Sweatpants Mommy of 3?

Yesterday was my 34th birthday.

How did I celebrate? 

By filming a spot for Dunkin Donuts.  2 actually!

I thought I would have all sorts of photos and maybe even a little video to transfer from my cell phone to accompany this post.  No such luck unfortunately.  We could keep our phones during makeup, but after that they had to be put away.  Which makes sense... but I so wanted to capture some of what was going on.

When I arrived I was taken inside the back of the RISD book store and met some of the crew.  I got put into 'makeup'!  That part?  Totally cool.  As that girl still trying to get back in touch with her inner girlie girl and getting back into the routine of makeup again it was so nice to hear that I did a great job with my own - from a makeup artist.  All she did was add some extra powder and bronzer I think and I was good to go.  She fixed my hair a bit and then we sat and waited.

My outfit?  Jeans, black boots and a cute light striped top with three quarter sleeves I got at the mall the day before.  I axed my heels at the last moment and also took my sneakers and three extra shirts since we were supposed to bring 'options' with us.  Do you know I don't even think that anyone looked at what I was wearing after all that worry?  I filled out a consent form which basically said if I ended up on TV I would be paid according to SAG guidelines and then my photo was taken while I held up a number.

You know, like a mug shot.  I wasn't.even.smiling.  (Not that I've HAD a mug shot... but I've read enough TMZ to know what they look like.)

Before it was my turn to film I was given a hand warmer and told to keep it in my jacket pocket to warm my hands between takes.  While it was a bright sunny day it was somewhere around 30 degrees outside and windy as could be, making it feel so much colder.  I asked what I would be doing and found out I would be SPEAKING, but not to worry because they would feed me the lines to say. 

Um, what?  Suddenly I was so nervous! 

Someone called for 'the talent' on the walkie talkies and off we went.  (Talent!)  We walked out the back of the RISD book store and over to the park of the Riverwalk I didn't even know went out that far from Waterplace Park.  I was standing on a bridge looking towards Westminster St. and watching another girl get filmed.  I had not been nervous at all to think I was standing or walking through a scene, but now knowing I'd have to say something?  My fear kicked in and I thought for a moment maybe I would just say 'Yeah sorry I can't do this' and take off in the opposite direction.

Too late.  My name was being called and I was being ushered over to the camera and crew.  They were all so nice I could not believe how at ease I felt right away.  While they were finishing setting up I looked around and realized that people will take pictures of Anything.  A few people on the sidewalk stopped to gawk and started taking photos.  I felt like a celebrity! 

Before we could even start shooting we had to stop.  It was so windy my hair was everywhere... and what did they do?  They got the makeup artist to put my hair back in a PONY TAIL!  Remember what I said about not wanting to go as 'Sweatpants Mommy of 3'?  Yeah, that girl wears her hair in a pony tail almost Daily.  Trust.  This girl?  Nearly made herself late dropping off the boys at her dad's house just an hour earlier after painstakingly blow drying and brushing her hair so it would look nice down. 

This girl was now sitting on the ground of a freezing cold bridge getting her hair pulled up and bobby pinned and sprayed into a pony tail.  And she was cringing on the inside while being totally agreeable on the outside.

Then we were ready again and I took my place.  Jacket off.  'Uh honey, you're going to have to put your jacket back on.  You're showing a little too much for Dunkin Donuts there.'  Every shade of red I looked down and stumbled over the words that I had a tank top on underneath my lower cut shirt and it must have slipped down - which it did.  I pulled up the tank top and we were all good again. 

The rules.  Don't look at the camera, look at the guy next to the guy with the camera.  Repeat after him.  'My city' (point to iced coffee) 'My coffee!'  (Where I was silently so happy I get my nails done now.)  'Providence runs on Dunkin!'  'I run on Dunkin'  'French vanilla shot of caramel' ... and more.  Over and over.  And it was actually fun!  Until he said OK now name all the kinds of coffee we have. 

Wait, what?  I have to think for myself now?  The first take I started with 'Blueberry' only to be cut off with oh no, lets not mention the blueberry one.  Yup, downhill from there.  'French vanilla, mocha, uh....sorry' and more of that.  At one point I even said cinnamon.  'That's not us sweetie'.  Ooops.

In my defense, when a girl needs a coffee and can not get in to the freaking drive thru lane because they are out into the street, she (sometimes) has to occasionally hit another coffee shop.  Dunkin is still my 1st love though.  My bad.

Lets just say we dropped the coffee flavors after that and moved on to some other things.  At one point he said 'more cheerleadery this time'.  So I did.  And he says 'um, less cheerleadery than that'.  Who knew there was such a thing as too cheerleadery?!  (Though the girl who started out playing baseball with the boys before moving on to softball and field hockey.)

In between takes I ended up grateful for that hand warmer in my pocket (which I may - or may not -have gone home with by accident).  After I was finished they asked if I wanted to stay for another shot with Paws - the mascot from the Paw Sox.  Heck yes!  Hair down this time, got to keep my jacket on... put my arm around Paws and stood in a group of about 6 of us holding iced coffees while we repeatedly yelled about how Providence loves Dunkin. 

So.much.fun! 

Not sure if my spots will make it to the light of day.  I heard they were filming about 30 spots over 2 days and a good 5 usually get chosen.  So we'll see.  Know what I did come away with though?  1 free hot and 2 free iced coffee coupons!

Yes I'm serious.

But it's all good because it was such a fun way to spend my birthday - and I would totally do it again.