an eventful dinner out

last thursday, i acted like i was "with it" living in the city of atlanta...i wore a dress, put on mascara and went to dinner at the new watershed.  i first hit up a friend's happy hour entitled "one last hoo-rah before this baby comes out my hoo-hah" (hilarious, right?) but that's a totally different blog post.  my friends betsey, amy and i met for dinner at the new hot spot around town, located ONE BLOCK AWAY from the condo i used to live in (and still own, but that's yet another blog post).  one friggin' block!  why couldn't this have happened when i was single, childless or at least still resided there!  anyway.  it is most fabulous.  you must go.

the bar was happening...to say the very least.

we got a smattering of small plates and dessert and everything was lick your plate good.  we sat outside at a corner table, overlooking the hustle and bustle of peachtree street.  about 15 or 20 minutes after we had sat down, a woman wearing a cute white shirt and sassy black shorts came out with a hostess, looked at the sky and proclaimed that it was "going to rain in 30 minutes."  we commented that that was odd, as there was not a cloud in the sky...but moved right along.  she and her party ended up sitting at the table behind us.  over the course of our dinner, we kept hearing glasses break and drinks spilling...all coming from the table with the impending rainstorm woman.  i still don't know what was going on back there.  we all left at the same time and betsey said to the woman on the way out, "you sure did get a lot of drinks spilled on you!!"  she turned, laughed and turned back around.

y'all, i never forget a face.  i may forget a name, how many months old my children are, how far along i am when i'm pregnant, that we need cat litter, that rbb's shirts need to be picked up at the dry cleaner.  but i never forget a face.  and right then, i knew who she was - kathryn stockett, author of "the help," aka the blockbuster novel from summer of 2010 and the ensuing movie in the summer of 2011.

i quietly alerted betsey and amy, they thought it was cool, then proceeded into the restroom on their way out while i went straight to the valet.  and stood next to the woman totally and completely alone.  no one around, not even a valet guy.  i gave myself a little pep talk (why?  why so hard?  just a regular person!) and said, "excuse me...but are you kathryn stockett??"  she touched my arm and said "why yes, yes i am!  what's your name?"  i told her my name was callie, and that i just LOVED the book, loved the movie, thought she was so talented, it was an honor to meet her.  she was completely gracious and polite, and was so glad i enjoyed it.

i don't know if i've told you this yet, but i happen to be the least cool person in the universe.  i get star-struck very, very, like embarrassingly very, easily. and because i'm totally nervous meeting even the most d-list of people, i end up saying things that goes through my head that should not come out my mouth.  things like:  "yeah, i totally thought that was you, i remember reading somewhere or maybe i was watching something, don't know, anyway it was about the movie and they mentioned you were going to be in it, then when your scene came up at the junior league meeting, i was like, oh!  that's the author, i recognize her from the book jacket, and here you are that's so neeeeeat!"

and this is when she covered up her license plate number after the valet brought up her car.

no really, she was ever the polite southern lady and replied that the movie involved a lot of her friends and her daughter played the young skeeter...and her mom was in it...that it was just so much fun to make.  and then we talked about how it was such a nice night to eat dinner outside.  and then she touched my arm again (she's a toucher), said it was nice to meet me and i repeated the "i bow down" verbiage from above when the valet brought up her ride.

they totally need to get a more speedy valet company to protect their patrons from crazies like me, right?!

it really was a thrill to meet her. btw, owen wilson and vince vaughn are filming a movie in atlanta right now.  don't you wonder what nonsense i would spout at them if spotted?!  good grief.
xoxo