Breakfast, anyone?
So, did I mention that on Sunday I met Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki? Did I?!
Oh, right! YES. I guess I did mention that. Maybe once or twice. And I think some of you are probably waiting for some pictures of the pretty that is J2 so I'm just going to get right down to business with that. I do plan on giving a review for the whole day but since it's going to be super image heavy, I'm doing it in two parts. Maybe three, if it becomes necessary. But here we go with the first part!
Does it go without saying that come Sunday morning I was freaking out? I think it probably should. The moment that I woke up I had a serious case of broad-winged butterflies in my stomach and it just got worse and worse as the time for the breakfast neared. Obviously I was really, really excited to see the boys but I was so nervous. Still, Rachel and I managed to do our primping in a timely fashion, getting up at 4:30 and being ready to go downstairs to get in line for breakfast by 6:30. A little before, actually, and it was probably a good thing because by the time we showed up a line was already starting to form.
The people from Creation made a point of telling us all the previous day that the Marriott wouldn't be allowing people to camp out outside of the room where the breakfast was being held over night like they apparently did at the convention in Chicago and said that we weren't allowed to line up until 7:00. But like Rachel and I, plenty of people had the idea to be there before 7, just to be safe. I think when we got in line we had thirteen (I tried to count as best I could) people in front of us and thank God we got there when we did! By 6:45 the line started accumulating more people and by 7:00 the line was the whole way down the hall. As it turned out, we were more than fine having the position in line that we did because there really wasn't a bad seat in the whole room as far as I could tell but I was super pleased to be at one of the front three tables so that there was nothing between us and the little stage where the guys were when they got there. Which, by the way, didn't happen until almost 9:00, regardless of the fact that the breakfast technically started at 8:00.
Because of that I probably should have been able to calmly enjoy a nice meal but...hell no. I was a wreck, guys! I'm almost embarrassed to admit how anxious I was about being in the same room with Jared and Jensen, let alone meeting them and taking pictures with them, etc. So while everyone else indulged in the yummy buffet spread (eggs, potatoes, bacon, danishes and muffins, fruit, and all kinds of other things that looked really fabulous) I ate a few pieces of fruit from Rachel's plate. That is, I had two pieces of pineapple, two strawberries and a piece of watermelon and it's a wonder I could even stomach that. I just kept looking at the clock on my phone and fidgeting around in my chair and checking and re-checking the settings on my camera and...ugh, I could have really used a Valium or something. I was anticipating the guys' arrival so much that when they actually got there it totally took me off guard. We were waiting and waiting and waiting some more and then suddenly there they were, coming through the little door behind the stage and I swear to God, I cannot describe the impact of seeing them in person in a way more accurate than saying that it's a little bit like being punched in the stomach. I literally lost my breath for a moment or two and my hands were shaking so badly that it's a wonder my pictures didn't turn out all blurry *headdesk*
No lie, my friends, those boys are even more amazing in real life than they are on TV or in pictures. You would almost expect it to be the other way around since there was no carefully aimed lights or airbrushing or make-up to make them look perfect but...they still did. I think when I texted sarah_p to report not long after the guys arrived, I said that Jensen looks like a Greek god but OMG, HE DOES. I'm not exaggerating! How freaking amazingly gorgeous he is doesn't even begin to translate to pictures and I'm now convinced that you have to see him in person to even remotely grasp how profoundly attractive he is.
Of course, Jared was incredibly good looking in person, too, but I think he looked a lot more like I expected him to. If that...makes sense. The first thing I registered about him was, obviously, how goddamn tall he is. HE IS JUST SO BIG. So big and so smiley and just...guh with the hair. He was wearing a beanie but I could tell that he'd cut his hair a bit and I was totally geeking out over the little wings that stuck out by his ears and I probably would have paid good money to touch his hair. Forreal.
Oddly enough, while I first noticed how tall Jared is, the first thing that I noticed about Jensen other than how fucking beautiful he is was that he was wearing that t-shirt under his oxford that he wore under the blue plaid western-style shirt that he wore for his photoshoot in Sydney. How bad is it that I noticed that?! Especially when there were more pressing issues when it comes to his appearance (like how perfectly coifed his hair was and how tan his white shirt made him look and how he was all stubbly and delicious) for me to hone in on! But, yeah, I did. And I checked when I got home to make sure I wasn't imagining it and I was right :D Also, I know it's been mentioned before that Jared said he stole the shirt he was wearing from wardrobe, but I just still think that's the coolest thing ever simply because it's the shirt that he was wearing in the photo that Rachel had him sign later. Heee.
Honestly, though, they were just so amazing. THEY WERE. And as horribly nervous as I was before they arrived and just after, I calmed down considerably after a couple of minutes. I think it was just the nerves that had me going crazy with anxiety but the boys totally put me (and everyone else, I'd venture to guess) entirely at ease. They were there with us for about a half an hour or maybe a little longer but in that amount of time it became so incredibly obvious that no one is exaggerating when they talk about how wonderful they are. They're both so entertaining individually and when you put them together it's like stand-up comedy. They're effortlessly funny and so incredibly engaging even while speaking to a room full of people. They managed to make it seem so personal right over top of all the crowd noise and the constant flashing of cameras and I really admire them for that ease. Particularly Jensen, considering that we all know him as being a lot less naturally outgoing than Jared. And, guys, he's hilarious. The impressions and goofy voices he does just make me love him even more. And Jared is 100% as dorkily fantastic as you'd expect ;D
I really wish the breakfast could have lasted longer because it was hands-down the best part of the day for me. A lot more intimate than the Q&A panel and not nearly as rushed or nerve-racking than the photo ops and autograph signings. It was thirty-something minutes of J2 bliss and if you get to see any of the tons of videos popping up all over the place of them during that part of the day...well, their awesomeness just isn't even adequately rendered that way. I love them so much, ya'll. It's not even right.
So, um, then the breakfast was over and the nerves were baaaaack. Because it was straight to the MILE-LONG LINE for the photo op with Jensen. I was kind of flipping out again but I don't think anyone but Rachel really was aware of that. My palms were all sweaty and cold and all I could think the entire time we were inching our way up the line was that I really hoped Jensen didn't want to shake my hand. It would have been a nice gesture and all but I didn't need to sweat all over him. And once we were finally in the part of the line that was actually in the room where the photo ops were happening and we could see him I apparently took my nerves out on Rachel. Hee. She told me that at one point I smacked her and told her that she had to let me stand on the left (why, I'm not even entirely sure) and she had to yell at me to calm down. Which I did. SOMEHOW. Which is a good thing since by the time we were at the front of the line and we were standing approximately four feet away from where Jensen was sitting on a stool, I could have seriously lost my shit.
When the girl in line in front of us walked away from the backdrop that was set up for the photos and Jensen looked up at us and smiled and told us to "come on over, ladies" my heart was pretty much beating a mile a minute but I think I was on autopilot because I somehow ended up standing beside him and smiling at the camera and I don't even really remember it. What I do remember was that it was my personal goal to see if he smelled as good as he looked like he smelled (at breakfast I was very cognizant of the fact that he looked as though he should smell AMAZING) so, standing at his side, I managed to lean in just enough to take a little whiff and, uh, yeah. I was right. Whatever it was that he was wearing - cologne or aftershave - was fantastic. This really light, masculine, musky scent that made me just want to be entirely inappropriate and rub myself all over him. HEH. I refrained, of course. And it wasn't even until after the picture was over and we thanked him and he thanked us back and we were walking away that I was like, "WHAT THE FUCK, JENSEN. WHY DIDN'T YOU PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND US!!!"
I was kind of disappointed. Because, swear to God, he put his arm around like, everyone and then in our picture he ended up sitting there with his hands hanging between his legs like dead fish. -_- Nice going, Ackles. It's a good thing he's so damn hot that I can't be pissed. Well, it's a good thing that he's hot and that he also totally made up for it during our J2 sandwich shot. But, really, I don't think he made the conscious decision not to put his arms around us but instead that it sort of just happened that way since we flanked him in the photo and they pictures are so hurried. He was still really nice and pleasant so it's not like he was being all stand-offish. I hear he was even giving out hugs upon request. I know, right? sarah_p got one. I would have been too freaked out to ask.
So, here we are. We've deduced that Jensen looks like he's a 5-year-old boy who is nervous around girls but it's not a bad picture. I can deal because his little boyish smirk is so cute. Even if we didn't get one of his giant smiles of the day.
So, from Jensen's photo op line, we moved directly into the J2 photo op line and that was the one we waited in for the longest because we had to wait for Jensen to finish up his solo shots and then they gave him a little break before he and Jared came in again for their combo shots. And, really, I was perfectly at ease then. I wasn't as horribly nervous to meet Jared as I was to meet Jensen and since we'd already gotten through Jensen's photo, I was just really excited! I really enjoyed it when we were in the room and got to see the boys taking pictures with other fans because they were so willing to be campy and silly and totally mug for the camera. They posed with feather boas and a model Impala and other various props and even did some muscle-flexing bodybuilder poses with a few girls and they looked like they were having a genuinely good time. Of course, Rachel and I were just happy to stand between the two of them and try to smile pretty while we were both dying inside. Trust. Standing between those two is fantastic and intimidating. They are soooo tall. Or we're really short. Hence this being the conversation that we had during our photo op:
Jensen: Ladies!
Jared: Come on down. *Gesturing* It's a sandwich!
Jensen: It's a twofer!
Me: *Walking up between Rachel and Jensen--who promptly puts his arm around me and tugs me up against his side* Wow, we're so short.
Jensen: *Putting his giant palm between my shoulderblades and looking down at me so I can't even concentrate* You really are short!
And then we all smiled for the picture and I don't know what happened on Rachel's end with Jared, but Jensen rubbed my back (it was not a pat, guys, it was a rub that lasted for several seconds while I was still standing beside him) and smiled down at me when I thanked him profusely. Actually, I said "Thank you so much, guys" so I really directed it at the both of them but I was too busy staring up into Jensen's alarmingly gorgeous Huge Green Eyes so it kind of ended up being directed at him and he gave me this big smile as I went to walk away and said, "No, thank you for coming out--we really appreciate it."
And it's a wonder I didn't trip over anything on my way back out of the room because I was in a happy daze. To say the least. And every time I look at the picture that we got back it makes me squeal like the fangirl that I am.
Then it was our third photo up with Jared. Which I was like, really super excited about because I didn't get to really interact with him during the combo shot since Rachel stood beside him. And, seriously, he just wins all. No one has ever lied when they make comments about how he's just a huge teddy bear. He was sitting down on a stool like Jensen had been for his individual shots so his size wasn't as intimidating as I'm sure it would have been had he still been standing but, yeah, Rachel pretty much took control of that situation. She walked up to him ahead of me and I think she told him something along the lines of, "I've been waiting for this all day" in true fangirl fashion and he said, "Well, then, get in here!" And then he promptly threw his arms around both of us and pulled us so solidly against his sides that we were actually leaning across his lap.
For the whole five seconds that it took to take the photo, I have to say that I noted that 1) Jared smells incredibly good, too. But he had a much more spicy sort of fragrance than Jensen did and 2) I could have died happy after having his arm around me. He makes you feel so secure and...I don't know, loved. That sounds so silly since he didn't even know us but that's just the truth. It's like he's so happy to just cozy up to you and let you bask in his amazingness and he truly warmed my heart then and multiple times thereafter.
Yes. The Jared photo is our undisputed favorite of the weekend!
So after that the photo ops were over and it was Q&A time! Which was so freakin' much fun and highly photographed so I'll get to that and hopefully the autograph signings and other such events in the second half of my review of Sunday. Yay!
Oh, right! YES. I guess I did mention that. Maybe once or twice. And I think some of you are probably waiting for some pictures of the pretty that is J2 so I'm just going to get right down to business with that. I do plan on giving a review for the whole day but since it's going to be super image heavy, I'm doing it in two parts. Maybe three, if it becomes necessary. But here we go with the first part!
Does it go without saying that come Sunday morning I was freaking out? I think it probably should. The moment that I woke up I had a serious case of broad-winged butterflies in my stomach and it just got worse and worse as the time for the breakfast neared. Obviously I was really, really excited to see the boys but I was so nervous. Still, Rachel and I managed to do our primping in a timely fashion, getting up at 4:30 and being ready to go downstairs to get in line for breakfast by 6:30. A little before, actually, and it was probably a good thing because by the time we showed up a line was already starting to form.
The people from Creation made a point of telling us all the previous day that the Marriott wouldn't be allowing people to camp out outside of the room where the breakfast was being held over night like they apparently did at the convention in Chicago and said that we weren't allowed to line up until 7:00. But like Rachel and I, plenty of people had the idea to be there before 7, just to be safe. I think when we got in line we had thirteen (I tried to count as best I could) people in front of us and thank God we got there when we did! By 6:45 the line started accumulating more people and by 7:00 the line was the whole way down the hall. As it turned out, we were more than fine having the position in line that we did because there really wasn't a bad seat in the whole room as far as I could tell but I was super pleased to be at one of the front three tables so that there was nothing between us and the little stage where the guys were when they got there. Which, by the way, didn't happen until almost 9:00, regardless of the fact that the breakfast technically started at 8:00.
Because of that I probably should have been able to calmly enjoy a nice meal but...hell no. I was a wreck, guys! I'm almost embarrassed to admit how anxious I was about being in the same room with Jared and Jensen, let alone meeting them and taking pictures with them, etc. So while everyone else indulged in the yummy buffet spread (eggs, potatoes, bacon, danishes and muffins, fruit, and all kinds of other things that looked really fabulous) I ate a few pieces of fruit from Rachel's plate. That is, I had two pieces of pineapple, two strawberries and a piece of watermelon and it's a wonder I could even stomach that. I just kept looking at the clock on my phone and fidgeting around in my chair and checking and re-checking the settings on my camera and...ugh, I could have really used a Valium or something. I was anticipating the guys' arrival so much that when they actually got there it totally took me off guard. We were waiting and waiting and waiting some more and then suddenly there they were, coming through the little door behind the stage and I swear to God, I cannot describe the impact of seeing them in person in a way more accurate than saying that it's a little bit like being punched in the stomach. I literally lost my breath for a moment or two and my hands were shaking so badly that it's a wonder my pictures didn't turn out all blurry *headdesk*
No lie, my friends, those boys are even more amazing in real life than they are on TV or in pictures. You would almost expect it to be the other way around since there was no carefully aimed lights or airbrushing or make-up to make them look perfect but...they still did. I think when I texted sarah_p to report not long after the guys arrived, I said that Jensen looks like a Greek god but OMG, HE DOES. I'm not exaggerating! How freaking amazingly gorgeous he is doesn't even begin to translate to pictures and I'm now convinced that you have to see him in person to even remotely grasp how profoundly attractive he is.
Of course, Jared was incredibly good looking in person, too, but I think he looked a lot more like I expected him to. If that...makes sense. The first thing I registered about him was, obviously, how goddamn tall he is. HE IS JUST SO BIG. So big and so smiley and just...guh with the hair. He was wearing a beanie but I could tell that he'd cut his hair a bit and I was totally geeking out over the little wings that stuck out by his ears and I probably would have paid good money to touch his hair. Forreal.
Oddly enough, while I first noticed how tall Jared is, the first thing that I noticed about Jensen other than how fucking beautiful he is was that he was wearing that t-shirt under his oxford that he wore under the blue plaid western-style shirt that he wore for his photoshoot in Sydney. How bad is it that I noticed that?! Especially when there were more pressing issues when it comes to his appearance (like how perfectly coifed his hair was and how tan his white shirt made him look and how he was all stubbly and delicious) for me to hone in on! But, yeah, I did. And I checked when I got home to make sure I wasn't imagining it and I was right :D Also, I know it's been mentioned before that Jared said he stole the shirt he was wearing from wardrobe, but I just still think that's the coolest thing ever simply because it's the shirt that he was wearing in the photo that Rachel had him sign later. Heee.
Honestly, though, they were just so amazing. THEY WERE. And as horribly nervous as I was before they arrived and just after, I calmed down considerably after a couple of minutes. I think it was just the nerves that had me going crazy with anxiety but the boys totally put me (and everyone else, I'd venture to guess) entirely at ease. They were there with us for about a half an hour or maybe a little longer but in that amount of time it became so incredibly obvious that no one is exaggerating when they talk about how wonderful they are. They're both so entertaining individually and when you put them together it's like stand-up comedy. They're effortlessly funny and so incredibly engaging even while speaking to a room full of people. They managed to make it seem so personal right over top of all the crowd noise and the constant flashing of cameras and I really admire them for that ease. Particularly Jensen, considering that we all know him as being a lot less naturally outgoing than Jared. And, guys, he's hilarious. The impressions and goofy voices he does just make me love him even more. And Jared is 100% as dorkily fantastic as you'd expect ;D
I really wish the breakfast could have lasted longer because it was hands-down the best part of the day for me. A lot more intimate than the Q&A panel and not nearly as rushed or nerve-racking than the photo ops and autograph signings. It was thirty-something minutes of J2 bliss and if you get to see any of the tons of videos popping up all over the place of them during that part of the day...well, their awesomeness just isn't even adequately rendered that way. I love them so much, ya'll. It's not even right.
So, um, then the breakfast was over and the nerves were baaaaack. Because it was straight to the MILE-LONG LINE for the photo op with Jensen. I was kind of flipping out again but I don't think anyone but Rachel really was aware of that. My palms were all sweaty and cold and all I could think the entire time we were inching our way up the line was that I really hoped Jensen didn't want to shake my hand. It would have been a nice gesture and all but I didn't need to sweat all over him. And once we were finally in the part of the line that was actually in the room where the photo ops were happening and we could see him I apparently took my nerves out on Rachel. Hee. She told me that at one point I smacked her and told her that she had to let me stand on the left (why, I'm not even entirely sure) and she had to yell at me to calm down. Which I did. SOMEHOW. Which is a good thing since by the time we were at the front of the line and we were standing approximately four feet away from where Jensen was sitting on a stool, I could have seriously lost my shit.
When the girl in line in front of us walked away from the backdrop that was set up for the photos and Jensen looked up at us and smiled and told us to "come on over, ladies" my heart was pretty much beating a mile a minute but I think I was on autopilot because I somehow ended up standing beside him and smiling at the camera and I don't even really remember it. What I do remember was that it was my personal goal to see if he smelled as good as he looked like he smelled (at breakfast I was very cognizant of the fact that he looked as though he should smell AMAZING) so, standing at his side, I managed to lean in just enough to take a little whiff and, uh, yeah. I was right. Whatever it was that he was wearing - cologne or aftershave - was fantastic. This really light, masculine, musky scent that made me just want to be entirely inappropriate and rub myself all over him. HEH. I refrained, of course. And it wasn't even until after the picture was over and we thanked him and he thanked us back and we were walking away that I was like, "WHAT THE FUCK, JENSEN. WHY DIDN'T YOU PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND US!!!"
I was kind of disappointed. Because, swear to God, he put his arm around like, everyone and then in our picture he ended up sitting there with his hands hanging between his legs like dead fish. -_- Nice going, Ackles. It's a good thing he's so damn hot that I can't be pissed. Well, it's a good thing that he's hot and that he also totally made up for it during our J2 sandwich shot. But, really, I don't think he made the conscious decision not to put his arms around us but instead that it sort of just happened that way since we flanked him in the photo and they pictures are so hurried. He was still really nice and pleasant so it's not like he was being all stand-offish. I hear he was even giving out hugs upon request. I know, right? sarah_p got one. I would have been too freaked out to ask.
So, here we are. We've deduced that Jensen looks like he's a 5-year-old boy who is nervous around girls but it's not a bad picture. I can deal because his little boyish smirk is so cute. Even if we didn't get one of his giant smiles of the day.
So, from Jensen's photo op line, we moved directly into the J2 photo op line and that was the one we waited in for the longest because we had to wait for Jensen to finish up his solo shots and then they gave him a little break before he and Jared came in again for their combo shots. And, really, I was perfectly at ease then. I wasn't as horribly nervous to meet Jared as I was to meet Jensen and since we'd already gotten through Jensen's photo, I was just really excited! I really enjoyed it when we were in the room and got to see the boys taking pictures with other fans because they were so willing to be campy and silly and totally mug for the camera. They posed with feather boas and a model Impala and other various props and even did some muscle-flexing bodybuilder poses with a few girls and they looked like they were having a genuinely good time. Of course, Rachel and I were just happy to stand between the two of them and try to smile pretty while we were both dying inside. Trust. Standing between those two is fantastic and intimidating. They are soooo tall. Or we're really short. Hence this being the conversation that we had during our photo op:
Jensen: Ladies!
Jared: Come on down. *Gesturing* It's a sandwich!
Jensen: It's a twofer!
Me: *Walking up between Rachel and Jensen--who promptly puts his arm around me and tugs me up against his side* Wow, we're so short.
Jensen: *Putting his giant palm between my shoulderblades and looking down at me so I can't even concentrate* You really are short!
And then we all smiled for the picture and I don't know what happened on Rachel's end with Jared, but Jensen rubbed my back (it was not a pat, guys, it was a rub that lasted for several seconds while I was still standing beside him) and smiled down at me when I thanked him profusely. Actually, I said "Thank you so much, guys" so I really directed it at the both of them but I was too busy staring up into Jensen's alarmingly gorgeous Huge Green Eyes so it kind of ended up being directed at him and he gave me this big smile as I went to walk away and said, "No, thank you for coming out--we really appreciate it."
And it's a wonder I didn't trip over anything on my way back out of the room because I was in a happy daze. To say the least. And every time I look at the picture that we got back it makes me squeal like the fangirl that I am.
Then it was our third photo up with Jared. Which I was like, really super excited about because I didn't get to really interact with him during the combo shot since Rachel stood beside him. And, seriously, he just wins all. No one has ever lied when they make comments about how he's just a huge teddy bear. He was sitting down on a stool like Jensen had been for his individual shots so his size wasn't as intimidating as I'm sure it would have been had he still been standing but, yeah, Rachel pretty much took control of that situation. She walked up to him ahead of me and I think she told him something along the lines of, "I've been waiting for this all day" in true fangirl fashion and he said, "Well, then, get in here!" And then he promptly threw his arms around both of us and pulled us so solidly against his sides that we were actually leaning across his lap.
For the whole five seconds that it took to take the photo, I have to say that I noted that 1) Jared smells incredibly good, too. But he had a much more spicy sort of fragrance than Jensen did and 2) I could have died happy after having his arm around me. He makes you feel so secure and...I don't know, loved. That sounds so silly since he didn't even know us but that's just the truth. It's like he's so happy to just cozy up to you and let you bask in his amazingness and he truly warmed my heart then and multiple times thereafter.
Yes. The Jared photo is our undisputed favorite of the weekend!
So after that the photo ops were over and it was Q&A time! Which was so freakin' much fun and highly photographed so I'll get to that and hopefully the autograph signings and other such events in the second half of my review of Sunday. Yay!