An Orlando Cinderella Story

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On the morning of Hannah Miller‘s wedding to Brian Feldman, a man she barely knows, I decided to go to Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater to watch her work. She is shown in this sketch high up on the puppeteer platform with Jack Fields. Appropriately, I thought, they were performing Cinderella. Cinderella is, of course, unjustly oppressed and in the end offered a triumphant reward. Her hard work goes unrecognized, until one day she achieves recognition and notoriety, thanks to a handsome Prince.

Today, Hannah would marry a man she doesn’t love to point out the absurdity of laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying. In the Cinderella tale, the Prince invites all the young ladies in the land to a ball so he can choose a bride. Brian Feldman invited all the young ladies of Orlando, via Facebook, to the Orange County Courthouse so he could do the same. Hannah was picked to be Brian’s bride thanks to the spinning of an Aquafina water bottle which, if you think about it, really does resemble a glass slipper. As the bottle spun, the light from the dull florescent lights overhead in the marriage license office refracted and shimmered in the multiple facets of the bottle’s tight-waisted form. After the bottle settled on Hannah, she took a sip from the bottle of Aquafina but then hesitated wondering if it might break the spell.

The evil stepmother and the vain and haughty daughters in this modern day fairy tale of course are the legislators and lawyers who allow a law to be on the books that would deny loving same-sex couples from being able to marry. I hope that Brian and Hannah’s brave gesture will bring the issues of equal marriage rights to the all the people in the land.

After the performance of Cinderella was complete, I saw Hannah and Jack embrace for a long time in the dim light on the opposite side of the stage. This was actually the first time I realized they were a couple. Hannah came over and said hello and we talked for a while. She said she never actually manipulates the Cinderella puppet herself. She tends to work the “heavies”, since she is one of the tallest puppeteers in the troupe. She told me all about the fabulous wedding dress she had made from a $12 thrift store purchase. She hot glued pearls and other exotic items to the dress to make it something that even her fairy godmother would have had trouble creating. The bouquet itself was a work of art with rainbow colored flowers emblazoned with colorful gems and a handle of pearls. After finishing my sketch, I thought I would go downtown to listen to Shakespeare’s Sonnets being read. As I exited the Altamonte Mall, The Beatles were singing, “Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been, lives in a dream. Waits at a window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door, who is it for? All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people where do they all belong?”

Outside it was raining, gray, and cold. So, as I sat in my truck, I called Hannah from my cell phone, and asked if she would mind if I sketched her as she got ready for the wedding. She agreed, and I drove over to her place. I knocked on Hannah’s door and her roommate, Caeley Batten, let me in. She apologized because the heating unit had broken and she was trying to keep the place warm by turning on the electric oven and leaving the door open. I stood by the oven and warmed my hands. When Hannah arrived she asked me to make myself comfortable while she took a shower. She didn’t have much time to get ready, so when I got back to her room, I immediately got to work. I love the fact that she had a garland of hearts hanging from her air conditioning unit. She collects quirky creatures, and as she got dressed they seemed to be looking on in surprise and bewilderment. Hannah’s roommate helped zip her into the dress. It was time to face the music.

Mobile Art Show

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TheDailyCity.com hosts the Mobile Art Show every month parked outside the City Arts Factory (29 South Orange Avenue) during “Third Thursdays.” On Third Thursdays, the downtown art galleries all open new shows allowing for a solid night of gallery hopping. In February Mark Baratelli of the Daily City decided to fill the truck with the posters of LURE Design. This was a simple show to hand since all the posters were about the same size and they could be hung with bull clips zip tied to the existing rubber bumpers inside the truck. January 21st is when this show of posters took place.
Mark drove the rental U_Haul to Frames Forever where Katie Windish had promised to help hang the show. Mark started taping huge sheets of brown paper on the side of the truck that was going to face the City Arts Factory, while Katie was hanging the posters inside the truck. As I sketched it started to rain. Katie told me I could borrow an umbrella from inside her show so I ran in and got it. So part of this sketch was done in the pouring rain while I hunkered under her umbrella. Then the wind started to pick up causing to rain horizontally and I dashed inside the truck. The windy deluge didn’t last too long and I soon went back out to finish up the sketch.
That night I went downtown to see the Mobile Art Show in action for the first time. Brian Feldman was outside the City Arts Factory doing his latest performance which involved charging peoples cell phones. Because of the pending rain, I decided against sketching that night. This sketch would have to do for the day. Mark had decorated the inside of the U-Haul with white Christmas lights and it was really festive. I am trying to convince Mark to allow me to plaster the side of the truck with ink jet prints all 365 sketches from last year and then have the 2009 sketchbooks and some matted prints inside the truck. At the FRESH performances this month I have figured out how to offer any print from the sketchbooks by using a tablet PC and an ink jet printer. As Mark said when he say this set up, “That is bad ass!” So keep your eyes open downtown on the Third Thursday of March!

Sunday Karaoke at the Parliament House

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There are many people who have known me for years who will never believe what I am about to tell you. But these events did unfold, on a quiet Superbowl Sunday, just as written . Amanda Chadwick put out an invitation to go to the Parliament House for Sunday morning Karaoke at the piano bar. Only the night before, actress, Lindsay Cohen had told me that she had once worked as a waitress at the Parliament House. I have never been, so I was curious. This sounded like a perfect sketching opportunity.
When I arrived maybe an hour late, I could hear the loud singing from the street. When I walked in it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the dark interior. The room was filled with men all sitting at the bar and in folding chairs facing the piano player. At the front table sat the only three women in the room and Amanda was one of them. She saw me and came over to say hello. The proprietor of the bar offered me a folding chair so I could sit with the 3 ladies, but I rather liked the view from my bar stool. I got out my sketchbook and started to sketch. The first person to take the stage after I started working was Dina Peterson who was one of Amanda’s friends. She sang Elton John’s “Your Song” and she bought down the house. All the men joined her singing the chorus and they all swayed to the music. I found myself singing along myself as I sketched, the lines flowing along with the words. To myself I sang , “I know its not much, but it’s the best I can do… My gift is my sketch, and this ones for you….”
There was long break after Dina sang because the foot pedal to the piano was stuck causing too much reverberation. Leslie Lormann, another friend of Amanda’s got on her hands and knees and worked on the pedal by wedging a book under it or something. One of the guys at the bar shouted out “Nice Ass, and that is some compliment coming from a gay guy!” She took it in stride and laughed it off. However it was done, the piano came back to life.
Mark Baratelli entered the bar and was greeted much like Norm from Cheers. He then got on the stage and sang “Somewhere over the Rainbow” everyone went wild. Mark added humor to the song by pushing the notes in new and unexpected ways. This was pure comic genius. By this time I had one white wine and when Mark gave the word, we all joined in the chorus. This was a side of Mark I had never seen before, and it was pure comic fun.
When his performance was over Amanda came over to see how my sketch was going. I was just about done. She asked, “Are you going to sing?” I said, “I haven’t seen YOU sing yet.” She said “No one wants to see me sing, trust me.” Offhandedly, figuring I was safe, I said “OK if you sing, I will join you.” She said, “OK, lets sing a duet.” In my mind I was thinking, “What have I done?” She bought over the play list and we started pouring over all the choices. She suggested a song from “Beauty and the Beast but I said, “No Disney, I will not sing a Disney song, that might cause flashbacks.” She finally chose the song, “Somewhere out There” from “An American Tail.” She hesitated a second saying, “Isn’t that a Disney movie?” I had to confirm that it wasn’t, so I agreed.
When we got on stage, my heart was in my throat. Luckily the duet starts with the female lead singing alone. Amanda missed the first cue but then she began, her voice quavering just a bit. The good thing about this song is that it is sung by mice in the movie. Thus any tightness in the throat or nervousness might sound like we were trying to sing the song in a mouse like manner. When I started singing, I was surprised by the sound of my voice on the speakers, I moved the microphone towards and away from my mouth trying to find the sweet spot where I sounded human again. I thought we did a fine job leaning towards each other and glancing up when the moment seemed right. When we sang together we actually harmonized, in our own way. To my untrained ears, Amanda sounded great. When the chorus came around again everyone in the bar was singing along drowning out our humble efforts. It is impossible not to have your heart warmed by a room full of people singing this song. It was a glorious moment which apparently Mark Baratelli decided to record on his little video camera. Luckily his camera has the worst microphone ever made, so you will not be subjected to my singing efforts. What ever it sounded like, it felt great! Thank you Amanda for the experience!
This Sunday Karaoke Singing Session happens every Sunday from 1PM to 4PM at the Parliament House (410 North Orange Blossom Trail). This is a unique Orlando experience! Happy Valentines Day!

Woman Playwrights’ Initiative

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Sarah Lockhart told about a performance of the Women Playwright’s Initiative that was going to happen at Stardust Video and Coffee as part of Arts Fest. I had another commitment at the time of the actual performance, but the director, Aradhana Tiwari told me I could stop in when the cast first got to Stardust and rehearsed just before the nights performance. I arrived early because I had gotten out of class at Full Sail a bit early. I ordered a Coke and sat in the room facing the tiny stage with its red metal streamers and red Christmas lights for illumination. Although not planned, this small stage with it’s red atmosphere offered a womb like feeling of intimacy and enclosure. The play, or monologues, I had been told, was about women and how they faced pregnancy.
When the whole cast arrived, they went in the other room with the bar and large tables made from doors, to go over lines. The tables and chairs were then moved to make room for an audience. I started a sketch lightly in pencil of the cast going over lines at the table, but I couldn’t bring myself to commit to the sketch. Aradhana only had the cast go over lines for maybe 15 minutes and then she moved everybody back to the stage. I was thankful I had held back on this first sketch. It is always hardest to know when to strike. Aradhana was constantly using the camera she got for Christmas to document this intimate show.
On the stage all 5 actresses paced nervously on a grid each of them lost in thought. A loud ticking of a clock filled the space. I only got to see small sections of the performance but I left wishing I had seem more. In the sketch Sarah Lockhard is coaching a woman, curled up in a fetal position, who has just given birth and refused to hold her new born child. Sarah said,” You just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Of course nothing Sarah says consoles the woman.
In another scene Lindsay Cohen and Sarah slowly walk to the front of the stage, each stopping in their own corner. Both of them are holding a pregnancy test strips and they kneel down to read them. Sarah’s face lit up with joy when she saw the reading on the strip. She was quietly overjoyed and radiant. Lindsey on the other hand remained stone faced. The finding caused her hand to simply go limp and she dropped the test strip as her world turned black.
There was a mad rush to find a light to help illuminate the stage. Someone went home and grabbed a floor lamp. Then it turns out that the outlets around the stage didn’t work. Finally an outlet was found and the stage was perfectly illuminated. I had to step out just as the performance was about to start. The room was packed. I am certain this was a hell of a show.

Driving Miss Daisy – Cue-to-Cue

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I went to the Garden Theater (160 West Plant Street, Winter Garden) to sketch a cue-to- cue of Driving Miss Daisy, written by Alfred Uhry, produced by Beth Marshall and directed by Aradhana Tiwari. The play runs from February 12th to the 28th. Beth Marshall asked me to sketch this rehearsal only days after she and her husband Chris Foster were in a head-on automobile accident with a truck that pulled onto the road without looking. Chris had a fractured wrist and both of Beth’s legs were fractured. As Beth said in a Facebook status update, “We are blessed to be alive, have health care coverage, did not have any kids or animals in the crash and feel your love, energy and prayers. I write for him and he walks for me. True love.”
When I got in the theater things hadn’t gotten started yet. At first, I sat in the front row but then Aradhana said I should sit halfway back in the house so I would not looking up at the set. She IS the director so I obliged. The lighting designer, Amy, had bought in her baby, a small wide-eyed bundle who knowingly checked me out as I walked by. The director spent some time holding and playing with him before the rehearsal got started. Michael Mormon. who plays Hoke, recognized me from when I sketched the auditions and he walked over to shake my hand and flip through a sketch book. It turns out he is the face of Mardi Gras at Universal Studios, and he wouldn’t mind getting more of this still photography work.
When the audience walks in to the theater they will be greeted by a starry night sky above the theater seats. Aradhana leaned back in her theater seat and looked up at the stars and said, “They are magical aren’t they?” The stars then fade as they go to cue 2. A vintage recording of “Pennies from Heaven” filtered through the theater. One of the first scenes had the sound effect of an automobile accident and the sound was for me, jarring and unexpected. This is the scene where Daisy, played by Elizabeth Murff, runs her car off the road and thus the son, Boolie, played by Michael Lane, decides that she needs a driver. I couldn’t hear that sound without thinking of Beth and Chris.
A cue-to-cue is when the actors are asked to go through each scene with lighting and sound being cued up. This is a grueling start and stop process for the actors who are sometimes just asked to stand around like mannequins while the lights are adjusted. Just as the actors get into the flow of a scene, they might be asked to stop while lighting is adjusted. Sometimes, the actors would joke around like when Michael repeatedly slammed the imaginary car door with the sound cue slamming every time. He had me laughing so hard I could not breath. After several hours of standing on stage, Michael Lane asked if there was a local who knew if the pizzeria was open. A booming loud voice came over the speaker system, “I think so.” Michael said quietly, “Thank you, God.” A half an hour later, everyone was enjoying the pizza on a well deserved break.
The house lights were always dark for the cue-to-cue so I had to sketch and paint in the pitch blackness. I discovered a new method of working where I turned on my tablet PC and used it as a light to work by. It is a rather high tech flashlight, but its glow worked wonders. The music that transitions from scene to scene in this show is wonderful. It sets a classic nostalgic feeling like I was experiencing the show in the 1930’s. As I exited the theater with my sketchbook under my arm, Louis Armstrong was singing, “Heaven, I’m in Heaven.” I had to pause before leaving. I sat down in the back row of the theater and leaned on the seat in front of me to let the music wash over me. I really didn’t want to leave the theater’s magic behind. I am going to try and get in opening night. I just hope it doesn’t sell out.

Hal Stringer’s artist gathering.

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At the last minute I was invited to an artists dinner party being hosted by Hal Stringer in Winter Park. Mary Hill had told me about this event once before but the last time it was held, I was driving down to the Keys. When I entered the first order of business was to walk room to room and look at all the beautiful paintings of Florida landscapes. I bumped into Don Sontag a portrait artist who I first met when I worked at Disney and later at the McARae Studios. There was a self portrait by Don in the living room leaning up against a wall and waiting to be hung. There was a blur of introductions and then I asked if I could dig into the Paella that Phillis Miller had made. I thought I was going to leave within an hour to go sketch another dance rehearsal. I was the first to load up my plate and I went into the living room to eat. I only knew a few people at the gathering and as I ate, I started to feel overwhelmed by the sound of all the different conversations. In a crowd like this I start to hear everything at once with no filter. It gets to the point where I don’t even notice if someone is talking right at me. Mary Hill suggested I take a look at the artist studio in the back yard.

When I went back to the studio I fell in love with the space. It was a tiny little outdoor shack with exposed beams and a warm inviting interior. Inside a table had been set up and people were seated having dinner. The studio also had an outdoor patio with comfortable lawn chairs with a perfect view of the bright half moon. I suddenly realized I had to sketch so I ran out to my truck to get my sketchbook and supplies. The people around the table were, Elizabeth and Joe Ferber, Maralyn Masters, Sharon Osterhold and Jazz Morgan. After they finished eating they started to paint their dinner plates. All of these plate paintings were abstract and very colorful. One finished plate painting can be seen on the fireplace mantle in my sketch.

A few people became curious about what I was up to, so I found myself surrounded with people who wanted to see my sketchbook. As usual, my eyes teared up from the strain of sketching, and I struggled to recover. The host joked about how he took the longest time to join Facebook. He said “This gathering is face time, not Facebook.” Mary came out with a blanket and sat in the lawn chair next to me. We joked for a while about the notion of making a B grade horror film. It is actually a really fun idea that I am now considering doing some visual development for. I was glad I had decided to stay longer at this artists gathering. I got a good sketch and met some talented and inspiring artists.

Brian Feldman Marries Anybody!

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Brian Feldman put up an event page on Facebook announcing that he would marry any woman who showed up to the Orange County Courthouse at 3PM on February 8th to get a marriage license with him. They would then have to wait three days before officially tying the knot in a small room in the marriage license office. Brian said this arbitrary marriage would point out the insanity of a state system that will allow total strangers to get married as long as they are of the opposite sex, while denying marriage to same-sex partners who have been together in a loving relationship for 20 years.
When I arrived at the courthouse, Amanda Chadwick was there waiting for Jeremy Seghers. Jeremy arrived and then a Central Florida News 13 cameraman. We spoke with the cameraman for a while and he told us his first marriage had been a mistake. He said the last nine years of that marriage had felt like he was living with a roommate. Jeremy called Brian to see where he was and he said, “only a few blocks away.” Brian did not have the cash for the marriage license so he was thinking of calling the project off. Jeremy immediately said he would pay the $93.50 for the marriage license, and that he had better show up! When Brian arrived, the news cameraman interviewed him for a while, before we all made our way through security and up to the third floor.
The hallway and inside of the marriage license office was packed full of people. I wedged myself into a corner and started sketching the marriage license counters, figuring I would catch Brian and his future bride when they finished their paperwork. Three woman stood in front of me with every intention of marrying Brian. Julie Norris, a talk show host for Front Porch Radio, with her 5 month old baby strapped to her chest; Hannah Miller, a puppeteer at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater; and a third woman, Mary Ann Marks, who had heard about the wedding in the newspaper, holding a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Brian. I picked out a delicious round chocolate with caramel inside, after Brian offered them to the crowd. Elizabeth Maupin, the theater critic for the Orlando Sentinel, was also on hand to watch the license signing. She has known Brian since he was a child performer and has always had an interest in his career.
Brian purchased a bottle of Aquafina from the vending machine in the office and then proposed throwing the bottle over his shoulder, having the women catch it like a bouquet. Julie protested, however, thinking her child might get hit in the head. Someone in the crowd suggested he spin the bottle instead, and after a moment’s hesitation, he agreed. The bottle spun about four times on the carpet before settling on Hannah Miller.
After completing the paperwork, the couple sat in a waiting area, while the county workers filed and stamped all the necessary documents. Hannah called her father to tell him the good news. There were three video cameras on her the whole time as she spoke to him on the speaker phone. He took the news well saying he just wanted her to be happy. When he addressed Brian he called him “son.” Brian fielded several interviews. The couple really didn’t talk much.

In a Facebook note, here is what Hannah Miller said about the event…
Why I’m Getting Married To Someone I Don’t Love
We’re doing it for love… just not ours.
I believe in marriage.
I believe that marriage is a public way to declare the very personal commitment that two people make to one another; to proclaim that their hearts are so incomplete without the other that they must legally bind their property and lives to ensure the union’s safety.
I believe that denying same-sex couples the same 1,000+ rights given to couples of opposing genders that choose to marry is tantamount to declaring that GLBT relationships are not valid–or, at the very least, not AS valid as heterosexual relationships. I believe that marriage equality ensures the health and happiness not only of same-sex partners, but also their families. I believe that the denial of marriage rights to GLBT individuals is a denial of the elemental protections the State and Federal government should provide to all individuals, regardless of race, gender, religion, or any other arbitrary defining factor, like sexual orientation.
I am marrying Brian Feldman, a man I don’t love, because I BELIEVE.
I hope you believe too.
Please come to our wedding, 3pm at the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando. And please show how MUCH you believe with careful voting choices, letters declaring your beliefs to your State and Federal representatives, and generous donations to a pro-marriage-equality organization such as Brian’s favorites, below:
Equality Florida
Human Rights Campaign
P.S. When Hannah Miller got back to her car, she found a $28 parking ticket since the meter had just run out. The costs of getting married just keep climbing!

Guitar Hero

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As part of Amanda Chadwick’s Seven Days of Celebration, she invited friends over to Rockin Joe’s Coffeehouse + Bistro to play Guitar Hero. January twelfth was the actual day of her birth so this day of celebration would count as the official birthday celebration. Rockin Joe’s is located in SODO (South of Down Town Orlando). I had never been to this part of town before and I was shocked by the huge Target store that greeted me as I tuned the corner. I could almost hear the heavenly hosts. This mega store stands out like a monolith beckoning shoppers to it’s doors. The coffee shop is located on the shopping district built around the Target. It is small and quaint. At the front of the shop is the eclectic sofa, arm chair and coffee tables shown. Jeremy Seghers is seated in the arm chair plotting to take over the world. Once again many of Amanda’s friends were SAK comedians so there was plenty of playful banter.
Having never played Guitar Hero, I could not tell you who was winning or who was loosing. Amanda seemed to hold her own but I think she might have had her ass whooped by the more experienced players. While I was sketching I decided to order a peanut butter cheese cake. It was sooooo good! I might go back again just for that cheesecake. Amanda was given a cupcake and we all sang Happy Birthday. As her friends started to leave, Amanda stood on a chair to show a very tall friend of hers what it was like to hug him. When I finished my sketch, people were already starting to drift away. Amanda said I should try Guitar Hero, but I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. She was encouraging and supportive, but I think Guitar Hero will have to wait for another day. I don’t think being a Rock-star is in my blood.

iMove_2.0: iCandy

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The romantic and playful evening of iMove_2.0: iCandy has come and gone, so now I must simply report on what you missed. The multiple dance routines took place in a large open warehouse. My wife, Terry, and I were the first to enter. Brian Feldman was on hand to offer any crowd control that might be needed. There was no assigned seating. As a matter of fact there was just one couch, so for the duration of the evening people milled about gathering in different areas of the warehouse to watch the various dances. I said hello to Zac Alfson who was busy seeing if he could get his tweets up on the big screen. I think he also was taking photos with his phone all night.
What I loved about the show is that art truly imitated life in this open and vibrant setting. The dancers between dances, would mill about the room checking their iPhones or chatting playfully on old telephones with cords! It was fascinating because many of the audience members were themselves tweeting or checking Facebook status updates. They bowed reverently to the glowing information presented on palm sized screens. Terry can be seen checking her iPhone to the right. A screen on the far wall scrolled tweets and movies were projected on large seamless walls. A kissing booth was set up but it offered no actual privacy so I think it went unused. The Twitter bird icon was animated, flying about the room on the walls. Love letters and long streamers with love notes and hearts were everywhere. I picked up a strawberry flavored heart lollipop and put it in my pocket for later.
I sat on my portable stool next to Genevieve Bernard, the choreographer, and I heard her say “Nice choice” when a dancer had to adjust her movement to avoid running into the crowd. Genevieve said she was nervous right before the event because she was concerned people might not understand this open playful way of presenting a performance. Once she saw everyone was mingling and sipping wine, she relaxed and enjoyed the show. She even went out of her way and got me a red wine while I sketched. I spilled a little on the sketch in the upper left hand corner but I don’t think it hurt anything.
Doug Rhodehamel, an amazing local artist, stopped over and said hello. I have been trying to arrange to sketch him hard at work on his Spore Project. He explained that there might be a mushroom making party next week sometime, which would offer the perfect sketching opportunity.
My favorite dance routine of the evening involved three dancers who began the dance seated in three chairs. Two of the dancers, Leah Marke and Amanda Oost Bradberry, were constantly drawn to each other in romantic embraces circling and becoming closer, while the third dancer, McClaine Timmerman, would try and get close to the couple while never fully becoming part of the couples dance. In the end she remained alone, her staccato movements reaching towards the heavens as if imploring, yet never answered.

FRESH – The Coffee Mound

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In the final hours before the opening night performance, Jessica Mariko had the dancers do a full run-through of the whole show. I had spent most of the day setting up my art installation of the 2009 Sketchbooks in the entry room. I had fun using a whole lot of junk found in my garage to create my odd, somewhat alienish installation. In the main room I leaned up against a wall and started to sketch. Everyone was rushing around to clean up before the first audience arrived. Bob Kodzis asked Christie Miga where a garbage can was. She pointed towards me and said “Over there next to the artist sketching.” It is humbling being a landmark for garbage. When Ashley Kroft and Tin Tin started to explore the coffee mound which is the stage for one of the dance routines, they discovered rocks and glass in the dirt. Ashley, and several other volunteers, had to sift through and remove as much glass and rock as possible. They can never be sure they sifted every inch. Lighting was being installed and aimed right up until the last second. There are no dressing rooms in the Cameo theater so for the rehearsals the dancers changed in the man’s room and the women’s room became the bathroom. I only discovered this when I had to actually use the bathroom and I almost walked in on a costume change. Right before the performance Jessica poored a whole bag of raw coffee grounds on the mound which filled the room with the distinctive pleasing aroma of coffee.
There was a rumor that someone was going to propose marriage to his girlfriend this night so I had my eyes on the lookout for who that couple might be. For an additional fee some couples were allowed to wander through the Willy Wonka like edible environment on their own before the main crowd arrived. The more daring also had their bodies painted and got Henna Tattoos. This was a small group of couples and I figured the marriage proposal would be among them. Tisse and I debated on which couple it might be and we agreed on a slender young woman who was getting a Henna Tattoo. Her boyfriend however was in his iPhone not really paying attention to her. I wrote this behavior down to nerves and figured he was texting a friend to try and decide when he should pop the question. I kept my eyes on this couple for some time but then out of the corner of my eyes I saw a glint of gold and a woman hugged her fiance and kissed him. I had missed the main event! Bob, who was acting as the MC, announced the proposal and acceptance, and everyone in the room applauded.
If you want a unique sensual and pleasurable evening with your true love, then FRESH is without a doubt the hottest ticket in town!