Zachary said:
Joe. You'll need to revise your rating. It's a bit too high.
Moving this here so as not to further derail the pumpkin thread.
Honestly, all joking aside, I actually was very nervous meeting everyone ("Will they like me?" syndrome), hence the "it's the anticipation that gets you" thing. But I have no idea why I was so nervous. I had an absolute blast.
Everyone was
extremely nice. Being younger, I was afraid I would be somewhat excluded due to age differences, but that didn't even seem to be an issue. Everybody was polite, friendly, and all that good stuff. Tony even gave everyone bottles of water, and Nicole offered me a strawberry.

Thanks to everyone I met for being so kind and making my meeting you all so great.
I know I am making an overly big deal out of this but I truly had a great time. It was so fun! By actually learning more about you all personally, and seeing what you're like, I feel like I can relate to everyone even better (especially Gavin, the shadow-lurking duck admin, who turned out to be really funny). We got to ride rides, visit places I'd never been to before, and it was awesome seeing people talk about and point out the same things I notice. Even with humorous criticisms, there was a level of fun and enthusiasm the whole time. Everything we did as a group was great.
I will now give my thoughts on everyone I met yesterday:

P)
Zachary - Very nice guy who sure loves taking pictures. The guy who made this all possible for me. Also, very different from what he seems like on the the forums (but certainly not in a bad way)
Nicole - Very kind and generous person, great to meet up with. Offered me a strawberry!
Matthew - Somebody to talk to that's my age, and shrubbery. 'Nuff said.
Applesauce - Spider-lover who was cool and sure as heck loves Fiends
horsesboy - Very polite person. Plus, Tradewinds memories.
Gavin - A hilarious duckling who cares for his family and can scream like... can scream like...
can scream really loud. And those teacups with Matthew and me!
Alpenghost: Intimidating and powerful
In all seriousness though, if you've been lurking in the shadows like I have, there's no need to be shy. This is a great group of people. I loved meeting everyone, and I'm sure they'd enjoy meeting you too.
This is my kiss-up post for everyone involved yesterday. Thanks again everyone for meeting up!