Orlando and Me

Many of you know I love Tolkien's trilogy Lord of the Rings. I'm especially passionate about one character, the Elf Legolas.

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In the movie, Legolas is portrayed by actor Orlando Bloom, who also plays the part of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean. He starred in Elizabethtown, Troy, and Kingdom of Heaven, among other films. He even had a role in Black Hawk Down. He's a big Star.

After school today my sons went to see Race to Witch Mountain with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, so I decided to use my free time to stop at Safeway and pick up a few groceries. I parked, got out of my car, and glanced over at the SUV that had just parked beside me.

Imagine my surprise when Orlando Bloom got out of the SUV! We live in a resort town and see big names a lot. David Spade, George Strait, Allison DuBois, Charles Barkley, Madonna, many others--got a glimpse of them all. But Orlando Bloom!

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I tried to be cool and just smiled and said hi, but I was shaking. Thank goodness I started carrying my camera when I began blogging!
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What a nice guy, very friendly. He said he just finished filming a movie in Los Angeles, called Sympathy for Delicious. He plays an aspiring rock star. (See the pic below I found online.)

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Someone had told him the White Mountains was a great get-away so he came to check it out, maybe even find a place to rent.

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He was so easy to talk to, I found myself telling him about the novel I'm writing. It's based on Tolkien's Elves 1,000 years after the events in Lord of the Rings. He said it sounded very interesting, and he must have meant it because he invited me to dinner to talk some more.

Oh--my--gosh! I was stunned! I drew him a map to my house on a receipt I found in my purse. Then I picked up my boys from the movie and hurried home to get cleaned up and change. (I was never so glad to be 25 lbs lighter!) Jacob and Dylan, of course, thought their mom had lost her marbles. They changed their tune when he pulled up and came to the door at 6:30, though.

I suggested an Italian restaurant in Pinetop called The Pasta House, and that's where we went. It's small and intimate, so I figured he wouldn't be bothered much by fans. We had a nice dinner with great conversation and some good laughs.

He's a funny guy, not at all like a big star. Here he is posing with his pasta, tomato, & feta cheese dish. He told me he's a practicing Buddhist, but I don't know if he's vegetarian. I didn't ask!

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He brought me home after 8:30. I was sad to have this amazing night end, but excited that it happened at all! Then he shocked me by giving me a kiss--not just a peck, but an actual on-the-lips good-night kiss! What can I say? It was. . .

An April Fools joke! Okay, so I'm old enough to be his mother. (Not that I would turn down a kiss from Orlando Bloom if he offered!) But I bet I had you going for a few minutes there, didn't I? Gotcha!

Wishing you an April Fools Day that is everything interesting and fun!