Wait...Was that who I think it was???........NAHHHH!!!

As I lay in bed last night I thought about how I planned on writing this blog.  Did I want to go in the order that events took place, or bounce around and go all over the place eventually landing on my feet in the place we have found ourselves today? Well, life has been nothing but a set of twists and turns and unexpected occurrences why try to keep the order now!  This next little adventure happens to be one of my favorite stories Aaron and I share.  It may seem a little farfetched, a tad unbelievable, but trust me.....it happened!

Let's bounce back to August 2007.  At this time Aaron and I were newlyweds, only a month’s time had passed since we signed on that dotted line and became each other’s partner in crime.  It started as any other typical Saturday, get up, get dressed and make a plan for the day.  As we went through the typical couple debate of, "I don't care what do you want to do?" "I don't care.....whatever you want to do?" a light popped on and I remembered The Taste of Colorado was this weekend! YES! That is exactly what we will do.  What better way to spend a beautiful August Saturday then handing over large amounts of money for tickets to purchase icy, cold beer and dabbling in a little bit of everything Denver's restaurants had to offer! As we entered into the realm of shoulder to shoulder crowds, food, beer, and vendor booths we knew today was going to be....THE BEST DAY EVER! I think we started our little food and drink excursion around 12:00 and by 6:00 that night, the sun was getting lower in the sky, we had a belly full of delicious food and hops, and armfuls of purchases we made at the vendor booths.  After evaluating our situation, we made the responsible, adult decision that we had too much to drink and could not drive.  So, what would anybody do in this situation...call a taxi?, probably, call our friend who is the Concierge at a swanky hotel downtown that is just a few blocks away to see if she can get us a room?...YES!!  After we made our reservation, we gathered our stuff and headed to the hotel.  Our friend, Tori, was waiting for us and greeted us at the door like we were the most important people in the room...needless to say we had a hard time keeping our tipsy selves together, but we pulled through and got the keys to what we like to call "The Rain Man Suite".  As we walked in we were in awe of how amazing our digs were for the night.  A bottle of wine chilling on the table, a stack of trashy tabloid magazines sitting on the bedside table (she knew me oh to well), and an amazing view of the city.  As we settled in we realized that even after eating all day we were starving.  We looked through the room service menu and decided it would just be easiest to call Tori and have her recommend a restaurant close by that we could walk to.  Not only did she recommend a place, she called and made us reservations at a Mediterranean restaurant a few blocks away, and had the hotel car waiting to drive us wherever we wanted to go.  Let me also tell you that the hotel we were staying at is one frequented by celebrities, musicians, athletes, etc. when they are in town, so when she made the reservation she told them she had two special people wanting to come in for dinner.  As we sat in the blacked-out Escalade on our way to the restaurant I realized I was having a little trouble focusing due to my many visits to the beer vendors at the Taste of Colorado.  So, taking a cue from the 80's hit made famous by Corey Hart, "I wore my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can..keep track of the visions in my eyes." (You know you just sang that entire sentence to yourself).  I have never been one to wear small sunglasses, I lean more towards the big and dramatic that covers the majority of your face.  So, with sunglasses in place to cover the affects of our prior festivities, and my newsboy cap pulled down low I was ready to go!  As we pulled up to the front of the restaurant we realized that the manager was outside waiting for us.  Aaron looked at me, smiled, and gave me this look that said, "Follow my lead!" As we came to a stop he threw on his sunglasses and jumped out of the car. I would like to say the manager was startled by this, but it was like he expected a "bodyguard" to come out of the car first…...wait, they really think I am somebody famous!"As my husband explains to the manager that I would like to keep my visit to their restaurant quiet, the manager jumps into action, as I get ready to put on the best show possible!  Both my "bodyguard" and the manager escort me into the restaurant to a table they have set up in a back room that is not being used.  The manager tries to speak to me, but I simply turn my head and instruct my "bodyguard" to speak for me. Ha, this was going to be fun.  After a couple of minutes the head chef approaches our table and explains to Aaron that he would like to prepare a meal for me that was not on the menu.  Ha ha, yeah that really happned.  Our server eventually made his way over to our table, and he had this smile on his face like he just won the server lottery!  That guy did everything he could to try to look at me straight on, but with my sunglasses and hat it was almost impossible to really see who I was...oh and my amazing acting skills! :)  Aaron finally instructed our server to pair a bottle of wine with what the chef was whipping up.  Eventually it was just us two at the table smirking at each other knowing no one was going to believe this story, but we weren't alone for long.  Even being tucked in this back room all alone I think every server, bartender, and cook made their way back to where we were to try and get a peep at the "celebrity" in their restaurant.  On the outside I kept a straight face, hidden from peering eyes, but on the inside I was cracking up...."is this really happening right now?" After about 20 minutes the chef delivered what looked to be the most delicious meal I would ever devour, but then the smell hit me. TRUFFLES!! My relationship with truffles is like that over protective, jealous boyfriend or girlfriend that refused to leave your side, smothering you with their cigarette breath and evil glares.  The smell, the taste, it just stays with me not allowing me to enjoy other foods even days later...I literally just gagged a little thinking about it.  Anyways, my husband, he knew my distaste for that disgusting little fungus, and saw me turn green.  As I excused myself to go to the bathroom, the chef returned begging for approval of his masterpiece.  My "bodyguard" broke it to him gently that I was not a fan of truffles, and he immediately became flustered.  He could not let my visit to his restaurant be a bad one, so he had a plan to save the night!  I returned feeling a little tipsier then when we walked in, no thanks to the amazing bottle of wine the server brought to our table.  After a few minutes, the chef returned, still making every effort to get a peep at my face, with the most amazing dessert spread ever.  As we enjoyed some homemade smores, the manager delivered a card that was signed by all of the staff as well as our well over $200 tab that had been comped.  I was in shock!  And I can only assume the sever was when he picked up that check after we left to find that we had tipped him 100% of the original bill amount. Hey, I was in the restaurant industry at the time and they took care of me, so I was going to take care of them!  Feeling like I could walk on water, I was ready to get out of there and take off my "celebrity mask".  Exiting the building was just as thrilling, as the manager and my "bodyguard" made a barrier around me, blocking me from the peering eyes of others and we jumped into that Escalade and took off.  Sitting back in the seat, my husband and I were dying laughing, trying to take in what just happened! I will have to say it was one of the most exciting things that have ever happened to me, and to this day it still sounds as unbelievable as I type it for you all to read.  So, we couldn't end the night there.....of course not.  Instead we ended the night in perfect "celebrity" style....went dancing, drank a little more, and then christened that Rain Man Suite with that lovely chefs beautiful dessert spread!  It was an epic night, I must say.  The next morning as we came to, we discussed the happenings of the day before and laughed until our ribs hurt.  Don't let me forget the loot that we discovered we had purchased at the Taste of Colorado....3, yes 3, charactures of Aaron and I....a bag of kitty litter ( I know right)....numerous dips and sauces....the list goes on and on.  A short time later as we poured ourselves into our car, we headed home knowing we just had an experience that neither of us will ever forget, and most will never believe. BEST DAY EVER!

Looking back on this crazy night from where I am now I realize there was a time where people looked at me, noticed me, and I was ok with that. Things have happened in the past year, which I will get to eventually, that have made me at times want to hide from the outside and hate that I was being noticed or looked at.  I would give anything to get back to that crazy girl, who pulled of being famous and laughed until her ribs hurt. Someday I will, I just know it....I see glimpses of that person coming through every single day, and with my "bodyguard" by my side cheering me on, as well as some of the most amazing friends and family I will be wearing my sunglasses at night in no time!