Now, on to the meet & greet with Hayley:
After the show had finished, not without a few encores (Amazing Grace, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and White Christmas), Hayley announced "I'll be saying Hi" in the lobby. I was so relieved when she said that, because I had been a little bit worried about whether or not we could meet her, and if so, where and when. I was concerned that after all the trouble I went to, I would still not get to meet her, even though the concert was fabulous. Not to worry, though!
I waited nervously in line, and I have no idea how long it was, because it didn't really seem that long. However, by the time Hayley had gone through the entire line and left the lobby, it was 10 min. to 11pm; and the concert had started at 7:30! I could hardly believe it was that late! But the wait in line seemed fairly short to me. I was nervous because I wasn't quite sure what to say to Hayley, and I was unsure of how I was going to get a picture with her, since I had so many things in my hands, and wasn't sure who would be willing to do it for me. Luckily, the guy who I had seen standing off-stage behind the curtain was there with her, and was taking pictures for people! So, I was able to give my camera to him, stuff my water bottle in my coat pocket, in hopes it wouldn't fall out, and put my program and Oydssey CD jacket on the table in front of Hayley.
I said, "Hi, I'm Libby." And Hayley exclaimed, "You're Libby!? It's so nice to finally meet you!" or something like that. It made me feel very special to hear her say that. I found out later that Grant had informed Hayley in Ireland that I would be attending her Madison concert, and was hoping to meet her. So, it turns out, Hayley had actually been expecting to see me! I'm very grateful to you, Grant, for being so thoughtful!
Oh, and I eventually guessed that it was you, so it's not Bill's fault.
So, on to the signing session. She remembered my real name was Kimberly, too (from the Christmas cards, I'm sure), or wait, maybe she did ask me to be sure, but it's all a bit of a blur now. LOL Anyway, when I presented her my 2 items, she asked which one I preferred. A bit of slyness came over me and I said, "Well, Kimberly's my name". I suggested (and had already thought this out) that she sign one to Libby, and one to Kimberly. The security guys hanging around must have wondered what on earth was going on, what all this alter-ego stuff was about.
She's so eager to please, that she had to know exactly which one should say Libby, and which should say Kimberly. I just said either one, because it really didn't make much difference to me. Here is the result:
After this, the photo-taker unfortunately had us pose in front of the restroom sign (too bad I didn't know that ahead of time! Hmm ). I had had my camera turned on to begin with, as one of the staff had warned us forebodingly to have our cameras/phones ready when we got to the table. As if I was born yesterday. LOL Jk. So, I had it turned on, but of course as soon as the man got hold of it, it had already shut off, as it always does automatically after a certain length of time. Then for some reason he found my camera a bit challenging, and he thought it was because the flash was turned off. I had turned it off because HWI fans had said that if Hayley does allow photography at her concerts, she doesn't want flash. Also, originally, the theatre staff had said photography was okay as long as no flash was used. I turned the flash back on for him. So, anyway, the first tries weren't very good, except the first one that I posted (below), though I still expressed doubts (I generally hate photos of myself, so I'm a very harsh critic of them). Then Hayley volunteered to take a "selfie", as you can see from my photos below. But again, the first one was disastrous, because my eyes were half-closed, and I looked ridiculous. I was so humiliated by it that I said "Oh, no-no-no" and bent and covered my face. Everyone seemed vastly amused by this and laughed. It made me feel a little better, but still a bit embarrassed. LOL Being the center of attention is very stressful for me. But then she tried again, and I looked mildly better, but as you can see, it's a bit blurry. I love Hayley's expression there, though, and I've come to terms with my own appearance there as well. LOL But because it was blurry, the man tried it one more time, and that's the 3rd photo. After that, I thanked Hayley. When I did, I thought she was looking at me a bit strangely, so I thought she must have thought I was crazy, or something, and then I felt funny. But I think I've found out why she was looking at me, but I'll get to that shortly.
Next, she suggested that I have a photo with her musical director and pianist, Tim Evans, as well, and that he knew who I was, too, apparently! He said to me "You're famous". I told him I recognized him, as well, of course. We had our photo taken together, as you can see, then we chatted quite a bit. I asked him how he knows who I am, and he said he reads this forum occasionally. I joked, "Oh no, I'd better watch what I say!" but he said, no, you're all lovely. I stood with him, and then eventually the rest of the HWI group joined us, until the line dwindled. Then, per Hayley's suggestion, all the HWI members got a group photo with her! I have not seen the result yet, however. It was taken using Bill's camera.
After Hayley had left and we were waiting for Bill to drive up, the staff commented on what a different concert experience this was for the Orpheum theatre (the WCO normally does not play there), and they even commented on what a wonderful singer Hayley is! These were the guys that had walked out with Hayley, and one of which had stood below the stage for part of the concert. And had witnessed the crazy scene I made with Hayley. LOL
Okay, now, for something interesting. I've told you how Grant had told Hayley I was coming to her concert. I logged into my twitter account 2 days ago, and saw that I had a Direct Message. Guess who it was from!!!!!!!! Yes, it was from Hayley!! It was dated the 18th, the day of the concert! Here's what she said:
*faints*
Although I used the computer room at the hotel that day, I only logged on as @hayleysforum, because there were photos from Ireland to post/re-tweet. I think it was just as well, though, because I think it would've made me more anxious during the show, wondering how to get to the stage door. I still got to meet her, and I think that was good enough at the time.
Anyway, I think that might've been why I thought Hayley looked at me funny, because she was wondering if I'd seen her message, and maybe was waiting for me to say something about it. Or wondering if she should mention it, as well. Or maybe she did think I was crazy, who knows? Or maybe she was trying to figure out how old I was, because I look like a teenager. But after I'd recovered my composure and was thanking her, she might've wondered if I was more mature than she'd originally thought. LOL I just don't know.
But anyway, despite some of my awkwardness, overall it was an amazing experience. I can't wait till the next US concert, because I'm totally there!
Glad to meet them. 
I'm sayin' nothin', I have the right to remain silent 
