Our HeroesCon Experience

Deek and I love to go to ComicCons (this is how I punctuate this word because I have yet to find a consensus on it)! We dig the vibe, enjoy the cosplayers, and adore talking about our favorite nerdy stuff with likeminded individuals.

Little Pink Vadar from SueperCon (now GalaxyCon) 2017

So, imagine our disappointment when we got to Charlotte's HeroesCon and found very little of that. The energy at the event was super low. In fact, other vendors kept saying both the vibe and attendance were way off compared to other years. We also didn't see many cosplayers. There were some, don't get me wrong. But we're used to seeing lots of people decked out in the most awesome gear imaginable. And sadly, a lot of the attendees just didn't want to talk. They'd come with their stack of comics and list of names, and they just rushed from place to place.

HeroesCon was not what we'd hoped.

I'm SO thankful I had Deek there with me because no matter the circumstances, we always manage to have fun. We talked and laughed, met our booth neighbors, and greatly enjoyed exploring Charlotte when the con ended each night.

Goofing off after "work"

Funny story: One of my cousins has a booth every year at HeroesCon. His mom got my booth number for him and his booth number for me. We spent all of Friday looking for each other, to no avail. But that night, we ran into each other outside the 7-11. What are the odds of that? LOL!

We don't know how other years at HeroesCon played out--maybe they totally rocked--but we won't be repeating this event to find out. Deek and I concluded that, from here on out, we will only attend cons that have actors, a large cosplay group, or both. If it doesn't have those elements, it's probably not the crowd for us.

Little Pink Storm Trooper from a different ComicCon.

But despite the bummer nature of HeroesCon, we had a blast exploring the city of Charlotte. We found a coffee shop with the coolest atmosphere we've ever been in (and we've been in *a lot* of coffee shops across the county). We also ate at a restaurant called Valhalla because...Thor and Vikings. Y'all the food was so heavenly (see what I did there?) that we ended up eating there twice!

Eating at Valhalla

All in all, we turned a blah situation into a blast. I am so very thankful to have a husband who rolls with whatever and always keeps a positive attitude. Even if things around us suck, we can carve our our own little piece of paradise. Deek Rhew is a true gem, my friends! And I'm the luckiest girl in the world!

Here's our pictorial view of Charlotte and the con:

We were *required* to wear these non-removable bands the whole time. 

I *hated* it.

I don't wear bracelets or watches or anything because I don't like stuff on my wrists.

I was SO happy to cut that annoying thing off.

Skybridge like in Portland!

Gorgeous church!

Some people are riding in style!

The *coolest* coffee shop ever 

(and we've been to all sorts of coffee shops across the whole country)

But hands down, Coco and the Director has the best vibe!

View of the skyline

Our table setup rocked.

Just sayin'...

Sam and DEAN!

Sam and Dean's car!

The Mystery Machine!

Deek on the Millennium Falcon!

Sporting our Tenacious Books Publishing shirts!

View from the behind the table (Erin)

View from behind the table (Deek)

My favorite picture from the whole event!

We did find a few cosplayers!

I love it when whole families own it!

A wizardly bunch

Valhalla and Odin!

Finally back home and out to get more coffee--after a smooch, of course!

The Rhews Go To Washington...DC, that is.

I know Deek already told you a little about our trip to DC, but here I am tagging along on his coattails. Ha!

I'm from the South, so when we say Washington, we mean DC. If we want to indicate the state, we say Washington state. But when I lived in the PNW, I found out that Washington means the state there, and DC is what they call Washington DC. Confusing, huh? But Deek and I managed to get those wires uncrossed. Now, we both say Washington state and Washington DC to be most clear.

Washington state

Washington DC

So, join me as we tour the nation's capital!


The first day, we went to AwesomeCon! We'd considered getting a booth there, but someone advised us to visit it first. So we did! Since it was near my birthday, Deek surprised me with an autograph session with Val Kilmer--my lifelong crush. I turned around and surprised him with an autograph session with Weird Al--one of his all-time favs. And since everyone was getting something, we bought his parents a photo session with the cast of Star Trek Next Generation since his dad is a huge Trekkie (as are we)!

I think this is some teenage dream come true for Deek! Haha!

They let me come in and meet Weird Al too! 

His staff was so kind, and he was beyond sweet!

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I met Val Kilmer (sadly he didn't do selfies)!!

We stayed at an apartment complex that rented out rooms until all the units got sold. 

A very cool concept, and a VERY nice place. 

It had rooftop balcony with a fire pit overlooking the Capital building. 

Um, yes, please!

I love this pic of them!

Did I mention I have some rockin' in-laws! <3

The second day, we focused on military sites. My father-in-law is career military, but this was his first visit to DC.

No words for this...

Or this...

Pentagon Memorial

The next day, we went to see monuments.

Many iconic moments happened here.

Love him! 

I'm so glad my husband modeled himself after such an amazing man! <3

Mr. Lincoln

Anyone else want to sing the Hamilton?

And then my mom texted me a pic of where she was... LOL!

The next day, we went to appointments at the three branches of government. Shoutout to our congressman's office for putting that part of the trip together for us and getting us all of our security clearances!

We started the day bright and early at the White House.

Deek was so excited to be there!

I was relieved to have made it past the eighteen levels of security without incident!

Deek's parents in the Green Room.

Such history in those walls!

Next, we had a surprisingly entertaining lecture at the Supreme Court.

I learned a lot!

Kissing in front of the Capital Building before our tour.

And we found a lovely surprise!

The Shakespeare museum...be still my heart!

The next day, we took it a little easy and visited the Washington Zoo. It's free!

Deek and iguanas is a running joke in our family, 

so we had to get this picture!

The baby gorilla was *SO* cute!

The tunnel o'doom!

Then, we spent the following day at museums.

The Bat Mobile

First Ladies Collection

Top hat worn by Lincoln on the night of his assassination

The Holocaust Museum -- there are no words

Smithsonian Castle

Deek and I hung out on the rooftop balcony 

and chatted by firelight with a view of the city!

And of course, no trip to DC would be complete without seeing the Air and Space Museum. We learned that it's the 3rd most visited museum in the *world*!! 

Space shuttle

Amelia Earhart Exhibit

Wright Brothers first plane -- the original

These two Trekkies love this exhibit! 

(PS. I did too--total Trekkie girl)

When you've walked 10+ miles for days and days,

sometimes you need a pick-me-up!

For perspective...

this is how big the inside of the Smithsonian Castle is!

Those little dots are me and Deek!

We found a *really* cool restaurant to eat at!

Titanic Memorial.

I had no idea they had one in DC!

Walking and smooching along the Potomac River

After that, it was time to say goodbye--to DC and to Deek's parents. We *loved* getting to spend that time with them and look forward to seeing them again very soon. Thankfully we live in a technologically advanced world, so goodbye isn't really goodbye anymore. It's more like, "See you in a few days on FaceTime, and see you again in real in a few months."

So, when you do keto, you have a lot of bacon... LOL!

On the train again.

Back to life, back to reality.

PS. Ain't my man sexy in his new Superman glasses?

Traveling essentials...

Sooooo super embarrassing picture, 

but it highlights what keto has done for me (2015 vs 2019).

No, I don't get money from keto or sell products (those aren't legit anyway).

I'm just someone for whom it made all the difference.

If you get the chance to go to DC, I highly recommend it. There is so much to see and do there, and most of it is free.

Until next time, adventure on!