Pickles[TK] Posted July 16, 2015 Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 I Posted this on FB, along with a whole slew of photos, and I thought I'd also share it here because you guys and this forum means so much to me (even if I'm not on as much as I used to be). https://www.facebook.com/aloar/posts/10155823398045344 So July 2015 marks my 3rd year as a member of The 501st Legion. I first encountered the 501st Canadian Garrison Troopers in all their shiny plastic glory at a Wizard World convention in Toronto that my friend Ashlee took me to. I am fairly certain I annoyed the crap out of her with my incessant going on about how cool they were. I was overjoyed when I was able to get a photo with a TX and a TI. Then I spent a bit of time oogling a rather dashing Darth Vader. After that moment I knew that I wanted one of those costumes. And it HAD to be a Stormtrooper. I spent months researching. The research lead me to the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment. I was super intimidated by the build process but after more research and befriending a few other Stormtrooper hopefuls (Keith Foo, Clamps, Paul Mac) as well as some very helpful forum regulars (Ingrid Moon, Mark Ryner, Brian Robinson) I had armor ordered. Skip ahead to now and I still can’t believe how much of an impact this amazing group of people and the things we do has had on my life. I could not imagine my life without them. So many of them are family to me and others are super close friends. Also, I cannot express properly the feeling you get when you do a troop at a sick kids hospital or a make-a-wish event. Watching both the kids and the parents light up with huge grins of joy and excitement. It truly melts my heart. I feel extremely proud to play a part in all the money we raise for children’s charities. And then there are the wild and severely unexpected things I’ve experienced in my life because of trooping. Like travelling to another country and meeting people from all over the world who treat you like a long lost friend. Or really cool things like being on stage with Weird Al during part of his concert. 14 year old me would have never thought it possible! Or having David Prowse attend my 29th birthday party! Or how about, by some unexpected and happy chance, meeting an amazing man that has made me fall in love with him. I never would have met Eric if it was not for the 501st. I am forever grateful and proud to be a part of this ever growing family. I love you guys! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechaPumpkin[TK] Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Nerd. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Congrats on 3 years 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsafe66[Admin] Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 You've made us all "Picklerific!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandtrooper[501st] Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Happy anniversary! Pickles are better when wrapped in plastic! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark PWF[Staff] Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Thank you, so much, for sharing this Pickles! I'm coming up on my First Anniversary very soon, but seeing this truly warms my heart. I think we all wind up surprised at the secondary benefits that you don't think about when you're researching and doing nothing else for months, and that is the friendships you make, the people you meet, and the lives you touch. It is wonderfully reassuring to see that you're still as excited about it all after three years, as I was when I first got started. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarlon[TK] Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Congratulations Pickels! Reading many of your posts here on the forums got me excited to finish my own armor. You are an inspiration! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles[TK] Posted July 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Congratulations Pickels! Reading many of your posts here on the forums got me excited to finish my own armor. You are an inspiration! Awww thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKRalf[TK] Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Congrats on 3 years and counting! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinionTK[TK] Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 Awesome story Pickles! I look forward to trooping with you soon and starting my own journey of meeting new people and having those experiences. As someone who as spent some time at Sick Kids I know how much it means for a little change to the normal hospital life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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