So. Very. Tired.

A Supernatural Convention is exhausting - awesomely amazing - but exhausting nonetheless.  This year's DC Con was just fantastic.  I mean, I would have liked to have had DC Con in DC - it was in Tyson's Corner VA - but that's small potatoes.  All my faves were there except Briana Buckmaster and Kim Rhodes.  However I got to see them last year so that was fun.  This year we had the pleasure of seeing Ruthie Connell and Tim Omundson instead which made me very, very happy - I'm fairly certain they were my faves.  But in this instance it's next to impossible to pick a favorite because they're all fabulously quirky and adorable in their own rights. 

 MC Extraordinaire Richard Speight who kept everyone laughing ALL weekend long

 Sam Smith who was sweet as can be

 Love me some Jason Manns - can't wait for his new album to come out.  And he sang Crazy Love so he pretty much had me at hello : )

 Secretly Rob Benedict is my absolute fave - he's so talented and just seems like someone you want to have lunch with.  Always the best indication of a great person!

 For someone who plays Death, Julian Richings was a riot.  He's so bubbly and sweet and had a wicked fast sense of humor.  His panel was a complete surprise since I wasn't even looking forward to watching it, and I ended laughing harder than I had all day.

 Game of Tones costumes for the Karaoke Friday - As much as I love Rob, he's a terribly unattractive princess; way too much facial hair!

 If Rob is my favorite, Tim Omundson is my second favorite.  He was on Psych which I also love and he's a HUGE fan of Hamilton - he even sang King George's song for us.  Amazing!

 Ruthie Connell - I'd kill for her hair, her style and her gorgeous Scottish accent. 

 Matt Cohen in mid-air - so lucky!

 Always the panel I look forward to the most - Rob, Rich and Matt Cohen.  These guys are so darn funny when you get them together.

 I Love Misha Collins for everything he does to help others and spread the love.  The fact that he brought his son as a treat for him, not thinking about what exactly the son would do while Daddy was working just made me love him even more!  Cutest kid ever!

Not too many great photos of Mark Sheppard - he doesn't stay still long enough.  But he was delightfully curmudgeonly as usual.

 Best version of Rock me Mama, ever!  Although, I feel it could have used a little Jensen Ackles...

 Jake Abel - another panel I wasn' t really looking forward to, but ended really, really liking. He's a bit of a cutie too - not that I'm that shallow...

 J2!!

 Finally a bit of Jensen singing - if only for the briefest of moments. 

"It's the end of the Con as we know it, so go home..."

DC Con 2016

It's currently 12:45 in the morning, and I've just gotten home from the first day of the DC (which is actually in Tyson's Corner VA - but that's beside the point) Supernatural Con.  Other than being totally exhausted, I had a fabulous time!  Of course, I have to be up in 5 hours to turn around and do it all again tomorrow, so I'm off to snooze.  Hopefully some lovely pictures and wonderful tidbits coming on Sunday, after I've slept...

Friday Five

1. Someone posted this on Twitter on International Women's Day and I just fell in love with it.  Such a cute message for girl power!

2. I like pink as much as the next girl, but I'm not sure why pink is the international color for girls in general. What I really don't understand is why women need a pink pen specifically for them.  Apparently Bic thought they did and proceeded to introduce Pens for her.  Yep, they're as ridiculous as they sound, however when this company accidentally received a box of them, they replied perfectly.  I love it!

3. Supernatural is getting a 12th season!  Woohoo!  I was a little worried, but the CW made my day today by making the announcement.  I have to say, the DC Con I'm attending in just a few weeks would be quite a sad affair if that hadn't been the case. 

4. Some people have a soft spot for the Disney classics, while others love Toy Story.  But my very favorite Disney movie is Finding Nemo.  I just think it's the perfect movie from start to finish.  The stories, the characters, the graphics - everything is just so beautiful.  That's exactly why I'm so darn excited to see the sequel revolving around my favorite character, Dory!  I'm pretty confident based on this trailer that it will be every bit as fabulous as the first movie. 

5. I have this dream that I won't need Match.com to meet Prince Charming afterall; that this in deed will happen to me.  Though no news yet...

Friday Five

1. This little girl is about the cutest thing ever!  She belts out Adele way better than I ever could : )
                           

2.  Justin Tucker is my favorite Ravens player.  He's an amazing kicker, an awesome person and he also seems to be the only player that's decided to show up to work this season.  Now I find out he's also an amazing singer as well.  What can't he do? (The Ravens won't let the video be embedded, but the link works) He really is amazing!

3. I found these amazing coconut cookies on Pinterest (big surprise!) a few weeks ago and Christmas seemed like the perfect time to give them a try.  So delicious!  I love macaroons, I'm a bigger fan of chocolate chip cookies.  These are sort of a cross between the two.  And so easy!  Love a great cookie recipe!

4. If you need a good Tee Shirt, this is the one you should buy.  Not only is it cute, it's been created for women to support women and the funds go directly to Random Acts.  Such a great charity and such an awesome campaign!

5. Love this!  I most especially love this because an old teacher sent it to me because he remembered I loved Sunflowers.  How sweet is that?!

Kristen's Christmas List

Otherwise known as, things no one can buy me, but still would be lovely to have...

1. A happy and healthy family heading into the new year. I want everyone I love and cherish to have the very best holiday. I want them to get over all their aches & pains (and torn meniscuses) and start the new year, ready and raring to go. 

2.  I want - no, I need - Donald Trump to not become the President of the United States. 

3.  If #2 is not an option, and the entirety of the United States loses its mind, I'd very much like Canada to open their arms to me when I come asking for a new home. 

4. Time.  Time to create and craft and read and relax.  Along with this, I'd also like some extra creative juices. Mine need a little topping off every now and again. 

5. A Winning Lottery Ticket - Seriously?!  Can someone please make this happen?

6. A way to meet people that doesn't entail using Match.com or hanging out at bars.  I know that it's not a mathematical impossibility - there are boys out there that are funny, and kind, and like to read and watch crazy television, that are big fans of travel and eating.  Where exactly do they hang out - other than online and in bars?  Let's make this happen people!

7. A new and amazing opportunity that will get me out of this professional rut.  If I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, that would be fantastic.  If you're really looking for something to get me for Christmas - that's on the top of the list.  Just tell me what to do with my life.  That's all I really need right now.

8. One ultimate password, that is easy to remember, secure and will get me into every site I so desire.  Half of my life is spent clicking the "Forgot Password?" button on websites...

9. I could really use some hair that would automatically just do what I want it to do instead of having a mind of its own.  

10. Tolerance - to not go crazy (mumbling under my breath and cursing the gods) when people on Facebook, Twitter or on cable news say dumb, heartless and non-inclusive things. 

11.  For the Ravens to remember how exactly to win a football game.

12. For Jason Manns' Covers with Friends (including Louden Swain, Jensen Ackles, Tim Omundson, etc.) to be just as awesome as we all think it's going to be.  This is the one thing I'm almost positive will come true. (And while we're on the topic of cute boys of Supernatural - an early 12th season pick up would do wonders...)

Friday Five

1. One of the best parts of Christmas, is seeing the creative and clever ideas businesses come up with for their store windows.  I found this one last night in Annapolis for the Sperry store - a company that sells boat shoes and other types of sandals.  So cute!

2. I'm the type of scrapbooker that usually tends to find all of my supplies at Michael's or AC Moore.  But the more I Pinterest the more I see all sorts of amazing supplies that can't be found in stores.  That's how I discovered StudioCalico.com.  I've been seeing and coveting some amazing journal cards and stamps (those seem to be my obsession right now) in layouts and projects for the last few months and finally determined they were made by Studio Calico.  It would seem that I discovered it just in time - seeing as it was Black Friday Sale time.  I've received 2 awesome packages this week full of all sorts of goodies that I just can't wait to use!

3. Heehee!  I shouldn't find this as funny as I do, but it's hard not to laugh at someone falling off their high horse (pun intended!)  I don't like cocky and Brady has that particular personality trait in spades.  I'm sorry for his team mates, that they aren't getting their perfect season, but I'm pretty happy Brady isn't!

4. I'm always in love with Supernatural, but this week's particular brand of crazy, ridiculous and heart-warming made it into my list of all time favorite episodes.  If it's not your thing, I totally understand, but if you don't watch this clip and laugh, then you truly don't get funny! (Word of warning - it's slightly gory, but gory in a sparkly kind of way... : )
             
5. This is the cutest baby ever!  I think we may have all had a day like she's having...

Friday Six: Thankful Edition

1. I'm most thankful for these two.  I have no idea what I'd do without them and can't imagine my life without them.  They are fun, funny, loving, and have giant hearts.  I love them dearly and can only hope they know just how crazy I am about them!

2. On top of my awesome parents, I have other awesome family members!  They're fun and funny and always there when I need them.  Thank goodness for email and text messages.  Living in the future makes it easy to stay in touch.

3. This group of friends.  We're all a little weird but we have fun and we laugh and that's all that matters. Love getting to see them each week at Trivia!

4. The chance to travel to my most favorite place in the world and explore some more.  I'm still completely head over heels in love with England.  It's still on the top of my list for future living - if only.  For now, I'm just happy to be able to afford the travel there every few years.  

5. #SPNFamily: It's sort of just a show.  I realize that.  But the fandom itself is like anything I've ever seen.  Between the cast supporting so many causes, to the fans helping each other, it's astounding the good they do.  The cast is super close in a way you can tell it's not fake. And at least once a day one of them or just one of the fans makes me laugh out loud with a tweet or some sort of post.  It's unbelievable and super awesome to just be a little part of it.  I'm extremely happy to say that I am.

6. My 3 favorite things - Books, Craftiness and Food.  Simple pleasures for sure, but my life would be very boring without them ; )

Friday Five

1. Lists.  I happen to love lists.  I'm not saying I make them all the time, or even follow them when I have made them.  But they have this strange quality of making you feel organized and put together, even if the sky is falling around you.  Not that mine is mind you, I just think a list would help if it was.  Currently, I'm ignoring the fact that Christmas is in 2 months.  In about a day or 2, a list will be the only thing that saves me from the panic of knowing there are 3 billion and 32 things that need to be done before December 25...

2. Supernatural "Baby" - I've never seen an episode of television so perfectly suited to its fan base in all my life.  The boys have a beautiful car that's been with them for 11 seasons now. Why not write an episode completely from its point of view?  Through Baby, as Dean calls his Impala, was the absolute best way to see just what the Winchesters do on a daily basis.  It was sweet, and laugh out loud funny.  It was heart-warming and I'm sure to thousands of fan-girls, squee-inducing.  And I loved every minute of it!

3. Crappy video but awesome study!  While I'm not convinced that all crafting is completely unstressful, I will admit there's something to working with your hands and creating something from scratch.  It's a great feeling!  What's even better is the satisfaction that if you're giving that craft as a gift, that the person receiving it will hopefully cherish more than some store bought bauble. 

4. As a Marylander, you can imagine what a big story the crash of the JLENS blimp was this week.  For the last 2 days, we've heard nothing but the jokes of a confused population and the questioning of reporters into why a blimp might cost 2 billion dollars.  Anyway, as ridiculous as this story was, you had to know the Internet would find ways to make it better. My favorite was a story headline that read something to the effect of "Blimp breaks tether and goes on the Lam in Pennsylvania."  This was my second favorite : )

5. While I've been going back and forth on where exactly I want to travel to this spring, I have to admit the mere thought of travel is getting me through the doldrums of the week.  It might have something to do with the list love, but the more I focus on the flight plans, and possible hotel reservations, the more excited I get about getting out of dodge - though not too excited. I don't want to rush Christmas!

Friday Five

1. Friday night chat sessions with the bestie - Dinner, Craft Stores, Ice Cream, then hours of chatting, gossiping and laughing.  The perfect ending to a long week.

2. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about this.  It's a Marvel show where David Tennant is a main character.  What's not to like?  Of course, it looks like David is the epitome of evil so I'm a little worried about seeing the Doctor as evil.  But it's David, so I just have to watch!
              
3. Saw a quote from Kim Rhodes this week that I'm so in love with: We're all perfect in imperfect ways.  How fabulous is that!?  I want to make it into a giant poster and hang it in every school in Maryland.  Such an uplifting, wonderful thought!

4. Foraging for Flavor - a new must-read blog of mine.  She writes about food and family which was great enough, then I realized she's from the Maryland area, which made it even better.  She writes reviews of places in the area to travel and great restaurants to try.  Loving the style too.  She seems like a fun person to hang with - which is always something you want out of a blogger : )

5. I've been in awe of the Tiny House concept lately - I think the lack of mortgage payment sort of sealed the deal in my head.  Anyway, after coming home from Texas, I settled in to plan the next trip.  While doing so, I came across the most perfect hotel I've ever seen: Caravan in Portland, Oregon.  The hotel is made up of multiple tiny houses.  You get the cute and the practical all at the same time.  I LOVE it!

Friday Five

1. The Ravens (FINALLY!) won!!!  And better yet, they beat the Steelers.  It's wasn't pretty or even particularly amazing, but what it was, was nail-biting and ridiculously stressful.  But seeing Justin Tucker's magic foot make that field goal in OT, was very, very sweet!  It's about darn time, boys.  Now keep up the momentum!

2. Possible new opportunities - and at risk of getting much too far ahead of things, that's all I'll say.  But yay for happy things for a change!

3. True Story...

4. This is creepily awesome.  Is it October 7th yet?

         
5. Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes: I'm in love with this super simple, super yummy dinner.  I'm usually not a sloppy joe fan, but when they have cheese and onions and taste just like a cheesesteak, they're pretty much the perfect dinner!

End of Summer Review

Somehow, today is the unofficial end of summer.  I feel like it was just Memorial Day and yet here we are in September with our Pumpkin Spice everything and leaves already falling from the trees.

While I'm not at all happy to see summer go, I have to admit it was most definitely a good one.  One big across the pond trip.  Numerous trips to Naptown.  A day at the beach.  A Navy Football Game. A hot as heck day in DC and a presidential-ish day in NYC. The Color Run for the Second Time and my very first (and most definitely not my last) Supernatural Con. And two concerts - Darius Rucker (Awesome!) and Mumford & Sons (not so awesome.)  I aso saw Benedict Cumberbatch, Jim Parsons, President Obama and the entire cast of Supernatural live in person - oh and I saw Mickey from Doctor Who at Heathrow. I really can't complain!

So, as we all say hello to Fall tomorrow, I suppose I'd like to say, it was wonderful seeing you Summer, I can't wait see you again next year!

Oh, What a Weekend!

I'm positively beaming after this weekend.  I mean, I thought it would be a blast, but I can't even begin to say just how much of a blast!  Everyone was super nice and super creative and just unbelievably awesome!  All of the actors and the band have families and jobs, yet they absolutely look happy to be there, answering questions and interacting with the fans.  Not one of them seemed grumpy or even a bit touchy.  They joked and laughed and were a joy to watch.

I wasn't brave enough (or rich enough) to do any photo ops or autograph sessions, so I was resigned to watch them from my seat towards the back.  But I have to admit it was fun to hear everyone fangirling over their own photo op moments.  Apparently, the consensus is, they're just a dreamy (probably dreamier) in person.  And honestly they were pretty darn dreamy from afar!

Thanks to a seriously awesome lens, and some beginner knowledge of ISO on Manual setting, I actually got some decent shots between the heads of all the people in front of me. And one fan-darn-tastic shot of Jensen jumping that I will never be able to duplicate for as long as I live. 

I'll probably have loads more to share at a later time, after I've processed it, but for now here are a few shots to share.

 Rob Benedict!!  He wasn't there on Friday but was a welcome site on Saturday.  He's secretly my favorite!

 Master of Ceremonies: Richard Speight Jr. 

 Adorably charming Tahmoh Penikett

 Travis Aaron Wade: For someone who's been in so few episodes, he gets fandom.  And he's an all around genuine and hilarious dude!

 Osric Chau cosplaying something - not really my thing. 

 Mark Sheppard!!!  At one point he was about 4 feet from me.  Snarky and just as awesome as you'd assume he'd be.

 R2M: Richard Speight, Rob Benedict, and Matt Cohen - My stomach hurt from laughing so hard!  This picture pretty sums up their panel - 3 dudes telling ridiculous stories.

 Misha!!!  This is his "oh crap, there are kids in the audience maybe I shouldn't have said that face."  After that, it just got progressively more off color and very, very funny.

 Louden Swain Saturday Night Special Concert - They're just so good!

 Seven Bridges Road in 5 part harmony - unfortunately not including Jensen...

 Now, if I were a good photographer, Rob's head would be in focus.  However, it's still pretty cute.

 All the guys wore the Always Keep Fighting shirts today.  How sweet is that?!

 Alaina Huffman - Abaddon - She's awesome and and can kick some serious butt!

 Alaina Huffman being panel bombed by Jensen - Lucky Girl!

 I will never be able to recreate the luck of this photo for as long as I live...

 The Boys are here!! (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki)

 Jensen and Rob: Aww!

If only for a few seconds, we finally got to hear Jensen sing the usual song "Your Love!"