Friday, June 27, 2008

Johnny Depp in St. Anne, IL...

Scroll down for VIDEO...
Johnny in Lockport compliments of Tiffany (aka Lawgirl)

Sheesh!
You would think that someone who used to be a video editing professional could get one lousy video uploaded to blogger... Apparently such is not the case, I'll head over to You Tube when I get back tonight and upload. (Yes Johnny is in the video!) For now, I'll just let the pics speak for themselves and commentate later, ciao! ; )

Hi Gabby! Thanks for filling me in on all that happened before we got there.
I hope in the end it was worth the wait for you! I can't wait to hear YOUR story!

Group shot, compliments of Tiffany!

Sexy, Doc, very sexy!
My buddy Evan, I love you man!
Had a ton of fun hanging around waiting for Johnny to wrap! It was hot, hot, HOT! Apparently local businesses were saving their bathrooms form the crowds (who can blame them?) But Tiffany (lawgirl) pulled some strings for Evan and Osh, and that's all I'm gonna say about that!... ; )

As the sun went down, the crowd seemed to DOUBLE every time I turned around to look. I began to be nervous that Johnny wouldn't be allowed to come out and greet us. There was only one thin yellow strip of caution tape between us and where he would need to pass and not much security in sight. I needn't have worried!!! As usual, 'my' Jerry came out and saved the day! I think just his being in the area was a calming presence on the crowd... (It sure worked on me!) First he gathered up all the people who were hanging out parade style (I LOVE small towns!) on their lawns on the other side of the street and got them behind the yellow tape too. The Kankakee Sheriff's department showed up on the scene and lent a very professional police presence to the ambiance, they really ROCKED!
Go Jerry!
My heart almost stopped beating when he stopped RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! Tiffany flagged him down and pointed at me (I had a 'thank you' gift I wanted to give Jerry) I think Jerry thought she was pointing at the little boy in front of me. I was soo touched when he crouched down and had a very meaningful conversation with him about his favorite movies and his favorite lines in those movies. It was sooo cute and the little boy was very articulate too! As he finished talking to the boy, I handed him my gift bag. He goes, "What's this?" I said "It's for you Jerry." He pulls the item out of the bag which was a picture frame with 2 pics of our special moment when I got my machete sheath autographed. I had autographed the pic for him and wrote a short note of appreciation on it. His smile of recognition was SO BIG, it really warmed my heart! He turned , started to walk away, then turned back and said, "No bribes ladies..." Ladies plural... = ) It seems he recognized all of us! hmmm....
These are the notes written to Johnny by Movie Star Wife's little girls. They were soo cute! She did get to hand them directly to Jerry after she'd had HER moment with Johnny. This brings me to my sad moment of the evening. The one thing I had in mind as my goal for the day was to make sure that Dawn had her Johnny moment documented as a keepsake. Well, I failed in this goal and actually feel a little ashamed about it. I stood in that spot on the line for most of the day to ensure it would happen. At the very end (near the time JD was getting ready to come out) someone who's name I will not mention decided it would be cool to push her way to the front of the line and encroach upon our spot. At one point she actually said to me, "I hope I'm not crowding you." To which I replied, "Actually you are, a little." (She was touching the backs of my calves, thighs, bottom and side all at the same time, ewww...) She kind of laughed it off like it was a joke and I just let it go. I am pretty claustrophobic and it takes a lot of mental energy to be in a crowd like that anyhow. I was glad I said something at least, and she did move a little but I wish I could be more assertive at times like that and say something like, "Hey, if you wanted this spot, you could have stood here all day and saved it too, now go find another spot." But that's not me... and I'm not proud of it! ; (
So, as the moments wore on, I gave in a bit more, and then some more and finally I was behind all my friends and ended up with this crappy video of the backs of their heads... The part that upsets me is not that this person did this, it's that I LET IT GET TO ME! The fact that I gave her the power to ruin a special moment in time is what really grates on me... Sheesh, get over it already! (says me to myself! LOL)



After it as all over, we took off and stopped at Denny's to help us get our blood sugar back on the map! We did have a lot of laughs there, and Evan supplied us with this one which still makes me chuckle! (Minxie you are always with us even when you aren't...)
Another FUN moment was when we stopped at one of the Oasis' to use the restroom. One of the automatic toilets chose the moment my FRIEND sat down to turn into a bidet instead of a toilet! She screamed so loud! Then the thing just kept on flushing at odd moments... We laughed sooo hard, I had tears in my eyes and my stomach still hurts from all the hysterical laughing and no breathing. OMG!!
All in all, it was a great experience and I am long over my sad moment. Now I just keep remembering the smile on Jerry's face......


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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Johnny Angel...

I feel about to pass out!

Just found this link to Mr. Jimmy's MYSpace page!
Christine M posted it over at JDR Where I stumbled across it this morning...

It's the hands that really got to me... (well the eyes too) but THE HANDS! Thank you Mr. Jimmy, that was so beautiful, made my day... Thank you Christine for finding it!


johnny Depp Johnny Angel




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Sunday, June 22, 2008

My Birthday Weekend, or Joining Anal Painters Anonymous...

This morning, I can hardly move! I 'm sitting here sipping coffee and eating chocolate covered sunflower seeds! OMG, mmmmm.... Mary, where on earth did you find them?!

This was the best birthday weekend ever!!!!

It all started with another fun Kurth night ;)... Tessa! as you can see, the chili dip was a BIG hit and the Buckeyes are only a distant memory... mmm.... THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! Click here to see Tessa's pirate kitty in the brig (my favorite pic of Lil Cap'n Jack, still makes me cry)

Hi Jenny! For some reason I hardly took any pics at the Kurth. Must have been having tooo much fun. The ones I did take didn't turn out so well. Except for this one I took on Vicky's camera for Sir Jack... *pirating from Vicky's blog*


BIG fun as had by all as Vicky, and Osh and Evan decide whether or not to DRIVE TO CHICAGO after the Kurth to see some filming!!! They were sooo funny, sadly the Whoosey's and Caralea weren't allowed to tag along (dreaded curfew laws...) Click on the links above to hear the experience in their own words....... Suz and I were lucky enough to get a visitation immediately after the road trip, actually Suz was still sleeping and they were excitedly whispering all about it to me on the Stretch Limo of a couch at Suz's place. After which of course Suz says, "Why didn't you wake me?!?!" oops...


Evan did snap this great shot of Caralea for me before they took off! Thanks Evan...

The next mroning, Suz and I had a leisurely breakfast of BACON, (we were too tired to make anything else!) before heading over to the Painting Party at the Amtrack Station. While others went to get paint, I had to get more coffee over at Julies Java House, mmmm... Loved the signage over there! ; )



Liked this one best of all!!!



Suz got to hand Caralea her autographed Pirates handbag that Evan soooo graciously got Johnny to sign for her in Chicago. She couldn't resist setting her up a little though... he he! She was like, "Oh, Caralea, I'm sooo sorry long prenant pause but you are gonna be the most popular girl at school!!!" Here you go! You should have seen her smile ; )


Oh wait, here it is!


Krisx and Left hand Louie saved the day with getting us tinted paint rather than plain white! Awesome color choices Kris! And great eye for detail... Kris and I share the Anal Painter Gene neither one of us is able to stop touching up!!!! ; ) Actually it's a trait I love in another painter. In myself, not so much... I told myself on the way over to the station, "Self, you are not going to cut in today!, On account of your hand you are going to use your shoulder muscles instead of your hands to ROLL on paint today!" Did I listen to myself, NO!!! I stood on a ladder and cut in ALL DAY LONG!!! I was unable to resist the pull of making straight lines where there are none and compulsively TOUCHING UP! Am I paying for it today, of course I am! There shoudl be a 12 step program for anal painters... Not only is my hand swollen and hurting again, but my legs are like RUBBER, why did I have to do it on a ladder?????? OMG!

Left Hand Louie plots his next attempt to scare 10 years off my life...
Jordy and Caralea working hard!
Darling!
Some of the gang at work... Hi DJ! Finally dj and I got to have a nice long chat, we've been staring at each other over heads at the Kurth for several weeks now. I've missed her, so close but yet sooo far... ; ) We laughed sooo hard at Jenny telling us ghost stories... My tummy hurts a little today from laughing sooo hard, but it's a good hurt! The only thing I wish I'd donr differently this weekend is eat more CAKE!!! I think I need that recipe too DJ!! (I'm also agreeing with whoever asked Rod if his noodle recipe was a state secret or available to the masses... Is it?, Is it?)
So sorry I didn't take more pics, or better ones. Luckily, you can find the better ones at Michelle's place! or Rod's! I also think Jenny/ took down all the names of those who helped out, I think there were like 20 people there!

This is the state of affairs with my laptop. Still spread out all over my kitchen table, grrr... I hope I can make some time later to day to ge back to it. There will be no cooking in my house until it's done! For now though, got to go get ready to go have lunch at my Aunties...
Thanks all for making my birthday sooo very special! Especially BIG thanks to Suz who always welcomes me and makes me feel at home... You are sooo special to me, girl!!!!! (Thanks for putting up with all the kitty drama!)

Friday, June 20, 2008

It's a Kurth's night...

This recipe was suggsted to me by wlkingbluepirate (aka: Tessa) when I asked her how to serve her Cincinnatti (oops Cincinnati!) ;) Recipe Chili she gave us after meeting up with her in Crown Point! We'll see how it goes over with the Kurth crowd tonight!


The Skyline CookbookTo download a printable .pdf of these delicious recipes, please click here. Our Famous Skyline Chili Dip


One 12 oz. package softened cream cheese


One 13 oz. frozen Skyline Chili thawed


OR one 15 oz. can of Skyline Chili


¼ cup diced onions (optional)


12 oz. Skyline shredded mild cheddar cheese


Spread softened cream cheese evenly on bottom of 9 x 13 microwaveable casserole dish. Heat chili according to package directions. Pour heated Skyline Chili over cream cheese. Sprinkle diced onions (optional) on top of chili. Cover with Skyline shredded mild cheddar cheese.Conventional oven: heat at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.Microwave oven: heat on high for 2 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with nacho or corn chips.


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Friday, June 13, 2008

The Depp Effect...

Edited below for Rachel...

I've thought about this 'thing' a lot...


This thing some call 'The Depp Effect'. This thing, this feeling, this experience, this apparently universal ambiance, if you will, of simply being in the presence of Mr. John Christopher Depp II. I don't believe that I can explain it any better than anyone else, so I won't even begin to try. I guess all I can do is what anyone can, relate my experience with the man and leave it at that...

I consider myself extremely blessed to have been in the presence of Johnny Depp four times in the past couple of months. A year ago, I would never even have imagined it possible. I'm not the sort of person who needs to meet a celebrity, nor have I ever been to a Meet-and-Greet of any kind nor sought out an autograph of any living being before Public Enemies came to Wisconsin. [Disclaimer: I did send a celebrity MY autograph once as kind of a joke! I had my picture taken with Bryan Duncan, but it was in the line of duty, so I signed it and sent it to him. Yeah, I'm a little weird...]

My first experience brought me the realization that not only was Johnny Depp a great artist but also, simply, a great man. I was humbled and awed. I didn't meet him or touch him. I saw him from a distance of perhaps 7 or 8 feet and was a little stunned by the rush of emotion. The subsequent interaction with the blogger community known as Public Enemies - Columbus (aka PEC), helped restore in me a sense of greatfulness that had been missing for a while. Another side-effect of the Depp Effect, Johnny brings people together...

My second and third expriences happened in my beloved Columbus, WI. ;) The pics are here, but for some reason, I was reluctant at the time to write anything about it. I was invited to share in the hospitality of my new friend Suz, a relative stranger who let me stay in her HOME so I could be in town for both days of filming! Amazing!

That first night I stood next to my good friend dj as Johnny came out LATE to greet his fans. It was so cold that night. We huddled together under blankets and stood there till midnight. When Johnny greeted dj, he asked her if he could hug her! WOW! I didn't remember much of my own experience immediately afterwards, I think I was in shock a little. Surreal... I put out my hand to shake his as he approached and he simply hugged me instead. I said nothing, I was dumbfounded! I remember thinking how soft his leather jacket was against my cheek... I didn't care at all that he wasn't signing autographs and that I had carried that machette around with me ALL DAY LONG!

Earlier in the day I had had a wonderful experience with John Michael Bolger (thanks to Jenny!) JMB pulled my machette out of it's sheath and picked his teeth with it! Hilarious!! He tested the blade with his thumb and then re-sheathed it. Suddenly he turned to me with a stunned expression on his face and said, "I probably shouldn't have left my DNA all over your BIG KNIFE!" We all had a good laugh as he handed it back to me. He signed his autograph to me like this: "Betty - I didn't do it! JMB." That put a huge smile on my face and made a place for him in my heart all at the same time. (If anyone reading this has pics of JMB playing with my machette, I sure would like to get copies!)

The next evening I stood at the barricades with Suz and three new friends I'd met that day (Maegan, toadlessgirl and Robbi) I'll never forget all the jokes and laughter and the rain and the chill and then FINALLY around 4 am, Johnny himself! There were no autographs again that night. Again, I found myself speechless and self-conscious. I shook Johnny's hand, dropped my sharpie lid on the ground and stupidly spent the next precious seconds scrambling for it (who cares about a sharpie lid!) After he left town, I remember feeling great disappointment. Not because I didn't get the autograph, though I thought so at the time, but because I had failed to share something of myself in return. Johnny had left town for good and I hadn't shared anything of real value with him ;(

Last night seemed like a chance to redeem myself ;) It turned out to be exactly that! (and so much more...) Again, I got to connect with some new friends from PEC, Vicky and Tiffany and again, a wonderful experience in community. (also Zak and Jenny! Nice meeting you!)

Zak, Jenny, Vicky and Tiffany.

Taking refuge from the storm in a little Irish pub!

Vicky is excited to find her favorite potato 'crisps'!
We are refreshed by drinks and snacks and head back out to wait the rest of the night in a steady downpour. At least the storm had subsided... Despite the rain we managed to have a ton of fun which Vicky describes so well on her blog... The sun comes up, finally and jsut as Johnny walks out, THE RAIN STOPS!!! Yes, The Depp Effect even impacts the weather apparently...
Yes, Johnny is finally signing autographs on a day I am present! Woo Hoo! I hardly notice though as I finally find my tongue and actually have a real conversation with him and Jerry. I asked Johnny if he wouldn't mind signing my sheath to which he relpied, "Of course!" Jerry then jumps in and says to me, "I've seen this before, and said no to this before." and to Johnny, "You know what goes in here don't you? A scabbard!" Johnny starts signing, laughs, says, "Yes!" Then looks up and into my eyes and says, "It's a machette!" To which I reply, "Yes!" and give him a big smile. He starts to turn away and FINALLY I say to him what I've wanted to say all along, "Thank you, I want you to know that you have been a great inspiration to me during a very dark time in my life." Simple! He then thanks ME, shakes my hand and bows his head... Now that was real, and what I had been looking for the entire time, an opportunity to exchange something of value with someone important to me. Something small to be sure, but infinitely valuable to me...



This pic and the one above I pirated from Vicky's blog! It shows the reason why I failed to snap the pic of Johnny hugging Tiffany. Apparently, I was still flirting with Jerry! The shame... ;) Sorry, Tiffany! Lucky thing Vicky had her wits about her!

I did manage to get Johnny signing Tiffany's autograph for her Make-A-Wish child Felix!

Though I couldn't hear the conversation, I see that Vicky thoroughly enjoys her moments with Johnny!!! I feel lucky to have gotten my wits back... Zak, in the background, faithfully records the moment as well.


Afterwards, I asked him if he had gotten the video message for his mother he had intended to ask Johnny for. I took this pic as he was explaining to me how "The Depp Effect" had prevented him from finding his tongue. I just smiled the smile of understanding that all of us do who have experienced it... Yes, even men are susceptible to the Depp effect. ;)


The long awaited autograph...
...in it's final resting place!
___________________________________________________

Well, it wouldn't be a Betty Blog without kitty pics!
Yes, Osh and Evan, she does exist!


Finally, Baby comes out of hiding, tentatively...

She finds the long lost BIG cockroach and remembers how to PLAY!

Then decides she needs rescuing after all...


Thanks for stopping by!
_________________________________________________________





The Menu:

Alsatian Onion and Apple soup
w/ Munster Cheese on Toasted Rye Crouton
Freshly baked breads:
(Vermont Maple Walnut & Cheese)
BBQ Ribs
Tempura Chicken
Backed Yukon Gold Potato
stuffed w/ Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Sauce

for dessert:
Old Fashioned Southern
Lemon Chess Pie


My Cocktail:
Cosmopolitan
(Schmirnoff's Citrus Vodka, Cointreau, Cranberry juice and Rose's Lime)


My Dinner Plate!

The food was absolutely delicious. Would have cleared table a little and taken a more pleasing picture but the ladies I was with (surprise! thought I was going alone with my auntie not the Clinton Women's Club!) thought I was a little nuts already just for getting my camera out... Oh well, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal anyhow! I didn't bother photographing the dessert, it wan't a good plating, but tasted superb... ;)


We saw:

Neil Simon's 'Barefoot in the Park'


Very Funny! The second act moved a little faster than the first which was good considering the meal I had! I would have fallen asleep had it not been for the quick pace and the AIR CONDITIONING!!! Brrrrrr....

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Mission Accomplished!

I swear, I did NOT do it!!!
Last snuggle-up pic of the two remaining Pirate Brothers!
Compliments of Suz
(why didn't I take more snuggle-up pics?)
Last night Lil Sparrow's new Momma Maria came to pick him up...
along with her grand-daughter... ;)
Lil Cap'n Jack finishes off my Creme Brulee as a last night treat!
mmm.....Whew! I'm full, time for a nap...

Fast asleep slung over the back of kitchen chair!

One last visit to his pirate ship...



Breakfast of sardines with Momma prior to departure! mmm...

Napping on Evan on the road...

Lil' Cap'n Jack meets his new momma, Tessa!

They are gonna get along just great...
She's a pirate too, after all... ;)


PS: Big, HUGE thanks to Osh and Evan for making the trip to Crown Point with me to deliver Cap'n Jack! They even blessed me by coming over the night before and hanging out in y little world. Thanks so much for the company and for talking me out of my tears on the way back home...

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