I MET JOEL MCHALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, wow, hmmm, okay - yes I MET JOEL MCHALE!!!!!  Seriously - this is like MY red rider BB gun- I mean, I LOVE Joel, not in that "I fantasize about you" kind of way, but in the " I would love to sit down have a beer and pee my pants laughing kind of way" or " I would love to guest host The Soup with you!" Okay that's just my fantasy!  

I religiously watch The Soup on E!, I have since college.  I would settle in on a Saturday and do what I call "Celebrate Saturday," which involved my electric blanket on high and dozing on and off all day on the couch until five when I would get up and get ready and go hang out with friends.  On such Saturdays I would watch E! and there would undoubtedly be a Soup marathon or what it was back then, Talk Soup with Greg Kinnear.  I've always appreciated The Soup because it makes fun of really, really ridiculous and dare I say dumb people.  I find that hilarious - I owe my sick, twisted, often inappropriate sense of humor to my dad and love it!  I find humor so easily!  So my roots run deep with this show, I have watched all of the hosts beginning with Greg and none have struck me like Joel.  I know I'm not alone - since Joel started on The Soup he has quite the following and his packed house on Saturday night was a testament to that fact.  When I found out that he does comedy shows- I was game.  He came to Indy in January and it just so happened that I had a girls weekend planned for the same weekend in Chicago.  So I missed that show, BUT he was coming to the Horseshoe casino in Hammond and I told Ryan, we ARE going or at least I am, if we can't get a sitter for the weekend.  

I am happy to report that our wonderful cousins watched our kids for the weekend and Ryan and I  went north to visit my dad, do a bit of shopping at this phenomenal garden center and then on to the casino for a bit of gaming and fun.  The day did not disappoint and by the time I got to the casino I was just plain giddy!  The show of course was awesome.  His opening act was Chris Porter from Last Comic Standing 4 and all I am going to say is he was absolutely hilarious.  You never know with opening acts, but this guy is good stuff, goofy looking, but good stuff!

They made an announcement before the show started that if you bought a shirt, Joel would sign it after the show.  So I thought what the heck?  Worse case scenario, I have a shirt.  So I promptly went down and bought a Spaghetti Cat shirt - it was that or "It's a felony" and if you follow the show, you know that refers to Miley Cyrus and her boyfriend.  But not knowing if I was going to actually get it signed, I chose Spaghetti Cat, because hey, you can't go wrong with a shirt like that!  I got back up just in time for the show to begin and it was great. Really great, I mean his soup stuff was funny, but his personal comedy was better than I thought.  He is a funny, funny man.  I laughed, I cried, I fought hard not to pee my pants (fortunately I did not) and had an awesome time! 

So immediately following the show I got down to the lobby and got in line - a rather long line, but not as bad as I expected.  See I figured that I'd get in line and then some security guard would come up about four people in front of me and say, "the line ends here, sorry for your trouble."  I say that because it has happened to me before, every time in fact except when I was 9 and I was able to get into an assembly line with others to get a David Copperfield autograph, but it was one of those, he signs a picture and his assistant hands it to you, you get to look at him from behind a table, but there will be no touching and since camera's were a bit bulkier in that day, you couldn't dream of a picture with him.  So that's my celebrity experience, so I had LOW, low expectations on what this encounter might be like.  I am happy to report that the security guard never came and I was in "the" line to meet him.  Holy Sh*t!

After about a half hour he came out, now I again I figured he'd be behind the counter and we'd smile and be on our way.  No sir, he jumped the counter and starting chatting, signing and taking pictures.  I would venture there were about 150 people in line, not all of them getting signatures, some, like Ryan, were forced to be a photographer for their star crazed partner.  We waited in line for about an hour, I couldn't imagine why it was taking so long, but then when I got within reach I realized this guy is actually TALKING to everyone he is meeting.  Wow, I mean, sure he isn't Brad Pitt, but when you can sell out a theater because of your verbal banter, I am thinking your a bit more popular than let's say me or even a local weather anchor and you could be a bit of a jerk if you wanted to.

It was my turn, I was a bit dumbfounded at first, but he is actually a really, really nice guy.  Asked my name, Ryan's name, where were from, why I didn't go to the Indy show and talking about how cold it was when he came, what he did while he was here, what he saw. Then he asked, "Annie, what do you want on your shirt?"  I said, "uh, I didn't realize I had a choice.  You are a hell of a lot nicer than I thought!"  So we talked for a few seconds, "Chick's Man? Oprah's V-jay-jay."  I said, "eh, let's not do Oprah's V-jay-jay I have three little kids." "Oh how old are they?"  "Uh -7, 4 and 2."  "Wow, you're f*#king busy!"  So I opted for Chick's Man, because I really like that segment of the show.  In hind sight I should have had some witty personal thing, but I am not nearly as witty as the character I play on TV!   ;o) 

He thanked me, then said okay picture time and posed and gave a squeeze good bye.  Wow - it was a blur because I just couldn't believe this guy was taking this much time to talk to everyone in line. I would say I was special, but he was taking time with most of the people in the line.  I would like to think I handled it as cool as I could.  I mean he really was so nice and down to earth- I realize that people on TV are real people, but fame can go to ones head.  I am impressed to no end and honestly admire and like him more now than I did before I met him.  I have that fear and I am sure others share this opinion that you can be really let down by meeting someone famous and then find out they are a total ass.  He wasn't and I am smitten!

So here are few pictures of my night:

waiting in line

discussing my t-shirt options

 Joel and I (that's for you grammar girls!) 

Okay, so not only is he nice, but he is a swell looking fella.  That and he has great skin, which sounds really weird now that I am typing it out.  Anyway, here is the only time you'll see be wearing my Spaghetti Cat t shirt because it is getting framed with my pictures and my ticket stub and going into our entertainment room.  (and for the record THAT was Ryan's idea, not mine!) (what he doesn't know is that the picture of Joel and I is going to be 8 by freaking 10 baby! ha!)

For the record I do look this hot all the time, nothing but the best from this stay at home mom!

So I leave for Seattle in two days - I will be signing off for now - I'll have tons to report about my trip when I get back and then I need to get my rear in gear and finish up my Penny Pickles outstanding business!  So much to do, so much to do....

Thanks!