Friday, August 26, 2016

Friday, August 26, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2004. We took Mattie to an outdoor fair in Los Angeles. Literally several streets were closed down and all sorts of child friendly activities were taking place from pony rides to miniature trains. Mattie did both that day and had a great time.... as was evident with the smile and excitement captured in this photo!










Quote of the day: To know how to say what others only know how to think is what makes men poets or sages; and to dare to say what others only dare to think makes men martyrs or reformers - or both. ~ Elizabeth Charles


As a child, I can recall my maternal grandmother watching Days of Our Lives, the soap opera, while ironing clothes! Though I could hear it, it meant nothing to me until I entered high school and started watching it myself. Not unlike most things, there were years I tuned into the program and then several years when life took over and I tuned out. Yet, as a Days of Our Lives fan, and having history with the show, it is quite easy to pick it back up even if it is years later. While raising Mattie, I never watched the show. It was only recently that I tuned back in and of course was immediately glued and absorbed back into the lives of the Bradys, Hortons, and DiMeras! These are families in a way that I feel I have grown up with. One thing I have to say is that Days is a wonderful diversion for me and when I watch it I forget about my own issues and worries for the day. So I consider it my mental health break from reality!

Days of Our Lives is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday since November 8, 1965. Due to the series' success, it was expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes on April 21, 1975. The series focuses on its core families, the Hortons and the Bradys. Several other families have been added to the cast, and many of them still appear on the show. Frances Reid, the matriarch of the series' Horton family remained with the show from its inception to her death on February 3, 2010 (at 96 years of age!). Susan Seaforth Hayes is the only cast member to appear on Days of Our Lives in all five decades it has been on air. Days of Our Lives has been able to celebrate its 50th anniversary, because it typically covers cutting edge issues that so many of us can relate to.

My mom and I entered a clothing store to browse around today and as we were entering the store, I saw a woman who looked familiar to me leaving the store. We literally passed each other. As she began to get closer to me, I knew immediate who it was.... Susan Seaforth Hayes, who plays Julie Williams for over 40 years on Days of Our Lives.

Naturally I could have let her just walk by. But I didn't. I actually smiled at her, which caught her attention and then I said "hi." But I said it in a way that my mom assumed I knew her. Then I started chatting with her, and my mom was further perplexed because she did not recognize in any context the woman I was talking to! Then I explained to my mom that Ms. Hayes is on Days of Our Lives. Pictured here are Susan and her husband Bill. They are married in real life and on the set of Days of Our Lives.

I am sure Ms. Hayes is used to people approaching her because soap opera fans are passionate and intense about their shows. But I think what intrigued me is I felt like I knew her, and talked to her as such. Yet naturally I don't know her! I only know the character she plays, but since she has played it for almost 40 years, I wonder if there is a distinction?!

This was Susan Seaforth Hayes and her husband Bill Hayes on Days of Our Lives in 1973, when they got married. Imagine working on the set of Days of Our Lives for over 40 years? The ironic part to me is people age on the set but the magic captured in their character is timeless. Ms. Hayes is 73 years old, her husband is 91 years old, and Frances Reid (the Horton family matriarch) played on the show up until age 96! Totally impressive, which is why I feel the show appeals to a wide demographic.