Valentine’s Day with the Winchesters
Contributed by: Abhiruchi Jain, UHCL alumnae
Sunday, Feb. 14, was perfect from start to finish. Prerna, Saba and I were excited as we entered the Hilton parking lot. Everything seemed to be different today. Things seemed to be moving faster, the crowd was twice the size and everyone seemed super excited. And why wouldn’t they be, it was the last day of HousCon, a day with the Winchester boys, Dean and Sam!
We got ready for the first photo op with Jensen Ackles who plays Dean Winchester. It was a weird moment being in his presence. The man looked perfect, exactly how he looks on the television. Even though I’m a Sam-girl, I was speechless when I met him. Saba and I went and said “hi” to him, spoke about how much we loved his work and got our picture with him. The photo looks like a toothpaste advert where two less than mediocre girls are standing with beautiful Jensen, everyone with ear to ear smiles. My Dean-girls, Prerna and Saba went gaga after meeting Ackles, but I had my Sam-girl mode on. I was looking forward to meeting my idol, Jared Padalecki who plays Sam Winchester. Get ready to hear a LOT about this amazing human being in my blog.
From Gilmore Girls to Supernatural, this man has stolen the hearts of millions. Apart from being an awesome actor, he’s a fighter. He is one of the few actors who has come forward and spoken about his struggle with depression. He understands the need to ask for help and support from loved ones and fans, which is why he has extended his love for the SPNFamily, letting them know that he’s there for them too. His “Always Keep Fighting” campaign, which supports the charity organization To Write Love On Her Arms, has touched many souls and saved countless lives. It’s beautiful to see what a great movement and change one person can bring into the world. That being said, he’s the exact opposite of how serious I made him sound. He’s a six-year old stuck in a man’s body and the biggest prankster on the set!
When I went for my photo with him, he was a cute, happy and warm teddy bear. He was super sweet when I spoke to him and was amazed when I told him I’m from India. I, later, went to get a picture with the trio- Jared, Jensen and Misha Collins. It was quite memorable and a major fangirl moment for me. It was weird to have the three of them talking to me at the same time. I had planned a Bollywood poster remake with Jared and a Bollywood dance step for Misha and Jensen. It was surreal because Jared was busy zooming in and out on my phone, looking at the poster, and Misha and Jensen were trying to perfect the Bhangra dance pose. Misha was initially doing a yoga pose which was funny, but in the end we all had a great time taking the picture!
After all the photo ops were done, everyone made their way to the hall for the J2 session. Jared and Jensen were hilarious as always, from on-set pranks to season 11 storylines, fans asked about their views on everything. It was priceless when the boys were cracking ‘innocent’ jokes and had fun dancing on stage.
Misha and Jensen’s autograph session were a blur. When it was my turn, Misha remembered me from the previous day and made sure to let me know that he really enjoyed the trio photo op. With Jared, he too asked me how our picture came out. It was exciting to know that they really enjoyed it!
HousCon weekend was mind blowing, what a great first con! I can’t wait to go back to one of these again.
