#clexacon2017

I’m currently on an airplane headed home. I tried to read a bit, then I tried to watch a movie. Nothing I do seems to be able to make me feel less sad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited to get back home to sleep in my own bed and be back in the correct time zone. But I wouldn’t mind hitting the reset button on this weekend just so I can do it all over again.

As a girl that grew up on a tiny island in the Bahamas, face buried in a book or eyes glued to a tv screen for some form of escape from a world I never really felt I belonged to, this weekend in Vegas meant more to me than I can ever express. Growing up surrounded by people I didn’t have much in common with was incredibly lonely. I had never realized just how isolating that was until I was immersed in the world of ClexaCon with people who share my thoughts and feelings and interests. I always knew these people existed, I speak to them on an almost daily basis on Twitter and Tumblr but to sit and speak with them face to face was so overwhelming at times I felt like my heart would burst out of my chest. I have learned so much and I have met so many wonderful people who are etched into my memory and on my heart forever and for always.

So to the organizers and volunteers of ClexCon who put on such an amazing event. To the actresses and show-runners and the bloggers and vloggers and writers I got to hear speak and got to speak with. To the artists who put their time and energy into crafting such amazing work just to share it with all of us. To every person that I stood with in lines or sat with in panels who shared a smile or a laugh or carried out a conversation with me. To the friends I got to see again and the new friends I’ve made, thank you! You’ve impacted me in ways you will never understand and ways even I probably won’t be able to comprehend. I will never forget this weekend. I truly love you all.