I’m engaged! On Free Comic Book Day and May the 4th, my boyfriend proposed. The way he proposed was immensely personal and respectful to me. I didn’t want anything public because my face gets red if I’m put on the spot. Many couples may enjoy public proposals, however, it’s not for me. I wanted to recap this special day.

This Saturday, I drove from work to The Source Comics & Games to wait in line for Free Comic Book Day. When I approached, the line had wrapped around the building. It was at this time that the boyfriend texted me saying he had a surprise for me. I replied saying, “Great, I’ll be there when I’m done shopping for comics.” It took me about thirty minutes to get inside the store, browse for comics to purchase, and pay for them at the counter. I texted the boyfriend telling him I was on my way home when he replied with something along the lines of “Come home quick, this will change your life.”

As I drove home, my heart started to beat exceedingly fast. I wasn’t 100% sure if he was going to propose, but I knew he had something important waiting at home for me. Sure enough, I entered our apartment, and out of the corner of my eye were rose petals on the dining room table. I set down my stuff and walked to the table where I saw a bottle of champagne, a photo of us, and a book.

I was trembling as he handed me this book. The book is an actual bound book describing our love story. HOW CUTE IS THAT!? I was impressed with the attention to detail because my character in the book is wearing a Gryffindor scarf. As I paged through the book, I was reading the last page which asked if I would marry him. By this point, the boyfriend was on one knee. I didn’t cry, but my face blushed into the color of a bright, red tomato. I said yes and kissed my fiance as he held me. After he put the ring on my finger, we started calling everyone we knew to let them know the good news.

As far as wedding plans, me and the fiance are thinking sometime in the Fall of 2020. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and our actual dating anniversary is in October. I’m incredibly thankful to be in a relationship with someone who has always adored me for being… me.

Since I posted about my engagement, I wanted to thank everyone for their love and support. My social media feed blew up with family and friends who were happy for us. Once the initial news of our engagement dies down, we can start looking forward to wedding planning. For now, I’m still getting used to looking down at my finger and seeing the sparkle from my ring as I finish typing this blog post.

Right before me and the boyfriend started dating, we chatted on Tinder about the Justice League. The DC Universe is one of the fandoms me and the boyfriend have in common. Ever since the trailer dropped for Shazam! at San Diego Comic-Con, we have both been awaiting the release of this movie. Shazam is a superhero that could work well in a movie, but it also could go horribly wrong due to Shazam’s back story. I’m thrilled to say this movie lives up to the hype and you all should see it on Friday, April 5th, 2019.

As I mentioned, there won’t be any spoilers for this movie. Instead, I want to focus on Shazam’s back story. Billy Batson is a troublesome, homeless kid found sleeping on the subway or being transferred between foster homes. Despite his upbringing, Billy has a good heart and defends his other foster siblings from bullies at school. This leads him to be transported to a mysterious throne where a very old man is sitting. This man is the wizard Shazam using the powers of all the gods to fight evil. As he ages, he recognizes he needs to pass his powers to someone else because eventually, he will die. Billy says the name “Shazam!” and he is transformed into an ultra-powerful being.

Shazam! takes inspiration from the New 52 series. In 2012, Geoff Johns rewrote the character as being from Philadelphia instead of New York. Johns also introduced Doctor Sivana early on in the series along with Black Adam. I’m thinking of the Shazam! sequel if there is one, Black Adam will be the main villain.

Shazam is truly a kid at heart even though he looks like an ultra buff Superman. This is where the movie lies in a delicate balance. Zachary Levi, Jack Dylon Grazer, and Asher Angel were perfectly cast. Levi and Grazer have amazing chemistry together and Grazer’s humor adds to the comedic tone of the film. One of my favorite parts of the film is Shazam! testing his powers with Grazer’s help as he films him and adds it to YouTube.

Doctor Sivana is the main villain in this movie played wonderfully by Mark Strong. Doctor Sivana is a mad scientist of sorts. I felt Strong did a great job with the role, but I don’t think there’s anything particularly unique about Sivana. He follows the stereotypical movie villain prototype.

Even if you’re not a DC fan, Shazam! is a fun movie to see in theaters. I feel bad for Warner Bros. since their DC movie universe is in shambles. I hope they get their shit together because Zachary Levi was fabulous as Shazam. Let me know your thoughts are with the movie in the comments below.

C2E2 is a convention I have wanted to attend for a while, but the timing didn’t work out. I applied for a press badge this year due to both writing for Bizarre Brunette and Twin Cities Geek. I couldn’t believe that my press badge was accepted! Reflecting on my C2E2 experience, I wanted to publish my Do’s and Don’ts list more specific to C2E2.

While I did receive a press badge to C2E2, all my thoughts are my own.

Don’t Drink Too Much / Do Drink Water!

I’m a beer drinker and immediately after I entered the convention, I had a beer at Revolution Brewing. I was quickly two beers in and my mouth was dry. My poor friend felt hungover because we didn’t drink enough water and walked everywhere. Drink your water especially in between drinks. This convention floor was a lot bigger than what I had ever experienced and I was more dehydrated than I should have been.

Do Scout out Vendors Ahead of Time

I briefly scanned the list of vendors before I drove to Chicago, but I was surprised by the number of vendors who made the trek to C2E2. One vendor I was super excited to see was Flex Comics. I wish I had known their presence beforehand because I would have budgeted the cost of one of their workout tank tops.

C2E2 is easily one of my favorite comic conventions I have ever attended. It was incredibly organized and I liked the red carpet on the floor. It was great for photo ops with cosplayers. I enjoyed the amount of artists, vendors and bigger companies who appeared at the convention. I wish I had more money to spend at the con, but due to my prior trip to Orlando, I had to save money. Attending C2E2 has become one of my favorite memories of 2019.

It’s been two weeks since my last blog post, but I’m back! Two weeks ago, I attended a tabletop gaming convention and then a couple days later, I flew out to Orlando on vacation to see Universal Studios along with Islands of Adventure. It was refreshing to escape the harsh Minnesota winter.

This trip has been a long time coming. When my mom retired after 38 years at the same company (longer than I have been alive), they gave her a $500 Universal gift card to spend at Orlando and at Universal Studios. It was a very generous gift which my mom took full advantage of after buying two wands, a couple t-shirts, and a Deathly Hallows bracelet. While I didn’t buy as much merch as my mom, I bought a few things to help commemorate the trip.

We walked everywhere! I liked The Simpson’s side of the park and I did end up trying a Duff beer. It was pretty good! The Simpson’s ride was a little too bumpy for me and I was glad the ride was over otherwise I probably would have puked. The Revenge of the Mummy ride was another favorite of mine along with the rides on Marvel Island in Islands of Adventure.

This vacation has been one to remember. It gave me enough of a break from work and I’m excited to get back to a routine again.

Before I conclude this blog post, I wanted to share what’s to come on Bizarre Brunette.  Next month, I’ll be attending C2E2 and it will be my first time attending this convention in Chicago. I’m going to write a convention recap of the tabletop convention I attended before this trip. Sitting in my queue are eight different blog posts waiting to be written, but I’m up for the challenge.

Writing for Twin Cities Geek gives me the occasional perks such as seeing Taron Egerton in Robin Hood for free on Monday night. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to score Aquaman seats from Twin Cities Geek as another reviewer snagged them before I could. However, through the Warner Brothers website, I was able to score two tickets to the advanced screening show which made the boyfriend happy.

On the day of the advanced screening, me and the boyfriend left about 3 hours early because it was a 40-minute drive in rush hour traffic. When we got there, we were surprised at how many people were camped out already. We thought we were getting there early, but not early enough. The line wrapped around the theater towards the back entrance where me and the boyfriend found the end of the line. I was a little nervous we weren’t going to make it into the theater.

For those who have never attended a pre-screening event, the tickets we had didn’t guarantee us seats. It was on a first-come, first-serve basis. This was a huge lesson learned for me if I ever attended another screening like this. The earlier you show up, the better. However, after waiting in line, I was elated to see us entering the theater and we were able to get seats right in the front row.

Since Aquaman hasn’t been released yet, I won’t say too much about the movie until others have had the chance to see it. I will say this movie is visually stunning and Jason Momoa does a great job of portraying Aquaman on the big screen. I will never forget when I met Jason Momoa and he told me this movie was going to be great and he wasn’t wrong.

I haven’t written a fitness update in a while. The last post I wrote was an update on the personal training sessions I had been doing at Anytime Fitness. However, I don’t have a personal trainer anymore. The boyfriend got a job working at Lifetime Fitness which comes with fantastic benefits including a free membership for me. I couldn’t justify paying for a gym membership when I was given one courtesy of my wonderful partner. Since Lifetime offers a variety of different group fitness classes, I have been leaning towards mixing it up between cycle, barbell strength classes, and occasionally yoga or barre. I enjoy the variety in my workout routine because it’s engaging, different and motivating.

Additionally, I have my new Fit Bit Versa which I’m in love with. My company puts on one heck of a holiday party complete with prizes given out for hard-working employees. The grand prizes of the night were a Fit Bit Versa, Vikings vs. Bears tickets at the new Vikings Stadium, Blake Shelton tickets, and Jingle Ball Concert Tickets. None of the prizes stood out to me besides the Fitbit Versa. I put my name in for the Versa and I had talked to my coworkers all night about how awesome it would be if I won. When they were pulling names for the prizes, my coworkers were crossing their fingers hoping I would win. When they called my name, I almost cried tears of happiness. I don’t think I ever ran so fast up to the stage to accept my prize. I was hugging my Versa and my heart was racing because I didn’t think I would win because I never win anything.

Initially, I had never owned a fitness device, but I had been considering purchasing one for a while. The day after my company’s party, I was experimenting with the Versa. My current home screen for my Versa features a kitty who when you walk, you feed it. If you don’t walk enough the prior day, the kitty disappears, which at the moment the kitty has disappeared because I played too much Batman Arkham Knight yesterday. If you don’t have a fitness device, I do highly recommend purchasing one.

Another update to my health, and nutrition routine is eating more vegetables. This is a HUGE struggle for me. Living on my own, I have more control over how many vegetables I eat, but because I didn’t grow up eating them, I’m picky with what I like. I have been roasting vegetables such as asparagus, sweet potato, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. This has been a game-changer for me! I’m really proud of myself for accomplishing the task of eating more vegetables.

Overall, I’m super thrilled with my health achievements this year. Notice how I never mentioned my weight in any of the above paragraphs. Weight is a number, but it isn’t the best indicator of health in general. I have never felt better in my 24 years of life and I’m making better food choices now. I would love to hear any health, nutrition, mental health, etc. changes you made this year in the comments below.

It’s been a week since I published a new post due to traveling for Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful time with the boyfriend’s family and visiting my friend in Chicago. Since driving back to Minnesota, I have been reviewing all of the exciting moments happening in my life right now and I wanted to share them below. so

C2E2 Press Badge Application Accepted

This is probably the most exciting news I have received, but yes I will be attending C2E2 for the first time in 2019 along with getting accepted for a press badge. As I was browsing C2E2’s website, I was curious if my experience writing at Twin Cities Geek along with this blog would be enough to procure a press badge and with nudging from the boyfriend, I decided to apply to see what would happen. I certainly didn’t think I would get it because this blog isn’t famous or anything. However, I turned out to be wrong and this press badge is mine.

Chicago for Thanksgiving

When I was in college, I met one of my friends through my major classes. We lived together for a full year before she moved back to the Chicago area. Anytime I’m near the boyfriend’s family in Milwaukee, I try to visit her plus it gives me an excuse to roam around Chicago.

We settled on going to the Adler Planetarium because it’s the only museum downtown I haven’t seen yet. It was a smaller museum easily doable in an hour or so. For ten dollars, it was worth it to learn more about astronomy.

Chicago is fun this time of year because of all the Macy’s Christmas decorations. Each individual window has a holiday-themed decoration set along with wreaths lining the buildings. It’s fun to walk around and get more into the holiday spirit.

Before we left downtown, I walked to Graham Cracker Comics which is located approximately right across the street from Millennium Park. They had a buy one get one 50% off on trade paperbacks which led me to purchase Paper Girls Volume #4 and the famous Hush Batman graphic novel. I have a lot of new reading material now!

Orlando Feb. 2019 for Harry Potter World

Every year me and my family go on one big family vacation. This past year, it was a road trip to Boston. We decided to visit Orlando primarily to see Universal Studios. I have never been to Florida in general let alone a huge theme park. I’m super excited to be able to experience Hogwarts, drink butter beer, and walk down Diagon Alley.

Starting My Harry Potter Re-Read

Since I’m visiting Universal Studios, I want to be fully caught up on all of the lore again. The Harry Potter universe made me the geek I am today, so it’s fitting I would read the series again before I fly to Orlando.

I’m incredibly thankful for all of the experiences I’m able to be a part of. 2019 is going to be a busy year filled with more traveling and geek adventures. I wanted to wish anyone who reads my blog a Happy Holiday season and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday with friends or family.