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Post by jennyap on Jan 24, 2019 10:42:11 GMT
I have a few, but they'll be mostly unknown outside the UK I imagine. I'm related to Laurie Lee through his mother, whom he immortalised in Cider with Rosie - her father is my great great grandfather. To my shame, I've still never read that or his other books (we only found the connection quite recently) but my cousin says that the chapter 'The Uncles' is uncannily like reading about my dad and uncles! The actor John Light is also related to Laurie Lee, and hence to me. Through him, I was briefly and distantly related by marriage to Neve Campbell. Infamous rather than famous: I used to know Maxine Carr in my teens - we were at different schools but were part of a group that all hung out together most weekends. Minor encounters that I may have related here before: My mum and I were taking the Eurostar from London to Brussels, and whilst waiting to check in, saw in the queue to board the earlier train somebody who looked like Elton John. When he called out to someone, "David, over here!" we realised it really was Elton, and he was travelling with his (then) partner David Furnish. They had a trolley stacked high with Louis Vuitton luggage. Soon after I moved to London, so probably late summer 2000, I went to the circus with some friends. At an interval I went out of the main tent to use the ladies, and there was a man standing smoking, blocking the entrance, so I - naturally - said "Excuse me". He turned to face me with a glare, and I realised it was Damon Albarn of Blur. I'm sure he thought I wanted an autograph!
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Post by Jessica on Jan 24, 2019 13:09:29 GMT
Back when the Blazers were good they had a player named Cliff Robinson. I used to dry clean his clothes, we had to use drapery hangers for his suits because they were so big. He was extremely quiet but nice. I always struggled to get his clothes to him because it was heavy. He would just hold out his index finger and saunter out like it was light as a feather . His sister used to come in too, she looked just like him but she had hair, . Uncle Cliffy! I love it!
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Post by buddysmom on Jan 24, 2019 14:49:21 GMT
Marsha Marsha Marshaaa !!!! Around 1971 or '72, my older sister's friend's family moved to California. When she wrote to my sister that Maureen McCormick (Marsha Brady ) went to her school, it was just......Wow!..... outta sight!..... Groovy!!!!! I absolutely LOVED the Brady Bunch and wished our family was as perfect and happy as them (ROFL!!!) so it was totallllly far out to me just that she walked the same hallways and breathed the same air as "MARSHAAA !!!!!!!!" Wow, I had a friend from junior high that went to school with her a couple of years before--maybe around 1969. This friends dad worked around a lot of celebrities and I thought it was cool that she went to school with her. She told me that "she had a lot of zits!" Ha, typically 12-ish year old girl comment.
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Post by KikiPea on Jan 24, 2019 15:05:15 GMT
I haven’t had many, but I was friends with a semi-famous country singer, Darrin Norwood. I grew up around his musical family who went to our church for a while. He passed away in 2015.
I also go to church with 2 band members of our worship team that tour with Miranda Lambert.
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Post by travelsoul on Jan 24, 2019 15:25:05 GMT
My best friend is married to the drummer of Pennywise. They are a really popular punk band. So through him I’ve met a ton of celebrities. Mostly other famous musicians and action sports stars. Probably the most known would be Carey Hart (Pink’s husband) and Kelly Slater (famous surfer). I’ve never met Pink but my bestie has hung out with her several times and says she’s just as great as you’d imagine. I have another friend who was high school best friends with Fergie. They are still very close. I went to school with Robin from General Hospital and Jenny Finch (Olympian softball player). They are the two most famous from my generation although several other pro sports players have come from my school since me.
Fun reading everyone’s stories!
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Post by needmysanity on Jan 24, 2019 16:02:08 GMT
Probably the most known would be Carey Hart (Pink’s husband) and Kelly Slater (famous surfer). I have met Kelly Slater a few times. His surf ranch is in my small town and he hangs out at one of the Mexican Restaurants when he is here.
My husband and I rode an elevator with Sandra Bullock and Jesse James once. Jesse was racing that night - DH and Jesse shared beers and talked about the race. Sandra didn't say a word the whole time.
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,199
Location: Alabama
Jan 29, 2015 16:24:49 GMT
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Post by janeinbama on Jan 24, 2019 16:13:43 GMT
I more impressed with the pear bottles than any celebrity mentioned on the whole thread. haha They do that with tequila in Mexico. We have a bottle and love to bring it out!
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scrappington
Pearl Clutcher
in Canada
Posts: 3,139
Jun 26, 2014 14:43:10 GMT
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Post by scrappington on Jan 24, 2019 16:28:44 GMT
My dad went to highschool with Johnny Candy , I was invited to his owner's box when he owned the Toronto Argos but was unable to go.
Few years ago at the Toronto Indy I was almost run over by Dan akyroid
My DH did private security back in the day. He held Paris Hilton's purse, Nellie Furtado he helped move her to Miami. Biff Naked apparently he saw her naked.
I lived down the road from Mr Dress Up ( Canadian Mr Rogers).
I went to highschool with the Strumbellas. First boy I ever kissed is in that band. We still talk and text.
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Post by Peace Sign on Jan 24, 2019 16:56:29 GMT
My uncle went to school with James Caan and my father was in the same army base as Elvis Presley. My family knew Carmine Caridi from the neighborhood. He was an actor and, until Harvey Weinstein, the only person to have ever been throw out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts - it had to do with sharing preview copies of a movie. My stepdad's brother worked in the mailroom on the base when Elvis was there. Elvis would hide out in the mailroom to just be a regular guy and get away from the craziness. He's got some stories! My dad was a record promoter in the 70s and 80s and his job was to take the artists around to various radio stations to do interviews, etc. We always had concert tickets and backstage passes to most of the people on the label he worked for. Met a lot of recording artists that way, but I probably spent the most amount of time with Belinda Carlisle and the Go Go's and Jeff Carlisi and .38 Special. Lately, I have been remembering the time when we saw Queen at the OMNI in Atlanta. I was 12. After the concert (fabulous!) we were backstage and supposed to go out to dinner with the band and some other people. Freddie Mercury walked over to us, pulled my dad aside, and told him that I could NOT join them - I was too young! Talk about heartbroken! So my dad's girlfriend drove me home and they went out to dinner without me.
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,207
Member is Online
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Jan 24, 2019 18:48:19 GMT
My cousin has 2 daughters that act. He comes back to Nebraska with the family once a year so we see the girls then.
The older one is Ruby Jerins. She was in Nurse Jackie and Shutter Island and other roles here and there.
The younger one is Sterling. She was World War Z, the Conjuring, she is on the tv show Divorce. She has been in a whole lot of other things as well.
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Post by izzyscraps on Jan 24, 2019 19:59:54 GMT
My FIL is a preacher and a couple Sunday’s ago Trent Harmon was in church with his grandmother there. 😜. Is he still famous?
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,771
Jun 26, 2014 1:20:09 GMT
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Post by Just T on Jan 25, 2019 0:09:02 GMT
I have had a crazy busy couple of days and got behind on this thread! I haven't read it all yet, but wow, so many fun stories! Reading them has made me think of a couple of other stories of my own. LOL
My best friend in high school took private guitar lessons from the guitarist from Creedence Clearwater Revival. A couple of times, I went to her lessons with him at his house.
I can't wait to read everything I have missed! Thanks to you all for posting!
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Post by jemmls4 on Jan 25, 2019 3:58:04 GMT
My DD had a good friend in elementary school whose aunt is Mary McDonnell from Battlestar Galactica. She had even come to town a few times to visit and attended one of the school plays her niece was in.
My brother’s godfather was in charge of MLB umpires back in the 60s and 70s. There were always informal parties with sportscasters and all sorts of players. I met Carl Yastrzemski, Louie Tiante, and Howard Cosell.
My mom was in a hospitality management course way back when the Super Bowl was first played in Tampa. As part of the class they were used as waitstaff at some big pre-party. My mom is telling me about this younger guy that had long crazy blond hair, but “he was actually really nice and funny”. He was hanging out towards the back where the help could take a break. After a lot of quizzing we figured out it was David Lee Roth when he was still with Van Halen.
My brother was a pilot for a private firm in the Midwest. Oprah was a customer of the company. He said when they knew she was going to fly everyone fought to NOT be part of the crew. Said she was a real witch.
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Post by PEAcan pie on Jan 25, 2019 4:10:18 GMT
I have a few... Dennis Rodman was a friend of My Husband back when he just got divorced from his first wife. He even went to watch my husband play recreational Basketball I think about that now...wow. I sat next to him too. They played one summer of baseball league together too. Back then he was really against alcohol and very devoted to his Daughter. Did not dress in drag and was very pleasant to talk too. I went on a few dates with a Redwing (Sergei Fedorov) Hockey player... just after he separated from Anna kournikova. Have to say caused a lot of heartaches. hung out one time with Mickey Rourke, he was very generous and paid for our tab. I lead a very boring life now lol Ahhhh Federov was my favorite! I used to always be the Redwings when I’d play NHL2K on the Sega Dreamcast with my brother. Federov was my favorite player He was very nice! But he smoked A LOT. Which was hard for me to get past. He was heartbroken over Anna. I was at a bar in Royal Oak, MI and my guy friends wanted to meet him so they encouraged me to go up and start talking to him Then we went out for a few months...girls were always throwing themselves at him.
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zella
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,884
Jul 7, 2014 19:36:30 GMT
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Post by zella on Jan 25, 2019 4:39:33 GMT
Yes. Dove Cameron of Disney fame (particularly Liv and Maddie, for which she recently won a daytime Emmy), Hairspray Live, Mamma Mia! live at the Hollywood Bowl, the Descendents films, and, most recently, the lead in Clueless off Broadway.
I've known her since she was about 9. I was good friends with her parents back when she was still Chloe Hosterman. Was also in a show with her once, as was my daughter (2 different shows). Her father sadly killed himself about 6 years ago now, I'd guess. That's the last time I saw her in person. I will never forget the time I was hanging out at her house, and she came home after a rehearsal. It was quite late, and she was still a pre-teen, and she was very hyper. I had her lie down and put her head in my lap, and I stroked her hair, and she fell asleep like that. It's a sweet memory I'll always cherish.
Edited to add: I met Elizabeth Mitchell once and spoke with her briefly (actress from Lost and some other tv shows). Also I've met Dinah Manoff a few times. Both live on the island I just left.
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Post by MissBianca on Jan 25, 2019 13:06:05 GMT
Ones I totally forgot about! My DH’s grandmother was Margaret Mitchell’s hair dresser. Nana was offered a first edition signed copy of Gone with the Wind but declined because she wasnt a big reader. Ergh!!!! My husband played guitar for the Indigo Girls before they were famous. My MIL dated Jerry Garcia before he was famous.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 16, 2024 12:36:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2019 13:50:37 GMT
My cousin does driving for a golf course in Oregon that is near the coast. He has driven several celebrities there. He is a NCIS fan and said Brian Deitzen (Palmer) is a regular and is just as nice as his character but definitely not as clueless.
The only famous connection I have is that I am related to a signer of the declaration of Independence.
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Post by malibou on Jan 25, 2019 15:04:00 GMT
Thought of a couple more.
My former BIL worked in a restaurant that Jack Nicholson frequented. Bil talked him into calling my sister for her birthday. She thought a joke was being played until she did *69 to call him back and he answered, "Roman Polanski house"
One of my Bunco mates was the producer on South Park for the first 6 years. She has also produced loads of other cartoons, and won an Emmy for work she did on Mickey Mouse.
Denise Richards' daughter Sam tripped me at the Santa Barbara zoo. We had a laugh about it and I taught her to make elephant noises. I was shocked when her mom came out of the restroom.
When James Michener was writing the book Sitka, I was working at a restaurant in Sitka. He came to my restaurant and asked for me to be his waitress every time I worked that summer. He was also going to the restaurant where my brother worked and asking for my brother every time. He never left either one of a tip.
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Post by jennyap on Jan 25, 2019 15:25:54 GMT
Well crap, I totally forgot to mention the most obvious one - one of my university friends is married to a guy who works in the film industry. They live in Australia so we don't see them too often, but he occasionally does some work over here and we always meet up (I've only made it to Aus once, and visiting them was the main reason we went). Anyway, he's sort of almost an Oscar winner - he's in visual/special effects, and he worked on Babe which won for its effects. He's not one of the principals/named winners so no statuette but I still like to think it counts! He's been involved in a lot of big name films, but is sadly very discreet about the stars!
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Post by mimi3566 on Jan 25, 2019 15:37:34 GMT
I used to be the HR assistant for a manufacturing plant which was old and had a very cool urban vibe with stacks and old brick walls, etc....just outside of Orlando FL.
A production company was looking to use our facility to shoot film footage/scenes for a movie that was to star Jodie Foster and Russell Crowe. I think Jodie was also part of the production team. Anyway, her along with some others from the production team came to the plant to do a walk around and meeting to see if our facility would meet their needs. She was rather quiet and she's also a teeny, tiny thing but I was so star stuck and had to do my best to keep it professional.
Ultimately they did not use our facility...in fact I don't think the movie was ever made.
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 25, 2019 15:44:56 GMT
DH's company designed the two Extreme Makeover Home Editions homes built in the Twin Cities. He spent a lot of time with the cast and crew. He pretty much lived on the sites for the week. Some of the cast were amazing (Paul and Michael) and some were not.
Our son played basketball in the same league as Jesse Ventura's son. Jesse is an ass. He would be standing off the side, screaming at the refs, who were high school kids. No one talked to him.
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Post by Peace Sign on Jan 25, 2019 17:03:09 GMT
My nephew was Robbie in the first season of I am Frankie on Nickelodeon last year.
And my father's cousin is married to the writer of Family Guy (not Seth McFarlane, the other one, Alec.)
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Post by lily on Jan 25, 2019 20:12:46 GMT
Family tradition says we are descendants of Pocahontas, but I really don't want to go there! Actually, there was a pirate named Calico Jack that actually was a relative. (I researched it, and yes, it's true.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_Jack. My maternal grandmother was a Rackham. You know the tv show Black Sails that was on STARZ was all about Rackham and Ann Bonny!!
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The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,965
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Jan 25, 2019 20:51:19 GMT
I photographed a wedding that had former Vikings, John Randle and Todd Bouman in attendance (brother in laws of groom). They both had small children at the time that were flower girls/ring bearers in the wedding. That is the only time I actually talked to my "brush with fame." Both very nice families.
Otherwise, the rest were mostly just sightings. One funny one: My DH and I were on our honeymoon in New Orleans. We were eating at a "soul food" restaurant and I was taking Dh's photo as he was sitting across from me. I noticed a guy looking at me/our table while I was taking the photos; he looked a lot like Coolio (this was circa 1995/Gangstas Paradise hey-day). My DH didn't know who Coolio was. When we were done eating, we walked next door to a Praline place and the guy and his, I think girlfriend/wife?, came over and the workers were all excited and thanking him for coming. He obviously was Coolio and I think he thought I was taking his photo at the restaurant. I didn't take his photo, but we did stand in line together buying pralines. LOL
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Post by stampinfraulein on Jan 25, 2019 21:22:00 GMT
In 2014-2015, NFL player Aqib Talib lived next door to me. He currently plays for the LA Rams and has previously played for the Broncos (when he was my neighbor) and the Patriots. I don't live in a fancy neighborhood, the house next door was owned by the Broncos organization and they used to have new players live there (that was Talib's first season with the Broncos). After that he moved out somewhere fancy. He drove a fancy black Range Rover and also owned a REALLY fancy Bentley. We never saw him outside, he came home and went straight into the garage and shut the door. He also never shoveled his walks when it snowed. His kids came to visit him and played with my kids a few times, and I also met some of his other female relatives who had come to town to watch a game and then got locked out of his house.
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Anita
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,700
Location: Kansas City -ish
Jun 27, 2014 2:38:58 GMT
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Post by Anita on Jan 25, 2019 21:50:49 GMT
DH went to a creative and performing arts high school and has a bunch of stories. I know he went to high school with Sarah Jessica Parker. He said she was quiet. He has performed with many famous people. Then in the military he met Bush Sr. twice...and Bush remembered him. I have a close friend in D.C. who works extensively with Congress and served on one of Trump's transition teams. So I have a lot of six degrees, just none myself.
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Post by tara on Jan 25, 2019 21:54:02 GMT
For the older ones that was familiar with the movie Walking Tall (the original one). It was about sheriff Buford Pusser. He took on a lot of bad guys in Tennessee. (Walk tall and carry a big stick). He was a family friend. His wife, Pauline, was from the same mountain region in Virginia my family’s from. My mom went to school and was friends with her oldest daughter. This daughter wasn’t in the movie because she wasn’t Buford’s and she was born out of wedlock. Back then that was a big no no. They really white washed the family and didn’t add her. Pauline was a barmaid at the local hangout and Buford used to be there playing pool and my dad got to know him. Buford and Pauline got married and moved to Tennessee. Buford cleaned up the corruption and the bad guys killed Pauline in 1967 I think. Buford was killed in 1974 I think. It was a car accident but I heard the car might have been tampered with.
When my husband and I were dating he had the flu and was stuck in bed. I was talking on the phone with him and he was telling me about this really cool movie he was watching. It was Walking Tall. He thought it was really cool that I had a little connection to it. I grew up hearing great stories about Burford. My dad had a lot of respect for him. They remade the movie with the Rock right before my dad died. He was sooo pissed because it wasn’t like the original and totally ruined it.
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912
Jun 25, 2014 20:45:00 GMT
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Post by melissa on Jan 26, 2019 2:19:53 GMT
Too many if you count people in the dance field especially those dd has met, danced with or for, etc especially in the ballet world but I imagine most people won't know those names so I'll stick to more popular culture people.
When she was in NYC, she was in a workshop for Broadway dancers when Paula Abdul just dropped by to watch. That was pretty cool. Chita Rivera came once. Lots of Broadway shows used the space where she studied the most which is how she met Emma Stone and how we learned Emma isn't even her real name. They chatted several times apparently. Dd is usually ultra casual about meeting people like that. It comes from her early training when she was an extra in a show and was taught to act like it was no big deal... and it isn't but it is fun!
I do have a friend who is a host on a well known TV shopping channel.
One of dd's BFFs dated the kid in Night at the Museum (not the last movie though when they replaced him).
Someone else she knows (an acquaintance really) married a famous musician.
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Post by buddysmom on Jan 26, 2019 5:48:00 GMT
Not really a connection but way back in the 80s, I worked for a giant bank that is no longer around. We had access to everyone's account--to look at their balances only, not to do anything with the account. We would look up the football players in our city and wow--there's a lot of zeroes on the ends of those accounts! (this was way before we would get fired for doing something like that)
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Post by dewryce on Jan 26, 2019 6:31:29 GMT
In 2014-2015, NFL player Aqib Talib lived next door to me. He currently plays for the LA Rams and has previously played for the Broncos (when he was my neighbor) and the Patriots. I don't live in a fancy neighborhood, the house next door was owned by the Broncos organization and they used to have new players live there (that was Talib's first season with the Broncos). After that he moved out somewhere fancy. He drove a fancy black Range Rover and also owned a REALLY fancy Bentley. We never saw him outside, he came home and went straight into the garage and shut the door. He also never shoveled his walks when it snowed. His kids came to visit him and played with my kids a few times, and I also met some of his other female relatives who had come to town to watch a game and then got locked out of his house. This reminds me one of the San Antonio Spurs players used to live in our apartment complex. He’d come home from games late at night and pass us while we were walking our cats. I’ve seen half a dozen or so of them around town as well, just had lunch at a table next to one actually (he should learn to speak more quietly about sensitive subjects!) but we don’t approach them or say anything more than a friendly “hi” or smile we’d give anyone else. Which is hard when it’s guys we admire like David Robinson and Tim Duncan! Pet Store and X-men movie if you care Oh yeah, had a pedicure next to and conversation with one of them as well. It was a quiet spa, dark relaxing room, but he was very nice and talkative. Then BFF pranced in, flipped her hair and loudly remarked about how fabulous she looked to us. Should have seen her face when I told her who it was. Oscar de la Hoya struck up a conversation with me about my dessert at a sports bar. He was with his family at the table next to us and my friend was dying. We were in Vancouver for my sister’s 30th birthday, in a side room of a restaurant with one other occupied table. It was full of well known directors, though Joss Whedon is the only one I can remember right now. While we were sitting there John Cusack came in and visited with them. He was my sister’s favorite actor so that was great timing! Josh something (Sawyer from Lost) was outside as we were coming in. Weve run into quite a few other NBA players when out of town. Once a group of men passed who were all taller than DH (who is 6’5” so it was quite the sight) and it turned out to be the Clippers IIRC. Most, if not all members of *NSYNC while on Bourbon Street. Though BFF only spoke with Joey who was a doll to her. Lady Bird at the state capital on a school trip While working at USAA I was on a project with an astronaut and I can not for the life of me remember his name, which kills me because I spent the most time with him. He wasn’t famous (to me) but did go up and we saw his team’s plaque at NASA. Incredibly nice man. My next door neighbor growing up ended up pitching in the majors which is very cool. I just knew him as the kid that came over and sang to MTV tunes into oscillating fans with us. Eta: DH met Cal Ripken, Jr and got his autograph when he came into his work and I might have thrown it away thinking it was trash because it was on the back of a receipt.
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