Aloha, e como mai!
Welcome to BlastyLava.com. This is a site devoted to the favorite things of Blasty Trooper and lavagrrrl. We have also been known to answer to Jon and Susie Leopold.
Jon and I met in 2002 at the R2-Detroit Book Club meeting. R2-Detroit is a Star Wars fan club. We became friends soon after, realizing that we share many passions, most of them revolving around Star Wars. Our friendship changed into something more when Jon took me to one of his favorite places: The Big House (Michigan Stadium).
Jon completely swept me off my feet with a romantic proposal on December 24, 2003. We spent a lot of the next 10 months planning for our big day. We were married on October 16, 2004. Our reception was held in the beautiful Indianwood Country Club. We had many friends and family there with us for our big day.
Being Star Wars fans, we also had to include our favorite movies in our wedding. There were two Stormtroopers to open the doors for my father and I, and then for Jon and I; both at the church and at the reception. The troopers also stood guard at the head table, but later they danced and danced. Additional Star Wars touches to the ceremony were in music, cake decoration and a Yoda ice sculpture.
We didn’t take our honeymoon in October; rather we waited until Jon had two weeks off of work to take our dream vacation to Hawai’i. I attended college at the University of Hawai'i in Hilo and I absolutely love the Islands. Jon had never been there, so it was an easy choice for our honeymoon. We spent two weeks there in July, 2005 on Oahu and the Big Island.
Recently our little family grew when we adopted two kittens from the Humane Society. They are named Tauntaun Skywalker and Mara Jade. Yes, both are Star Wars names.
Star Wars Costuming
Another way we show our love of Star Wars is through costuming. I started costuming in December 2002 and Jon in April 2003. My first costume was made by a friend as I hadn't sewn since Junior High. She made a lovely Senatorial/ANH Leia costume for me, based on my research and fabric choices. My first event was Attack of the Clones on IMAX. Jon started costuming after he ended a relationship. A friend advised him to have some fun, and with some help, he was able to get Stormtrooper armor. Jon’s first event was James Earl Jones’ Library of the Year appearance.
Since then we've both been involved in numerous events. We both started primarily with movie screenings and non-charity events. It was only later that we were exposed to the charitable aspect of costuming. We still do a wide range of events from birthday parties to Festival of Trees. We never accept money for our services, everything is for charity. The biggest reward is a child’s smile.
We are both members of The 501st Legion (the bad guys) and I'm a member of The Rebel Legion (the good guys). The two costuming groups feature screen-accurate fan made costumes. George Lucas has embraced the groups’ mission of charity based fandom. With his approval, the two groups have been a part of many high profile events. The 501st Legion has become part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe with mentions in video games, novels and action figures.
