Giada De Laurentiis – sometimes a plan works

Going to this book signing was more about seeing this pretty lady in person than about the book or recipes or any of that.  Giada De Laurentiis was doing a couple of book signings in Dallas and the one at Williams and Sonoma was my best chance.

Since the signing started at 5PM I needed to buy (actually prepay as the books were not in the store) my books a few days early.  Lucky that I did, as it was limited ticket event and they did sell out. Her book, Weeknights with Giada , was not being discounted at the event, so while I would have loved to have bought a couple of extra copies for friends, I just couldn’t. I did print a couple of photos of her that I hoped to get signed.

Since I was working, I got to the event about 5:30 and the line was a zoo. It wrapped around itself and it seemed it had a few different entrance points. I was not amused.  But I went to the end of the line and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.  Maybe 1 ½ hours later I got my books in hand.  Once I had my books I put my photos behind the page she was going to sign.  I hoped she’d notice and sign them.

The event stated no photos or other memorabilia to be signed. I respect that and I even mostly believe that.  Often I’ll leave an event and find out that the signing allowed other things to get signed or the celeb signed a few things as they made their way back to the car.  So I hoped I might get lucky.

The line moved fairly fast but still it was another 45 minutes before I got to the top of the line. I walked up to the table and Giada gave me a huge smile.  Heavy sigh.  She is beautiful…

(OW!  Just got smacked in the back of the head by the wife…ouch. That hurts.)  

So she confirmed I just wanted a signature and then she saw the photos. Curiously she pulled them out.  I said I was hoping to get them signed. She said sure. The 2 photos stuck together so she only signed the top one (in red - same sharpie as for the books).  She showed the signed one to her handler. Then she asked where I got it.

I told her Google has lots of photos. This one had caught my eye.   She then said it came from the Food Network Year End party.  I asked if it was a private photo, and she shook her head no, and then said she was just surprised to see it.

I left the table and was pretty excited. I got my books signed, I got a photo signed, and she smiled at me.

(OW!!! Stop that! I wasn’t drooling – really, I wasn’t!)

Nice when a plan comes together.

AH