You Have To Do it Once

We all have those things, those things we want to do at least once in our lives, sometimes people will add them to their bucket list; but these things I am talking about today are more based upon where you live.

Live in a mountain region, well you have to go skiing at least once in your life.   Live in Chicago, you have to go to a Cubs game, live in New York- a visit to Times Square is a must.  Certain just iconic things you have to do.

I grew up south of Chicago and sadly never made it to a Cubs game; made it to several Sox games- but never the Cubs.  I also never went to a Bulls game even in their glory days back in my teenage years (much to my husband's dismay).

I think often when we live in a place, we take a lot of those iconic- must do things for granted and don't do them; only when we have family in town do we play tourist in our own town.

Now that I live in southern California, there is a whole new list of must dos, but once again I find myself taking these things for granted.

When I have friends who still live in the Midwest talk about how excited they are for their first trip to California, to Disney to see the ocean... I once too was excited about those things but have too quickly come to take them for granted, think of them as almost an everyday kind of thing.

But yesterday, thanks to my sister and nieces I got to experience another part of the SoCal living, a must have so to speak.

I got to attend a recording of a show.   Not just any show either but the 2000th episode of the Ellen Show.

We arrived extra early, parked our cars and walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch.  We returned to the waiting area, literally a section in the parking garage filled with a bunch of benches, and waited until it was time, time to hurry into line to get our card numbers for our seats.

We were fast, obtaining numbers 9-14.

My nieces and my sister and me

Then the anticipation and excitement built as we waited.  We all sat there doing the calculations in our head, could we be at the filming of the 2000th episode?  We didn't know for sure, you don't know until they tell you.

They came out and asked if we wanted to know who the guests were going to be and told us that yes we were at the 2000th episodes, screams and cheers erupted, I started shaking in excitement and anticipation.

Then it was more waiting time, as we watched clips from previous shows and filled out surveys.  Then finally it was time to head across the street... where there was more waiting, just this time inside the gift shop in WB Studio #3.

Finally it was time to head in.  It was surreal being in the studio, it is actually a lot smaller than it seems on TV.  The door that the always open where they reveal big gifts for people, actually a lot closer to the main stage then it seems.

Then the dancing begins, for about 30 minutes before the show the cameras are rolling as the audience is dancing, by the end I was worried I was going to be a shiny mess for the cameras.

Then the show began.  It was awesome and odd watching it at the same time, even when Ellen danced right by us in the isle it almost all felt surreal.  Seeing the super start guests right there on the stage, it still half felt like I was just watching a show and that they couldn't really be right there could they?

Ever commercial break there was more dancing.  They would signal when we should applaud, but really we all knew when we should anyway and it was exciting.

And since it was the 2000th episode there had to be gifts of course in Ellen's style, new Apple Watches for the entire audience, a book commemorating her 200th episode and $150 in Shutterfly credit, just in time for ordering Christmas cards!

It really was a fun experience, and tiring and exhausting at the same time- I doubled my move goal, thanks to all that dancing.

Now I can cross one more of those you have to do it at least once things off my list.

Is there something on your list you really want to do?