It's a Blinkie Pin Kind of Day!

This weekend has been AMAZING!!!

Who has a blinkie pin??? I do!!
And so does my best girlfriend, Vickie!!!
Okay. What in the world is a blinkie pin?
It's only the most coveted prize one can receive when going to an audition for the Wheel of Fortune.
The Wheelmobile came to Tulsa this weekend. It was in a word: awesome!
The excitement and energy gave everyone such a rush and a natural high. Completely exhilarating!
Saturday, Oct. 22nd, it was in West Tulsa at the Saturday Flea Market. Today, Oct. 23rd, it was in Catoosa at Cherokee Casino and Resort. I don't know which was better. Yesterday there were more people at the stage because it was outside. Therefore, much more excitement and energy was at the flea market.
However, given the fact that the games at the casino were inside, there was a fire code to respect and only a limited number of people were allowed in the room inside where it was held. This turned out to be a plus because your names are drawn out of a hopper and there is less competition to get on stage.

Yesterday my best friend Vickie and I went to the Flea Market to the auditions with our homemade-on-my-computer-with-iron-ons (see upper right picture) T-shirts that had the puzzle "I'M A WHEEL WATCHER"
We were standing in the lawn chair section up front. This was after we had dropped our yellow card in the yellow box (the application) and were mingling around the stage waiting for the big event to get started. They were playing 50's music. Vickie and I were kind of dancing where we were standing. Nothing major mind you. Just kind of bebopping in place. These fabulous two little boys came up and asked in that little boy kind of bashful voice, "Would you dance wis me??"
To which we replied, "Of course!"
The oldie but goodie, "Twist and Shout" came on and I proceeded to teach my partner how to do the twist. We (He) got hoops and hollers and applause out the wazoo! And then...(insert dreadful music here: dum dum dum dum )...the slow song came on!! I took his hands and started to dance with him and his face turned nine shades of red! He took off to his Mom and Dad, but his older brother was happy to take his place. I didn't go without a dance partner for very long.
Being the oldest of 5, mother to 3 boys, and aunt to 11 nieces and nephews (and most of Sperry schools as well) I knew fully how to put the spotlight on these fabulous little gentlemen and have the crowd cheer for them instead of me.
The traveling "Pat and Vanna" were Marty and Ingrid. Marty has amazing energy on stage and jumps around almost as much as myself. He was all about making people sing on stage.
The local KJRH Channel 2 of Tulsa news crew were all there. The Wheel recently switched from ABC Channel 8 to NBC Channel 2. So they had T-shirts that said "Switch This" on them.

For those of you that are still virgins in the "Wheel World" let me just fill you in real quick like.
First you go online to wheeloffortune.com and register for a Spin ID. Go to the Contestant section and fill out a form online if you wish to receive an email telling you when the Wheelmobile will be in your area.
Then, when it comes to town, be prepared!!!
It was advertised for both Saturday and Sunday in the Tulsa area from 1pm to 5pm both days. People started showing up and getting in line at 9am on Saturday. Saturday, Vickie and I were about the 10th in line and were able to get our names in all three drawings. Well, I did anyway, because she wasn't allowed to put her name in after SHE GOT ON STAGE!!!!!!!! I was the first one there on Sunday and I got there at 10am. Irene (I hope I remembered your name correctly) was 2nd in line and she got there at 10:15am. You fill out colored applications about the size of index cards. Ingrid drew out 5 names at a time. The local news person read them off. Karen Larson on Saturday and Russ McCaskey on Sunday. They called Vickie's name to go on stage!! We started squealing and jumping up and down and freaking out!! We are both 33 years old and it felt like Christmas morning when we were 5 years old!
There is a smaller version of the actual wheel. Instead of dollar amounts on it, it has prizes such as: HAT, SHIRT, MINIPACK, and SURPRISE. "But that's not all!! With each of these you get the Wheel of Fortune keychain and the ever-so-coveted...Blinkie Pin!!!!"
Marty loved for everyone to announce things with him!! It showed panache, I think.
But alas, I digress.
They draw 5 names at a time. I was the last name called in the yellow round (the first round) on Sunday. It was so freaking exciting!!! You go up and they take your picture with a polaroid to which they will affix to the back of your little application you filled out. You go up on stage and Marty asks you to come up to center stage with him one by one and tell everyone your name, what you do for a living, and what you do for fun. I said my name is "Lisa Qualls. I'm a full-time student at TCC (Tulsa Community College) majoring in Liberal Arts focusing in Psychology and Sociology." For fun, I said, "I'm a wife to my husband, Gary; a mother to Jacob, Matthew, and Garrett who are 14, 12, and 8 yrs old (respectively). I have one sister and 3 brothers with in-laws and 11 nieces and nephews: Racheal, Roy, Rusty, Raymond with Steve, Amanda, and Rita, and then there's Jessica, Ashley, Braden, Caleb, Caden, Baylor, Presley, Breanna, Stormy, Rodney, and Raylee." Marty asked me what I do for fun with them? To which I replied (maybe lied a little) "Everyone in my family sings, except me. (I do too. But lots of people sang on stage and I wanted to do something different.) I do poetry." And of course he asked me to recite a poem for everyone. I said:
"I dedicate this to my little dance partners, Forrest and Gabriel whom I just met yesterday but they danced with me and made me lucky enough to get up here on stage.
I have a buddy.
My buddy's a toad.
He is my buddy.
He's flat on the road.
He'll be my buddy,
My buddy to stay,
Till he's peeled up
And sailed away.

The boys just loved it!! I knew they would because my boys did when they were their age. Their Mom and Dad took pictures of me with the boys and then when I got up on stage they were nice enough to take pictures for me. I gave them my phone number and email address and told them thank you for making this such a great experience! I had been there on Saturday. So, I knew a little more about the process than most of the people there. I was answering questions galore and making friendly acquaintances left and right. It was great!! Since I was the first one there on Sunday I chose to sit front row center (of course). I couldn't hardly stay in my seat!! It was so intense! There was a guy who sat behind me with tons of energy as well. I think his name was Rick. He was wearing a shirt that looked like a Coke-a-Cola shirt. Instead of Coke, it said Choke. and below that, it said The favorite beverage of Texans everywhere. It was actually an OU shirt. He was my OU chant buddy. He was sitting just behind me and across the narrow center aisle. We high-fived everyone whose name was called and ran by. When people said they were OU fans I yelled "BOOMER" and he yelled "SOONER". Also, I yelled "MARCO" and he yelled "POLO". We were always the first to jump up out of our seats and tried to get the crowd behind us excited and with it. There were a lot of elderly people so it wasn't an easy task. But we did our best. Everyone that gets called on stage gets a prize! And just because you don't get called on stage doesn't mean you don't have a chance. They will take all the rest of the applications to L.A. and draw out names for final auditions in Tulsa. Then the winners from there will go to L. A. for taping unless they happen to travel somewhere on the road for taping.

Kudos to the Arizona guy on the Wheel crew who played the oldies music and brought me together with my little dance partners. He played 80s music on Sunday. Long live Wham! hair!! (You know who you are!)
Irene and I were singing in the crowd: "No, I've never been to Heaven. But I've been to Oklahoma. Yeah, they tell me I was born there. But, I really don't remember. In Oklahoma or Arizona, what does it matter? What does it matter?...."

If you ever have the opportunity, go to an audition. Even if I never get on the show, it was worth going. It was an experience I will never forget!

But I really do hope I will get that letter and/or email bringing me back to finals and then to L.A.!!!

I'm a Wheel watcher...I'm a Wheel watcher...