What a day!

We (Steph, Laura, and I) awoke at 5 a.m. to get ready for our day. We hailed a cab, and headed to Harpo Studios. It was -20 degrees outside with the windchill, but that didn't matter. Our adrenaline was pumping! I had been waiting for this day for almost 3 years. We got in, handed our coats and purses over, and went into a room that began to fill with people. I began watching people, noticing what they are wearing, listening to the conversations around me, and steadying my eyes on the big screen t.v.'s with highlights from the previous years. I'm awed at the gigantic pictures of Oprah with actors and actresses over the years covering the walls...my eyes drawn to my favorite actress, Julia Roberts. It is a beautiful picture. We begin thinking to ourselves and making assumptions if there will be any give-aways....movie tickets, dvd's, etc. After all, the show was LIVE and on Oscar Nominations. We are given a blue sheet of paper where we sign our life away....not really, but seeking our permission for them to display us on television. If you do not sign, you cannot go in. We were excited to sign, hoping that they would catch a glimpse of us. After waiting in the room for over an hour, the time came where they started calling different parties over the loud speaker to come down the stairs and into the studio. Unfortunetly, they didn't call our names. They also at this time told us once we entered the studio, to take a box of popcorn and a bag of candy, but not to open it. The blue sheets we were given to sign had numbers on them...we were 123-125. When they called 100-150, we went in. We were told we could sit anywhere there was not a blue reserved sign. We found two areas...one was the front row in the back section, the other was the last row of a back section. We opted with the latter, because our view would have been blocked by a cameramen. Although we were in the back row, we could see everything wonderfully. I just loved the fact that I was sitting in Oprah's studio....a dream of mine for many years! The audience person then told us that we needed to react when something happened during the show, either with an awww, or a laugh, or a nod of the head. We noticed people coming in with trays, and carrying cups with pop in them that said, "Oprah's Oscar Nominee's LIVE." We were given one and told at this time we could start eating. Oprah made her way out at about 8:50, and looked stunning. Her shoes were to die for!! I loved them! She talked to us for a minute, and then we waited as the show went live. Everything went so fast, but I took it all in. I'll never forget the experience. Because it was live, the actresses that were there stayed for the 3 minute segment, and then jetted off. Once the show ended, Oprah thanked all of us for coming, and then took audience questions for about 40 minutes. Most of the questions made us mad, as everyone wanted to be recognized, or figure out a way to become an employee of hers. My question was going to be about South Africa, but I wasn't chosen. Oh well. Oprah waved goodbye, and that was it. We were on our way.

I forgot to set the VCR to record, but it wasn't a big deal, because it re-airs here at 11 at night. I planned to go down to Steph's to watch and see if we would be on. Around 5, I got a call from my mom, and she was excited because she saw us. Apparently, she heard from a friend of ours in Tennessee who saw me, and then called her. I couldn't believe it! We anxiously waited for 11 to roll around, and then watched. It was so cool! They taped one section of people, and it happened to be ours. Although it was only a couple seconds, it was us and that was enough!