Happy Anniversary, Sorbo Writer’s Blog!!!!

🙂     HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO SORBO WRITER’S BLOG!!     🙂

Although I am a day late starting the party, I promise you some lovely artwork by my fantastic friends Mara, Loli, Evelyne, and Malena; a couple of interesting stories; and maybe a surprise or two!

Thank you, everyone, for your past and continued support of not only this blog, but the exciting websites, forums, and other blogs dedicated to Kevin, as well as Kevin’s own pages. You are amazing! I think we all agree that being a Kevin fan enriches our lives with friendships, creativity, generosity, conversation, support, and caring. Have I missed anything? Oh, yeah, and the Big Guy’s not too shabby to drool over, either! 😉

Of course, we also love Kevin’s many other great qualities, yes? So… let’s show him how much we care!!! I give you the beginning of Sorbo Writer’s Blog’s First Anniversary Celebration!

Hope you enjoy the art, my friends:  http://tinyurl.com/25apxez

And remember: lots more to come!

Kevin Sorbo wallpapers and banners

Here are a few banners and wallpapers from Sally, our cross stitch gal, to get you in the mood for our little blog’s upcoming One Year Anniversary. See her Dylan updates, too. Thanks, Sally!

Shore Leave: “Only for Kevin (Sorbo) would you be ready this early.”

Sandy’s memory is much better than mine! To her story’s end, I say, “Squeeee!” Here’s her excellent Shore Leave report with some of her photos:

See ya, guys. I’m off to spend the weekend with Kevin Sorbo (and several hundred other fans). My husband and sons don’t understand my obsession with Kevin, but they tolerate it as (a) minor character flaw.

They knew I had been waiting for Shore Leave 32 for months. When I was ready an hour early my husband said, “Only for Kevin would you be ready this early.”

Friday afternoon I went to Kevin’s autograph table. Kevin had just arrived and was putting his pictures out. There was one other lady looking at the pictures, and I said casually, “Mr. Sorbo doesn’t realize this, but he owes me a hug.” Kevin looked up and asked, “I do?” I explained that he said he owed all his Secret Santas a hug and I was one of them. “Get over here,” was his reply, followed by a great hug.

I spent most of Friday afternoon sitting on a bench that was out of the way, but near Kevin’s table waiting for Jan, Sue and Gina. When things were slow Kevin would chat to whoever was around, including me. It was amazing. I even told him one of my family stories and he laughed.

I pulled out the email he had sent me (you can read the details of that story in my earlier entry on this blog) and asked him to autograph it. He read it over and looked at me asking, “This is you?” I said yes it was, and Kevin said, “I remember this. I’m glad you showed me this. I like putting the pieces together.” He signed my e-mail: “I do remember this, Kevin Sorbo”

On Saturday was the photo-op and Kevin’s first Q&A. It was great fun. At one point a friend and I were joking around and Kevin asked what was going on. I said, “Nothing,” (and that) we were just sweet, innocent kids, and I suddenly heard (the) unmistakable sound of a small snort of disbelief out of Kevin and he was rolling his eyes. I couldn’t help smiling.

On Sunday came the highlight of the con for Jan, Sue and I. We were in the hallway reading signs about the Q&As being rescheduled when we looked up and saw Kevin walking towards us. Kevin stopped and asked, “What’s up, ladies?”

“We were just wondering when your Q&A was going to be,” I replied. He told us, and continued on his way. A few moments later we were walking to the elevator when I stopped dead in my tracks and said, “Kevin stopped and asked us a question!” Holy s___, he stopped to talk to us! Jan and Sue were as blown away as I was.

Kevin Sorbo looked down his T-shirt… “You want THAT for free?”

My Shore Leave report part 2:

We cruised around looking at stuff and talking to people. Gina accidently ran over my toes with her wheelchair several times, and I accidently pushed her into a wall a couple of times. I hoped this wouldn’t impair my impeccable driving record since I drive the same way on the highway!

Finally, photo-op time approached and Sandy, Sue, and I deposited Gina at the head of the line then took our places at the end. Fortunately, we arrived fairly early and didn’t really wait long. The line moved quickly, and there I was face-to-face with the Big Guy again. Man, he’s tall! I felt like a Liliputian! We (I) decided to have a funny photo, which I will NEVER post despite that he said I would. I should have bet him 100 bucks I wouldn’t… like shooting fish a barrel, and I would have a nice C-note to buy more pics! HA! Or contribute to WFIT.

Photos done, Sandy, Sue, and I walked toward the café, accidently leaving Gina at the photo room (not for long) because our heads were still in the clouds! Nice friends… We ate again and took more pictures of each other and things for sale at the con. We managed to kill some time before retrieving our photos to have Kevin sign them.

Gina bought a cool Hercules doll from one of the vendors. It was the larger one for which she had been searching for some time, and was very happy to have found it. She showed it to Kevin when we returned to his table, and he told us how it was made from leftover bodies of another action figure. Sounds a bit like Frankenstein to me… Herkenstein?

We hung around Kevin for a while later after he autographed our photo-op pics. I bought another photo that was just too gorgeous to pass up. It has a lovely sepia tone with beautiful contrast, textures, lighting, and other artsy terms, and, of course, Kevin. He signed it: “To Jan – Read my mind….. XX  Kevin”  For those speculating what he meant, I don’t know, but my guess is, “Who IS this crazy woman and why is she bugging me?”

The time for his Q&A arrived, and we rushed to get good seats and test our cameras. I will write a special post about both Saturday and Sunday sessions in the near future. They were very interesting and too funny! He’s a great speaker. Everyone really enjoyed them.

Kevin remained a bit longer after his Q&A talking to fans, signing more pictures, etc., and we left for dinner and drinks. The wonderful Davis Family held their reunion at our hotel, and we met such lovely, kind people. We decided we wanted to be part of their family, and they obliged. Very cool!

Sadly, the last day dawned and we packed our gear before heading to breakfast. The con was less crowded, so we pestered Kevin for a good part of the day, or so it seemed to me. He talked about the business, movies, and other topics, which, unfortunately, I could not hear very well, so you will need to ask Gina, Sandy, or Sue what he said. We went to lunch and returned to bother him again, but Hermie said he had gone to try to get his Q&A time changed so he could catch an earlier flight. Sweet! That meant less traffic for those of us who drove.

Sandy, Sue, and I walked to the main table to see if they had posted Kevin’s new time, which they hadn’t. As we turned the corner toward the café a wall of gorgeousness met us in the hallway, and asked, “What’s up, guys?” Sandy explained what we were doing, and Kevin said that he was still trying to reschedule. I was very happy about that since my trip home promised to be as harrowing as the trip there if I waited too much longer. He chatted with us a bit and returned to his table. We continued along the corridor and I thought Sandy would faint! She stopped and sighed with the biggest smile you ever saw, and declared, “He stopped US! Kevin stopped US to talk to US!” That was so funny and cute; I know she is still dreaming of that, right Sandy?

Kevin’s Q&A began and we had better seats this time. He spoke for an hour on Saturday and 30 minutes on Sunday. He did his best radio voice, segued into Bill Cosby’s Noah skit from the hilarious album, “Right,” and, of course, answered questions. We all learned much and loved listening to his jokes and stories. He really knows how to capture an audience. What a multi-faceted guy! Am I gushing too much???

At one point someone asked if he was still buff. He laughed and discussed his past and current exercise routines. He then looked down his T-shirt and said that he’s still solid. We wanted to see it, so many of us in the audience shouted for him to show us.

“You want THAT for free?” he asked, grinning.

This was when I wanted to wave some cash in the air. Missed opportunity!!! But we all know I couldn’t afford THAT… HAHAHA!

Too soon the con was over. We all headed home with happy memories of new friends, funny stories, less money, and more Kevin. Gina and Chris stayed at my house Sunday night. We sat on my patio and grilled some burgers and hot dogs. They departed on Monday, and I commenced to get good photos of my hat, find a secure place for my treasures, and try to gather my thoughts.

Whew! What a whirlwind! My head is still spinning, and I have lots to do in order to bring you a nice overview of Kevin’s interesting, informative and entertaining Q&As. Watch for it soon!

Thanks again to everyone who made Shore Leave and the entire weekend unforgettable. I KNOW I won’t forget!

And, thanks, Kevin, you’re one cool dude!

I said to Kevin Sorbo, “…can you kiss it to make it better?”

My Shore Leave report part 1:

Gina and her husband Chris arrived at my house Thursday evening. We ate, and continued to be psyched for Shore Leave! Gina and I didn’t sleep much with the prospect of seeing Kevin.

Friday morning we loaded the War Wagon and headed toward Baltimore, Maryland, where we would meet Sue and Sandy with whom we were staying. We encountered blinding rain, traffic, a couple of accidents, and some idiot gabbing on his cell phone who almost hit my car.

We arrived at the hotel to discover that Sue beat us there and was already at the con. Gina, Chris and I unloaded our luggage and found our room where we commenced to unpack. Along the way I discovered the hotel’s bar, which wasn’t open for another few hours.

Sue returned to the room, and she, Gina, and I drove across the street to check in at the con. She said she didn’t see Kevin there, but we wanted to get our badges and all the necessities to save time on Saturday.

At the con hotel we hopped on the elevator and traversed to the floor where they were dispensing con information. The elevator doors opened and who should be standing there???

“It’s Kevin!” I shrieked from behind Gina’s wheelchair like a star-struck schoolgirl. Honestly… as shrill as fans screaming for the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show”! Poor Kevin…

Sandy and Hermie were nearby, thankfully, so I rushed out of the elevator to hug them with a glance back to see if Gina was OK. She was in Kevin’s capable hands, so I think she was fine! Meanwhile, I tried to hide myself and my embarrassment by talking to our friends. Oh, man… There are words for how I felt at that moment that I won’t use here, but you can imagine! D’oh…

Kevin departed, and we all caught up with the day’s events. Hermie was Kevin’s handler and had a busy afternoon. Sandy volunteered for the con, so hadn’t had the chance to check in with us or at the hotel. We were hungry and grabbed some grub at one of the hotel cafés where we took pictures and got better acquainted.

Back at our hotel a bit later, Gina, Sandy, and Sue were glad that I had found the bar earlier, so we relaxed in its pleasant, quiet atmosphere. Sue danced on the table, Sandy sang sea shanties (say THAT three times quickly!), and Gina made passes at all the cute guys as I sat meekly watching. HAHAHA! Just kidding… We had fun.

Saturday came and we shoveled the hotel’s free breakfast into our faces and went to the con, anxious to see the Man of the Hour, Kevin. The weather was hot and rainy, but no one cared… It’s Kevin, for heaven’s sake!!!

We found him at his autograph table laughing, joking, telling stories, greeting fans, and signing autographs. I wanted to shrink to the size of a walnut, having embarrassed myself the day before. But the gang dragged me along and threatened, THREATENED, I tell you! me with dire consequences if I didn’t say, “hello,” to Kevin. How could I refuse that??

Courage mustered I got on line at his table with my little baseball hat (see previous posts) and best deer-in-the-headlights face. I thought I would lose my breakfast… Luckily, that didn’t happen! When it was almost my turn I looked for an escape route, but my dear pals had blocked all exits and hired extra security to keep me in tow. What are friends for?!

Suddenly, the guy beside me left and I was face-to-face with the Big Guy, who was seated in front of me. I think I said something like, “Hi, boss, I’m Jan….” and I don’t remember what else. He strode around the table with outstretched arms and gave me a big hug. Wasn’t that nice? I didn’t know quite what to do. How many women wouldn’t know what to do in that situation??? Only me, I’m afraid… D’oh, again…

I showed him my hat – you know the story. We chatted a little, not wanting to hold up the line, which had grown quite long; Kevin’s a popular guy, as we all know.

Prior to meeting him, Sue bet me 10 bucks I wouldn’t say a certain thing to him that she proposed. Hey, 10 bucks is 10 bucks! So, I told him at some point, “I busted my a** to get here, can you kiss it to make it better?” I think Kevin laughed, but I’m not sure since I was turning to Sue on my right to collect my winnings. HA! I then joined the others to wait for a few hours until our photo-op with him.

More Shore Leave photos of Kevin Sorbo

Here are my not-so-great Shore Leave pics that I tried to adjust, and improvements to the ones I posted earlier. Truly, I am a better photographer than this… truly! These are from Saturday at Kevin’s autograph table and his Q&A. Hope you like…

Kevin Sorbo Shore Leave photos

Here are some of my marginal pics from Shore Leave. Remind me to take my GOOD camera next time. (What was I thinking?) These were taken during Kevin’s interesting Saturday Q&A.

This DVD jacket cover autograph refers to my bad impression of Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in the classic 1976 film, Taxi Driver, in which he says, “You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me?” that I was doing when Kevin so graciously signed this for me. Oooo, folks, I tell you, my impression was bad… as in truly awful! But doesn’t Kevin look FABULOUS as always??