OK....so, we (my mom, sister and I) arrived that the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg Illinois (practically in Chicago) and the mall is HUGE!!!!!! It has like 3-4 levels, HUGE!!!! I could definately tell we were getting close to the Wentworth Gallery in the mall...because you saw the BIG line of people!! lol... as we waited in line, I was able to see the beautiful board displayed to show Jane's appearance. And you could tell that all of Jane's artwork was waiting for us in the gallery. Even from outside the gallery, you could tell how beautiful all of her artwork is. Of course, I'd seen it online but never in person!!! There were 2 guards standing at the entrance. My mom, sis and I were talking when we noticed the line moving forward and everyone started entering the gallery, but it still took a little bit because of the long line. I never took my eyes off the gallery as I walked in, lol and as I walked...I could see Jane in the distance, towards the back of the gallery already talking to people. Even from a distance, you could tell she is GORGEOUS!!!! And it was funny because I said "There she is!!" and my mom said "Where?"...I said "Right there!!". And she said "Thats really her??" and I said "YEP!!!!" and then my mom said "And she is that gorgeous in person, that is not fair, she is 6 years older than me!!" and of course I had to laugh. Then my sis said "That is sickening how good she looks." it was funny.
So, we all gather into the gallery and Jane is standing behind a gated area and she welcomed us all and greeted us all with a beautiful speech!! She talked about how art is a passion for her and how it's gotten her through many obstacles in life. She talked about her father's passing, her divorce from David and how hard that was, she talked about her Mother and the beautiful meaning behind the "Open Hearts", she talked about how everyone should have a passion in life and go for that passion. It was a very moving and beautiful speech, she is a great speaker as we all already know!! Then, she thanked everyone again for coming and welcoming her there so kindly. She said everyone was welcome to look around and that if we had any questions, that the gallery representatives had the answers. And then she said that if her art is purchased, that it would include her book for free and that she would sign it- that we would also get an extra autograph plus a picture with her. Of course, that was the GALLERY's rule...NOT Jane's rule!! You could tell how she said it too,lol. Jane would have taken pictures with people wether they bought art or not. But, I understand her having to respect the gallery's rules completely. At that point, she had to go to the back, and we couldn't see her anymore.
Well, everyone starting looking around. I was looking around admiring all her art SO EXCITED that I got to see her in person and hear her beautiful speech....yet I was on the verge of tears because I wasn't going to be able to give her my letter or book that I had published...that I wasn't going to get to talk to her or have my picture with her,etc. I was so sad. All of her artwork was $1900 and up....THEN......I walked over to another area....and saw actually one of my FAVORITE pieces of her's anyways....in a smaller version...and more my price range!!!!!! However, because I still needed to make sure I had enough $$ for the rest of the trip and to get back home (lol...did need to get back home afterall lol) I wouldn't have been able to pay it ALL right then and there, but half. and I thought "Oh man, what if they would let me do that!! Pay half now, and the other half in a week and they could ship it to me!!". I was partly in doubt thinking there was no way they would do that. But, meeting Jane has ALWAYS been one of my top dreams and I was SO CLOSE to meeting her one on one, that I took the chance and asked. SO, I talked to one of the representatives....who talked to her manager....who went back and asked Jane if that would be ok.........and Jane said...." OF COURSE!!". So, JANE and the manager made it happen!! I'm really not surprised though, Jane has a Heart of Gold!!
So, I stood over with the manager of the Gallery while he asked my address of where to send my art piece, took my deposit,etc. We got all the paper work done and he grabbed my art work to head me back to the room where Jane was!! And I said "I have a question."
And he said "Yes?". I said "I had a book published and I brought a copy that I really want to give to Jane. I also wrote her a letter, can I give them to her?" He smiled at me and said "Yes you can!".
SO...... (I'm getting excited thinking about it all again! lol ) he leads me back to the room and I thought he would go in first but he was a Gentleman believing "Ladies First" so he opened the door for me and here I thought it would be a big room, maybe Jane would have people in there with her,etc. But...nope....when I walked in, I was literally standing right in from of Jane, just a few inches away from her. She was sitting in a chair with a book in her hands that she was reading. It kind of put me in shock for a few seconds,lol....she was sitting right there in front of me!! She looked up and smiled at me and said "Hello " and I smiled back and said "Hello ". The manager came over and said "Jane, this is Marita." and Jane said "Hello, Marita!" and I said Hello again!! lol. And he said "She just purchased one of your art pieces". And Jane smiled at me and said "Oh wonderful!". And I said "I love your art, you'r e my favorite artist!". And she thanked me. I made sure not to say "I loved you in Dr. Quinn, and Somewhere In Time, and Fanny Kemble and everything else you've played in, you've always been my fav actress and always will be etc etc etc! lol because the Wentworth Gallery is pretty strict and to them she is there as an ARTIST and they want you to be there to see her as an ARTIST, so I said EVERYTHING I have always wanted to say to her in my letter to her!! That way, I could say it without saying it aloud and the gallery representatives hearing me! lol.
Well, this part was funny...the manager walks out of the room, and Jane walks out behind him...and apparently I was supposed to follow them out and they and Jane thought I was right behind them...well they walk out, and the door shuts...and there I am standing in that room all by myself with the door shut! lol. The I hear the manager say "Where'd she go?", all of a sudden the door opens back up and I see Jane's head pop in and she said "Marita, come on!" and she smiled and motioned for me to follow her!! lol, it was really funny. And apparently Jane thought so too because she was giggling at me, which made me giggle!! lol.
So, we walk out and she pulls out one of her books about decorating,etc and signed it for me "To Marita, With Love: Jane Seymour" (of course, I didn't mention that I already had her book, because she signed this one!! lol). I started telling her about how much I admire her and that she has been my favorite since I was 8 years old. She said "How old are you now, 27, 28?". I said "I'm 25, just turned 25 in July". She smiled and said "Oh, so you're a long time fan!" And I said "Yes and I always will be!" She smiled and said Thank you and told me that I was sweet,etc. She then told me I had a beautiful name and said my name matched my looks. She said "Do you have Italian or Indian in you?" I said "Indian" and she said she could tell from my high cheek bones. I was impressed she could tell, people always think I'm Italian! Then she asked if my hair was naturally curly and I said yes. She said it was beautiful and she kind of twirled a couple of my curls!! I'm usually picky about who touches my hair, but not picky with her!
She asked me which of the art was my favorite, I said the one I purchased and also "The Kiss" from Somewhere In Time, she said that was one of her favs as well. Then, a worker took it over to a canvas holder to display it for the picture. And Jane suggested that instead of on the canvas holder, that we just hold it and I agreed. So, she picked it up and walked over to where we were to take the picture. As I was walking over to her she said "Oh, I love your shirt!" and I said "Thank you, I actually thought you would like it when I chose to wear it and its also one of my favorite shirts!" and she said "I can see why." It really is one of my favorite shirts and its a Japanese style shirt and I love that culture, and even when I decided to wear it, it seemed like a shirt Jane would like too. Then, the photographer took our picture together twice. We were not allowed to take ANY pics of her or her with us with our own camera. ONLY the professional photographer could take your picture with her and ONLY if you purchased her art, that was the gallery's rules.
Then I said to Jane "I already asked if I could do this and I want to give you something. I wrote a book and had it published almost 2 years ago..." and she said "Oh that's wonderful!" and I said "I know you're busy and may not have the time to ever read it but I would just be honored knowing you owned a copy." and I gave her the copy that I had even written a little note to her in it and dedicated it to her. She thanked me and started reading the back cover and looking through it. I had placed the letter I wrote her in an envelope and slid it in the book. When she found it, she picked it up and said "And this?". I said "That is a letter I wrote to you expressing everything I wanted to say to you." and she half hugged me, put her arm around my shoulder and said "Thank you!" and they wanted her to get ready and go back to that room. So, she said "I'm going to take this back here by my purse and read it later." And I said "Thank you so much for everything" and she smiled and said "Thank you!". And she went to the backroom then. I was only with her around 5 minutes or so but it was....AWESOME!
So much more wonderful than I even imagined it would be!! She is SO SWEET AND SO DOWN TO EARTH!! SHE TRULY HAS A HEART OF GOLD. SHE MAKES YOU FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE!!! AND SHE REALLY IS EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL IN PERSON THAN ON TV! It was a dream come true, a Lifetime experience and I feel so blessed that I had that moment with her! I walked out in a daze,lol. It was wonderful. I can not wait until I get the pictures in the mail of her and I! And of my artwork!! They are sending me my artwork and pictures in the mail together, can not wait!!! I will share all the pics when I can!
I can't wait till those of you have not met her yet to meet her! and don't give up on it, it can happen!! Dreams can come true! And when you do meet her, you will be amazed!! You will see that she is even sweeter than you even thought she was! She truly cares about people!!
It was great!!!! I am glad to share the experience with you all!!
Love,
Marita
So, we all gather into the gallery and Jane is standing behind a gated area and she welcomed us all and greeted us all with a beautiful speech!! She talked about how art is a passion for her and how it's gotten her through many obstacles in life. She talked about her father's passing, her divorce from David and how hard that was, she talked about her Mother and the beautiful meaning behind the "Open Hearts", she talked about how everyone should have a passion in life and go for that passion. It was a very moving and beautiful speech, she is a great speaker as we all already know!! Then, she thanked everyone again for coming and welcoming her there so kindly. She said everyone was welcome to look around and that if we had any questions, that the gallery representatives had the answers. And then she said that if her art is purchased, that it would include her book for free and that she would sign it- that we would also get an extra autograph plus a picture with her. Of course, that was the GALLERY's rule...NOT Jane's rule!! You could tell how she said it too,lol. Jane would have taken pictures with people wether they bought art or not. But, I understand her having to respect the gallery's rules completely. At that point, she had to go to the back, and we couldn't see her anymore.
Well, everyone starting looking around. I was looking around admiring all her art SO EXCITED that I got to see her in person and hear her beautiful speech....yet I was on the verge of tears because I wasn't going to be able to give her my letter or book that I had published...that I wasn't going to get to talk to her or have my picture with her,etc. I was so sad. All of her artwork was $1900 and up....THEN......I walked over to another area....and saw actually one of my FAVORITE pieces of her's anyways....in a smaller version...and more my price range!!!!!! However, because I still needed to make sure I had enough $$ for the rest of the trip and to get back home (lol...did need to get back home afterall lol) I wouldn't have been able to pay it ALL right then and there, but half. and I thought "Oh man, what if they would let me do that!! Pay half now, and the other half in a week and they could ship it to me!!". I was partly in doubt thinking there was no way they would do that. But, meeting Jane has ALWAYS been one of my top dreams and I was SO CLOSE to meeting her one on one, that I took the chance and asked. SO, I talked to one of the representatives....who talked to her manager....who went back and asked Jane if that would be ok.........and Jane said...." OF COURSE!!". So, JANE and the manager made it happen!! I'm really not surprised though, Jane has a Heart of Gold!!So, I stood over with the manager of the Gallery while he asked my address of where to send my art piece, took my deposit,etc. We got all the paper work done and he grabbed my art work to head me back to the room where Jane was!! And I said "I have a question."
And he said "Yes?". I said "I had a book published and I brought a copy that I really want to give to Jane. I also wrote her a letter, can I give them to her?" He smiled at me and said "Yes you can!".
SO...... (I'm getting excited thinking about it all again! lol ) he leads me back to the room and I thought he would go in first but he was a Gentleman believing "Ladies First" so he opened the door for me and here I thought it would be a big room, maybe Jane would have people in there with her,etc. But...nope....when I walked in, I was literally standing right in from of Jane, just a few inches away from her. She was sitting in a chair with a book in her hands that she was reading. It kind of put me in shock for a few seconds,lol....she was sitting right there in front of me!! She looked up and smiled at me and said "Hello " and I smiled back and said "Hello ". The manager came over and said "Jane, this is Marita." and Jane said "Hello, Marita!" and I said Hello again!! lol. And he said "She just purchased one of your art pieces". And Jane smiled at me and said "Oh wonderful!". And I said "I love your art, you'r e my favorite artist!". And she thanked me. I made sure not to say "I loved you in Dr. Quinn, and Somewhere In Time, and Fanny Kemble and everything else you've played in, you've always been my fav actress and always will be etc etc etc! lol because the Wentworth Gallery is pretty strict and to them she is there as an ARTIST and they want you to be there to see her as an ARTIST, so I said EVERYTHING I have always wanted to say to her in my letter to her!! That way, I could say it without saying it aloud and the gallery representatives hearing me! lol.Well, this part was funny...the manager walks out of the room, and Jane walks out behind him...and apparently I was supposed to follow them out and they and Jane thought I was right behind them...well they walk out, and the door shuts...and there I am standing in that room all by myself with the door shut! lol. The I hear the manager say "Where'd she go?", all of a sudden the door opens back up and I see Jane's head pop in and she said "Marita, come on!" and she smiled and motioned for me to follow her!! lol, it was really funny. And apparently Jane thought so too because she was giggling at me, which made me giggle!! lol.
So, we walk out and she pulls out one of her books about decorating,etc and signed it for me "To Marita, With Love: Jane Seymour" (of course, I didn't mention that I already had her book, because she signed this one!! lol). I started telling her about how much I admire her and that she has been my favorite since I was 8 years old. She said "How old are you now, 27, 28?". I said "I'm 25, just turned 25 in July". She smiled and said "Oh, so you're a long time fan!" And I said "Yes and I always will be!" She smiled and said Thank you and told me that I was sweet,etc. She then told me I had a beautiful name and said my name matched my looks. She said "Do you have Italian or Indian in you?" I said "Indian" and she said she could tell from my high cheek bones. I was impressed she could tell, people always think I'm Italian! Then she asked if my hair was naturally curly and I said yes. She said it was beautiful and she kind of twirled a couple of my curls!! I'm usually picky about who touches my hair, but not picky with her!She asked me which of the art was my favorite, I said the one I purchased and also "The Kiss" from Somewhere In Time, she said that was one of her favs as well. Then, a worker took it over to a canvas holder to display it for the picture. And Jane suggested that instead of on the canvas holder, that we just hold it and I agreed. So, she picked it up and walked over to where we were to take the picture. As I was walking over to her she said "Oh, I love your shirt!" and I said "Thank you, I actually thought you would like it when I chose to wear it and its also one of my favorite shirts!" and she said "I can see why." It really is one of my favorite shirts and its a Japanese style shirt and I love that culture, and even when I decided to wear it, it seemed like a shirt Jane would like too. Then, the photographer took our picture together twice. We were not allowed to take ANY pics of her or her with us with our own camera. ONLY the professional photographer could take your picture with her and ONLY if you purchased her art, that was the gallery's rules.
Then I said to Jane "I already asked if I could do this and I want to give you something. I wrote a book and had it published almost 2 years ago..." and she said "Oh that's wonderful!" and I said "I know you're busy and may not have the time to ever read it but I would just be honored knowing you owned a copy." and I gave her the copy that I had even written a little note to her in it and dedicated it to her. She thanked me and started reading the back cover and looking through it. I had placed the letter I wrote her in an envelope and slid it in the book. When she found it, she picked it up and said "And this?". I said "That is a letter I wrote to you expressing everything I wanted to say to you." and she half hugged me, put her arm around my shoulder and said "Thank you!" and they wanted her to get ready and go back to that room. So, she said "I'm going to take this back here by my purse and read it later." And I said "Thank you so much for everything" and she smiled and said "Thank you!". And she went to the backroom then. I was only with her around 5 minutes or so but it was....AWESOME!
So much more wonderful than I even imagined it would be!! She is SO SWEET AND SO DOWN TO EARTH!! SHE TRULY HAS A HEART OF GOLD. SHE MAKES YOU FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE!!! AND SHE REALLY IS EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL IN PERSON THAN ON TV! It was a dream come true, a Lifetime experience and I feel so blessed that I had that moment with her! I walked out in a daze,lol. It was wonderful. I can not wait until I get the pictures in the mail of her and I! And of my artwork!! They are sending me my artwork and pictures in the mail together, can not wait!!! I will share all the pics when I can!I can't wait till those of you have not met her yet to meet her! and don't give up on it, it can happen!! Dreams can come true! And when you do meet her, you will be amazed!! You will see that she is even sweeter than you even thought she was! She truly cares about people!!
It was great!!!! I am glad to share the experience with you all!!
Love,
Marita