Hello, Anaheim!

I made it! It's Thursday night, and this is where I'm staying during the event -- the Anaheim Hilton.

​​Hello, Anaheim! I'm super excited about attending my first D23 Expo!

​This dazzling rhinestone-studded icon greets you at the front entrance. Annika and I have been long-distance friends for years now and finally got to meet in person for an unforgettable Kodak moment in front of this amazing statue. It's so much bigger than it looks in the photo!

​Once inside, we were greeted by these Disneyland Paris ambassadors. Later, I ran into old ambassador friend, Stephen Miller, while getting lunch. I'm sure I'll see him again, and we'll get a picture together when we're not eating.

I finally got to meet Molly's sister, Mallory! Since we got here an hour early, we get to check out some of our favorite places to buy pins (before all the lines form).

Annika and I posed for another Kodak moment, this time with a giant Pin Trader Delight backer card. 

How do you like the Scoop hat that the Twins made for me? Elizabeth embroidered my logo on it entirely by hand (definitely one of a kind)! The yellow lines on the floor mark the store's queue line.

​Here's the Imagineering Pin Store, Mickey's of Glendale. We're hoping to see the inside of it later on, once it's open!

Open for business and ready to meet new and old PinPics pin pals! If you're here, come by and ask about the new website that's coming. I'm not in the picture, because I'm taking it! Time for a lunch break . . . think I'll take a look around the hall.

​There's fun for all ages here!

My friend, Anthony Pyatt, was Hades in the new Disney Channel's "The Rise of Red". It's really exciting to see this giant display!

Look at the really cool swag that "The Rise of Red" is handing out: a bag with a book AND a special pin!

​Just in case your screen is small, let's have a close-up of the pin!

Whoa! Look at this one! Here's a close-up of an even cooler pin! This is the pin that the D23 Security staff members get. There've been lots of cool ones over the years.

​And look who's in the booth next to us! It's Disney legend and Imagineer, Tom Morris! I'm really excited about being here!

We've already seen so many nice Disney celebrities and pin pals. And there's so much more to come! We'll leave a bit for tomorrow's issue, though. Have a great night, and join me on the beat again tomorrow!