How Doll Collecting changed My LIFE.

This "novel" below I wrote for my entry into the WClub contest on Why we Love to Collect dolls? Never one at a loss for words I just happened to see the contest entry in the WClub newsletter a few minutes ago so my entry is rough, LONG, however it comes from my heart having no time to edit my thoughts or feelings to make this "Topic ready" I didn't see a word limit but if their is one, I am sure to have disqualified my entry. I can still see my mothers face as she a New York Italian Catholic would yell at my grandmother for letting me brush the old "toilet holder dolls" which would sit in a knitted dress hiding a extra toilet roll, remember those? Anyway the hair was not made for brushing but at 5 years old it was one of my happiest memories one which I held onto for years to come hoping someday to feel the childlike excitement once again. Jump ahead to the 1970's and me begging for a Bionic Woman doll and every holiday would be made to believe she was there but never was. Cruel I know. :mad: Finally 1996 my 30th birthday a friend with whom heard the Bionic story hundred times sent me a gift via FEDEX. Opened it and low and behold there was Jamie Sommers a MIB he found on Ebay. I truly couldn't speak and later would cry thanking him by phone and I cherished her. However, the feeling I had long for so many years earlier now was relived and my friend unknowingly opened a Pandora's box. One which would consume every minute of every second not to mention every dollar to relive again. Prior to all of this it use to be me, myself, and I getting in the car and going to the local Toys R US to buy up all the new Barbies. They had a website but it was mainly for young girls and the adult section was not very interactive so basically my collecting was done by Quantity and not always Quality. My poor partner and non doll collecting friends of the time did there best to entertain my excitement and show interest. But nothing like what I would experience years later. I learned as much as I could back in 1996-2003 but in a million years did it occur to me there was a WHOLE ONLINE Culture of Doll enthusiasts and collectors. Buying my first two Doll magazines were by accident at a Barnes and Noble one afternoon in 2007 when I laid my eyes upon a HIGH Gloss FDQ and Haute Doll magazines. Having stored all my dolls away from viewing eyes in a spare bedroom I flipped the pages and my jaw dropped. I was in awe and couldn't believe there were DOLLS prettier than BARBIE! I bought those magazines and read them as if they were doll bibles. This is how I discovered the WClub and Integrity. :cool: Telling the story of how I then collected NRFB barbies and sold them all last year so I was able to set my sights on another line, this line being Fashion Royalty. But first I had to get into the WClub. Oh I tried in 2010 and missed my confirmation by Luanne which sadly she informed me I was unable to join in. DAMN I hate SPAM. But I was not defeated as there was always 2011. What a year it has been and we still have another month. LQQking back to my first Private Exclusive Webinar which was unlike anything I had seen or participated in and enjoyed so much. My heart is racing just looking forward to next year. This contest about why we love dolls is not simple to answer. My partner of 28 years and I both have AIDS and he has declined over the past year and I have almost lost him twice. Prior year he was very clear NO MORE DOLLS, unless I got rid of the spare room which I filled with my NRFB Barbies mentioned above. So to his amazement and mine they all sold on EBAY which allowed me the luxury to indulge in the WClub and Integrity offerings. Both of us successful in our joint venture starting a Home Health agency in the early 1990's having lived already a mixed message life. Knowing we could die but spent our fortune as fast as we could. Financially we were blessed, but as soon as one starts to feel to comfortable LIFE has a way of throwing you a curve ball. In 1999 he fell ill first and I soon followed causing us to sell the business and today live on SSDI. I never take anything for granted and live my life as if the day were my last. The last 4 months have been a living nightmare learning his liver is failing him and to say I am not completely out of my mind is an understatement. Those of you who may have contacted me this last year may have noticed my somewhat inability to remember, comprehend, or write an email which made sense without rambling. Now you know why. The one thing I can say is without the WClub, Boards, and most of the DOLLS have brought me more happiness in what is a very dark time for me. Seeing the dolls for the first time makes me forget everything and anything except the goosebumps once felt when first laying eyes on a new offering. But those goosebumps are now felt over and over again with every new release. I have to learn to NOT over order dolls this year but it will not be easy. Each day that goes by I could lose the love of my life but what keeps me going is my email WClub newsletters, magazine subscriptions, Doll boards, and most of all just knowing soon the doorbell will ring and the joyful excitement will take over my being and all my worries and frustration will disappear nowhere to be found, at least for a while. Collecting Barbie in NRFBoxes keeping them hostage and not truly enjoying them was a HUGE mistake on my part. I made a promise to not do that with the dolls of Integrity. However, this is harder than I thought. They all look so perfect in their boxes and up until recently repeated the same offense. Plus if I decided to put one of my treasures up FS: I would find myself taking photos of them to upload with my listing only to realize I was making a big mistake. Falling in love all over again. Reading a thread on people falling in love with a doll they had thought they had no connection too seems to be more common than not. Example would be my Vanessa Perrin Monaco Royal, I had planned to sell her never taking her out of the box and struggled with the decision because she was my first and hopefully not my last Vanessa. After reading this thread and another on the age-old question of to box or debox helped me make my final decision to take out EVERY NEW DOLL I had acquired this year and displayed them with the ones I wanted to keep. Just before Thanksgiving I took her out and she is proudly on display with my Dynamite girls, FR2, FR, Monogram, ITBE, NUFace, etc. in my all glass Integrity cabinet which I will post photos taken real soon. Having dolls in common with others and the ability to share my joy with all of you makes it worthwhile. Many have been so supportive of my personal struggles and the contacts made soon became acquaintances, then flourished into true friendships. I never thought doll collecting would connect me to so many wonderful people AROUND the WORLD and the role they play be so important as they have been my lifeline for what would have been a year of despair facing my issues alone. Sob stories are a dime a dozen and if you were to take my personal struggles out of my entry My short answer to how your doll collecting has touched your life for the better would simply be.. Entering the lotteries, finding a retailer, the forum, the website, the Ordering, the Tracking, and the Arrival to most of all the virtual FRIENDSHIPS I have made all because of the love of DOLLS. The child in me and the goosebumps rush use to be the only reason I collected dolls. However, Collecting and loving your dolls is one thing, but I have come to discover the doll COMMUNITY is the added PLUS to this equation. Members, Doll board moderators, Retailers, and Integrity Reps etc.are just as rewarding, and to date an even bigger part about why I collect today. :) Well that's it. Thank you for the consideration and for a wonderful unforgettable year in the WClub. Waiting with bated breath for my Sophmore year and all the unseen treasures which awaits all of us. God Bless, Thom Indulge me for just one more minute. By now you have guessed I am a Freshman WClub member and if not for Luanne who has helped me in every imaginable way from questions to a few "minor missteps" has helped me become a better more productive WClub member and a better collector. I am sure many of those before me know and have their stories with LuAnne. But I couldn't let this opportunity get away from me without a much deserved SHOUT OUT of ThankYOU