Flashback Friday-Ready Freddie Fiddlesticks

It's been a very long time since I have done a Flashback Friday post. If you are interested, the last one was on June 19th, 2009, to be exact. Maybe I was busy living in the moment? Was I not able to flashback? Who knows?

Whatever the reason, there will be a Flashback Friday today! Aren't you excited? Ooooh, and it's coming to you straight from MGM Studios. I know, I know. It's now called Disney's Hollywood Studios, so sue me! How about if we just meet in the middle and call it Studios, okay?

Please let us introduce you to Ready Freddie Fiddlesticks! Although we have been meeting up with him on the streets of Hollywood for quite some time now, I seem to be seriously lacking in the amount of photos I have of him. Could it possibly be that I was living in the moment, making memories, and refused to pull my camera out? I'm sure that's what it is, because deep in the files stored in my brain, there are plenty of photos of him making us laugh!

Let's meet him, shall we? Dressed in his Christmas finery, this aspiring leading man always made quite an impression.

Although he was often #2 to Paige Turner's #1, his energy, determination, and ability to 'get off the box' often impressed the not easily impressionable director, the great Alberto Dante.

And when he was hanging with the ever animated talent agent, LeRoy Small, you never knew what kind of conversation you would walk into. Hysterical, for sure, but always a surprise!

Sigh...we will miss those impromptu meetings, his sweater vest, and of course, the way he always made our girlie smile.

I've talked before about how much we love to visit the Streetmosphere actors who grace the streets of Hollywood. And, like performers everywhere, their contracts are written, renewed, and sadly, sometimes not renewed every year. Although we are happy when we learn we will still be able see our favorite faces when we visit again, there will always be a part of us which silently mourns the loss of the Citizens who will be moving on. This year, along with a few others, Freddie is one of them.

When Renee was younger, it was so hard for her to understand why they weren't there any longer. But now, as she is getting older, she has come to realize that there may just be a silver lining in that cloud of sadness. These friends of ours who sweat it out in that relentless, hot Florida sun are more than just a Citizen of Hollywood, or a guy on the Hollywood Public Works truck. Behind those roles they are cast in, they are extremely talented performers who will surely move on to bigger and better things. For us, that's become a hidden blessing, especially when we have the opportunity to enjoy their talents in totally different venues. It opens up new windows in the world of a family who loves to laugh, smile, and sometimes even sing and dance along in our seats. Who knows what new and exciting things we will learn about and be exposed to now?

Thanks for the memories, Freddie. We will miss you, but with a heart as huge as yours, we know we'll be seeing your name in lights very soon. Keep moving forward, and have an amazing journey!