DAY OF DAYS RECAP

I cannot believe another Day of Days has come and gone! Time is flying! This year, the beloved Soap Opera celebrated its 53rd Anniversary in style with a big bash at Universal City Walk.

At around 8:00a on Saturday, November 10th, Bryon our videographer arrived at our place in Pasadena along with Nansi. The awesome duo was set to capture and shoot a vlog episode for us to show behind the scenes of the celebration.

When I first walked out of the bedroom, I called out to Freddie saying, “I know you’re going to hate my jacket but I LOVE it.” I walked around the corner breaking out in dance in my SUPER flashy jacket. I’m a Leo, what can I say - I love any and everything that sparkles! Freddie laughed and went, “No, no. I like it.” (Uh-huh.) I then told him we should make a bet; if I got compliments on my jacket then he would owe me a 20 minute back massage - he sweetly agreed.

When we walked downstairs to meet Bryon and Nansi, the first words that came out of Bryon’s mouth were, “Rad jacket!” LOL - 1 point for moi. This day was going to be fun! We quickly shot an intro for the episode and then hopped into the car and drove to Universal City.

We arrived at CityWalk around 9:00a and proceeded to the talent parking. This event does not mess around, they have very heavy security and you feel like you are Britney Spears for the day. We were then escorted to a restaurant called Samba where they hold the talent and interviews.

As you walk in, to your left is where a majority of the media sets up, getting ready for their interviews. To the right are a few more set ups for on-camera interviews. Upstairs is the holding area for talent as well as the hair and makeup section.

We made our way upstairs and began seeing a ton of familiar faces. The cast was all making their way to hair and makeup and we were chatting, filming stories and catching up in between. Before the event starts, they do a grand entrance on the red carpet with the whole cast. We grabbed some coffee and were ushered to walk through the back entrance through the kitchen to the front of Hard Rock Cafe. The entire cast lined up alphabetically and were each called out to walk the carpet.

Once the cast made their entrance, half went to do meet and greets while the others were scheduled to do press first. Freddie was set to be interviewed first, so we went back to Samba. While he did interviews, I captured behind the scenes content and stories for IG. Between the interviews, there were probably a dozen compliments on the jacket. Alyssa - 13 Freddie - 0 LOL.

After press, everyone broke for lunch served upstairs. I ran around capturing more photos for the blog and then Freddie was set to do the big meet and greet! Once lunch was over, we were escorted upstairs to the signing table. I couldn’t believe how long the line was for the meet & greet! It was really cool to witness the impact these storylines and characters have had on so many people. Days of Our Lives fans are indeed the BEST. Second to none. Passionate, kind and just all around lovely.

My favorite moment of the meet and greet? Freddie opened up a gift bag, and this talented and splendid woman named Stacey had made a plush Benji! Her business (www.sockdogs.com) makes incredible lifelike plush doggies and a percentage of every sale goes to shelter animals. Swoon. Benji loves his doppelganger. I will be sure to post a photo to IG stories!

Usually, during the signing, I pop out for a few hours and see a movie. My girlfriend Savannah always comes to meet me and this year was no different! However, we were hungry, and I hadn’t seen her in what felt like forever, so we decided to head to Margaritaville to grab a drink and apps!

After that, we went back to the stage area where the entire cast was wrapping up the Q&A portion. We continued to meet and connect with some awesome people. All in all, the event was a total success, and I adore attending every year! I couldn’t be more proud of Freddie and the cast + crew at Days of Our Lives. They continue to deliver a timeless show that touches the lives of generation after generation.

As for the bet? I’m still waiting on that back massage…

Stay posted for the vlog - COMING SOON!

And most importantly…are you #TEAMJACKET !?