problems, esp if you eat enough of them.

Felecia and Tyler came over and Jerry opened his gifts.  He got a beautiful watch from Angie and Tommy and from Felecia and Tyler a burger dinner from Sonics.  That’s a great drive in burger place here with wonderful milkshakes.  It all made his day, but it just got better. From here we went to down town Fort Worth to a simply fab Mexican place called Mia Cocina, they have a speciality drink called the Mombo Taxi.  The ingredients are a secret, but we have all decided its the best drink ever.  One is usually enough.  We spent a couple of hours thoroughly enjoying the food and drinks and company.  Now the next stop we , Jerry and I, were not so sure of.  It’s called Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar.  I guess I pictured a bunch of old folks sitting around a piano listening to oldies passively played on a couple of piano’s, Oh Heck NO.   This was one of those places with a cover charge and a stamp on your wrist, to say YOU have arrived.  From there on it was jumpin non stop music.  Loud, fun, sing along music. There were two pianos, plus drums, an electric guitar and a violin.  There were  5 different band members and each one of them could sing like no one else.  There was never a pause in the music from 8 PM until we left at 1 :30AM.  The band members just kept switching off with no intermission.  We cannot remember a more entertaining night.  The music was of all era’s up to and even one or two Hip Hop songs.  The female singer played the violin as well as Charley Daniels, when she did, “‘ The Devil Came Down to Georgia.” The music and songs were very much audience participation sing alongs.  I was sure I wouldn’t have a voice by the time we left.  Songs like “Lucille”, “Twist and Shout”,”Run Around Sue”, and sooooo many many more.  All six of us laughed and laughed, ,  had a couple margarita’s, sang along with the songs.  The place was packed with standing room even filled up.  It certainly wasn’t a mild piano bar.  Remember ”Road House”, with Patric Swazey,  well this place had the actual ” Coolers” there to keep the peace, just in case.   The “Cooler’s were entertaining all by themselves, with their big heavy flashlights. 

 I should have known the kids wouldn’t pick a dud.  They recognized the fact that 77 yr old grandpa’s are still in the main stream.  Grandpa Jerry sure is.  He hung right in there with all the participation of any of us.  They did a birthday salute and Jerry was right up there on stage participating in the Hokey Pokey, with the rest of them, and then back up on the stage for the salute to Veteran’s when they sang Lee Greenwood’s  “Proud to be an American.”  He just happened to be wearing his Koren Vet hat.  He got lots of hugs from the ladies and handshakes from the guys for his military service.   This place was big enough to hold several hundred people and the joint was jammed.  I can’t remember when Jerry enjoyed himself so much, in fact he put off leaving a couple of times he was having so much fun. I think if we lived here Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar would be a place to go on more than one occasion.  I know we shall return.  It was one more wonderful experience we have enjoyed here in the Metroplex.  Jerry’s birthday was a wonderful success.  Remember take every birthday with a grain of salt, this works much better if accompanied by a margarita. According to Maxine.

One of the best parts of being best friends is that it is forever.  Time and distance doesn’t matter.  That’s the way it is with Liz and I.  We can be separated by time and distance and when we get together it’s like we just saw each other the other day, when in fact when she flew into Dallas on Fri it had been 4 plus mos. since we had been together. Liz has actually been at my house in Chico house sitting for us. We are so grateful for her.  Sooooooooo while she was here we visited at a furious rate. Is there ever enough time?  We had to schedule rest times just to keep going.  Tommy and Angie,  bless their hearts, planned some  fun stuff for us all while she was here.

Sat night they took us all to Medieval Times for dinner and tournament.  Liz has never been, so it was a new experience for her.  Liz is all into new experiences. Tommy must have been too, or he was really really thirsty. The food was wonderful, as usual, despite the fact that one must eat with fingers only.  What fun that was.  I looked over at Liz as roasted chicken juice dripped from her fingers, and the glass holding the soda became pretty slippery, all the  while flying spears and axes flew in the arena.  We rooted vigorously for our knight in shinning armour ( the Yellow Knight), but alas,  he was defeated by an even shinier Knight.

Sun afternoon Angie took Liz on a tour of Tommy’s shop, always an experience, since there is always such a diverse variety of characters  hanging out there. She learned how cars and trucks are wrapped, it just happened that this week end was a training weekend for Tommy, he had seven students in attendance, two guys there all the way from northern Canada.  Tommy teaches his craft once a month.  After the tour we all went to Pappadeaux Cajun restaurant for some awesome food.  We dropped by Felecia’s apartment, so Liz could see how cute she has it decorated.  Then we were off to what was suppose to be a video shoot that did not turn out.  The hotel where the shoot was suppose to take place refused to let them video shoot a Hip Hop Video there, they found this out at the last minute. , so Liz didn’t get to sit in on an MTV video shoot.  She did get to meet some of the major players tho. Money Militia and Cas-ualle was there.

Mon night Angie and Liz and I went to Texas de Brazil, my favorite place ever,  there we dined most finely on some sumptious presentations.  The salad bar is fab and the Gauchos stroll throughout the  restraunt with huge hunks of meat on skewers, to be sliced at request onto your plate.  Some of us had to have thirds on the house special, a wonderfully seasoned top sirloin roast.  I of course went for the lamb, both roast and chops. The desserts are to die for. And so we rolled out of there more than fully satisified.  Liz reported she was to full to sleep that night.

Tues. during the day Jerry, Liz and I went to old downtown Grapevine, a really special little town, restored, with wonderful little shops and quaint little restraunts, we ate lunch at the French Bakery, I was going to imprision Liz at the old jail, just to keep her here longer.

Tues night was girls night out at Angie’s spa, and it was held at The Melting Pot, I have never done fondue before and it was great fun.  We had wonderful tasting martini’s, like Gummy Bear and Lemon drop.  We had traditional fondue to start with chunks of french bread and veggies.  Then a truly tasty smoked duck, spring greens  salad, followed by the meat and veggie course.  Its a cook your own and it really was fun.  There was chicken, teriyaki beef , pork, shrimp and raviolis and lots of the most delightful sauces to accompany the meat and veggies, like broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes……But the piece de resistance of course was the chocolate fondue dessert, thick rich heath bar chocolate accompanied by strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, pound cake and cheese cake, just begging to be dipped into that chocolate and popped into my mouth.   A delightful ending to the time spent in Texas by Liz.  We did have a good visit, there’s never enough time to spend with best friends.

Ok Ok, I know I have written about some unusual experiences I have had while on this extended adventure we are on but this one literally takes the cake, dogie carrot cake that is.  Angie and I had received such glowing reports about the local Three Dog Bakery that Angie decided to do an article for her column for Examiner.com. ( She does articles on local interest.) Well this one is of definite interest, esp for dog lovers. 

Thurs night we attended the Mutt Mixer at the Three Dog Bakery.  This has got to be the most hilarious evening I have spent here in the Metroplex area.  This is a twice monthly affair.  There were about 25 dogs all meeting and greeting one another during the evening.  They were served gourmet treats that looked exactly like people hor’ devours.  All made from natural ingredients and fit for human consumption as well.  In fact Tommy had a cookie resembling an Oreo, and said it tasted like an Oreo, but just not as sweet.  Maybe I should begin to get Jerry’s oreos from the doggy bakery. I’m sure they are healthier as well.  There were wonderful objects of desire like Peanut Mutter Bars…Pet-it-Fours…large Pup Cakes…Boxer Brownies…Boston Terrier Cream Pies…Drooly Dream Bars…and Muddy Mastiff Paws, to name a few.  All displayed in cases like a people bakery.  All these goodies definitely caused a lot of tail wagging.

At the peak of the evening there were about 25 doggy parents there with one or more dogs each.  There were all breeds and sizes from 5# Precious, the Pekingese,  to Kodi the 210# English Mastiff.  The owners of the bakery Christy and Brad Howard have five grown Mastiffs of varying ages.  They are Dozer, Daisy, Diesel, Danica and Duchess.  These are wonderful gentle giants.  Imagine if you can 25  to 30 dogs all sizes and colors and temperaments and personalities loose in a doggy bakery, while the pooches parents are enjoying pasta and  garlic bread with wine and beer, plus dessert, as their treat.  One of the most interesting  things were the various conversations among the doggy owners and all the laughs provided by their canine buddies.   It was quite an evening.  All along the floor are baskets of chewies and dog biscuits in open containers and the canine visitors simply ignored them to play and visit with each others, not a thief among them.  Frequently one of the staff mingles among the mutts with trays of treats generously  handing them out as they made their way thru the store.  The dogs are all very polite, did not crowd or covet their friends treats, they would wait their turn and everyone has a wonderful time. You had to be there to truly appreciate the experience.  It took one person full time to keep the water dishes filled, all that visiting and sniffing caused great thirst among the visitors.  Have you ever seen a giant Mastiff drink water?  I have as I was sitting by one of the watering holes.  What a wet experience that one was.

We voted Godiva , a medium sized brown dog , as Miss Congeniality.  She was everywhere, visiting with all the other dogs and all the people.  There was Elenore  who seemed to be the official greeter of both dogs and their people. Her momma owns Serendipity a cute little shop not far from the bakery, specializing in home furnishing and accessories.    Teka and Puka, the Pugs were darling and quite social.  Sly a beautiful Weimaraner was there with the love of his life, Jamie, who took him to Baylor University while she earned her degree in pre med.  One of the most wonderful dogs was Flannel, a beautiful Golden Retriever, who was there with his mom an international photographer, who recently returned from a shoot in Cambodia.  Flannel just captured my heart, he was so much like Liz’s baby,  Max, who we loved so much.  Captain and Kodi the two visiting Mastiffs seemed to enjoy spending time with on another.  All these pooches hung out together, shared treats and sniffs and to tell you the truth I’m not sure who had the most fun the pooches or the parents.  My Teddy is still too young to attend, the Vet says one more set of shots before he can socialize with bunches of pooches.  He’s now 10 weeks old and so wonderful.

Little Joey

Strange things happen in the Strader household.  Usually in the predawn hours of the best time ever to sleep.  The morning started once again with lights going on and off, on and off, people scurrying around opening and closing doors, whispering, more lights more doors more scurrying around. Finally, against my better judgement I dragged myself out of bed to find out what all this excitement was about. I mean really the best time to sleep is in the pre dawn hours of the morning.  Heaven help anyone wanting to change that pattern for me.  It all boiled down to the chirping smoke detector.  I got up, Tommy  was standing on one of the swiveling bar stools trying to unscrew the dang thing, while Angie continued to madly search the house for Joey, the little Yorkie.  Apparently the chirping of the detector had run it’s course with him.  Joey is older now and high strung and anything off the usual absolutely drives him up the wall or better yet under the bed which is where we found him….finally.  After taking several smoke detectors apart Tommy finally found the right one, shut it up and he and Angie left for the shop.  Leaving me to wonder, What The Heck (WTH).  The rest of the morning was spent trying to stay awake until my afternoon nap.

One of the most rewarding experiences Jerry and I have had here in Dallas has been being able to become acquainted with Tommy’s business, 360 Wraps.  We are fortunate enough to get the inside track on what’s happening at the shop., and especially Tommy’s charity which is  called ” Wrap Buddies.”  It did all start with one father approaching Tommy about wrapping his son’s helmet.  Now we are not talking about sports helmets, which Tommy has done many, but about a medical device helmet used to reshape his son’s head. He stated that he was tired of people staring at his son because he had on a sterile white plastic type of head band.  These helmets are very conspicuous, made of hard white plastic, they are very expensive, and insurance usually does not cover them. So Tommy designed a wrap that makes the helmet  more cool.  His designs include sports themes, nursery rhyme themes etc, usually with the name of the child on the front of the helmet.  This really personalizes the helmet and then people know the child’s name too.  The parents leave 360 Wraps with happy smiles, and the babies become fashion symbols.

These helmets are usually worn for several months until the condition of Plagiocephaly is remedied.  This is sometimes referred to as “flat head syndrome”. This condition occurs when a portion of an infants skull becomes flattened due to pressure from extended outside forces.  It can happen in the womb.  Twins or multiples are at higher risk due to lack of room during development.  Preemies are also higher risk because underdeveloped skulls are softer.  To remedy this situation these babies are fitted with a helmet to help reshape their little heads.  It’s not unusual for Tommy to see twins and he also had a set of quads come in.  Talk about excitement. click here to see the Cox Quads

This entire concept was new to 360 Wraps, as Tommy and his team were used to wrapping big trucks, auto’s and SUVs, as well as other large speciality items.   After completing his first helmet Tommy decided to wrap the devices free of charge.  When this news got out the phone never stopped ringing.  So now one day each month is devoted strictly to Baby Band Day.  It’s kind of a baby party time.  The parents bring something to snack on, everyone shares, even the team gets a treat that day.  The shop has a Keurig coffee brewer for coffee and hot cocoa for all to share.  The parents get together and discuss their precious bundles, compare notes and generally have a pleasant time while the helmets are wrapped by Tommy and Tyler his production manager.  It has been so fun and rewarding for us to be able to interact with this special group,  esp for me , coming from an RNs background, anything medical just naturally attracts me.   The usual number of Baby Band Wraps is between 14 and 16 on that day.  This day has become so popular now that 360 Wraps asks parents to please make an appt. that way all helmets can be done in a timely manner.

These are the happiest babies, usually between 4 and 10 mos. old.  I think personally that having to wear the helmets, which they adjust to quickly, makes them more flexable and easy going.  This is a big investment for the parents, so making them look attractive is Tommy’s passion.  The wrap really makes a difference in their look, now they get stares of envy by their siblings and outsiders, and Tommy and the team of 360 Wraps get a feeling of satisfaction of a deed well done. 

Tommy has plans to expand the wrap buddies program to offer wraps to more than just the baby bands.  In the future the team at 360 Wraps plan on going into the childrens hospitals to wrap walls, floors, medical equipment and anything else they can get vinyl to stick to.  The first project that they have done that was not a child’s band wrap was for a 13 year old girl with Scoliosis.  She has been wearing the back brace white for almost 5 years and was very excited to get the wrap done to jazz it up.  Please visit www.wrapbuddies.com

Another fun filled episode of the Hip Hop industry.  Jerry and I had the best time yesterday afternoon at The Club Onyx, in Dallas.  That was the latest  BET and MTV video shoot for Money Militia.  Love that kid.  He has quite a story before all the fame and someday I may interview him on that. Until then I’m going to just appreciate him for all he represents.  He’s a sweet huggy bear.

It seems all the biggies were there, supporting one another.  This is a good thing. ”  Hezeleo ” and ” Valentino”, were there in their wonderful jazzy coats.  It’s still freezing here in Dallas.  These guys have class. They were looking GOOD!!! ’ Mario, (personality plus),  and” Valley of the Kings producers, “came by for the show.”  DJ Murk,” DJ,d the event, great as ever. ” Casu’elle”,sang me a song personally, this kid is fab.  He has a voice that sooths the savage beast in you, if need be. But from what I hear he simply dazzles the ladies.  I can see why.  Casu’elle will be doing an upscale event at the “Ghost Bar”, next week.  It’s at the top of the W Hotel in Dallas. Hope I’m invited. Then I will know he’s singing just to ME.  If you would like to hear Casu’elle sing click here to go to his my space.

“Denver,” in all her glory, was there to entertain the house and incorporated into the video. This girl is especially talented.  She told me her profession is Choreography,  well she can choreograph my dance team anytime.  It’s amazing what she can do with that stripper pole, both winding herself up it and winding  herself back down. The girl is poetry in motion.  Very Very tastefully done, I might add.  I for one could watch her all day. She was a hit with the guys and the gals. She’s a very sweet girl. 

“BJ Diva “ was there. I had hoped to see her again, we sat with her group for awhile until”  Money” called Grandpa Jerry and I to the front, for a front row seat for the finale of the video.  The “Diva” is representing the dancers and models for the video’s.  She has a vast experience with stage productions and sings so beautifully.  She has experience with speaking and singing and pageants.  She will be helping the girls with their makeup, proper application, etc. with all the little intricacies that prepare the younger girls for the camera roles.  she’s great with makeup, all the girls looked beautiful. She will be helping them with their wardrobe choices and shoe styles. Plus The Diva is a HOOT, a personality plus. It does suit her tho as she was Mrs. Texas Plus, for 2007.  She can backup up her qualifications. She is so much fun to be around. We all had lunch at the club and let me tell you, and I’m not a burger fan, but those cheese burgers and fries were fab. The food the others got looked equally scrumptious.

Money the star of the video was his usual cool dude persona.  This kid can do no wrong, everything he does turns to money.  Wow, did I just say, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.  They wound up the Video with Tommy’s 360 Wraps Camero, and Tylers 360 wraps Chevy pickup, loaded with hot babes.  Be sure to catch the next round in the Hip Hop world.

It seems like only yesterday I was counting down the days until Elvis Presley was to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, and now it’s 54  yrs later and I remember it as if it were yesterday, and I know  lots of my friends and family are thinking the same thing.  Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll”, would have been 75 today.  I personally cannot visualize him as 75, and maybe it was fate that spared us all that vision, including Elvis himself.  I really cannot imagine a 75 yr old Elvis.  Still it would have been better than the way it really did end.    But I still miss him.  I miss all these yrs of lost entertainment and memories we won’t have.  I miss never having been able to go see him in person again.  I think of the song “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” and yes, I am lonesome tonight, lonesome for one of those wonderful love songs he was so good at. I realize I can put on a CD, or tune into Channel 6013 Satellite music on dish Network, but it’s not the same , is it? Elvis was such a very real and important part of my growing up years. I feel so blessed to have ever had him in my life and memories. He contributed so much to my teenage and early 20’s yrs.

 With each of his many songs I can remember back to what was going on in my life at the time. I remember where I was and what that particular boyfriends name was.  One memorabilia occasion was while I was living in Charleston, South Carolina. The movie was “Jail House Rock”, and his name was Michael Herndon.  Wonder where he is now?  I also remember the exact place I was and what I was doing when the news came across the TV that “The King Of Rock And Roll was dead!!! ”  I was, I’m sure, along with many many other people in sheer shock and denial.  I think back to 1971 when I was fortunate enough to see Elvis in person. That was one of the two things my X husband, Bob did for me.  He took me to the Saraha Tahoe Casino in Lake Tahoe to see him in person and got me a front row table.  I not only got a kiss smack on the lips, but I got my arms all the way around Elvis’ neck.  When I did I could feel him tighten up, I think he thought I would try to pull him off stage.  I never would have.  During the show Elvis introduced  us to one of his friends, and there sitting a couple of tables away was Clint Eastwood, looking really good,  in fact he still does look better than ever. Elvis  did his wonderful gyrations on stage and caused some of us to nearly faint.  He sang ” I Just Want To Be Your Teddy Bear,” while tossing teddy bears out into the audience.  He sang his famous ”Trilogy”, “Poke Salad Annie ”, ”In The Ghetto”, and so many many of his gold record songs.  He tossed scarves out into the audience, accepted flowers from girls close to the stage, and just put on a show that was unbelievable and sustainable for my lifetime, because I was never to see him in person again.

My cousin Bobbie and I were both about 12 or 13 when he came on the scene.  Since we were both the same age we had Elvis in common.  Although I’m sure I was far more crazy about Elvis than anyone else in the world.  Bobbie and went to the Senator Theater in Chico when we were 14 to see Elvis’ first ever movie,” Love Me Tender,” and it was so wonderful. I remember the first scene we saw Elvis in was where he was way out in the field plowing with the mules, the whole theater went wild, at least that’s the way I remember it.  Subsequently through the yrs I have seen all 33 of his movies, have seen all his specials and concerts on TV.  My best friend Kathy Augustine and I have shared memories of Elvis all thru the yrs, she also got a kiss from Elvis when she saw him in Las Vegas.  We have spent the last 40 some yrs getting each other Elvis memorabilia and CDs. We have delighted in seeing who could get who the best of the best Elvis stuff.

Several yrs ago Jerry and I went to visit Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley.  It was one of the best places I have ever been.  There is so much there to see about MY IDOL.  There is a huge room there with all of Elvis’ gold and platinum records on display. For an Elvis fan it’s the most wonderful place to ever go.  It’s also where he is buried, in the “Memorial Garden.”  I remember how I felt looking at his grave, kind of the way I feel tonight.  I feel and felt  a great loss.  A loss that for one reason or another Elvis Presley never got to live out a full life, never got to expand his God given talent.  Maybe that was God’s plan and we were never to know a 75 yr old Elvis. But thinking about it today, I am lonesome and I do feel a great loss, after all these yrs.  But I do remember, just like it was yesterday.

By the way the second best thing, and most important one, my X husband did for me , was to give me my precious daughter, Angie.

Sunday was one of the most interesting and definitely most fun events I have ever been to.  Tommy does a lot of business with the local and some national Rap Artists, ie:  They travel from far and wide to have their Vans wrapped with Tommy’s designs.  Tommy’s other fact to fame is that he is a fantastic marketer.  Most everyone likes his design ideas and he is so good at presenting them to the clients.

This event was sponsored by 360 Wraps, Detail Werkz, and Yum’s shoes and accessories.  Brian, the owner of Detail Werkz, works out of Tommy’s shop,  and details high end autos for the folks with the Maserati’s and Lamborghini’s Mercedes, Beemers etc. Often there is a million $ worth of cars sitting in the shop. For this event there was that much in just two cars. The other sponsor is so fun, it’s Yum’s.  They have the neatest shoes on earth.  Tommy just brought home a pair for Jerry called “Smores.”  Like I said Tommy is quite the marketer. Also featured in the video shoot is famous DJ  Bay Bay’s Old’s Cutless.

The filming of the Video is being made for BET and MTV, it started about 2 PM and went until 7PM.  It was quite a day.  It was also 32 degrees outside and some of it was filmed outdoors.  There were lots of pretty girls there to dance with the star whose name is “MONEY.”  They all had very little on and it was freezing outside They had to dance fast just to keep from freezing. I’d say half of the day was spent outside, because they were featuring Tommy’s Camera as he spun donuts in the parking lot, coming within a foot of the line of dancers and MONEY, the artist. Good thing Tommy has really good control of his driving skills. It was cool the see a professional video being filmed. MONEY said at one point he was thinking Tommy was going to hit them, but he just kept on dancing.

I have never met such a professional and polite group of people.  There were about 150 participants, camera men, lighting directors and of course a director and co director.  Valley of the Kings, are MONEY’S producers. He’s known as MONEY MILITIA.  They look so tough on film but in reality they are respectable professional business men.  I had the pleasure to meet such characters as ” White T”, ” Danger”,  ” Lil Wil”,” Bobby Blue”, ” DJ Merk”,   ” BJ Diva”, she’s 49 yrs old and was Mrs. Texas Plus of 2007, she was really special, she could sing like an angel, and did on several occasions.  I met the  “GoDJ’s”, “Valentino”, “  HEZELEO”, and the  guys from Money Stretch Entertainment. The various Rapper’s come to the shoots in support of their own. One of the dancers there called “ Denver”, is reported to be a famous stripper out of Denver.  Boy could she dance, we couldn’t take our eyes off of her.  She was fab. 

Tommy ordered in 15 large pizzas and cases of soft drinks for everyone.  It was one big party while , as Elvis used to say,” Taking Care Of Business.” Jerry had a lot of fun with all the girls, They were calling him Grandpa Jerry when they found out he was Tommy’s father in law and Felecia’s grandpa. I was thinking maybe I better find his heart pills.  He really had a good time, not that I didn’t.  I thought MONEY was one of the sweetest, most considerate people I ever had the pleasure to meet, esp since he is famous in these parts.  There were lots of groupies hanging around , but even they were polite and helpful.  They had to dismiss about half of the girls as to many showed up, they culled them out and kept the best of the best.  Naturally” Denver”, the dancer, made the grade and she was fantastic.  She was almost more fun to watch than the actual artist himself.  I said almost, because MONEY was fantastic.  He was so tired by the end of the shoot, because they kept retaking and retaking so they could get it just right. Jerry and I were privileged to watch most of the shoot from the VIP lounge. That is when I was not out there in the midst of all of it mixing it up with all the crazy fun people.  They were into introducing themselves and telling me what part of the business they were involved in.  Such a surprising polite interesting group of people.  I really had the time of my life out there mixing it up. There I was out there amongst the entire group, a slice of pizza in one hand and a Dr Pepper in the other, dancin around to the Rap Music, just livin it up to the max.

After the wrap of the Rap Video, about 50 of us adjourned to Chili’s for dinner.  They actually have really good steaks there.  We sat next to the camera and lighting guys.  Boy they lead an interesting life, one drove up from San Antonio and the other from Austin, just for this shoot. The Chili’s joint was jumpin. Everyone was tired and the Margarita’s were flowing.

A good time was had by all!

For the young and inexperienced starting out in life on your own is often a real adventure. There’s so much to learn and to put together.  We are watching Felecia and Tyler , our granddaughter and boyfriend begin life together on their own. Felecia is officially in her new digs.  Together they found a really lovely apartment with all the amenities. She’s putting it together with help from her mother, Angie.  It’s so exciting for us as the grandparents to watch it all come together. Grandpa and I went over yesterday and grandpa Jerry got the ice machine going, fixed the water in the toilet, got the dishwasher going and rearranged the track lights in the kitchen so she could actually see in there.

Angie and Felecia put together the coffee table and the little table in the entry, hung the mirror over the table and put up candle sconce’s at the kitchen entry.  Sasha Felecia’s little dog is having a difficult time adjusting to her new environment.  But she will be much happier now that Ruby isn’t riding rough shod on her.   Ruby is Angie’s old fifteen yr old Blue Heeler.  Felecia is having fun putting all her new things away and figuring out what of the old stuff she wants to keep.  I inherited a bag full of sweet smelling body washes and splashes.  Tommy gave Felecia a bonus to buy a washer and dryer which they did today and Tommy helped them hook it all up.

Felecia finished up cleaning her old room which will now become Angie’s exercise studio.  Tommy and I are going to paint the room next weekend.  I love to paint. Next on the kids agenda will be stocking the pantry so they can have some meals in their own place.  I am so excited for them, it’s going to be a whole new adventure.