Happy Birthday ticky!!!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TICKY!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day, and get everything you want. You seem to me to be a "take charge" sort of gal, so here you go ...

Cliffie : RHONDA........put him DOWN

GA posted this in the captions thread, but I thought it would fit here too with a similar caption along the lines of ...

"Rhonda decides to treat herself to a birthday present by taking matters into her own hands".

[sodascouts]

I was thinking how you have written stories for other people's birthdays but no one has written a story for you! Here goes a quick vignette:

Rhonda stood in front of the mirror, applying her makeup with trembling hands. She still couldn't believe it. Tonight, in just four hours, she would meet Joe Walsh!

She couldn't believe her luck. Just yesterday, she had been driving along listening to the radio when the announcer said that in five minutes, he was going to ask an Eagles trivia question and whoever got it first would win a 20-minute backstage meet'n'greet with Joe before the Eagles show in Salem, Oregon the next night. She was on an eight-lane interstate, but she didn't let that stop her from swerving across three lanes to get to the exit she'd almost passed so she could pull over and have a chance to win. She ignored the blaring horns of all the cars having to slam on their brakes to let her by. She was a woman on a mission.

Once off the exit, she pulled over to the side of the road and waited breathlessly with her cell phone in hand. Finally, the DJ asked the question. "What song did Joe Walsh sing on Hotel California?"

Easy as pie. Rhonda dialed and.. miraculously... got through! And here she was now, a little over 24 hours later, getting ready to meet Joe Walsh.

She gave up attempting to apply eyeliner, knowing with her nerves at this point she would probably stab herself in the eyeball. She didn't normally wear a lot of makeup anyway, but tonight she wanted to look her best when she met her hero. She had spent an hour trying on various outfits and finally settled on flattering black slacks and a matching top.

As she gave her hair a few final touches, she looked at the clock and gulped. Time to go. She went into her bedroom, grabbed the copy of The Smoker You Drink the Player You Get that she hoped he would sign, and headed on out. "Have fun," her husband Cliff called as she rushed out the door to her car. It wouldn't be long now....


-------

Three and a half hours later, she was waiting in a small green room near the backstage area. As she waited nervously, she looked around, surprised that she was alone. She had thought there would be other contest winners there, but apparently she was the only one. It made sense that Joe wouldn't want to shortchange a contest winner who'd been promised 20 minutes by only spending 2 minutes each with 10 people.

She couldn't seem to stop trembling, her heart was pounding, and her face was flushed - and he hadn't even arrived yet! Still, the idea of finally meeting a man she'd admired so much for so long... it was impossible to play it cool.

Then... it happened. He walked in. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a soft-looking light gray cotton top, untucked. His long blond hair hung in loose waves, brushed back but unslicked.

Rhonda jumped to her feet. Joe saw her obvious adoration of him shining in her eyes and smiled broadly at her. "Rhonda? How ya' doin?" He asked in his trademark drawl.

At his warm smile and that familiar greeting, Rhonda felt herself relax a bit. "Never been better," she said happily. Joe held out his hand and Rhonda took it. It was warm and she wanted to clutch it tightly, but forced herself to surrender it. "Joe, it's so amazing to finally meet you, you have no idea..."

"Wait, wait, we have plenty of time. Let's sit down." Joe pulled out a chair next to Rhonda's as she sat back in her seat. She swallowed hard as she realized this man that she idolized was within inches of her. It all seemed surreal, like a dream.

And then, all of the sudden, it came pouring out. How much she admired him, how much she adored his playing, how much his music meant to her.

Joe had heard many fans say these things to him before, but there was something about Rhonda - perhaps her fervor, perhaps her sense of humor that she injected into her comments, perhaps her genuine manner. He found himself leaning towards her, soaking up every word.

Finally, Rhonda stopped. Her heart was pounding and she wondered if she'd said too much. Joe was simply looking at her, smiling.

Then, he started to speak. She expected him to crack a joke, but his voice was serious; this wasn't Joe putting on a "clown price" persona for a fan. This was Joe being sincere. "Rhonda, it's fans like you that are the best part of making music. When I get out there and play before tens of thousands of people, the charge is incredible... but it's talking one-on-one with someone who understands my music, who tells me it's changed their lives.... that's when I feel like what I'm doing is more than just a job. It's something special."

"Oh, it is," Rhonda replied earnestly, leaning in closer towards him. "You have no idea... I'm not the only one who feels this way... there are so many..."

"Yes, but no one has ever put it quite the way you did. There's something about you... " He paused and leaned in even closer, just inches from her face. "You seem pretty special, too."

Rhonda couldn't help it. His mouth was so close... without even realizing what she was doing, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips softly. His eyes widened, but he didn't push her away. Then, the clock struck the hour. Joe pulled away. "It's time for me to go," he said reluctantly. "We have to do sound check." He stood up, and reached out to her, pulling her to her feet. Then, he engulfed her in a big, tight hug. Rhonda closed her eyes as their bodies met and savored the moment, but then it was time for him to leave.

"Goodbye, Rhonda. It was a pleasure to meet you."

He was turning to go when he saw her album sitting on the table, still unsigned. He grabbed the marker, paused, then wrote "To Rhonda: a real special lady. Love, Joe." He handed the album back to her, smiling at her delighted look.

"Thank you," was all she could muster.

He paused. "You know what? If we ever play this town again, I want you to call me and we can hang out again. Let me give you my cell phone number."

Rhonda's jaw dropped. Could this be real? He was giving her his CELL PHONE NUMBER? Desperately she looked around for something to write on. There were napkins on the table. She reached over, grabbed one, and thrust it under Joe's nose. "Write it on here!" She exclaimed.

Chuckling, he carefully wrote his number on the napkin. "Until next time, Rhonda," he said, then leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips one more time.

As the door closed behind him, Rhonda practically fell back into her chair, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. Could this have really happened? And now he'd told her to call him whenever he was in town! Unreal, unreal!

After she had recovered enough to finally think straight, she stood, lovingly picked up her signed album, and thought "I can't wait to post all of this on the Border!"

[lynnzop]

Have a fabulous day, Ticky!!

(great story, Nancy! )

[Prettymaid]

Rhonda, your birthday snuck up on me...I'm not prepared...Guess I'll
have to steal some of your creativity for your present...




HAPPY BIRTHDAY RHONDA!!!
THANKS FOR ALL THE FUN!

[ticky]

Wow, thanks everyone!! you've really made my day!!
Cami, you know I love ya!
Mike, *G* Love the song and thanks for the wishes and the friendship!!! (and the amp!)
Willie LOL NICE CHOICES.. you know how FOND I am of Joe's fashions sense.. *G*
Nancy, What a GREAT story, THANK YOU!!! I will be in that moment for the rest of the day with a big stupid grin on my face *G* (wish you would have included that phone number in the story though)
Dreamer, LOL now THAT would be a present I'd give up my guitar for!!
Cathy, *G* my favorite picture AND my happy place all rolled into one..
and EVERYONE..
again, THANK YOU ALL!!!!

Last weekend Cami came up and we celebrated pretty mildly but it was a good time. We had dinner with my family at Mom and Dad's house (Surf and Turf! YUM!!!). The next day Cami and I went to Guitar Center and bought a beautiful black Epiphone SG Special. It's gorgeous!!! (ill post some pics when I get them) Im just waiting for the arrival of the amp Mike is letting me use.
That afternoon we all went out to the Pumpkin Patch (a farmers market and pumpkin patch a few miles away from here) and Cliff and the girls went on a hay ride and picked out pumpkins while Cami and I bought some fresh produce. We went out for pizza after wards and then took Jenni back to school. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted that night so no much partying. Monday morning, Sarah went to school and Cami and I went out to breakfast and shopping!! Couldnt have been a better weekend without Joe involved *G*. Next weekend we're headed for the cabin. All in all it's been a pretty eventful birthday. Cliff stayed home today so, *G* maybe we'll do some more celebrating?? *G*

[Molly]

Happy Birthday, Rhonda! Hope your day is amazing.

[Freypower]

Happy birthday Rhonda!

(Great story, Soda)!

[Troubadour]

[Maleah]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RHONDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you had a day that was as amazing as you are! Thanks for all the joy that you bring to each of our lives!

[Lisa]

Happy Birthday!