Bette Midler - 04.29.14

So...it's not very often that one has the opportunity to have dinner with Bette Midler.  In this case, that one is me!  You see...

Brilliant Lecture Series brought The Divine Miss to H-town as part of the series.  After the interview, a limited number of tickets were available to have dinner with Bette at the Houston Club.  I was fortunate enough to be given one of the tickets.

The interview was OK.  Roula from KRBE did the interview and in my opinion, it was little bit too much about Roula and not enough probing questions for Bette.  I didn't want a Barbara Walters type interview where she made would be crying but I was hoping for some more intriguing questions.

I was surprised to learn that Bette turned down the lead role in Sister Act.  It was also interesting to hear how she was ostracized in school because she was of Hawaiian descent.

I will say this, she look fabulous!

So...after the show we went to the Houston Club and had an adult beverage.  I noticed that people were in a queue to go into the other room.  Well, a lady walked up to my posse and told us to get in line to have our picture taken with Bette, so we did.

It was like an assembly line and we were not allowed to use our own cameras.  When I was with Bette I think I let out a big nelly scream and said something like, "Oh my gosh it's you!"  She laughed, hugged me, I saw the strobe of the camera and then I heard "Next!"  I stopped and gave her a message from my mother and she laughed and that was my encounter with Bette.

I have yet to see the photo but I'm sure I have more chins than a Chinese phone book.  Two of our hosts for the evening were Marcus Sloan and Shannon Hall of Sloan/Hall.  In the photo below, they were allowed to pose.

Marcus Sloan, Bette Midler & Shannon Hall

We were then ushered in to the dining room.  There were less than 100 of us in the room.  Bette did make a few comments during dinner and she was very gracious.  And once again, I will say, she looked FABULOUS!

And because we were not allowed to take photos during the interview, this all I have to show you plus my one artistic photo of lighting outside of One Shell Place.

The pre-interview crowd inside The Wortham Center

The program to prove I was there.

Lights outside of One Shell Place

Pic Of The Day - 04.28.14

Members of it gets better were at Legacy to talk about the program with members of Legacy's mSociety.  It was a great dialogue from both sides of the table!

Pic Of The Day - 04.27.14

There is always something so peaceful about being in St. Anne Catholic Church before Mass starts, before everyone starts coming in and before the lights are turned up.

Every fourth Sunday of the month, I assist with communion.  We have to get there early to receive our assignments.  Logistically it is easier for me to sit in the side chapel rather than sit in the pews.  When I sit in the side chapel, I have an obstructed view but this view more than makes up for it.

Pic Of The Day 04.26.14

What's up Butter Cup?  I was at a stop light at Memorial Park and saw this lone Butter Cup.

Pic Of The Day(s) - 04.25.14

It's always interesting to watch an artist create a piece of art from a blank canvas.  Out For Education had a fundraiser at Esperson Gallery.  During the event Taft McWhorter did a  painting that was going to be available for purchase.

On my way to the car, I snapped a photo of the gallery using Instagram. The gallery provided a pop of color in the cement and glass canyons of Houston. 

Pic Of The Day - 04.24.14

I had never attended the Kinder Institute Annual Luncheon and was given the opportunity to do so.  Recently I've heard that if you want to see what the United States will look like in the future, look at Houston and more specifically look at Fort Bend County.  This is the most ethnically diverse city in America.

Pic(s) Of The Day - 04.23.14

There was fog and low hanging clouds in Houston and I really didn't notice it until I went into a huddle room to take a phone call.  We have a great view of the skyline from our building.

Later in the day I happened to be in the same room and saw the sun shining!