Lisa arrived a few minutes after the assigned 11 AM. We could tell she was very happy to see the line, like she has fans in Phoenix. She bashfully said hi. She's surprisingly petite (I'm only 5'5"), although she looked taller on TV. She looked very attractive in a red/white/blue shirt and navy blue slacks (perhaps in a patriotic mood?). She still looks the same as back in the '80s. Like me, she takes good care of herself. Christianity is a big benefit, and I was more than willing to make an effort to show up with Beau in this awful heat (provided there's good air conditioning in this store, of course!) offering my support of her beliefs, as well as her being a great author. I wasn't thinking about her as a star. I was second in line, because I prefer someone in front of me so that I could watch what to expect! I made sure to have my video camera (strap around my neck) and camera (strap around my right wrist) ready, so that Beau's leash wouldn't tangle around them. As my turn came, I asked Lisa to pose with Beau first and then with Beau, me, with her next- where her husband Steve assisted in photographing us. I was a bit nervous and couldn't hold my camera steady, but thank goodness the pictures came out great. She autographed my name and Beau's on the promotional ad (above) that I printed out off the berean.com website (they had run out of the in-store ads way early), as well as her book. She even made sure that my name was spelled as K-a-r-e-n, and that Beau's actually B-e-a-u. Now come to think of it: M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u...! Steve, the store manager, and some people from the line took pictures of Beau! I started photographing Lisa some more signing for others, and videotaped the entire event. One time her cell phone rang, and Lisa went to her purse to retrieve it to pass it to Steve. Was it their three kids? Lisa posed with a little girl with a helium voice. Beau kissed her hand when she reached out to pet him. Someone even gave her what looked like a gift of jewelry. I even stayed and waited till the end, so I could chat with Lisa a little more without holding up the meandering long line. We talked about Beau as a Hearing Dog and his functions, and I told her I appreciated her being there, and that I was glad everything worked out. Whew! I usually take Beau out in public for special events only, such as this one. Just want to note that pets aren't permitted in this store, only service animals like Beau. Lisa was very easy to understand, and she understood my soft-spoken demeanor. It didn't feel like she's a star; it's like she's a local author or neighbor. Her son, Tucker, has ACHD (attention deficit & hyperactivity disorder), so that's probably why she was very comfortable around people like me. I also noticed on the table that she had the other (first) book she had published entitled, "Creative Corrections" (published 2000, hardback, $16.99, 295 pp), that wasn't at the table earlier and asked her to autograph it the same style as she did the other book earlier. She spent approximately an hour at her signing, as some 30 customers/fans showed up. Before she left, she made sure to generally autograph the rest of her stacked books for late customers/fans. When I went to pay for the two books, one customer/fan in line moved her lips to me to exasperate that Lisa's books are "wonderful books".

I am SO glad and relieved that it was a very pleasant experience- I give it an A+. Especially with Lisa willing to hold Beau like that. Not only were Lisa and Steve very polite and gracious, the store staff and customers were very nice! Christianity rules. Steve did a great job assisting Lisa. You could tell they love what they're doing. This event was part of the pit stop of their promotional Christian speaker tour around America in their RV that was launched in July 2001, which they call 'Family Dream'. Lisa's also staying in the Phoenix area for the weekend to do a speaking engagement at the Community Church of Joy (75th Avenue / Beardsley Road - Glendale, Arizona) and is slated to return to Phoenix this coming October, to speak at another church. I'd like to have gone to the Church of Joy, but the weather's just too darn hot, plus I have limited transportation for the summer. Maybe this October when it's a little cooled down. Visit her official website for more information (click Family Dream), as well as to view her Family Dream journals/photos. Her grandmother, lovingly known as Nanny Velma French, used to be president of Lisa's fan club since Lisa debuted as a mouseketeer on the New Mickey Mouse Club ('77), as well as operating Lisa's official site; she retired in 2001 when her health deteriorated. Lisa's personally operating her own official site, where she occasionally sends out an e-letter and hosts a chat.

When I arrived home, I practically put my bag down right after I closed my front door, and made a beeline with Beau to the bathroom to give him a scrubbing bath. Not only was he very dirty, he needed a cool-down! Boy, was he so happy to be home all nice and clean (and COOL). He later took a nap and slept hard! It was Rudy, my Persian cat's first time alone without Beau home with him whenever I went out. He wanted extra attention! Ahh, the beauty and love of a male Persian! My right arm was a teensy bit sore due to carrying Beau around, so that his paws wouldn't get so dirty for the pictures, much less dirtying Lisa's clothes (good thing she wore dark pants)! I was hoping it'd be breezy that day, but! By the way, her books are well-written and very easy to understand; it's like she's talking to you and not lecturing you. I am very proud of her skill as a stay-at-home hands-on mom without outside assistance like other celebrity moms. Three active children is a big job to attend to 24/7, and Lisa loves her role as she takes it in stride. She made have made very good money invested from show business not to end up as a 9-to-5'er, but it takes love, not wealth, to be a wonderful parent be it staying home or working. She's the kind of mom who, if her kids forget to say thank-you at one house during trick-or-treating, she'd not only immediately remind them to say thank-you, they'd have to also surrender one candy. This prevents bad habits; some parents just make them say thank-you then they'd leave and forget about it, or some would say nothing. I'm a doting 'pet parent' to my 'furkids', Beau and Rudy, so I thrive on proper discipline. Her first book specializes in raising children the Christian way with the benefits of homeschooling, and her second book is about leading a nourishing Christian life. It also hints how she's avoided the pitfalls of Hollywood life where many of her peers fell asunder. I feel so good knowing someone my age is out there delivering the goods for the communities, by spreading the gospel of God and His Savior Son, Jesus. In one of her books, Lisa mentioned discovering Chrisitianity at 10; I was 8- though I was born Catholic in New Jersey. In conclusion, I truly made an effort to see Lisa more so as a Christian author than as an actress, although I did love the Facts of Life and the New Mickey Mouse Club. That's why I had her autographing the current project she's in such as her books. However, I still have a couple of Facts of Life shows saved on my videotape, as well as the New Mickey Mouse Club episodes. Remember those View-Master reel-to-reel pictures?? I have that of the MIckey Mouse Club. Good thing I've always been good at saving rare stuff! (By the way, the original light bulb still works!) Lisa was also a singer and released her Grammy-nominated (inspirational category) gospel record back in the '80s. She was last seen in the Facts of Life Reunion movie on TV last fall. For more on Lisa's show business resumé, check out imdb.com / Lisa Whelchel . She and I share a strong passion and support in Christianity combined with acid-free scrapbooking, and see her Memory Makers magazine feature that I saved in my SCRAPBOOKING GALLERY, page 3 (scroll down to the end) Site. Currently, Lisa's writing her third book. For those of you very familiar with scrapbooking ethics, YES, I have sprayed acid neutralizing mist on Lisa's autographs in the two books and ad! I spray on other autographs on paper (not photos)...

My message to the next celebrities planning to visit Phoenix: Please come in the winter time!

Also, if you have your own Lisa story/photos to share for my here Site, E-MAIL me!

Lisa's third book entitled, Finding God in America, is slated to hit the stores possibly in 2003.