Sunday, March 29th.

Two friends of mine, named Caleb and Drew (along with Caleb's dad, the so-called 'responsible adult'), departed at eight in the morning from Roseburg north to Portland. We arrived at the Portland Convention Center at around 11 AM, and in another thirty minutes we were done parking and in line to get our tickets. Over this period, I was texting back and forth with Nukaya, with whom I had talked about meeting at El Fest for a while, finalizing the arrangements. Finally, we had our tickets and proceeded to the entry line.

I sifted through the line and found my little group and kept looking around for the likeness Nukaya had told me she looked like. I had already seen some people, but they usually lacked a certain aspect... One had kids, another had no camera, another had no glasses... Finally, I saw one that fit the bill and approached her. "Nukaya?" I said as I walked up to her. Yup, that was her. Her broad smile gave it all away. xD I introduced her to Caleb, Drew and Richard and soon entered into the exhibit room, letting Caleb and Drew wander at will while Nukaya and I explored this wonderful fair.

We maneuvered through the bustling crowds, bumping into several people (I'm sure some people though I was a pickpocket at some points >.<) and gawked at several of the creations before finding the Bionicle tables. It did not take long to recognize Roa McToa and Binkmeister. More scrutinization of the namebadges identified another person as Tarik. This was as close to a BZP meet-n-greet as I'll prolly ever be at, so I was very happy at discovering the group. Didn't take long for Tarik to advance and say 'hi' to the odd couple. We then decided to go seek out a wild Omi and perform a prank Nukaya and I had considered before: running up to Omi and yelling "It sucks!" before quickly scampering away hurriedly. We sought Shilo out but could not find him, so resorted to once again explore the wonderful creations people had made.

Tarik then took up back to the Bionicle tables and asked if we could go beyond the barriers. We were invited, and Nukaya and I were welcomed with handshakes from Roa and Letagi, soon having Brave Knight Binkmeister stand among the group. I was trying to resist it, but I suddenly burst into a joyful shriek and yelled "OMIGODITSBINK!" coupled with an expression that certainly merited a picture, though it was all so fast and spontaneous to get the attention. Nukaya and I were just waaaayyy excited. Were were there. At Brickfest. With other BZP member. There. Right by us. We were in heaven. ^^

More wandering made for more pictures, like of a LEGO slot machine (that worked!), a Lego Technic chair, a rollercoaster, and castles galore, complete with villages, forests, and armies (yes, ARMIES) of minifigs. We snapped pics of Roa posing with her flintlock gun, of Neaku's BBC winning gun (the RPG in person *shriek*) and Roa's many big MOCs. We had an unofficial BZP group shot, and before we knew it, it was 1 PM. My group would be having lunch soon, so Nukaya and I had to retreat, sadly. We left the C Center and went outside, Caleb and his dad going to the car to get Caleb's jacket and Drew and I escorting Nukaya to her ride back to her college. I would stay until the end, but that was not the case for her, and after a goodbye hug, she was off. I met with my group again and we went for lunch, finally deciding on Subway.

An hour and a full stomach later, we were back in the convention center, and now I was on my own without a fellow geeky companion. For almost two hours all I did was take all the pictures I could of anything that was made of Lego ( xD) and exploring the vending areas. It was nearing closing hour and I still had not seen an Omi, but finally, I was walking back to the Bionicle area and saw the gawky figure, identified by his huge badge and noticeable chin dimple, at the corner of my eye. I followed him for a few seconds and finally approached him when he was available. I introduced myself, expressed my apologies for our frictions in the past and took a picture of the wild Omi. A quick conversation and we were going our own ways again. I'll honestly say that I walked away relieved and with a smile-- I'd just met Omicron and there was no hitch whatsoever (except for my general awkwardness xD). It was satisfying.

I bought one of those Leg Godt tee shirts (wearing it now <3) and walked with Drew and Caleb for a little bit, spoke with Tarik and took a few more pictures of the castles before finally having to bid goodbye to the fabulous event.

We had dinner on the way back south, enjoying Mongolian grill food and jasmine tea. It was almost 9:30 PM when we arrived back at hour homebase, Caleb's house. Overall, the event was almost exactly how I thought it would be: completely awesome and satisfying. I had met my expectations, being there, bringing friends, meeting fellow BZPers and just plain having a blast. It was the best day I've had in months and certainly will leave an impression in my mind for years to come.

Leg Godt!

~EW~

^{Right to left: Nukaya, Tarik, EW, Roa, and he who identifies himself as "Zorrakh."}