Another Kevin Bacon Epiphany! (And the winner of the Almond Roca!)

So here’s the deal…you know how the only two places a woman can ever have a quiet moment to think are in the shower or when she wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep? Right? Well, today during one of those two moments a woman can find think (in the shower), I realized something kind of fun.

Let’s begin yesterday. I went to Joann’s to get a couple of spools of thread I needed for a fun quilting project, and while standing in line waiting to get my fabric cut (yes…I bought more than thread while I was there), I saw an old friend, Lori. (It’s kind of funny, because I rarely bump into her, but the last two times I have, it’s been at Joann’s. )

Well, Lori and I got to chit-chatting (me babbling on like an idiot…you know how I get when I’m nervous), and I remembered a trivial little story I wanted to share with her.

Last April, my sister-in-law, Kristi, and her kids, Amanda, Blake and Aubree, came down for a visit. While they were here, my brother-in-law, Kyle, had the idea all of us taking the kids to a fun little restaurant in Albuquerque called, Tim’s Place. (Click here for a link to Tim’s restaurant’s web site.)

You may or may not know that two of my sister-in-law’s four kids have Down Syndrome…and so does Tim, the owner of Tim’s Place! Therefore, we knew it would be a way fun place to have lunch!

We arrived at Tim’s Place, received our hugs from Tim (who slathered us all with attention ) and then were seated and told our waiter would be right with us. The very instant I saw our waiter, I kind of did a double-take, thinking he looked really familiar. He was tall, handsome and his name was, Sam…and I could’ve sworn I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn’t think where.  Hmmm.

Naturally, the moment Sam had seated us and had handed our menus to us, I leaned across the table and whispered to my niece, Amanda, “Amanda…aren’t you glad we got the hottie waiter?”

In her adorable little voice she said, “Yes I am, Aunt Marcia!” Amanda appreciates a handsome guy as much as any of us, after all. 

Now, over the years, one of the blessings I have observed of having Down Syndrome, is that those with Down Syndrome don’t seem to be as easily embarrassed as the rest of us. Amanda and Blake (Amanda’s brother who also has Down Syndrome) don’t struggle with the burden of humiliation like the rest of us do. They own a certain liberation we can only envy.

Therefore, when Sam Our Hottie Waiter returned to our table, Amanda promptly smiled and greeted, “Hi, Hottie!” (Awesome, right?!?! That girl is so free and uninhibited! I love it!)

Sam Our Hottie Waiter was very patient with us…very kind and cordial and even posed for some photos with Amanda! (Cute photo of Amanda and Sam Our Hottie Waiter to the right there.  I told you he was tall!  How dreamy, right?)

Yet, the entire time we were at Tim’s Place, I kept thinking, “I know that guy,” any time Sam Our Hottie Waiter was a round.

Well, we had a blast at Tim’s Place, then went home, and that was that. Of course, Tim is too wonderful NOT to request as a friend on Facebook, so I requested him, and he kindly accepted me as a friend.    He’s such a nice man!

Weeks and months went by.  Periodically I would check in on Tim (via Facebook) here and there to see what he was up to.  (And he’s always up to some adventurous thing.  )  But I never could figure out why Sam Our Hottie Waiter had seemed so familiar to me.

Then one day, WHAM! Tim posted a photo of Sam Our Hottie Waiter and tagged Sam in it! Lo and behold, Sam Our Hottie Waiter’s full name was Sam Dalton—and that’s when it hit me!

If you remember the Author’s Note in by book, A Better Reason to Fall in Love, I mention that my “Bacon Number” is three—you know, my Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon number—I can be linked to Kevin Bacon in three people…remember?

But what I did NOT tell you in the Author’s Note, was through WHOM I’m linked to Kevin Bacon in just three moves. And since it’s pertinent to this little tale, here’s the deal:

1. In High School I was acquainted with a couple of Hottie Brothers named Eric and Darren Dalton…the younger of the two being Darren Dalton. Well, while were in high school, Darren Dalton just happened to became a movie star! And one of the first movies he made was The Outsiders.  (He was Randy Adderson. )

2. So I know you see where this is going…Darren Dalton was in The Outsiders with Tom Cruise.

3. And as EVERYONE on earth knows, Tom Cruise was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon!

So there you have it! Now you know the secret to my THREE Degrees to Kevin Bacon! And I think you can see what’s coming next, right?

After Tim of Tim’s Place, led me to Sam “Our Hottie Waiter” Dalton, I Facebook messaged Sam and asked him, “Are you related to Eric Dalton?”  I mean the minute I realized Sam Our Hottie Waiter’s last name, I realized he looked sooooooooooo much like his dad!

Sam took mercy on me and was kind enough to answer my message and tell me that, Yes!…he is Eric’s son and that Darren Dalton is his Uncle! Totally fun, right?  The family resemblance is so uncanny…and that’s why I thought I had met Sam Our Hottie Waiter before, that first day at Tim’s Place!  Ha ha!

Anyway, back to me having a moment to think in the shower this morning…as I was in the shower this morning thinking over my conversation with my old friend, Lori ( I was actually thinking of what a dork I had been…nervously babbling on like and idiot…because for some reason the ol’ social phobia still raises its ugly head now and then and chose yesterday in Joann’s to do so…ugh ), and how I’d told her about bumping into Eric Dalton’s son/Darren Dalton’s nephew, because she was friends with the Dalton boys as well…it hit me!

I thought, “Oh my heck! I have GOT to tell Kristi and Amanda that they have a Bacon Number of four through Sam Our Hottie Waiter from Tim’s Place!”

You see, Kristi and her kids are in town right this very instant for another visit! And I realized that since Amanda met Sam Our Hottie Waiter, and since Sam Our Hottie Waiter is Darren Dalton’s nephew, and since Darren Dalton was in The Outsiders with Tom Cruise, and since Tom Cruise was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon…Amanda has a Bacon Number of 4! Yay!

Yep…true inspiration and/or epiphany usually hits me while I’m showering. I mean, I’m sure that’s true for everyone…but I thought I’d just share my morning epiphany with you…just for fun…being that we all LOVE to know our Bacon Numbers, you know?

Now…because I’m such a terribly tardy blogger…I realized that I owe someone out there a GIANT can of Almond Roca! And that lucky someone is…Melody!  Melody…here’s the comment I pulled out of my hat, and it’s yours…so just e-mail me at marcialmcclure@cs.com with you address and I’ll get your Almond Roca shipped asap!

Melody says:

February 11, 2014 at 1:23 pm “Love it! Coquette is a name I have down if I am lucky enough one day to have a daughter, I think it’s just beautiful. ”

As for the little goody I’m giving away for THIS blog…hmmm…let’s see. I’ve got it! Leave a comment here, on Facebook, Goodreads, etc. concerning your Kevin Bacon number, an “it’s a small world” story of your own, or anything fun, and I’ll plop your name in my hat to receive a package of Hormel Black Label Fully Cooked Bacon…72 STRIPS OF BACON!!!!! Delicious!

P.S. 30 years ago this very month, my college roommate, Sandy, and I…hailed the soundtrack to the ORIGINAL Footloose as our favorite music to blast through our apartment! Long live Kevin Bacon! Ha ha!

P.S.S. Here’s a video of an interview with Tim of Tim’s Place!  He’s sooooooooo awesome!!!!