Dragon Con 2018 - Sunday!

This is the 3rd and final post of my Dragon Con 2018 recaps, to start at the beginning click here!

The Sunday of Dragon Con last year was a special one, because it was Emily's first full day at Dragon Con. She had been begging for several years to go, but because we tend to wait in line a lot at Dragon Con, Todd was hesitant to bring her. Since she was almost 10, we both felt it was time.

We started by getting me into the disability chairs for the Evangeline Lily autograph line. Then Todd and Emily made the trek to the Sheraton to get her badge. We had to wait a while for her to show up - thankfully we had the foresight to have Emily bring her tablet with her.

I was cosplaying as Anna from Frozen while Emily had her Pikachu costume on. She also had her Uma from Descendants shirt on because she wanted to wear it when she met the actress who played Uma.

Once Evangeline Lily arrived we were ushered back to meet her. We got to see Peter Capaldi (the 12th Doctor) since he was in the same area. Evangeline Lily was super sweet, especially to Emily. She had written a children's book and was giving the first one away with every autograph. We bought the 2nd one for Emily.

From there, we went up to the regular Walk of Fame so Emily and I could get our picture with Mandy to me. It was honestly the best celebrity interaction I've ever had!

Catherine Tate, who was awesome. She was super nice to Emily, gave her a free autograph and sang the song

After that, we went to the one place Emily had been dying to go to - the Dealer's Room! We stopped by the BPAL booth and Emily finally got to meet Beth and Ted's daughter, Lilith. Lilith is only a few months older than Emily is and they hit it off right away!

We wandered the dealer's room a while - I honestly don't remember what Emily bought but she got some things. Though the thing she still talks about is how another congoer actually gave her a Pokeball with a tiny stuffed Pikachu in it. She was amazed and very  happy about that!

We got in line for China Anne McClain, who plays Uma, and waited, and waited. After about 15 minutes, I was starting to fade so I asked a volunteer for a chair. They quickly got me one which helped a lot. In the end I think we waited over an hour for her because the time on her table was not correct.

We were about to leave when she finally showed up and we were so glad we stayed. Sadly she wasn't doing table pictures but we got her autograph. She loved Emily's Uma shirt and gave Em a hug and a fist bump. Emily was more than a little starstruck!

Emily and I went to wait in the disability corral for the Catherine Tate panel. She was again, hilarious! We were going to stay for Mikey Mason's concert but after the panel I was completely out of spoons so we headed back to my aunt and uncle's house.

I had a good time at Dragon Con 2018, and I was so grateful for disability services. I would not have made it without all the chairs. I wouldn't recommend having surgery right before con, but I'm glad it worked out in the end.

This year will be better. I'll be back in the parade and Emily will be coming with us on Sunday again!

ConCarolinas 2018

I love ConCarolinas, it's one of my favorites cons to go to. Todd doesn't like it because there aren't enough people he wants to get autographs from, though he did consider having me go on Sunday to get Adam Copland's (aka Edge from WWE) autograph. In the end, Emily and I just went for Saturday.

Like at SC Comicon, Emily and I were cosplaying as Pikachu (her) and Anna from Frozen (me). My choice of costume was pretty much because it's the most comfortable to make the two hour drive to Charlotte.

We got there around 9:30 so we had time to get our badges and head to the dealer's room. Since the dealer's room didn't open until 10 we hung around in the hallway talking to the SCA folks. They told me that there was a chapter of the SCA in Asheville and how to go about contacting them. I've been interested in the SCA for years, but it always all seemed overwhelming. But I did send an email and joined the local chapter's Facebook page. I've been to a couple of fighting practices, and hope to actually suit up and fight next time. But I digress.

Once the dealer's room opened, Emily hemmed and hawed about what she wanted to spend her money on. And then she saw that one of the booths had a tiny kitty that you could hold for a dollar - it was for an animal shelter. So I paid a dollar and she went into cat heaven.

After her cat time was done, she ended up buying some Pokemon cards. One was a big set that the

guy had discounted because the packaging was torn. It was a really good deal.

We left the dealer's room to go play D&D. The game we were scheduled to play in was for higher level players, but there weren't enough people signed up who had high enough characters. So one of the DM's ran a different game. It was two adults (including me) and then three kids. The other two kids were Emily's age and it made for a really fun game.

Emily played a wizard and at one point in the game, she put a rock to sleep. She was very proud of that. We ended up killing the rock as well.

From there, we took another swing around the dealer's room, and I paid so I could cuddle the kitty. Emily petted the kitty as I held him, and was in kitty heaven again. We also took a picture with the Ghostmobile that they had outside. Just as we went out there, the sky opened up and we got a little wet. Someone was nice enough to take our picture despite the rain.

We had some time before my friend Mikey's show was going to start so we went to see Valentine Wolfe play. I hadn't heard them before, but they were really good. Lots of dark, gothy rock that was really awesome.

Once they were done playing, we moved up to the front row since that's where Emily wanted to sit and listened to Mikey's concert. He always puts on such a great show!

After that, we were tired so we headed home. It was a lot of fun but I definitely want to stay the whole weekend next year. It makes for a very long day with four hours on the road.

SC Comicon 2018

I was really excited to see that Cary Elwes was coming to a nearby con in Greenville, SC but since it was right after Lexington Comic Con I didn't think we'd be able to go. But my wonderful husband surprised me by buying a photo op with Cary Elwes at SC Comicon for my birthday.

Cary Elwes is an awesome actor. My favorite role he's done is Westley from The Princess Bride mostly because that is one of my all time favorite movies. He doesn't do a lot of conventions either so I really wanted to meet him.

Since I work on Saturdays, it was easy for me and Emily to go on Sunday (sadly Todd had to work). But my Sunday School teaching partner was out of town that weekend, so I had to teach Sunday

School first. Since I wanted to get down to the con as quickly as possible because Emily also had youth group that night, Em and I wore our costumes to church.

I was Anna from Frozen so it was just a fancier dress than I usually wear to church and Emily was clad in her Pikachu costume. The kids in Sunday School thought it was a little funny. But once Sunday School was done, we got in the car and headed to Greenville.

Once we got there, we went straight to Cary Elwes' booth. We had to get a ticket showing we had bought a photo op to get in line and his booth was completely closed off so no passerby's could see him.

We didn't have to wait too long, and finally we got inside for our picture. He talked to us for several minutes and was very sweet, especially to Emily, as we talked about The Princess Bride. 

After we got our picture, I ran into several people I knew and chatted with them. Emily spent the money she had brought on Pokemon cards, and then we got some pictures with cosplayers. Batman, Boba Fett and some Ghostbusters!

We took off after that, since Emily needed to change before youth group. But it was a fun afternoon!

Dragon Con 2017 - Saturday!

This is the 3rd post in my Dragon Con 2017 recap! To start from the beginning, click here!

Dragon Con Saturdays always start out the same for me, heading to the parade staging area. I always love the parade but I was especially excited because I was a Disney Princess. Anna from Frozen, to be exact.

I talked with some people and got ready to go. We were on the underside of the parking area where the parade is staged so it was nice and cool. Finally it was time to go, and I had the parade of my life! Being a Disney Princess in the parade is beyond awesome! I got to high five a bunch of kids and see the wonder in their faces as they saw us come down the street. I even got a sweet hug from a tiny little girl. It was quite the experience!

After the parade was over, I headed to the Walk of Fame and got to get my picture with John Cusack! He is one of my favorite actors and one of the bigger names Dragon Con has gotten over the years. It was awesome!

Usually, we leave right after the parade but there was an early afternoon Matt Smith panel I wanted to see. So after a trip to the con suite for food, I got in line for the panel. Because of my chronic migraines, I get a sticker that lets me sit in line and then get an end of the row seat when we get in there. Being able to do this makes my con much more manageable!

I always pick an end of the row seat like I'm suppose to. We honestly all get decent seats since disability people are the first in the room, but some people like to try to get right up front when that isn't what is marked on their pass. During the load in of everyone else, a lady who was suppose to have found an end of the row seat and tried to get up closer was in tears while cursing out the con staff because they had made her move. I'm glad they did because there is no reason to abuse the pass. It says right on there 'end of row'. Some people need different seating, depending on their disability but most are end of row peeps like me.

The panel was great and I was glad I stayed to see it because I wasn't going to pay the expensive prices to actually get a picture with Matt Smith. After it was done, I went to the food court and met Todd. The con was really crowded so we headed out.

We went to a mall that is nearby to my aunt and uncle's house and as we got to the car, I realized that I hadn't brought a change of clothes. So I was Anna in the mall, which is a little funny.

The people at the Disney store loved my costume though! It was kind of cool to be in costume in the mall not on Halloween. We had lunch at Steak and Shake which was a place neither of us had ate at in a long time. Then we headed back to my aunt and uncle's house to hang out with my family since my dad was in town.

Up Next - Dragon Con - Sunday!

Disney Trip 2016 - Epcot!

This is the 2nd post of my Disney World trip report. To start from the beginning, click here!

We got up bright and early the next day to head off to Epcot. Emily was especially excited because this was her first ever visit to Epcot. We actually got on the bus early enough that we made it through bag check and the entrance gate before the park actually opened.

After a brisk walk, we made it to the Norway pavilion which is home to the new Frozen ride. Even though we made it there right about the time the park was opened, we still had about a 20 minute wait. That was ok because the queue area was very cool and it went by quickly.

Right now, Frozen Ever After is the most popular ride at Disney World. It was a great ride and of course, Emily loved it. As I would check wait times throughout the day, I noticed that for this ride the wait times went up and up and up. It was close to an hour wait when we got off the ride. I honestly wouldn't want to wait more than a 1/2 hour to ride it.

After we looked in the gift shop, we headed over to the line for the Anna and Elsa meet and greet. The queue for that was really cool as well, we were in their Summerhaus and it looked like a real house! Emily was thrilled to meet both Anna and Elsa for the first time. They were both lovely and Anna loved that Emily was dressed in an Anna costume.

We did some more shopping after that. Emily still had money on her gift card and it was burning a hole in her pocket. She got herself, among other things, an Elsa doll. She had to go and get Anna later that day.

After a snack we headed off for our fastpass for the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Emily loved the ride and she really enjoyed looking at the tanks once we were in the aquarium itself. What she loved most was watching a dolphin swimming around and around. I think if I had let her, she would have stayed and watched that dolphin all day!

At this point it was nearing lunchtime, so we headed back to our resort. After having some food and taking a relaxing dip in the pool we headed back to Epcot a few hours later. Our first stop was to see Baymax, whose line was really short. The line for Joy and Sadness, on the other hand was very long, so we didn't get a chance to meet them.

We had a fastpass for the other side of the Epcot Character Spot, so we used that to meet Mickey, Goofy and Minnie. From there, we headed off to World Showcase.  We had a little time before our dining reservation in China, so we went to go shopping in Japan.

The store in the Japanese Pavilion is amazing! Emily loved it because the first thing we saw when we walked in was Pokemon stuff. She got a stuffed Pokemon and some Pokemon cards. Then we went to get Japanese candy! Some pocky, some gummies and a few other things.

By this time, we were cutting it a little close so we hurried to China which was on the other end of the World Showcase. Our dinner at Nine Dragons was ok, but I don't think we'll be going there again anytime soon.

After dinner, we had some time before our Test Track fastpass so we went  did some things in World Showcase. We went back to Norway to get her Anna doll and she also went to the Kidcot station to color a Duffy which was on a stick. She also got a stamp on it.

Next we went to Mexico where she did the Kidcot station there and then we went on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros ride. Emily loved this ride and I loved that it had no wait. Even though she wanted to ride it again and see Donald Duck's exploits through Mexico it was time for Test Track.

This was the ride Emily was most looking forward to. On the Disney planning DVD, it shows that you get to build your own car in the ride. We had fastpasses and we were quickly to the screens to build our custom car. It was basically Emily's car because she designed it without a lot of help from me.

The first part of the ride was doing tests and seeing whose car did the best. Emily and I's car did get number 1 for something. I don't remember what. I do know that our car was not environmentally friendly at all. Emily had a need for speed.

Once the tests were done, our car sped outside for the thrilling finale around the track. Emily wasn't scared at all and loved the thrill of it. Afterwards she declared that Test Track was her favorite ride ever!

Now we have gotten to the part of the day where I really screwed up. Emily really wanted to ride the Imagination Ride with Figment. I had checked the park

schedule earlier and didn't see that this ride closed at 7 pm. Which I didn't find out until we were walking to the ride.

I felt really bad for Emily because it was my fault. She has pretty much spent all of her money at this point, but had really wanted a Marie stuffed animal. So to make up for missing out on Figment, I bought her that toy. It cheered her up.

After that, we got in line to ride Spaceship Earth. I hadn't rode it since I was a kid because it was down for rehab when Todd and I went on our honeymoon. It was really awesome and Emily liked it so much that we went right back on. We had time to kill before our Soarin' fastpass and there was no line at that time for Spaceship Earth.

Our last ride of the night was Soarin'. Emily wasn't too sure about it but I really wanted to ride because it was the new Soarin' Around The World. Emily screamed a few times but said afterwards that she really enjoyed it.

Even though it was time for fireworks, Emily was tuckered out so we went back to our resort. Emily loved Epcot a lot!

Up Next - Hollywood Studios!

Halloween!

Most of our Halloween activities happened before the holiday itself. We had the Halloween Carnival, went to the corn maze with Emily's Girl Scout troop, and visited the apple orchard. But of course on Halloween, we had trick or treating to do.

We have always gone trick or treating at the Asheville Mall. It's warm, bright and easy to get lots of candy. This year, because Halloween fell on a Saturday, we also had Todd with us. Emily was Anna from Frozen this year and I put on my Kaylee costume.

We got to the mall early so we did some looking around in Build-A-Bear and Barnes & Noble. Finally the time came and we started trick or treating. We did a circle around the mall, stopping in the food court for some supper.

After we ate and Emily played in the play area for a bit, we went back to the stores we hadn't hit yet. Emily's sack was filled up with candy and other things. She also got to get her picture with the Chick-Fil-A cow too!

It had been a very grey day outside and it started to rain on our way home. That made me glad that we opted to go to the mall again. While it would be nice for Emily to get the experience of running around in the neighborhood in the dark, ringing doorbells, our neighborhood is generally very quiet on Halloween so we'd  have to go to a whole other neighborhood which seems like a huge pain.

We got home and let Emily have one piece of candy, then it was time for her to go to bed. Even though it was the time change that night, I also passed out soon after. It had been a long but fun day!

Want Vs. Need - The Frozen Conundrum

Emily and her own "Olaf"

As you may have noticed, I love Disney. Disney World, Disney movies, Disney music. Because of my love affair with all things Disney, we went to see Frozen in the theater. I actually saw it twice because Emily and I went to the Frozen sing-along too.

The DVD came out the day before my birthday so I got it as a birthday present to myself. Emily and I have seen it about a dozen times since then. But we have no Frozen toys, clothes or other merchandise in part because of the scarcity and in part because my kid has too many toys to begin with.

Emily is an only child, and I know we spoil her. But we try to keep the spoiling to a minimum. She's no Veruca Salt and doesn't get everything she wants. So there is no way I would be willing to spend even a $100 on the hard to get Frozen stuff.

Nobody's kid NEEDS an Elsa dress. They may want it, but when faced with the choice of no Elsa dress or having to pay tons of money for one the choice should be easy. But apparently parents are trying to get their kids the dresses, no matter what the cost.

Yes, Disney dropped the ball with Frozen merchandise, but I'm sure they are already ramping up production. And as soon as September hits and the Halloween stuff starts coming out, there will be a ton of Frozen costumes to buy.

I did ask Emily what she wanted to be for Halloween. I thought she'd say Anna, Elsa or possibly Sailor Moon. But she said that she wanted to be a pirate! That we can do but she'll probably change her mind before October.

The world isn't fair so while it's hard to not give my kid what she wants she needs to learn that the world isn't fair and you don't always get what you want. I wonder how those kids whose parents are stressing so much to get them Frozen stuff will turn out in the end.