Wow.

This has been an experience for the top 10 list that exists in my brain. You know the one...where you rank your best moments in life? Nerdtacular 2012, you have made the list.

If you've never heard of Nerdtacular, here's the 30 second version: a gathering of fans of the Frogpants Studios Network, headed by Scott Johnson. Scott is a cartoonist and podcaster of shows like The Instance, The Morning Stream, Film Sack, The Final Score, App Slappy, & The Instance: TOR Edition. The event lasts for one day, but the fans gather for days before and after the event to socialize, meet new people and just be nerdy. The event is just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, which is where Scott lives.

Arcayne and I arrived on Friday afternoon, got our car and made our way to our hotel. When we got there, I realized that I'd made a mistake on the Hampton Inn I selected and chose a location 15 mins away from the event. The other Hampton is right around the corner. Ugh.

I decided to call the hotel manager and ask if there was anything we could do to get us to the right hotel. Long story short, the Hampton managers are top-notch. They worked with me every step to get me rebooked and never hesitated to accommodate me so we'd be happy. I'm so grateful to them and I'll recommend Hampton properties forever.

I realized quickly that the Hampton Inn Sandy was THE nerd hotel for the event. Most of the show producers were staying there, as well as many, many other attendees. We took over the whole lobby day and night, socializing, playing games, and hanging out with the people who make the shows we love to hear. I was so happy we were staying there, too.

The first night we were there, there was a gathering at a park pavillion for people to play games, play music, and meet new people. We went to that event, quickly meeting a number of new fans of the shows and we played Cards Against Humanity. What an awesome game and a great icebreaker. (shoutouts to Logan, Rebecca, Julia, Yasmin, Seyani and anyone I missed!)

Then it was Nerdtacular day. We got there at 8am and we got back to our hotel at 11:30pm. I met so many people, including one of my guildmates and healer on our raid team! The kindness, admiration, respect, camaraderie, and the feeling of family was there at every moment. I have such a hard time describing it because there was just so much happening. My biggest highlights were watching the podcasters panel and their Q&A, the live Film Sack recording, and the concert with Paul and Storm. I learned so much, laughed harder than I have in a long time, and came away with a permanent smile on my face.

On Sunday, the event had one more piece - a free screening of Pixar's Brave. Being in a theater full of nerds is so fun and we had a blast. Then we had the rest of the day to relax and go out on our own.

One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip was the chance to meet Pat Krane from the Convert to Raid podcast. Cayne and I are big fans of CtR, and we try to listen to their livestream on Sunday mornings while they record. We spent a lot of time with Pat, and wound up sightseeing in downtown SLC together. Pat is a great guy, very funny, and extremely knowledgeable, and it was wonderful to get to know him better. (Thanks for the fun, Pat! I look forward to talking with you soon.)

To close out our experience, we met a number of people in the hotel lobby and all went to dinner together and then gathered in the hotel to play a massive game of Cards Against Humanity. We even got a guest appearance from Brian Ibbott from Coverville and The Morning Stream, and playing with him was hysterical fun. (huge shoutouts to Joel, Jocelyn, Andrew, Tod, Steve, Pat, Gary, and anyone I forgot. That night was epic!)

These were my people. It was everything I hoped for and even more than I'd imagined. I'm coming home with new friends, unforgettable memories, and an unwavering commitment to come back next year come hell or high water. I need my nerd fix, even if it's only once a year.