last time...

I swear, last time mentioning California, I'm sure you're all dying right now reading yet another thing. This thing, however, is pretty darn sweet. Jimmy's Uncle Joe knows everyone, I swear. He knows Jay Leno's assistant (or one of them) and he gets us tickets every time we're out there. For Free. So of course we got to go again this year. It really is a tradition for us!

Ok, let me tell you a quick back story on why I love Jay Leno. I know, I know, everyone is all Team Coco and I totally get that. I love Conan, watched him all the time in College (sorry Katie, I know I kept you up, I think I was a messy, crazy, roommate) and when I was up either breastfeeding or pumping in the middle of the night, he's hilarious, I dig him too...anyway, back to Jay. At the good ol' age of 16 I got the opportunity to go to California for a mission's trip with my youth group. It was the second time I was able to go to the same place (we went the year before). We do VBS at the church and help paint, clean, do whatever we can for the church and we all get housed by the church members. I got placed with a really awesome family. They drove me and another youth group member who stayed there too, around everywhere taking in the sites and local places to eat and hang out. One night we were driving around and we heard Jay Leno was going to be at some club, so we drove by it, as it turns out he was pulling away from the club just as we were driving by. We raced down the road and met up with him at a stop light. We rolled down our window and asked if he would do the same....and HE DID. He was so awesome, asking us our names, where we were from, what we were doing in town..then we asked if we could take a picture of him in his car and he was like "OF COURSE!" so I did. I STILL have that picture (I'll have to find it again, it's in some box and take a picture of it and post it). I think because he was so cool and so down to earth, I have forever been a fan. He didn't have to even acknowledge were were next to him, let alone roll down his window, talk to us, and let us a take a picture--all the while the light was green for a few seconds before we said goodbye.

So..I'm loyal. 12 years loyal.

So, back to the story at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. We went to the Customer Service area where you wait for your tickets and wait to be seated in the studio. We are the lucky few that don't have to wait outside in line, for tickets and to be seated. We started to walk to the studio (we get seated before anyone else who stands outside) They lead us inside and we (me, Jimmy, his brother Nick and their cousin Michael) wonder if we'll be up in the higher part again like we have been the other times. We would always enter upstairs, not on the main level, so we were curious. I thought maybe we'd be in the front row or the seats directly behind the front row. We slow walk past the 1st section on the floor, nope. The main section on the floor, nope. Then we walk to the 3rd section on the floor. YUP. We were in the front, on the floor next to where the musical act performs. Up close and personal. So before the show tapes (by the way they tape it at 4pm) Jay will come out in his head-to-toe jean ensemble and chat with the audience for a bit and then some people will come out to pump up the crowd, do some fun things with everyone, give away stuff, have people come up on stage, act out stuff, that sort of thing. Well I got called up on stage. Yes indeed. It helps when you scream, whooooo, wave your hands in the air like you just don't care (song stuck in your head now, isn't it?) and practically jump out of seat. I got up on stage, the comedian guy that was up there pumping us up, wanting for me to stand behind him, put my arms around him--like my arms are his arms. He was telling a story and I had to move my arms to do stuff that goes with the story. I couldn't hear him well and didn't know what to do some of the time, but I think it was for the better, people were cracking up laughing with some of the stuff I did. (ie. he talked about meeting a pretty girl, I gave the "OK" hand symbol and a thumbs up..like that was picking up a girl?! I had no clue what to do!) I was laughing, everyone was laughing and I got a free T-shirt. Score! It was so much fun! (oh, I forgot to take a picture of me in the shirt, will do that, it's like an XL, practically a night gown on me!)

The show started, Jay came out and you know when everyone goes up to him, shakes his hand, whatever, yeah we got to do that! I snuck up front (if you watch the video, you'll see a tall guy in a red checkered type shirt looking down--that's the guy letting me up front, nice guy, but since I'm super short, you don't see me at all!) But you do see me when we walk back to our seats. Kind of. Thankfully I wore a bright outfit that day. Bright blue tank top and a mustard colored skirt. So if you look just right, I'm there! Second 52, it goes fast though! Jimmy is more noticeable, he's behind me in the White shirt with blue stripes (the shirt that has the smaller stripes and the block of white at the top).

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/tuesday-july-5-2011/1339169/

Anyway, the show was great, Billy Gardell from Mike and Molly was HILARIOUS. I love the show before (watched the 1st episode when it aired and everything) Lisa was ok, not super funny or anything, almost seemed like she was acting, not genuine. Oh, there is a part in her interview segment that she talks about a rumor about her that she was a virgin when she got married. She said it's not true, and went on about it, but then quickly said there is nothing wrong with it if you are or were one. You clearly hear me. I go "Whoo, Whoo!!" and then clap. There was someone else behind me who also "whoo'd" a little and a few other people clapped. Sad isn't it? Me and ONE other person clapped and whoo'd at that comment?! We saw Natasha perform (she was so close!) and I'm not a huge fan..or fan at all for that matter...but I will say this, she totally rocked it live. I was impressed!

Anyway, after the show we leave and wait for everyone to drive off the lot. Billy was so down to earth, he stopped the car, got out for a bit, signed some autographs (I just took his picture) and got back in. Jay drove by (have that picture too) and stopped, waved and then left. I'm not even sure when Lisa left, I think she high tailed it out of there, not stopping for anything.

So LONG story...finally finished...it was a lot of fun. Best experience we had there. After the tragic event on the 4th, this really cheered us up and we all just had a great time! Can't wait to go again!

Now..my camera. Sigh. It was in the protective case all zipped up tight and then it fell. Fell from my beach bag. I had it at my parents land, which has a pond, when we were getting ready to leave. I didn't think much of it, went home and then fell out of the bag again while driving home, but it was on the ground, so again, didn't think much of it. I got it out to take a picture of the kids and turned it on and then this: (see in the upper right corner, that light--that is actually a picture, you can almost tell what you are trying to take a picture of, that's my only screen view)

It's cracked on the inside. The outside screen is not cracked at all. I'm not sure how it happened. My protective case does have a medal loop thing so you can hook in onto something, like on your belt loop looking all super fly. Jimmy thinks it was that that broke it as matches up to the circle portion where the main crack occurred.

So yes, this is what I was working with while in CA. I can't do any functions on the screen because I can't see the functions I'm doing. I can zoom, but can't really tell how far I zoomed. It's depressing. We'll have to take it a camera shop and see if it can be fixed. We tried to contact Canon but no luck. I don't want to spend another $300 on a camera, when it's not in the budget and I just bought this one! Plus the camera works perfectly, it's just the screen. So, that's where we are in regards to that. Until then enjoy my crappy, blurry, cut offed pictures!