ok, here's the story...

first off, i'd like to say that this has turned into something bigger than i had expected...just a little facebook post about me being "too excited to sleep"...then everyone thought i was preggo...etc. (i've gotten lots of interesting guesses...) but, it was a top secret thing...something lee and i weren't ever supposed to know...but my genius husband figured it out...(yes, he's a genius...he married ME!) and let's be honest...i liked the attention y'all were giving me!...plus, i've never been good at surprises...but in order for what you're fixing to read to happen, a surprise was necessary (and i wasn't 100% sure i was right about the whole thing in the first place)

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here goes...

lee and i have listened to a local band for some time called old habits...really fun bluegrass band...and we're on their email list--they let us know where they're playing next and different places they've been spotted on the news/tv/etc...

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so, we got our email tuesday night that they were going to be performing at a food network special called "ribs and beans bash" in downtown raleigh behind haywood hall (off of new bern ave.) that would feature a local BBQ-er named ed mitchell who owns the pit...(i deleted the email...we get lots of stuff from the old habits guys...didn't think too much about it!...and lee does a great job of keeping up with our "concert schedules"..ha!)

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...ok, sidetrack for a moment...lee and i are BIG fans of bobby flay...and more specifically his show THROWDOWN!! he surprises locally famous chefs who have specialty dishes and bobby challenges them to see how can make the best dish...they bring in judges to do a blind taste...its always a smaller more intimate crowd (friends of the chef, family members, restaurant regulars...usually about 50 folks)...well, the way they get the local chefs to go on tv without knowing what's going on is to make up a really cheesy "food network special" that they're featuring the chef on....and as for the surprise...its real, you can see the chef's faces...and that's the kind of surprise the best actor can't fake...

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for example...they did a pad thai dish recently, and the lady was told she'd be on food networks special "tasty translations" and last night bobby challenged the self-named "casserole queens" to a chicken pot pie throwdown and the name of their "fake show" was "oldies but goodies"...haha...pretty hoaky

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when bobby flay was at the fair, everyone was begging him to do a throwdown in the raleigh area...with some bbq...or banana puddin'...or ANYTHING!! hahah....

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WELL, my genius husband put it alllll together...a really cool local restaurant's chef....with a fun bluegrass band playing for the filming of a food network special "ribs and beans bash" (cheesy name)....the conditions were right...for a THROWDOWN!! COULD IT BE?!?

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we were even told we'd have to sign "appearance releases" to go...well, yes, food network would probably require this anyway...but the only way we'd be spotted long enough for them to sign a release is if it was a SMALL crowd...

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once lee said it out loud...i knew it!! but what would be the big bump in the road??? lee was already scheduled to be off work...it was meant to be!!! but hannah getting off work on a FRIDAY!?! come on...i'd be willing to sacrifice life and limb to get off for just this one friday!!! but really...taking off a friday in retail? plus we've been sooo busy and one of our guys is gone on vacation...i couldn't stand the thought of lee going and me having to work! :(

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i was able to get mrs. peggy to switch with me (she was supposed to work thursday)...the stars had aligned...
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sure enough...we got there...and a few minutes later, BOBBY FLAY walks in...and lee and i are in the perfect position...FRONT ROW IN FRONT OF HIS TABLE!!! and he challenged ed to a "ribs and beans THROWDOWN!!!!" his crew was getting out extra grills...setting up the cutting boards...getting their ingredients...

we ate both guys' ribs...and we both agreed bobby's was the best!! (although not very NC-ish)...i was SOO thankful we were there...most everyone else was on some sort of BBQ committe or friends of the restaurant...there was only a handful of folks there that came because they'd heard about it through the band!

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i'm guessing there was probably about 50-60 people there...so everyone was interviewed as to who's ribs they liked better and most peoples faces had bbq sauce all over :) haha...and somehow or another, lee and i always had a camera in our face! it was so much fun to see the producers and camera people encouraging everyone to have such a great time! we felt famous for a little while!

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here's bobby trying out his ribs...YUM!! :-D

we were sworn to secrecy not to say who won...but lee and i found the camera whereever it was...and we think you'll see when it airs that the camera LOVED US! haha
here's a traditional lee & hannah shot...taken by me!! check out the camera in the background! :)
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i'll be sure to let you guys know when it comes on...and we're gonna be in the newspaper, too...

here's the judges table right before they piled on the ribs and beans!

on the way home, lee and i both agreed that it was probably the most fun we've ever had!!!!!

and to top it off...we got our picture made with him!! :) me between 2 of my favorite men! can you tell we'd stood out in the COLD RAIN from 11-3:45??
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...oh, and if you've never watched food network's throwdown with bobby flay, please do!! they're always so much fun! not so much a cooking show, but kind of a punk'd for chefs!
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this was such a fun experience, leading up to the event and of course the event itself--i enjoyed hearing everyone's guesses as to why i was SO PUMPED about this...some (most) thought i was pregnant and some of the other guesses included we were going to be on a game show, the amazing race, sky diving, on set for the "move that bus" moment on extreme home makeover, taking nershi for a "photo shoot", friday the 13th, we were going to the acc tournament...i could go on!! haha...i'm glad that i have such faithful facebook & blog followers! y'all are great! :)
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one more thing--my clue about "the previous blog post"...we saw him at the fair and that post is here...i like tricky obscure clues :)