#right in front of ringo's salad

[megan1412]

Tell Me What You See

The Lennon-McCartney family become offical

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The day had finally come. Their wedding day had arrived. They decided to have their special day on their anniversary, July 7. It was too perfect. Paul fixes his green tie. Green was John's favorite color so he didn't mind. He combs his hair and adds a little bit of hair spray. He expected a wild night of dancing and drinking. The last touch was the id bracelet John had given him for his birthday years before. The look was complete.

John looks in the mirror in his dressing room. He loosened his blue tie to look the way he liked it. Blue was Paul's favorite color, so he decided to wear it to make Paul happy. Sean and Julian run into the room with Mimi, John's aunt. Mimi nearly cries when she sees her handsome boy.

"Oh John. You look wonderful." She says, choking back tears.

"Oh Mimi stop that. Don't start blubbering on me." He says sarcastically.

"You look awesome Dada!" Sean and Julian say in unison.

John smiles brightly as he bends down to hug his beautiful sons. Mimi takes John by the hand and pulls him aside.

"John, you know I love you right?"

John nods, not seeing the point in the conversation.

"Be smart and don't you dare break that man's heart. Don't make me fly here and get on to you!" she says sternly, but lovingly.

"Yes Mimi I promise." He says with a hint of cheekiness in his voice.

She pinches his cheek and herds the kids out of the room.

One hour later....

The band begins to play as their small assortment of attendees rise to their feet. John stands at the altar with the minister and Brian as best man. The wedding party walks down the aisle, and John notices they are wearing Beatle wigs as a joke. John's friend Pete Shotton smirks as he shoots John a finger gun. John shoots one back and they exchange a small smile.

Then the organ plays.

John looks to his 10 o clock and sees Paul and his dad and their kids round the corner. John holds back tears as he sees his beautiful fiance start to walk the aisle. The organ is playing She Loves You as Paul holds Julian and Sean's hands. Paul finally reaches John and takes his hand, beaming a radiant smile. John relaxes a little and does the same, as the congregation sits. The minister begins the ceremony. Its short and sweet, adding in Paul's favorite quotes about love and John's love poems to Paul. Then the vows begin. John decides to go first as he ushers the kids to join them.

"Paul, from the moment we met on this day all those years ago, I always knew you were the one. Even if I didn't show it at first. You showed me how to be comfortable with myself and open myself up to love. You gave me something that I didn't have a lot of when I was little. You gave me love and a family. And Im also thankful that Mimi likes you, or there might have been a problem."

The audience and Paul laugh. John continues, now showing a bunch of emotion.

"You... gave me hope and security."

Paul squeezes John's hand and looks at him with adoring eyes. John composes himself and relaxes, prompting him to finish.

"All I can really say is, I love you Macca."

Paul wipes away a tear as he looks down at their kids, who are smiling and hugging John's leg. Paul pulls out his vows and tries not to break down.

"John, you gave me happiness when I needed it most. When I met you at Woolton Church Fete all those years ago, I instantly knew that you were the one I was gonna spend ny life with. You were a gruff, closed off older teenager, who just needed someone to love him. I saw an opportunity, and after a lot of convincing, you fell in love with me. Best decision you ever made."

More laughter, even Mimi is laughing.

"It was the best decision I ever made too. I love you John Winston Lennon, and I always will."

They finished up their vows, both in tears. They exchanged the rings.

"With this ring, I pledge my life to you."

"With this ring, I pledge my life to you"

The minister finished up his sermon and declared the couple legally wed. Lennon and McCartney shared a passionate kiss and the congregation went nuts. They smiled as they touched foreheads and ran down the aisle, their kids in tow.

The newly married couple piled into the limo to head to their house for the small reception. They had to be discreet to not let the media see a huge commotion in the streets. The whole way to the house, Paul and John never looked away from each other. Mimi covered the kids eyes to not "corrupt" them in her mind. They arrived at the house and everyone ran inside. George and Ringo met them at the door, dressed as waiters. They ushered everyone in and sat them down at the two long tables in the dining room. The decor had been set up while the wedding took place. There were fairy lights everywhere and flowers of John and Paul's choosing. Pictures of John and Paul from their recent photoshoot with David Bailey were everywhere. Everyone sat down to eat. The caterers brought out a four course meal, paid in full by Brian and the rest of the Beatles as a wedding gift. The meal consisted of a salad to start out with, (courtesy of Paul and his newfound vegetarianism), a pasta with brussel sprouts, a potato soup with garlic bread, and to finish, wedding cake. Paul takes John by the hand as they walk to the front to cut the vanilla and chocolate cake. George runs up to the front to say a toast to the newlyweds.

"Paulie, John, you guys are my best friends and I am so happy that you decided to make your beautiful relationship last forever. Me and Ringo and everyone here just want to say congratulations and that we love you very, very much. Hare Krishna!"

Everyone joined in, saying Hare Krishna.

Paul and John cut the cake and feed it to each other, Paul smearing it all over John's face and John straight up slapping it on Paul's cheek. They burst out laughing and so does everyone, except Mimi, who sits at the table with a disapproving look. They go to the living room, which has been emptied and the furniture moved to the side to make a dancefloor. The band begins to play and everyone begins dancing. The couple make their way onto the dancefloor, hand in hand, and everyone begins cheering. The drinks come out, and its all over. Mimi comes over to them and tells them she is taking them to her house for the night so they can have fun. John kisses Mimi goodnight and steps away to say goodbye to the kids. An already drunk Paul stays behind and waves to the kids.

"Is Daddy ok?" Julian says to John, concerned.

"Yes baby, he's just having fun. We'll see you both tomorrow ok?" John says excitedly.

Sean plants a kiss onto John's cheek and hugs him tightly.

"Night Night Dada. Watch over Daddy. He looks like he'll fall over." Sean says, observing his Daddy dance frantically.

John laughs and hugs his kids one last time before saying goodbye to Mimi. He goes back to the party to join Paul and the others. The night goes by quick, lots of drinking and dancing.

At some point, as the party dies down and people begin to leave, Paul stumbles over to a tipsy John. Paul collapses in John's lap, startling him.

"Paulie? You are so drunk love." John says, laughing.

"Mhmm... yeah. We're married." says Paul, very drunk.

The words, "We're married", ring in John's ears. It finally happened, for real. He had ever since they had kids felt that Paul already was his husband, even sometimes calling him his husband. But now it was legally binding. He cradled Paul's head as he burped and giggled.

"Johnny..." Paul burped.

"Yeah Paulie?"

"When everyone leaves, I want you and only you." Paul says giggling.

George and Ringo walk over, very drunk, and say that they are walking home. John tells them to be safe and thanks for coming. They only smile in response and wink at John. They go WOOOH on the way out and yell CONGRATULATIONS. John grabs Paul and helps him upstairs. He mumbles the whole way up and burps. John chuckles and throws Paul on the bed. He yelps in response and begins uncontrollably laughing. John grabs a beer from their mini fridge and begins to drink. Paul stirs on the bed as John looks over, completely and utterly in love.

"J..John? Come here!" Paul gestures to John.

It doesn't take John a second before he is laying on his husband, their eyes interlocked.

"I love you Paulie."

"I love you John."

They begin to mess with each other and they make love on their wedding night.

[pattie-remembers]

Did you have regrets about leaving George? Did you ever wish you’d gotten back with him?

My first Christmas at Hurtwood I cooked for days to give Eric a proper Christmas lunch. We had just sat down to eat when a familiar voice called out, “Happy Chrimbo”, and there was George! I was bursting with happiness to see him but trying to hide it at the same time. Instead of eating with the TV on, we had a normal meal with conversation and laughter. George was horrified I’d cooked a turkey, but he happily drank wine, and ate the salad and vegetables and almost all of the Christmas pudding. I was thrilled by the compliments and Eric was in a jolly mood, too. He loved George and had been nervous about seeing him again after stealing me away. Yet, I couldn’t imagine why George had shown up, alone, on Christmas Day.

After we ate Eric, with no thought about helping me with the clearing up, excitedly dragged George to his music room, and I, in a George induced state of bliss, uncomplainingly began the washing up. There was still plenty of champagne and I had the little kitchen radio turned up to listen to music. I was busy at the sink when suddenly I was enveloped by arms that were holding me tight. A mustache ticked my neck and lips kissed my neck before whispering in my ear, “Come home, Pattie. Don’t you miss me?” Then George spun me around and I put my arms around his neck, and we kissed for what seemed forever, yet it was over too soon.

“Where’s Eric?” I asked. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. From fear and from excitement. George was skinnier than he’d ever been. I wanted to hurry him home to Friar Park and take care of him. Despite our terrible last few years, I still loved him deeply.

“He’s asleep in front of the telly. Too much brandy,” George told me before he kissed me again.

George had always given the best kisses, and he still did. Long and intense, he took his time and I surrendered completely. Then I heard a noise and broke away, but it was only the dog, and I laughed in relief. Feeling wobbly, I sat at the kitchen table and put my head in my hands.

“I thought you had a girl friend,” I said unable to look at him.

“I do, but you and I are still married. I just wanted to be sure that you’re certain that this is what you want. “ George sat down across from me and pulled my hand from my face. “Pattie, look at me.”

“Oh, George.” I could feel the tears welling up, but I hated for him to see me cry. “ I just want to be happy.” I sounded so whiny and pathetic. I couldn’t say yes, I’ll come home or no, I love Eric. As usual I was confused and undecided.

He took my other hand and stared deeply into my eyes. “Pattie, we can try again or we can go forward on a new path.“

“What do you want?” I asked him. And then he looked away and in that moment I knew he was being the good, thoughtful man that was really him. It was just for a second, but when his gaze returned to mine, I knew what I had to do. “If you are in love and want to be with her, then you owe it to yourself to try.”

“You don’t love me anymore?” I was surprised he sounded so sad.

“Oh, darling, I’ll always love you. Always. But we weren’t happy and you deserve to be happy.” I squeezed his hands and smiled. “ If things don’t work out with Olivia, you know where to find me.”

“Does Eric make you happy.” he wanted to know.

I laughed. “For now. For now he makes me happy,” I lied with a smile. I got up, and put the kettle on. We sat and talked about his Dark Horse tour, about Ravi and John and Ringo and Terry and his brothers. We talked about everything and caught up with all our news.

Hours later, I walked him out to his car, shivering in the cold December night. “I’ll come by soon and get the rest of my stuff,” I told him as he folded himself in behind the steering wheel.

“No rush. It’s not going anywhere,” he told me.

I leaned in and kissed him goodbye. I watched the the lights of his car move down the drive and out of sight, then I slowly walked back into Hurtwood Edge feeling bewildered. Had I done the right thing? It wouldn’t be long before I wished I had jumped in the car with George that night and returned to what I thought was the safety of Friar Park. I couldn’t know it then, but it wasn’t the end of our story, George and I weren’t finished. Our relationship never really ended. It was off and on until the last time I saw him.

[softlofty]

Seeing the spoiler pics of ringsy on New Year’s Eve is really making me miss them, would you write some cute New Years fluff? 💙💙

It’s about a week before New Year’s Eve, just before Christmas, when Easy first brings it up.

They’re in the kiosk together, Ringo having left work that little bit earlier which allows him to hang out with Easy before he closes up.

He’s chewing on a gummy worm when he notices Easy staring at him. Ringo nods upwards at him. “What?”

Easy grins at him, shakes his head a little with fond eyes as he looks at Ringo. “Have you thought about New Year’s Eve?”

Ringo stops chewing for a moment and thinks. “About what to do, you mean?” Easy hums in agreement.

He hadn’t really thought about it at that point.

They had sorted Christmas together: they were going to have a big meal and spend the evening with their friends, and the second day of Christmas would be all theirs.

Ringo had gone into that conversation thinking of pitching an isolated Christmas, the thought of laying in bed with Easy and watching movies all day being the perfect way to spend Christmas.

It’s probably how he’d spend his last day on earth, if he was honest.

But Easy’s eyes had lit up and glimmered as he told Ringo of what they could have, his face practically glowing as he tried to soften Ringo up to the idea of sitting with their friends, playing games and drinking champagne, going outside for the countdown with a sparkler in hand.

Ringo couldn’t really say no to that face. Those eyes made his chest feel all warm and melty, and if it made Easy happy like that, then that’s what Ringo wanted as well.

And when they’re all sat around the dinner table, one seat left empty for Elli with a single candlelight in front of it, Ringo is enjoying himself more than he thought he would.

They’ve finished with the fondue, and they’re doing that thing where they stay at the table for a long time, not eating but just chatting and enjoying each other’s company, and Ringo normally hates it, but like this it’s nice.

Everyone seems to be in a good mood, and the annoyances of everyday life were left at the door.

Bambi loses three pieces of bread consecutively in the melted cheese, and he looks so disappointed each time that everyone laughs, flushed cheeks and heads thrown back.

At one point Tobias comes out of the kitchen holding a bowl of salad, and he places it right in front of Easy’s nose with a pat on the head, murmuring something about Easy being his favourite flexitarian, and he grins as he winks at Ringo, and it’s so brotherly and familial that Ringo grins back as he swallows past a lump in his throat.

An hour and a half later, Saskia emerges from the kitchen with a trifle for dessert, and everyone groans as they take their first bite.

Ringo is pretty sure he’s still full from the fondue, but once there’s a plate in front of him, he starts eating again.

It’s completely silent next to him, and when he looks over Easy is blissfully chewing with his eyes closed, intently focussing on the flavors in his mouth, and Ringo smiles softly at first, and then a thought occurs Easy has probably made that exact face laying flat on his back with Ringo in between his knees, and then Ringo just presses his lips together as he tries to ignore the pull in the pit of his stomach.

When there’s still twenty minutes to go until midnight, they all decide to go outside, bottles of champagne in hand as they make their way downstairs.

Ringo sticks close to Easy, realising he might look a bit clingy but more afraid he won’t have Easy close once the new year begins.

There’s other groups of people there as well, most looking up as the first fireworks explode across the sky.

Easy has walked off for a moment, and Ringo stands by himself.

It feels familiar, and he’s reminded of how he spent New Year’s Eve last year, when Easy was being loved up with Hauke in front of him, and Ringo had never felt more alone.

He had been alone before, and he actually preferred it that way, but once he lost his heart to Easy, he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He’s lost in thought, reconnecting to that desolate and lonesome feeling, when a warm hand slips in his, and Easy hands him a glass of champagne with the other.

Ringo smiles adoringly at him, chest squeezing together as he’s grateful for having him by his side, and they clink glasses as they approach the last minutes of the year.

“I love you, Easy Winter.” Easy grins at him, clutching his hand. “I thought you were gonna say Easy Beckmann for a second there.” Easy looks him straight in the eye, one corner of his mouth tilted up as he throws back the last of his champagne.

Ringo can feel his heart beat a little bit faster at Easy’s words.

He smiles widely. “Patience.” Easy’s grin grows wider at that, and then everyone starts counting down.

In what is probably the most cheesy and cliché moment of his life, when there’s two seconds left, Ringo takes Easy’s glass and holds both of their glasses in one hand, using the other to wind around Easy’s waist and pulling him in, kissing him as the new year begins.

They don’t let each other go for a while, and Ringo feels drunk and dizzy in a way that feels like it has nothing to do with the champagne.

Easy feels Ringo’s hand slide down his back and lower, and he pulls back with a giggle, knocking his forehead against Ringo’s.

He says quietly, just for the two of them, “Best start to the year ever.”

[twentysomethinginorlando]

Hoop-Dee-Hoop-Dee-HOOP-DEE-DOO!

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/hoop-dee-doo/

Hoop-Dee-Hoop-Dee-HOOP-DEE-DOO!

The longest running Revue show in the country happens to be at the Walt Disney World Resort, and takes place at Ft. Wilderness Campground and Resort. It is known as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue and its three daily shows almost always sell out. Some friends of mine wanted to go, Jay had never been, and it had been almost two years since my last visit so that’s where we went a few Fridays ago.

Getting to Hoop is always a bit of a process. It’s located in the heart of Ft. Wilderness so you can park at the front of the campground and take the bus or you can take a boat over from the Magic Kingdom. The boat is a little more fun, but the bus is quicker. We, however, parked at the front and walked because we were Pokémon hunting and it took a good twenty-five minutes. We were still pretty early so we wandered over to the Draft Horse Barn.

Early in the morning, there are horse drawn carriages that take guests up and down Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom, and this is where those horses are housed. It’s massive! I had flash backs to the summers I spent at Kentucky Horse. There was a one year old Clydesdale colt named Rookie in one of the stalls, but I was disappointed you’re not allowed to pet any of the horses or ponies. On display at the very front of the barn is the Calliope that was used for the opening of both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, and when you push the button it lights up and plays some of the music from those parades. Across the hall is an exhibit dedicated to the history of horses in the Disney Parks with models of themost common breeds on display. I had a good laugh when I realized the models are actually Breyer Model horses, which I used to collect! We then wandered over to the porch of Crockett’s Tavern to sit in the rocking chairs until it was show time.

The draft horse barn.

Opening day calliope.

Draft horse models.

We were one of the first in line and we picked Category 1 seating since Jay had never been before. The hostess led us to the very front of the theater, our table was right behind the piano and banjo player! Our waitress was there right away to take our drink orders. Hoop-Dee-Doo is a three course meal, all-all-you-can-eat served family style with unlimited drinks. The best part: unlimited sangria! The first course of salad and cornbread is served as everyone is still being seated. Jay tried to read the menu but I would only let him look at the drinks because I wanted dessert to be a surprise. I literally found out a week earlier that strawberry shortcake is one of his favorite desserts. Everything is served in metal buckets in a variety of sizes. Robert dished out the salad as the cornbread was being fought over and the two musicians came in to start getting settled. The banjo player immediately started talking to us, and I made the joke that as long as he knew “Rocky Top” we’d get along just fine. (That’s the University of Tennessee fight song.) His response, “I do, but it sounds an awful lot like Happy Birthday.” He did play it for me later, but I’m not sure at which point in the show it happened.

Every time I go to Hoop-Dee-Doo, I always expect the animal heads on the wall to start talking like the Country Bear Jamboree.

Suddenly the sounds of wagons and horses filled the air, thundering hoofbeats as a stagecoach pulls in. The doors flew open and in ran the Pioneer Hall Players! They weaved their way around all the tables and made their way up the stage steps, carrying a variety of props and instruments. They gave a hurried explanation of their misadventures, something about a stage coach breaking down, as they toss their hats and jackets off. The Hoop-Dee-Doo leader is a red head named Dolly Drew, and she finds herself backed by singers Flora Long and Jim Handy, the dancing pair Claire de Lune and Johnny Ringo, and last but not least, funny man Six Bits Slocum. They sang an intro song about the Hoop-Dee-Doo itself while introducing each member of the troupe and their skill set. They sing a variety of classic American frontier songs over the course of the show. I don’t want to list them all because there’s no fun in spoiling the whole thing.

Six Bits asked the audience, “Are ya hungry?” “Yeah!” “Oh you can do better than that, I said ‘ARE YA HUNGRY?'” “YEAH!” He jumped in the air, “Let’s eat!” The performers stepped off stage and the servers descended onto the floor with full platters. Buckets of fried chicken and ribs with smaller pails of mashed potatoes, corn and baked beans. The potatoes were gone in minutes, but no one really touched the beans.

After our tummies were getting full, the Pioneer Hall Players were back. Six Bits wanted to help Johnny and Jim sing the new song they had been working on, “My Darling Clementine”, except he always sang the wrong word. Instead of Clementine he would say something that was close, but not quite right: Valentine! Frankenstein! I was extremely disappointed because this is usually where my favorite joke occurs and they didn’t tell it this time. (It involves the phrase, “Do you wanna build a snowman?”)

Dessert was served with its own musical number and our waitress was on stage with a huge platter of strawberry shortcakes. We were so close to the stage she got to us first, but by that time they were announcing the big Hoop-Dee-Doo spectacle, the Ballad of Davy Crockett. Dolly and Six Bits stayed on stage as Jim, Flora, Johnny and Claire headed into the audience to find “volunteers”. I pointed at Jay eagerly hoping he would be chosen… No such luck. Instead Johnny came to our table and held his hand out to me. They usually pick an older gentleman, a younger man, a younger woman and a ten year old boy. Literally the only female role in the whole thing and I get led up on stage. At this point, I was just really glad I had seen the show previously and knew what was coming.

They lined us all up across the stage and Dolly asked why each person was picked. The ten-year-old: “His bravery!” The younger man: “His strength!” Me: “Her beauty!” Cue me turning red in the face. The older gentleman: “His… intelligence!” We were all pulled backstage as the Ballad of Davy Crockett began, based on the lyrics of the old Disney song. Honestly, it doesn’t make complete sense but it is cute. (It is not cute if you are me and are standing nervously backstage.) A dress and a headband and POOF! I’m a can-can dancer! Of all the styles of dance I have done in my life, can-can is not one of them. They told me to hold my skirt up until they told me to drop it so my bare legs were showing and I regretted the decision to wear shorts. I could hear bits and pieces of the show going on, and every single one of Six Bits’ bear puns. He was dressed as the bear Davy killed when he was only three.

They did a really great job of making sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing and in the exact right spot for the show. I stood in my spot until they cued me, “This is supposed to be a can-can dance, not a can’t-can’t dance!”, and Johnny led me out onto the stage where I tried my best not to actually look at the audience and not be dazzled by the lights. It’s a trick I learned in my Jungle Cruise days, you look over people’s heads instead of directly at them. Dolly said, “She looks great, but can she dance?” The men in unison replied, “Who cares?” The music started and I did my best impression of the can-can: right, right, left, left as the audience chanted “Oooh la la!” The music finally stopped and I heaved a sigh of relief as they told me I could finally put my skirt down. I moved over to the side as Davy quite literally kicked the bucket, “T’weren’t nothing ma’ams, that’s what us legends do!”, and the older gentleman came out as “Davy’s Angel”. There was then an argument about who Miss Oakley AKA Dolly was supposed to kiss, Davy AKA Johnny or the Bear AKA Six Bits. Then Claire says, “No, that there can-can dancer is supposed to kiss that there bear!” Johnny leaned close to me so I could speak into his mic, “I can’t do that I’d be too em-bear-assed!” Then Johnny escorted me backstage to return the dress and headband, Jim called my name and I curtsied as he handed me my certificate. Then I raced off the stage as fast as I could.

I tore into the untouched strawberry shortcake. My friends had been too busy watching me to eat.

The actual finale to the show involves napkin twirling and washboards with spoons before a reprise of the original song from the beginning as they all headed out the same way they came in. They put their hats and coats back on, grabbed their props and ran back through the tables and chairs and out the front door. We gathered our stuff up, including one of the paper menus to go with my certificate. I watched a gentleman from one of the nearby tables try to tip the musicians and it broke my heart they had to turn it down. Then we headed back out into the sunshine to wait for the bus back because we were too full to make the trek back to the cars.

Hoop-Dee-Doo is an amazing dinner show experience, and I consider it a must-doo for all Disney fans. There’s no pixie dust or mouse, but there’s definitely magic happening at Pioneer Hall. It’s one of my favorite places to take family or friends who are visiting if we aren’t doing parks.

Cost: Hoop-Dee-Doo Category 1 is $72 per person, Category 2 is $67 per person and Category 3 is $64 per person. We sat in Category 1 this time, but I’ve done all three. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, but with Category 3 you have to turn away from your food to face the stage so it’s not great if you want to stuff your face. Prices include tax and tip!

Duration: 2 hours.

Value: Hoop-Dee-Doo is wonderful and worth repeating every now and then.

Add Ons: None!