My Doctor Who 50th Celebration (in Pictures)

November 22, 2013

In our last day shopping for our Doctor Who party, Sarah and I found Jammy Dodgers at the wondrous store that is HEB. We bought 6 packages. Don't worry though, they aren't like American cookies that come like 30 to a pack. These just have 8. So, really it's amazing we restrained ourselves to only 6 packages cause that's only 48! And seriously, they are the best cookies in the universe. We sampled a few while re-watching the last 2 episodes of Season 7. AMAZING!!

November 23, 2013

The countdown widget on BBC America leading up to the premier was seriously giving me heart palpitations. It was sooo exciting! (I had to take like 10 pics before I got one that wasn't too blurry and you could actually see the time - I was committed, yo!)

I made 11 Adiposes. Single tooth included. I couldn't get over how cute they were for like a week. 

Our celebration spread. Cupcakes - that we could NOT make TARDIS blue, but got as close as we could, Jammy Dodgers, Adipose, a Sonic Screwdriver, Season 7 Parts 1 and 2, Summer Falls book by Amelia Williams, Digestive biscuits, a tea set (though we ran out of time to make any tea, so it just sat there), and a yummy British juice. We bought custard to make with some shortbread cookies (because we don't like fish under normal circumstances, and definitely not with custard), but we ran out of time to make it. Way too much for 2 people, but it was so fun! I wrote out "Happy 50th Doctor Who" and it was my first time to ever write in frosting, so I was happy with how it turned out. 

Me with the spread. I learned that suspenders are oddly comfortable. I don't know what it is, but I wish I had reason to wear them more often!

I was really excited. As this blurry selfie shows. 

Sarah and I in our matching shirts. She has a blue, going-into-the-past bow tie and I have a red, going-into-the-future one. :) We kinda felt silly preparing so much for just us, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity. The 50th anniversary only comes once. Not our fault the rest of the family was busy!

The 11 second countdown to the start was amazing! 

I wanted to get picks of all the Doctors with their numbers, but apparently my camera is super slow. 

Granted, it was a bit anti-climactic when this screen showed for about 30 seconds AFTER the 11 second countdown. But still. I was a nervous wreck at this point. I was convinced it was going to be the most painful episode ever. 

Luckily, it was not too painful. Though it was a close call many times. I LOVED it. It was so much better than I ever could have hoped. I think it really opens the show up to more possible story lines, making it much more possible to continue for another 50 years. 

And seriously, I fell in love with the Doctor more than ever before. Not a specific regeneration, just the Doctor. He is such a fabulous character. It was hilarious seeing Ten and Eleven together. There's not a single thing from this episode I would change. I think it's perfect. 

I also tried on the shirt I got for my costume with the bow tie and suspenders. Then sent this teaser pic to my family. 

November 25, 2013

We got tickets to see the Day of the Doctor in 3D at the theater. Best decision EVER. I dressed up as Eleven (I don't claim any one Doctor as "my" Doctor, but I do love me some Matt Smith). Sarah dyed her hair red and went as Amy Pond, my niece Andie wore her Halloween TARDIS skirt, and Becca (who was exhausted from night shifts at the hospital) wore her Weeping Angels shirt. My good friend Justine also came with us - it was so fun to see it with her too. 

Sarah and I before we left for the show!

You can't see much detail, but this is the theater from our seats. We didn't get there as early as we wanted to because of a CRAZY thunderstorm messing up traffic, but because the theater was so big, we could still see well despite being so close. 

Being in a theater full of Whovians was a BLAST! There were quite a few other Sonic Screwdrivers. Almost everyone had some kind of Doctor Who related thing on. Fezzes, Bow Ties, Scarves, shirts, pins, full costumes. It was awesome. And hearing the audience react to the good parts, and the sad parts, was so much fun. I felt like I was in the theater with a ton of friends, even though I didn't know anyone other than the 4 people with me. And normally I hate 3D, but it made the episode so much better. It was simply AMAZING.

Amy Pond, the Doctor, and the TARDIS!

That Amy, she just can't help but try to kiss the Doctor!

Our group photo, taken by Justine. Becca's a Weeping Angel trying to get the TARDIS and Sarah is Amy when she had to keep her eyes shut so the Angel in her eye didn't get out and I am the Doctor, trying to save Amy and stop the Angel. We probably had more fun taking that picture than we should have. :)

We looked all around for a display of some kind. Surely the theater would have SOMETHING? Finally we found this down a hallway, not even that close to the theater it was shown in. We thought we were done with pictures. NOPE!

Seriously, I love Eleven. I may or may not have stroked his face...

Becca and her cutie daughter. I love them!

I could not stop using my Sonic. So fun!

The Doctor and the TARDIS. This was my serious, "Don't mess with me, I'm the Doctor" face. 

I needed to show Ten some love, too. I may or may not have also stroked his face... 

To some, it may sound silly, but Doctor Who really has changed my life. It provided a much needed escape from myself when I was really struggling. It still does, because I am still struggling. It gives me something to think about when my mind is too dark and full of overwhelming things. 

One of the biggest messages of Doctor Who is that every single one of us is unique and important. Because in all of time and space, there is only one of each of us. And that uniqueness makes us each so incredibly important. And anything that destroys or negates that uniqueness is a waste. 

And that is a message I need to hear. 

At a time when everything in my life, or the funny chemicals in my brain, was telling me I didn't matter, the Doctor said he's never met anyone in time or space that wasn't important. 

At a time when I felt I was drowning in a pile of bad things, the Doctor reminded Amy (and therefore, me) that a pile of bad doesn't negate the piles of good or make them unimportant. And that any addition to that good pile is important, no matter how big and nasty that bad pile is. 

At a time when all I wanted to do was cry, the Doctor made me laugh. And yes, sometimes cry. 

At a time when I wanted to scream and thrash against the world and it's unfairness, Donna showed me that's okay. Donna also showed me that even a rage-y, drama-filled, ridiculous woman can, under the right circumstances and with someone who truly believes in her, become the most important woman in all of creation. 

And all of that gives me hope. Which I desperately need right now. 

So, yes, Doctor Who is a TV show. 

But ask anyone who really watches it, and they'll say it is so, so much more. 

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(If you don't watch Doctor Who, you probably didn't make it to the end of this post. But if you did and you don't - do yourself a favor and WATCH IT!!!)

Did any of you celebrate the 50th Anniversary? What did you do? What did you think? 

Also, how has this wonderful, crazy, illogical show touched you?