Fan Fiction

I have been DYING to ask you all if you have ever read any of the Twilight fan fiction that is out there? I had read a few (only found out about them because there was a link on SMs website), but didn't really like anything that I came across..... that is until I read one the other day that was so AMAZING, it actually made me cry! (Before meeting MA/TM & joining this blog, I had joined another Twilight Mom group, and it was listed there). Here is the link if anyone wants to check them out. (be sure to read "the wedding" first, then "the change" after). http://twilightmomsforums.freeforums.org/viewforum.php?f=24 (Twilight Mom gives these a PG-13 rating)
Thought these might be fun with the upcoming TA meeting about Edward & Bella's romance. Even though they were not written by SM, they are absolutely beautiful! I'm sure Breaking Dawn won't turn out like these, but it's fun to imagine anyway....

New Husband's Moments

I wasn't sure if I should do a new post - with our new 'husband idea' thing - but I wanted to make sure that everyone saw these...they are pretty good. So, some of you know my husband first hand, others have just heard how he is - so hopefully everyone will read these and say, "of course, that sounds like Joseph"

#1 - My daughter comes running into the laundry room to find me with her front 'fangs' exposed and says, "Mom, I'm a vampire!" I found out later, that Joseph had bribed her with a cookie to come in and do that. We sure can't keep many secrets around here!

#2 - Same morning...Joseph cuts himself shaving, and he runs out of the bathroom saying (quite enthusiastically might I add), "I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding! Hurry suck it out, save me!!!" (now, he must of forgotten that you don't just get saved by getting your blood sucked out, you have to have the venom in you already, duh!! (hee, hee))

Now, even though these are totally in teasing me - to death - they did get me smiling and laughing, a lot!! And of course that's all I need to help me through a Sunday morning, right?

Quote of the Week Jan 29 - Feb. 4

You will find the new rules in the comments on this post. I keep tweaking them, so just take a quick peek before guessing. Interest in guessing the quotes is dying down, but I hope the pleasure in reading them never does. So enjoy!

Quote #1:"The clouds were thick and safe. The kind of clouds that had become pleasant to me because of the freedom they guaranteed."

Quote #2:"I felt a flicker of the old fear, that he was just a dream, not possibly real."

How I got my nickname

Well...32 years ago this March 19th, I married the man of my dreams. We started out (some of this is fuzzy...as I'm 54 years old...) calling each other "love" and that evolved into a language (our love language - clean, but ours). One day I called playfully called Richard a "turkey" and he called me that back and it stuck. His nickname is "Wubs" and that's from the original love language - Wubs, Wubbies - Love, Lovie....(get it?). I'm not sure how the "s" was added. But it stuck.

Well, "Turkey" stuck until I became pregnant with our first daughter (she is now 30 years old). We bought skiis for me and they offered to engrave them...so we added "Mama" to the nickname. We went skiing on our anniversary at Snowbird, on the Chickadee lift and went out to the symphony and dinner. He really wore me out! But, I digress....

Everyone else calls each other names like "dear" and "honey" and "darling", but for me...those are condescending and he better not call me by those names unless he wants me to grit my teeth and call him some derrogatory names back. He learned that one pretty early on....*G*

So, it's nothing to do with a feast-filled holiday in November and it's nothing to do with a country, but it has been a "safe" and hardly used nickname on the net for about 15 years now.

Ok...now you can get back to TW or whatever you are absorbing at the moment.

Nothing to do with Bella and Edward or TW - sorry!

Happy Birthday Jenn!

Hey everyone! I realize the day is about over, and I'm sorry for the late message, but I wanted to wish Jenn a Happy Birthday! It's a big one this year :) You'd never know, you definitely don't look it! We all love having you as a part of our TA blog, you contribute great and fun stuff and help keep things lively! I, of course, am partial because you're my sister and I love you and you're one of my favorite people. But I think everyone who knows and meets you can see how kind and awesome of a person you are. I hope everyone will give Jenn and birthday wish, even though I'm sure most of them will be belated (my fault for posting so late, and also weekends are always slower on the blog, so you're fault for having a weekend birthday) but like MA said, belated wishes just keep the happiness flowing longer! I was also thinking that along with everyone's birthday wish to Jenn, you could also maybe help her think up her new TW sign on name. She's been trying to figure one out for a while now, so I think she'd love some suggestions!
Again Jenn, Happy Birthday and thanks for being the person you are, love ya!

Introduction

I knew I was addicted to Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse when I finished Twilight and went out and bought the hardback editions of the next two books! Then, I proceeded to read them in two days. Right after that I put myself on the list to get them from the library on CD. I kept wondering how I could get more of Bella and Edward in between now and when the new book is written. That's when I went online and find Stephenie's sight and read all I could find. I need to listen to the books again -- for the third fix...but to make things more balance, I'm listening to a few other books on my daily commute. I found myself correcting people on what vampires are like and even thinking that our creator didn't create vampires and werewolves, but still...Edward is dreamy.

To introduce myself...I'm a grandmother and have been married for 32 years to a great guy. He's not built like Edward, but I'm not built like Bella...but I can still dream and day-dreaming is fun when you have all the great things Stephenie has created for us to read. I found myself really liking Jacob in New Moon - but was grateful for the ending of that book - making me hungry for the third and fourth!

I look forward to enjoying all your thoughts and feelings about these books and other things that are on your minds!

You Know You Are Addicted to Twilight When . . .

*You are worried that you've been talking in your sleep (like Bella) and calling out Edward's name (like Bella) and that your husband of 16 years is going to find out that you have a very serious new love interest in your life - who also happens to be a fictional character.

*Your pool table and hockey table are now full of clean, unfolded laundry, while all the hampers in the house are overflowing with dirty clothes too.

*Your 3 children are all behind on their homework and school projects because you've been too preoccupied with your addiction to help them.

*You actually used paid vacation time off from work to get some things done around the house that you've been putting off, but never got around to doing anything on your list because you can't put down TW/NM/EC.

My name is Marti & I am hopelessly addicted to Twilight.... and VERY EXCITED to find others out there like me - what a relief! I seriously thought I was going to have to go to counseling or something to get me through my addiction. Now I realize that being "addicted" to Twilight is just another word for "healthy interest"... Thanks for helping me feel slightly normal! (FYI... I just finished reading the entire series for the 3rd time, and am now browsing Amazon & Ebay for the audio books - is there no end to my fixation???)

Husband Insights, Questions & Thoughts

Perhaps I am slightly OCD, but our husbands have been asking similar questions and noticing very different things from what we have all noticed while reading. So here they are in their own little section for our reading delight and introspection. I figure that as they continue reading & asking questions, we can post their thoughts here. Perhaps they will pick us some clues that we have overlooked as to what is coming in BD.

......................

From Twilightmom:
So I mentioned the jumping up and down. Well I tried to be all calm and collected when my husband called from the bedroom "want to hear a Twilight Moment I had"My response "sure" (gasp, amazed look on face).

So he starts to tell me how he was reading my open Twilight book yesterday while working on our computer. (I thought so). And he was re-reading Bella and Edward's first meeting (the book was not open to the part. He had to have turned to it). Dave then starts to explain how the first time he read that he thought it was just normal teenage reaction when Edward acted so cold and stuck up. Of course later he understands why Edward acts this way. But when reading this part again yesterday, (and now I interrupt for the jumping up and down part. Up until now I have been listening quietly from the other room, but as soon as I realize what is coming out of his mouth next, I can't resist the urge to run into the bedroom, jump on to the bed and begin bouncing up and down on my knees. Then I start hugging him as he tries to continue. I could tell he thought my reaction was pathetic and adorable at the same time. Of course the enthusiam, bouncing, jumping, etc. is not startling to him. He has been living with me for 16 years now.) So back to Dave. I then let him continue with what I knew he would say. That he was so struck yesterday by the real struggle Edward was going through at that moment he and Bella first meet.

From Esmessence:
This might actully be the place to ask...Joseph was sure that the arguement or whatever between Billy and Charlie (in TW) was over the fact that Billy was trying to tell Charlie that the Cullens were Vampires?

From Betchafeelbetter:
My husband asked me last night, "So my question is, What is Charlie?" I tried to answer that one as nonchalantly as I do all the others, so as not to give anything away. He is convinced that Charlie KNOWS more or IS more than what we think. (That could be an interesting twist in BD. I DO have a sister-in-law who thinks there is more to Renee than we have seen. Guess we'll see).

From Esmessence:
Joseph kept me up for nearly an hour trying to figure out what was going to happen in the next books. He guessed a few things right (werewolves - first he thought Billy was one, then he kept deducing the facts and finally figured out that it's Jacob...but I don't think he realizes that he isn't one YET), he was a little off on some things - I tried to keep my mouth shut as much as I could. It was very fun!! .

From Esmessence:
He, of course, made sure to let everyone know that he wasn't hung up on the books like someone he knew (hee, hee), that he really disliked all the 'high school' mush, but that the intensity and action was soooo awesome!!!

From Betchafeelbetter:
My husband, Chris, last night said that [the high school "mush"] was one of the things he really LIKED about the books; he thought SM did a great job recapturing so much of the teenage experience.

Husband Moments

Okay, I love reading all the husband moments, so I'm giving them their own home. (Guys need one too, right?) These are the fun things, like TM/MA's Volvo experience, and Ruth's Jacob hat.
I'll start another post for husband questions, insights, and reactions to the books.

Here are the few I have found.

From Ruth:
my husband was playing with my new hat (lined with fake fur), turned it inside out, put it on his head so that it covered his eyes and said, "do I look like Jacob?" Hah!

From Twilightmom:
Sunday afternoon. We are driving, on the freeway, and he abruptly calls out "there's a Volvo." And yes he knows exactly what he is doing. He knows who drives a Volvo.

Well that certainly gets my attention. But the volvo was some dumb big piece of machinery being used for road construction. I rolled my eyes and mentioned how a yellow/orange volvo doesn't have much appeal for me, but how proud I was of him for noticing and pointing it out. I'm sure if the Cullen boys spent a few years in construction as a diversion, they would use Volvo brand machines.

And my own:
He was reading to our daughter, something like this:"Sally, Suzie and Isabella, Hey! Bella! were three princesses..." He said this all without a pause, except that they "Hey! Bella! was directed at me while the rest was part of the book.

I just grinned at him (a big wide Jacob grin)and said, "You just had your first Twilight moment!" He shook his head.

.........................

So please add your own husband-moments to this post. It will be a good spot to come when we need to smile.

And so it begins...

Here we go! My husband (Justin) cracked the series today (heeeee!). Even though it's been the plan for days (or weeks??) now, I was still surprised when he said, "all right, where is it?" I'm so thrilled and nervous as well. My husband is a big-time teaser, he loves to tease and I think he does it worse when he sees that he's getting a rise out of me, so I'm trying to brush it off more than normal. (Must be 'youngest child syndrome' or something, I always tease him that he didn't have anyone younger than him to tease, so our kids are getting it now I suppose, funny. Sorry way off the subject here).
Ok, so he's on chapter 3. He said a few smart remarks, nothing big, but enough to give me a little rise (even though we've had more than one talk about what kind of mind set to have - he just can't help himself sometimes, I guess). I reminded him to please not ruin it and pick silly things apart about it, so he apologized and stopped (for now, and hopefully from here on out.) I honestly didn't expect him to read past the first chapter, so I was excited to see him continue on. He asked me some questions, most that he would find out soon enough, so I kept telling him to read on. He asked my height (I'm 5'4") and a few other things, I think he was trying to picture what Bella might look like, I thought that was cute. He said something about Mike Newton that I didn't care for. I'm thinking that maybe he needs to read alone, and not right next to me. A little while after he shut the book, I asked him "so, what do you think?" (Trying not to act too overexcited of course) He gave me a thumbs up and nodded once. That wasn't quite enough, so I pressed a little more. The most I got was "yeah, I like it, I'm just getting started though you know."
So all in all, I'm excited, I want him to read more but I won't put the pressure on too much. He does read everyday, and has more time than usual because of his injury, so the prospects of it getting read more quickly right now are good. I guess it's time to start his book now, I actually took it with me to an appointment today but didn't end up having time to read it. Of course he asked if I started it, I know I better, so he'll continue without any issues with that. Not that anyone will care, but I'll let you know how the reading goes for me as well, this is big, reading something else beside my beloved Twilight since last Semptember!
I'll let you all know if anything more significant happens, or for sure when he finishes!

Thoughts my 2nd time through

You may remember that I started re-reading Twilight in the middle of December. I was “borrowing” my sister’s book, the one I was giving her for Christmas. Since I only had a few days before having to wrap it up, I tried to read fairly quickly—which didn’t give me a lot of time to stop and think about things, or even post my thoughts here. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish in time. However, as you know, I recently bought myself a copy and started reading it again. Now please don’t think ill of me. But I really didn’t feel like starting all over from the beginning. I didn’t want to deal with Bella not knowing, tricking Jacob, and running into that trouble in Port Angeles. So I started on page 144, right where Bella says good-bye to Jessica and Angela and then Edward takes her to dinner. Below are a few thoughts I had while re-reading these parts. Sorry this is such a long post, but hopefully it will make up for my lack of including you along the way. I will try to do better with New Moon. Last night I just read the Friends chapter, where she's starting to hang out with Jacob. Q&A: I loved re-reading all of Bella’s silly, and perceptive, questions about what it means to be a vampire. I wanted to underline Edward’s answers and put little tabs on the pages to help remind me of all the small details SM created for this world.
Mushy feelings: Okay, so I admit that the first time I read this book, I loved all the lovey dovey talk. But then someone I talked to mentioned that she didn’t like how cheesy it was. But really, that’s how high school was. Right? Don’t you remember having that first crush and always searching the crowds in the lunchroom or at a football game, just to see that one guy?! Anyway, I was a little nervous to re-read it because I thought I would notice the “cheese” more and then it would ruin the book. As it turns out, I didn’t notice it at all this time around. And I still felt excited and nervous when Edward kissed her for the first time

The Cullens: Meeting the Cullens again gave me a new perspective on them. I felt like I knew where Rosalie was coming from when she gave Bella the cold shoulder. I wished she could have just opened up to Bella right away so that they could be friends. I wanted Jasper to stay away from Bella for his own good and I felt like it took forever for Bella and Alice to become friends. I did notice myself re-reading parts about Emmet and Esme. I feel there is more to them than I remember and I really wanted to get to know them better. Does that come in NM or Eclipse?

Are you sitting down?

I hope you will forgive me, but I just HAD to make this a post! It was way too important to hide in some comment box! My synical husband, probably the worst one out of anyone's, just finished reading Twilight on his flight home from Boston today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, you read that right MA/TM - Joseph actually, really, truely read it and finished it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First of all, I get a message at about 7:00 (I was putting my kids to bed), it was from him saying hello, he was in Denver on his layover, la da dee...he figured I was putting kids to bed, and then the last thing he said was, "I have some good news!" Well, after I got the message, I thought, "oh, I'm sure he just had a killer trip with his clients," ( he is so excited about his work all the time - which is great - don't get me wrong) But I did hope that maybe it was some good news about our house situation/moving or something (long story , sorry to all). Anyway, I didn't even have in my mind at all that it could be related to Twilight! Well, 15 minutes ago, he called - he arrived in SLC, and was coming home. The first thing he said was, "Well, I'm ready to be in one of your book club meetings, or whatever you like to call them."
I didn't even really get it, to tell you the truth. And then he blurted out that he had finished it!! So, for the next 10 minutes I sat, dumbfounded on my couch, with a perma-grin on my face as he talked about what he liked, really liked about the book. I think his exact word was - AWESOME - as he described how the last of the book (the hunt) captivated him!!
He of course was not swept away by Edward, and the love story that has us swooning everytime we read a sentence, but he loved so many of the other characters - Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Alice...he even was telling me faces that he was trying to put with some of them (Emmett was , I swear, one of the pictures we saw from the ones MA showed us last meeting). He said he definately can see why I love it so much - obviously more than he did, but what a fun surprise!! I tried to not get carried away, but I did (very enthusiastically) tell him how much he would really love the action in the other two!! Wow, what a fun night! (major understatement)

2nd Quote of the Week

I'm taking a break from finding quotes, so that Twilightmom can play - and so that I can't play.

Just a Reminder of the New Rules

1. No more open book answers. You cannot look up the quote anymore. We are going to change from who can find the quote first, to who can remember unaided, where it comes from first.
S t r e t c h - it's good for us.

2. Only one guess per day. That will give everyone a little better chance. Of course those who check the blog the most, have the most fun with quote days.
Obviously if several people guess incorrectly, that narrows down the possibilities. If the quote is not guessed the first day, then guess again the next, and so on.

3. You are welcome to check your guess in the book once you have published it, as long as you can trust yourself not to go looking for the quote (this is a rule for me. Torture not to over-browse).

4. No penalty for coming across the quote accidentally if you are currently reading the book the quote comes from. Lucky you!

5. Still post as much detail about the quote as you can. List which book you think it is in and the situation.

6. This is just for fun. I hope this makes it even better. It's just an experiment. It can be tweaked.

Quote 1

"He leaned toward me;

his night-dark eyes melted and smoldered

and shattered my concentration.

'Please, Bella?' he breathed."

................

Quote 2

"Would you like a round of applause?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUNSWITHVAMPIRES

Well I immediately feel like writing lots of mushy stuff here. I can't help it. Over the last several years RWV has become one of my dearest friends. And just when we already had plenty in common, primarily feeling the same way about how kids are our greatest blessing and trial, we found something else in common that is quite unique. We are both "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" with Twilight. Of course it started with me stalking her until she was hooked, but it didn't take long.

I want to wish my blog/fan-club partner a very happy birthday. She deserves it. And you know I was thinking her name really fits. RWV is a very petite, quiet, easy to get along with person. But she is also very tough in her devotion to family and God and in her ability to deal with everything life throws at her. She is tougher than you would think, like our dear friend Bella. So it just fits she "runs with vampires".

I can't think of any better birthday gift than posting on here a beautiful line or two from our favorite books.

Quote of the Week Jan. 22-29

Okay team, we need new rules. We are really too good at this. So since we are all about Twilight benefiting our brains, we are going to test our memories more than ever. So here are the guidelines: 1. No more open book answers. You cannot look up the quote anymore. We are going to change from who can find the quote first, to who can remember unaided, where it comes from first.

S t r e t c h - it's good for us.

2. Only one guess per day. That will give everyone a little better chance. Of course those who check the blog the most, have the most fun with quote days.

Obviously if several people guess incorrectly, that narrows down the possibilities. If the quote is not guessed the first day, then guess again the next, and so on.

3. You are welcome to check your guess in the book once you have published it, as long as you can trust yourself not to go looking for the quote (this is a rule for me. Torture not to over-browse).

4. No penalty for coming across the quote accidentally if you are currently reading the book the quote comes from. Lucky you!

5. Still post as much detail about the quote as you can. List which book you think it is in and the situation.

6. This is just for fun. I hope this makes it even better. It's just an experiment. It can be tweaked.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest.

"You're silly. I suppose that's part of your charm."

Twilight Moment

The Utah Wildlife Board announced in Thursday's Deseret knews that they have increased the number of permits for hunts in the spring and fall of this year in an attempt to reduce the number of human-bear encounters. Where's Emmett when you need him?

A bit more Lexicon news

There's just a few more updates on the Lexicon today. They have chosen a high school to film at, unfortunately it's not Forks HS, but they may still use exterior shots of it for the film. There's a link on the Lexicon that shows pictures of the school, they're kind of fun to look at and picture scenes in your head. They also say that just because nothing has been announced about other actors filling the roles, doesn't mean they haven't been cast yet. The movie people will announce things as they will, and to ignore rumors otherwise (apparently there are many floating around.) I'm betting that's the case, because things seem to be getting rolling, the shoot date is set for about a month away! I think we'll continue to get a lot more news about it over the next few weeks. It's getting exciting!
Also, one cool thing - USA Today listed the biggest book sellers of 2007...Eclipse was number 3 on the list! I believe it's number 1 on the NY Times in the series category. Very awesome for SM!

Movie Update

This isn't much but the Lexicon has a tiny update on casting for Jacob. Go read it. They obviously don't have a certain star in mind for Jacob. This could be really interesting. And this confirms that filming is going to start in February. We are not going to count this as the next character cast yet though. Since they are still looking. Maybe the movie people will cast Charlie or Alice while they are searching for their perfect Jacob. Whoever is next, it will be exciting. This is happy news!

Lexicon Updates

Just an FYI - SM posted an update on BD and MS on her myspace. I felt it was important enough news to mention here. It is detailed on the Lexicon too. She says BD is still set for Fall 2008 and that Midnight Sun is only 1/2 way done, so that will be quite a while. She sounds a little burned out, which is sad for her of course, and a little sad for us. But at least she is nice enough to keep her fans up to date. If you want the details just click the link to the Lex on the right of the blog.

Another Quote for the Week Jan.15-22

Sorry, I forgot. This one was submitted by Runswithvampires, so she will watch and see how fast you all find it. Even if we do find it quickly it is so wondeful to savor these phrases.
"I let my cheek press against his hair, felt the texture of it on my skin, smelled the delicious scent of him."
Now read it again, slowly. Sigh. . . . . . . . okay now run and find it.

The Music of Twilight

Erin asked in her recent post if we thought we could ever watch a movie or listen to music again without it reminding us of Twilight (paraphrasing). We've already had a lot of posts about music, so I want to know what music do you remember from the books? And what music have you heard lately that reminded you of the books? And why?

The most recent song I heard that reminded me of the books is the Chicago song that says "Tell me what kind of man would I be, living a life without any meaning, and I know that I surely could live(survive?) without you, but tell me what kind of man would I be?"

Anyhow, this made me think about how Edward still doesn't understand that while Bella could have lived without him, it would have been a lesser experience than what she has had WITH him. His fear of causing her death (either directly or indirectly), causes him to miss the fact that the greater loss would be not having had the experience, no matter how it ends.

Each person that we love enriches our life, and if they weren't there, we would have a hole. We might not know ever know that something was missing, and our needs might be filled in some other way, but no one could ever exactly replace that person. And I think that is one of the lessons that Edward is learning, and will continue to learn in the future.

So, as we all know, music is powerful. It can override weaker thoughts or emotions, and teach us lessons more quickly than any other means. So what are the lessons you have learned from the music of Twilight?

Quote of the Week Jan. 15-22

Well I had a hard time choosing this week. Usually I can't find one I think will work, now I just hope I chose the one that will be fun but not too easy. Never feel badly if you find it too quickly. We have lots of back-up quotes.

" . . He rolled his eyes. I could walk home faster than this truck moves."

Our Classic Characters

Speaking of Twilight... Last night Joseph (my husband) chose Pride and Prejudice for his movie choice( he started popping popcorn and everything - I'm sure hinting to me that he wanted me to join him)...I think he would like TW more than he knows...of course throughout the whole movie I was reminded of our wonderful Edward and Bella. At the end, I said to Joseph, "We don't even know Mr. Darcy's first name..., do we even ever hear it?" Well, I immediately remembered this scene in Twilight (I went and looked it up of course) -

"I lay on my stomach, crossing my ankles in the

air, flipping through the different novels in the book, trying to decide which would occupy my mind the most thoroughly. My favorites were Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I'd read the first most recently, so I started into Sense and Sensibility, only to remember after I began chapter three that the hero of the story happened to be named Edward. Angrily, I turned to Mansfield Park, but the hero of that piece was named Edmund, and that was just too close..."
Well, I didn't get the answer to my original question - but how fun! It made me very happy to be able to relish in two very classic couples in one night! And yes, I did say two!!

And then today, I was reading in Eclipse, where Edward finds Wuthering Heights on the kitchen table, realizing that Bella is reading it again - because of her lack of other book choices. He is giving her a hard time about this book, and then continues, "I don't know how Heathcliff and Cathy ended up being ranked with couples like Romeo and Juliet or Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy." Could we soon add 'Edward Cullen and Bella Swan'? I don't know...it's sure fun to think about!

Well, I wonder if I will ever be able to watch or movie or listen to a love song without thinking of these fictional characters?!

Posting with a Nickname

I figured out one way to post with a nickname. You need to create a second blogger account to do it this way. When you go to post, simply click "use another account." I had to use a second email account to do this. Then, I clicked on my original invitation from TM. It brought up the page that lets me sign in to blogger and accept the invitation. INSTEAD of signing in with your first account, click "use another account," type in your info, and then click "accept invitation."
This lets you choose a second display name for your comments.
If you set up your second email through gmail, you can choose to have all your email messages forwarded to your regular email account so that you don't have to check two accounts to get your blog messages.

(I know there is another way that a person can type a nickname, but I think that the blog might have to allow anonymous comments to do it, and you have to type your nickname every time you post).

Oops, silly me!

Okay, so some of you may have read my comment on another post about running across the Vatican to re-enact Bella's heroism to save her love. Well . . . someone kindly pointed out to me that Bella actually made a run-for-it in the city of Vulterra, Italy. Apparently I am not quite addicted as someone else I know. :) Sorry if this has caused some confusion.

Unfortunately, I did not get to see Vulterra. However, below are pictures from there:

Taken from outside the city walls

The Main Piazza

The Clock Tower at the Piazza

Also, I would be happy to upload my video from Italy, but I can't figure out how to convert the file type.


Finally, you will be happy to know that I bought Twilight today! Hurray! So now I will stop complaining that I don't have it. And now you can be expecting more posts from me as I begin to read the series for the second time (after I finish reading the 3 books I just got from the library this week).

Another Quote for the Week Jan.8-15

Well I am starting to think that I am going to run out of quotes soon. You are all just to savvy. So this one could go quickly, but I'm doing my best to pick tricky ones. This one is pretty vague but I don't dare give any more of it away.

"Get some rest, Bella, honey. You look exhausted."

Remember we need to know the book and the situation in the story. Page numbers are not required, just a detailed description.

On your mark, get set, go. . . .

Emmett and the Bear

So this all stems from the quote of the week comments that I just went over. I mentioned in my last comment on that post that I thought I'd go re-read "Emmett and the Bear" in the outtakes from SM's website, so I did. And I LOVED it, even more this time around I think, and I'm not sure why. I am still smiling right now, and thinking about it. There are lots of fun things to read in it that I had forgotten. I initially read it months ago when I finished the 3 books and was thirsting (proper word eh?) for more. I couldn't get enough of anything Twilight, so perhaps I didn't appreciate it all back then. I love that SM had this as a part of her original Twilight. Interesting that it was suppose to be part of the original epiologue - which we all know what the wonderful epilogue turned out to be in Twilight (minus the extra "prom remix" of course, but that's an entire other post in itself). In this, I love that Edward is watching the food network, perhaps because I LOVE the food network, it's one of my favorite channels to watch as some of you may know. It makes me feel like I have a connection with him there :) Cute that he's frustrated that the chef if seasoning things by taste. I love that we know he is listening to everything Emmett is telling Bella but still intently watch the demonstration, because he reacts to what he feels necessary in non-verbal ways. Especially when he so quickly punches Emmett that Bella doesn't realize it until he is sprawled over the back of the couch. Can you imagine the rough housing those brothers do? And to end it perfectly, Esme scolding them from upstairs. So, I would encourage all of you to go to the link and re-read this great outtake, and see if you find something new or forgotten, or share what you enjoyed about it. I'm surprised at myself at how happy I am that I read it.
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/twi_outtakes_emmett.pdf

You Know You Are Addicted to Twilight When...

You see a well-sculpted male mannequin in a store (while you are shopping with your husband, no less) and instantly think, "Oh, it's an Edward."

Your child saying, "Sure, sure," reminds you of warewolves.

Your husband teases you about your "crush" on a vampire.

It is difficult to tear yourself away from your book to do something in "the human world."

You have a hard time talking about anything else with anyone who has read the books.

You spend more time dreaming about ways to solve Bella & Edward's problems than you do thinking about your problems.

Hi, my name is Cydne and I am addicted to Twilight.

Quote of the Week: Jan 8-15

"I was surprised to find a strange kinship growing between myself and Emmett, especially since he had once been the most frightening to me of them all."

So this will either be really easy or really hard. I am anxious to see how well read you all are. This is so fun. I would welcome another quote challenge myself if anybody comes across one they would like to test me with.

A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT

What do you get when you take a non-reader/homebody and immerse her in a world with her dearest friends (we are your dearest friends right vampirelover?) where they go to lunch all the time and talk about nothing else but vampires? You get a major breakthrough for that non-reader/homebody. We would like to congratulate Vampirelover on finishing over 1800 pages of some of the best fiction EVER, in record time for her. And we are thrilled that she not only puts up with us, leaves her cozy covers to hang out with us, but is now hosting our Twilight get-together this week. That is real friendship don't you think?

So please send a shout out to her!

And vampirelover, please tell us what you loved about the books besides the vampires of course. Although you are still free to elaborate on them.

New Moon, Chapter 15 - Pressure

Here is another chapter post - so sorry! I just wanted to quickly make a comment on this chapter. Just for a refresher for any of you who haven't picked up NM for awhile, this is when she decides to jump off the cliff. I, of course knew that we got to hear Edward's voice again...I think that is what gets me through the middle of the book. But this time, I was especially aware of who else she was thinking of during this moment of possible (well, most certain in her eyes) death of drowning - no one! I was actually relieved that she wasn't worried about what Jacob was going to do. All she cared about hearing and seeing in her last moments was Edward. Now, sorry, this must sound horrible - that I was glad she wasn't thinking of Jacob, when she was about to die. I guess I still need some reassurance that 'Bella and Edward' are going to make it.

Through this time of reading NM I have to say that I did enjoy this middle section more than the first time. Like I said, hearing Edward really gave me that crutch I needed. I think the first time I was still wondering if she was really hearing him somehow - not just a dillusion. But this time, I knew that it was in her head - but it was like I needed it just as much as she did (ok, not really, but you know!). Also, I paid attention more to her discriptions of her hole in her chest, and the physical, not just emotional pain, it caused her.

In Chapter 17 - Visitor, I love hearing Charlie's description to Alice of how it really was those first months after he left. No wonder Charlie is so protective and weary of Edward when he comes back at the end of NM and in Eclipse - look what he had to experience when Edward left!? Any parent would react the very same way - not wanting their child to have to experience that type of sorrow and torment. Well, today I hope to read the 'phone call' with the added Rosalie and Edward parts off of SM site - I love them!

Bella Penombra

New Moon Chapter 6 - Friends

I really love Charlie. In this chapter, Charlie gets to see that something different is happening with Bella. Bella of course notices this - and a couple times she feels the guilt of how she has acted the last 4 months. I took a minute and tried to to imagine what Charlie must have been going through during those "zombie" months. I still have small children, so I haven't experienced anything where I feel like I don't have any control over my child's happiness/sorrow. But reading some of this, where Charlie is so relieved that Bella is actually alive, or surprised to hear her laughing. What a great burden that Jacob has even lifted for Charlie!
Also, in this same chapter, Bella first compares Jacob to the sun:

"Jacob was simply a perpetually happy person, and he carried that happiness with him like an aura, sharing it with whoever was near him. Like an earthbound sun, whenever someone was within his gravitational pull, Jacom warmed them. It was natural, a part of who he was. No wonder I was so eager to see him." (NM pg. 145)

So many more times throughout the series, SM relates Jacob to the sun or warmth. Mostly, as we find out later, because of his characteristics as a werewolf. But here, in NM, we hear these comparisons, even before SM has decided to turn him into a werewolf (correct me if that is wrong...). I love the last line, "no wonder I was so eager to see him." Bella has barely survived these last months - she doesn't even know how she gets from point A to B she says. And all of a sudden, in pursuing a way to 'cheat' and "not be the only keeper of an empty contract" (NM pg. 147), she realizes that "getting to spend time with Jacob was just a much bigger perk than I'd expected." (NM pg. 147) It makes me remember how much she loves the sun - Pheonix. How sad she was to now be living in a city where it rained nearly everyday of the year. And, remember the only thing she found in Forks to make her forget about her love of the sun, was Edward. We find out through Edward (in TW), that in the beginning she used to dream of how she missed the warmth of Pheonix, but then her dreams became happy and complete - with Edward in them. Now that Edward has left, there is nothing in her life to replace that warmth that she misses from Pheonix. There is nothing in her life now to make the dreary rain any better. But, now in this chapter, she realizes that there might be some hope of surviving - not forgetting - but surviving. She says, "I was going to see Jacob again today, the thought made me feel almost...hopeful."
Through all of this, I still am a little sad...thinking of what this is starting (feelings of both Jacob and Bella). But, I am grateful that Bella has some help through this desparate part in her life. And you can't forget that Bella hasn't forgotten..."I hadn't forgotten the reason for what I was doing. And, even though I was injoying myself more than I'd thought possible, there was no lessening of my original desire..." (NM pg. 147) She only wanted to hear Edward! And feel that he was still there, somewhere (still loving her).

TA Meeting - The characters of Twilight

You sent a Christmas card to the Cullens, of Forks WA.. You know you could be best friends with Alice. You relate so well to Esme. You hope Charlie finds someone to love, especially after Bella is gone. You wish your teenage daughter had a boyfriend like Jacob.

Why does it feel this way? Well we might not be able to understand the magic Stephenie creates but we love the results. For months now I have wanted to put together my own biographical sketches on our favorite characters. Sadly real life keeps getting in the way. So do you want to help?

I would love for everyone to pick a character and then do a little research about them. Then at the meeting we will present our character, discuss him or her and add others comments to the "sketch". Later I will link all the information together on the blog. Won't that be awesome?

Even if you can't come to the meeting you can help. And of course, if you don't have time in your busy and much more important real life, for doing Twilight research, then of course come to the meeting anyway!!

We need great info on all of the Cullens, on Jacob, Charlie, Renee, and the Volturi would be great! It's first come first choose, so if you would like to help, comment who you would like to research. If you want to help but need more direction, well that is what I am here for.

To get you started, here is the link to the Lexicon biographies and personal correspondences. The character bios are very thorough but lack description. Add color to our characters. What do they say that you love, how would you describe them, etc. The personal correspondences give more color and are always a great read.

http://twilightlexicon.com/the-lexicon/character-bios/

http://twilightlexicon.com/the-lexicon/personal-correspondence/

I hope this doesn't sound intimidating (or boring for that matter). I think we will have a great discussion with this topic.

Just for you Twilightmom!!

Just yesterday our dear Twilightmom was expressing her sadness that she doesn't ever get to share in the joy of 'looking' for the quote of the week. So, I decided to give her (and runswithvampires) a chance to find one...now I've never tried to find a quote for people to have to search for, so don't make fun of me too bad if this is insanely easy - or whatever.

"Every time I looked at his face, that impossibly perfect face, my heart pounded strong and healthy and very there in my chest. This time, the pounding raced ahead of its usual besotted pace. I recognized the expression on his statue-still face."

So, there you go, have fun!!

Love,

Your fellow Twilight Fans

Poll Results - Best Gift

I was very surprised by the results of the poll for the best, most romantic gift from Edward. His lullaby for Bella won a unanimous vote. I know it was easy for me to pick but, every one? (14 votes by the way, and we don't even have that many blog members. Thanks for voting visitors, you are welcome to declare yourselves anytime.)

So let's explain why we picked that gift when a 5K diamond is not to shabby of a gift idea either.

Also I have been saving this gift for you, but I am giving it to you early. The following is a link to a composition that just could be Edward's, if only Edward were real. Does it sound like Bella's lullaby to you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYQ8YBn-1vs

Happy New Year!!! And my Break is Over!

Well funny. Just when I was thinking my two best Twilight buddies and I were looking a little silly as the only people utilizing this happy spot, I get 22 (approx.) comments/posts yesterday through today. Well I had already decided 3 is great company, but it is nice to have so many of you take a moment to pay your TW respects. My break lasted about 12 hours. That was plenty. It was very lonely.

SO. . . This is an exciting year, although last year was amazing. On New Years Eve our family and friends took turns sharing our 2007 highlights. Well you know where this is going, but Jillike and I both professed how Twilight was amongst the very greatest highlights of our year. It was a breath of fresh and beautiful air that keeps giving delight to our lives in many, many ways.

And 2008 has Breaking Dawn and hopefully the Twilight Movie to look forward too. Not to mention I plan on organizing the rest of my house (I got my kitchen cupboards very pretty for Christmas, so that just leaves every other room in the house to work on!) and never yelling at my children again. So I plan on repeating this speech at the end of 2008.

Was Twilight a highlight of your year? What else brought you joy?

And if nothing else, add your vote here for BELLA FOR VAMPIRE '08 !!

Quote of the Week Jan 1 - 8, 2008

Well this is an experiment. I am throwing out this quote
and I don't even know if it actually comes from the books.
I think it does, but I don't know where. So I am hoping
that all you great Twilight minds can solve the mystery.
I am going to need a page number if anyone finds it.
Thanks for your help. Happy hunting.