Ms. Smith Goes to California

By Cody Thompson
One of Cookeville High School’s own, Ms. Julie Smith, recently had a well-deserved vacation to California. Ms. Smith left Nashville on Saturday, November 11th. Accompanying her on this trip was her best friend of 35 years, Kelley Hudgens, who resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon her arrival in Los Angeles California, the first place Ms. Smith visited was California’s famous burger stop, In-N-Out Burger. Ms. Smith commented on this burger stop saying that, “It was delicious…I ate there three times, out of the four days I was there.” After her delicious meal, Ms. Smith took a delightful Beverly Hills tour. On the tour, she saw an abundant amount of celebrity homes. These homes include: Michael Jackson’s house, Paris Hilton’s house, Dr. Phil’s house, and many more.
Ms. Smith was also on two TV shows, Jimmy Kimmel Live with guest appearance by Robert Pattinson, and The Price is Right. Ms. Smith got to the Price is Right studio at 5:30 A.M. to be accepted into first 300 people. She stood in line until 8:30 and waited in the studio until the show started at 1:00 P.M. While waiting, Ms. Smith had a 15 second interview with the show’s producer to see if she could be on the stage with Drew Carey! (The host of the Price is Right) Ms. Smith was chosen to be one of the lucky few to be on the stage. I asked Ms. Smith if she won a prize, she stated “Yes, I can confirm that I did win something, and that I got to spin the Big Wheel, but I cannot tell you what I won, because of contract reasons.” If you are interested in what she won, you can watch the Price is Right on January 8th to see Ms. Smith on this popular television show.
I asked Ms. Smith what her favorite thing she did on the trip, and she said it was being on the Price is Right. She said she and her friend Kelley have been wishing to be on that show since they were little girls. I went on to ask her how her vacation was, she said, “ It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had… It exceeded my expectations.” She also said if anyone has the opportunity to visit the west coast, that they should!