Having the chance to say that you have met a celebrity in your lifetime can be a remarkable thing. I can't say that it has happened often for me but it has happened.
When I was in my early twenties, I was the music teacher at a Catholic school in Decatur, Georgia. Our school was selected to be a movie set for the movie "A Simple Twist of Fate" starring Steve Martin. Many of my students were extras in the movie and got to meet Steve Martin while I became a homeless music teacher as they used my classroom for prop storage. However, I too was lucky enough to meet Mr. Martin as well as break free from teaching a few classes as scenes were being filmed.
I was so stargazed that I had the nerve to approach Mr. Martin and give him a Dum Dum lollipop as a present. I felt very silly after doing this and I was lucky I didn't get throttled by his crew.
Anyway, I have had very few experiences since that were similar....well...none really. But sometimes in this small world we live in, coincidence is sometimes likely.
Back in 2008, things were changing for the Fair family. I left my job as music director in a small church, we had just moved to a new home, and after the birth of our 4th daughter Laurel, my husband Mike decided he wanted a dog.
We looked in the paper and found a listing for a golden retriever who was in need of a home. We called about it and set up a meet and greet with the provider. Her name was Dee Dee.
Dee Dee arrived on time and we had the chance to meet "Pumpkin." Now sometimes meetings like this are a bad idea because no matter the circumstances, you're likely going to become pet owners after all is said and done.
Dee Dee was a country girl from the small town of Winder Georgia. She had a bubbly personality, was immensly likable and you would probably guess based on her personality that she was an animal rescuer even if you had never even met her before.
Aside from being a bit hyper, Pumpkin seemed like she would be worth a try so we agreed to keep her on a trial basis for a week or so. Dee Dee had spent hundreds of dollars on vaccinations and worm treatments for Pumpkin and even had her fixed. It was evident that she had grown attached to Pumpkin as she cried on the way to her car after saying her goodbyes.
After a weeks time, Pumpkin had destroyed Mike's cell phone, a pair of sunglasses and refused to go outside. She would run furiously through the house as we tried to catch her with the end result leaving several "numbers" on our new carpet. Sadly, it just wasn't working out.
We called Dee Dee and she agreed to gladly take Pumpkin back and informed us of a new arrival in the form of a Bassett hound mix. We sighed as we agreed to meet "Othello." We were getting to know Dee Dee well as this was our second time to meet with her. "Othello" who we later renamed "Bluto" was a much better fit for us. He is very quiet, gentle, and is really more like a cat inside a dogs body as he sleeps about 16 hours a day. Even today the girls say they want a new dog. When we remind them that we already have Bluto they say "But Bluto's boring." We reply by telling them that we like it that way.
You may be wondering at this point what this has to do with Steve Martin and reality stars. With Steve Martin, nothing really, but the story has a twist. Although it has been many years and Bluto is now 6 years old. We have not seen Dee Dee since but whether or not she provided us with a dog, she is one of the few people you meet that just has that unforgettable factor.
A few months back, I came home from teaching like I always do and joined Mike in front of the TV with a glass of wine. Bluto curled up on my lap with his tail slapping the couch while smelling like he needed a bath (which is most of the time). Mike had recorded a new reality show from the Reelz channel that he wanted me to see but didn't say why. The name of the show is called The Hollywood Hillbillies which is about a country family from Georgia trying to adapt to life in Tinseltown starring none other than Dee Dee herself. I was astounded when I discovered this in the opening credits! We never knew what her last name was. We always knew her as just Dee Dee as millions of others do now as well. And needless to say, Dee Dee has not changed.
