Wow!! I cannot believe that it has been a week and a day since we descended on LA for the biggest party in the galaxy!! So many memories were made while waiting in lines, during meal-times, and during events...and I cannot express just how grateful I am to have attended such an event. The people I met were some of the greatest I have ever encountered...and we shared a love for the same thing. I truly felt in my "element" at CIV, and nothing can change that feeling.

OK...I have seen several entries on others' various experiences, but not so many from those who attended in costume. Let me tell you, the experience of a SW Celebration in costume cannot be rivaled...at least in my opinion. It truly is amazing the people who will stop and ask for a photo of or with you, who will stop you and comment on your work, or who will stop you and ask for a photo of you with their children. There is no better feeling in the world to me than knowing that others appreciate the hard work and dedication I put into my costume or that of the kids who look to you as one of their idols and just want to say Hi.

Here is a break-down of the costumes I wore...by day and with a brief synopsis of what happened.

Thursday, May 24th

I wore Princess Leia's Ceremonial Gown from ANH. Essentially, this was a last-minute costume I made more or less to wear to the Meet & Greet. I actually enjoyed wearing this one, as it was simple, elegant, and fairly comfortable. I had a few "wardrobe malfunctions" during the time I wore this...but nothing that could not be fixed. My hair did not want to stay in place (it kept falling down to the base of my head) since it was so heavy; the snaps on my belt broke, and I ended up using safety pins that an artist so graciously had on him to hold it together; and a seam ripped even more than it was (I had a small hole in the seam before I even put it on). Wardrobe malfunctions aside, many people complimented me on this, saying how it fit me so well. One guy even said it was nice to see a red-headed Leia This is my favorite pic in this costume. The R2 was just "sitting" there for people who wanted photos with him...and, once this one was snapped, he bleeped happily and rolled away. It was the cutest thing I also could not help but pose with the Jabba hanging out in the Exhibit Hall. I still can't get his laughing out of my head By the time of the Meet & Greet, I had had it with my hair, so I took the extensions out and went with my natural hair for the rest of the evening. I'll have to work on figuring out how to get the pieces to stay for the next time I wear it!!

Friday, May 25th

Today was picnic day!! I had to get up early for a Rebel Legion photo shoot, and of course was running a little behind. JP77 and I (I hope she doesn't mind me posting this) were going to this together, and I took a little longer to get dressed than planned. Since the shuttle was not at the hotel when we left, we decided to walk to the Holiday Inn to catch the Legion. We arrived at that hotel just as the end of the line was leaving...so we hopped in at the end and followed our fellow Rebels to the convention center. The shoot was fun...my only regret was not having my camera out to snap pics of the individual groups of members (i.e. Jedi, pilots, fleet troops, Endor troops, EU, etc.) Oh well...pics will be posted of the shoot on another site.

I thought I was going to have another day with hair problems, because one of my buns would not stay in place. However, I was eventually able to get the bun to stay, and had no further problems the remainder of the day. A few people snapped my pic this day, but fewer than the day before...probably since I spent most of my day in lines rather than walking around. I was able to pose with Elvis Trooper , Vader, and a few other costumers (both RL and non-RL)

Saturday, May 26th

This is the day I debuted my Bespin outfit!! However, this debut wasn't without it's snags along the way. I had stitched the cloak together on Tuesday night so that I knew it would be together prior to my departure. My plan was to remove stabilizer (the paper stuff I drew the embroidery pattern on) after packing on Wednesday and on the plane on Thursday. You know what they say about the best laid plans...I did not get much of anything done on Wednesday besides some cleaning and packing. I worked my hardest while on the plane, but there was just too much left to do. I took the cloak with me on Friday and worked on it in line...entertaining a few fellow fans in the process . Actually, I think they were amazed by my work more than what I was doing at the time. Well, we didn't get back from the Opening Ceremonies until late, and I thought I would be up all night working on this thing. I only made it until 2:30am and realized that it would be impossible to remove every last piece of stabilizer. I had a breakdown while the others slept, and hit the pillow myself.

I was planning on attending an ANH Leia photo shoot that morning, but decided not to go. The girls (VA2, AS1, & MO2YP) were great with my continuing sadness over this costume. They encouraged me to shape what I could and work on it in line. This made me feel better...so I tore much of the bigger parts off, leaving the rest to be worked on in line. I was not 100% happy going out in an incomplete costume, but I was told by many that they could not tell that it wasn't finished!! Perfection...the life of a costumer

This was such a comfortable costume to wear...and I am glad that I decided to go with it anyway. I had hoped to get Carrie Fisher's autograph on Friday, but was not able to do so...so I got in her line this day!! It was totally unintentional on my part to get her autograph while in a Leia outfit...but it was also kinda neat. She didn't say anything to me about it, but she did sign something very nice to her pic!! I got a few other autographs, and was on my way.

Sunday, May 27th

Fan Club Breakfast and Costume Contest day!! Well, since I knew I would not have time to change between the breakfast and arriving at the convention center, I decided to wear my costume to breakfast. This really was the longest day for me in costume...and the day I wore the heaviest costume I had!! This was the day I wore Padme's Purple Loyalist Committee gown (the official costume contest photo...don't I look like I've been through the wringer?)...one I did not see too many of throughout the weekend. I did not put on the headpiece or choker until I arrived in the convention center, since I knew I would be in them all day...and the costume contest did not start until around 4pm. When the day was over, I was in costume for 16 hours, and in headpiece for 12 hours...my head was killing me!!

Anyway...both Jay Laga'aia and Jeremy Bulloch loved my work. Their comments to me were probably amongst the top highlights of the day. Mr Laga'aia mentioned how he stood near this costume...and signed his pic with "Beautiful Costume, " while Mr. Bulloch couldn't get over the headpiece...he even stood up to get a closer look at it . Throughout the day, several people stopped and asked for my photo...and I heard several children say "Look, there's Padme' from Attack of the Clones" . My heart just melted every time I heard that!! Oh, I even had time to pose with an Anakin I had met at LAX...I had promised him a pic when I was in that gown, and we just happened to run into each other!!

This was also the day of the costume contest!! Although I did not place in the top three, I had a blast!! The Glorious Gowns category (the one in which I competed) had some pretty stiff competition...and we all picked out the winner before the show even started (she totally deserved it)!! I could tell the emcee was impressed with my write-up...although hearing vocal deflections on stage is totally different than hearing them from the audience. A very nice Darth Maul even stopped to tell me that the brooch on the back of the gown (the one holding the overcoat sleeves) was falling off...and he didn't want me to be docked points for that!! It's great how we helped each other out, even though we were competing against one another!!

Monday, May 28th

A non-costume day!! I left LA this day, and decided it would be too much of a hassle to dress for just a short couple of hours. It truly felt strange to head to the convention center in "regular" clothes!! However, my hair was thanking me for not putting it through any more torture I also believe that the rest of my body was thanking me as well...since my feet were slightly blistered, my heels were scraped a little, and my shoulders were sore from carrying myself properly. I so do not regret dressing in costume the other days...it was an experience I will not soon forget. I also loved seeing the other costumes, and chatting it up with my fellow costumers and getting tips. Although I did miss out on some panels, I do not mind so much since I was doing something I love to do...dress in character!!

I hope I didn't bore any of you with these details. It truly is a different experience when you are dressed as a character as opposed to being dressed in every-day gear. There is so much more I could say about the con itself, but I won't. I wanted to focus on the experience of attending in costume...and, as I said before, what an experience it was