Fantasy Con 2014

The world's first ever Fantasy Con took place in Salt Lake City over Independence Day weekend. Life of the Party Entertainment ran a photo contest to give away free tickets. I submitted several photos of myself in various costumes, and -- happy day -- I won!

Another reason to love this photo!

The tickets were for Thursday only, so I resolved to make the most of my day, including taking the day off from work. I didn't wear a costume this time, and it did not hinder my ability to enjoy myself. I certainly wasn't the only person in normal clothes. I also took my brother Adam and my friend Jillian with me. They didn't stay with me the entire time, and we had a lot of fun when we were together!

Adam went to a panel that I wasn't interested in and was surprised to find a childhood friend on the panel! They talked for a while afterwards, and Adam's friend said he probably wouldn't attend the other days and asked if Adam wanted his "Special Guest" pass. Adam wasn't interested, but he took it for me, so of COURSE I went back on Saturday. Why not?

Sometimes, I feel really lucky.

Comparisons to Salt Lake's Comic Con -- the only other event like this I have been to -- are inevitable, so here goes:

I loved that Fantasy Con set up opportunities specifically for photos.

Isn't Larissa lovely?

"Well, thief, I can hear you and feel your air but I can't see you..."
- Smaug the dragon, The Hobbit

That happy moment when I secretly decided that I am prettier than this gorgeous mermaid.
(I don't care if it isn't true.)

This growling, animatronic creature was far too creepy and cool to be given a name as silly as "Rocky!"

Luke and I below one of the 30 foot guardians.

I borrowed the chicken from the Endor Stormtrooper (on the right). She's a friend of mine.
I think it's tradition I always get a photo with the 501st or Rebel Legion if they are there.

Fantasy Con had a lot fewer artist and vendor booths than Comic Con, and a lot more stuff to do and see, including several places for live performers.

Live-action role players play some sort of game.
(I watched a couple of times, but I couldn't figure it out.
I think there were different games at different times.)

Jessica and Sean from Utah Children's Theatre performed a few scenes from Shakespeare plays.

Holding one of Creature Encounters's beautiful bearded dragons.

Puppeteer Scott Land

A large-scale Ticket to Ride game board. 

Fire dancers.
The one on the right had a hula-hoop of fire, and at one point hooped
it on her feet while she did a handstand. Crazy cool. 

Joe, or "Joker" performed a nerdy slam poem about Euclidean Geometry... and won the competition!

Adam mentioned that Fantasy Con was more family-friendly than Comic Con, mostly because many of the costumes weren't as scandalous, and probably also because of the aforementioned things to do.

Adam humored me for a photo together.
Who knew Jabba is green? I thought he was mud-colored!

The Marvel booth green-screened us into this photo for their upcoming movie.
I'm now even more excited to see it!

Human AT-AT, with Chewbacca peeking out the top.
"Chewy, get down here, she's wounded!
No, wait! I've got an idea..."

Perfect Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time. Do I look like Emma?
(Oh, now I need to dress up like her next time.)

Friends Madman and Logan were "street" performers. Nice touch!

Fantasy Con wasn't nearly as crowded as Comic Con (I'm guessing that won't be the case if they do it again). I was able to get in to every panel I wanted to see.

Thursday, July 3

Doug Jones, "Billy the Butcher" from Hocus Pocus

Kid History panel
Richard, Dave, Brett, Randy (standing), and John

Middle Earth (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) panel

Billy Boyd, "Pippin" from The Lord of the Rings movies,
sings "Mist and Shadow" at an audience member's request.
Fun fact: the song was written because the LOTR script writers
heard Billy sing karaoke and wanted to showcase his voice.

A bunch of dwarves and Sylvester McCoy "Radagast the Brown" from The Hobbit movies,
and John Rhys-Davies (bottom right) "Gimli" from The Lord of the Rings. 

Another photo of the Dwarves

Saturday, July 5

Billy Boyd's panel.
I admit to being sad that he's married. Happily, he was delightful, and even shared a story from
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World!
"'De-manned' isn't a word, is it? Oh, I guess 'demand' is. I demand that you not de-man me!"

Someone asked about Billy Boyd's bucket list, and he said he's always wanted to direct. So, he and the moderator pulled some people from the audience and he directed a scene from The Lord of the Rings. The actress playing Pippin stopped the scene a couple of times 'cause she was afraid of getting hit with an apple..."

Kid History premiered the full version of their short film The Wand of Universal Power, made especially for Fantasy Con.
(Notice the Fantasy Con logo on the knight's armor and shield.
Also notice that the narrator is author Brandon Mull.)

Sean Astin panel.
He reminded me a LOT of my friend Todd.
Now I need to re-watch The Lord of the Rings movies, and then reread the novels.
"If you saw that in me than it exists in you. Never forget it."
- Sean quoting something Sidney Poitier said to him once. 

The backdrop in the main ballroom was stunning!

Simon Pegg panel.
Incidentally, his was his first ever Con.
"Vulcans don't emote, but they DO snore."
I loved that he was just as nerdy as the rest of us, and couldn't
get over how much he hates Star Wars Episodes I - III,
or getting to work with Leonard Nimoy as Spock.

Mark Sheppard panel.
It would have been more fun for me if I'd ever seen Supernatural, but the actor was
very entertaining. He kept jumping off the front of the runway to randomly hug
people or talk to an adorable child or tease someone. Haha!
"Firefly wasn't cancelled, it was taken, which is why everyone is so upset about it."
"'Nerd used to be a derogatory term, and it isn't a derogatory term anymore. We OWN it."

The Power of Women in Entertainment panel, featuring Renee O'Conner and Adrienne Wilkinson from Xena: Warrior Princess, Claudia Christian from Babylon 5, Amrita Acharia from Game of Thrones (I met her with Jillian and she was really nice), and Tinsel Korey from the Twilight movies.

I heard from a few vendors that Fantasy Con wasn't as well organized, but as an attendee I didn't notice.

 Thursday

Marinda (dressed as an LOTR wood elf)

Jillian knew the guy in charge of the FilmQuest Awards and
he let us hold and take a photo with the Cthulu-themed trophy.
Funny enough, one of Jillian's projects ended up winning. I like to think I'm good luck!

My only celebrity photo: The guys from Kid History.
I was so surprised when Richard put his arm around me that I immediately got awkward :P
Thankfully, they were are very, very nice. They made faces, though,
when I said it was weird to hear them speak with adult voices.

Saturday

Stacy joined me for the Kid History panel.

Ballet West booth

MASK Costumes.
I saw this gown in a play last year and have coveted it ever since.

Patti and I

Thanks to my dart-throwing skills, I won 2 comps to a show at the Off-Broadway Theatre :)

The magic words were: "Free nail art demonstration."
Sadly, due to my chronic sunscreen usage those flowers didn't last the weekend.
This tells me I was right not to buy the kit, even if they did offer free lifetime refills.

Author (and friend) Rebecca Ethington and Spencer Hohl of the Of River and Raynn videos.

In conclusion, I had a marvelous time. My only regret is not trying the archery course. Comic Con will always hold a place in my heart and I like that more of my friends go to that one -- and it's nice that it isn't in the hottest part of the summer so that I can wear a costume and not melt while walking to and from the Salt Palace -- but Fantasy Con had a lot going for it. There was some concern that since it wasn't as well attended as anticipated they might not be able to do it again. I hope they are wrong. I would go again. I guess we'll see.

Speaking of Salt Lake Comic Con, a miracle occurred and I won a free multipass, so I guess I'm going again in September :)

My winning entry: "Captain Jack Harkness: The only man who ever made the Doctor feel silly for having a sonic screwdriver."

Maybe I'm lucky after all!

The hymns make a difference

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. 

- Doctrine and Covenants, section 25, verse 12

Yesterday, near the end of Sacrament meeting, I started to consider skipping the rest of the church block and heading home. I was enticed by the thought of all that I could accomplish in the two hours between Sacrament and dinner: scrapbook, organize my photo book, take a nap, snack on something other than the M&Ms in my pocket. I had about made up my mind to do it...

...And then we sang the closing hymn.

We sang America the Beautiful, hymn #338 in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hymn Book. I love the song, and I liked that we happened to be singing it more than a week after Independence Day. I love singing songs out of season. It makes me feel like we feel strongly about the songs and the sentiments rather than being obligated to choose them once or twice a year as appropriate.

During the fourth verse, the organ stopped playing. I kept waiting for it to pick up again and finish out the song, but it didn't. The entire congregation sang the last verse A cappella. I don't know if I've ever experienced that before during a regular hymn -- the choir does it all the time, one might say excessively. My ward has over 650 members, and an already powerful song was made even more powerful as we all listened to each other, to the words, and to the spirit. I thought about how grateful I am to live in a country where I can worship Heavenly Father in a way that feels right to me. I thought about how grateful I am that I have musical talent and have worked hard to learn all of the parts (I sang bass an octave higher during the A capella verse). Mostly, I felt grateful for the Holy Spirit that is always most potent for me when I sing the hymns.

When the hymn was over, I no longer wished to head home early.

The assigned topic in Sunday School was the entire book of Psalms from the Old Testament. There are 150 of them, so the teacher didn't try to cover them all. To start, he had someone read out loud some of the most popular. He pointed out that the Psalms were hymns for the people that lived during that time. Then, the teacher broke from tradition and asked that several of the class members volunteer to share their favorite hymn, tell us why it's their favorite, and lead the class in singing a verse. It was wonderful! We had no trouble filling the time; I enjoyed the variation and the reasons behind each choice:

• Be Still My Soul, hymn #124
• How Firm a Foundation, hymn #85, verse 7
• The Morning Breaks, hymn #1
• Jesus, Lover of My Soul, hymn #102, verse 2
• The Battle Hymn of the Republic, hymn #60, verse 2
• Lord, I Would Follow Thee, hymn #220, verse 3
• As Now We Take the Sacrament, hymn #169, verse 3

I was a little surprised when I found out that the Relief Society lesson was about marriage and family -- turns out I am about four lessons behind in my reading schedule. Our sweet teacher was nervous to teach because sometimes we older singles and divorcées become defensive at the topic...and also because she is engaged and was afraid we might tune her out. Fortunately, she decided to approach the topic as "What can we do to get ready?", "What are our hang-ups?", and "What blessings are we looking forward to?" She commented that she and her fiancé continue to work through their issues from their single lives and the constant rejection they experienced before they met each other. She also talked about working in a bookstore and pointing newly divorced women to The Infinite Atonement when they asked for a self-help book because the Savior gave us the best method for healing and finding joy in our circumstances. It was a positive, hope-filled lesson. I'm glad I didn't miss it. (As a bonus: for once we sang every verse in the opening and closing hymns.)

I left church yesterday feeling very grateful that through the music in Sacrament meeting and Sunday School I was encouraged to stay for -- and I was receptive to -- the lesson on marriage. I needed the validation from the spirit and my peers that my loneliness and heartbreak doesn't make me weird, and that Jesus Christ is the best person to help me through it. I need and want to make more room for him.

My Sunday School teacher ended his lesson with Psalm 116, verse 12:

What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

Heavenly Father definitely communicates to me through music. I know He loves me and is mindful of me. I may begin starting my scripture study with a hymn. I may only read the words, or I might sing, but I believe the hymns will invite the spirit and put me in the right mindset as I pursue a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ.

June was bustin' out all oooo-ver!

May was overshadowed by one big, gigantic, wonderful trip. June was dotted with many lovely activities and time spent with the people who matter the most. As always, I wish I'd taken more photos. I'm figuring out what people do when they aren't in a show during the summer ;)

My big brother celebrated another birthday, and requested Mom's famous cherry pie in lieu of cake.

Can't say I blame him. There's a reason why that pie is famous.

And this kid turned 10!

It's so rare to get an actual smile with Zonks.
Too bad, she has a pretty smile!

Broadway Live! at the Brigham Young Historic Park with darling date Julie.
(A free outdoor concert featuring some local favorites singing showtunes.)
Such a lovely way to spend a Tuesday evening. I should go to a couple
more before summer's end.

Celebrated Father's Day.
I'm grateful for any excuse to tell this dear man how grateful I am that he is in my corner.

Unexpectedly lost a sweet lady to cancer. She will be missed more than I can say.
Cancer sucks.

Carrie came to visit, so Liz organized a barbecue and we took a selfie ('cause that's what we do).
Thank goodness for Randall's long arms. This photo ain't half bad!

Whenever she comes home, I feel like she never left!

Muppets Most Wanted at the dollar theater -- and the
first snow cone of the season -- with Janae.
I ate mine with cream and ice cream. I couldn't resist.

In a strange reversal of roles, my dad came to me feeling terrible because he
had just hit my car with a Uhaul while I was parked at his house.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I reacted the way my dad always did
when I told him I'd crashed his car: I hugged him, made sure he was ok,
 and assured him I loved him way more than I love the car.
I laughed when I saw the damage. The bumper was crunched!
Happily, although I'd already caused some damage myself (on the other side of the bumper),
he paid for quite a bit of the repairs, and now Evie Elantra is as good as new again! 

Mom and Heidi's mom threw Aaron and Heidi a Hawaiian-themed open house/reception to celebrate their marriage.
The guest list was small and enthusiastic :)

Anyone who knows Aaron well knows he loves eclairs.
It was a no-brainer to serve them at his reception.

Danny jokingly likens himself to Bob from the movie What About Bob?: trying to take Dave's place in the family. Dave won't be replaced
any time soon, but we are all thrilled whenever Danny
comes around. He is a doll.

My job at the party was to mix up virgin pina coladas.
Blend 4 oz pineapple juice with 4 oz coconut creme and 6 oz ice.
Delicious! 

There are few things Pete can't do well.

It takes a lot to impress baby PJ ;)

The happy and beautiful couple

Like father, like son
(Adam's face is for the benefit of the camera.)

Shilene and I supported Theresa in South Jordan Community Theatre's production of Annie.
I must say, every play I see there is better than the one before, and this lady sparkles on stage!

A mini Sound of Music reunion at CenterPoint's Children of Eden.
I have missed these ladies greatly!

It's a little freaky that one half of 2014 is over. Fortunately, we still have another half to look forward to, and two more months of summer!

Do you have anything fun planned for July?

Not a day goes by that -- for one reason or another -- I don't heave a great sigh and think: "I am a terrible friend."

Relationships are complicated. Social media makes it worse. Is so-and-so not returning my texts and calls because she's mad? Did I make it worse by calling and apologizing when I don't know if she really is mad? Why hasn't she called me back since unless she IS mad? Was that passive-agressive message on Facebook from another so-and-so meant for me?

I vowed a while back that I wouldn't post anything for the masses on social media that I haven't already talked over with the person involved. I've started and deleted a lot of posts with that promise in mind. I wish more people would make that vow.

I'm not a perfect person. The fact is, sometimes I am a terrible friend.

The hard part is forgiving myself, and hoping that the other people forgive me, too, when they are ready.

The guessing game just makes it worse :P

The sooner I stop worrying about what other people think about me, the happier I will be... or will I?

Aren't we supposed to care about the feelings of the people we love?

Gah! And now I'm right back where I started: "I am a terrible friend."

I must do better.