One Proud Dad

Wow. Talk about being a proud dad! Last weekend was my daughter, Renee's wedding. Now I must tell you that most fathers, including myself, selfishly believe that no one is capable of taking better care protecting their daughters. That's until we met Jonathan, our new son in-law. From the first day we met Jonathan, we knew there was something special about him, and I have no doubt that he will take good care of my daughter.

Friday afternoon, we all met for the rehearsal, and afterwards we went out to dinner with the entire wedding party, of course. We all had a great time telling stories and enjoying each others' company and talking about the wedding, which was less than 24 hours away...


With Renee practicing the walk to the alter

Friday night, I had a hard time falling asleep. In fact, at 3:45 AM, I awoke and couldn't fall back asleep, so as hard as I tried, no dice. Time to get up and start getting ready for the big day. Around noon, I put on my tuxedo and Betty and I left the house with our son, Max, who was also in the wedding. When we arrived, I could not believe how beautiful my daughter looked. So excited and happy was she that a glow radiated.


Renee getting ready


Renee with her friends, Rachael, Stephanie, and Travis


Photos just before the ceremony


I know pronounce you husband and wife.


The happy couple


First dance


Father and daughter dance


The wedding cake was gorgeous




The cutting of the cake


Rocking out with air guitar



I hope you can tell by the few photos what a great time everyone had. For a father to see his daughter so happy celebrating one of the most special days of her life is an experience that I'll never forget. The look on her face all day and all night long was one of pure joy and happiness. Being able to share it with all our close family and friends made it all the more special. It's really cool to be the father of the bride. The honeymoon will begin Monday when they head for the Monterey Coast, and they will spend the entire week there.

On a personal note, I really want to thank all of you who sent emails and phone calls of congratulations for this special day. You are like an extended part of my family, and it's a real pleasure for me to share this special day with you here.

Until next time,

Paul

Where Has The Time Gone?

Renee and I


Renee teaching me new dance moves


Renee and her soon-to-be-husband, Jonathan

Today's blog is very short; my oldest daughter, Renee, is getting married tomorrow. It seems like only yesterday that she was born. Where has the time gone? It reminds me to make the most of every day, because time sure has a habit of speeding up the older you get. So today, I'm off to do my Father of the Bride last-minute duties: pick up the tuxedos and on to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner tonight.

I'm sure I'll have plenty to report, along with photos next week.

Until next time,

Paul

Mark Wilson's On The Phone

Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought I would hear those words: "Paul, Mark Wilson is on the phone." Imagine how great it is to have your idol call you on the telephone and want to speak to you personally! Almost every day, I get to talk to Nani and Mark. Who would have thought? Because of our great friendship, several products have been introduced to the magic market. The first was the Limited Edition Allakazam Hat, which sold out almost immediately. So successful was our first venture together, both Mark and Nani were willing to let me twist their arm and produce Mark's version of the Sucker Silk to Egg, the Allakazam Egg. The sales of this effect have soared which led to our third offering, the Sorcerer's Apprentice Magic Kit. It's been exciting and rewarding to see the tremendous response to each one of these products.

And so, with all this in mind, Mark called me yesterday to tell me that he has yet another project in the works that he wishes to share with Hocus Pocus. He did everything but tip what it was, and I have to say, I am on the edge of my seat! So big is the project that, rather than discuss it with me over the phone, both he and Nani will be making a special trip from their Los Angeles home to Fresno on Thursday, the 29th of January. They will be here for 2 days to discuss the project. Now, Mark knows just how to get to me; no matter how much I asked for more details, he told me I'd just have to be patient and wait until he gets here. I feel like a little kid again, waiting for next Saturday's Magic Land of Allakazam to air. So, for now I'll have to be patient, as hard as that is for me to do, and I know I'll be talking to him several times before then, and I'll try to wriggle out as much information as I can. But, I know Mark -- he'll keep me on pins and needles until the 29th. You can bet one thing: once I know, you'll all know too!

On the home front, I just heard from my son, Cole, who is now in Rome until the end of the week, he got to see the Sistine Chapel, and their hoping to see the Pope this weekend. The beginning of next week, he'll leave Italy bound for Paris, France, where he'll stay until the end of the month.

We're now just one week away from my daughter, Renee's wedding to Jonathan. Everything is set and ready to go. Now all we need to do is throw caution to the wind and hope that this is the best wedding on earth. I'm sure I won't be disappointed...

So, until next week, I'll try to be patient, waiting for news from the Magic Land of Allakazam, and you can bet I'll keep you posted.

Until next time,

Paul

A Brand New Year

Well, I did it. I actually took last week off, and it was great. Got a chance to catch up on my sleep, saw a few movies, and basically did what I wanted to and when I wanted to. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect week off. I will admit that coming to work on Monday was a bit of a challenge. It was like I was out of sync. By the end of the day, though, I was back in full swing. So many of you sent us Christmas cards and New Year's greetings and well-wishes, and I just want to say how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

On New Year's Day, my son, Cole and 18 other students from his college embarked on a 1 month overseas Jan term. He left from San Francisco at 2:00 PM Thursday afternoon and landed in Italy 3:00 PM Friday. While there, they will be studying art and architecture for approximately 2 1/2 weeks and then on to Paris they will go. He will return the first part of February, just in time to celebrate his 21st birthday!

In 2 weeks, on the 24th of January, my oldest daughter, Renee, will be getting married. I must tell you that this is a little hard for me to believe. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was holding her in my arms as a baby. Both Betty and I are very excited for her, and we could not be happier about our future son in-law; he is very kind and truly a great guy. I know they'll be very happy together. I'll keep you updated on the wedding plans, and of course I'll have plenty of wedding photos to share with you afterwards.

Here at Hocus Pocus, we've been so busy, it's like Christmas is still just around the corner. Lots of new items and even some hard-to-find antiques and collectibles have been hitting the door daily.



One project we're really excited about is from our good friend, and in my opinion, one of magic's biggest best-kept secrets, Michael Boden. As you know, Michael has been so generous this past year by supplying us with many free online downloads. If you've not yet seen them, make sure you head over to the Free Downloads category within the online shop and download them for yourself. I think once you've checked them out, I'm sure you'll agree with me that Michael is one clever guy! But he's saved the best for last; we are very excited to announce that Michael's first DVD release, a 2-disc DVD set, Beautiful Moves, is now available exclusively at Hocus Pocus. With a very cool online demo, you should check it out and see what all the commotion is all about HERE.

Now that January is here, it's that dreaded inventory time. With thousands of items to count, I've decided to make a special offer to all our online members. It will be quite an incredible deal for you and hopefully, afterwards, there will be less inventory to count. If you are an online member, be sure to look out for a very special email I'll be sending sometime this weekend... If you're not an online member, now is the time to sign up -- you'll be glad you did. You'll find the JOIN button located in the right hand column within the online store. Trust me, sign up today.

The new Masters of Illusion television show aired for the first time Monday night at 9:00 PM on MyNetworkTV. This is the first of 13 weeks of new shows featuring various performers in a one-hour format. The first episode was jam-packed with performers featuring all types of magic: illusion, close-up, street, and even geek magic. I thought the first offering was pretty good and the talent lineup for future shows is top-notch. If you missed the first episode, make sure you mark your calendar for this Monday's episode. Check your local listings for more information.

How many of you have made your New Year's resolutions? I know I've made mine, and believe it or not, I've already started putting them into effect with great success. I'm excited to see what 2009 brings; I truly believe it will be the year of change. This weekend, I plan to check out the new Clint Eastwood film and spend some time with my daughter before she gets married. You know, father of the bride and all...

Until next time,

Paul