Anything Worth Doing...

In job interviews, employers always seem to ask "What is your biggest weakness?" and everyone has an answer prepared. The classic answer is "I struggle with perfectionism" because it's basically  strength disguised as a weakness. Well, I had to find another one because I got news for you: I'm not a perfectionist.

"But Kim," you say, "all of your recipes and cosplays are so perfect, how can you say that?"

I got a little secret for you, those things aren't perfect. Like, at all. I could point out little things wrong with every single thing I have made. Nothing is perfect, and I am well aware of that. I've made things that were awful. But one of my favorite cartoon quotes is from Adventure Time "Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something." If I don't let myself make mistakes, then I'll never get better.

People who are really perfectionistic would probably have an aneurysm seeing how often I fudge it, alter alter it, mes with it, just to make something work. The number of times I have looked at the way a thing is "supposed" to be done and said "screw it, I'm doing this my way" is insane. Has is caused me to waste a lot of time screwing around with something that could be done very easily another way? Yes. Did it also give me an understanding of the process that I may have not had otherwise? Probably. But my goal is always to make it work, not make it perfect. Because I'm my own worst critic, and if I think it works, an outsider will really think it works.

When talking about my cosplay, I like to encourage anyone with an interest to give it a go. Hey, it's a hobby that has bought me a lot of joy and I'd like to see more people involved in it. One thing I've heard on several occasions is "I could never do that because I would want to make something absolutely perfect." That sentiment kind of saddens me. It saddens me that someone could be so afraid of imperfection that they are not willing to try anything new. And even the ones that people perceive as the pinnacles of perfection conceal their fair share of flaws.

I want to make all of this very clear because I don't want to intimidate anyone with this perceived image of perfection. Because I assure you, my creations are not. I don't have any magical superpower that makes me able to make these things without work. My kitchen is a mess, my table is covered in scraps, and I have ideas that I have given up on shoved into the back of my closet. You just don't see that stuff. And those abandoned projects have their own value as well, even if it's not very much. Every stupid, imperfect thing that I have made has been worth doing.

The idea that "anything worth doing is worth doing right" has created a world where perfectionism is the norm. It makes people afraid to try anything new because they will just pick it apart and fuss over whether the result is worthy of its existence. I propose a new way of looking at trying something new: "Anything worth doing is worth half-assing" (pardon my french). Let. It. Be. Imperfect. A C-level paper is better than one not turned in. A thrown-together meal is better than starving. A quick meetup between activities is better than not seeing a friend at all. Life is not perfect. And what's not worth doing is missing out on life because you feel it can't be perfect.

Obviously there are somethings that you can't afford to do imperfectly. You should probably strive for perfection when, say, filing your taxes or working on an important project at work. But no one, and I mean NO ONE has enough energy to make every little thing exactly perfect. Unless they do...pretty much nothing. In life, it's important to be mindful of picking which things will be perfect, and which just have to not be awful.

For friendsgiving this year, I put some of my perfection energy into these pies. For anyone not in the know, friendsgiing is when a group of friends get together for Thanksgiving and each bring a dish and enjoy being thankful for our chosen family. I was on dessert duty, as I normally am for gatherings I can make a lot of things, but my desserts tend to be the most showstopping. I've had a couple of people ask for the recipes because they turned out AMAZING. I'm quite pleased, as pies are not something I make often. The braided crust on the cranberry pear one is something I'll probably do on any pie that calls for a top crust. I like doing it, and it's a nice change from the traditional lattice. And if you want to try the braided crust, but are afraid of messing it up, DO IT. If you screw it up and it looks like a dead octopus, that's fine. It will still taste good. Even if it doesn't, that's okay, too. You tried something new and had a new experience. It's better than not trying it at all. Maybe you can test this one at a Christmas event or for a birthday if the person prefers pie to cake (I do not understand that idea, I am a cake lover, but you do you). Don't expect it to look like the picture on the recipe. Don't expect it to look like mine. It's yours, let it be imperfect in it's own way and enjoy it. A less-than-perfect pie is better than no pie at all. I'm pretty sure everyone can agree on that.

This pumpkin pie will change your life. Most pumpkin pies taste basically the same, but this one is next level. It is more work, but it's so. freaking. good. It's creamy, a bit fluffy, and so flavorful. The filling didn't even fit in my crust, so I made little pie-lets out of the leftover filling. Perfect? No. Delicious? Oh yeah.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This cranberry pear is a combo that most people have never tried, which is why I like it. It's also just very good, most people really like it.
Cranberry Pear Pie Recipe


Sprinkles of Kim:
Pumpkin:
-I cut the sugar by 1/4 cup because I was worried that it would be cloying with the maple syrup and candied yams. I was right, the sweetness ended up exactly to my taste.
-Instead of mashing and straining the filling, I blended it. It was faster, easier, and it made the finished product very smooth and a bit fluffy.
Cranberry pear:
-This pie was very juicy, so I recommend actually leaving out the pear juice to cut down on the liquid.
-I used Bosc pears. Do this, they are the perfect compliment to the cranberries.

I hope everyone had a wonderfully imperfect Thanksgiving, now if you'll excuse me, it's Christmas cookie season. And if you read my post on Christmas cookies last year, you'll know that I tend to go a little overboard...and I'll probably do it again.

Grin and...Be Thankful.

Some of the things were grateful for are said through gritted teeth. But don't actually grit your teeth too much, or else you might end up like me.

It's Thanksgiving my friends, and I love it. I haven't been around my whole family in a long time, and I've got a new niece that I need to meet! I have no shortage of things to be thankful for, but I wanted to give a less common perspective.

In the last twelve months, I have spent ~$1500 on my teeth. And none of it is my fault! I brush my teeth, I get them professionally cleaned and looked at every six months, all my dentists say I do a good job of taking care of my teeth.

It all started a couple weeks before last Thanksgiving. One of my teeth was sensitive to pressure, but the dentist couldn't pinpoint any cause, so we waited a few weeks to see if it would get better. I was sure I had a cavity hidden under the filling that was already there, so I had them check again and they suspected a crack, which would need a crown. Great. They sent me to an endodontist to see if the root was infected and it was, so I needed a root canal. Even better.

When I finally had the procedure, they couldn't finish it due to inflammation, so I had to wait with a temporary filling. Then, when I finally got it finished and had a temporary crown put on, I crunched a wasabi pea and broke it (curse you, spicy vegetable snacks!). Once the permanent crown was set, I was so glad that it was finally over.

The whole ordeal start to finish lasted from Thanksgiving to Easter because of how scheduling and doctors and such worked out.

But the next June, I woke up one morning with a familiar dreaded ache in a tooth with a large filling. Oh no, not this again. I called my dentist and set an appointment for a couple of days later. Until then, I chewed on the other side and gave every meal an appetizer of pain medicine to keep it from aching. I worked overtime the whole week to prepare my bank account for the inevitable. At my appointment, the dentist gave a verdict that was not as bad as I feared. The tooth was cracked, but not infected. So it needed a crown, not a root canal. Still expensive, but significantly cheaper. And still not fun. I've spent enough time in the dentist's chair over the years that any fear I may have had is replaced by annoyance and a desire to just get it done and move on with my life.

When you were a kid and were complaining about something, did anyone ever make you say ten things you were thankful for? My parents didn't (which is probably a good thing, it would have just made me mad), but in this situation, I actually did find that gratitude did soften the blow a little. Here's my list:

1. I'm thankful that I have a job with insurance so that all of this cost doesn't come out of my pocket.
2. I'm thankful that I know I have enough money. When I swipe my card to pay, I don't have to worry about it being declined.
3. I'm thankful for a dentist that knows what they are doing and that they were able to diagnose and treat the problem.
4. I'm thankful for modern dental techniques that allowed the procedures to be done with less discomfort than any time in human history.
5. I'm thankful for access to over the counter pain medicine so that I didn't have to put up with even the low level of pain from the procedures.
6. I'm thankful that I live in a country with access to clean water, toothpaste, and other dental health resources. I can't imagine living without those things. The pain would be excruciating.
7. I'm thankful that this is one of the biggest physical complaints I have in my life. I'm not in a place where I have to struggle with pain, limited mobility, or any number of things that I know many people face. I am extremely blessed with my good health, and I try not to take it for granted.

I know that's only seven, but I could probably go a lot more. In the Thanksgiving season, it's easy to be grateful for the things we actively enjoy like our family, friends, pets, a good cup of coffee, but it's not so easy to be grateful for the drooling numbness of yet another dental procedure. But I'm trying to turn more of my complaints into gratitude. Besides, no one wants to listen to me whine about how many times I have been shot up with Lidocaine in the last year and how much I hate it.
In a few days, I'll have the privilege of going back to Nebraska to be thankful for a brand new niece! It's going to be a great(ful) Thanksgiving, and I wish all of my readers the same. Try to appreciate your crazy relatives, and enjoy a second slice of pie if you want.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Use of Vanity

So, I recently had a really cool opportunity. The church I frequent held an event for Thanksgiving where they give gift bags to families with food insecurity to give them a Thanksgiving dinner. The bags were filled with things like a stuffing mix, canned vegetables, and a gift card for fresh itemsWhen they handed out the bags, they also had a carnival for the kiddos with games, a bouncy castle, food, face painting, all that good stuff. IT was amazing and it warmed my heart to see people who don't have much get shown a little love. I really hope that they were able to help create a nice holiday.

That's where I come in. When I heard they were looking for volunteers, a little voice in the back of my head pointed out that I have an Ariel costume. In my closet. That the kids would potentially love. I contacted the person organizing the event and she was all over it. Hey, I already went to all of the work of building the costume, I might as well use it.

The event was this last Saturday and it was amazing. The kids went gaga and I loved it. I got to see their faces light up and gave many hugs. Some of the parents were even more excited than the kids. Some of them tried to throw me off by asking tough questions, and I didn't break character once. I was so glad that I could give people that experience, that special memory. It gave me an odd thought, but one that is worth consideration.

My vanity got me here.

Vanity is supposed to be a bad thing, right? But I would never have been able to do this without it. When I say "vanity," I mean the idea of caring about appearance and things that don't really matter. I love interesting clothes, trying out different makeup, and creating a signature "look". I'm just as comfortable leaving the house in sweatpants without makeup, fashion is just something that I enjoy.

Now I know that "vanity" literally means useless, but I was just able to make it useful. I was able to use my love of fashion and crafting to give a great experience to children and adults. I'm not sure how much lasting impact I had, but If I at least made one kid's day, that's enough for me.

This experience got me thinking about how anything can be useful. Even actual uselessness or "vanity." If I didn't care about clothes or makeup, I never would have had the patience to build an entire Ariel cosplay. If I wasn't willing to put a lot of effort into every little detail from picking the EXACT wig color I wanted to the layering of the petticoats, it wouldn't have had the impact of looking like I had just stepped off the movie screen. If I didn't have a sea of random Disney knowledge sloshing around in my brain, I wouldn't have been able to stay in character while being interrogated by the more astute young'uns. Did something as inconsequential as this outfit open a door to show some love to people?


I had several children explain to me that you use a BRUSH on your hair, not a fork

The takeaway from all of this is that when God says he can use anything, He really means anything. People often take that idea to mean God can use flaws and negative traits, but it is worth noting that God can use traits that aren't really morally positive or negative. I love cosplay, and I'm so grateful that it has given me opportunities to help other people in some small way. I know that I was supposed to be there on Saturday. Even if I never find out the exact reason, I'm glad my silly little hobby could be of use. I'm going to try and keep my eyes open for more chances to use my talents, cosplay and otherwise, in unique ways. Even if it seems like something silly, or even truly useless and vain, there's always a chance it can be used for good.

I'm Not an Inspiration...

I'm not an inspiration...but you can be inspired by me

Okay, let me explain where I'm coming from. I love hearing about humans doing amazing things. Discovering new things, solving problems, looking at the world in a new way. Me being a science nerd, I gravitate towards scientific discoveries. In articles and news about scientific articles, I notice something. When a cool thing is achieved by a woman or person of a minority race, this one word comes up over and over.

Inspiration.

What makes someone an "inspiration"? Is it really just down to something you're born with?

It is important to acknowledge that people are treated differently because of things they can't control like sex, race, social class, or appearance. Yeah, it is waaaaay harder for someone who is wondering where there next meal will come from to do rocket science. And I'm not going to act like it doesn't sting when people say "oh, your degree is in biology? Do you want to be a teacher?" when I know that guys don't have to answer that all the time. People assume I'm a nurse when they  is see my scrubs, never a doctor. But is that what makes an inspiration? Overcoming some unfairness of society?

I remember that one of my big inspirations as a kid was the show Mythbusters. If was investigative and scientific, but also a ton of fun. The hosts, Adam Savage and Jaime Hyneman are passionate about what they do and manage to be educational and entertaining. But no one would say that they are "an inspiration to little girls" because they're guys. Guys can't inspire girls...can they?

There's nothing wrong with wanting to see all different sorts of people achieving great things, I love to see that. Please, achieve what the world says you shouldn't, and be the unexpected. But the emphasis should be on the achievement and what the person actually had to overcome, not just the buzzword. To draw inspiration shouldn't have a list of qualifiers. It limits potential instead of expanding it.

I guess this comes to mind because there are times when I feel like a traitor for not really connecting with someone who is an "inspiration" to my social group. Which is kind of ironic because something designed to be inclusive led to an "us vs. them" mentality. And being someone who does flashy things like cosplay, I want to inspire people. Not just my social group, but everyone. I don't want to just be pigeonholed into one kind of person I can impact. I feel like a lot of people labeled "inspirations" end up with that limitation, so that word kind of leaves a bad taste for me.

The takeaway of these musings is that it's okay to be inspired by anyone. If you are looking for career aspirations, there is nothing wrong with looking up to a stereotypical self-made millionaire, even if you have nothing in common. If you're looking for fashion and style inspiration, it's okay to look outside of your body type (personally, I would encourage it), no matter if that's thinner, fatter, more muscular, different skin tone.

All of these "inspirations" did something that society said they "shouldn't", you can be inspired by someone who you "shouldn't." You are not a traitor to your in-group by feeling a connection to an outsider.

I may not be an inspiration, but you can be inspired by me.

Smart And...

I'm going to let all of my readers in on a little secret. Something about me you may not know. It's something you would never know from casual interaction with me.

I'm smart.

I'm also not sarcastic. Nope, not me. Neverrrrr.

Look, I know it sounds narcissistic to just say it outright like that, but it would be disingenuous to pretend that I don't know that by school standards, I am above average. It's a trait, it's like saying I have curly hair or enjoy the taste of coffee.

Growing up, I was always "The Smart One." If you were to ask anyone to describe Kim, they would say "smart" within the first five words. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's certainly nothing wrong with being smart, and nothing wrong with having that reputation. But something I learned in college that I want to share is a concept that I have dubbed "Smart And..."

I don't want this to sound like a big ad for Hillsdale, but if you make it in, it's pretty much assumed that you are smart. Everyone is at least fairly book smart, it's the baseline. This creates an environment where you can't lean on being smart to define yourself. That would be like leaning on breathing as your big selling point. Everyone does it, whoop-de-do, what else you got? So you're smart.....what else you got?

We're smart. I promise. We have the degrees and tear-stained study guides to prove it

Something that I appreciated about the friend group I ended up with was that suddenly I wasn't "The Smart One" anymore. I was able to really look at what else I could be. My "And.."

The people around me were able to recognize my "and" and point it out to me in ways that I didn't really think of at the time, but that helped shape my perception of myself in a good way. Their reactions to my sense of humor, fashion, and interests helped me realize that I didn't have to be The Smart One. I had never thought of myself as a fashionable person until people started pointing out that I did have a distinctive, interesting style, it's just not what you would see in a glamour magazine. I had quite honestly never thought of myself as particularly artistic (outside of performing arts) until my friends encouraged me to rediscover that I did really enjoy drawing and painting. They saw and valued things in me that I that never really considered as anything worth noting.

What I'm kind of getting at is that they didn't just settle for seeing the most obvious traits. They took an interest in me and wanted to know what lies past that first and even second impression. It really helped me to develop as a person and stop defining myself as the smart one. I'm still smart, but I'm also sharp-witted, lover of all things cartoon, queen of accessories, a good cook. And I am allowed to be all of those things at once. I don't have to have one shtick all the time, I don't have to be "The____ One" I can just be Kim, and that's something I value.

Not that I felt any particular pressure to fill my "The Smart One" role when I was younger, but there were times I felt like people just kind of saw that I was smart and never felt the need to look for more. And I never asked for more because I didn't really see myself as much more. I had my role; I didn't ask anything else of myself and no one asked anything more of me. Maybe that's something everyone goes through to some degree as they mature, but Hillsdale is the only place I have seen so many smart people who care so much about the "And..."

Obviously, no one has the energy to try and look deeper into every single person they interact with, but there really is value in going beyond the obvious for those you care about or wish to know better. And there is definitely value in looking into you own "And..." to maybe cultivate some of those less prominent characteristics that bring you or those around you some joy.

I don't know how much sense this makes to people who aren't me, but I really wanted to share the concept of the "And..." with my readers. I feel that it's something everyone should be aware of. No one trait should define a person's identity, it's like holding up the Parthenon with one pillar. If something happens to that pillar, the structure collapses. People should change over time, and every one of those changes shouldn't have to cause a full-blown identity crisis. Swapping from one stereotype to another is no way to live a life. Finding your "And..." is a big step along the way to an awareness of who you are as a person, good, bad, and ugly. No matter what your "And..." may be, embrace it and maybe along the way, you'll help someone else find theirs.

Medical Labs Exposed!

I know I've been posting a lot about my job, but I've had this idea in my head for a while and I want to get it out because it's kind of a cool thing. There are things that I learned working in the lab that everyone who works in the lab knows and just accepts as normal that are pretty surprising to those on the outside. These were things that I didn't expect when I first got into lab work, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one. I thought it might be fun to share a few of those things, so here we go:

1. If you remember learning any lab procedures in a science class, it's all done by machine. I remember learning about the history of medicine and learning about how samples were taken and stained and looked at under a microscope. I always pictured a bunch of doctors huddled over tables with timers getting every stain in order. Nope. It's actually more similar to an automatic car wash. Load the slides, tell the machine which protocol to do, and a prescribed amount of time later you have perfectly stained slides, all coverslipped and ready to be looked at. We all still need a basic understanding of how the stains work to be able to effectively operate and maintain the stainers, but we don't actually carry out the process.

2. Acronyms, acronyms everywhere. As you have probably guessed, we use medical jargon in the lab all the time. A lot of these words and phrases are really, really long. Ain't nobody got time to say "Hematoxylin and Eosin" a hundred times a shift. Thus we have a ton of acronyms that do sound kind of funny if you don't know what they're referring to. The fact that I understand the sentence "This DS case came from the PA this morning and needs to be given to IHC for an HP and then QC'ed, but after that the blocks can be BAP'ed." is kind of interesting to me. I guess every career has its lingo, but it can be kind of strange to hear it from the outside.

3. Every machine has a name. No, not just a brand name or a number, but an honest-to-goodness "people" name. We have multiple machines of the same model and we need to be able to differentiate them. They may move to different parts of the lab, so numbers don't make sense because they would need to stay in order and it would be confusing if we get rid of one. So we give them names so everyone knows which machine we're talking about. And at every lab I've seen, the machine names fall into several subtypes. Sports players, classic movie characters, and cartoon characters. And we refer to them by those names with a straight face every day. My personal favorites at my current job are the special stainers names after characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Loading slides onto Donatello then getting more bluing reagent for Splinter is something that happens regularly. So, when you get your results from a blood test or biopsy, know that your results may have come from a machine named Scarlett O'Hara or Daffy Duck.

4. Color is everywhere. At the lab where I work, I had to take a color blindness test when I was hired. It makes sense when you see how vital different colors are to my job. Different colored blocks and slides dictate the order in which we do things or which client they came from. The stains turn the tissue different colors to make it possible to differentiate atypical cells. Knowing what each color means is absolutely vital to what we do. Color makes it possible to tell at a distance what priority those slides are and whether they need to be put with this client or that one. It's like a traffic light. Simple, but very effective.

5. This is probably not a thing at smaller labs, but at a lab with a lot of machines, there is ALWAYS one making noise for attention from someone. A significant part of my job is attending to these various beeps and alarms like I'm running a very expensive day-care. I have literally heard these alarms in my dreams after a long day. You know how parents can hear their child's specific cry in a room of screaming babies? That's how lab aides are with the machines they are assigned to. We can hear a processor go off across the lab or ignore the coverslipper right next to us depending on whose responsibility it is.

6. The potential for things to get messed up is pretty insane, so everyone has to be very detail-oriented. I guess anyone would hope that handling diagnoses would be detailed, but the standard is essentially perfection. We want every patient to get an accurate answer in a timely manner. Part of the reason teach case goes through so many hands is because each one serves as a quality check to make sure it's being done correctly. One block lost can mean no result of it's not detected. If two slides are sent to different departments and not returned to each other, that delays results for no reason. Everyone in the lab has to communicate before small oversights become crises.

Part of why I like doing posts like this is because a lot of medicine is shrouded in this fog of confidentiality and jargon that many people distrust. It does feel impersonal to have a bit of your body sent away and just have results magically appear. So I want to shed a little bit of light on what goes on inside the secured buildings behind badge-locked doors. The people in the lab are human too, and someday they may need a result like the ones they process every day. I'm not saying that there aren't dishonest people and people who don't care, but it's important to remember that at the end of the day, people who work in labs do still care about patients, just in a different way. Trust me, I am not the person you want to squeeze your hand when you're getting a bone marrow biopsy, but when three processors are going off at once, that's when you want me. There is so much more to medicine that the average person just doesn't see, and I'm so happy that I have the privilege to work in this amazing field. Okay, enough sap. It's almost my birthday, I have a party to plan!

On Being a Princess

If you've seen my Facebook over the last few weeks, you may have noticed that my pictures have taken on a certain...royal quality. Okay, I've been plastering my Ariel cosplay over every possible social media platform because I love it. Anyone not in the know about the cosplay world might have a few questions about this costume and what it's like to wear it. In this post, I'm going to answer them because I want to inform people about my strange and wonderful hobby. And mostly, I want to gush about my love of cosplay and how I'm living out a childhood dream.

Did you make it?

Yes, yes I did. That pink and white silk monstrosity was naught but a pile of fabric last January. Disney princesses are a very popular choice for cosplayers, so it was easy to find another Ariel online who had posted recommendations for pattern and modifications. I did buy the lower sleeve bits. I was lucky enough to find them on Amazon in a fabric that stretches. I like being able to bend my arms, thank you very much. I also bought the hoop skirt because I do not have the patience to mess with that. The wig was actually pretty easy to style. Again, other cosplayers had tutorials and enough hairspray will fix anything. I am currently ignoring the fact that it got really tangled from being worn for two days and really needs to be washed and combed.

How long did it take?

Not as long s I thought. I thought it would be at least six months of work, turned out it only took about three. Now, that's on and off work. An hour here, and hour there, maybe an afternoon on weekends. The cutting of all of the fabric took about 5-6 hours, and I did have to make an emergency run to the store for more boning at one point, but it honestly came together fairly quickly. Pro tip: when doing a big project, start with the hardest piece. When I finished the bodice, with its lining and boning and zipper, the skirts were a snap.

How much did it cost?

*laughs, degenerates to tears*.....Actually not near as much as it could have. I found a resource for large swaths of fabric for super low prices. Fabric Wholesale Direct saved my life. I was looking at Joann's all over DFW and couldn't find a place that had enough fabric in the color I wanted at a price I could afford. I resorted to looking online and was not disappointed. The wig was obtained on a Valentine's day sale from Arda Wigs, so it was cheaper than it could have been. I just used a pair of shoes that I had, so that was no cost. Here's my cost breakdown:

Fabric: $45

Notions: $50 (estimate)

Wig: $40

Hoops: $16

Sleeves: $10

Total: $166 *cash register sound*

Isn't that hot?
Yes, but not as bad as you'd think. Those hoops allow for a lot of air circulation, so the only parts that really get heavy are the bodice and wig (you'd be amazed how much a thick wig smothers your neck and shoulders). I didn't really have a problem wearing it all day as long as I made sure to not stay in the sun very long.

How do you go to the bathroom?
*laughs bitterly* you don't. Okay, you wait as long as possible and then try to find a handicap stall. When your outfit is literally larger than a standard bathroom stall, options are limited. I try to find less busy bathrooms so that those who are actually disabled can use the big stalls, but I can only do so much.

Do you get stopped a lot for pictures?
EVERY TEN STEPS AND I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT. Seriously, a lot of people have this idea that they are bothering me when they ask for a picture, but unless I am actively doing something that is hard to interrupt (eating, talking on the phone, etc.), I LIVE for this. Please ask for a picture and let me pose, you don't have to awkwardly sneak a pic. If your kid wants a picture with the pretty princess, absolutely take one with me! Anyone who cosplays a Disney character knows that they are  going to get attention from kids, so we're generally not the type to be like "ugh, children, how gross." I adore seeing them light up and get excited at seeing their favorite characters come to life. I even let them hold the dinglehopper. My costume is made to be worn all day at con and is all washable, so even an errant hand print isn't really a problem My Ariel isn't the best cosplay out there, or even necessarily the best Ariel, but I'm really proud of it and i love sharing it.

Do you do parties or other events?
I'm not currently affiliated with any professional agencies, but if you have an event and would like a princess, feel free to shoot me a message. I made this costume, darn it, and I'll take any chance to wear it. I don't have any fancy training, but I'll read a story, take some pictures, be a bubbly happy princess for charity or a birthday or a church event.

I was definitely one of those girls who wanted to be a princess, and mostly for the poofy dresses and magic. It may not be as impressive as talking to animals or growing a tail, but bringing joy to those around me is its own kind of magic, and I can't wait to do it again and again.