The Houston Meet & Greet

Thought I would share!!!! It was completely AWESOME!!! LOTS of memories for Shannon and I!!!! Some things I dare not share, but know that it was an incredible night for us both!!!

Shannon and I had the pleasure of meeting these wonderful men – no 'Kings'. We were part of the PBS Meet & Greet in Houston, TX. You could feel the excitement building as we waited for Darren, Brian, Martin, and Finbarr to enter the room; the buzz of the crowd grew with each passing moment.

FINALLY...there they were!!! Shannon looked up at me with this huge grin and said, "WOW! AWESOME!!"

We had the pleasure of meeting Brian and Finbarr first. They talked with Shannon and commented how she looked like a little princess. Huge hugs from the two of them brought home the reality they were actually standing in front of me. So many people to meet and greet; I knew they had to move on, but wanted them to stay as long as they could. Their smiles were amazing!

We waited as Martin and Darren made their way around to us. I dare say I felt like a child waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. Martin was next to greet us – another huge hug would tell me yet again I was standing right there with one of the 'Kings'. Martin greeted Shannon with a hug and a surprise – he presented her with a Tin Whistle; spent a few moments with her showing her how to play it and chatting with her. And then he was off – more people to meet and greet. Shannon was in awe of Martin and her special gift!

Last, but not least, was the long awaited face to face meeting with Darren. Another huge hug! WOW – is this really happening? I thought to myself!!! A few moments of his undivided attention; one more hug for me and one for 'Princess Shannon' and the Meet & Greet was complete!

We were on Cloud 9 – Shannon with her Tin Whistle from Martin, hugs from all the 'Kings', the fact she was "a Princess of the Kings" for the night, and the knowledge she would be on the FRONT ROW CENTER; and me with the memory of meeting all of the 'Kings' (and kicking myself for having NOT pulled out my camera at any point)! We made our way to the front row; smiles on our faces, anxiously awaiting the beginning of the show...