The day I got asked to the emmy's: part 3

Sunday.
this is the day that I did something insane
and pretty much kissed the Emmys goodbye.
I'm sorry to bring you on this journey in such a dragged out way,
but this was something that was CRAZY.
If you missed it, go read part 1 and part 2
It's like nothing I could make up and I want you to experience it with me.
This had knocked all the wind out of me.
This had probably become one of the hardest decisions of my life.
On Saturday night I got all the details.
I had to do more research.
Is this REALLY how these award shows work?
I was now consumed with finding out once again if I was being scammed.
Here I was researching like mad about something I had never even thought of.
This was the deal:
Award shows, like the Emmys bring in outside companies to organize the swag bags and glorious freebies that all the Red carpet guests will receive on award night.
I found out that this Emmy had 2.
this one and the one who had invited me this one
These companies search for "emerging brands" and quirky items.
They extend an invitation to only about 30 people each year.
They charge a fee.
Yep, this was a surprise.
But research told me it is standard protocol.
I was given two options:
I could supply 1000 items to send by Wednesday night and pay $1500.
These items would go to any guest in attendance.
All in hopes that an aubreyplays item would end up in the right hands.
Or better yet, end up in a photograph with someone famous holding it.

There was no way I could make 1000 items in 5 days.
There was also NO WAY I was going to send gift certificates.
That goes against everything I do. I hate gift certificates. There is no personal connection there.

OR
I could supply 130 items and fly to LA, book a room and stay at the Beverly Hilton and pass my goodness out to only the stars and nominees of this years 2012 Daytime Emmys.
PERSONALLY.
They would provide me with the Daytime Emmy logo to use for my own promotion of my participation. They encouraged me to contact media.
This option stopped me dead. 
I COULD maybe make 130 items. I could maybe.
There was no way this was happening.
I had been sent the list of who these people were. 
This was going to cost $5000.
Seriously. I think I said I was going to throw up.
How could I not do this!?
How could I?
This was Crazytown.

I decided pretty quickly that it was all or nothing.
But was I willing to risk that much time and money to make it happen?
This was something that I said I would NEVER FORGET.
But was I willing to put this all on the line if all I had in the end was an amazing experience?
I think it was about 24 hours of me feeling like I was going to throw up.
I was completely distracted.
I could not decide.
WHAT IF I GOT SOMETHING INTO THE HANDS OF ELLEN, OR OPRAH, RACHAEL RAY, KELLY RIPA OR MARTHA?
THE LIST WENT ON.
WHAT IF I SOMEHOW CAUGHT THEIR ATTENTION AND AUBREYPLAYS ENDED UP ON ONE OF THEIR SHOWS?
WHAT IF?
IT WOULD BE AMAZING.
BUT WHAT IF NOTHING CAME OF IT?
What should I decide to bring?
I think I started to cry.
And I think I got kind of mad.
It seemed mean that I had to decide all this AND pull it off in less than 5 days.
Why hadn't they found me sooner? Why hadn't they asked me sooner?
It seems crazy that I was going to be giving away all this free stuff to people who actually have money.
and I was going to pay to do it.
If I said No would I regret this for the rest of my life?
But if I said yes, and nothing came of it would I also regret making that sacrifice from my family?
How could I decide?
I decided that I just could not spend that kind of money.
I decided it really was all or nothing and if I could somehow convince this company to take a leap of faith in me then I would make it happen.
I would knock their socks off.
I would have a booth that no one be able to walk away from without a big smile on their face.
It would be crazy, but this was already crazy.
SO, I typed a letter from my heart.
I typed exactly what I was feeling.
I asked her if she was willing to bet on me.
But, I couldn't press send.
I felt like I was kissing this opportunity goodbye.
I read it to my husband crying.
He said there was no way.
He said if I send it I had made my decision,
didn't I want to think about it more?
I decided that THIS WAS ALL CRAZY
and what would be wrong with just adding one more crazy to the list.
I was upstairs getting into the shower when I decided to just send it.
I threw on a towel, ran downstairs and just did it.
I pressed send.
Then I took a shower thinking about how I had just kissed the Emmys goodbye.
But I finally felt like I was not going to throw up anymore because I had finally made a decision.
you are not going to believe it. 
There is a part 4 and a part 5.

The day I got asked to the Emmys: part 2

So, in the last post I let you know we were sort of non-believers in this invitation.

I mean, how random is that!? No way right!? 

The even thought of it had NEVER entered my mind.

Plus, it said the Daytime Emmys were in about a week {the following Saturday}..

That's kind of short notice.

We decided to go on with our day. 

Go play.

We agreed that night we would do some research and check this person out.

It was an awesome day.

So that night each of us on a computer of some sort started looking into it.

The more we found, the more we realized this was not a fake email.

This was real. 

"email her back," he told me. "be yourself."

So I, in true aubrey fashion, was completely my dorkyamazeball self,

and emailed her back. 

This was Thursday night. 

Friday nothing.

And by Saturday afternoon I still had heard nothing back.

I had decided that It was probably a mistake. 

I decided that she wasn't going to email me back.

I decided that it was okay.

And then, in the middle of a LOUD and crowded international market 

with vendors yelling across the room in different languages, 

I looked down to see my phone flashing.

Not only did she want items from my shop.

She wanted me there to hand them out myself.....

I am pretty sure I lost all color in my face and stopped breathing.

More "details" were on their way.

Things were about to get CRAZYTOWN.

the Day I got asked to the Emmy's: part 1

The day I actually got asked to the Emmy's was Thursday afternoon.

We had just dropped the kids off for our anniversary weekend to play and stopped for a bite to eat.

Out of habit, when I am away from my kids,

I glanced at my phone to make sure no one had tried to call me.

I had gotten an email, and scanned it quickly.

I don't think I even read it all the way through.

"oh my god" I said, and put my hand up to my mouth to cover up what I had just uttered.

I felt bad that I was even reading an email when we were free like this.

He looked at me worried.

I handed the hubs my phone and

I could barely say these five words:

"it can't be real...........right?"

read part 2 and part 3 and part 4 and part 5

18 years and a whirl wind weekend.

wow.
that's a long time.

{this is what we did without kids. play in the photo booth at the movie theater}

18 years ago I was still a teen and said my "i do's" with complete certainty.
I had no doubt in my mind I had made the right choice.
Marriage is like a crazy roller coaster that you hope to never get off of.
Meaning it's such a ride, that you wouldn't ever want to,
even if there are parts of it that make you want to throw up.

We had an amazing weekend away from the kids and had the chance to just play.
It was awesome to do that.
The last few hours away I became completely distracted...
I had gotten. Well, aubreyplays had gotten, an invitation on Thursday that I didn't really believe.
By Saturday I was full in it, and it sort of made me want to throw up.
Um, so yeah, aubreyplays was invited to this years Daytime Emmy Awards.
To fly to LA. to give it's producers and stars some aubreyplays goodness.
THISISCRAZYTOWN.  Could I actually pull that sort of thing off in less than 5 days?
The question that killed me.
Do I want to?
to be continued.........