Ever met your idol? I HAVE!

Today I had one of the most overwhelming and amazing experiences of my life! I’ll be as brief as I can and include the important parts lol

When I arrived at the theatre I was sooooo excited just to be there. I had to remind myself that this was really happening! My sister came with me, she was pretty unenthusiastic lol We took our seats, which were pretty damn good and waited for it to start. And right before it started who else do we hear but dear Judith telling us to open our snacks now and turn off our phones etc. I was smiling away like a lunatic! So the show finally got underway. All the actors did a wonderful job. Dan Lauria was great! His character was very loud and shouty and very interesting to watch. I didn’t get to meet him, don’t know where he wandered off to lol

Judith, however, stole every scene she was in. She made Marie Lombardi sympathetic and real and she was very funny! Some of the best lines! I could not take my eyes off her every time she was on stage. She had me entranced and sometimes all I could think of was “OMG there she is standing 20 feet away from me!” And of course I thought about the Judith Junkies :) Judith truly knows how to act. She knows her craft and has honed it to perfection. And she mastered that New Joisy accent like no other! Dawlings it was faaaabulous! LOL

The play really made me think and Judith was right in her interviews when she says the play is about inspiration and love, not that I ever doubted her. But it’s true. You may go in there thinking it’s about football and you come out and see that it was so much more than that. It was about a man and his relationship with his wife and family, his team, his work, his passion for football, his God, and most importantly his love for all of them. And as a journalist, I also found a link with how it related to journalism lol typical me, seeing career related things in everything :P And so the show finally came to an end and I totally joined in the standing ovation. Judith got the loudest applause hehe It was so well-deserved. Like I said once, the play should be called ‘Marie Lombardi’ or something because she steals the show! It’s all hers lol

So then I came out of the theatre and waited in the lobby there. The memorabilia was so cool lol

After a short wait, Keith Nobbs who played a journalist in the play came out and I’m like “Ohhh a star. Must say hello” lol So I went up to him, we had a nice chat and he signed my Playbill.

Then I told my sister I was NOT leaving till I saw Judith. So I waited for a while more and she finally came out around 4.10pm I think. I noticed that orange coat on her and knew it was her right away. I swear only she could wear orange and get away with it properly XD I grabbed my sister and stood in what I guess what the line waiting for her. She graciously came down the line to everyone waiting there. I made sure I had my pen, playbill and a brief letter I wrote to her in hand for her.

She finally reached me! She is so beautiful in person, inside and out. Tall and elegant and ever so lovely! I don’t remember what I said to her. I think I said hello LOL It was just surreal being in her presence. I was COMPLETELY starstruck and baffled. I’ll be honest, I WAS SHAKING LIKE MAD! All coherent thought left me. I even apologized for shaking so much but she didn’t mind. (Meanwhile this large group of people waiting in line probably looked at me like WTF is her problem XD) It’s so funny that with Keith I was all calm talking to him and with Judith I could barely find the words to say anything. I managed somehow to ask her to sign my playbill and a book for my youngest sister. My sister wrote her a short note asking her to sign it. Judith had me read it to her and she was touched :)

This is her, hand on heart, because she was really touched at my sister’s little note.

I now have her autograph!

I then gave her my letter. Then I asked her if it was possible for me to interview her as I was once Editor of my HS newspaper and they’d like a feature article from me. She told me she was actually on her way to an interview and told me that if I wanted to set up an interview, to check if it was possible with Lombardi’s publicists. I’ll do that later tonight :D I hope this happens! THIS BETTER HAPPEN! I managed to slip in that I hoped it could be soon because I’m in school at England and had to go back soon. She was amazed by this and said how wonderful that must be lol When she speaks to you and listens to what you have to say, no matter what it is, she gives you her undivided attention and makes you feel like the only person in the room. She’s so gracious and kind and I love her so much for it!

Finally I thanked her for her time and everything, and once more telling her I would be honoured and appreciate it if she read my letter. I really hope she does because I knew that everything I wanted to say to her would evade me…AND IT DID! I’m sure I must have embarrassed myself at some point but I don’t care. So if she reads it, I’ll have let her know what an inspiring woman she is nd other nice things :)

And during all this my sister was snapping pics of us too so I have a good few of us together! WHEEEEE!

We totally shared a moment here! Best 1-on-1 I ever had <3

I asked her for one last picture. It may very well be my new favorite picture ever!

Then I thanked her again and reluctantly departed.

I’d say I had a good FIVE WHOLE MINUTES WITH HER and yes I kept other people waiting and they were probably annoyed with me lol

I ran into Keith Nobbs again and he smiled and nodded at me lol BUT that wasn’t the end!

Soon she came up the stairs while I was there fumbling with my purse lol She smiled at me too and went to the ticket booth to speak to someone. I recall her saying to them “HI HONEY!” It was so cute. I sneakily tried to snap a few pics of her and noticed she still had my letter with her :’)

Y’all see my letter right?! That white rectangle right there!

And finally, with one last look at this wonderful woman before me, I left the theatre, still reeling with delight and shaking and happy!

I can’t believe this happened. IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED! It really is a dream come true and this makes it the BEST Christmas present I’ve ever received. And it makes 2010 the best year I’ve ever had in a long time! I’ll never forget this day as long as I live! And you know what, JUDITH LIGHT KNOWS I EXIST! Top moment of 2010? YES YES YES!

Why do the British not put full stops after abbreviations for titles?

Hello again! First of all, I must apologise for the delay with this post. I'm also issuing a warning that it will be rather long but I can't help it because for one thing, I am an English major, and as such I'm going to go on and on about things; and for another, I'm recounting 2 months worth of stuff here! I may break it all up into a number of posts. So in short, bear with me as the ramblings ensue :)

The story begins a little over 2 months ago, on October 1. On this day I set off on my first ever journey to England. I was ridiculously excited about finally getting to go to one of my favourite countries in the world after years and years of dreaming about it. And finally the moment arrived when I had to make my way to the airport and, of course, say my goodbyes to my family and loved ones. It was a very, very emotional day (yes there were tears, lots of them!) for us all and a big step in all our lives, especially for me. But I knew that there was no turning back and I, as bravely as I could, made my way through security, holding the tears back while my belongings were scanned. And as I was given the all clear to head to the plane, I gave my family one final wave and headed off. God, that was really really sad for me! And terrifying since it was a BIG step in my life!

I'd never flown alone on a plane before so initially I was a bit nervous. But as soon as I was able to take my seat I realized I just had to sit back, say my prayers that we'd have a safe flight, and enjoy the experience. So that's exactly what I did and I can now say that flying alone on an aircraft is absolutely NO problem for me anymore. And you won't believe it but I had a whole row of seats to myself! That's right! THREE seats all to myself to lounge on and get nice and comfy. But as it happens, I rarely have the best luck so of course someone had to come and ask to take one of the seats. I was not amused but since I'm nice I said sure. Apart from that the flight was a very good one. We obviously did not crash and die. And the in-flight entertainment was great! Virgin Atlantic, you guys do one heck of a job! 4 for you! :) My biggest issue on the flight was the ongoing headache I had to endure throughout. I really hate flying jsyk. The altitude makes my head pound for some reason. Yeah so flying = not fun. Next time I'll take a boat or something lol

7 hours later I had finally landed in London Heathrow Airport! I was beyond excited! I had actually made it to this wonderful magical place I had dreamed about for so long! Mind you, I was still in the plane waiting to get off but I was just happy to be there! OK so I'll skip the boring part about getting out the airport and cut to the chase. My aunt, uncle, and little cousin kindly came to pick me up and escorted me to Oxford. I am truly grateful for all they have done for me ♥

Upon arriving in Oxford, I didn't know what to expect. I got settled as best as I could. To make myself feel at home.

Audrey is a always to be present wherever I am. It's a rule I've made for myself :D


It's not home without a little bit of NYC :)

So here I was in a brand new country without anything familiar to me. I was surrounded by strangers and normally I am quite shy but I was ready to make new friends and enjoy this opportunity I was given. I soon got to know everyone fairly well that lived in our houses on St. John Street and the other memebers of Blackfriars Hall. I rather think we've formed a nice little Blackfriars family. I've even adopted our "Welfare Liason Manager" (at least I think that's her title) Bess as my mum (ooohh British spelling, watch out now!) away from home! She's such a darling! Needless to say, I like everyone very much and I think they are all fantastic!

Now I'm pretty lousy at remembering that I own a camera. However, I did manage to get a few photos of things that captured my attention :)

The view of the garden from my window


And there is Blackfriars which I see every morning!


My little cozy bed


Telephone box! Doctor Who anyone? lol And look! The ground is wet! Typical English weather :P

Naturally at Oxford, there is a TON of work to be done! I found myself reading many books and writing paper after paper and I soon discovered that I barely had a weekend anymore. I often asked, as the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey once said, "What is a weekend?" hehe (more on Downton Abbey later! Promise!)

But I was able to balance out the academic side of life with the more social aspects which I will get to in another post.

So for now I bid you adieu! And thanks for reading!

xx

Just a quick note!

I WILL update properly as soon as I'm back in New York and my craptacular computer is fixed! Promise! I swear on chocolate :)

xx