In the Spotlight

OK, this is for those who wanted more details about the TV interview.....

Looking in the mirror at a person I sort of recognize beneath the make-up and fake eyelashes, I begin to question how I ended up in this chair. The phone call from the producer. Our return phone call to say OK to a TV interview...a TV interview? The makeup artist sprays a mist on my face. I blink and remember that we are about to walk into a studio with cameras. I look in the mirror again and wonder if I look energetic and youthful or more like I feel most days, a tired old mom. I had told the makeup artist I wanted to look younger.....well, the TV monitor will let us know, eh?

Led into a dark room I begin to feel my heart racing and my feet dragging. Can we change our minds? Uwe grabs my hand and squeezes it.

"You have too much makeup on, but you will look beautiful on TV," Uwe tells me.

I laugh knowing that I look kind of questionable. I couldn't wait to show the kids to see what their reactions would be to all of this, especially the eyelashes.

We sat on a red couch. So glad I wore the black sweater instead of the red! It was warm with all the spotlights on us. We were given our microphones and got them hooked up. Nerves started racing again.

My eyelashes bothered me. What if one slips off and falls on my lap or sticks to my cheek while filming? You know the "I Love Lucy" episode or is it from "His, Mine, and Ours" where Lucille Ball's eyelash falls off and into a wineglass.....I can't remember, but that scene haunted me for most of the interview.

Three cameras were set up; two in front and one on the side.

Two monitors were visible for us to see ourselves....felt like I was watching a home video of myself and Uwe sitting on a red couch.

Weird.

We were told not to watch the monitors when filming started....now THAT was going to be easy to do, especially since they were facing us! HA!

The hostess sits down and introductions are made. We chat. We laugh. I’m at ease until the count down began…

Then 3-2-...it began.

The interview itself lasted 1.5 hours. I was so thankful to know that it wasn't live! I had hope that they would edit out any of my answers that sounded too lame. And, the last half hour I was understanding nothing...absolutely nothing. I'm not even sure if I understood my name, so I was so thankful they edited out the parts I would say, "Dui buqi, ting bu dong." (sorry, I didn't understand). Then she would graciously repeat in English for my tired brain.

But, it ended. My eyelashes didn't fall off; it was edited well, and I survived.

Things I learned from this...

1. It takes a lot of time and patience to get a TV interview together. (They also spent an entire day with us following us around).

2. Stripes are not good to wear on TV. (at least that was one of our rules)

3. I am not to make a career out of being in front of a camera, which I'm thankful for. =)

4. How to take off fake eyelashes. This one a friend had to call her SIL to find out for me. LOL

So, that is the story of my day in the spotlight. Give me a pen and paper or a computer any day. I'd much rather write about it and let everyone read "my story", then to stand in front of a crowd and take a bow.

Btw, my kids’ reactions to the temporary do:

Marcus was embarrassed that I came to school to pick him. Matthea didn’t really notice much, just happy I had returned. Megan loved the eyelashes; thought they were real and couldn’t figure out how I grew them and really confused when they “disappeared”.