30 Days of Me: Day 5: Where Have You Been?

I have to share my most recent and best trips I have taken in the past 2 years.
Power Morphicon... August 2018
Best Trip EVER!!!
LIVED my BEST LIFE!!!
I was in Anaheim and as much as I don’t like Disney I went to Disney Land cause why not?


 
Always gorgeous in California. 

 

 

In 2019 I decided to go to Nashville for a Leadership conference and it was also a GREAT trip. I learned a lot and also relaxed a bit!
 

Both trips I went by myself and met up with friends/sisters. Honestly being alone like that is the type of Self Care that I need. Like I spent the day with people and friends and then I would go to my room and relax. That is what I enjoy. 

Lost Luggage

Bad luck Dani... I have had two episodes of "lost" luggage. 

The first instance of "lost" luggage occurred, but luckily I got it delivered to the hotel that night at about 10pm... so my weekend was saved... but then there was Alaska Air... smh and the trip that could have been the worst if it weren't for my awesomeness and my true optimism... first let's go back to 2014 and Lexington Toy and Comic Con.... 

One the East Coast in March its still pretty much winter like Blizzards happen... so it wasn't odd that flights were delayed or late... this caused me to get to North Carolina just in time for my flight to Kentucky, with literally no time to spare. So I arrive in Kentucky to NO luggage... I am just like OF COURSE!!! But I didn't freak out I just talked to the people who said the luggage was on its way. I went to my hotel and prayed to  Jesus.  I was making plans to wear the con's tee... after fries and a drink at the bar as the night moved on I went to the front desk one last time just to see if maybe my bag was there and it was...I was thanking the Lord for sure!!! 

SO the first tip on Lost Luggage is: Stay Optimistic

This is just for your emotional state... no one likes to see any one be sad, crying, angry, outrage... just relax... it doesn't help to have you worry about it... you being sad, mad, or worried won't bring the bag back.... Just breath and smile..... 

SO fast forward to August 2016 Power Morphicon... 

I decide let's take a straight flight to LAX and I won't have to worry about the luggage... WRONG!!!!

I get to the airport slightly late... BUT the chick at the counter told them ONE more is on the way... I get to LAX and NOTHING!!!!! 

I was kind of mad but whatever I stayed calm and put in my claim.... 

That is tip number 2 after remaining calm go over to baggage claim and tell them what's up they will let you know that they will get your luggage to you as soon as they can or they will reimburse you for whatever you have to pay for cause of this lost bag.... I head on over to Pasadena.... With practically nothing....

I check in to the Hotel, Check-in to the con... meet and greet friends... check out the con floor and afterwards I call the airport who tells me "dfghjk';lkjhgfdsfghjkl;';lkjhgfdsfghjkl" which translates to a bunch of crap... by like 5 pm that evening I had a feeling I would not have my luggage so tip number 3 is:

 HAVE EMERGENCY MONEY!!! 

I didn't exactly plan emergency money but I wasn't hurting either... tip number 4: 

Use GPS to find a store.

I didn't have a car... with Uber you can do like anything, PLUS everything I needed for the convention was walking distance, but I didn't know Pasadena from a can of paint... first I looked up Ross, it was too far, so I tried Forever 21 which(randomly) was nearby. Now tip number 5 is: 

Try to be frugal. 

If you didn't plan on an emergency, you have to watch your budget. Forever 21 isn't expensive, but $20 and $20 is $40 and $40 was the cost of my uber ride back.... (didn't realize Pasadena is HELLA far from LA) and I hadn't even really begun to get all the autographs/photos with Rangers, and I needed to eat (even tho during con life I barely eat, but that is a different blog) so I needed to find the clearance  section.... I was able to get a cute shirt for $5 and a cute skirt for $5... awesome deal right!!! I also bought a comb and a pair of undies. Which is tip number 6: 

If you don't do anything else buy some underwear... (bras have a longer life expectancy than panties so what you do about that... I will leave that to your discretion.) 

My mom tells me to keep this kind of stuff in my carry on but I never do... Tip number 7: 

Listen to your mom, more than likely she is right. 

SO I head back to my hotel... and of course call the baggage. New story... from them that sounded more like I wouldn't be getting  my luggage... now I was mad... now previously I said stay calm and smile.... sometimes there comes a point where you get a little mad. I grabbed some food, went back to my room called the airport I got more garbage from them. I actually don't want to talk about them anymore at the end the day... the luggage wasn't going to make it... which really disgusted me and while I was all alone I cried like a 6 year old little girl. I called my mom LOL!! Remember tip number 7: Listen to your mom... yeah repeat that step. She made me feel a lot better (she made me feel like I could conquer the world in the little outfit I bought from Forever 21) and said you know you can hand wash your underwear and use a blowdryer to dry them.... 

This is tip number 8: Hand wash your draws... I guess you can do this if you are a guy too, but girls most def.... and I did have to use the hotel blowdryer the next day to dry them LOL!!! (They hadn't completely dried) 

Tip Number 9 is: 

Go to the front desk a the Hotel and ask for toiletries... these are usually complimentary items.... the hotel gave me a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant. And all the hotels I have ever stayed in have shampoo, conditioner, soaps, etc in the rooms.  

 

Tip Number 10 is: Buy t'shirts at the con. 

If you are at a convention 9 times out 10 there are t'shirts, they might be free or you may have to pay... go for it.... I bought one tee from Johnny Yong Bosch and one from the people who run Lexington Toy and Comic Con...(they had a booth with an awesome Pink ranger tee) 

BY the way these are tips for a weekend situation, if I had of been there a whole week I may have had some problems for sure...of course some of these tips may help...also had I been there a week I would have been able to get my luggage. 

So I bought a t-shirt and even tho I said I was going to wear the jeans I had on the day before I found an upscale consignment shop around the corner, and got another pair of jeans... I also bought a back pack because at this point I needed a way to carry all my stuff.... 

When ever thing was said and done...I get back to the airport...and Tip number 11 is to make sure the airline reimburses you for the things you had to buy.... 

SO review: 

1.) Stay Optimistic

2.)Remain Calm 

3.)Have Emergency Money

4.) Use GPS

5.) Try to be Frugal

6.) Buy underwear 

7.) Listen to your Mom 

8.) Hand wash underwear

9.) Ask the hotel for toiletries 

10.) Buy Convention t-shirts

11.) Get reimbursed by the airport

AND extra... never check your luggage again...  DO NOT check you luggage always carry on.... smh.... 

I made it through this situation...you can get through it too!!! 

Its Not Just the Power Rangers...it's Fam...

May 2012 I actually published a blog about my bucket list (before I turned 30). My top goal was to go to an anime/comic/power ranger convention and meet the power rangers.  As it is now known I did in fact meet actors who played the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. 

Squad 1

Squad 2

I found out about Power Morphicon (Power Ranger Convention) and wanted to go, but it was in California and for a chick in Delaware it seemed to only be a dream. ESPECIALLY since at that point in my life I didn't travel out of state unless it was in a car or on a greyhound. Also Power Morphicon is every two years (I actually really like that about the con). So in 2012 when I made the goal I looked for cons that were fairly close. Otakon is in B-More (although it will be moving to DC in 2017), and Anime USA is in DC.  

So I met Jason David Frank who played Tommy.

JDF VIP Otakon 2012

 Now JDF is sort of a fan favorite, as in, someone says: "hey remember the power rangers?" and the response is: "Yeah I always liked the Green Ranger or Tommy or the White Ranger." JDF or better yet "Tommy" is that guy.  I kind of got to the climax before even hitting the exposition (Smh I am such a teacher its ridiculous) But really it was just the beginning of the story.... and then I found Lexington 2013 and 2014.... that's right Lexington, Kentucky.

And things really took off with my goal in 2013: 

Walter Jones Original Black Ranger

Karan Ashley 2nd yellow ranger of MMPR

David Yost blue ranger 

Catherine Sutherland the 2nd Pink Ranger (season 3 of MMPR)

   

Jason (Skull) Narvy and Paul (Bulk) Schrier

In 2014 I met Steve Cardenas, he was the 2nd red ranger on MMPR and regrettably I didn't get a pic with him like HOW? So instead I will just promote his business called Force Balance Brazilian Jiu Jitsu....

After 2013 and 2014 things went real crazy and I actually met a lot of other rangers from all sorts of seasons.... But still needed 4 more of the originals...sadly Thuy Trang who played the original yellow ranger passed away in 2001. The original pink ranger Amy Jo Johnson, limits her appearances, at this point Austin St. John had been under the radar having been overseas working as an EMT, and so I kind of let the hope of meeting them go (although technically I was in the same vicinity as Amy Jo while in Lexington during a party so I have that as my keep sake of Amy Jo.) This leaves Johnny Yong Bosch who was the 2nd black ranger of MMPR. He has made a name for himself in the Voice acting world and in the indie music world. I began listening to his band, Eyeshine  and also allowed that love of Asian men out and found out that for me meeting JYB would be a better climax than meeting JDF (SAY WHAT!!!!!) By the time I was meeting Bosch many things in my life had changed, I was a teacher, a girlfriend, I was 30, I was wiser (I suppose).  At this point the friends I had acquired in the ranger world was crazy... so many including artist... Daniel Coney, Cosplayers... Tony Ray... and just the homies everywhere across the United States (across the world really), both male and female (although males are predominant).  I was dabbling into cosplay myself... 

Civilian Cosplay, Joe and Luka Super Sentai Gokaiger

 

That was 2014 so when 2015 rolled around I thought oh I will go to rangerstop, or lexington again. And I didn't...2016 gets here and again I didn't...between teaching, being in a grad chapter of a sorority (was also a dream come true) and being a girlfriend (still yay!!) The cons just weren't happening, BUT WAIT 2016 is a Morphicon year and honestly I was just going to let it go again. I mean me and my boyfriend discussed going, but the likelihood was so slim. Until...I won a ticket to go...I was on Facebook and a contest came up on my timeline from a group called Ranger Live Chat . I usually don't win ever, so I entered thinking no way I am going to win. Time passing and I forget all about it until I get a message from the group saying I had actually won. I really thought it had to be a joke, but soon I received a message about the tickets being processed. So I was like ok I am definitely going.  BUT let us remember life has changed; now I am not going to say power rangers isn't important to me, but at this point with all the responsibility I had gained since making my goal in 2012 I wasn't really showing the excitement. I had a classroom to figure out for summer school/upcoming school year and now I was house shopping with my boyfriend, like wait a minute am I Adulting???? BUT the time comes and I was going to California. Visiting California is a dream come true in itself. Only when I get there NO LUGGAGE!!! I didn't panic... YET... I left my claim and went to Pasadena. (Mind you I was alone. The loner that I am is crazy but that is another blog). Get to Pasadena check into the hotel, go to the convention center get my badge for the con and then I call the airport again. The bag is of course in Baltimore and allegedly on the next flight to LAX and I would get the bag by 8am the next day. I am just like smh. I am still not outraged as there is nothing I can really do. So I go to enjoy the con.  If I don't have my luggage I don't have any clothes by the way and I always try to travel light so the only thing I have in my carry on is a binder of autographs of the people you see above.... *insert crying laughing emoji* I go enjoy Friday night of the con... as much as I can. I decide that I better buy clothes (and underwear) so I find a Forever 21 in walking distance (In my Miss Sofia voice, I knew de was a God).  Now remember I dabble in Cosplay... for Saturday I had an awesome cosplay put together so I could meet...             

  Camille Hyde the first african american to play a pink ranger. This was also a dream come true as I always saw myself as the pink ranger, but it appeared that Saban only could see black girls as a sassy yellow ranger. In the probability that I would not get my bag I searched Forever 21 for a pink tee and found a really cute jean skirt, not an elaborate outfit, but pink.  Go back to the hotel, call the airport, they say something to the effect of it will take 24 hours to get the luggage which means I would get the bag late saturday or sunday; the day I am leaving. So I am so ANGRY. I am burning angry and hungry. SO sulking I go down to the hotel restaurant and partake in Pasadena crab cakes (are they known for that... why would a person from the east coast eat west coast crab cakes)? Now get this... There are power rangers walking all around me, White ranger from Dino thunder is there, Blue Ranger from dino thunder, time force red ranger, black from mighty morphin...come to find out there was a VIP party going on and more and more people started to come thru and I was just sitting there sulking like, Who cares???? I didn't even try to figure out how I could sneak in I just went to my room and called the airport again who just gave me more and more dismal answers. I even made a point to called at 4am when they said they would be open they didn't answer until about 5:30am (i kept calling back) at this point the bag had never left, and was on a flight from baltimore in which it would be at LAX at 9:22 am. Seems like there was hope...nope... knowing airplanes it might land at 9:22 but the bag wouldn't be seen until 10 something and the people at the airport probably wouldn't notice no one was getting it until 10:30...and no one would be calling until 11:00am.  I know what you are thinking well Danielle you are a faithful person so you know God would work it out... yup you are right I knew it would work out but not with that bag. See Pasadena is a good 30 minutes away from LAX if you are just talking distance but the traffic in LA will make you late to your funeral so really its an hour + on a bad day, that would have been both ways, and I wasn't driving I was catching an uber which was going to cost $40 each way. So at 5:30am my eyes were sweating and to keep from calling my mom with a shaky cry baby voice I attempted to call my boyfriend which at 5:45 am in LA means it was about 8:45am on the east coast but he wasn't awake so I called my mom... Won't ya momma make you feel like you can conquer he world??? She was like: "well you bought a pink shirt, well you wear that, you will still look like her!!! and you let the airport know that you had a performance and needed your costumes and everything was cancelled." LOL!! After talking with my mom putting on that simple outfit wasn't so difficult. I thought to myself I can be any pink ranger. 

So I walk over to the convention center and several fellow ranger fans say: "Nice Shelby Cosplay!" I kid you not... $5 shirt $5 skirt, no name brand white sneakers from target, no planning and straight hair with a little  pink lipstick... I was Shelby... It probably helps that I am black and she is black because no one said: Nice Kimberly cosplay or Nice Kat cosplay...It didn't matter... I was on cloud 9 at this point. So God did work it out. I told the airport to keep the bag til Sunday I mean what would be the point in trying to get it. I got to meet Camille Hyde had a great Saturday and by Sunday I didn't want to leave.  I had just met people I knew for years, I met new friends, I met more power rangers, like one I didn't think I had a chance to meet: 

Austin St. John the original red ranger 

The beginning of this trip really made me want to let all of it go. I was really ready to retire the con life. I mean I am not as deep into it as some of my friends but I was really about to retire. I was really about to be like cosplay is over, cons are over, I am never traveling again, I am stupid...etc...etc...etc... parts of me feel like this is only the beginning, again or I am about to begin the sequel... because in a weird way we are family, we are a family of adopted misfits... Our Parents or better yet our God Parents are the actors of Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo (Episodes 1-19 except Blake Foster he is my age). Our Play Aunts and Uncles (like the cool Aunts and Uncles) are the seasons after the originals...we start getting play cousins around Dino Thunder (now they are like the same age as me at least Kevin Duhaney is lol) I mean they are forever using 20 somethings to play teenagers so after Dino thunder you have a mix of play Aunties and Uncles and play cousins and really you have little brothers and sisters because I am older than most of the most recent cast members...(including RPM like really)... but the fans, the adoptees don't just love the rangers, we love each other. And that is why by Sunday I was sad it was over.  After con blues.... so we look forward to the next one... everyone says see you in 2018... or see you at Ranger Stop.... 

I technically made my quota of rangers... and the other crazy thing is they remember me... Catherine Sutherland in that beautiful Aussie accent says: "It's Danielle, right?" Walter Jones, recognizes me and says: "What's Up?" Johnny Bosch pretends to smash my head in a Facebook live video. It's like one of the most interesting communities where everyone is accepted... every race, sex, education levels, disabilities, gay/straight/unicorn, cosplay or not, geek, nerd, dork, cheerleader, frat dude, sorority girl...we are in this community.... The cons are our family reunions. 

A new friend shared a video and I think it further expresses the FEELZ of morphicon.....

OH and damn you Alaska Air!!!!