10 celebrity encounters

It didn’t take me long to realize I didn’t ever have the desire to be a celebrity. Also, I don’t have any skills that would necessitate celebrity status… but even if I did, no thank you. I can respect people’s popularity for their respected talents but in no way do I have the desire to live life on a perch for all to mock and ridicule. However, I have had some pleasant and unpleasant encounters with celebrities. More often than not, I’ve acted a complete fool while in the presence of such fame. Here are 10 encounters I’ve experienced:
1. Anjelah Johnson – I went to High School with Anjelah and we were on the cheer team together. She always had a positive, fun, outgoing personality and was genuinely kind to everyone. Her nail salon set hit the internet and took off. I remember sitting in my home feeding a baby and seeing it for the first time. It was hilarious! Super proud of her and the success she is having.
2. Garth Brooks – I sat at a table with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood at a reception following a mutual friends funeral. They were both extremely polite, down to earth and super normal. I was shocked. We talked about normal everyday things and it was refreshing. They seemed genuinely interested in stories of my children and I had to pinch my thigh the whole time to refrain from geeking out about them. After all, Friends in Low Places was the 1st country song I could sing frontward and backwards. About 7 years later, my girlfriends took me to his concert for my Birthday. Best concert ever!
3. Terrell Owens – During my Single Lady years, that one time I was on Tinder and matched up with Terrell Owens. Chatted with him for an hour before I realized it was him. I thought he looked familiar and assumed he went to my High School. I screen shot his picture and sent it to my friend and her husband and she immediately sent me back a text that said, “Dude, that’s Terrell Owens, a famous football star.” LOL. I typically don’t like to expose my Tinder activity but… This was brag worthy. I thought it was probably a fake account but for a minute… I was on cloud nine. Then a few days later TO requested to be my friend on Instagram and guess what? It was his real account. Haha. TO is obsessed with me!
4. John Travolta – When we lived in Florida, my ex husband met John Travolta at our local gym. We lived in the same town and John and my ex became fast friends. I was always a very big JT fan but being on a personal basis with him opened my eyes to the reality of a celebrity. We traveled with he and his wife, Kelly Preston, to Hawaii, New Mexico, their home in Maine and even visited a lot with them when they rented a house in Scottsdale for a short period of time. Though they were always kind to me, it wasn't my favorite experience…
5. Danny Glover – When I was a freshman in HS, I was invited (along with my HS Cheer team) to participate in a 49er Halftime Show. Danny Glover was part of the Halftime Show as well. I met and shook his hand on the field. The End.
6. Katie Holmes – While attending a movie premiere in New York with some friends, a very tall and beautiful lady, lightly brushed past me in the isle of the Theatre. My friend Greg said to me, “Awe man, She’s HOT!”… I said, “Greg, you know who that is right?!”… He had a look of confusion on his face and I let him know it was Katie Holmes as in “the Katie Holmes that is married to Tom Cruise”.
7. Shannon Miller – Growing up my Mom was a Gymnastics Coach/ professional Level Gymnastics Judge. One year she got to be the meet referee at the Pyramid Challenge Invitational while my sister got to be on the floor as a runner. I was in the stands with friends but we got to meet Shannon Miller before the meet, who was not so interested in being a celebrity since she was in the “pre-Meet zone”. Haha. At the time I thought she was rude but looking back, I’m sure she had a TON of pressure on her. Bless her heart.
8. New Kids on the Block – My friend Marcello is a great Photographer who goes on Tour with artists as their Official Tour Photographer. He just so happened to be on his 2nd Tour with New Kids on the Block and passing through PHX. He called me up and offered me and a friend free front row tickets. It was AAAAAAmazing!!! Got to see Nelly, TLC and NKOTB in one night! I harassed Donnie Wahlberg all night long with cat calls, flirty eyes, and inappropriate shimmy. I think I may have shocked him. After the concert, we got to go back stage but I was too shy to ask for photos. But I got to see a few of the “New Kids” up close. I’d give this experience 5 stars.
9. Ellen Degeneres – My parents took us to Hawaii when I was 15yrs old. While my parents were in the grocery store, my siblings and I were kicking it in the parking lot. As we were waiting on my parents to exit the grocery store, we saw Ellen and girlfriend at the time, Anne Heche, loading their groceries into their car. As my brothers were yelling “We love you Ellen” and other things, my parents walked out of the grocery store and we got in trouble for disturbing the celebrities.
10. Zac Efron – At the same Movie premiere as #6, we were invited to the after party. Being Pregnant and a solid 15 years older than Mr. Efron, ahem, I thought it would be no big deal for me to casually ask him to sign my High School Musical DVD. I followed him around the party for a good 2 hours. Every time he’d look up at me, I’d show him a few of my stellar acting moves by pretending I wasn’t stalking his every move. SMH. I finally had my ex go with me to get his autograph. Immediately after signing our DVD, he left. LOL. I’m creepy…
Who have you met? Good or Bad experience?