ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE! (and poker)

It's 11:35 pm on Saturday night, and I've already had a really great weekend. My plan to be more social has already delivered positive results!

Friday night, my friends came over for my home poker game. The stakes are always low to keep the game friendly and social - it's a $20 buy-in with .25/.50 bets. We always have a great time cracking on each other and there never fails to be heavy flirtation and blatantly UN-PC remarks at the table. It's crass, and it's fun.

No one ever really crosses the line, and everyone plays to win. Too bad Ben and I have the edge on everyone! There were multiple buy-ins, and therefore Ben left with $34 and at the end of the night, I had $51. Diva needs some new shoes!

Actually, Diva needs her insulin. I haven't taken my insulin in a month because I just couldn't afford to pick up my perscription because of the holidays. Yeah, STUPID, I know. Unfortunately, the medication is wicked-pissa expensive, and for a gal with no health insurance (and a tight budget through the holidays) it takes a toll on the pocketbook. No worries, I promise to not ever do this again. Y'all have to go without presents next year! In any case, my winnings from poker will go towards the medication, so you can all feel better that at least my addiction to cards is helping to provide for my medical care. HA!



Tonight was a really special night. Have any of you seen "Love Actually?" Yes, a chick flick...but I really enjoyed it. Plus, it has my grandmother's boyfriend Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth - she's obsessed) in it!



Well, I got a phone call from a friend asking if I could come and be part of a chorus that was going to recreate a scene from the movie. This guy Jay had decided to propose to his girlfriend and wanted to recreate the wedding scene of the movie. If you're not familiar with it, here's the scoop: during the wedding the groom surprises the bride with an arrangement of The Beatle's "All You Need Is Love." Singers and instrumentalists just popped up out of nowhere in the pews and rafters singing for her. It was a really touching scene...and Jay was going to recreate it for his girl!

First, he went to The Regent Theatre in Arlington and explained to them what he wanted to do and asked if her could rent it. In a wonderful gesture, they donated it to him for the night! Next he contacted my friend who then contacted me and a bunch of other singer-friends and we all were more than happy to participate. Next, he contacted all their family and friends and filled them in on the plan so they could be there to witness this all happen.

We met for a quick run-through at 6:00 and went over the music. The plan was this: at 7:00, the movie "The Wedding Singer" would start playing. (This was their first date and movie together). At 7:20, they would arrive "late" and not see any of the people in the theatre because it was dark. At 7:42, there was a "technical problem" with the movie, and the projection booth announced they'd get it back up and running as soon as possible. Right after that, the music started and we began to sing "Love, Love, Love...." and the lights were raised a bit so she could see as we began to stand up and face her one by one.

She was REALLY surprised and kept yelling "WHAT?!?!? WHAT!?!??!" Then he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him and she screamed "YES!" God, it was SO incredibly romantic and *I* got to be a part of it!! (I also got to sing soprano, which I never usually get to do! lol)

Jay goes down as the #1 most romantic guy I've ever met. Kudos to him! Honestly...so much love and thought was put into that proposal, she's a lucky girl. We (girly girls) all dream of having that kind of romantic, personal proposal and she got it! Good for her, and I'm glad they found each other. They were both incredibly grateful and really sweet and even though I don't know them, I'm really happy for them.

Plus, they gave us champagne and a buffet. Really romantic AND generous. Gotta love those two kids!




- posted by Taunia @ 11:33 PM