Today (01/25/2014) was the Wizard World Portland Comic Con. After only getting 3-4 hours of sleep I was exhausted but excited since I have been waiting the better part of a year for this day!! Brian and I took off around 10am and headed for the Convention Center in Portland. After spending almost an hour looking for a parking spot and another half hour or so in line to get in, I headed straight for Norman Reedus' line as I knew from last years Con his would be the longest. I was right! During the two and a half hours waiting to get his autograph I made friends with the adorable 18 year old twin girls in front of me. We chatted about Norman (of course) and the other celebs we wanted to meet. As we got closer to the big moment the girls were getting so excited and nervous that I thought they both might faint...lol! Fangirling at its best! When the line wrapped around to just the right spot they were taking selfies with their backs to Norman so he would be in the pictures....during one of many shots he managed to photobomb them, throwing peace signs and his signature smile!! Both girls immediately started texting everyone they knew and posting it as their profile pic on every social media site they had....it was the cutest thing I ever saw! When I got to Norman he was still smiling from his encounter with the twins. We chatted for a second while he signed my photo op pic from last year and hugged me TWICE.....I even managed to sneak a kiss on his cheek ;-) Made my day!! After leaving Norman, which was SO hard to do btw, I went over to meet Robert Englund. Yes, that's right, Freddy Krueger himself!!! Let me tell you, he is the NICEST person ever! I asked him if he was having fun in Portland and he proceeded to tell me a 5+ minute story about visiting Portland when he was a kid, staying in the same hotel he was in this weekend AND that he had gone to a local pub last night and got hit on by much younger women...LOL! We ended our encounter with a hug and a kiss on the cheek! What a dream come true! ANOES is my favorite horror movie franchise ever and to have this new memory to add to that is priceless! After Robert it was time for a much needed break since my leg was screaming at me. A little while later we headed back inside and I went straight for my SOA boys. Kim Coates (Tig-SOA) was first and he was an absolute delight! We stood there for a few minutes and talked about SOA and where the show is headed in it's 7th and final *sad* season. He kept calling me sweetie, babe and darlin' and hugged me three times! He also signed my picture with a very personal message about liking my name :-) As I headed to the next booth to meet Ron Perlman he called out "Love ya!" and while I was in Ron's line Kim headed out for a break so I called out "Love ya Kim!" and he turned, looked me right in the eye and said "I love you too sweetheart! See ya later!" I know he probably says the same stuff to all his female fans but for just that moment he made ME feel special and I will carry that with me forever!! ***If you ever stumble onto this blog Kim I just want to say thank you for those very special moments and I love ya!!*** When I finally got to Ron he was everything I expected. Kind and gentle but with a commanding presence that any fan of SOA knows well in his portrayal of Clay Morrow. We chatted for a minute while he signed my picture and then he allowed me to take a photo of him with my phone, which he wasn't generally allowing, so that made me feel special! I basically begged him, but it worked.......When it came to my final meeting I had to make a choice. Did I want to go hang with Michael Rooker again like last year or did I want to meet someone new? I chose the latter and boy am I glad I did because I pretty much got a twofer! I decided to meet Jon Bernthal (Shane-TWD) and what a sweetie he is! He signed my picture, called me sweet names and was including free posed pics with his autographs (as long as you brought a camera or phone with you!). While he was signing the pic I'd selected Laurie Holden (Andrea-TWD, her booth was right next to his.) popped her head through the curtain to talk to Jon. She kept looking my way so I said "Hi gorgeous!" To which she replied "You are so sweet! Thank you!" so I went for it and asked her if I could steal a hug.....she stepped through the curtain, hugged me and reiterated how I was "so sweet".....the only thing that could've been better is if Brian had been ready with the camera to catch this rare moment, but he did see it happen so that's good enough for me, as is the lifelong memory I have! Meeting Jon and Laurie was amazing but it also included the funniest moment of the day. When Laurie popped her head through the curtain Jon asked if she had any ibuprofen or Aleve. I told him I had some Tylenol and asked him if he had a headache. He then proceeded to tell me "It's too much alcohol, damn Norman Reedus!". We started laughing and I asked if they had gone out last night, he said "Yeah......" and mumbled some curses under his breath. Jon, Laurie and I were all laughing at this point as was most of the line behind me. Then we took our photo, hugged again and I went on my merry way!
Talk about the Best Day Ever!! There were a few other people I would have liked to have met and gotten autographs from but, honestly, I ran out of my allotted "Con $$" and I had gotten all the people I knew I couldn't live without so no regrets! I can't wait till next year!!!!! Brian and I are thinking about doing some Cosplay next time so we have some planning to do and costumes to make between now and then.....I'm already excited!!
Well, that's all for today and I will try to post some pictures soon! I hope this post found you in good health and enjoying your weekends :-) Brian and I are headed to Florence tomorrow for a much needed overnight and then I have surgery on Tuesday so I might not post for a bit. My love to you all!! XOXO
