More picks and video from comicon...

Your shipping manifest is right here, Mr Fett... I need your signature here, here, and here...

One boxed heroine, coming right up...

Edited: We interrupt this program to bring you a special bulletin on fanaticism...

Wednesday night, we spent grocery shopping and packing our bags and the van for a potential camp-out in our aunt's backyard.  Also, some of us still had to make costume adjustments.

Since the main events we wanted to participate in on Thursday were the panels with Mark Hamill and William Shatner started at 11 am, we decided to leave a bit early.  We gassed up, got some yogurt parfaits on the way, and snacked on fruit and drove for about 3 hours to our hotel.  Luckily, we were able to park there and walk to the Vivint Smart Home Arena with just enough time to spare to grab seats that one of our uncles saved for us, before Mark was introduced!  The announcer said something to the effect of "Guess who just walked in the building?"  I quipped, "US!"

He did NOT give away any spoilers...

Mark did say however that he has given away false spoilers in the past, and he said that his original trooper helmet from Episode 4 has deteriorated terribly bad that its not as good as the models today are.  So don't try stealing it from his house.

One thing that I really enjoyed was that he called us his friends.  So, now I'm on a first-name basis with Mark!

Shatner, during his interview, on the other hand, kept trying and failing miserably (to our delight) to catch pieces of confetti they exploded in the air for both events that was floating down from the ceiling.  And he kept telling everyone, jokingly, to "Get a life!"

That afternoon, we checked into our hotel room. Those Tempur-pedic mattresses were really wonderful all 3 nights!  We went to a bunch of panels, mostly on Star Wars and table-top gaming.  Zelda got to be first in line for Jessica Day George's autograph in her book Dragon Slippers.  Which she's been reading to me ever since!

Friday, we went to a bunch more panels, mostly on costuming, but also a fun one on Fullmetal Alchemist.  Learned a bit about thermoplastics, Zelda got a free sample.  I bought my Kingdom Hearts Keyblade in metal.  Earlier, I totally forgot about the free tram nearby the hotel.  Next year I'm going to remember!  Less walking to the con, more walking around the con!  We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, and I also got a mini-fridge to store our amazing leftovers in.

The dynamic duo rockin' out!

Saturday, we spent wearing our costumes and buying souvenirs.  Unfortunately we had a small costume disaster on the way but it turned out okay, even though the Zelda panel we wanted to attend was completely full-packed.  Instead, we checked out Kidcon, too.  Zelda got her metallic pretty elf ears from the same booth that she got her tiara from last year. And I got a new UltraSabers prop saber for another outfit in the works.

Sunday, we went to church with our Aunt and Uncle and played a few games with their kids.  The peaches are just as good as they were last year!  MMMmmm, sweet peach lemonade!

Monday, we had a small chicken barbecue lunch, and then left mid-afternoon for the drive home.

All in all, even without autographs and photo sessions this year, it was still a pretty amazing Labor day weekend!  The only bad part was I brought home an unexpected souvineer: a heat rash - we think - from wearing my costume and overheating/dehydrating and having my backpack/camelback scrape my chest and side.  Oh, the things we do for our fandoms...

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Salt Lake Comic Con 2015

Wednesday night, we couldn't sleep, we spent most of the night packing up our costumes and watching anime until almost 3 in the morning.  We were super excited and anxious!

Our friends Matt and Liz - who we had played Splendor with a few weeks earlier - picked us up about 6 am.  We were running on adrenaline and a 3-hour nap.  We high-tailed it down to Salt Lake City and Magna to drop off our stuff at the houses we would be staying at with family.  We made it back to the Salt Lake Palace and parked underground about noon.  Sarah realized she needed new shoes and we were a bit hungry for lunch so we went to the food court at the mall across the street from the Salt Palace and had lunch there.  There were lots of statues outside the convention palace and even a Tardis box.  VIPs and those with gold badges were let in beginning at 1pm.  Sarah let me sneak past general admission so I could get to my first Star Wars panel at 2pm.  There was so much to see and do, and lots of people dressed in interesting costumes it was impossible to see it all and do it all the first day.  Though we did our best to take it all in... Supper was a truck kitchen slider and grandma's chicken & wheat noodle soup later that night at almost midnight.  Lesson learned: get the gold badges next year for early entry and only plan 2-3 main events or panels per day with time to browse tables and the show room floor. 

You can pick your friends, you can even pick your nose,
but NEVER pick Han's nose even if he's frozen in carbonite!

When 30 years old you were, look this good, you did not!

Friday morning, we took our costumes and props with us for our photo shoots that day and rode the buses and the Trax train back to the palace and got in a little late, but just in time to attend my 2nd Star Wars panel for the Utah fan film awards.  We also went to the Miyazaki panel together, had a shared burrito lunch at the con just before our photo ops.  I got a few of my Star Wars books I was lugging around signed by Tim Zahn & Bob Salvatore.  I desperately wanted to get my giant Pez dispenser signed by Anthony Daniels in the morning but couldn't get the $80 cash he was asking for.  So after waiting in line and watching him being interviewed by the local TV station, and then realizing he was asking for cash, I decided it wasn't worth waiting anymore.  Sarah almost missed her picture being taken with James Phelps, and then I got mine within the same hour with Anthony Daniels.  There's a story there: As he was taking pictures with other attendees, he would use a shiny C3PO doll about 10 inches tall and hold it like an Emmy award.  When he saw my prop, his eyes went about as wide as 3PO's bright photoreceptors (as wide as dinner plates), guffawed and said "My life is one giant PEZ dispenser!", took my PEZ holder in hand and took his photo with me!

Best. Reaction. Ever.

 
We ran into Sarah's uncle & cousins, her cousins and her all bought decorative wire tiaras (crowns) at a floor shop.  After attending a few more panels and attempting to get into the Guinness "world record attempt for most people dressed as comic book characters at a convention" (Star Wars and Harry Potter were out), we toured the vendor block for a bit and decided we'd try to go to bed early that night.  Legs and feet were getting tired after running and walking on concrete all day.  We picked up a few groceries at a store and went home on the Trax and buses.

Saturday was a more relaxed day - sightseeing and shopping.  Got more books signed by the Hickmans.  Watched the kids at Kidcon practice their youngling lightsaber training, Sarah got her face painted and we had a more slower paced leisurely stroll through the convention.  We should have played some games - both board games, RPG, and some of the video games that were available.  Oh well.  Some of the best deals happened towards the later afternoon when vendors didn't want to lug back any of their merchandise.  Lesson learned there.

Matt & Liz picked us up again Sunday morning after sacrament meeting and we rode back to Idaho Falls with breakfast and snacks in tow.

We were both happy to get away and geek out as well as getting back home after such an exciting weekend!

Can't wait for next year - we're already scheming... er, uh, making plans!

My less than 3 and a half minutes of fame on TV...

More to come later...

iCON, Star Wars Reads Day, and Halloween, oh my!

Friday & Saturday we took time off work to enjoy some board game playing with each other and with the friends we made at iCON over the past few years.

We got to play a new game called Splendor - a jewelry themed strategy game where you pick up diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, or topazes to buy mines and refineries to win and impress high class nobles.

About mid-day Saturday, Russ went to Star Wars Reads Day at Barnes & Noble to participate and assist the 501st again.  Vader got to borrow his Lightsaber.  Not surprisingly, Russ came home with a Vader sippie cup, as drinks were on the house for those in costume.

All Vaders on deck!

Even big Fanboys get their foto op!

Halloween is fast approaching.  Time to put the last minute touches onto this year's newest costume.

@ the last minute... Reuse, Recycle, Re-invent!

The wife (like most of us) began to prepare her Primary Sharing time lesson the night before her presentation.  Little did she know that she would need 3 volunteers to portray characters from the past in proclaiming their testimony of the resurrection and visitation of Jesus.

Much to the chagrin of her hubby, he valiantly volunteered to be a robed Nephite, donning on his jedi robe and the bamboo staff from prior costumes (along with a wild-colored necktie for a headband), which were again re-used and re-invented into a new character... Jacob the Nephite!  She, herself, chose to be Mary Magdalene using lace for a head-scarf, a newly acquired dress from D-I, and an off-white long sleeve shirt as a belt and sash.  She also managed to coerce our home teacher to play the part of "doubting" apostle Thomas who used a spare bedsheet for a robe.

Scriptures were shared, ad-libbing commenced, and the kids were impressed.  I think the spirit was there too.

Ahh, the stuff we enjoy doing for our geeky-ness!

"Winter" 2014 Rexburg Fan Faire

Yes.  It snowed.  Again.

Took off to BYU-Idaho to attend the "Winter" semester 2014 Fan Faire.  A little slick on the roads, but survivable.  Geeks & Nerds unite!

The 501st Legion was invited to dress up in costume, and we had a pretty good turnout of supporters.  Lots of students and other faculty came dressed as well.  There was Geeky Trivia, retro-videos, contests, games, raffle drawings, and lots and lots of pictures to be taken.  A good time had by all participants.

Here's a few snapshots I managed to get.  Waiting for more, hopefully from the host at http://www.theclosetgeek.net