As I begin to write this beautiful Friday morning, I have to start by saying that I am TIRED! Because . . . you’ll see 😉 by the end of the day Tuesday, after you’ve read today’s, Monday’s, and, well, Tuesday’s blog posts, I guarantee you’ll know as to why. #meandD have been BUSY. I mean it’s been eventful in a very GOOD way, but MORE hectic than usual, all starting this past Tuesday.
I was out running errands. Actually. To be more precise, I was in a Trader Joe’s checkout line, checking my email on my phone [shocker] when I received a message from D stating that we had an opportunity to go see the ESPYS the very next day in L.A. I felt a LOT of emotions standing there with my groceries – stress, excitement, confusion; BUT, since I knew as well as D that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I did what we always do = JUMPED FOR IT!
The next day [one dog sitter/hotel confirmation/suitcase/car ride later] we were walking into the entrance of the ESPY Awards. That’s right! The REEED Carpet. D sported his killer, Ted Baker, maroon tux and I wore my little black dress. Only this time, I accessorized it with my new Miu Miu cat glasses, a couple of Hermes bracelets, and a pair of maroon pumps. You know 🙂 so I could tie our two outfits together. Anyway, the Red Carpet was definitely everything you would believe it to be. It was red [ha!] adorned with celebrities, television personalities, paparazzi, etc. D totally owned it. In fact, so much so, that when some of the general press shouted from the bleachers, he even yelled back, “Thank you! You’re welcome! It’s been a great year.” Don’t you just love his zest of life!? HILARIOUS.
Now, I, on the other hand, was a bit overwhelmed. See, I’ve been working really hard lately on being more present in my day-to-day life. So, while I was trying to take everything in, I dropped my phone, gawked a little too much at celebs [HECK] I even had a “Jennifer Lawrence” moment and tripped on my own shoe. But as soon as we got inside and I got a couple of cocktails down, it was smooth sailing. Maybe not “Hollywood” smooth, but nevertheless, I was calm.
The rest of the evening was absolutely surreal. We sat in row X and were just right of center stage. Drake was a phenomenal awards host and I absolutely LOVED his three musical performances, ESPECIALLY #sterlingneverlovedus. But I wouldn’t say those were the best moments of the 2014 ESPYS. Nope. Hands down, there were two: Michael Sam being awarded the Arthur Ashe Award AND Stuart Scott accepting the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. Both speeches were extremely moving and left me with the challenge of trying to keep my composure. I was a little surprised that ESPN didn’t do more to highlight Tony Gwynn’s passing 🙁 but they obviously didn’t ask me.
After the show commenced, all of us ESPYS attendees headed down the street to L.A. Live for the After Party. AND let me tell you, it was an INSANE production. There were drinks, food, and celebs as far as I could see. We had an absolute blast = including a brief chat with Michael Sam [such a nice guy], D fist bumping Clint Dempsey, and me saying hi to Cougar Town’s star, Josh Hopkins. Yea, like I said before, it was ALL VERY SURREAL. So, why don’t I have any better pictures than the Old Spice Photo Booth above?! For one, I figured I would have gotten in trouble for having my camera and didn’t want it to be confiscated because I made a poor decision. And two, listen, these are human beings [just like you and I] trying to enjoy themselves at a party. I didn’t want to bug them. However, if you are dying to see some pictures, you can always head on over to my Instagram. Shhh . . .
“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan
Yes, our time at the 2014 ESPY Awards will definitely be an event in our life together we remember for years to come 😀 tune in Monday for more about our crazy few days!
