You guessed it! We went to Providence, Rhode Island! For what you might ask!? HASCON: The premiere HASBRO FANmily Event! There was nothing but toys, fans and a real good time at this event!

Now, you're probably wondering, why on EARTH did you attend this convention?! WELL....as some of you know, my brother is a MASSIVE Transformers fan...like has over 1700 Transformers fan, and Hasbro used to have an entire convention dedicated to Transformers called "BotCon," but this year decided to switch it up! When my bro found out about this, he asked if I wanted to join in on the fun, and of course, I couldn't deny the opportunity!

- Day 1 -

We went all hands on deck the first day and it was amazing! It basically felt like we had the place to ourselves because it was Friday, and most of the people were either still working or their kids were still in school. Let me tell you, we took FULL advantage of the situation and completely lucked out! Take a peek!

We played with everything from Play-Doh's unbelievably creative DohVinci tool (you guys HAVE to get one of these, my favorite toy at the show!!), to building our own Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads and hanging out all our favorite Marvel and Star Wars characters! Not too shabby for day one!

After the show, we decided to take a very lively road trip into Boston for a fabulous dinner at Abe & Louie's that my bestie recommended! To our surprise, it ended up being just one street over from Newbury Street which was really nice for an after dinner walk. The restaurant itself was OUTSTANDING with absolutely delicious and remarkeable food, it's a must try if you're in the area!

Then of course....ICE CREAM!!!

*Coconut Seven Layer Bar* aka HEAVEN!

- Day 2 -

Our second day at Hascon, we made it a panel day! If you're unfamiliar, this basically means listening to directors, writers, actors, designers, you name it! It's super interesting to hear their perspectives on all the hard work they've put into their projects.

The first panel we listened to were the voice actors of Transformers - both Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime and Frank Welker, the voice of Megatron. Those two were absolutely HILARIOUS together, such great chemistry and so amazing to hear! I learned so much about their acting history both separate and together. It was a true pleasure to hear such classic stories!

Peter Cullen on the left, Frank Welker in the middle

The next panel was one that I was SUPER excited about given he's the writer of my current favorite Marvel films, Guardian of the Galaxy, Mr. James Gunn! He talked about how he got started in the industry, his writing journey and also shared his best advice he could give to anyone: ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED! I'd say that's pretty great advice that ANYONE can use!

My favorite piece of information learned was that the character "Baby Groot" (from Guardians Vol. 2) was based off his dog, which is so funny to me because I've always said that Kiki MY DOG reminds me SO much of Baby Groot! I die.

Later that evening, we attended the Transformer's VIP Dinner with another Transformer's panel INCLUDING the one and only MARK WAHLBERG *swoon,* the adorable Isabella Moner who also stars in "The Last Knight" as well as executive producers Brian Goldner and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The panel was also joined by Peter Cullen and Frank Welker whom we heard from earlier in the day! It was a panel full of fun behind the scene stories and awesome never before scene footage!

- Day 3 -

Our final day at the show, we decided to really take it easy and only go for a bit in the morning then come back later on in the evening.

What did we do the rest of the time!?

MANSION TOUR!!!

We took another road trip to Newport, best known for the STUNNING mansions that line Bellevue Avenue. We were fortunate enough to tour two mansions, The Breakers and Rosecliff, both equally gorgeous!

THE BREAKERS

"The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial preeminence in turn of the century America."

Rosecliff

"Commissioned by Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs in 1899, architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. After the house was completed in 1902, at a reported cost of $2.5 million, Mrs. Oelrichs hosted fabulous entertainments here, including a fairy tale dinner and a party featuring famed magician Harry Houdini."

As you can see from the above photos, the Rosecliff featured a fashion exhibition from the works of Pierre Cardin which showcased 70 years of innovation! The exhibit spotlighted 42 pieces ranging from the 1950's through 2016; what a portfolio!

When we got back to our hotel, we were heading into the elevator and none other than Peter Cullen (voice of Optimus Prime) walks out and my brother Paul David IMMEDIATELY recognizes him! He shakes his hand and tells him what a big fan he was and asked to take a picture with him and as Peter was walking away, he sternly says in his Optimus Prime voice..."ROLL OUT!"

ICING ON THE CAKE FOLKS!

My brother on the left and Peter Cullen on the right

After four days of toys, games, movie panels, and mansions, it was time to go home... BUT...I will leave you with one last thing. A video my niece Isabella and I made while waiting on one of our many layovers home!

Please allow me to introduce...