A Bit of Food and Wine

So the Nerd Husband and I took a little trip down to Disney World for a four day weekend at very beginning of October where we attended two new-to-us events: the International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom.  We both did quite a bit of research and reading up to the point of our trip.  NH took the Food and Wine festival because he's the resident foodie in our house (aside from our kitty who miraculously munched her way into and through an entire sample bag of treats while we were away - that's another story).  I researched the Mickey's No...ok, let's abbreviate this thing: MNSSHP.  That's what all the hip-Disners are calling it.

For the sake of me rambling on and on and on and...yeah...I think we'll just split these two events up into two separate posts.  So I'll start you off with a bit of Food and Wine.

Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival
A bit of background on my Nerd Husband.  NH loves his menus.  Loves them.  I introduced him once to TripAdvisor a few years ago, and he's hooked.  His Disney website of choice is AllEars.net, and he frequently looks up new restaurant videos and reviews.  There have been nights before our trips that I'll be lying on the couch, and he'll sit there reading Les Chefs de France menu to me.  This is who he is, and this is how we are.  I love it.  Even our friends ask now, "Where is NH picking for us to eat on the next trip?"  Knowing all of this, you can get a better idea of why NH was so excited for this trip and the opportunity to visit all of the many Food and Wine booths that graced Epcot.

At least part of each day of our four day trip was spent at Epcot.  Eating.  I don't think we even tried that many food items at the Flower and Garden (and food) Festival in April.  The number of booths and choices was just insane and oh so yummy.  There were only a few things that I'd cross of my list for the next time (surprisingly, not a fan of cheese bread).  But here's a run-down of all of our delectable tastes:

Australia
1. Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion and Snap Peas (Amazing!)

Belgium
1. Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes (so yummy)
2. Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream (how could this ever be a bad thing?)
3. Stella Artois Hard Cidre (very crisp and fresh, similar to the taste of an Angry Orchard Crisp)

Brazil
1. Pão de Queijo: Brazilian cheese bread (not a favorite; I ended up not finishing it.  The texture just put me off)

Canada
1. Canadian cheddar cheese soup served with a pretzel roll (um...yes; so much yes)
2.“Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce (again with the yesses)

China
1. Black Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Noodles (good, but nothing special here)
2. Happy Peach with Dekuyper Peach Liqueur and Myers’s Dark Rum (amazingly wonderful)

Farm Fresh
1. Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions (probably one of my favorite things here)
2. Woodchuck Raspberry Hard Cider (so crisp and cool; I'll be hunting for this in stores)

France
1. Boeuf Bourguignon: Cabernet Sauvignon-braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes (France FTW - this was wonderful)

Germany
1. Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese (this was good, but a bit on the heavy side for me; not a win in my book)
2. Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce (but this was a win)

Ireland
1. Twinings® Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka (this...choked me at first with Vodka - lol - it was good, but whoa...)

Japan
1. Grilled Spicy Edamame tossed with Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Chili Powder (so good and fresh, and we felt silly when we both took a bite and then promptly remembered you do not eat the outside of the edamame pod...oops)
2. Garlic Shrimp: Marinated Shrimp sautéed with Garlic and Butter and served over Rice (amazingly wonderful and simple)

Mexico
1. Taco de Camarón: Battered Shrimp served over a Flour Tortilla with Crispy Purple Cabbage and Chipotle Mayonnaise (I adored this one, and I'm not usually a fan of purple cabbage or mayonnaise)

Patagonia
1. Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée (so so wonderful and tender - loved this)

Scotland
1. The Tipsy Laird: Whiskey-soaked Cake with Lemon Cream and Toasted Oats (I wanted to make this...and eat it every day)

South Korea
1. Korean-style BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi (I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did because I hate cucumber, but this was amazing - one of my favorites of the festival)

Wine and Dine Studio
1. Seared Scallop, Truffled Celery Root Purée, Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushrooms featuring Melissa’s Produce (the first thing we tried...and I almost cried because I loved this scallop...and who knew we liked brussel spourts and celery root?)

Refreshment Port
1. Pineapple Dole Whip Soft-Serve Ice Cream (because...how do you not?)

You'll notice that we're lacking in the "wine" aspect of the list, really.  We aren't big drinkers, so that part of this festival didn't really appeal much to us.  And the research that NH found that said that Epcot can turn into a frat-party as the weekend evenings roll around...well, that's pretty much true.  There is no shortage of "Drinking around the world" shirts with all of the various puns using "wine" and "beer".  That's not so bad...but the obnoxiousness that can come along with too much alcohol can start to become a bit much.  So we actually started to avoid the place as the evening wore on, and we would take off for other parks or back to the hotel.  That was truly a good tip that we got in our research.

One nice perk that we encountered at Epcot during the Festival was the Chase Cardholder Lounge at the American Adventure.  All you had to do was show that you held a Chase credit card of any type, and you were admitted into the Lounge.  The lounge was located on the private third floor of the American Adventure building, so that was a treat to get to see a "private" space on Disney property.  They provided air conditioning (bonus!), 3 freestyle Coca-Cola machines, coffee, a cash bar, and ample charging stations for cell phones.  It was great to take a break and just cool down in the lounge.

Speaking of cooling down, I have to admit that I think this trip was hotter than the one we took in July, and NH agrees with me.  I'm not sure if it has to do with the placement of the sun in the sky or what it is.  The temperature definitely wasn't hotter, but it felt hotter.  The intensity of that sun was just crazy.  So we definitely utilized the "duck into the shade and/or air conditioning when you can" strategy to this trip.  Forcing ourselves to rest and stay out the heat definitely made this entire trip more laid-back and relaxing, too, so it wasn't such a bad thing.  We didn't have too much of an agenda aside from attending the Food and Wine Festival and MNSSHP, so we didn't feel too bad about it.

Speaking of MNSSHP...that's up next...

#gorogue on Force Friday

Against my better judgement, last night I ventured out to my local 24-hour Meijer store for Force Friday.  Rogue Friday?  Does this thing even have an official name now?  If you don't know what Force Friday is just take a gander at this link here to learn a bit about it on Wikipedia.  But basically, it's a merchandising event where all of the new Star Wars toys of a particular wave are released at 12:01 on a certain day.  Sometimes big parties have been held, lines have formed, things sell out, freebees are given away.  And sometimes no one shows up but a handful of nerds at a small Meijer store to politely sort through the new toys and pass things around.

Apparently, events of this nature have been around for quite a while, but I never truly participated in them when the prequels were around (yay for age limitations and parents - love you, Mom!).  I guess back then, though, we didn't have a name for them.  But after speaking with a couple of fellow Star Wars fans at last night's Force Friday unveiling, I learned that folks had attended similar toyapalooza's during the Attack of the Clones (AOTC) and The Phantom Menace (TPM) releases.  When one gentleman told me he had been there for TPM unveiling, I think my eyes got pretty wide.  I audibly said, "Dude, that's crazy."  Because it had to have been.  I remember the merchandising that went into that movie - it's still joked about today in some circles.  I cannot imagine Toys R' Us putting out huge bins of figures so you could "dive in and get what you wanted".  That's just insane to me!  Insane!  (I would have loved it, but - alas - age limitations and parents - love you, Mom!  ;p).

So when this type of thing because official before The Force Awakens (TFA) was released, then of course I had to be there.  I have a 24-hour Meijer and a 24-hour Wal-Mart nearby.  Frankly, I prefer Meijer, so I selected that as my "home" store to attend the event.  I think there were a dozen or so of us for TFA, and there was an entire aisle of things.  Then they wheeled out displays with more and more things.  It was insane.  I walked away with so much loot (plus the only Rey action figure I have ever been able to find on the shelves).

Last night, I didn't expect an event quite as large as TFA because the movie seems a bit off the beaten path of Star Wars.  I expected a handful of people, a smaller display area, just something low-key.

I did not expect 4 people picking over a little 5x5x5 rolling, 4-sided display of toys.  Another fan who got there much earlier than the others had already spoken with an employee about what had been received in their shipment.  The employee let them know that - unfortunately - the entire shipment had not been received by the store.  So they were going to put out whatever they had received, and they apologized.  It was kind of sad, to be honest.  However, I picked up the two figures that I truly wanted to get my hands on - Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu) and K-2SO.

After that, I figured I'd pop into Wal-Mart just to see if they had anything else.  I went inside, walked all the way to the back to the toy section...and found nothing.  Absolutely nothing new.  Everything that they had was the old TFA toy selection that they were slowly marking down on clearance.  No one had bothered to put out any new merchandise at all.  I walked away pretty sad.  There was such a build-up in my mind, and then here I am with two figures.  That's it.

I do understand that this isn't a "main-stream" movie in terms of how it fits in with our standard Star Wars timeline.  This movie is new.  Fresh.  Different.  That makes me so, so excited for it.  I hope that excitement spreads to others, as well.

The Force Awakens - Issue/Argument/Resolution - Part 4

Disclaimer: I started this post way back in January/February 2016.  At that time, I was writing up Parts 1-3 of my rants about The Force Awakens.  I had a lot of issues with the movie upon viewing it the first time.  Some of those issues were resolved slightly with a second viewing.  Some things still lingered - even after a third viewing and a fourth.  

But that's okay, like I've said before.  It doesn't change the fact that I'm a Star Wars fan.  There were things I didn't like about the prequels (mostly Anakin/Padmé), and I still watch those.  Heck, I wrote fanfic for that era for years.  That's another story...stories, actually...

But anyway.  I went back through my blog posts just a little bit ago, and I saw this draft sitting out there.  I had to share it.  Basically, the stuff in regular font color is what already existed within the draft.  The new stuff that I wrote just today is in blue.  Some things deserved explanation.

Some things...didn't.  I'll leave it at that.  ;)


First Viewing Issue #5: Rehashing the "A New Hope" plot.  I really don't even need to go into the details of how it was rehashed.  This post was started so long ago, and the internet has already beaten this to death like a dead tauntaun on Hoth.  So I'll just move on with my thoughts.

Second Viewing Resolution #6: I'm slowly coming to grips with this.  I understand why we did what we did.  I mean, come on.  If we go back and look at the Legacy Expanded Universe (is that what we're calling it now?), we have so many rehashed plots.  I was just going into The Force Awakens hoping for something new.  Different.  Completely different, I guess.  Not...look a bigger, badder, Death Star.  Where are the Ewoks?  Are we in Return of the Jedi?  That sort of thing.  (I mean, c'mon.  Lucas rehashed his own plot idea...in the span of only 3 movies.  This is classic stuff.)

But I also understand this was the best way to bring people back to the fold, so to speak.  If you're going to reach out to the original generation that you alienated when you made Jar Jar Binks and the prequels, then you had to go early.  You had to go classic.  You had to go basic.  So they did.

It unfortunately just rubbed me the wrong way because I wasn't prepared for basic.  I was prepared for new.  Again, though, I went in with my own preconceived notion was what I should be seeing.  What I saw didn't match up.  That's okay.

First Viewing Issue #6: Kylo Ren doesn't frighten me; he makes me mad.  I would have killed him.

Second Viewing Resolution #6: Kylo Ren still makes me mad.  I would have killed him harder.

Fandom Blurbs: Rogue One

I feel like I should be writing here, but there hasn't been much going on that I want to write about thoroughly.  I could always pop by with a new geeky moment, but the moments are in short little bursts these days - not big, long, rambling, blog posts.  But maybe that's ok.  Maybe I can do a bunch of short little blurbs into one big, long, rambling, blog post.  Hey!  That's an idea!

I've been wanting to talk a lot about the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  But I haven't touched the topic because there's so much out there.  I stay away from spoilers and speculation, but I do love some of the news that's been coming out about this movie.  I'm really excited about what we're going to see.

So let's just blurb about it a bit:

• This movie now has a new composer, and I couldn't be happier!  It's not that I don't love the original composer who was signed on for the production.  Alexandre Desplat is quite the talent, and I do adore his work.  I wasn't 100% sold that his style would fit this production, but I had to remember that we were going for something different here.  So I was encouraged by that thought.  I wanted to hear what he would come up with.  However, when Rogue One had to revise its schedule due to reshoots, that affected the final scoring schedule.  Desplat was no longer available.
  
  Then steps in my latest hero - Michael Giacchino.  I have seriously fallen in love with this man's line of work, and I adore his musical ear.  It's the closest thing to John Williams that I've found in the "modern" film world, and I love to hear what he comes up with next.  I said a long time ago that if - God forbid - we ever lost John Williams before the Star Wars movies were complete, I believe the baton should be passed to Michael.
  
  It seems Michael is getting his chance now to spread his wings and fling his notes across the page of a Star Wars score.  And I am thrilled.  Thrilled, I have to tell you.  Like, bouncing off the walls, I want to flail and hit people with my nerdy flails because I'm happy thrilled.  I can't wait for this movie.  I really can't.
  

• I'm intrigued that Jyn Erso (the main character) has both a mom and a dad that we will actually see in the movie.  Granted, we might be dealing primarily with flash backs (which I also find interesting), but I think it will be fun to see how her character is shaped by her family.  We don't usually get to see that, I feel.  I want to see how this one plays out.
  
  I'm giving Jyn the benefit of a doubt here.  The first trailer I saw her in, I wasn't thrilled with her character.  I didn't connect with her.  She was brash and tough and - maybe - a little arrogant.  And - ok - a character.  "Reckless, aggressive, and undisciplined."  That's quite all right; it just didn't feel like me.  I guess I wanted to connect or something on a personal level.  (Silly, I know).  I don't need to see myself in a main character to follow them.  There are going to be so many characters in this movie, I think any of us are bound to find someone we connect with.
  
  But there are other trailers I've seen make me like her more and more.  I'm curious to see who her character is, why she is the way she is, and what makes her work and move and fight.
  

• Speaking of trailers - who in the world is writing this music?!  Because if this is Alexandre Desplat, then I'm just sad because this is beautiful stuff!  I know it's just trailer music, but c'mon.  Listen!  Seriously.  Just sit back and listen.  When I listen to the music in the 2nd trailer that I linked to above, I just get goosebumps.  It has been known to bring me to tears just by listening to it (and I'm listening now and fighting them back - gah).  It's powerful stuff.  I think this whole movie will be powerful stuff.
  

• *Kermit flail*

Operation Orchid Changes to Operation Night Howler

Ohhh, life!  Goodness, it's been a while, and I'm in desperate need of some "happy".  I figured now is as good a time as any to give a little Disney update.

Our next trip is coming up very soon with a visit in October for our first ever Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about this one.  First of all, I love Disney.  Second of all, I love costumes.  There is basically no opportunity to ever wear a costume to Disney except for runDisney events and this Halloween party, so I'm super excited to actually be able to come up with something.

My first jump was a big one - I had landed my heart on making a Rapunzel dress because I love Rapunzel and - I'll be honest - I wanted to feel like a pretty princess.  However, Operation Orchid has been placed on hold (despite the fact that I now have all of the necessary materials to make the dress - go figure).  Instead of getting thoroughly discouraged, I turned back my brain and started working on a newer and easier to pull together idea.  I needed something that I could easily thrift/eBay/craft/cobble together, and I wanted something Disney related. 

And thus Operation Night Howler went into effect, and I landed on the new, improved, and easier-to-manage idea of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia.

Because - let's face it - they're freaking adorable.  And I love that pink plaid shirt with the sunhat look.

See what I mean?  So, so cute!  Okay, done with the cuteness.  Let's talk details here.

I cobbled together an items list for each character, determined to check them off as I went.  I've done pretty well, and I've even tracked prices - which is something I don't typically do when putting together a costume, really.  I used a lot of saved searches on eBay - which is a God-send, and if you've never used it...use it.  It sends all of my finds directly to my email each day, and I sort through them from there.

Nick Wilde
Green, hawaiian-ish shirt - eBay find - used - $12.16
Navy blue and red striped tie - eBay find - new (will also use for work) - $15.00
Khaki pants - personally own - $0.00
Belt - personally own - $0.00
Ears & Tail - will hand craft
     Faux fur from Fabric.com and JoAnn Fabris - total fabric cost $18.74
     Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own - $0.00
Hat to attach ears to - Amazon - $6.98
Total Cost: $52.88

Judy Hopps
Pink, plaid shirt
     eBay find - didn't work out, too small - $7.48
     WalMart find - $15.00
Jeans - personally own - $0.00
Ears, Headband & Tail - will hand craft
     Faux fur, flannel, and headband from JoAnn Fabrics - total fabric cost $7.25
     Other fabric, Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own $0.00
Gray wig - Amazon - $15.99
White sun hat - personally own - $0.00
Total Cost: $45.72

Turns out what I write down the prices of things, I freak out a little.  Good times!  But honestly, if I sit back and analyze these numbers, I don't find them that bad.  These clothing items can share a "real life" purpose, as well - not just for a costume.  So the only things that won't get used on a regular basis are the fabric bits - the ears and tails.  I think I'm okay with that, and I think I'm pretty good with these prices.  Goodness knows what you'd pay when you go to a costume shop for something.  That can be scary expensive.

So my next job on this costuming adventure is to start crafting some tails and ears and things - a new costuming experience I have never undertaken.  Fun times lie ahead!

I Promised Myself a Blog of Happy

I did.  Honestly.  I promised myself that this would be a blog for happy things.  Things that make me smile.  Like Star Wars and Disney and family and friends and kittens and rainbows and all of that good stuff.  Then I realized how long it had been since I'd written because - frankly - I haven't really had the energy to ramp up the happy feelings due to everything we've been dealing with on a personal level.  To put it plain and simple, our family has suffered a couple of losses . 

June 11: The first was an uncle of mine who was riding his motorcycle when he got hit head-on by a car.  That was sudden, quick, out-of-the-blue.  I had fond memories of him as a kid, and he was my mother's younger brother.  I spent time helping Mom, and my friends helped me cry and work it out. 

June 17: We attended the funeral, spent time with family, and tried to work through the craziness of the whole situation.

June 23: The Nerd Husband's grandfather - my adopted Papaw, basically - is sent him from a smaller county hospital to the larger city hospital two hours away - where the NH and I live.  This whole story starts much earlier - around the beginning of May.  He had been in and out of the hospital multiple times with a few issues.  At first they said it was gallbladder problems, so they took that out.  But issues still persisted, and he ended up back in the hospital with what they called pancreatitis.  They treated him, sent him home, and he ended up back again - another round of pancreatitis, they said.  Treated him, sent him home, and back again to the hospital he went.  Finally, on this trip to the hospital, some "spots" showed up on a scan, and the doctors suggested he go to another hospital to get the pancreas biopsy completed.  They packed the whole family up in the cars (6 people), came up here to where the NH and I live, and went to the hospital for the biopsy.

That's where we found out it was pancreatic cancer which had also spread to the liver.

June 24: NH goes to the oral surgeon (one of my biggest fears ever) and has his wisdom teeth and other problem teeth removed (6 teeth total).  I try not to freak out while helping him that day.

June 25: NH looks like the poster child for oral surgery with no swelling, no bruising, and able to eat with limited issues.  I praise God because this really helps me deal with everything.  We get a phone call from his family; Papaw is back in the hospital.  I ask NH if he feels up to going down, and he does.  So we go.  We stay the night then go home.

June 27 - June 29: We work our butts off at work, call his family every day, get updates on the situation and what's going on, etc.  We plan on leaving early from work on Friday, July 1st and driving down.

June 30 AM: NH speaks with his Mom on the phone; things appear to be about the same. 

June 30 PM: NH speaks with his Mom on the phone; things have taken a turn for the worse.  We drive down to visit his family because we just know that we should.

July 1 AM: We spend all day in the hospital.  They decide to call in hospice.  We help with paperwork and discussions and keeping family calm and uplifted and fed.

July 1 PM: Papaw passed away after the briefest battle of cancer I've ever had the history of witnessing.

From the research I've done, this is the way of pancreatic cancer; it masks itself as so many other things.  Gallbladder, pancreatitis, etc.  It doesn't even show up on scans until it's too late.  A man who had been otherwise healthy and capable and hard-working and tenacious and spunky for 89 years was suddenly gone.  A man with a love of life and family and God and Jesus and a faith so strong if could move mountains and build bridges...gone.  A man who never failed to ask me, "So what are you working on now?" and would sit with me as I pulled out my phone to show him my latest craft or my sewing project or whatever other weird thing was going on.  A man who taught me new things.  A man who taught his family to love like he did.  A man whose grandson I stole for my husband.  This man is gone from this world now.  But his legacy lives on forever in all of these things.  You can never erase your impact on the world.  Never.
   
So this is my post that blows the happy stuff out of the water: Star Wars and Disney and family and friends and kittens and rainbows and all of that good stuff blown to bits by one post.  However, if I really stop and think about it, all of these things aren't truly 100% happy.  Star Wars makes me cry (like a baby, actually, if we're talking The Force Awakens.  Damn you, Kylo Ren.  Yes.  Damn.  I'll even curse on the happy blog because that's how sad you make me).  Disney makes me cry (thank you, Up.  I was having a bad day and figured I'd take myself to a movie to make myself feel better about life...oh...oops.  Cue Shada sinking into the theater seat so no one sees her sobs of ugly shame).  There are sad moments that revolve around family and friends, too - losses and struggles that we all face.  Kittens...okay, I don't cry in sadness for kittens.  Unless they're being hurt or abused.  Rainbows make me cry happy sometimes or cry sad if they make me think about people from the past.

So what I'm trying to say as I ramble on is this:  Yes.  It's my blog.  Yes.  It's a happy blog (mostly).  Will we talk about sad things too?  Well, of course.  Star Wars is full of sad things.  Disney is full of sad things.  Life is full of sad things.  You can't take the sad out of life because, if we did, where would we find the joy?  The belly laughs?  The bursts of sheer childlike wonder that fuel us to do crazy things?  We have to have all of these things wrapped up in one - joy and sadness (thank you, Inside Out). 

That's why the things I love work.  That's why Star Wars works - because it's joy and sadness - it's life - mixed in one.  That's why Disney works.  That's why I love my family, my friends, my kitten (who is a cat now, and I love her even more), and my rainbows as well as the rainstorms that bring them.   

They're all good things - even when they come with an order of bad on the side.

Operation Orchid (or How Shada Intends To Become A Princess)

I have a lot of crazy ideas that never come to fruition - this is true.  I have more fabric in my stash to make random costumes of craziness that come to me on a whim.  I currently have enough fabric to make Leia's ceremonial gown probably twice, as well as a fabric for a costume for Morrigan from video game "Dragon Age".  I even have parts of these costumes that are completed!  Shoes for Leia, a skirt for Morrigan that's been drafted and cut and sewn together and looks awesome.

But they sit.  Leia has sat for years - I can't even begin to tell you how long.  It's embarrassing, really, when I think about it because it makes me sound like I'm unable to complete any projects.  I know this isn't true; I finished a Leia Endor gown in about a month or two before Star Wars Celebration the last time.  So I'm capable of working and completing an outfit.  I guess I just get sidetracked by real life.

Which leads me to where I am now - with grand ideas and pretty fabric but sidetracked by life.

We've been dealing with a lot going on, honestly.  It all hovers around the not-so-great things in life like hospitals and sickness and death and medical tests and recovery.  I shudder when I think about it.  So since this blog was created as a positive outlet for me, I'm going to try and set that aside right now and focus on the really cool ideas and things that have happened lately.

The best is Operation Orchid.

I didn't even know this project was going to have a cool behind-the-scenes spy-mission type name, but now it just makes it even better.  I have a good friend of mine to thank for that, and us both being Once Upon a Time fans just made it that much cooler (if you can say this is cool).  So some backstory before I get ahead of myself here...

Utilizing the Annual Passes of Awesome, the Nerd Husband and I have a trip to Walt Disney World planned for October.  We'll be attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) while we're there, and it's the one chance that adults have to actually go to the Magic Kingdom in a costume.  I love any excuse to pull out a costume, so this just made me horribly happy.  The Nerd Husband and I had some conversations about possible costumes, but I recognize that cosplay is not the NH's "thing".  He's good enough to go along with my crazy hobby and let's me suck him into it now and then, sure.  But he really lets me lead on these adventures.

I spouted off a few ideas, but nothing huge:

• Rey in her Resistance Outfit and Poe Dameron (or maybe just his jacket because that's cool-looking)
• River Song and the 11th Doctor (really, we already have these costumes, but I would have wanted to make a new River dress - the green one - the impossible one)
• Rey and BB-8! (he made a face at this one - an "are you crazy?" kind of face, so I dropped it)
• Random Jedi (both of us)
• Leia dress and Random Jedi
• Marian Ravenwood and Indiana Jones
• Regina the Evil Queen and Robin Hood

I probably had a flurry of other ideas, and I couldn't settle on a darned thing.  Once Star Wars Celebration was announced for April 2017 (I guess that's something else I have to talk about), that kind of pushed my Rey costume plans forward for that con.  I could completed River Song, I think, but that wasn't really Disney.  I wanted something else.

The Once Upon a Time idea was good, but I wanted to try and stick to the easier side of the Disney costume rules which "discourages" floor length gowns.  I could put Regina and Robin in normal clothing, sure, but what's the fun in that?  So that went out the window.  Heck, if I was trying to stick to that rule, it kind of knocked quite a few things of my list, even when I started going through the lists of the princesses.

Until I ran into Rapunzel.  Whose skirt does not reach the floor.  And I went OMGFANGIRLSQUEE.

For the most part, I am not a Disney princess fangirl.  Not that there's anything wrong with the Disney princesses, but I didn't connect with any of them, really.  However, Tangled quickly became a favorite of mine, and on some weird note, I connected with Rapunzel as a character.  Here was a girl who was naive and knew it, but she wanted to change it as best she could.  She was scared to do so, but she did it anyway.  She waffled back and forth about whether or not she was right or wrong, and she fought for the things she believed in.  She took the good with the bad and hurt and cried and suffered, and then finds where she belongs.  I guess I liked that.

So my brain went, "Hey, why not Rapunzel?"

I responded, "But I don't want to wear a ginormous blonde wig in Florida in October."

My brain said, "Hey, she gets her hair cut at the end of the movie.  It's cute and it's brown and it's short."

I thought about it, and I gave into my brain.  That was how the Rapunzel dress came to be the next project of choice.

With any costume, you spend more time in research and search-for-resources mode than you do in the actual construction - I swear to you.  I've looked at more blogs, random Deviant Art pages, screen cap sites, and message boards than I can found.  I searched the dark corners of the internet for fabric stores.  I downloaded pictures on my tablet, my phone, employed my mother-in-law accidentally to help me out, and this project just sort of blew up and took over.  Granted, I let it - because it's exciting to work on something pretty for a change.

However, my research turned up kind of a bust when it came to the fabric arena.  I ended up purchasing a quilting cotton that I liked color-wise for the bodice, but it's cotton - I'm not sure how that will look, honestly.  So it's not even really officially a start.  The colors on this costume are just insanely impossible to match because you don't know if they're pinks or purples.  They're neither and they're both, and it's as frustrating as herding banthas (I imagine).

After searching JoAnn Fabric's, two local thrift stores, and a hole-in-the-wall sewing shop I found, I was still empty-handed on fabric.  I'd done numerous online searches to see if other bloggers or cosplayers had mentioned where they'd purchased their fabric or what color or anything.  Nothing.  Sigh.  Until one day...I did a search on a whim.  I was tired and was giving up.  And there it was: Writer, Cosplayer, and Digital Artist - Julie Hall.

I have no idea who Julie is, but I want to make sure this lady gets credit because boy, did she ever help me!  Thank you, Julie - from the bottom of my geeky heart.  She pointed me in the direction of Hobby Lobby which had the exact color of poly satin I had been looking for - Radiant Orchid.  My nearest Hobby Lobby is a bit of a way from me, and with everything going on I knew I wouldn't have a chance to get there for weeks.  I could purchase it online, sure, but I really hate not being able to see the fabric sometimes.

So I employed my friend M.  We'll call him M because it's safe, and it makes him sound sort of mysterious - like he should be in a James Bond movie or something.  M lives on the side of town maybe 2 minutes from the Hobby Lobby, so I thought about it a bit and then I sent him a message.

Me: Question for you.  Do you have plans to visit your Hobby Lobby anytime soon?  *insert long search explanation here*
M (without hesitation): I can totally go tomorrow morning.  What color are you looking for?

My friends are awesome.  They just are.

The next day, I get a text message at 9:02 in the morning from M: "I'm on my way to the Lobby.  Operation Orchid is now in effect!!"  M later sent me pictures - with flash, without flash, described the fabric as best he could, and even searched in the clearance bins for matching thread (though there was none).  He even brought a coupon to cut down on the already pretty cheap price of $4.99 a yard.

I bought 4 yards - grand total of $12.88.  That's some good shoppin', in my opinion, and Operation Orchid was a success.  I haven't figured out if just that part of it should be called Operation Orchid or if this whole project should be - I think I'm going to make that the title of the whole costume, though.  I just absolutely love it, and it feel so Once Upon A Timey.

I won't get to dig into that fabric for a while, and I won't be able to go out and search for any coordinating fabric for a while, either.  Again, real life (and not the good kind) is creeping in on me, and I just have to face it for a while.  But hopefully this good stuff will be waiting on me when I get back.

I just realized I used the name Shada in the title.  Do you remember who Shada is?  It's Me!  I haven't explained where that nickname came from, but that's another post for another time.  Until then...you just get a little reminder of a little something I posted ages ago.  And now back to your regularly scheduled program...