Martha Martha Martha

In case it isn't obvious, I love Martha Stewart.  Love. Her.

I also love Daniel Craig.  Here, let's enjoy a picture.

Daniel Craig as James Bond.  Yum.

Excellent.  So, what do Martha and Daniel have in common?  Me and my trip to New York last year.

In spring of 2009 I read on some site that Daniel Craig might be coming to Broadway.  Like any sane person, I immediately set up a Google alert for "Daniel Craig Broadway".  Eventually, the Google informed me that Daniel and some guy named Hugh Jackman were going to do some Broadway show, and tickets would go on pre-sale to American Express Gold card holders.  This announcement was on Wednesday in June or July.  Tickets would go on sale on Saturday for the show running in October - December.  I had an Amex, but not a gold card.  I called Amex, fixed that issue, and demanded the presale code.  That weekend I had tickets to see Daniel on Broadway during my 5th wedding anniversary weekend!

I should let you know that at the time Child2 was a twinkle in our eye, and I had never left Child1 with anyone but Husband.  And Husband was always talking about going away for the weekend, and I never wanted to leave our daughter.  But somehow, for the opportunity to see Daniel Craig, I would sacrifice leaving my child with my mother for the weekend. 

So, then I started thinking, what else would I want to do in the Big Apple?  See museums?  Go to famous landmarks?  No, I wanted to go to a taping of the Martha Stewart show!  So, I began stalking her website, waiting for the day that the tickets for the week we would go there would finally be available.  In order to get tickets, I had to write an essay:

Tell us about yourself and the guests with whom you'd like to attend the show. Are you crafters, food enthusiasts, gardeners, or part of a school group? The more details, the better!

Sadly, what I wrote was not captured for posterity.  But I can guarantee I laid it on thick the fact that I was going to NYC for my five year wedding anniversary and that I was pregnant with my second child.

Waiting to get into the Martha show

Several weeks later, I received an email letting me know that my request for tickets was granted.  I had to reply with the names of the people attending and provide another essay on my unique talents.  And off we went!

The day of the Martha show, we got up early, took a cab to the studio, and planned to meander on back to our hotel after the show, stopping by landmarks on the way.  The studio had a small Martha store (of course), and if you bought a cookbook they would include an autographed Martha plaque.  I bought Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home which is very good.

Husband and I in the audience

I've never watched a show being filmed, so watching the audience get seated and the set up was very interesting.  The main guest that day was Rachael Ray, and Martha had been on Rachael's show earlier that week.  The show got negative press for comments Martha made during the show, which other than an awkward exchange about Rachael not being invited to P. Diddy's party when Martha was, it didn't seem odd to me at the time.  They made a pie.

One of the more exciting parts of being on the show was knowing that we would get free stuff.  Husband freaking loves free stuff.  Loves.  It.  And while we were waiting for the show to start, they really stressed that we would get free stuff and lots of it!  Because Rachel was on Martha's show, of course we got Rachael Ray's Book of 10 which I really didn't care for.  We also received Bulb and an amaryllis bulb.  Husband and I each received this, in addition to the giant Martha book I bought.  We needed a cab to get back to the hotel.

Martha Stewart!

But the absolutely best part was at the end of the show, we got to ask Martha questions.  And I asked her advice for preparing for our first Thanksgiving at home.  While 5 months pregnant.  For 25 guests.  She suggested that we do everything we could in advance, such as ironing the linens and polishing the silver.  (I didn't have the heart to tell Martha that with 25 guests, I had ruled out using the fine china.)  She told a story that I had read in one of her books before about burning her first turkey for Thanksgiving.  (Her husband had turned on the oven at 3am as asked, but put it on broil, burning the crap out of the turkey.  Fortunately, they lived down the road from a turkey farm and managed to buy the last turkey. Martha is divorced now.)  She also suggested that I send my husband out for a nice bottle of wine and I enjoy a glass myself.

The Daniel Craig broadway show the next day was also good, though slightly disappointing in the handsome department, as Daniel had grown a 70's moustache for his role.

WHY?