Thursday, June 9, 2011

Sunny day,sweeping keeping the clouds away...

...on my way to where the air is sweet
can you tell me how to get
how to get to Sesame Street?
-Sesame Street theme

When I was a kid, we didn't watch much TV. We had basic cable with about 12 channels, and we had the big TV (with a very little screen) that actually required you to get up and turn a silver knob to change the channel. But we didn't need 200+ channels - because we got PBS on channel 4, and that had SESAME STREET.

I loved Sesame Street. Still do, in fact. Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Snuffy, Prairie Dawn, Oscar, Cookie Monster, The Count. I love those old guys. And I'm learning to love the newer characters like Elmo, Zoe, Abby Cadabby, and Rosita. They just don't seem like old friends yet (yes, I realize that Elmo has been around since the mid 80's - he just didn't have the HUGE role that he has now!).

But last weekend, we got the chance to go to Sesame Street - well to the RBC Center turned into Sesame Street. But we didn't just get to go to see the 123 Imagine show. We got the VIP treatment! My brother's super-cool girlfriend, Michelle, got us backstage passes to meet some of the characters. Michelle is a beautiful and talented dancer whose stage presence & dancing prowess are most often seen on another Sesame Street Live tour. She's Zoe on Elmo's Green Thumb! In fact, she's also had the leading role of Elmo, but with her pep and energy, she's a perfect fit for Zoe. And at least as Zoe she gets to wear a tutu when she dances...! She's taking the show to China in another month - how cool is that?

Michelle & Cookie (It's okay Baby Bear - we want you in the picture too!)

For our special meet & greet, we were escorted to a backstage spot where we waited for our furry friends to arrive. We were warned that they were much bigger in real life than they appear on TV. And we were reminded that they would be resting their voices for the big performance. Oh the anticipation!

After a couple of minutes, we saw Ernie headed our way! Let me tell you, dude wasn't kidding when he said they are bigger in real life. They are huge! I was so excited - it seriously felt like we were meeting celebrities I'd admired my whole life. (I am such a dork, I know. Revealing my true inner dorkiness through this blog is one of my great joys - just roll with it.) It really was awesome.
Meeting our muppet friends

The boys, however, were not nearly so excited at that moment. Luke was terrified and screamed the whole time. Odd, since he's not scared of Mr. Wuf or the Chick-Fil-A cow, both of whom have sent Jay right over the edge. Jay was intimidated, but at least didn't cry. He was super excited after the fact and has talked about it (over and over and over again) since, but you sure wouldn't have known he was happy about it at the time. Me - I was pretty much on cloud 9.

After a few photo ops of our whole group, we headed back to our seats for the show. (Sidenote - I really really REALLY wish I'd gotten a picture of just me w/ Bert & Ernie. I love them! Hear that Michelle? Next time. Next time.) We had great seats and a good view of the stage. And we got to ask insider questions like how the dancers see and how they move their mouths. (Oh, c'mon - I can't reveal all my secrets to the world...!)

My favorite scene - Ernie imagining that he's on a ship

Who's more enthralled - me or the kid?

It was such a cute show. Seriously. I mean, I wouldn't go if I didn't have preschoolers (I'm a dork, but I do have my standards), but I'd definitely take them again. The kids were both much more well-behaved than I would have predicted, and we all had a blast. When the show was over and we were trying to drag Jay back up the stairs and out to the car, he said "But I want to have MORE fun!" Damn, he's cute.

Lovin' the small version of Elmo

So, Michelle - can we meet you in China?

5 comments:

Jennifer Davis said...

I absolutely love this. One Sunday you will have to stop by Trey's office to see the photo of him at Sesame Street Live when he was a kid. Did you know that Jennifer Huggins once got to meet Grover (the actual puppet -- well, one of the them, at least -- that they use on the show)? I have been insanely jealous of her ever since she told me that!

Anonymous said...

Hmm kinda the way I felt when I met Mr. "Speedy Delivery" McFeeley from Mister Roger's a while back at Marbles oh dorky soul sister you!!!

-Martha

Jen F. said...

@Jen - will have to see that pic! It's easy to imagine T as a kid ... he's got a lot of kid still in him as a grown-up!

@Martha - You met Mr. McFeeley?! (I seriously felt the urge to put my glasses way down on the end of my nose to ask you that.) Awesome!

Brandi said...

Those pictures are so cute! Luke especially looks as if he's watching intently on your lap. What a ball of cutey-pie-ness. :-)

Ginger said...

This is awesome! What great pictures! And I love "But I want to have more fun!" Too cute.