
My adventures began on May 8, 2015, when my best friend and I arrived at the Wyndham Garden Grove hotel in Anaheim...it was at the check in counter. We were exhausted from being up since 3 in the morning, our faces raw, hair messy, and we were so ready to get out of our airplane clothes! We turned around, and who do you suppose we saw standing behind us in line?? None other than the amazing, sassy, full-of-soul Beverley Elliott herself! She was fantastic. Meeting her was the best way to kick off the beginning of our Con adventures. After hugs and selfies, we made our way up to our room to unpack and freshen up.
Our second adventure took place at 3 p.m. in the hotel restaurant. While the Con was beginning and most people were at various panels, Amanda and I were seated at a table next to actor Faustino di Bauda, who plays Sleepy in ABC's Once Upon a Time. He was incredibly kind, down to earth, and fun to talk to! Mid-conversation with him, I see Lee Arenberg, who plays Grumpy, walking behind me, and I found myself saying aloud "Lee??" He stopped next to us, looked down, and said, "Who are you?!" We had lovely conversation with "Sleepy" and "Grumpy" for the next 30 minutes.
The cocktail party that evening proved eventful. I cosplayed in my Madam Mayor attire of black cocktail dress, knee high black boots, and Regina's Helmut Lang red blazer from season 2. I was thoroughly complimented when I got mistaken for Lana while in line for entrance (that made me laugh!), and discovered later that the emcee and Lana's bodyguard kept doing triple takes and thinking "what's Lana doing here?! She's not supposed to be at this event!" (That's some wicked cosplay for you right there.)
Beverley took some time to talk with me at the party. I was able to share my story with her, and thank her for being a part of something that got me through the darkest time in my life (losing my husband to cancer) - she was very easy to talk to, full of compassion, and deep. I adore her.
Confession time....I had dare for myself while at RegalCon. I was really looking forward to meeting David Anders, who plays Dr. Whale. He has the most gorgeous dimples, which I am very fond of. (Can you see where this is going?) When I met David, I told him I had a dare that involved him, and asked him (with my best smile) if I could stick my finger in his dimple. I've never seen someone turn so red and start cracking up so hard! He obliged, and I was thrilled! He then proceeded to kiss me on the cheek...twice. :::big smile:::
My best friend and I were invited to hang out with Faustino, Lee, and David after the party, and we went to grab some pizza across the street. BEST NIGHT EVER! And probably also the latest night ever. Worth every hour of sleep we lost! (I think we averaged 4 hours of sleep a night the entire weekend...ouch).
End of day 1.
Regally yours,
Regina Redeemed