TwiTours!!!!!!!!

So you know how on November 12, I said "yesterday was the best day ever"? Well, I lied. Yesterday, January 8, 2010, was THE BEST DAY ANYONE EVER HAD EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! I went to TwiTours, and all of this totally amazing stuff happened to me, and I want to write down every little detail of this completely amazing day so that I never, ever, ever forget!!!!

I got to the Hilton in Miami, where the event would be taking place. There was this really adorable sign that said "Vampires" and an arrow pointing left, and another right next to it that said "Werewolves" with an arrow pointing right. So my grandma and I registered, and I walked into the Vendor's Hall. There were a whole bunch of really cool little stands everywhere loaded with Twilight merchandise, but then I turned to my right, and I was speechless.

There, no more than 10 feet away from me, were the creators of my favorite Twilight parody, the Hillywood Show. Hilly and Hannah Hindi, along with the people who played Edward, Jacob, and Jasper in their parodies, were standing RIGHT THERE. They had their own little vendor stand and were wearing their character costumes and everything. I was just like, "Oh my God. That's the Hillywood Show." So I walked up and talked to them, since no one was there. I was like, "Hi! You're the Hillyood Show! I'm such a big fan," and they asked me what my name was. I said "Patty," and shook all of their hands. As I did this, I noticed that Hilly (who plays Bella) felt very breakable, and Hannah (who plays Alice) was very short. Haha! But they were all super nice to me, and I was going to buy their Twilight parody DVD, but they were like, "Are you sure you don't want the New Moon one? It's new. And extended." And I was like, yeah, I kind of do want it! So I paid for the DVD, and they handed it to me, and they said, "Do you want to know somthing?" And I ask "What?" And they said "You're the first person to but our New Moon parody DVD." I said "I feel special!" And Hilly said "You ARE special." Then they asked, "Do you want it signed?" And so I asked, "How much is that?" And they were like, "Oh no, it comes with it." And I'm like, "Yeah! Of course I want it signed! Thanks!" And they all autographed it, and Drew Lorentz (who plays Jasper) asked me what my name was. I answered "Patty," and he's like, "Oh yeah!" It was sort of funny. So Hannah asked me how I spelled it, and I answered, "With a y. P-a-t-t-y," and they wrote "To: Patty" on the back of my DVD! So then Hilly asked me "Do you want a picture?" And I asked, "How much is that?" And she said, "Oh, it's free, that comes with it too," and I'm like "Yeah, I want a picture!" So we all posed in front of their background, and even though they're all nice and friendly in real life, when we were posing they all zoned all seriously into character! I was trying not to laugh. And then Kyle Dayton (who plays Jacob, and is SUPER HOT, mind you) put his hands on my waist all seriously, and I was like, oh my God. Gorgeousness, 6 o'clock. My grandma took the picture, and Drew asked me if I would be staying for any more days. I said no, that I would just be staying for the one day, and he ans everyone else was like, aw. Then Drew gave me a hug :) I walked away with my signed DVD all happily :D

So then we went into the theater, and the Hillywood Show opened with this amazing skit that was basically exactly like New Moon, except talking about the convention. They premiered the extended edition of their New Moon parody, which was a lot of fun. Everyone laughed, they have the most amazing videos! In between events, I was taking a lot of videos. I went around videotaping the vendor's room and interviewing convention-goers and vendors that were there. I documented as much of the experience as I could! During the break, I went back to the Hillywood Show table and asked them to please send a shout-out to Stefanie on camera for me, because she loves their show so much. Being the nice people they are, they all did. Then I went back in the theater and everyone in the audience played the Twilight Trivia yes/no game. I played and lost on a trick question, but I had fun anyway. In between rounds of that game, I went over to the woman who created the Twilight Lexicon, this amazing fansite with all things Twilight. It was one of the first Twilight fansites, and Stephenie Meyer has even quoted it as being "the brightest star in the Twilight online universe". I went over and introduced myself, saying that I loved her site and that I learned most of what I knew about Twilight from her website. She was very friendly and said, "Well, that's what it's there for!" Then she mentioned that she would be going onstage later to show her video of a drive through Forks, Washington. And I thanked her for making such an incredible website and then went back to my seat.

As promised, she did show a video drive-through tour of Forks. It really captured how remote Forks is! She took questions from the audience, and said that summer was the best time to travel to Forks, and that everything there was beautiful. Then I got struck with a totally unrelated yet AMAZING idea which would make Stefanie so happy. But when I went back to the stand, the Hillywood Show wasn't there. I figured that they would be back later, so I let it slide. I went back on time to watch some exclusive cast interviews on the screens, and then the Hillywood Show came back onstage to welcome Peter Facinelli! Everyone was totally freaking out. He came out and he had a stubble, and he was joking around, like, "I know what you all are thinking. Who is this scraggly man? This Amish person?" Everyone laughed :)

He was talking a lot and answering pre-submitted questions. He said that his manager gave him a panini maker. He said, "I just know that this is going to wind up on YouTube, and my manager is going to be like, 'I thought you liked your present!'" Coincidentially, the next question asked what his favorite Italian food was. "Paninis! Which is great.... because now.... I have a panini maker!" Peter is hilarious, he's awesome. He went on to talk about Breaking Dawn and which scene would be his favorite. He answered, "The birth, because I'm not in it. It's such a typical doctor move, the baby is about to be born and you're on the ninth hole. The baby is being delivered and I'm not there!" Then he talked a little about Kristen Stewart's job in Breaking Dawn, and I was like, oh God. This should be interesting. He said that she had the easiest job in Breaking Dawn, because for nine hours all she would have to do is lie on a couch. Then, of course, some fan called out about the honeymoon scene, and he said, "Yeah, the honeymoon scene. Then she'll just be lying down on a bed." (Insert laghter from everyone in the audience here.) "She'll be spending a lot of time on her back." (Insert even more laughter.) "I meant on a couch!" (Okay, you get the idea. Everyone was cracking up.) He also talked about how acting was a lifetime dedication, and said that he was ending on sort of a dark note, so he told the story of Kellan Lutz after a fight scene, and how he was backing away all smug and then tripped over a bush XD "K-Lutz.... klutz." LOL! Then he told the infamous card story, which I had seen him tell so many times on the internet, but it was way funnier when he was telling it in person. Basically what happened is, he bought a card that had a bridge going over a stream on the front, and it reads, "I know times are tough, and it's hard to figure things out," and on the inside it reads, "But I know that you'll find the job that's right for you." He bought it and gave it to Robert Pattinson! Robert read it and said, "Thanks," and Peter was like, no, it's a joke. And so he explained it to him, and Rob laughed. Then Peter told him to give it to Kristen! So then Peter saw Rob again later and asked how it went, and Rob said that Kristen got mad at him! So then Peter had to tell Kristen that it was a joke and that he told Rob to give it to her, and she was like, "It would've been funny if you gave it to me, but Rob gave it to me and so it wasn't funny." Then Peter just went around giving the card to basically everyone (including Chris Weitz, their director, which he was wary about). I love that story so much :D

At that point, it was time to do photo ops with Peter! I had bought one, and I was like, yes! So before I went there, I went back to the Hillywood Show, and asked them if they could do me a huge favor, and that if I called my friend Stefanie, who is a huge fan of theirs, would it be okay with them if they were to take the phone call? They considered, and said that it would be okay if they weren't too busy. I thanked them and tried repeatedly calling Stefanie, but she just wouldn't answer! I was just like, whatever, and I went to go get my photo op! I was sooooo nervous, and then IT WAS MY TURN. I was just freaking out, like holy crap, I'm about to go talk to Peter Facinelli. So I said, "Hi, Peter, it's so nice to meet you!" "Hi, what's your name?" "Patty." He repeated back to me, sort of in a confirming way, "Patty." And we took the picture! (I hugged him. It is currently my Facebook default photo.) I shook his hand again and said, "Thank you so much! You rock, you're amazing!" And he said, "Thank you, thank you," and I just walked away. It was pretty freaking heart-attack-inducing.

So then I went back to the theater and took some more video, and I FINALLY got in touch with Stefanie! I went over to the Hillywood show table as I talked, and I said, "Hey Stefanie, I'm pretty sure that there's someone who wants to talk to you." I whispered to Hilly that it was my friend Stefanie, and that she was a huge fan. She whispered, "Stefanie? She's a fan of the show?" And I nodded yes. Hilly took my phone and said, "Hello, is this Stefanie?" She listened for a second, and said, "This is Hilly." She listened again, then a smile broke out across her face, the sort of smile that people have when they make other people happy. She said, "Yeah, your friend Patty said that you were a fan of the show!" She talked with Stefanie for a bit and then asked, "Do you want to talk to Hannah?" Then Hilly gave Hannah my phone (yeah, the Hindi sisters were talking on my phone! What now!), and whispered that it was Stefanie, and that she was a big fan of the show. So then Hannah talked to Stefanie, and she talked to her for even longer. It was pretty much to the same effect, saying that I had said that she was a fan, and she said goodbye and gave me my phone back. I said, "Thanks, you guys! I appreciate it so much!" and they smiled at me. I said, "Hello?" into the phone, and Stefanie said to me, "Yes, I love you. You're the best friend I've ever had!" She was so happy!

After a little while of some more videotaping, it was time for me to go and get in line to get Peter Facinelli's autograph! I was nervous, because I only had one autograph ticket, but I was going to get his autograph on my book AND I wanted to see if he could sign Stefanie's camera, since she wanted him to so badly. I had him sign my copy of Twilight, and then I gave him a stack of notes from my friends. I said, "These are from my friends who couldn't make it out today," and you know what he did? He took the note on top, signed it, and gave it back to me! Not what I was expecting, but definitely totally fine! (I'm going to give it to my friend Kayla who LOVES Peter Facinelli.) Then I said, "Hey, listen, my best friend Stefanie thinks that you're really amazing, and I was wondering if you could sign her camera." I was nervous, because two women who enforced the rules were standing right there. But he took the entire camera, signed it with "Peter Facinelli, Dr. Cullen" and gave it back to me! I couldn't believe it! Stefanie would have her signed camera, after all! I thanked Peter and walked away. All excited for what Stefanie would do. But! I had an idea! I texted Stefanie and told her that sorry, I couldn't get Peter to sign her camera, but that I tried. She said that it was okay, and that I had done enough for her already. I was so excited to surprise her! I totally lied to her, that would make her way happier when she saw her camera!

Then I went out to dinner with my grandma, my friend Sam, and her mom. We were talking about our day and stuff, and around 7:30 we went up to the photography room to pick up the pictures of us with Peter! Surprisingly, my picture was actually not that terrible! I had to keep on looking at it. I seriously couldn't process that this amazing face that was linked to Twilight, a face that I had memorized, was set in place right next to mine. It was completely surreal! We went back downstairs to finish eating, then went back upstairs and saw this guy who was going to be at the musical concert event that night. His job was to sing and play the guitar, and impersonate Robert Pattinson. LOL! He recognized Sam from the May convention! Anyway, I'll attach some pictures when I get the chance.

I went home and then to Jillian's house for a sleepover with Jillian, Justina, Sarah, and Stefanie (my bffls) and, as luck would have it, Stefanie answered the door! I had brought the signed DVD at her request, and I showed it to her, which she thought was super cool. I very strategically handed her the camera, making it so that my hnd covered the signature, so when I handed it to her, Peter Facinelli's autograph was revealed! She screamed, and was so incredibly happy! She was even more happy than she would've been otherwise, because I surprised her, and there was no anticipation! It was totally unexpected! She was beyond thrilled. I explained to her that I had been keeping it a secret the whole time, and had said that he didn't sign her camera on purpose, so that it would be that much better for her. I told her that since I knew she was compltely heartbroken about not being able to go to the convention, I wanted to bring as much of it to her as I possibly could. Which meant a video shout-out and phone call from the Hillywood Show and an autograph from Peter Facinelli on her camera!

Now, if THAT was not THE BEST DAY ANYONE ANYWHERE EVER HAD IN THE HISTORY OF EVER, I don't know what is. Seriously. Oh, and my friend Sam just texted me and said that the question I had written on a slip of paper for Kiowa Gordon to answer at the Q&A today was used, and that he answered it!!!!! I feel totally awesome :D

-Patty ♥☼♪♫

BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!

Oh. My. God. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!!!!! OOOOOOHHHHHHH my God!!!!!! Yesterday was, undeniably, undoubtedly, no contest, the BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!

So I was waiting in line with Stefanie for 2 1/2 hours! Crazy, right? But so totally worth it! Because.... we were going to meet Alex Meraz & Kiowa Gordon!!!! They play Paul & Embry of the wolf pack in New Moon. It was so cool! But let me start from the beginning. (By "the beginning", I mean the interesting parts.)

So Stefanie and I are just standing here in a parking garage, trying to get a grip on our emotions, when suddenly we see some people with cameras come along. We were kind of confused, and screamed a lot when the camera pointed in our direction, but it was nothing special. Out of nowhere, BAM! The mother ship arrives! Our local NBC news station had just pulled up. The camera man was walking around, and my mom mentioned that Stefanie and I would make good people to interview. So when the reporter came around, she interviewed us! Stefanie and I were on TV!!! A whole bunch of people we knew told us later that they saw us!

So we were waiting in line or whatever, and I was still pretty excited that I was gonna be on television, but way more excited that I was going to meet Kiowa & Alex! Stef and I met these nice girls in line named Sam, Taty, and Tabatha. Sam had met tons of the stars already, and another even had a picture of her hugging Kellan Lutz on her phone! (Words cannot describe my jealousy at this.)

Eventually, we got toward the front of the line, and I got really fidgety. What was I possibly going to say? Then we got let past the initial line, and we were in the mall!!!! I was shouting my thanks to God, for granting me this beautiful moment which many don't get to experience in their lives. When we were let inside the store, I was all but on quivering on the ground crying. Superhuman strength kept me on my feet with dry eyes. Suddenly, Sam looks around the rack, and she says, really excitedly, in a voice only Twilight fangirls can achieve: "I can see them!" I looked where she was looking....

And there they were.

I saw Alex Meraz first, although I was aware that Kiowa was next to him. In that instant second that I first saw them, words cannot describe what I was feeling. It was completely surreal. It was, like, he had just stepped away from the magazine pages and the computer screen and the TV commercials, and he was a person. This was, of course, before I saw Kiowa, and my heart attack doubled. I looked away, and I had to look again. But they were still there! Once they were no longer untouchable stars, now that they were right there in front of me. It all totally threw sensibility away. Nothing made sense anymore. And you know what? I didn't care. I didn't care about anything that brought me up to that point in time, I didn't care about anything that was going to happen after that. In fact, I became nearly inadequate. I was like, wait... what's happening? Is this real? But I couldn't even take a step back to confirm it. It was all so heartbreakingly real, I almost collapsed.

I was handed a wolf pack poster of New Moon, and Stefanie and I were let in toward the autograph table! I have no clue what happened then. No one else was touching them, they were just getting their autographs and leaving. One of my only thoughts were, I have to touch them. Make physical contact. Promise myself that this is real.

Stefanie got their autograph and handed them the picture she drew for them and a song I wrote (which, mind you, was sealed away in a envelope, it was so embarrassing, I don't even want to think about it). And then it was my turn.

A person who worked there took my poster and handed it to Kiowa, and I realized in some part of my brain that I had to say something. So, here I am, just standing there, smiling like a moron, like, "Hi! It's nice to meet you!" And Kiowa smiled and said, "Hi, thanks for coming out." And I'm 99% sure I said something incoherent after that, like "Gah". And then I remembered my physical contact plan, and so I stuck out my hand. AND KIOWA GORDON SHOOK IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Before I was finished processing this, Alex had my poster and he was signing it. So I said the exact same thing, still smiling stupidly, babbling like an idiot, and he smiled at me and said "Thanks". I stuck out my hand again, and ALEX MERAZ SHOOK MY HAND!!!!!!!!

I got my poster back and I was stumbling out of the store, laughing giddily to myself. Now that I think of it, I probably looked like a crazy person. My hand was still tingling from their touch! For as long as I live, I NEVER, EVER want to forget how shaking their hands felt. Their hands were big, and strong, and warm. I run pretty warm myself, and they felt warm to me. Their handshake was perfect. They may very well have forgotten all about me, considering the next location for the cast tour, and they might have let go of my hand yesterday when they released it. But me? I still haven't let go. I've been holding on so tightly, you wouldn't imagine. I close my eyes and replay those moments, just so I'll never forget. I won't let go for a while yet.

Dadeland County public schools stopped me because they saw that I was freaking out, and asked me to freak out on camera. I was like, "Sure, easy enough." I mean, really, I had touched them, gotten their autographs, only a few moments ago! I was on full-on freak-out mode!

The Q&A session was loud, I didn't have a good view, and I couldn't see much. BUT! At the end, Alex & Kiowa were throwing things into the audience, and I couldn't really see what it was. But then Alex came and threw them over on our side of the audience, and I saw that they were cards. Pfft, I DOVE at that thing. People were scrambling after the celebrity-infused cards, but I got one! It was a New Moon trading card, as it turns out! That Alex Meraz touched!

So, if that's not the BEST DAY EVER, I don't know what is!!!!

Love,
Patty ♥♪☼$