Jumping onto my soap box

So I still owe everyone a post about the end of my North Carolina trip which consisted of family fun time and NASCAR shops with a friend before heading back home and back to the real world.

I'll get to it I promise. However, I need you guys to give me a minute cause there are some things happening out in the World that I feel needs my two cents added to the conversation. So here I go. 

Lent is stupid
So….I am not Catholic, yet I participate in Lent. It’s not just a Catholic thing but they are way more strict about it. However Lent is stupid. Not the actual process of Lent mind you, I still fully believe in giving up something for 40 days as a sacrifice and in an effort to better yourself even if it’s not for religious reasons. Golden for one has spent the last some odd 20 days or so giving back as her Lent acknowledgement. She has paid the bill of people behind her in fast food lines and in other ways and I commend her for that. As you know dear reader I gave up both Social Media and Soda for Lent and.... guys … it’s been hard. Thus Lent is stupid. I can live with the social media break, actually I enjoy it but since Lent started my AU Gymnastics team has had three meets, went to the SEC Championships and I have had to watch it all from the sidelines.  

However all of that aside one of my favorite Gymnasts Sam Cerio had a horrific accident during her Floor Routine during the first night of the Regional at LSU, in which my team advanced to night two thank you very much. She broke both her legs and dislocated BOTH her knees. It was a horrific thing to watch do yourself a favor and NEVER WATCH IT. I was watching live on the internet and almost threw up on my keyboard. The coolest thing is that the next day the President of LSU visited Sam in the hospital. I thought that was really cool and shows the support and love that the SEC has for each other off the playing field or Matts in this case. 

It’s been awful not being able to reach out to Sam and give her support at this time. She graduates in May and I understand is getting married in June. She has stated she plans to walk down the isle and if anyone can do it … SAM CAN! She’s amazing. I have a message board on my desk, that I try to update at least once a week, this was the board the week after the meet.  

In addition to all of that my beloved Auburn Tigers got to the freaking FINAL FOUR!!!!!!! That’s never ever ever in life happened and watching it from a far was super hard. Not checking in with the team or watching the various fan events that happened during the tournament but not being able to connect with anyone about it was really hard. Like for reals hard. It was also difficult to find scores and times when the games would be without seeing spoilers. It was a damn fun run to the Final Four and I couldn’t be more proud of those guys. I can’t wait until the 22^nd to hit up Bruce Pearl and thank him for leading these young men in such a positive wonderful way. They all made me very proud to be an Auburn Tiger. It also cracked me up that this team caused a TP shortage in the Auburn/Opelika area, if you don't know the ways of Toomer's Corner, well I'm sad for your very sheltered and horrible upbringing.  

However social media woes aside the hardest part has been the missing of SODA in my life. This year I decided a full ban on all things soda. If I NEVER drink another glass of sweet tea again it will be too soon. My plan is the Friday before Easter I’m going to buy a 6 pack of Wild Cherry Pepsi and I plan to drink all 6 on Easter Sunday. I have missed soda every time we went to lunch and they woud ask “what would you like to drink” all of me wanted to say a COKE give me a freaking COKE ASAP! I’m proud to say that as of the 10^th I’ve held strong but it’s not been easy. Not easy at all. My family keeps saying you aren’t Catholic just drink a coke (I’ve been a little cranky) already but I’ve come this far I can go another 14 or so days.

My plan for Easter …. wake up, go to sunrise service and while there drink a 2 liter of coke by myself as the preacher talks then on the way home hit up Sam Cerio as my first tweet and my second tweet a picture of my nearly empty coke with a countdown of sodas to follow throughout the day. 


Harry and Megan, the Royal Baby and Rumors on top of Rumors
Ok let me start by saying STOP IT. Leave this damn couple alone. Granted they have squeezed in all the things into a single year, the marriage, the kid, all of it before the 1^st anniversary and so that’s on them but my goodnees they can’t do anything without it being a major controversary. I don’t blame them for not wanting to do the “photoshoot” on the stairs of the hospital like 7 hours after the kid pops out. The last two times Kate did that she got flack for it but now everyone is acting like Meghan is personally whipping her new kid's butt with the unwritten Royal Protocol. I mean from the moment this couple became a couple they have been scrutinized at every step. From how she dresses to how his face looks when they are together, to other media woes with her super stable and loving family. He has always been a very private person and it kind of cracks me up how the entire focus is now on her when they are together and it's almost like he is allowed to relax cause he is very conscious of that fact. He also seems to turn into her security officer when they are out and about which I think is adorable. You can very clearly see him scanning the crowd for trouble and mentally preparing a plan for should it arise. 

How dare they get an Instagram without me, not being able to follow or see their pictures. No before you ask, cause I know you will, I don't believe she is running it. Is she sending in captions to the person running it … maybe … but I don't believe she's sitting at Fogmore with phone on her giant belly deciding what to post on Instagram. Sigh …… that was so rude. I also think that this backlash where people are creating a KP VS the Sussex is just dumb. The “Fab 4” can and will do amazing things if people would just back off and let them have the space to breath and do it. If anything this might force William and Kate to step up their game as a solo unit now. I really hope the stories of the boys drifting apart are not true but more two busy people leading very busy lives. I mean my goodness William has three kids for Christ sakes, their lives are separating cause it's the natural order of how life  happens between normal family members. If I see one more headline about William missing the birth I'm going to scream. Last time I checked the brother didnt have to be there not to mention Harry was out of the country for all but Louis (and for that one he was in full wedding mode) so people just need to stop it already. Not to mention that their public life focus is very different and that's ok. That's what made the Royal Foundation work. I hope it stays in tact cause its definitely sheading light on some areas that deserve to be highlighted. The good that this 3 some did can only be better now with 4 voices and focus behind it. I look forward to watching. 

The truth is they can do it now or do it in a few years when Charles becomes King and everything HAS to shift. Do it now and it will allow the focus to stay on Charles when he becomes King, as it should be. Let's be honest they weren't going to be joined at the hip forever. People keep forgetting that William also took his little family out of the limelight moving away from KP for a while when George was little. Of course in my opinion that was during the time that William was still kind of running from this role.  This couple deserves the time and space to start their family and I pray that the media, the “fans” and the rest of the world allows them the space to do so. Everyone needs to back off and just let them be and I don’t want to hear that they knew what they were getting into when they walked into this party. May we all be so lucky to fall hard in love with another human being like they seem to have. She seems to make him really happy and if people would just back off I think they just might make it work. Tho maybe that's the issue there are those that dont want this couple to make it and that's just sad and pathetic.

Let me also add that I don't believe the Queen gives a flying Corgi if they raise this child vegan or vegetarian or feed it well Corgis every day for breakfast, ok in that instance she might step in. As long as the kid is taken care of she will likely let them do whatever they want with the kid, in reason of course. The kid is going to be so far away from the throne it really isnt as big a deal in that instance. I am not saying that the kid doesn't matter I'm simply stating that it's not quite as stressful for this kid as it would say George who will eventually,  God willing, reach the throne. Even Charlotte and Louis will just be sideline players, again assuming God takes care of this little family. If Harry and Meghan were smart they would be pushing for the kid to not have a title opening up the path that kid can take in the future. Sure it could take on private life or continue the works of Mum and Dad, or frankly both, but the bottom line is that Babby Sussex could have choices that Harry and Will never had dreams about having  However that's just my opinion, I have often though Harry had the better deal. All of the fun of Royal life with a fraction of the pressure. I also think that once he decided he could use this role given to him for good he jumped in with both feet. I often think William still just has a toe in the water but that his pool is much deeper so I kind of understand that.

Last point I’m going to make on this …. If they have a girl if anyone on the planet is dumb enough to think Harry is going to name said girl Diana they haven’t been paying attention at all. I can’t imagine a world in which he will be able to physically say Diana for the rest of his life. I’m not saying one of the 7 names they give a kid might not be Diana but it will be buried deep into the name. I personally hope for a boy (tho I’m not 100% sure why I even care) cause I want them to name the boy Phillip and I'm sure they care what I think about that. 

College Scandal – LEAVE AUNT BECKY ALONE 
I am so sick of this story, this scandal, and the fact that of all the parents involved two “celebrity” parents are getting the brunt of it. I love how every story talks about Lori Laughlin like she’s personally responsible for this entire thing. Then in the second breath they mention the “Desperate Housewife” AKA Felicity Huffman (who in my world will always be Dana Whitaker - RIP Sports Night) as an oh yeah she’s also involved. Why the hell is that ? 

I feel Lori Lofton is being treated really unfairly in the stupid thing. Dont get me wrong what she and the other parents did was wrong on so many levels but they are just the tip of this. What about administrative people who looked the other way. Coaches who gave up scholarships to really talented kids why aren't they in trouble??? Its like prosecuting the drug pushers when the main dealer is sitting next to them at the table.

I mean honestly is this the biggest issue in the world?! Is it really necessary to ruin the careers of these two ladies and why aren’t their husbands being drug through the mud? Why isn’t William H Macy being black balled left and right? It all seems really stupid that these two ladies are looking at 20 years in prison OVER THIS?! I’ve seen people who have done far worse who have gotten far less. It’s just majorly stupid!

Politics … specifically Trump Vs Democrats

Ok guys I've talked about Trump on here before and while Golden and I said early on that we wouldn't get political, I think what I've said so far straddles that line, cause I gotta open that door one more time. I need the Democrats to move on. I typically vote Blue unless the Red race will affect my every day world and needs my attention. Living in a Red state that happens more than I'd like to be honest. However I need the Democrats to move on. There are like 75 people running on the Democratic ticket and while I know it's early in the game, I'm not sure any of them can beat Trump. The Dems have done exactly what they didn't want the Republicans to do from day one, not concede this election. I get it, he's not the President you wanted, he's not the guy you voted for, but suck it up buttercup he's who we have. Instead of fighting him every step of the way or continuing this collusion BS or think about impeachment proceedings how about you guys pull on your big boy and girl clothes and get to work. Force him out the right way, give people someone they can vote for instead of him. Right now I'm confident he'd get a second term and that's not ok. That's not acceptable and that's entirely on the Democrats head if he does. They talk so much about what he has not accomplished but they can't point to their own accomplishments either. It's a giant cluster either way you look at it and our Nation isn't in a great place right now so let's all be adults, the Mueller report is out, if you must … read it... learn from it.... then move on. 

One more thing about this Biden has give his time to this Country, he's made a very positive impact along with Obama and frankly needs to step aside. This is NOT his fight. I'm not saying he can't help whomever makes it through the pack of crap running but I just feel it shouldn't fall on his shoulders. He's an amazing man, a loving man, a man that cares about the Veterans and a man that deserves to do whatever he wants at this stage in his life. I'm not sure President is something he needs to add to his resume. However he can do whatever he wants … and likely will. 

Jessie Sommelet - Chicago PD 
Ok just no. Here's what happened. Some asshat actor made up some BS story to get his name in the papers and up his reputation and the social media community pounced on it before they even knew what happened. The public support was so great and he was so high profile that the Chicago PD jumped in with both feet too and put the full force of well the force on this case. They wasted a TON of money, time, efforts, and manhours on this case. The end result being that it was all crap and now they want him to pay for it … no. Good police work will show it's BS from the beginning. You don't throw money down a hole, which is what they did. When they saw it starting to go south you pull back, put less on it and move on. They also dropped all the charges about false statements so they couldn't even get that right. If dude isn't guilty then he shouldn't have to pay. That was on them for letting the public outcry dictate how they ran their department. It was fun to watch it play out while I could cause the wave of social media on this case proved just how messed up social media can be. The support was huge, then the disappointment after learning the "truth" was a dull roar followed by silence. The world moved on long before the Chicago PD did and now that dude can't catch a break yet he still pops up in my news feed from time to time. It's going to be interesting how this plays out to be honest. 5 years from now he'll pop up in some random movie and blow everyone away then he'll be the huge start he wanted to be when all this started. That's my guestimate but first he'll have to endure a Lifetime or BET movie about the entire situation in which they won't even allow him to play himself. 

Ok I’m climbing down now … thank you for letting me get some of this off my chest, I admit I feel better. 

Thanks 
Marcy 
@beaslma

A Royal Musical Journey – conclusion – original fiction

This isn’t the post I had planned for today, yes that’s right I’m really trying to get back into this blogging thing. However I finally got the Haley and Michael’s story out of my head and onto a screen. I thought I’d wait and post it tomorrow but decided life is short …why wait?! So here it is … the conclusion of this Royal journey which I realized while doing this that each “main” character has been a focus on each story which is kind of cool. The first one Dreams,Music, and the Royal family was from Kate’s point of view, the second Connections was from Harry’s, the third A Royal Welcome (my favorite) was from Shannon’s and this one is from Ryan’s point of view (a four part story...who saw that coming ha!). That was a happy accident and I hope it didn’t make it too disjointed.

If you want to read from the beginning links to the other stories are in the paragraph above. It’s not necessary to understand the story but makes it more fun.  I must restate how odd it is that I’ve even chose this as my “muse” I don’t know Shannon or Ryan and I certainly don't know any of the Royal family, heck I've never even shown a big interest in the comings and goings of the Royal family, yet I find myself thinking about this story long after I’ve left the keyboard. I hope Ryan and Shannon don’t think I’m crazy, I doubt that the Royal Family even knows I exist.

This one ended up longer than I had anticipated and I’ve actually cut a lot of it out so stick with me if you can. So anyway …. Here it is …. Enjoy

A Royal Musical Journey

Ryan never gets tired of stepping onto a stage, never gets tired of watching the love of his life standing nearby singing her heart out, never gets tired of the feel of a guitar in his hands and knowing that he can make it do things others only dream of. It was a New Year’s Eve show, something they said they wouldn’t do as holidays are for family, but when Hoda calls you say yes … principles be damned.

They finished their song during the New Year’s Eve festivities and sat down to talk with Hoda and Kathie Lee for a few moments as part of their year-end special and as most of their interviews of late tend to do the conversation turned to their involvement with the Royal Foundation and their most successful fundraiser to date. They showed a montage of the event and Ryan was instantly transported by the memories made in those two weeks.

It started with Ryan watching Shannon walk down the hallway of Heathrow Airport on the arm of the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry carrying Ryan’s bag behind them. Ryan wanted someone to stop and take his picture, where the hell are the paparazzi when you need them he thought. The Prince of England is carrying my bag for goodness sakes someone take our picture!!!!

“Man you guys sure know how to pack light.” Harry said as he walked behind Kate and Shannon.

“Shannon’s bags are somewhere between here and the States. The airline is looking for them, those are mine.” Ryan informed him as he carried his other bag filled with his clothes. 

“Man, two weeks in a single pair of jeans is not going to be fun! However, Kate loves a good reason to shop we might end up with an afternoon just the boys. Actually, that sounds fun!” As they walked out the door of the airport and up to the car.

Harry handed over Ryan’s bag to be placed in the trunk then climbed into the car behind everyone else. Once again Ryan looked around and no paps in sight. Part of him was bummed yet he was also oddly impressed they just walked out of a busy airport unnoticed with two of the most recognizable royals.

“Did Shannon tell you they lost her luggage?” Harry reported as he settled into his seat.

“We were talking about it on the way to the car, I can find her something in my closet for lunch and then we’ll find something for tomorrow night.”

Shannon didn’t want to bother them with this, “It’s ok guys, I’ve got a jacket in Ryan’s bag and can manage I’m sure they will find it soon!” She was slightly freaked out about wearing the Duchess clothes which were always so beautiful.

“We don’t have time to do a shopping run today, but we’ll make time tomorrow if the bag hasn’t turned up yet. We can’t have you meeting the Queen in jeans and a T-shirt now can we?”

Ryan noticing that the idea of meeting the Queen was freaking Shannon out decided to change the subject, “So when do we get to meet these amazing kids we have heard so much about?” he asked glancing over at Harry.

Harry looked a little startled, “A select group will be at the lunch today and others will be at dinner tomorrow night. This weekend we’ll have a less formal “meet and greet” where you’ll really have an opportunity to connect with them.”

Sitting on one side of the car while Kate and Shannon were on the other side Harry started to relax some into the seat. “This event has been exhausting. Don’t get me wrong I’m excited about it, but every time we turn around there’s someone trying to turn it into something that it’s not; from artist, to the kids, and even some of the sponsors, and don’t get me started on the parents. You guys are the first group picked up that hasn’t demanded something, a better hotel, a better timeslot, first pick of the kids they want to work with, some have even asked to get out of working with the kids. Everyone is acting like this is their own personal concert, even the local groups. Frankly it’s starting to get on my last nerve.”

Shannon looked over, “That’s awful, I can’t even put into words what this event means to us, not only cause it allowed us to get to know you guys, but it’s giving us the trip of a lifetime and an opportunity to share our music with a new group of people. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, we’ll be there.”

Harry smiled at her, “We might just take you up on that, I have to warn you a few are already big fans.” Kate grinned, “Harry won’t stop playing the EP at every single event and meeting we’ve had with the kids and volunteers.” Ryan looked at Shannon, this was indeed a fairy tale that he hoped never ended. 

The next day Ryan was standing in the siting room at Buckingham Palace waiting for Shannon to come back downstairs and wishing it would be sooner than later. They were the first to arrive for tonight’s dinner so that Shannon could borrow an outfit from Kate and Ryan felt uncomfortable about being in the room alone almost like he snuck in there. Something about the room and the quiet made him think he’d get in trouble any second and sent back to the car. He stood to walk around the room just to have something to do and was admiring a painting of a beautiful garden when a voice behind him started him.

“It’s even more lovely in person.”

Ryan turned around to see the Duke of Cambridge standing there in a suit that had a little stain on the shoulder. “I bet it is. This painting is amazing too tho.” He reached out his hand, “By the way I’m Ryan, um… Mr. Duke sir”

The Duke laughed “Call me Will everyone else does. My brother and Kate have been so excited for you guys to get here they have talked of little else for over two weeks.”

“We can hardly believe that we are here, Shannon keeps asking me to pinch her! I can’t believe that she’s upstairs borrowing some of Kate’s clothes, thanks for letting her do that. She said she’s really going to feel like a Princess tonight.” 

“HA! Don’t mention it, Kate was especially excited to play stylist for the evening. It’s not often she gets to dictate what someone else is going to wear, well other than me that is. She says picking out a suit gets boring cause the only thing that changes is the tie!”

“Speaking of your suit did you know you have something on the shoulder.”

Moving to a nearby mirror to examine his jacket, he starts rubbing it with a piece of ice from a glass handed to him, “The kids were going to be in bed when we finished tonight so I popped in to say goodnight before I came down.” After fussing with it for a few minutes, “How’s that?”

“Much better. Besides isn’t that basically a dad badge?” William laughed and nodded. Ryan couldn’t believe he was having a normal conversation with the future King of England like they had known each other for years, he decided to take advantage of this moment. “I have to ask you this cause if I don’t I’ll regret it….. Are Harry and Kate really fans or I mean I don’t mean to be crass but I just can’t help waiting on someone to walk up and say the jokes over get out and that would kill Shannon!”

William laughed, “Ever since Kate heard your music she’s been singing it, when she’s cooking, when she’s rocking the kids to sleep, when she’s working out, she has played that EP so many times if it were a record it would be ruined. I have never seen my brother nervous to contact someone and his biggest fear is you guys would turn him down. He’s not used to hearing the word no. Did you know that he and Kate sang We’ll Always Have Mexico to my Grandmother and she is the one that decided you and Shannon needed to sing it not Harry and Kate? They worked on that song for several weeks and she loved it but not coming from them. If you all left now I think they would both go with you!” he said with a smile.

Ryan didn’t know what to say and didn’t have an opportunity to speak as William pointed behind him causing him to turn towards the door. The most beautiful thing he had seen since their wedding day was walking through the door. He didn’t even excuse himself just walked towards Shannon unable to focus on anything or anyone else in the room. “You look amazing!”

“I’m scared to death I’m going to ruin this dress” Shannon said unable to hide the smile on her face. In this dress, she was radiant.

“Honey it’s not the dress, I’ve seen dresses, this dress is garbage without you in it!” Shannon playfully hit him in the arm “Don’t you dare let Kate hear you say that!”

Harry walked up behind Shannon, “He’s not wrong!” winked and walked off.

The rest of the night was a blur of activity and both Ryan and Shannon were surprised that once the evening began and they both relaxed they realized this was exactly where they needed to be. After an amazing dinner there was a small get together that included music and dancing. They met a 12-year-old who had been writing songs since she was 8 and had recently recorded one in a real studio thanks to Prince Harry. She was excited about this opportunity as she wanted to learn how someone got involved in the music industry. Ryan told her it was all luck and hard work but mostly luck. They made plans to get together soon to talk more about the industry. They met another artist from Paris who was looking to move to the states to be the next “Lady Gaga” and hoped to use this event as a platform to do that. It was a 16-year-old however that stole Shannon’s heart.

The young man was standing to the side of the room alone and so Shannon walked over to say hi. The young man told her that his name was Josh and he played guitar. Shannon said she and her husband played as well and started talking to him about some songs they both knew. The boy confessed to Shannon that he felt like he was an imposter and didn’t belong there. Shannon told him she was sure that wasn’t true and that she looked forward to hearing him play. He perked up after that and she sat with him for a long time just watching the room. At one point, she even asked Josh to dance with him. She didn’t realize that Kate was watching from the other side of the room with a huge smile on her face. She didn’t notice that Harry too had noticed what she was doing. None of that mattered to her. She wanted to make this young man comfortable so he could enjoy this evening like everyone else.

On their first totally free day of this trip, Ryan and Shannon arrived at Kensington Palace early that morning the girls were going to go shopping, since Shannon’s bags still hadn’t arrive and the boys were going to do what boys do. Kate was waiting when they walked in and she immediately grabbed Shannon’s arm and headed right back out the door. William was standing in the hallway and yelled towards the door as it closed, “Ok have fun bye!” then he turned to Ryan, “Guess they are in a hurry. Have you eaten breakfast yet?!” They started to turn towards the kitchen when the door flew back open, and Kate rushed up to William gave him a hug and a kiss said bye and left again. Ryan laughed, “guess she forgot something!”

Ryan followed a now blushing William into the kitchen which was filled with activity as the kids were sitting at the table eating breakfast with Ryan guessed the nanny fussing over the baby.

William turned back to Ryan as he took a napkin to clean George’s hands, ”Harry will be here shortly, we figured while the girls were running around we’d do the same.  I thought we could start with a ride around the grounds, show you that garden we talked about last night. It’s not hunting season so no hunting but we’ll still find something to do.”

That afternoon Ryan, Harry and William returned to the Palace exhausted, cold, tired, and hungry. They must have ridden every inch of the estate. Ryan was glad the rest of the day was free as he needed a few minutes to recharge. He didn’t think he’d ever get the picture of ridding across a pasture with William, Harry and George (in Harrys Lap) watching the beautiful scenery around him. They hadn’t planned to take George but once he heard horses were involved there was no way he was going to be left behind. Hearing George laughing from Harry’s horse made bringing him completely worth it.

A little while later Ryan was sitting in the living room of Kensington Palace alone. William had taken George upstairs to get him down for a nap, Harry had run off to make a phone call, and the girls were still shopping. He was almost asleep after the days actives when Harry walked in and sat down in a nearby chair.

“Sorry we left you alone down here”

“No problem, please don’t feel you have to entertain me, if you have something else you need to be doing. I know this is a hectic time for you.”

“yeah that’s why I’m enjoying the excuse to just …. Sit.”  He leans back in the chair stretching out and Ryan realized how tall the young man was as well as how tired he looked.

A few days later it was finally time for Haley and Michaels to take the stage. Shannon and Kate had a surprise for Harry that Shannon had told Ryan about that morning.

As the notes for We’ll Always Have Mexico started to play Ryan faked getting choked up. Kate shoved Harry out onto the stage, and Ryan ran off to look for water as Shannon shoved a microphone in Harry’s hand. She nudged him and he started to sing. Kate and Ryan were off on the edge of the stage laughing and clapping as Harry looked up towards the Queen, Phillip, Charles and William who were all laughing obviously in on the surprise. Harry fell into the song and he and Shannon nailed it as Ryan walked out with a closed bottle of water thanking the Prince for helping him out.

Shannon asked William and Kate to join them on stage, he had come down to close out the festival. Their new friend Josh walked out from the other side of the stage and said “At the afternoon meet and greet you guys held prior to this event Shannon, Ryan and I wrote this song as a thank you to the Royal Foundation for all that they do.” Ryan walked up to the third microphone and said, “We’d like to play it for you now if that’s ok.” Kate had tears in her eyes and mouthed thank you to Shannon who was putting her guitar away so that Ryan and Josh would play while she sang. Harry was also blown away by this gesture and he has never seen Josh so outspoken and excited on a stage. He usually hung back and avoided any part of the spotlight. It was truly a perfect ending to a very successful event. This was exactly what Harry had wished for when he and Kate first had the idea for a benefit like this. 

Ryan was snapped back to the conversation before him when Hoda asked about the most exciting part of the trip, Shannon said meeting the Royal family, Ryan said, getting to know the kids the foundation helps daily and seeing Shannon in one of Kate’s dresses. Shannon’s bags showed up the day after her big shopping spree with Kate but said there was no way she was returning anything they bought even if it meant she’d never be able to buy clothes again to make up for it. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and Ryan couldn’t wait until next year’s benefit and hoped they’d be invited back if for no other reason that to see how Josh was doing and to try and talk him into playing on their next record.

-----

Well there you go…besides one of my 2017 goals is to write more and they say whatever you do on New Year’s Day is what you’ll do all year so here’s hoping that’s true.

I’m pretty sure this story is done as I’m not sure where to take it from here so now it’s time to find a new muse. I hope you all enjoyed it, I hope Haley and Michael’s isn’t calling a lawyer for a restraining order for me, cause I really do love their music and I really hope this is going to be their year. I can’t wait to hear more from them, if you haven’t already check out their website below:

Website: http://haleyandmichaels.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/haleynmichaels

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HaleyandMichaels/?fref=ts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleyandmichaels/

Have a great 2017 everyone! I can check one thing off my New Year's Resolution post ! :D

Marcy

(@beaslma)

Original Fiction - A Royal Welcome

The saga continues…seriously this thing is taking on a life of its own, I thought maybe 2 or three posts but now I’m not even sure when it will end, or frankly if I even want it to end. As you may recall dear reader, I started this story back in January after a dream I had that featured “We’ll Always Have Mexico” a song by Haley and Michaels (if you haven’t already check out their website and learn more about this fantastic couple). I must restate how odd it is that I’ve even chose this as my “muse” I don’t know Shannon or Ryan and I certainly don't know any of the Royal family, heck I've never even shown a big interest in the comings and goings of the Royal family, yet I find myself thinking about this story long after I’ve left the keyboard. I’ve written many a great paragraph on my way to work which will never see the light of day. Must remember to get a tape recorder STAT!

Get the new Haley and Michaels EP here ... https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/haley-michaels/id609857311

To read the background before jumping in below … here’s the link to the other posts

1 Dreams, Music, and the Royal family…a fun combination

2 Connections

and now I give you part 3 of this journey

A Royal Welcome

She couldn’t believe she was standing at the baggage claim in Heathrow Airport, it seemed literally foreign to her as going out of the country before today meant Canada. Looking around she wanted to grab the nearest person and say “We are going to play our music for the QUEEN!” but was determined to keep her cool and resisted the urge. She did want everyone to stop moving so she could live in this moment and capture it so she’d always remember it as Ryan walked over to her.

“You can stop looking, they lost your bag. They are tracking it and said when they find it they will send it to the hotel, but it was definitely not on the plane. I guess it got left behind after the last plane change. I’m so sorry Shannon!”

She looked up at Ryan “Do you realize where we are? Do you realize what we are about to do?”  She took his hand and the clink of her ring made her pause again, “Do you realize this is our first trip as a married couple?” She wanted to make a list of all the first happening in her life because they were all coming so fast she was afraid she’d forget them all. First time I’ve lost my luggage on a trip, she thought, first trip with my husband, first time I’ve called Ryan my husband, first time in London, first gig ‘across the pond,’ it was all starting to make her head spin when Ryan leaned down and grounded her with a single kiss.

Nearly a year ago this journey started with an email from Prince Harry which they were all pretty sure was a joke. He was inviting them to perform at a benefit concert for their Royal Foundation. They couldn’t believe that the Prince had heard their music, which hadn’t been released yet overseas. After several additional e-mails it was clear that the group and their managers weren’t taking the request seriously until they received one with a European phone number simply asking them to call for a discussion about the benefit.

After checking the time in London Shannon, Ryan, and Mark, their manager, dialed the phone. The last thing they wanted was to wake up and infuriate the Prince, or more likely his “people” by calling at an insanely late or early hour, if by some chance this was real. They listened as the phone dialed fully expecting some pub or radio station to answer, pulling a prank. The way they saw it this could be good publicity for an up and coming act and definitely a story to tell on stage or in their next interview.  They each sat there thinking, what if this is real, but not wanting to voice it out loud and appear to be foolish later. Shannon was praying for no answer so they could leave a voice mail and the journey could continue.  Until there was definite sign that this was a prank a small part of her could live in the ‘the Prince of England likes our music’ bubble.

After the third ring a quiet voice answered, “Hello” not expecting an answer Mark stumbled, “um…yes, this is Haley and Michaels we were told to call this number to talk about a possible benefit show.”

“Oh…yes” a very surprised voice answered, “One moment.” Then there is a thud on the phone. Mark gave a nod to the band as if to say told ya. After a few moments in which Mark would have hung up, if Shannon had let him, the voice returned to the phone, “sorry about that, hard to talk business with a sleeping toddler in your lap.” Shannon playfully slapped Ryan on the arm and mouthed, ‘That’s Harry!’

“I’m so glad you guys called, I could tell from the e-mail exchanges we weren’t all on the same page. I’ve asked someone to get Kate so we can really discuss the benefit and convince you guys to join us since she’s the co-chair. As you know from my initial e-mail, the benefit would be for The Royal Foundation and will help fund a lot of the projects we have in the coming year. The hope would be that this would turn into a yearly benefit which would serve several purposes for us, to promote the foundation, showcase some of the kids we are helping, the work the foundation does, and fund projects for the coming year. It would also give the artists a platform unlike no other.”

The three of them sat there dumbfounded until Ryan blurted out, “Is this real?”

The Prince laughed, “Ha ! Yes very much so. Kate just walked in, I have Haley and Michaels on the phone to talk about the benefit.” 

“Hey guys! So glad to finally get to talk to you! We LOVE your EP, even George sings ‘we’re gonna light it’ as he walks down the hallway, well as well as a toddler can sing it! Um… speaking of which where is my child?”

“He’s on the couch he had just fallen asleep when they called. So guys we are thinking May 2016 for this benefit, we haven’t finalized exact dates yet but we are thinking a 2 or 3 day festival featuring music, a sports tournament around the music festival, and arts and crafts. Three or four jam packed days of activities and events all showcasing what the Royal Foundation has to offer.”

Kate breaks in, “The theory is to put an emphasis on the kids being helped by the foundation, showcasing their art, showcasing their talents and showing why supporting this foundation is supporting these kids and why the two are important. We feel like putting an emphasis on the positives that the foundation gives to these kids then more will get involved and we can do more for these kids. We feel like the musical aspect of a festival will bring more people to the table so we can show them how truly amazing these kids are when given the proper chances. So the bottom line is … are you guys interested in joining the benefit?”

Before thinking Shannon says, “Why us?” then she panics, “I mean it’s a fantastic opportunity and we’d love to, I’m just … our music isn’t being played over there …. So yeah why us?”

“Bloody Hell did you not tell them the story” Kate says towards Harry. “Last time Will and I were in the states we heard 500 miles on the radio. I fell in love with it so Will bought your EP for me. I immediately fell in love with the entire thing and sent it to Harry. He fell in love with We’ll Always Have Mexico and we agreed you guys should be at the benefit if only because we’d love to hear more of what you guys can do.”

Dumbfounded Shannon and Ryan just sat there, Mark jumped in, “of course we’d love to be a part of this, and we apologize for not writing back but in all honesty we thought it was a prank. I’m glad Shannon convinced us to give you guys a call to find out for sure. We’ll definitely be more responsive now. Can I ask who are some of the other artist? I assume it’s a mixture of artist and genres.”

Harry was glad they were on the phone, “um…to be honest …. You guys are the first group we’ve contacted about his benefit. However yes, a mixture of artist and genres is what we are going for, but we also want it to make sense, meaning you guys won’t be the only country group with a bunch of alternative bands. We want to bring as many people to the festival and a mixture of talent should do just that. We are also hoping that the artist will hook up with some of the musically inclined kids that will also be a part of the festival and talk with them about the business and process of what they do. A mixture of established artist, armatures and up and coming acts will really allow for a learning experience like no other.”

The next few months were a blur of activity as Haley and Michael’s continued to support their EP, work on their album, plan a wedding, and prepare for the festival. Soon they were suggesting bands they knew to the foundation and talking about schedules, plane tickets, and arrival times. They had really gotten to know Harry and Kate over the last year and couldn’t wait to see them in person and not over a computer screen. Shannon never wanted to leave this airport because they would be that much closer to this fairytale being over.  She was jolted back to reality and out of Ryan’s embrace by a now familiar voice.

“Pathetic you’d think they’d wait until they got to the room, I mean there are kids here!” Harry said under his ball cap and sunglasses as he gestured around the airport.

“Oh, leave them alone this is after all their honeymoon, congratulations you guys! I hope you don’t mind but we decided to make this welcome on our own.” Kate said from under a similar ball cap as she grabbed Shannon’s arm and pulled her towards the doors, “Now let’s get going there’s so much to do!” Shannon looked back to see Ryan shaking hands with Harry as Kate started talking about all that was to come over the next week or so, it was truly going to be the trip of a lifetime and she couldn’t wait to get started even if she’d have to wear the same jeans for a few days.

 

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so anyway there you have it ... what do you guys think? have you guys checked out Haley and Michaels, if not you really should, they are fantastic ! What's your favorite track on the EP?

 

-Marcy

Connections - Fiction piece

So …um… it’s been a while. My bad. I didn’t mean to be gone so long it just .. kinda happened. Not cause I was off having fun mind you more cause I was well tired of a computer. Like physical act of looking at a screen or touching a keyboard made me want to vomit, which is not good for computer devices. I think I’m better now … we’ll see if I get through this post sans vomit. Wow this post is going so well if anyone is still reading…thank you I promise it will get better.

I’ve been rattling around in my head a story that I started a few weeks ago after a dream (see post “Dreams, Music,and the Royal family … a fun combination …” I keep wondering what would have happened next had I not been woken up by my evil alarm clock. However every time I start to write it I feel … odd. I don’t know Shannon or Ryan and I certainly don't know any of the Royal family, heck I've never even shown a big interest in the comings and goings of the Royal family. It seems weird to be writing about “real” people. I’ve always felt weird about “fan fiction” cause it implies I know more about these people than I do. It’s one thing when I’m writing about characters I’ve created and can literally do anything I want with them, but these are real people, with real feelings, who might one day find this post and either hate me or love me, and since I love them so much the idea of their “hate” makes me sad and gives me writer’s block.

So … Shannon, Ryan, Harry, Katherine, all of you mentioned below, please forgive me but I have to get this out of my head so I can once again think like a semi normal person, what’s sad is I see this as a four part piece, however before I get ahead of myself let’s see how this one goes before I start talking about a third one let alone a forth one.

The sequel to Dreams, Music, and the Royal family … a fun combination …

"Connections"

Prince Phillip walked into the sitting room at Bukcingham Palace and is surprised to find Prince Harry with his back to him. “Oh Harry so good to see you!” Harry continues to stare ahead unresponsive. “Harry?” It’s very unlike the Prince to completely ignore someone. As Phillip gets closer he notices that Harry is wearing headphones and holding his electronic device that Phillip notices Harry spends a lot of time with. He sits in a nearby chair and once again addresses the Prince. No response. Playfully Phillip kicks out at the chair then laughs as Harry almost falls out of it.

“You scared me sir!” Harry yells across the room, louder than he would have if his ear buds would be at a normal volume.

“I wouldn’t have if you’d take those blasted things out of your ears!” Phillip replies pointing to the side of his head. "I swear you'll go deaf!"

“My bad, I was watching a video. I’m waiting on Will. Since George came along the always punctual one is always late!” then he grins to himself, “Who knew I’d turn out to be the reliable one around here.”

Phillip grins, “What were you listening to?” Knowing better than to remind the young Prince how many times William sat in the same chair far less patient waiting on Harry.

“Oh, Haley and Michaels posted another video online. This time it’s a cover of a song called “You’ve Got a Friend” I can’t get their voice out of my head. They blend perfectly together.”

“Ah yes I too like to listen to the album that Katherine bought me, Lights is my personal favorite.” Then he looks over to the door to see if anyone was listening, “have you called them yet?”

Harry sighs and slumps down in the chair, “No, I’m not sure what to say. We haven’t really finalized anything for the benefit yet, like dates or anything, so what do I say, ‘hey guys I love your music want to commit to a benefit happening sometime possibly in London, but we aren’t sure when, where, or how yet.!?’ That seems amateurish. I would like to have more details for them so it doesn’t come off as one of their friends playing a trick on them.”

William started to walk into the room, Phillip stood up patted Harry on the shoulder, “Then get to work!” and walked out the way William came in.

William took the seat left by Phillip, “What was that about?”

Harry looked up, “oh nothing we were talking about the benefit”

Looking at his tablet, “Still haven’t figured out how to call them yet huh?! Pathetic.” As he stood up to leave for their charity engagement, “Let’s go we’ll be late!”

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That afternoon Harry and William arrive back at the Palace to get ready for an early dinner engagement. As they started up the stairs to change they heard the squeal of a young voice and a tired mommy, “George get back here!” Harry smiled as William took the stairs three at a time.

Harry rounded the corner to see a disheveled Kate standing over George keeping William at bay. “No he’s going to listen to me, now George get up and come back to your room, NOW!” seeing he was beaten George sat up, looked towards his father who shook his head and then saw Harry. “HARRY!”

“No not Harry, you can’t play with Harry until you go to your room and pick up your toys and get ready for dinner! Now go!”

“Sorry buddy” Harry waved “see you soon!” as he turned his back on this and headed to get ready. He saw Kate send him a grateful smile as he turned to walk away. Some days I’m glad I’ve not done that yet, he thinks as he unlocks his room, then thinks of George falling asleep in his lap after a book and remembers it isn’t always bad.

That evening before the state dinner hosted by the Queen, Harry finds himself standing with Kate as they waited in the receiving room waiting on the Queen and Phillip to arrive, “William says you still haven’t contacted Haley and Michaels. It’s not like you to be shy!” Kate turns to look her brother-in-law in the eyes, “What’s up?!”

“Details Duchess…details.” He watches her squirm a little at the use of her formal title, one she’s never quite gotten used to. “It’s difficult to sign a group to a commitment when frankly there’s nothing to commit to yet. As chairs of this event I was hoping we could tentatively come up with a date tonight.”

She stood there for a moment thinking as William called her over to meet someone, she nodded to him and walked away. Harry was struck by how much his Sister-in-Law and brother had grown into quite the picture of a Royal Couple. She supported him when necessary, but could also hold her own in any room. Mom would have been proud he thought and not for the first time.

That evening at dinner Harry makes a point of sitting next to Kate. Typically at a dinner like this they all divide and conquer the room so each guest gets what Harry calls the “Royal treatment” but tonight he’s got business to discuss with Kate.

As the first course is sat in front of them and the chatter around the table picks up, Kate turns to Harry, “May, I’m thinking May before it gets too hot or the weather starts turning on us. Obviously not this May, because that’s just crazy as I'm not going to be able to help much with the new baby coming, but next May. That gives us a year to really promote the benefit, get some sponsors, and sign up as many artist as we can. I think we need to include people on the stage as well as people around the grounds, like painters. Some of the kids that we meet on a daily basis can be showcased and really make it about the children who will be helped by this benefit. I also think that the stage should be shared with amateur artist as well as established artist and every group in between. A mixture will get a variety of people on board and interested.” She paused as she ate her salad. “Harry?” after he said nothing.

He was just starring at her, “May….yeah ok.”

“Now call them get them as the first group signed to the benefit I can’t imagine they will tell you no.” He doesn’t respond, “Harry…you do know how to contact them right?”

He looks at her shrugs his shoulder, “Not really” wishing that he didn’t blush so easily.

Kate pulls out her phone, under the table, pulls up their website and sends it to Harry as a text that says “start here silly!” Then goes back to enjoying her dinner and talking to the guest to her other side.

The next day Harry started with the “contact us” portion of the website and started typing up the e-mail. It was a short e-mail for the time he spent on it. He wanted it to be right, not too creepy but also not very fanish.  He wanted to sound professional. He read it one last time and hit send feeling that a weight was lifted from his shoulders, as Kate said he’s not usually this uptight about things. He heard the now familiar squeal from down the hall and went to play with his nephew the one person who never turns him down.

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So there it is, this one took on a life of it’s own and ended up being different than what was in my head when I started writing but decided to run with it and let the words fall where they will.

BTW that song mentioned by Harry that Haley and Michaels posted , "You’ve got a friend" is real and can be found on their Facebook page it's fantastic. 

 

Haley and Michaels Facebook Page

 

Check em out guys this group is ah-mazing! :D

Marcy