Last Wednesday Sara and I (along with 2 of her dancing friends) headed down to the Fox for the filming of America's Got Talent. We got there just in time and as we headed in the doors, a guy stopped us and asked if we had seats. When we replied "not yet" he cocked his head to his left shoulder and spoke into his head set and then ushered down the isle....to almost the front! I didn't hear him, but apparently he told the headset that he had some camera friendly people coming to sit. So we were placed about 6 rows directly behind the judges. So cool! I yelled "I love you, Howie" but not loud enough I guess. I didn't want to make a total scene. At one point before it started, a guy came by and was coaching us on how to act--cheering and booing. He was telling us we would be on screen the whole time so whatever we did, the camera would see. So even if you aren't a fan of the show, I recommend watching the Atlanta audition to see if I made the big screen. I can't imagine they'd keep us on for long if so because we were seated in a mass of young high schoolers who were doing anything but paying attention. By the second half of the show the whole row behind me was asleep. That can't be good for ratings. We had a great time--although we all agreed it was way more exhausting to sit in the audience than just watch. We saw a couple of singers, a magic act, a one man band and son, some BMX bikers, jugglers, and the coolest dance act I've ever seen. I hope they go far.
Saturday, I spent all morning and afternoon at school for a workshop. It was so interesting, but I was seriously dragging tired. I grabbed a grande non-fat caramel macchiato on my way home (my new fav) and chugged it before heading back out the door to the Tim McGraw concert with Sara. I'm sorry to report that was the LOW of the week. It was at a venue neither of us had been to before, so we followed the parking attendants....who really just scammed us. They told us we were a block away from the amphitheater (more like a solid 15 minute walk that took us on a bridge over interstate) and then charged us $20. Boo. On our walk we realized that all the other closer lots were charging $10. Then when we got in, we scoped out the best seats. If you can picture an outdoor arena, we had lawn tickets. So while we knew we'd be towards the back, we figured we'd go sit on the hill against the back wall. That way, if people were walking in front of us, our view wouldn't be blocked. Really--worst. decision. ever. Soon after we sat down, I realized that we were surrounded by Atlanta teenagers in the shortest shorts (I'm talking cheeks exposed) and strapless dresses with cute boots on. It was a fashion parade....not the redneck crowd I was hoping for. Before the main act even came on stage, I saw a girl no older than 17 walking and barfing at the same time. The kids were insane. Drinking. Groping. Smoking. Making Out. By the time Tim came out I was over it. It felt like I was sitting in the middle of Sodom and Gomorrah. OK...maybe that is a bit extreme, but it was disgusting. And it was so distracting I don't remember much about the music itself. We saw some kids get kicked out and security break up a couple of fights. As the night went on, some of the boys figured out they could run up the hill and pee on the wall behind us. Eww. One kid finished peeing and then walked over and tried to buy a beer off of me. It took everything in me not to laugh at him in his face. Then later some young couples came up there and were up to no good (the b.y.o.blanket and pants unbuckled kind). The temperature dropped so Sara and I were bundled up to our chins in fleece blankets. By the time we decided to leave (we stuck around until the encore started) it was literally like walking through a brothel. Countless (well, maybe not countless but I wasn't willing to look down and try and count) horny teenagers coupled up and going at it and one kid passed out in the fetal position by himself. It was really sad. It was an interesting study to see the kids freeze and all pay attention to the music twice--for the 2 songs that currently play on the radio. I started listening to Tim McGraw when I was their age so now I have memories attached to most of the other songs he performed and they didn't even recognize. So we counted that as a bust.
Yesterday I played tennis at Olde Towne, which is one of the old tennis clubs I used to take lessons at in middle school. It is now owned by pro tennis player Robby Ginepri and his family. His sister was playing on our opponents team, but a different line that I was. Michelle and I played line 5 and had a great match. It was the first time in a long time that I've felt like my game was on. We lost in 2 sets, but no shame there since we both played our best. Mom came out to watch and told me as we were walking off that Mr. Ginepri (Robby's dad) had commented on how impressed he was with my serve. Not that it really means anything, but nice compliment anyway. I left there at 5:45 and had my friends coming for dinner at 6:45....and I hadn't gone to the grocery store yet.
In true procrastination, I had only decided what to make for dinner yesterday at noon. So I hit the store and got home about 15 minutes before the girls arrived. We had a great night together and I even tried a new recipe. I really liked it and have a hard time judging how good it is by how much everyone eats. One girl had 2 servings but the other two kind of picked around theirs. I enjoyed it and it was super fast, so I'll make it again. And for all of you lovers of recipes as I am, here's what we had. I went to Publix and got the Roasted Garlic Bread (it's rustic french bread with whole cloves of roasted garlic baked in)--so good. Then we did a simple spinach salad with red onion, yellow pepper and cherry tomatoes. I found a great new salad dressing--Raspberry Merlot. Then I made a ravioli dish with shalots, lemon and peas. It was really refreshing and felt springy with the lemon addition. [This post is getting lengthy, so if you want to exact recipe, email me or comment and I'll send it your way.] For dessert I made the famous peach dump cake. It was late by the time I took it out of the oven and so I think we ended up eating some out of obligation instead of really wanting it. So next time I'll prep ahead of time for that or just not do dessert. We sat around and chatted and played one round of Jenga before everyone called it a night. I fell into to bed at 11:30.
So there you have it. Today I got up and showered first thing...and weighed myself to find out I lost 4 pounds last week. YES!!! I guess those weighted squats that left me hobbling did some good. Looking forward to keeping this momentum going.
Now I'm off to job hunt. Please cross your fingers, toes and eyes that God will lead me in the right direction (and kinda quickly). Love you more than jelly beans!
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