Wedding and Anthrocon fun!
So, I'm finally back from all my running around, getting married and going to Anthrocon and stuff. I honestly can't believe its all over...a year's worth of planning and stress over in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Since I know some people will be interested in wedding goings on and others will only care about my con report, I'll go ahead and make cuts so no one is forced to slog through the ramblings they don't want to hear! ^.^
I guess the party really started on Friday at the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We all gathered in the church Friday afternoon (after much squealing and hugs in the hotel where I greeted family members I haven’t seen in about 2 years) to figure out which way we were all going during the actual wedding. The ironic part...I wasn't allowed to practice! Stupid tradition dictates that the bride should not walk down the aisle until her actual wedding day. I still say that's to blame for a later mishap, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So I sat in the audience and laughed at everyone else while they worked on walking and standing. My bridal stand in was my Aunt Becky who had just met Robbie not 2 minutes ago. We got pictures ^.^ quite amusing.
After all that, we went to the zoo for our rehearsal dinner. Yup, that's right, the ZOO! It was so much fun. We go to look at some of the animals, and our hut was located right outside of the elephant and meerkat enclosures. Yay aminals! The food was really good and it was fun just spending time with family and friends. Of course we had to play a little game before we left, and Robbie and I made everyone sick with how well we knew each other. What can I say, live with a guy for a year and you have a pretty good idea of what he's going to say. :-)
I spent the night with my parents at the hotel and Mom made it seem like I was moving to the other side of the world. "This is our laaaast night together like this." I just shook my head and laughed, reminding her I wasn't going anywhere...nothing REALLLY was going to change except my name.
We managed some sleep and woke up bright an early the next morning to get prettified. Lots of girls packed in one little hotel room with make-up and hair stuff can be a scary thing. I got my hair all done up, painted my face, and managed to wiggle into the million folds of fabric that was my dress. The photographer came after a while and took a million pictures of us getting ready...then downstairs...then leaving. I go so tired of smiling!
We got a kick-ass limo ride over to the chapel. It was a huge SUV limo with TV, radio, and a full bar. I wanted to take advantage of that right away, but most people suggested I wait. Party poopers. We got to the chapel and I had to sit in a little room that was freezing so no one would see me until the wedding. Luckily my dad waited with me, and I think he was chatting so he wouldn't cry. >.< We finally made our way to the front of the church, and our wedding planning said she was going to fix my dress then give me the go ahead. Well, she fixed my dress, and I thought she said to move, so Dad and I made our way down the aisle. Little did I know, I left my bouquet behind! >.< Luckily our photographer rocked and raced it down the aisle and handed it off in a way that most people didn't even notice I'd made a mistake. Wuuups.
Got to the alter, lots of words were said. I managed to keep from crying until the very end, mainly by not looking at anyone but the minister. While he was pronouncing us, a few well placed tears let loose. We walked out of the church to the theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(Indiana Jones) which made me incredibly happy. Nothing like the Raiders March played on an organ at a church. ^.^
The reception afterwards was a blast. We had an awesome DJ, good food (though we didn't get much) and lots of dancing. Of course a million people came up and told us how happy they were...though I don't think they held a candle to Robbie and I. A good number of hours later we finally left, went up to our hotel room, and almost fell asleep >.< Overall, that day was everything I had hoped it would be. Friends, family and fun. I'm glad to be married, but really sad its over now. :-(
Not long after wedding bells were done ringing, we were off to Pittsburgh and Anthrocon! This was our second Anthrocon and it was as much fun, if not more, than our first. We got there a few days early so we had time to orient ourselves and pick up Sookta, but walking into the Weston hotel was like going home. There were so many furries! It always makes me grin to walk into a room full of tails, ears, and fursuiters and feel so comfortable. We didn't do too much that Thursday besides register and hang out a little bit...Kiro and I were still tired and feeling a little sick, so we made sure to get a good meal and long sleep time so we wouldn't be sick during the actual con.
Firday we woke up bright and early to get to the Convention center before opening ceremonies. We were actually staying at my grandmother's apartment during all this. A little far away, but you can't beat free room and board. After getting pumped up at opening ceremonies we followed the surge of furs down to the Dealers Den where I could hear my money begging to be spend. I got a chance to finally meet Tiberius, who is an uber awesome artist and archaeology lover (plus a great person ^.^). Kiro ordered a badge from her, and I received a commission I’d asked for a little while ago. It was amazing! It was the first commission I’d ever gotten done of my characters from my story Shifting Sands, and she caught their personalities perfectly! We did pretty well on holding back...I got a pair of ears (finally) and both Kiro and I managed to get a sketchbook commission from Balaa. She was such a nice person, I was honored to get the chance to meet her. We wandered around some more, waving and chatting when we could with our favorite artists.
We then went to the planning a furmeet pannel with Nik and Gr (sp?) which was a lot of fun and really interesting. I've been wanting to get some casual furmeets together with furs from SC, but never quite sure how to go about it. I know there are some of us out there, but I think we're hiding pretty well. :-P After that we had some good laughs at Anthropoloy (and I agree they need an Anthropoloy after hours edition!) and wandered off the infamous sub shop to grab some food. Yay sub shop! We met two awesome people there, Reaux and Jayjay. It was their first Anthrocon so we thought we’d give them some advice and let them know what we loved and figured out since last year. They were both super nice so we ended up talking with them for some time.
We boogied back to the con in time for 2's Rant, which was freaking hilarious. I swear, if there are two shows I'm always going to be sure to catch its 2 and Uncle Kage. ^.^ After that Kiro and I went over to the Skulls, Feathers and Fur panel while Sookta suited around (as the sexy Sanoma). The panel was done by Northwolf, and was really fascinating and informative. I loved the real tails they had there, and her explanations of how she comes about all of her collection made sense and put my furry mind at ease.
There wasn't much left to the day after that...we ran back up to Sookta's room to glowstick up, and managed to dance for a while, but poor Sanoma's eyes kept fogging up, so we had to call it an early night so she wouldn't kill herself.
Saturday we had hoped to attend more panels, but my grandmother was coming back that day, so we thought it was the least we could do to pick her up from the airport…given we had her car. :-P We managed to wander around the Den a while longer and spend a bit more money (I had to get the highlights DVD from the con store) and got nice seats for the fursuit parade. We ran into Reaux and Jayjay again (I swear they were stalking us! ;-)) and watched the million and one suiters walk by. I got some good video I’ll try to post later. Another awesome fur we ran into was Kaishi, the uber cute Panda ^.^ We met him last year but managed to fall out of touch. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen this year! We were all so happy to see each other again. Kaishi introduced us to a few more of his friends, who I hope we get to know better as well.
Then we had to leave for the airport, which made me a little sad, ‘cuz I had to miss the wood burning panel, something I’m extremely interested in. I had even gotten the chance to talk to the guy in the Den before, and he seemed really cool *le sigh* oh well. We did get to see the Masquerade (which was awesome) and Uncle Kage’s Story Hour, which is always hilarious. The little bottle of wine just wouldn’t do for this show ;-)
After all that we managed to find Lucky the Evil Dog, who is a super awesome person. He let both Kiro and I try on his suits and run around the convention for a while. I got to be Oogachaka and Kiro went as Lucky for a while. I had a blast noming people’s heads and being kind of goofy. I wish I’d had longer in suit, but I knew Kiro and Sookta really wanted to get to the dance for at least a little while. I now have an even bigger respect for fursuiters though….damn does it get hot, even for the smallest amount of time! >.< We ran to the dance for a short while (only seeing Rok in passing ) but we were soon hot and tired, so we hung out with Sookta in the headless lounge.
Sunday we went to the art auction and actually bought a piece. Usually we go for the entertainment and to drool over the pretty arts, but there was one piece by Northwolf; it was a night scene with a ghost-like fox with bright glowing eyes. I just had to have it! We’re still decorating our apartment anyway ;-). We got that, and Kiro actually won in the art show on a print by Kacy Miyagami called “Study of the Sword.” Two pretty new art pieces to hang in our home.
We caught 2 Sense live which was really cool. It was interesting to finally see who everyone (or most everyone) in the show actually looks like. After that it was sad face ‘cuz Closing Ceremonies was beginning. *sigh* Another Anthrocon come and gone. I had a blast, meeting new furs and seeing old friends. I can’t wait for next year! Kudos to all those who made Anthrocon a rousing success once again.
I guess the party really started on Friday at the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We all gathered in the church Friday afternoon (after much squealing and hugs in the hotel where I greeted family members I haven’t seen in about 2 years) to figure out which way we were all going during the actual wedding. The ironic part...I wasn't allowed to practice! Stupid tradition dictates that the bride should not walk down the aisle until her actual wedding day. I still say that's to blame for a later mishap, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So I sat in the audience and laughed at everyone else while they worked on walking and standing. My bridal stand in was my Aunt Becky who had just met Robbie not 2 minutes ago. We got pictures ^.^ quite amusing.
After all that, we went to the zoo for our rehearsal dinner. Yup, that's right, the ZOO! It was so much fun. We go to look at some of the animals, and our hut was located right outside of the elephant and meerkat enclosures. Yay aminals! The food was really good and it was fun just spending time with family and friends. Of course we had to play a little game before we left, and Robbie and I made everyone sick with how well we knew each other. What can I say, live with a guy for a year and you have a pretty good idea of what he's going to say. :-)
I spent the night with my parents at the hotel and Mom made it seem like I was moving to the other side of the world. "This is our laaaast night together like this." I just shook my head and laughed, reminding her I wasn't going anywhere...nothing REALLLY was going to change except my name.
We managed some sleep and woke up bright an early the next morning to get prettified. Lots of girls packed in one little hotel room with make-up and hair stuff can be a scary thing. I got my hair all done up, painted my face, and managed to wiggle into the million folds of fabric that was my dress. The photographer came after a while and took a million pictures of us getting ready...then downstairs...then leaving. I go so tired of smiling!
We got a kick-ass limo ride over to the chapel. It was a huge SUV limo with TV, radio, and a full bar. I wanted to take advantage of that right away, but most people suggested I wait. Party poopers. We got to the chapel and I had to sit in a little room that was freezing so no one would see me until the wedding. Luckily my dad waited with me, and I think he was chatting so he wouldn't cry. >.< We finally made our way to the front of the church, and our wedding planning said she was going to fix my dress then give me the go ahead. Well, she fixed my dress, and I thought she said to move, so Dad and I made our way down the aisle. Little did I know, I left my bouquet behind! >.< Luckily our photographer rocked and raced it down the aisle and handed it off in a way that most people didn't even notice I'd made a mistake. Wuuups.
Got to the alter, lots of words were said. I managed to keep from crying until the very end, mainly by not looking at anyone but the minister. While he was pronouncing us, a few well placed tears let loose. We walked out of the church to the theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(Indiana Jones) which made me incredibly happy. Nothing like the Raiders March played on an organ at a church. ^.^
The reception afterwards was a blast. We had an awesome DJ, good food (though we didn't get much) and lots of dancing. Of course a million people came up and told us how happy they were...though I don't think they held a candle to Robbie and I. A good number of hours later we finally left, went up to our hotel room, and almost fell asleep >.< Overall, that day was everything I had hoped it would be. Friends, family and fun. I'm glad to be married, but really sad its over now. :-(
Not long after wedding bells were done ringing, we were off to Pittsburgh and Anthrocon! This was our second Anthrocon and it was as much fun, if not more, than our first. We got there a few days early so we had time to orient ourselves and pick up Sookta, but walking into the Weston hotel was like going home. There were so many furries! It always makes me grin to walk into a room full of tails, ears, and fursuiters and feel so comfortable. We didn't do too much that Thursday besides register and hang out a little bit...Kiro and I were still tired and feeling a little sick, so we made sure to get a good meal and long sleep time so we wouldn't be sick during the actual con.
Firday we woke up bright and early to get to the Convention center before opening ceremonies. We were actually staying at my grandmother's apartment during all this. A little far away, but you can't beat free room and board. After getting pumped up at opening ceremonies we followed the surge of furs down to the Dealers Den where I could hear my money begging to be spend. I got a chance to finally meet Tiberius, who is an uber awesome artist and archaeology lover (plus a great person ^.^). Kiro ordered a badge from her, and I received a commission I’d asked for a little while ago. It was amazing! It was the first commission I’d ever gotten done of my characters from my story Shifting Sands, and she caught their personalities perfectly! We did pretty well on holding back...I got a pair of ears (finally) and both Kiro and I managed to get a sketchbook commission from Balaa. She was such a nice person, I was honored to get the chance to meet her. We wandered around some more, waving and chatting when we could with our favorite artists.
We then went to the planning a furmeet pannel with Nik and Gr (sp?) which was a lot of fun and really interesting. I've been wanting to get some casual furmeets together with furs from SC, but never quite sure how to go about it. I know there are some of us out there, but I think we're hiding pretty well. :-P After that we had some good laughs at Anthropoloy (and I agree they need an Anthropoloy after hours edition!) and wandered off the infamous sub shop to grab some food. Yay sub shop! We met two awesome people there, Reaux and Jayjay. It was their first Anthrocon so we thought we’d give them some advice and let them know what we loved and figured out since last year. They were both super nice so we ended up talking with them for some time.
We boogied back to the con in time for 2's Rant, which was freaking hilarious. I swear, if there are two shows I'm always going to be sure to catch its 2 and Uncle Kage. ^.^ After that Kiro and I went over to the Skulls, Feathers and Fur panel while Sookta suited around (as the sexy Sanoma). The panel was done by Northwolf, and was really fascinating and informative. I loved the real tails they had there, and her explanations of how she comes about all of her collection made sense and put my furry mind at ease.
There wasn't much left to the day after that...we ran back up to Sookta's room to glowstick up, and managed to dance for a while, but poor Sanoma's eyes kept fogging up, so we had to call it an early night so she wouldn't kill herself.
Saturday we had hoped to attend more panels, but my grandmother was coming back that day, so we thought it was the least we could do to pick her up from the airport…given we had her car. :-P We managed to wander around the Den a while longer and spend a bit more money (I had to get the highlights DVD from the con store) and got nice seats for the fursuit parade. We ran into Reaux and Jayjay again (I swear they were stalking us! ;-)) and watched the million and one suiters walk by. I got some good video I’ll try to post later. Another awesome fur we ran into was Kaishi, the uber cute Panda ^.^ We met him last year but managed to fall out of touch. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen this year! We were all so happy to see each other again. Kaishi introduced us to a few more of his friends, who I hope we get to know better as well.
Then we had to leave for the airport, which made me a little sad, ‘cuz I had to miss the wood burning panel, something I’m extremely interested in. I had even gotten the chance to talk to the guy in the Den before, and he seemed really cool *le sigh* oh well. We did get to see the Masquerade (which was awesome) and Uncle Kage’s Story Hour, which is always hilarious. The little bottle of wine just wouldn’t do for this show ;-)
After all that we managed to find Lucky the Evil Dog, who is a super awesome person. He let both Kiro and I try on his suits and run around the convention for a while. I got to be Oogachaka and Kiro went as Lucky for a while. I had a blast noming people’s heads and being kind of goofy. I wish I’d had longer in suit, but I knew Kiro and Sookta really wanted to get to the dance for at least a little while. I now have an even bigger respect for fursuiters though….damn does it get hot, even for the smallest amount of time! >.< We ran to the dance for a short while (only seeing Rok in passing ) but we were soon hot and tired, so we hung out with Sookta in the headless lounge.
Sunday we went to the art auction and actually bought a piece. Usually we go for the entertainment and to drool over the pretty arts, but there was one piece by Northwolf; it was a night scene with a ghost-like fox with bright glowing eyes. I just had to have it! We’re still decorating our apartment anyway ;-). We got that, and Kiro actually won in the art show on a print by Kacy Miyagami called “Study of the Sword.” Two pretty new art pieces to hang in our home.
We caught 2 Sense live which was really cool. It was interesting to finally see who everyone (or most everyone) in the show actually looks like. After that it was sad face ‘cuz Closing Ceremonies was beginning. *sigh* Another Anthrocon come and gone. I had a blast, meeting new furs and seeing old friends. I can’t wait for next year! Kudos to all those who made Anthrocon a rousing success once again.