Once I knew I'd be heading West, I secured some days off of work, booked my flights, worked out the hotel situation (which can get pretty crazy for SDCC), and started counting down the days. I had friends that I'd be meeting up with out in San Diego (shout-out to all of you!) and was so excited to see them all again since I hadn't seen any of 'em since the LA premiere of Breaking Dawn last November. Oh yeah, that's another thing you should know... I'm a total Twilight fan :)
I consider myself lucky to have found myself involved in such a great and welcoming fandom. The people I have met at Twilight events over the past few years I can absolutely guarantee will be my friends for many, many years to come. We live all around the country, come from different backgrounds, and are a variety of ages. From young professionals to twi-moms (and grandmoms!), we all have this one thing that brought us together and I, for one, think that's pretty darn cool.
Sorry for the sidetrack, but I think that it's important to know how us Twilight fans work. We're supportive of each other to the nth degree. And that's exactly what was needed at this years Comic-Con. Without going into too many details, I'd like to tell you a little bit of why I am SO PROUD to be a Twilight fan. On my WiFi-enabled flight out to San Diego on Tuesday July 10th, I kept seeing these articles about a Twilight fan dying at Comic-Con that morning. With a heavy heart (and somewhat reluctantly) I decided to finally read one of these articles. It was so tragic to read about this fan, this Twilight sister, and her untimely death. About halfway through the flight I found out that my two friends that were already out in SD had just spent the past two days camping out with this fan, who I later came to know as Gisela or "G," and her three friends.
When I finally arrived in SD and got to the hotel, my friends Sandy and Mary Lou were there waiting for me. They were visibly shaken as they filled me in the best they could about the events of the morning. To say this was a tragic accident is quite the understatement. Throughout my days at Comic-Con, I came to know G through her friends Jen, Norma, and Lillian. She was a kind and funny lady who was a true Robert Pattinson fan. I know we would have hit it off great. The news of her death spread very quickly throughout the press and throughout the Twilight community. By that evening there was a beautiful flower arrangement sitting at the campsite, with candles and a cute picture of G & friends at Comic-Con a few years ago. By the next day we were all wearing black ribbons in G's honor and a fund had been started online to help with funeral costs. (Last I heard, $9,000 had been raised for G's family thanks to the generosity of Twilight fans.)
Meanwhile, I was getting to know G's friends who I was now camping out with. I became especially close to Jen, a Robsessed Alabama mama with a heart of gold. We actually really talked for the first time at 2am Wednesday morning when neither of us could sleep. This sweet woman had witnessed the death of her friend, and while I had just met her hours before, my heart broke for her. We ended up walking back to our respective hotels from the campsite together and from that point on I knew she was a cool chick.
The reason I wanted to share this part of my experience at Comic-Con is because it made my entire trip mean so much more. It may seem somewhat cliche, but the phrase "Seize the day" comes to mind when I think of what I learned over the past week. This one woman who I never met made me realize that you have to live every day to its fullest. If you want something, go get it. You want to fly across the country and camp out on the sidewalk to see your favorite actors? DO IT. You want to go back to school? Buy that new car you've always wanted? Move to Paris? Start a band? Whatever it is -- DO IT. You only get one life, so make it worth it.
I consider myself lucky to have found myself involved in such a great and welcoming fandom. The people I have met at Twilight events over the past few years I can absolutely guarantee will be my friends for many, many years to come. We live all around the country, come from different backgrounds, and are a variety of ages. From young professionals to twi-moms (and grandmoms!), we all have this one thing that brought us together and I, for one, think that's pretty darn cool.
Sorry for the sidetrack, but I think that it's important to know how us Twilight fans work. We're supportive of each other to the nth degree. And that's exactly what was needed at this years Comic-Con. Without going into too many details, I'd like to tell you a little bit of why I am SO PROUD to be a Twilight fan. On my WiFi-enabled flight out to San Diego on Tuesday July 10th, I kept seeing these articles about a Twilight fan dying at Comic-Con that morning. With a heavy heart (and somewhat reluctantly) I decided to finally read one of these articles. It was so tragic to read about this fan, this Twilight sister, and her untimely death. About halfway through the flight I found out that my two friends that were already out in SD had just spent the past two days camping out with this fan, who I later came to know as Gisela or "G," and her three friends.
When I finally arrived in SD and got to the hotel, my friends Sandy and Mary Lou were there waiting for me. They were visibly shaken as they filled me in the best they could about the events of the morning. To say this was a tragic accident is quite the understatement. Throughout my days at Comic-Con, I came to know G through her friends Jen, Norma, and Lillian. She was a kind and funny lady who was a true Robert Pattinson fan. I know we would have hit it off great. The news of her death spread very quickly throughout the press and throughout the Twilight community. By that evening there was a beautiful flower arrangement sitting at the campsite, with candles and a cute picture of G & friends at Comic-Con a few years ago. By the next day we were all wearing black ribbons in G's honor and a fund had been started online to help with funeral costs. (Last I heard, $9,000 had been raised for G's family thanks to the generosity of Twilight fans.)
Meanwhile, I was getting to know G's friends who I was now camping out with. I became especially close to Jen, a Robsessed Alabama mama with a heart of gold. We actually really talked for the first time at 2am Wednesday morning when neither of us could sleep. This sweet woman had witnessed the death of her friend, and while I had just met her hours before, my heart broke for her. We ended up walking back to our respective hotels from the campsite together and from that point on I knew she was a cool chick.
The reason I wanted to share this part of my experience at Comic-Con is because it made my entire trip mean so much more. It may seem somewhat cliche, but the phrase "Seize the day" comes to mind when I think of what I learned over the past week. This one woman who I never met made me realize that you have to live every day to its fullest. If you want something, go get it. You want to fly across the country and camp out on the sidewalk to see your favorite actors? DO IT. You want to go back to school? Buy that new car you've always wanted? Move to Paris? Start a band? Whatever it is -- DO IT. You only get one life, so make it worth it.
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| The lovely ladies I had the pleasure of camping out with at Comic-Con :) |
... more stories and pictures coming soon...
Sarah, I don't know what to say except that this is really beautiful, and expresses all the feelings I had at that time and since then. I am so blessed and proud to know all of you. Thank you so much!!! Looking forward to more.
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