The Price is Right Experience

A few weeks ago I received an email from thebump.com saying they had partnered with The Price is Right to do a maternity-themed episode.  We could click a link to see if there were any free tickets available, so out of curiosity, I did.  It turns out they did have tickets left!  Hmmm.  Now I was in a predicament.  I've been a fan of The Price is Right since I was a little kid, and I always thought it would be really neat to attend a taping in person.  But, the show tapes in Hollywood, so it would require us to fly out there and get a hotel for a night.  I mentioned it to Meezy, and to my surprise, he immediately agreed that we should go!  (What an awesome hubby!)  I found some affordable flights on Virgin America and then used some Discover cashback money to pay for our hotel.  We flew out this past Monday night, to attend the Tuesday morning taping.  I'd done a lot of research ahead of time to learn about any tips or tricks that we should know.  The show gives out more tickets than there are seats in the studio, so it's possible that you won't make it in even if you have a ticket.  As such, lots of people recommended getting there earlier than the 8:30am call time to stand in line.  I'd also read that people suggested bringing snacks and magazines to help pass the time since there would be lots of waiting before the taping started. 

We got to the studio about 6:30am, and there were already about 40-45 people in line in front of us (the studio holds 300 people).  By the time 7:30am rolled around, the line stretched out pretty far behind us.  I never got to see how long it actually got, or if everyone made it in, but I think getting there early was a good plan!  We read magazines and talked to the people around us to pass the time.  As it got closer to 8am, studio employees started going through the line and checking tickets.  If your ticket showed that you had clicked the link from thebump.com, you got moved over to a priority line.  We then became numbers 17 and 18 in line.  After they let us into the main gate, we were moved into an area where we had to fill out an information card and we got our picture taken.  This is where they weeded out the non-expectant mothers from the contestant pool by putting a large X over their number.  (Only women that were expecting were going to be called as contestants).  This made us get a little hope that my chances of being called were actually pretty good!  We waited in this area for a while, and there was a gift shop and snack bar open nearby.   

From here, we were moved into another staging area where we had to wait for a while.  We were always told to stay in numerical order, so Meezy and I were close to the front of each line.  When the show's producer finally came out, they called us up in front of him in groups of about 9 people.  He did a really quick interview of each of us (Where are you from?  What do you do?  When's your due date? etc), while an assistant took notes.  Apparently this is where the decision is made as to whether you're going to be a contestant.  You only have a few seconds of time to make an impression!  (A girl in our group of 9 ended up being picked as a contestant, and she actually made it to the showcase showdown.  She was with her husband, sister, and parents, and they were all wearing clever shirts related to her pregnancy.  They were also pretty high-energy!)  I think it probably helps if you come in a group and everyone is outgoing and friendly.  After the quick interview, we were moved into another staging area where an assistant gave us a briefing about the taping, and then showed us all an episode of the show that included some of the games that were going to be played that day.  (Side note: after the interview stage, before the part where you watch the episode, you have to go through a metal detector, so this is where you'd have to give up your cellphone and any other electronic devices.  You check them with security and then could pick them up afterwards.  They could help you pass the time in the morning, but we opted to leave them at the hotel so we didn't have to get them checked.  We didn't want to stand in the long line to pick them up after the taping, when we knew we'd be ready to go and tired of waiting by that point!)  Finally, sometime around 12:30pm, we were let into the studio.      

They direct you where to sit in the studio, so it's not a free for all, but since we had been assigned such low numbers, we were seated in the front.  They had roped off the first couple of rows to put a few groups of women with clever shirts up there, and then seated us right behind them.  We were no more than 5 rows back from the stage, and just off to the right side of the contestant podiums.  In other words, we were going to be on camera a lot!  We were pretty surprised at how small the studio was.  I guess what you see on TV is a little deceiving because they use some camera tricks to make it seem bigger.  The stage was also much smaller than we expected it to be.  They use the same area over and over again, and just move the props for the games and prizes in between each break.  The show isn't live, but they try to tape it like it is.  In other words, there's not many do-overs, and it doesn't take much more than an hour to tape.  They take "commercial breaks" and during those times, Drew Carey and the announcer spend time talking with the audience, making jokes, or telling stories.  It was pretty entertaining, and a little weird that he was literally right in front of us!

Meezy and I caught ourselves looking at the monitors a few times, trying to see what the shot would look like on TV, and if we were in the camera shot.  One time, I saw myself on the monitor, looking up at the monitor.  Oops!  We tried to stop doing that as the show went on, so I'm not sure exactly how many times we're on camera, but I'm guessing it was a lot!  One of the crew was responsible for prompting the audience on when to clap, cheer, or yell out potential prices, and he was usually pretty close to us, so we started yelling out whatever popped into our head.  I'm pretty sure we were no help to the contestants, but we wanted to contribute like he was asking everyone to do!  I'm curious to see if I'm ever on camera holding up a ridiculous price.  Lol.

When it was all said and done, I didn't get called as a contestant, but the taping was a blast.  It was so neat to see people getting called down that you had talked to in line previously, or just simply seen during the waiting process.  It made it more personal and we actually wanted people to win and felt genuinely happy for them when they did.  After the show was over, they did have to re-tape one person's "come on down" because the cameras missed it the first time.  It was kind of hilarious because she had to recreate her excitement and the rest of the audience had to as well.  The announcer also had to do a couple of prize descriptions again because his original ones weren't going to fit into the allotted time.  After those were done, every audience member was given a gift bag from thebump.com with a few baby-related items and some gift cards in it.  That was a nice gesture!  We finally got out of there at almost 2pm, which means the whole process took us almost 7.5 hours!  There were times where we got bored and a little annoyed, but it really wasn't that bad.  I'm glad we went, and I'd say it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  We probably won't be doing it again, but I wouldn't discourage other people from going.  The taping we attended will run on January 11, 2012.  I'll be setting my DVR for sure! 

  A little shirt for Dutch since he's the reason we went!

Gift bag contents from thebump.com

Riley Weight Loss - Update 5

I took Riley in to the vet today to get weighed, and I was worried about what the results might be!  We had a little eating snafu over the Thanksgiving holiday, and I wasn't expecting any success on the scale for him.  We brought him to my mother-in-law's house for a few days, and we forgot that there was a bag of dog food in the shed within his reach.  Before we realized what was going on, he had eaten half the bag!  Ugh.  I thought for sure that would have counteracted any progress we made over the past couple of months, but apparently it didn't!  His weight today was 40.5lbs, which is 2.5lbs lighter than he was in August.  Great job, Bubba!  We're almost at the 20lb weight loss mark, and we probably only have about 5 more pounds to go!  There has definitely been improvement in his energy since we started him on this weight loss journey.  He will play fetch with us for much longer than he used to.  Another nice benefit from him being skinnier is (pardon the TMI) his ability to now reach certain body parts that he wasn't able to previously.  This makes for a cleaner Riley!  I recently put an old Halloween shirt on him that at first fit just fine, then went to being super tight, then went to being too small for me to even put it on him, but is now back to fitting again!  I love my sweet little Riley Roo.

  

Phase Two Done!

After I finished the dots and circles on the accent wall in the nursery, I started work on the orange stripe that goes along the middle of all of the rest of the walls.  I had to get the help of a laser level, but I think it turned out well.  See for yourself:

  Accent wall and stripe on wall that leads to windows

Ignore the mess!  Stripe on wall opposite the accent wall

Entryway of the nursery

I love the way it all turned out, and I think it's a fun and vibrant design.  I like that it's not too much of a newborn design, and also that it's not too masculine, so that hopefully it can grow with our child, or be used for our next one.  I also recently bought this bath rug from Target.  Works perfectly in the room!

Can't Be Thankful Enough

It's nice to have a day come along that reminds me how much I have to be thankful for. What started out as a rough year has blossomed into one I wouldn't trade. I'll forever be grateful for the love and support I received at my lowest point, and the strength and courage I gained through it. Today, I place my hand on my stomach and feel the kicks and movements of the life I've created with my husband. I couldn't be happier.

Today, I think about the sacrifices and choices my parents made so I could grow up the way I did. I think about the example they set for me and the unconditional love they've shown. I think about my mom's willingness to drop whatever she's doing to help me if I ask, and my dad's warm hugs and friendly phone calls when he thinks of something he knows I'd like to hear.

Today, I think about the family I've gained through marriage, and the open arms they've welcomed me with. I think about all the nice things they do, and the warmth and love I feel when I see them. They treat me like I've been around since birth, and I'm grateful they love me like their own blood.

Today, I think about my good fortune to have two older sisters who look out for me and celebrate my successes with me. They're there for me when I need them, and they make this journey through life much more enjoyable. I'm grateful I can go to them with my frustrations and my joys, and they welcome both because they love me.

Today, I think about my friends who I'm so proud to surround myself with. While some I talk to more often than others, I'm grateful there are so many that wouldn't hesitate to step up in a time of need. My friends are a diverse group of people, and each one brings something special to my life.

Today, I think about the man who stands beside me, and holds me up when I need him to. I think about the years we've spent together and wish for a million more like them. He supports my dreams and makes them his own. I'm so thankful that his generosity, open mind, humor, and level-headedness have rubbed off on me, and I'm a better person today than before I met him. I'm grateful for the example he's going to set for our son, and I hope our son grows up to be just like his daddy.

I can never really be thankful enough, but I'm trying my best.

Audi R8 Private Drive Event

I used to own an Audi, so I'm on their email distribution list.  I received an invitation from them to attend a Private Drive Event for their R8 at the Joule Hotel in Downtown Dallas.  Their R8, if you don't know, is their supercar that starts at $115K and can get up to $200K depending on what options you got.  Obviously there's no way in heck we'd be able to buy one of these cars in our lifetime, but we figured it would still be fun to attend the event and get the chance to drive one!  The experience turned out to be even cooler than we expected it to be.  We arrived at the Joule and they offered us drinks and snacks and we sat through a 15 minute orientation about the car.  They told us what kinds of features it had, and then relayed how the drive event would go down.  There were 8 people driving in our session, and then each person was allowed a guest.  The driver and guest would be the only ones in the R8, and all 8 pairs of us went out on our drives at the same time.  A professional driver would be in a "lead" car at the front of the pack and another pro would be in a "chase" car in the back, just to make sure everyone was okay and that we all stayed in the same general vicinity.  They let us go on the highway for a while, and then on some winding roads.  In total, the driving time was about 40 minutes.  It was awesome!  We could've switched half-way through and I could've driven, but I was way too terrified to get behind the wheel of a car that expensive, so Meezy got double driving time. 

We were surprised at how they just set us all loose behind the wheel of these cars.  We weren't on some secluded track, away from other drivers and the elements.  We were right on I-35 in Dallas, amidst traffic at times, and even as it started raining.  They had put walkie-talkies in each car so the professional drivers could stay in contact with us and let us know where we'd be heading next.  Other than that, Meezy was pretty much free to drive how he wanted!  It was really cool.  I'm sure it looked a little odd to other drivers and people on the street to see 8 Audi R8s driving next to each other!  Here's some pics of the experience, and a couple videos for a little taste of what it was like to be a passenger.

Aren't we special?

It had our name on the dash

The one Meezy got to drive

A few of the other ones

Baby Dutch made an appearance

What? Pregnant chicks don't make good car models?

On the highway alongside another R8

It was an R-tronic drive

All the fancy gadgets

Yep, it's a V10

Not your normal view on I-35

This was the group of us leaving the Hotel.  The voice you hear is one of the professional drivers over the walkie-talkie:

And us getting on the highway.  Man, I love the sound of that engine!

Phase One Done!

I finished the accent wall in the nursery, and I'm pretty proud of it!

I can be pretty determined once I set my mind to something, so it didn't take me too long to get it completed.  The next step in the painting scheme might actually be harder than the accent wall since I need to use a laser level to draw the top and bottom lines for the orange stripe, and the walls it's going to go on have lots of interruptions- closet doors, windows, etc.  It won't be one continuous stripe around the room.  Oh well!  Who doesn't love a challenge? 

Painting Update

I mentioned previously that this design was the inspiration for the nursery:

I love the whimsical dots and circles, and it features my two favorite colors - green and orange.  The window valances, a couple pieces of the bedding, and a few other decorations around the room will be this design, so I decided to use it in my paint scheme too.  Talk about hard work!  It's been time-consuming, but I'm loving the results!  I chose one accent wall to incorporate the dots and circles, and the other three walls will just have a bold orange stripe around the middle.  Here's a couple close-ups of what a completed section of the accent wall looks like:

And then here's where you can see what I've done in total, and how much I still have left to do:

I've just been working on it at night, and the stenciling took a few different sessions.  I started the painting two nights ago, and probably spent 2.5 hours each night on it.  I know it doesn't seem like much progress for that amount of time, but there are quite a lot of things to paint, and they're very small!  Overall, I think all the effort will be worth it because I love the colors and the design, and how unique it is!