The older I get the more I love storytelling. I feel like I’m a good storyteller and can weave a tale, especially after a few beers.

The older I get the more nostalgic I am as well. Comes with the territory, I’m sure.

This past weekend I enjoyed two events that included lots of storytelling and were also very nostalgic for me. My mom was in town for Mother’s Day so I treated us with tickets to see Rob Lowe at the Mesa Arts Center on Friday night. He was doing a one-man-show in place of writing another book. We found out when he took the stage that this was his first time trying this format, to see if people enjoyed it. I’d say a sold-out crowd was a clear sign he could go on tour.

Rob was very entertaining, telling stories of his time in Hollywood and lots about his family. The show included fun photos on a large screen to help paint the picture of his stories. It was a lot of fun. His wife was in the audience, supporting him on his maiden voyage. He laughed they’d been married for 26 years, which in Hollywood that’s more like 126 years. After hearing him talk, I am very interested in reading his two books to find out even more. Such a talent and best of all, he’s very thankful for his fans and the long career he’s had. And he’s not stopping. He’s only 53 so there’s still a long road ahead of opportunities for him. I grew up watching his movies and still love seeing them when they show up on my movie channels. And his character in Parks & Rec is still one of my favorites on TV. He mentioned when asked by someone in the audience that that character is the closest to how he is in real life BUT that it’s actually modeled after a close family friend, KENNY G! Who knew! So many fun memories of Rob – I was so glad he chose Mesa for his debut show. That has to be a first for Mesa too!

My hubby and I then saw Kevin Smith on Saturday night. I can’t even count how many times we’ve seen him. We’re big fans. He’s always at San Diego Comic Con every year too, which we did cry some nerd tears that we won’t  be seeing him this year.

He told all his usual stories. I love that he’s as big of a fanboy of the pop culture he talks about as everyone in the audience is. His Star Wars stories are always the best. He told the story of the time at Comic Con when the whole audience up and left before his panel because J.J. Abrams invited them to a Star Wars concert with the San Diego Symphony. We were part of that audience.

I remember how excited we were, as we were being escorted down the street, behind the convention center, by a group of Stormtroopers, only to then realize we would miss our annual Kevin Smith-tradition. It was one of those rock and hard place situations. We knew in our heart of hearts, even as devastated as Kevin would be to see an empty room, he would want to be with us at the Star Wars concert and would understand why we all had to go. And he did but he’s still scarred by it. So scarred that he convinced J.J. Abrams to put him in the Force Awakens movie as a Stormtrooper. I think that was a fair trade.

And talk about the ultimate fan of fans. Multiple people asked Kevin to sign things and he doesn’t skip a beat. One guy even had him sign his arm, over a Dogma tattoo, and he was going to have the signature tattooed as well. That right there is dedication. He did tell him to think long and hard before he made the pen permanent.

I’m always amazed by how many people I mention Kevin Smith to that don’t know him. And my reaction always is  “You’re missing out! You need to watch this, this and this” and a rattle off all my favorite movies.

I’m really glad he came to town this year, especially since we won’t see him in San Diego, sniff, sniff. As Rob Lowe said, he’ll keep showing up, if we keep showing up. And I will for sure continue to support both these talents for as long as they’re continuing to entertain us.