Super Tuesday (Super Random Tuesday, that is!)

Well, it's Super Tuesday...time to go exercise my right and duty as an American citizen and vote for a candidate I'm still not totally sold on yet. But, that's kinda the way it is with me during this time of the election. So...not entirely happy with my decision yet, but it still makes me incredibly happy to go fill in the ballot. (I'll never forget the first time I voted; I was seriously like bouncing and giggling as I walked into the polling place and the little old ladies running the show thought I was the funniest thing!).

Anyway... I digress...

I thought I'd steal this awesome idea from the Blogger Who Will Remain Nameless (I can't remember, for the life of me, what blog I found this on, and I've gone and searched for it too, and still can't find it!) for my post today. Whoever it Was had her answers to this one on one of her posts last week, and I knew at the time that I'd have to use it here myself soon! The challenge was to post Seven Famous People You've Met (and, if you can't come up with seven, to finish the list with some random, interesting facts about yourself). Sounded like a good idea to me, so here you go!

(And you know the drill: join in by posting your seven in my comment section or doing this on your own blog. Just make sure you tell us that you're doing it, so we can go read yours. In fact, you're supposed to tag seven people with it, so I'm gonna tag seven "new" visitors to my blog and challenge them to do it on their blog. So how about...Pam (Hippochick), Katrin, Cheryl, Patti, Jacquie, Kimberly, and hubby Gary just because he sometimes can't come up with anything to blog about? The rest of you--you're still tagged anyway!)

Here goes. First off, a list of four famous people I've met (and probably way too much information about the experiences than you really want to read!):

(1) President and Mrs. Carter.
This has to be just about the COOLEST experience I've ever had! Back in the summer of 2004 (when Sydney was just about four months old), we decided to take a summer road trip through Georgia. Our plan was to go to Callaway Gardens, travel through Plains, go to Savannah, and end up at Tybee Island. I love each and every one of these places, but I have to say that the visit to Plains has to be about the most amazing one I've ever taken. And it's something that I recommend all Americans--despite your party affiliation or political leanings--to do! Even Gary, who was never a fan of Carter as president, was really affected by the kind of impression the former leader left on him.

If you've never heard about this, you can actually go online and find out when President Carter will be at home in Plains (he does a lot of traveling with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center and other international-aid organizations). When he's in town, he teaches Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church (you can log onto their website and find out his schedule). You can plan a trip there, go to his class, and then have your picture taken with him (he stands in line until everyone there gets a photo).

On this morning, there were several hundred visitors from all around the States and the world and we all got a seat in the sanctuary (which is where he teaches the Sunday School class); you can then stay for the church service (which Carter and his wife stays for and sits and sings and prays with everyone else). Afterwards, you get in line outside to have your picture taken. Sure, it's a little different than most church services because there are Secret Service agents in attendance and you have to go through an x-ray machine, but it is so worth it!

What I was struck by was the fact that he greeted us before Sunday School and asked us questions. He asked us where we were from and asked us Sydney's name. Later on, when we got in line for the photo (about two hours later), he remembered her name. He asked, "How has Sydney been doing?"

But what I was struck by more than anything was the fact that he made himself accessible. And how often do you get the chance to meet and talk with a former President? I never saw any of the other former presidents--Republican or Democrat--do that. I also was impressed by how he really lives out his faith in the way he serves other people; he really believes that being a Christian results in reaching out to the poor and displaced and homeless and hungry. (Also cool is that he usually eats lunch at a little home-cooking restaurant in town and you pretty much can see him in line or talk to him again at the restaurant if you eat there too. We did, of course!)

This is my picture from that day. Good times!! (And that was a pretty good little tidbit to share on election day, huh?)


(2) Earl Campbell.
This one will age me a bit, and those of you who are not sports fans may not even know who Campbell is. He, though, was one of the best football running backs to ever play the game! He played at the University of Texas, and then for the Houston Oilers in the NFL. Back in 1976, when I was in the third grade and living in Austin, Campbell and some of the other Longhorn football players came to our elementary school. He talked with us, then visited individual classrooms. I even got an autographed construction-paper football, and I still have it!

(This is also sorta related, although it doesn't involve meeting someone in person. Just last year, I interviewed former Alabama running back and current Seattle Seahawke Shaun Alexander for an article I wrote for a religious newspaper. But I only got to talk to him on the phone!)

(3) Various Writers.
This kinda seems like a cop-out, because I don't even think of these people as celebrities...even though I know they really are to a lot of people! Every year, my parents and I organize and hold a writer's conference here in Alabama. Because of that, I have had the chance to meet a lot of really great writers. People like novelists Terri Blackstock, Lurlene McDaniel, and Gilbert Morris. I've also met Rick Bragg, one of my favorite current writers; he is actually an office mate of my dad at the University of Alabama. If you haven't read his book, All Over but the Shoutin', you really should (it gets 5 stars in my book!).

(4) Some random airport sightings!
It always seem like you see someone in airports and on airplanes. Gary has sat next to college athletes a couple of times, my Dad sat next and chatted for several hours with the singers from country band Sawyer Brown. Back in the 80s, I spotted Olympic diver Greg Louganis at the DFW airport (and I probably shouldn't mention the fact that one of my best friends in college had me stalking Mike Shula--cutie-pie quarterback while we were in school and former Bama head football coach. We spotted him a few times on campus and she made me go greet the team when they'd come into the local airport. LOL But we never actually met him!)

Since that's all I could come up with, I decided to mix in the random, weird, interesting, whatver facts about me. I have three left to share! (And I tried to make them things that perhaps you've not heard yet about me, since I kinda feel like I'm an open book here on my blog and I've probably already let you know a lot of strange things about me. Ha!)

(5) I am a TOTAL Sci-Fi geek. (I love all of the Star Wars movies and am embarrassed by the fact that I can pretty much quote them word-for-word) and I CANNOT wait to see the new Star Trek movie that comes out next Christmas. This movie's gonna take us back to the very beginning of the Star Trek Enterprise, when Captain Kirk, Spock, and the whole crew meets for the first time. It's full of young, up-and-coming stars, and is being produced by the guy who brings us "Lost" every week (and you know how much I love that!).

For any of you who might be sci-fi geeks with me, here is the first little teaser-trailer about the movie. It looks cool!



(6) I have climbed to the top of THIS.

Sydney was watching a children's show this morning and they actually talked about the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico. I told her that I had actually been there one time when I was a teenager and that it was a VERY long walk to the top. She answered by saying, "I wanna go there too. And also to Egypt, where the other pyramids are." (That girl kills me!)

This is outside Mexico City, which I visited with a Spanish class group from my high school. We went to Mexico City, Taxco, and Acapulco. It was my first ride on an airplane, my first trip outside the country, and one of my fondest memories from my teenage years. Very cool! (And I had not really even thought about it for a long time!)

(7) I LOVE thrift stores!
One of the best feelings is to come home from a thrift store excursion with some great deals and unique finds! (It also has something to do with the fact that I'm pretty cheap and really can't stand to pay full-price for anything!) Just last week, I went to a local thrift store and came home with two dresses and four or five skirts for Sydney (since she only wears dresses, I have to come up with ways to keep her closet stocked), some Liz Claiborne shoes for me, and a pile of brand-new mysteries which the cashier gave to me for 39 cents each (books are my FAVE things to buy at thrift stores).

Well...that was FUN. It totally made me relive some good memories, and share some fun facts!

Now it's your turn. Take the challenge and share with us. I can't wait to learn something new about you!!!