Letters To The Phelps and Elijah Wood

Letter to the Phelps Twins:

Thank you for bringing two amazing characters to life. During a trying time for me, the Weasley twins became my favorite characters in storybook history because of their loyalty, creativity, and the ability to cause just enough mischief to make an impression, but never (well, rarely) stepped their toes over the line. I wanted children like the Weasley twins, and I got that...2 wrapped up inside of one. As 'regular' people, you seem genuinely kind and that makes you so much more likable. I know that great things are ahead for you, James and Oliver, but know this: as actors, you have impacted the lives of I'm sure several, but I know of one for sure.

Letter to Elijah Wood:

What I wanted to say:

I have followed your work for several years long before you made Lord Of The Rings; Radio Flyer, Adventures of Huck Finn, The Good Son...the list goes on and on. Most of your work has made impressions on me somehow, and I place you 'up there' in the legendary status along with Tom Hanks. Diverse characters, flawless execution. I am a great admirer.

What I actually said:

I am a really big fan. You have no idea...

Which I bet he does have an idea considering I was shaking, babbling, and near tears.

This is what brought me to the conclusion that it really is not a good idea for me to 'meet' and greet the actors. The photo op allowed me the chance to see them, but not actually speak words. A good, good idea, really.

Geeking Out

Or should I call it, 'The Day I Tricked Dad Into Going To ComicCon With Me'?

Originally, Adam West and Burt Ward of the original Batman series was supposed to make an appearance at the Dallas FanDays ComicCon, and I knew that dad would love to go and 'meet' these two actors since he's a huge fan. But as I looked through the list of guest celebrities, my mouth dropped. 

Ke Huy Quan (I know and loved him as Data in The Goonies)

Karen Allen (Indiana Jones)

A couple of people from Doctor Who

James and Oliver Phelps (the twins that played Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter movies)

Elijah Wood...

Ok. I can stop there. The last 3, James, Oliver and Elijah sold me. I HAD to go to this comic con. Elijah is one of my top 3 favorite actors EVER, and James and Oliver played possibly my favorite characters ever.

This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

So after over-talking about it with my dad and our friend, Jeff, we ordered tickets, including photo ops with Adam West, Burt Ward, and the Phelps twins.

Oh...and later, it was announced that Sean Astin would be joining the guest list. Unfortunately, it was only for Saturday, so I missed that golden opportunity (he's another top 3 fave).

I was on cloud nine. 

Now, don't ask me why I chose James and Oliver over Elijah Wood. I really, truly have no idea why. Was I too intimidated to come face to face with an actor I have admired for most of my life? The fact that, at least in my eyes, this actor is legendary, up there with Tom Hanks, and plays flawless roles is quite intimidating. But still. Why would I choose others over him???

Well, on the Saturday before going, I read an email that Adam West and Burt Ward cancelled. My heart fell. I convinced my dad to go because of them. I knew he'd go with me no matter what, but I felt bad still because I felt like it became my thing and not ours. But he was a good sport, and after receiving some sad news, it was up in the air on if Jeff could join us or not.

So the day arrives, and while I still feel guilty for the star cancellations, I'm beyond excited to be 'meeting' the Phelps twins, and hoping that maybe I can catch a glimpse of Elijah. I am very well aware that the photo op is just a quick way to get people in and out, but still give fans a chance to say they saw their favorites. It didn't matter to me, though. I was going to see these guys!

So dad and I arrive at 10 when the doors opened. I tried so hard to stay calm and just act natural as we walked up and down the aisles of booths where they sold interesting, and geeky things. Hey. I admit it. I loved being surrounded by the quirkiness of it all. We finally went upstairs to the photo op place to discuss what happens with the cancelled opportunity, seeking out refund. Well with that question came incredible opportunity:  dad signed us both us to get a photo op with Elijah Wood!!!!!

We go and stand in line, which happens to be behind these two ladies:

Yeah. They were tall. And twins. And I wanted to see the Phelps twins' reaction when they stood next to what was probably the most perfect recreation of them...in female form.

And just like I expected, this was a quick usher-through. No time to make small talk. Just smile, pic, and move along. I asked a volunteer if anyone ever cried leaving the booth. He told me that a lady just got so excited because 'they smell so good!'

So. That was it. I picked up my picture:

And I was on cloud nine. All over again. I mean...how awesome is this!!!!! (Oliver is the one next to me. He played George. And yes, despite the 'no physical contact rule, he put his arm around me. And I happily did the same. Hey...I didn't do any harm!)

So to kill time until Elijah Wood, we walked around the booths some more, trying to find a Power Ranger shirt for B, which I was successful to find. Let's just hope that she likes Power Rangers several years from now when she is really able to fit into it...) Dad receives a call from Jeff, who decides he can come meet us. Yay!

We meet up with him. Walk around, then go to the 4th floor, where there is apparently the autograph session. We look inside to see the booths set up and Jeff notices that Elijah Wood is at the end of the room. So, he being the outgoing person he is, walks closer where we learn that you can get autographs, for a price. Well, $60 is a bit steep for our pockets by now, but the lovely volunteer tells us we can go up and talk to him. WHAT?!?!?!

Jeff's not shy. He's met Elijah before, back when he was much younger. So that's how he starts the conversation. Elijah holds a little conversation with him, and then shakes his hand. He then turns to me to shake my hand and I become a babbling fool. IT'S REALLY ELIJAH WOOD!!!! (Breathe deep...)

Really. It's probably not a good idea to let me meet celebrities. I could spend all day trying to think of stuff to say to them, but in the end, I'm just plain...something. Not cool. Weird. Something.

A few minutes later, dad decides to go say hello to Karen Allen, so I decide to tag along. It's easier talking to her considering she's not in my top 3 list of actors. She was very nice and she hinted that there may be another Indiana Jones, so I can't wait to check that out.

All the while, I am vaguely aware that the Phelps are in the room next door doing a Q&A. I can't resist breaking free of dad and Jeff and sneaking into the room to listen for a few minutes. Admittance: I also wanted to make sure I knew which twin was which so that I could sound like I knew them. Like we were tight...

In that Q&A, I heard great questions.

"How did they decide which twin you would play?"

"What other things have you been in?"

And my favorite: "What cologne do you use?" (remember earlier when someone mentioned that they smelled good?!)

And I also learned that this story is true:

And this one wasn't:

(unless they were too embarrassed to admit it...). But really, they said that people tried to romanticize the moment, and it sounds so much better than 'James fell asleep while we did our parts'...

And then finally I broke away to head downstairs for our photo op with Elijah Wood, where we stood behind these ladies:

Someday I'm going to dress up, too.

And more shuffling through, 5 minutes after we got into the room, this is what we left with:

THAT'S REALLY ELIJAH WOOD!!!!!  I need to go watch his films again.

After the photo, we were all exhausted, so we parted ways with Jeff and headed home. As tired as I was, I was, and still am, completely on cloud nine. This was in absolutely no way a disappointment for me. You know how sometimes, after 'meeting' someone you truly admire in some way or form, you feel a little let down? This was not one of those times. James, Oliver, and Elijah all were incredibly nice for the brief encounters I had with them, and despite my lack of ability to make any decent form of communication, it was an incredible moment for me.

The highlight of my day, oddly enough, was still the picture with James and Oliver, as well as listening to just a few minutes of their Q&A.

Such an incredible time.

1 1/3 years later....

So much has changed since the last time I have written, including our setting. In May, after a visit to Dallas, Cary sat down with me and we made the (hard) decision to move back home. I had just started getting to that comfortable place, but for the benefit of our family, we packed back up and came home on August 12, 2013.

Since then, I've gotten a job at State Farm Insurance again (doing the job I used to dream of of having while answering phones before), Cary has gotten the opportunity to relax a little longer and worked temporarily at American Airlines. As much as I enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, it felt good to take the earning position in hopes that it made up for the 3 years of him working hard.

I also still love to write. My mind is still on the fiction that I've been working on for nearly 4 years, Proven. I have finally put it aside at 97,000 words and I am 66,000 into its second. On occasion, I work on a third, a completely different story. My mind is constantly going with ideas, and the days I don't get the chance to write, I feel it in ways I can't explain.

Brylee has grown unbelievably. She now attends a Christian daycare/pre-k 5 days a week, takes a taekwondo class 3 days a week (she got her orange belt on August 1, 2014 and can't wait to get her yellow), and is smarter and feistier than ever. She received an award at school that said that she has the Most Personality, which is another way to say she's the class clown. She's a laugh a minute when she's in a good mood. But if she's not, or she's not up for obeying, watch out. Right now, when she grows up she wants to be a pilot.

So, here's to my attempt to balance yet another thing and update my blog more often, more for the hope that Brylee will someday be able to look back on this and see how crazy/busy/loving her life was and what her family was like.