So, the text for my post about Big Lick Comic Con was too long for Instagram. Oops! Here's the full post:

I had an amazing time at Big Lick Comic Con yesterday. It was my first time going to a comic con. I’ve been to Harry Potter Cons (not ones actors attended), and in 2018, Teresa, my Mom, and I were lucky enough to go to South Fork and meet five of the original Dallas cast members.

But Big Lick was the first of this kind of event for me. And now I have my first ever tickets to MystiCon (coming up in just a few weeks, also in Roanoke).

I went to BLCC solely to meet James Marsters. T and I both loved him as Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He’s a great singer too. And he’s extremely kind, and genuine, and gracious. He also walked by me, twice, shortly before photos started, and said hello and asked how I was doing. Glad I looked up when I did! 😊

During the photo op, I told him that even though I grew up in Roanoke, I’d never been to one of these, but had to come when I saw him in the guest list. That my late wife, who’d died last year, would have loved meeting him too. He took my hands, and said he was very sorry for my loss, and wished for me to have a wonderful, good day at the event. You can see kindness and warmth in his eyes; … how to say it. When you look at him in person, he makes you feel like he really sees you. That he would be a good friend.

I haven’t bought my digital prints yet, so the photo I’m sharing is a photo of the photo. The actual print looks much better. (I talked to the photographer later too, after I picked up my photos, and thanked him for them, and for what he did to make the photo ops a good experience. He agreed that James is a genuinely nice person, who enjoys interacting with his fans.)

And I did have a wonderful, good day. I came home with bags of fun things! I got to meet Tom Cook, too. He was an animator for He-Man, She-Ra, Scooby Do, The Brave Little Toaster, The Smurfs (T LOVED The Smurfs; they gave me nightmares. . . I have no idea why), and more. He, another fan, and I had a great talk about classic vs new She-Ra, and he and I talked about Roanoke, and things to do if he comes back in August. I have three signed prints now. One from The Secret of the Sword. I was the first to get one of those, which had surprised him because the film had been so popular (and continues to be).

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I got a gently used Generation 1 My Little Pony Unicorn (Sunbeam) at a very low price, and have received helpful tips on how to restore her and style her hair. 🤣 We will see about the hair! There’s a reason I don’t do much with my own!

Got a NES baseball game I’ve been looking for. A Grey’s Anatomy mug (“It’s a beautiful day to save lives!”) Luna Lovegood’s wand and a display board. A Hufflepuff bed throw for my Harry Potter+ guest room. A fun, decorative sign (for same room), from The Princess Bride, a soft, cuddly, handmade octopus, and a few other things.

Met really nice people (fans and vendors alike), and made new friends!

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The only really hard part once there was having to park super far away, because I can’t park in accessible parking, and then trying to avoid all the holes in the pavement with my walker. 🙁