What I'm Loving!

I'm not gonna lie- the last month I just wasn't motivated to do a What I'm Loving Wednesday post. There was so much negative stuff going on in my life that I just didn't feel up to it. I have to say that the past two weeks have made up for those negative times. I have just felt so happy. And this is a real happy. Not my "I'm going to put on a happy face for the world because it's expected of me." (Yes I do that more than you know). I ended up having a WONDERFUL birthday month (yes, I celebrate it all month long). It's now called the month of "Maychel". I've spent time with friends, I've seen some of my family, and I GOT TO MEET MY FAVORITE ACTOR OF ALL TIME (yes I will be talking about it on and off for the rest of my life. Lol.)

I'm Loving...

My friends. Man, they know how to help a girl celebrate the last year of her 30s in style. 

I had a birthday dinner two weeks ago at Norma's Cafe (BIG SHOUT OUT to Bill and Roger at Norma's for making this possible). They went ABOVE AND BEYOND. If you live in Dallas and haven't gone to Norma's yet- go check them out. I had a great number of friends show up to help me celebrate ME. :) Great food, wonderful friends- a fun time was had by all! :)

Does your favorite restaurant buy you special balloons for your birthday? Didn't think so. :)

My friends are awesome!

Presents and a slightly inappropriate birthday card (I actually got that same card from two different friends). My dinner was so wild they called the Dallas Police Department (okay, not really, but they were nice enough to pose for a photo with me). :)

My friend Nicole got me flowers for my birthday. It made me feel special, I rarely gets flowers at work. They made my desk a little more cheery after the rough day we had at the office a few weeks ago.

On my actual birthday my friend Katie and I went to the New Kids on the Block concert. When I was 11 years old, all I wanted for my birthday was for them to sing to me ON my birthday. 28 years later, it happened. I will not confirm or deny that I was somewhat giddy about that. Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul opened for them- it was a flashback to my childhood. I loved it!

I promise that is Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul. I was taking pictures on my phone- I keep forgetting I have a nice camera now to take pictures with and I forgot to bring it. Fail. Lol

When they sang their song Happy Birthday, I am 97.4% sure it was just for me (forget anyone else there celebrating a birthday). Lol

I had a birthday lunch with my friend Becky. We see each other at work all the time and say "hey, we need to have lunch." We FINALLY went! Lol. So much fun! 

I know I went on and on (and on and on) about meeting Dick Van Dyke last weekend, but I also got a chance to meet actor Anthony Michael Hall. He was so nice. He talked a good while with everyone who met him at his booth.

I saw Circus 1903 with my friend Mel at Dallas Summer Musicals (okay, this wasn't technically FOR my birthday, but it helped wrap up my birthday week). It was a great show, I highly recommend it!

We were excited to have floor seats for the show, normally we have "sitting next to Jesus" seats in the balcony. :)

I got to hang out with some of my favorite baseball peeps at a Rangers game on Monday night (that was actually for my friend Eric's birthday). But it wrapped up my two weeks of celebrating with friends. Monday was OU cap night at the Ballpark. Three guesses who is not an OU fan. Lol. I also got to see my friend Felicia (we got our yearly baseball picture together). AND, after like eight years of signing up for it, I WON the Designated Driver of the Game prize. I ended up with an authentic Rangers jersey. Oh, and the Rangers WON!! (It's been a rough season, we haven't been able to say it too much). What a great ending to my birthday celebrations. :)

Traditional birthday kiss from my friend Beks. Lol.

I'm Loving...

My church. I know I've said this before, but having this church family has helped me through some rough times the past few years. I'm super sad my pastor is retiring, but I look forward to our new pastor and all the great things my church will do in the future. 

I love Pastor Sam and his wife Belinda!

I'm Loving...

That I was able to make it to my niece Ashlyn's high school graduation. I had to work that day and her graduation was a two hour drive from Dallas. Despite traffic, I still made it and was able to see her walk across the stage. I'm so proud of her! And she's going to attend college at my alma mater! :)

I'm Loving...

That I was able to see my friend Richard (even if it was only for like 15 minutes) for the first time in 12 years. He picked me up at the airport in Phoenix on Saturday (he just happened to be in town). It was great to see him, next time we will definitely hang out longer!

I'm Loving...

That Dick Van Dyke's wife commented on my blog post. I posted the link on Instagram and tagged her and she responded. It made my day!!

What are YOU loving today??

XOXO!!!

It's A Jolly Holiday With Rachel

This is going to be a super long post. My feelings won't be hurt (too much) if you just skim it, but I wanted to record EVERYTHING that happened so I could remember every detail years down the road from now (like I will ever forget it though. Lol.) 

I'm sure it's no secret to anyone reading this post that I'm a HUGE FAN of actor and national treasure, Dick Van Dyke. He has been my favorite actor since I was four years old and I first saw Mary Poppins. 

The number one item on my LIFE bucket list has been to meet him (yes, it's also the number one item on my 40 by 40 list). In 2011 I got to see Mr. Van Dyke and his brother Jerry perform on stage in The Sunshine Boys. There was actually supposed to have been a meet and greet after the show, but it got canceled for some reason. I was super bummed but still enjoyed being on the second row for the performance (read my recap here). In 2012 I saw a musical performance with Mr. Van Dyke and the group The Vantastix. Again, there was no meet and greet afterward, but I was still happy I got to see him sing in person. Last summer I made a trip to Danville, Illinois, the hometown of Mr. Van Dyke, mainly just to say I had been to his hometown (I love that town by the way). I think deep down, I never dreamed I would actually get a chance to meet him in person (as much as I wanted to). Well, this all changed last Saturday.

A few weeks ago I saw on Facebook that Dick Van Dyke was going to make his first ever comic con appearance....in Phoenix. I don't live in Phoenix. I don't even live close to Phoenix. As much as I wanted to go, it just wasn't going to be a possibility since I had just spent money on two trips I'm taking in June. A friend of mine saw this same Facebook post and told me that he wanted to give me that trip for my birthday. Plane ticket, photo op, the whole thing. I thought he was kidding. I told him not to joke like that. Believe it or not, it took him three days to convince me that he really wanted to do this for me, especially since this had been a dream of mine basically my whole life. So yeah, before I knew it, the photo op and plane ticket were bought- THIS WAS REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN.

I had to fly out early Saturday morning (my flight left at 7am, so they started boarding at 6:30am). Fun side note, the night before I had driven to and from Waco for my niece's high school graduation (that's about two hours each way, for those not familiar with Texas geography). I was afraid I would oversleep and miss my flight, so I didn't sleep the night before. So yeah, I went on NO SLEEP on this trip. My emotions were all over the place, so adrenaline kept me going. My flight landed about 8am Phoenix time and I went straight to the convention center. I had read online some horror stories from Phoenix Comic Con goers from the previous day saying that the convention was so unorganized and it took them five hours just to get inside. I started to get nervous I would get delayed and wouldn't make it inside in time for Dick Van Dyke's panel or my photo op (YES I WAS FRETTING). 

When I got to the convention center, I went to one entrance (that had no line) and asked where I needed to go to pick up my day pass badge that I had ordered online. The nice security guard told me the registration door was around the corner, but I could go through the door he was standing by and walk down a hallway inside to registration. When I got to the registration line, I could see it was going outside the convention center door and well around the outside of the building. I told another security guard I was told to come in that way and asked if I needed to go back outside. He was so nice and said he would find a spot for me to jump in the line (that way I didn't have to go back OUTSIDE to stand in line). I probably cut in front of about 1000 people, but you know what, I didn't care. Lol. I will not confirm or deny that I blew kisses to this security guard when he let me in the line.

Registration went smoothly. Once the doors opened at 9am, it took maybe twenty minutes for me to get through the line. I had a "front of house" ticket to Dick Van Dyke's panel, which was at 12:15. It was only 9:30 when I finally got my badge, so I walked around for a while. I did see some awesome cosplay costumes, these two were my favorite.

I was told when I picked up my ticket for the panel that I could sit in any seat on rows two through five. They opened the doors an hour before the panel started, so I went inside and got a seat on the second row. 

I will not confirm or deny that I teared up when he came out on stage. He got a standing ovation when he came out on stage and when he left. His panel was fantastic. He answered a lot of fan questions and said he wanted to stay all day and talk (he only got about 40 minutes). He said he was enjoying his first comic con (maybe he will come to the Dallas Comic Con in October?). He even sang a little and as he was leaving the stage, did a little dance move. Be. Still. My. Fan. Heart. 

I totally stole the following pictures from the Phoenix Comic Con Facebook page, so I wanted to make sure I gave them photo credit. The only part of it that is mine is the collage, I designed that. Lol.

Okay, so the next part is where I was convinced everything was going to fall apart. My photo op was right after the panel (at 1pm). It took about 15 minutes to get through the crowds, so I got there about 1:15. It was pure chaos. No one knew where to go. The volunteers and staff weren't sure what to tell people. I found one volunteer who told me to go over to what was basically a "corale" type area and that they would lead us to the photo line once the first group of people got through. I stood in line about 20 minutes not moving at all. I am not over exaggerating when I say at least 600 people were in front of me. I will say that people started getting testy and upset (because no one would give us a straight answer). We found out that the convention oversold the photo ops (this was all the fault of the comic con, not Dick Van Dyke). I finally found a volunteer and told her I knew everyone was frustrated and that they were doing the best that they could, but that I had to leave at 5pm to catch a flight. She was kinda rude when she said, "we are going to do our best to get through everyone but I can't guarantee you will get in." I'm sure she probably didn't believe me, I can't say I blame her, everyone had their own sob story, but still, no need to be THAT RUDE. I started to have an internal meltdown (outside I'm sure I looked fine but inside I was dying and convinced I was gonna lose it). 

My friend had traveled with me to the convention (just to make sure I didn't pass out or have a break down or something. Lol). He was walking around the convention looking at booths so I texted him that I was being told they couldn't guarantee me a photo. He said he would take care of it. There was a second photo op at 3pm. I told the person next to me if the con could guarantee me a photo then, I would gladly wait in line for two hours for a picture and go to that one. A lot of people were tired of standing and some people had small children who did not like having to wait so long. I can't blame them. It was no fun, but I wasn't going to not wait for my photo.

My friend talked to seven different convention staff members explaining that I had flown in specifically for that picture and I had to catch a flight back to Dallas that evening. He asked if there was anything they could do to make sure I got a photo before I had to leave. One volunteer took pity on me and told him I could go on through for my picture. Like, right then. I honestly just wanted a guarantee, I didn't expect to be moved up in the line. They actually bumped me to the "fast pass" line so I only had to wait maybe another minute for my photo op. I was so close. I could see him around the corner taking photos with other fans. I was nervous and excited all at the same time.

I've been to other comic cons, so I knew it was going to be a quick picture and that I wouldn't have time to just chat with him (although I think Mr. Van Dyke would have wanted more time with each fan- he's so nice). It was almost my turn and Mr. Van Dyke's assistant saw the look on my face and told me to take a breath and let it out. He's like, don't pass out. Lol. I nervously asked him if I could ask Mr. Van Dyke for a hug. He said yes I could ask (I think he was laughing at me for wanting a hug so badly). When it was finally my turn, Mr. Van Dyke shook my hand and I introduced myself. I then asked for a hug. He smiled and enthusiastically said "sure!" As I was hugging him I told him he has meant so much to me my whole life. He squeezed me a little when I said that. We then took the picture, I said thank you so much, he said you're welcome, and that was that. My 20 seconds with Dick Van Dyke, but y'all- IT WAS WORTH IT AND EVERYTHING I WANTED IT TO BE.

They printed the pictures on site, so less than a minute after my photo op, I had my picture. I possibly had to sit down for a while in a corner because I was shaking a little and on the verge of sobbing. I don't care if y'all think I'm crazy for that. Lol. This was a dream come true.

We left the con to get something to eat and then headed to the airport. 10 hours after landing in Phoenix, I was heading back home to Dallas. The trip was physically and emotionally exhausting, but worth every minute. Best day of my life. 

I read online that some people left without getting a photo because the wait just got to be too long, BUT that Dick Van Dyke stayed until everyone who was still there got a photo. THE MAN IS A SAINT. It wasn't his fault that the con oversold but he made sure no fan still there left disappointed. 

For those asking where I got my shirt, I ordered it on Etsy at this shop- they were SUPER HELPFUL when I placed my order. I highly recommend them!

XOXO!!

40 By 40

As much as I don't want to admit it (and I will probably deny it many times over the next 365 days,) I will be turning 40 in May of 2018. So in honor of that, I've decided to make a list of 40 things I want to accomplish before then. I've created a tab at the top of my blog so you can check my progress. You can find that page here. So, in no particular order, here is my list..

1. Meet Dick Van Dyke (the man deserves to meet me, of course I'm making this number one)

2. See a game at four different ballparks on my MLB Ballparks To Visit list

3. Visit three presidential libraries on my Presidential Libraries To Visit list

4. Visit three states on my States To Visit list

5. Read 40 books (starting May 23, 2017-the 12 I've already read in 2017 won't count for this one)

6. Go to Las Vegas

7. Visit Cooperstown

8. Finish my short story/novel

9. Visit the Alamo with my BFF Mandy (because WHY HASN'T THIS HAPPENED ALREADY!)

10. Go snorkeling
11. Dress up fancy and go out with friends
12. Clean out my storage unit so that there are only eight boxes (not including Christmas storage boxes). My goal is to declutter my life.
13. Travel outside of the United States (not including Mexico or the Caribbean)
14. Complete at least 3 vacation scrapbooks, I'm several (okay, 7) years behind on them
15. Learn to crochet
16. Run a 5K (just kidding, I meant walk a 5K)
17. Visit someplace haunted
18. Try sushi (the non seafood kind- I hear not all sushi has raw fish- I'm not eating raw fish.)
19. Pay off all of my credit cards
20. Visit Jared Padalecki's bar in Austin
21. Have a Supernatural marathon (IN PERSON) with my BFF Mandy (we sometimes talk on the phone while watching episodes, but we never get a chance to watch it together in person)
22. Go to a symphony orchestra performance
23. Take a tour of the Governor's Mansion in Austin (I went as a kid, I've never been as an adult)
24. Visit Washington D.C.
25. Visit five national parks
26. Learn to cook one new recipe a month
27. Take dancing lessons (any kind of dancing)
28. Volunteer at a soup kitchen/women's shelter/homeless shelter
29. Go whitewater rafting
30. Splurge and fly first class at least once
31. Go glamping
32. Watch a classic film in a movie theater
33. Meet Steve Avery (HE NEEDS TO MEET AVERYFAN!!)
34. Take a sign language class
35. Visit Niagara Falls
36. Read at least five books published before 1940 (as part of my 40 book challenge)
37. Attend a murder mystery dinner (a professional one, not one held by a friend)
38. Perfect playing Fur Elise on the piano (I haven't played piano in 21 years)
39. Attend a baseball game (minor league or major league) with my BFF Mandy. After 29 years of friendship, I feel we need to see a baseball game together- even though she's not a fan. Lol.
40. Write a blog post that gets at least 3,500 views (so far the most I've received is 3,003 on this post)

I hope to actually accomplish the majority of this list. If you don't see me post updates on it throughout the next year, call me out. I need some accountability!

XOXO!!

My Visit to Danville, Illinois

If you would like to read the first part of my Chicago recap, click here and here.

The Friday of my Chicago trip Harrie and I rented a car and made the 2.5 hour drive to the charming town of Danville. Quick side note: After driving in downtown Chicago, I may never complain about Dallas traffic again. Okay, I probably will, but it won't be as nerve-wracking as driving in Chicago. 

I'll be honest. I originally only wanted to go to Danville so I could say I had visited the hometown of Dick Van Dyke. If you know me, or have been following my blog for any amount of time, you know that he is my FAVORITE actor of all time. The man is a NATIONAL TREASURE! 

I personally think there should be a huge sign saying Danville is the hometown of Dick Van Dyke, but alas, there wasn't one. There was a sign saying it was the hometown of some astronaut (I can't remember his name). I personally think Mr. Van Dyke is more important- anyone can go into space, but not just anyone can be a national treasure, but then again, that is just my opinion. :) They do have signs along one of the main streets with pictures of their famous residents. Yes, I stopped for a photo by Mr. Van Dyke's sign. Don't even act surprised. :)

I heard there was a local museum that had memorabilia from some of Danville's more famous residents (i.e. Dick Van Dyke, Donald O' Connor, Bobby Short). When we got to the museum, there was a sign that said it was closed for employee vacation (I later found out it's operated by volunteers). I was bummed, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. Another side note: I later found out that museum is pretty new and they are still trying to get it all organized, so I was missing TOO much by not seeing it now. I WILL go back to see it at some point. :)

There are murals painted all around the downtown Danville area. This particular mural faces the theater where these stars began their careers: Bobby Short, Jerry Van Dyke, Dick Van Dyke, Gene Hackman, Donald O' Connor, and Helen Morgan.

It seems that Abraham Lincoln once made a stop in Danville. We didn't have time to check out everything in town related to him, but we did see this mural and went by the courthouse. It seems I had a summer of Lincoln history (check out my trip to Springfield, IL here).

I won't post pictures of all the murals, but here are a few more.

While walking through downtown we noticed a sign for a war museum. Since I'm a history and museum nerd, we decided to go by. I'll be honest- I was thinking that a town the size of Danville probably wouldn't have too much in their war museum (but I still wanted to check it out). Boy, was I WRONG! This is probably one of the best museums I've ever been to (and if you know me, you know I've been to A LOT). My only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend there. We spent just under two hours and I probably could have spent another hour or so in there. Yes, it was that good.

First of all, everyone who works there is super nice and helpful. They went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and practically gave us a private tour. They were also willing to answer any questions we had.

We made small talk about what brought us to town (I told them it was my fandom of Mr. Van Dyke). EVERYONE we came across in Danville had a Dick Van Dyke story to share. Someone had either met him or knew someone who knew him. He and his wife had been in town back in June and the high school put on a performance for him. This nice gentleman named Jim found a program from that performance and gave it to me as a souvenir. Fun fact: This man is the uncle of Kevin Kouzmanoff, former Texas Rangers player (that conversation came up when he noticed my Rangers purse). :) What a small world!

Jim giving me the Dick Van Dyke program. Yes, I had many nerdy moments while I was in town- stop judging me. :) 

This sign is right outside the second floor entrance of the museum. I know some people are very sensitive about war- and I understand that. Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II. I appreciate this sign and I appreciate all of the men and women who have served or who are currently serving our country.

I took a lot of pictures, but again, I will spare you by not posting all of them. It seems people from all over donated items for this museum. Uniforms. Medals. Artifacts. Newspapers. Posters. Like I said, I could have spent so much more time in there. When I make my trip back to Danville, I'm going to go back to this museum.

A cannonball from the Civil War era

They let us try on a flak jacket

After we left the museum we ventured out to find a place to eat. Jim recommended a place called VIPS so we went there- it was quite good and inexpensive. It was about two by the time we got there, so we missed the lunch rush.

They serve breakfast all day long at VIPS- that's my kind of place!

After lunch we took a quick trip around the rest of downtown, checking out the architecture and some of the shops. There are several cute antique shops located around downtown.

We came across the office of the local newspaper. I went inside, hoping that they still had back issues from when Mr. Van Dyke was in town so I could buy them. I used to work for a newspaper, so I know that back issues are usually available for a few months at least. They had two issues that featured Mr. Van Dyke. They wouldn't even let me pay for them- they just gave them to me. Have I mentioned how much I love the people in this town?

Before making our way back to Chicago, we made two more quick stops. The first one was at Danville High School- where Mr. Van Dyke attended. I knew from following him on Twitter that a sign was recently put up in front of the high school honoring him- and of course, I had to get a picture.

Our last stop was at Mr. Van Dyke's childhood home. I read an article online that it was going to be torn down, but a group of people stepped in to renovate it and turn it into a foundation center.

I highly recommend making a trip to Danville. It's not that far from Chicago and makes for a great day trip. I'm so glad I went. I went just to say I had been to the hometown of Dick Van Dyke and saw so much more than I ever expected. I can't wait to visit again!

XOXO!