Maybe it doesn’t seem like a big deal to drive down to LA but for the 7 of us it was another one of my comedy of error days.  Unfortunately, it spread to my friends also.  So to start of with I was running about a half hour late which worked out great because Laura L. got caught in horrendous traffic coming home from Jordyn’s swim lessons.  We finally got everything packed up in the car and made it an hour away when I suddenly realized I left the tickets for the Breaking Dawn concert at home!  As you can imagine I pretty much freaked out.  So we found a place to turn around and made the hour trip back home.  In the meantime the battery for the DVD player died and the kids were not happy, to put it mildly.

We got to my house and everybody piled in surpring Nicole, my sitter.  We all used the bathroom, changed diapers, etc.  We got back in the car and set off and got to almost the exact same spot where I realized I left the tickets when Julianne realized she forgot her purse at my house!  Laura L. and I promised to cover her money wise but her glasses and phone and, girls you know everything else that’s important in your purse, were at my house.  So Scott, that purse in our house is Julianne’s in case you were wondering.

Finally we figured out how to plug the DVD player into the van and still have it reach to the back seat so most of the kids (Julianne’s 3 and 1 1/2 year old and Laura’s 3 and 10 month old) were pretty happy most of the drive.  We originally left the house at 11:45 and didn’t get to Desert Hot Springs at 10pm.  The only other signigicant event that happened was we were driving past a big rig and at the exact moment it blew one of its tires.  Holy crap was that scary.  It didn’t swerve or anything but the noise sent my heart out of my chest for sure.

I am so excited about tonight.  I’m almost as excited about getting out of the desert where it promises to be 108 degrees today.  If you know me you know I hate the heat.  Anything above 80 is too much for me.  And Laura keeps saying that anything above 100 just feels the same.  I would agree.  It all feels like hell to me.

What kind of crazy comedy of errors trips have you guys taken?

The picture is of Julianne’s son, Bennett.  He climbed right up to the top bed and got cozy.  it was too cute not to take a picture.

Laura’s parents put us up last night and tomorrow night we’ll be here too.  They’re also watching the kids while the three of us girls go to the conert tonight.  Big thank you to them.

Wow.  Does that even cover it?  I am so wrapped up in Breaking Dawn and the emotions that it put me through that I can barely get my thoughts together.  I just finished it about an hour ago so this is still really fresh and raw in some places.

I guess I’ll start at the beginning.  The wedding went off with only a little Jacob hitch and that was such a nice surprise.  What a really refreshing, beautiful moment that we got to share with Bella and Edward.  I also loved it that she finally came around.  She actually wanted to be his wife and see him as her husband.  And then the honeymoon.  Started out pretty magical.  Except for the bruising of course but Bella seemed to think it was worth it so it’s OK with me.

Then my world fell apart when Bella got pregnant.  I was pissed off.  Beyond pissed off.  I called Julianne and told her I couldn’t read anymore and she talked me into finishing.  You want to know why?  Because I felt it was totally sexist.  Why should the women be infertile and the men be able to spread their demon spawn all over the earth.  It just wasn’t fair.  I could picture Esme and Rosalie dying for kids of their own and not able to have them because their “perfect” female bodies were deficient.  Augh, it still makes me mad to think about it but I just talked to Laura L. and she gave me a little medical information care of her sister.  Apparently a man’s sperm can live through pretty much anything.  She said men can even ejaculate after they are dead.  How do like that mental picture?  So anyway, OK, fine.  Male vampires can father children.  Got it.  I’ll try to calm down.

Then the child started killing Bella.  And you know what.  I was happy.  I totally pictured the baby as a monster.  Not like the Cullens.  An actual monster.  Like what I pictured the newborn vampires like when they attacked in Eclipse only never able to grow out of it.  Always a monster.  And I was mad because she was pregnant.  How dare she (mostly meaning Stephenie right now).  I was totally on Jacob and Edwards side.  I wanted her to get rid of the demon baby.  I saw no good in it.  And then, Edward heard her thoughts.  And literally in that instant I flipped.  It was human and I loved it.  I wanted it to come into their world.  I wanted it to survive.  And of course I knew that Bella would turn into a vamp.  There was half a book left.

And Jacob imprinted on Nessie!!!! (Don’t even get me started on the name.  Renesmee?  Really?  Everyone else has great names.  What would possess her to name the baby that?) Didn’t see that one coming.  At all.  Totally blindsided.  I knew he wasn’t going to get away with killing her but that was awesome.  And it brought everyone together.  The wolves and the vampires.  What a perfect match.  A happy ending for Jacob and a place for him in the family too.  Couldn’t have tied that one up neater.

Then my favorite part.  When she wakes up.  I love it.  I love how she can hear everything and see clearly.  I think Stephenie and I might have similar view of the afterlife because she describes the vampires the way I imagine myself when I get the good place hereafter.  Never tiring.  Just running till your heart explodes with joy but your body never falters.  Not needing to stop to eat or sleep.  Being sturdy.  Having your mind free of unnecessary thoughts.  No one being able to influence you.  Beautiful perfect, fit bodies.  Scott has his own theory on that.  He thinks that our minds will be so perfect that we wont care what our bodies look like.  I’m holding out for the perfect body and mind.  I want it all!!  Anyway, sorry to digress.  I love Stephenie’s vampires.  I think they’re written spectacularly.  My favorite super heroes.

And just a shout out to the Ferrari.  Nice work Edward!  Although I like that she prefers to run.  I think I would too if I was a super vamp.  Stephenie hasn’t posted a picture of the one she’s chosen on her website so until she does and I bow to the Queen this is the one I choose.

I love when all the witnesses show up and after some talking to fall in love with Nessie.  Can’t you just picture that beautiful child in your head.  Mine is a perfect mix of my Edward and Bella.  I’ve even accepted the glittering skin.  I love it now.

So when Alice left I knew it was for a good reason.  I knew she wasn’t abandoning them.  That’s just not Alice’s way.  I figured she was looking for answers but certainly didn’t expect to see her show up with another half-n-half.  I figured it would be witnesses of other children but not an actual grown human-vamp.

And then all the planning for Bella’s death totally made me think she was going to survive.  Stephenie laid it on so thick that I saw right past it.  It’s Stephenie for Pete’s sake.  She’s not going to leave us broken hearted like that.  Look at her other four books.  Seriously happy endings (except for Jacob, of course).  She wasn’t fooling me.  Of course I had no idea how they were going to get away but I knew they were.

I really like Aro.  He makes things fun.  He has such an interesting calm manner about him.  I love that he wants to kill them but he’s sincerely interested in Nessie once he figures out what she is.  Then he goes right back into evil mode and wants to kill them again.  Good villain.  The one that cracks me up is Marcus.  Poor guy.  Bored to death with life and sort of dying inside of himself.  A good battle and the prospect of carnage can’t even get him aroused anymore.  I almost feel sorry for him.  Caius drives me nuts.  He’s the one that gets on my nerves.  They kind of have a good cop, bad cop, indifferent cop thing going on.

I’m sorry that Irina died but for goodness sake someone had to die.  Nice of Stephenie to make it someone we’re not even slightly attached to.  I wasn’t anyway.

I like Bella’s super power.  It fits her really well.  I like that she could extend her shield past herself.  To me it’s a little corny that she saved the day but it couldn’t have been any other way.  It was her time to shine and really feel competent.  And plus, she was protecting Nessie, of course she would get all amped up.

I love the ending scene where she lets Edward into her head.  How drop dead romantic is that?  My heart just about exploded when he kept interrupting her with kisses.  There couldn’t have been a more perfect way to end their story together.  Totally satisfying.  What a perfect little family.

So here’s my guess.  I think when Stephenie writes again it will be from Nessie’s perspective.  There’s just a few years until she has fully matured and then she can be with Jacob and the Volturi can launch an attack again or new foes can come their way.  I’m freaking out just thinking about it.  I would love to get inside that girl’s head.  Thank goodness she’s got Jacob to be with for eternity.  Gotta love those never aging werewolves (shape-shifter as I guess I’m now supposed to call them).

There’s so much about this book that I absolutely loved that I just can’t write everything and I know I left out key points.  Now that I have this out of me I feel so content and happy.  If you couldn’t tell, I love this book.  An almost perfect end to a perfect series.  I would love to hear what you have to say about it.  Love to hear.  Even if you didn’t like it; tell me why.  What was your favorite part?  What caught you by surprise?

I ran out to Borders this morning as soon as it opened but I can’t read it probably until Monday. We still have family in town and it would be rude of me to check out to read a book. Even if it’s Breaking Dawn. I can’t tell you how excited I am just to have the book at home with me. I was having nightmares that they would be sold out and I’d have to wait to read it.

I do have a deadline though because Laura L., Julianne and I are going to the Breaking Dawn Concert in LA next Thursday and Stephenie says she’s discussing everything. So pretty much lots of video games for the kids and reading for me. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And it would be a tragedy if I didn’t finish the book in time.

So I promise to post as soon as I read the book. Please in the meantime don’t post any spoilers. I totally want to know what all of you think of the book, just please wait until I’m finished too so we can be as open as possible.

So first let’s start with the first chapter. How fun is it that Bella got a new armored car. I found a site with pictures of the car and it’s not as flashy as Bella makes it out to be. But I guess in Forks a tinted Mercedes is flashy. I can drive down Central and see any number of Mercedes, Volvos, BMWs and then a Lambourghini will drive by. Just another day in the Valley. But I guess in Forks the Guardian would be a big deal. I just can’t wait to find out what her real car is. That should be fun. Then again Edward has a reasonable car so maybe it’s not as fun as I’d like it to be.

Then Bella has to go and say that she was having trouble picturing a dull concept of husband with Edward. “It was like casting an archangel as an accountant; I couldn’t visualize him in any commonplace role.” Give me a break Bella. So maybe she hasn’t grown up as much as I thought she had. Scott is my hero. He is better than Superman and Spiderman and Batman combined so to hear Bella talk about husbands as being dull and commonplace is ridiculous to me. She obviously doesn’t know what a husband is.

You gotta love Renee’s response to Bella getting married. I had a feeling it would be like that but it still was a welcome surprise. I had braced myself for the worst.

And the wedding is only a few days away!!!!! Is it going to go off without a hitch? Probably not but that would also be a nice surprise.

Here’s where we talk predictions.  I don’t have any concrete beliefs that I just know are going to happen but I do have some ideas.

So I can go either way with Jacob. I think she’s set it up with the Legends that he could be gone for good, but it’s just so sad to think of it that way that I can see him coming back. Probably not at the beginning since Seth says he’s in Canada and the wedding is a few days away. Even so I can see him sweeping in in his white button up shirt and being Bella’s best man. But my gut tells me that’s not going to happen. Not really my gut actually, it just seems like too happy an ending so I don’t think it’s going to happen. Plus Bella didn’t invite him to the wedding so maybe being her best man would be overstepping his bounds. He was in so much pain the last time we saw him and from what Seth says he’s still hurting. It’s hard to believe Stephenie wont put some resolution and throw some goodness his way. But like I said, I can see it going either way.

While we’re on the subject of Jacob, I do not think that Leah imprinted on him though I know some of you would disagree with that. She was not being nice to him at the end of Eclipse and if she had imprinted she would have been everything that he needed. Not a thorn in his side. And I do think that in order to imprint on someone it has to be the first time you see them after the big transformation. But maybe that’s what all the Midsummer Night’s Dream business is all about. Maybe they start imprinting left and right and to multiple people and people they’ve already seen. Who knows?

Main bad guy: I think it’s the Volturi and I think maybe they’ll kidnap Bella either right after she’s been turned or before and then turn her themselves to try to get use of her “power.” Try to turn her into one of their elite maybe. That’s only if Aro’s involved though. I don’t think Caiaus would bother. I think that’s pretty far fetched but it’s an idea so I thought I’d throw it out there. Either way I do think they are the bad guys.

I do have the idea though that Bella will be a vampire at some point and she will be the one to conquer Jane. Since she’s the only one Jane’s powers don’t work against. Laura, maybe Jane is the queen and Bella is the pawn. What do you think? Bella still red with her own newborn blood.

Does Tanya come to try to sway Edward from marrying Bella and put Bella in danger herself? I’d guess no but again just an idea.

So that’s all I can think of right now, which is killing me because as you can guess I think about this constantly.  So now it’s your turn.  Post a comment and tell us what you think is going to happen.  Even those of you that don’t usually post. Post.  It will be so much fun to see what everyone else is thinking before Breaking Dawn comes out on Saturday.

So the big battle is over. Bella is sitting in Alice’s bathroom and asking her about being a newborn. Alice says she doesn’t know how it’s going to be for Bella because Alice has never known someone who’s chosen to become vampire before. She says, “It should be interesting to see how that affects you?” So I wonder if it’s going to be as hard for Bella. I’ve already said that I think her aversion to human blood will work in her favor and I think her choosing to turn will also work in her favor. Maybe it will be really easy for her. I wonder if she wont wake up after three days and just be fine. Just rock hard, craving animal blood and wired. I don’t know.

And a quick shout out to Charlie for putting Bella on the spot about running off with Edward. He’s got his spidey senses working. (There would be super heroes on my “Diagon Alley” too.)

I know it’s heartbreaking but I love the developments with Jacob. Both in the woods with the kiss and in his bedroom. I absolutely love the vision Bella has with the two little black haired children running around and I love that she talks to Jacob about it. That way he knows that she fully understands her decision and hopefully it will help him move on with time. I also love that he says he’ll always be waiting for her. It’s a very romantic notion but I wonder how that’s going to play out with the whole imprinting thing. If he imprints. I don’t know about that one either.

Then comes one of my favorite quotes from Cathy in Wuthering Heights. Bella is quoting it to Edward confirming that she’s made the right decision by staying with him. “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” And then Edward answers back Heathcliff’s line, “I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!” So first of all, man do I love Wuthering Heights and secondly, man do I wish Scott and I quoted romantic verse to each other.

I definitely feel that by the end of Eclipse Bella has a better understanding of herself and her decisions. And I love that Edward flips on her so that she really has to commit to her decisions to get married and such. I will admit though that I’m not down with the Anne of Green Gables dress. I get it, don’t think I don’t get it. I just think it’s a little much but I guess Bella doesn’t really care what her wedding dress looks like so why should I. I just wonder when they make the Eclipse movie if they’re going to stay true to that. My guess is no, but I’m totally willing to be wrong. I just don’t think it speaks to a broad enough audience.  But if they change it, boy will they make enemies.  Let me go on record to say that I wouldn’t be one of them.

Now to Jacob. I’m so happy to have a little time only with him. To hear his thoughts and feel what he’s feeling. So what do you think? Is he coming back? Taha Aki never came back and Stephenie was sure to tell us that. It’s hard to imagine him being gone for good. I know he didn’t look at the date on the invitation but he could always listen to his “brothers” minds and find out when the wedding is and come back. Weirder things have happened.

This would be a great time to pledge my allegiance. Even though I am Switzerland and I think the vampires and the werewolves should coexist in happiness I am not on Team Switzerland. You can’t have both. That’s how I feel at least. A decision has to be made and for me it’s Team Edward. I love Bella’s decision. I would have made the same one. In fact, I did make the same one. Just like I relate to Bella even though I don’t agree with everything she does or feels, I totally think Edward is Scott. Works out conveniently for me Stephenie wrote two characters that I can totally love and relate to. That hasn’t happened to me before. I’m really enjoying it.

I’m just so happy to read this book again. It has some of my favorite quotes and it introduced me to one of my favorite books. Holy freaking crap, I love this series. And now just a few more days until Breaking Dawn! What could be better?

So this is a little bit of Breaking Dawn too. There’s an interview on Amazon with Stephenie saying there are two books she’s inspired by in Breaking Dawn. One is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was talking to Laura and Julianne the other day about this and we discussed how the fairies messed with all the couples and switched around who they were in love with. So we immediately thought of imprinting. What if some wacky stuff goes down with Jacob or Leah or the other wolves (not Jacob and Leah, as far as I’m concerned that ship has sailed). Then I was reading in Eclipse when Edward and Bella are talking about the complex dynamic with the wolves and their thoughts and Edward brings up the imprinting and says, “It reminds me of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with all the chaos caused by the fairies’ love spells…” How crazy is that? So maybe we were right and the wolves are going to go through some crazy love “spells”. Are they going to somehow effect the vampires or Edward and Bella or are they going to be contained by the wolves? I don’t know but I’m so excited to find out.

The next “insight”, maybe, into Breaking Dawn is when Bella finally realizes she’s ready to join Edward’s family. She’s realized that she’s got to make a choice and she says:

“The next time something came at us, I would be ready. An asset, not a liability. He would never have to make the choice between me and his family again. We would be partners, like Alice and Jasper. Next time, I would do my part.”

What do you think? Is this foreshadowing for Breaking Dawn or is this just wishful thinking on Bella’s part?

I got to one of my favorite parts which is where Bella, Jacob and Edward are all in the tent. I love the whole conversation but here are a few of my favorite parts:

“Go fetch a space heater,” he (Jacob) grumbled. “I’m not a St. Bernard.”

“Your lips are still blue,” he (Jacob) mused. “Want me to warm those up for you, too?

Seth shows up and Jacob says, “Perfect. Now you can keep an eye on everything else, while I take care of your girlfriend for you.”

“You know, Jacob, if it weren’t for the fact that we’re natural enemies and that you’re also trying to steal away the reason for my existence, I might actually like you.” (Edward)

“Maybe…if you weren’t a disgusting vampire who was planning to suck out the life of the girl I love…well, no, not even then.” (Jacob)

“Sorry,” Jacob whispered. “You could leave, you know–give us a little privacy.”

“Would you like me to help you sleep, Jacob?” Edward offered.

“You could try,” Jacob said, unconcerned. “It would be interesting to see who walked away, wouldn’t it?”

“Don’t tempt me too far, wolf. My patience isn’t that perfect.”

Jacob whispered a laugh. “I’d rather not move just now, if you don’t mind.”

I love that they actually got some time to talk to each other when Jacob wasn’t practically shouting. Still a tense situation, but Jacob has the upper hand here if only for a moment. It’s good to see Jacob get a little appreciation.

I love it too when Bella wakes up in the morning and can’t get Jake off of her and she asks Edward for some help. He says, “Did you want me to take his arms all the way off?” Funny stuff. I love that Edward is just a guy too. He wants to rip Jacob apart as much as Jacob wants to rip him apart. He just has a little more of Heathcliff in him so he wont hurt Jacob as long as Bella loves him. I love that Heathcliff says if Cathy changed her mind he would have “…drank his blood! (p266)” How funny that that fits together so nicely. (Not that Edward would drink the dogs blood but maybe, huh?)

I pretty much skipped commenting on the middle of the book because it’s not directly about Bella and Edward so I kind of zone out. I almost feel like the whole Rosalie, Jasper and Quileute Legends should have been a supplementary book. Like they did with those little books that came out with Harry Potter. It’s not that I’m not fascinated by it, it just isn’t my top priority. I do like that Rosalie gives Bella some solid things to think about. And Jasper scaring her with what it will be like to be a newborn. Bella is definitely not clearly thinking about what she would be giving up or turning into.

So Bella has no idea how she’s playing both Edward and Jacob. Going back to the Cathy scenario, she only knows that she wants both of them and they’ll both pretty much cave to her and she only marginally thinks about Jacob’s feelings. So then she pulls this one after the graduation party when the werewolves and vampires have decided to work together. To Edward, “If you wont take me, then I’ll call Jacob.” Woah. Really Bella? How manipulative can you get? I get that she’s terrified for her two soul mates but yikes. I mean is she picking Edward or Jacob? I guess neither at this point; she still thinks she can have her cake and eat it too. But there was probably a better way to get Edward to take her. I guess I just have to remember she’s only 17, right?

I get a chuckle every time I read this:

Edward: “To think it’s come to this, though! Trusting werewolves!”

“Fighting with vampires instead of against them!” Jacob mirrored Edward’s tone of disgust.

“Well, you still get to fight against some of them,” Edward said.

Jacob smiles. “That’s the reason we’re here.”

Silly boys.

This is just a quick one. After the night with the werewolves and vampires getting together Bella wakes in the morning and makes herself Pop Tarts. I’m totally down with that. I like the cherry ones so I assume that’s what Bella’s eating too. Kind of silly, or maybe a lot silly, but that’s OK.

Right after the Pop Tarts Bella is telling Edward that he can’t give her gifts because he’s already given himself, “…and anything else you give me just throws us more out of balance.” To which Edward replies, “The way you regard me is ludicrous.” Um yeah. I know that when you first fall in love you totally overlook all the negative things a person does. I did it. Scott did it. We all do it but to put Edward up on a pedestal like a god is a little ridiculous. Sometimes I lose patience with Bella because she has no regard for herself and thinks Edward is perfect. Give me a break. Nobody is perfect. And it drives me nuts because she thinks becoming a vampire will even the playing field. Yeah she’ll be beautiful and strong but she’ll still be just Bella on the inside. So she better start shaping up quick since the day is fast approaching.

I love the theme of Wuthering Heights through Eclipse. I hadn’t read Wuthering Heights before I read this book so when I finally picked it up I had Bella’s (Stephenie’s) perspective to guide me through. It has ended up being one of my favorite books. So now that I’m reading Eclipse again and I read Bella say, “Well, I hope you’re smart enough to stay away from someone so selfish. Catherine is really the source of all the trouble, not Heathcliff.” Stephenie sets up the book so perfectly. Bella’s desire to be with both Jacob and Edward causes major turmoil for all three of them. Her desire to have both. She just can’t live with her decision and let go. I’m glad she doesn’t. (I probably wouldn’t have.) It makes for a great read. And that’s not to mention the major selfish act at the end of the book that ends up saving her life. Having Edward camping with her ended up in her favor for sure. (Again, probably something I would have done too.)

I always forget that Bella goes to see Renee. It’s such a short part of the book but there are two things that catch my attention when I read it. They both happen when Renee is expressing her concerns about Bella’s relationship with Edward. She’s talking about how Bella moves and positions herself around Edward. She says, “You’re like a …satellite, or something.” I love it because that’s how Bella described herself in New Moon. She said she was like a moon who’s planet had imploded and she was still circling where he should have been. I like it when books tie together like that.

The second is just a bit later when Bella asks her mom if she’s been reading any good sci-fi and her mom says, “Well, there was one…” I love it. A little nod to The Host which I absolutely loved by the way. Not as feverishly as Twilight but still loved.

How funny is it when Bella is trying to talk everyone in to turning her into a vampire and she’s complaining that Edward swept her off to Florida and Alice says, “Haven’t you noticed yet, Bella, that Edward is just the teeniest bit prone to overreaction?” That is an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. He does calm down after a while but the whole kidnapping thing is hilarious. I can understand it though. With his understanding of werewolves and the whole mortal enemy thing going on and of course his jealousy, he’s a over the top, but who doesn’t make rash decisions sometimes?

Now my favorite part in all three books. One simple paragraph that just thrills me every time I read it.

“when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, I’m out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are…well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence.

I love that part but here comes my favorite.

I don’t care who’s a werewolf and who’s a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too.”

Does anyone else want Angela to be a witch? I love witches! I don’t see how it would play into the story but bring it on. We can all meet in Diagon Alley where witches and werewolves and vampires are all welcome. I guess werewolves and vampires are not really welcome in Diagon Alley, so we’ll make up our own magical street. Maybe that was even a nod to Harry Potter. Because she could have said she could be a fairy or an elf (who would also be welcome on my street.) I don’t know, what do you think?

When I made my “I am Switzerland” t-shirt I had one other on my mind that I was choosing between. It was a quote from Embry, “I bet she’s tougher than that. She runs with vampires.” I still like this quote but I’m very happy with my shirt. I get a lot of comments on it. So far nobody actually understands the context of it, but they like the message. It’s so much fun to wear.

My favorite foreshadowing happens after Bella has jumped off the cliff and she’s dreaming about Juliet. She’s questioning if Romeo left would Juliet marry Paris. She comes to the conclusion that, “‘Juliet gets dumped and ends up with Paris’ would have never been a hit.” Stephenie pretty much spells it out there. Sorry Jacob it’s just not going to happen and somehow Edward is coming back. You don’t know how yet but you know he’s on his way. Well, I guess Bella has to go get him but you know what I mean.

It’s almost like a breath of fresh air when Edward comes back and gets Bella back to her house. When she wakes up and decides she wants to put her mortality to a vote I just about cracked up. My favorite bit of Bella and Edwards conversation is this

“Stay here,” he suggested…

“No dice. But you go ahead and make yourself at home…”

“Okay,”he sighed.”I’ll give you a ride.”

I shrugged. “Either way. But you probably should be there, too.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re extraordinarily opinionated, and I’m sure you’ll want a chance to air your view.”

It just healed all the wounds of Edward leaving to have them banter like that again. Like he was really back for good.  And he is extraordinarily opinionated.

Then when Edward proposes and Bella is using her mother as an excuse not to get married and Edward says, “Because she’d rather you became one of the eternal damned than get married…” How funny is that? I love that Bella is totally OK with becoming a vampire but the thought of marriage sends her through the roof. Hilarious.

I love New Moon. I love the journey. Every bit of it. The extreme pain and the extreme relief at the end. It’s all worth it. Now on to Eclipse!!

This is the second half of the New Moon quiz we got in Forks. Answers in the comments. Let me know if any of them stumped you.

18. Who was Bella surprised to see in the meadow?

19. What color eyes do “good” vampires have?

20. Who chased Laurent out of the meadow?

21. What does legend say that the Quileutes tied to the tops of the tallest trees in the mountains?

22. Who are the enemies of vampires?

23. What do the werewolves refer to themselves as?

24. Why did Jacob worry about being too mad?

25. What is the name of Sam’s girlfriend (fiancee)?

26. What were the names of Jacob’s werewolf brothers?

27. What Shakespearean figure did Bella dream about after surviving her cliff dive?

28. Which friend of Charlie & Billy’s had a heart attack?

29. What reason did Bella tell Alice for why she jumped off the cliff?

30. What was the name of the family in Italy that the Cullen’s were afraid of?

31. What was the name of the leader in the underground in Volturi City?

32. Where did Edward hide Bella’s CD, pictures and tickets?

33. Who agreed to make Bella a vampire?

34. What did Jacob put in the driveway to get Bella in more trouble with Charlie?

Here’s the New Moon portion of the quiz I got from the nice Forks Chamber of Commerce lady. As usual the answers will be in the comments.

1. What is the date of Bella’s birthday?

2. What kind of vehicle does Bella drive?

3. Who was one of Bella’s favorite fictional characters?

4. What did Carlisle remove from Bella’s arm at the Cullen’s on her birthday?

5. What was Edward’s mother’s name?

6. What is the name of the place where Bella worked?

7. Who found Bella lost in the forest?

8. What kind of math did Bella take in her final semester?

9. What kind of movie did Bella & Jessica go to see in Port Angeles?

10. What kind of car and year was Jacob working on?

11. What were Jacob’s friends’ names?

12. What town did Jacob & Bella go to for motorcycle parts?

13. What kind of spaghetti sauce did Billy use?

14. What was the name of the movie that Bella, Jacob & MIke went to see?

15. What did Bella wish that Jacob was to her?

16. What color is Billy & Jacobs house?

17. What disease did Billy think Jacob had? (I don’t like the way this one is worded because Billy knew exactly what was going on with Jacob. Maybe a better way to ask would be: What disease did Billy say Jacob had?)

So you all know that I love the Twilight series and I’ve been blogging more about it to tell you why. Well we’ve hit the jackpot. New Moon means more to me than either of the other two books and it’s because of the journey that Bella takes. Let me get a little personal to explain why.

Most of you know that I’m bipolar and about two years ago I was hospitalized because of it. That was the darkest point of my life. I had a week leading up to my breakdown where I kept feeling like I was losing control of myself. I would find myself crunched in a ball on the ground trying to hold myself together. Then the breakdown actually came and I vividly remember lying in the ER at El Camino Hospital shaking from head to toe thinking I was either going to die or go insane. I remember when they took me to the psych ward and asked Scott to leave. That’s the last thing I remember for about 3 days. One day I woke up and fell into the routine of the hospital (group therapy, art therapy, meals, etc.). Then I got released into the outpatient program which is where the hell really began. I literally could not handle being out of my bed huddled under the covers. Any stimulation whatsoever would send me cringing back into my shell. I couldn’t take care of my kids. I woke up in the morning and went to the hospital and then came home and went to my room. Oh my gosh, just remembering it is awful, but I promise there’s a happy ending. Time went on and I eventually started going to church and interacting with people again but I was totally dead inside. I was so scared of losing control of myself again that I refused to let myself feel anything. No love, no happiness, no tenderness, nothing.

A little more time passed and I finally was able to reach out to Scott and my kids again. I can’t even explain how scary or painful that was. Another thing that happened that may seem strange is that I lost the ability to breathe normally. I couldn’t take in a deep breath for fear of opening up the gaping hole in my soul. It felt like a black hole had taken over my chest and threatened to suck me in if I wasn’t vigilant at guarding myself. So every step I took closer to Scott and the kids, was a step closer to that hole. It was like recovering from a horrific car accident and having to do extensive physical therapy. It was really hard and it hurt like hell but with their help I did it. I finally brought them back in.

That’s where I was when I found Twilight. Well on the road to recovery, but still a long journey ahead of me. So I get to New Moon and Stephenie paints this beautifully, horrible picture of Bella suffering and the hole in her torso that rips and pulses at the edges. I love that when Edward leaves all we get is October, November, December, January. That’s exactly what I felt like. The time passed but it didn’t mean anything. Then when she goes to the zombie movie with Jessica and realizes she’s the zombie I realized that I was the zombie too. Totally dead to the world. Going through the motions with no real feeling. Then everything changes that night. She’s not totally dead anymore. Some of her defenses come down and she can’t bring them back and it’s scary as hell to feel so vulnerable.

Then the best thing happens. She makes the decision to be reckless. The healing begins. Every day she feels more vulnerable but she’s loving it. That’s what New Moon did for me. It touched me so deep down inside where nothing else touched me. It brought me to life. That’s why I’m so obsessed with these books. They literally changed my life. A teen vampire book changed my life. It woke me up and made me realize that I needed to put forth more effort if I wanted to live a healthy life again. As Bella started smiling without effort and laughing without realizing it so did I. I relished in her recovery, I drank it in and let it fill me up.

So when I say I love Bella it really means I love that Stephenie so descriptively wrote about a pain so awful it tears your soul into tiny pieces that takes years to put back together. Well I guess for Bella it only took Edwards return, but in real life it takes a long time to recover from that kind of hurt.

I know you’ve all probably felt that way. I know I’m not the only person on the Earth that has experienced this. I just happened to find Bella and really felt like she was a “kindred spirit”. Her pain was felt so similarly to mine that I couldn’t help loving her. So if I run around on Twilight related trips wearing “I am Switzerland” t-shirts it’s not only because I’m crazy, which I am, but also because I’m reveling in my recovery.

I guess I should mention that I’m doing great. Not 100% yet but I have every hope that I will be. Every day that passes brings me closer to myself. In fact, I would say I’m a much better person now than I was before the episode. Much stronger. I’m totally trying new things that I never would have dreamed of before. I appreciate my family and friends more. I appreciate God more. Life is good.

Sorry for the long post, I just really wanted you to understand how deeply I love these books. I can honestly say that these books have been a blessing in my life. Corny, I know.

Thank goodness these fabulous teasers keep coming out. It’s totally preparing me for the movie and how different it is going to be. I need preparing too because the books are so real to me.  They already play like a movie in my head. It looks like so much fun though.

I totally forgot about the dream Bella has at the beginning of New Moon where she thinks she’s her grandmother and Edward is still 17. If I was Bella that dream would terrify me too. To think that soon your life would be over and the love of your life would be separated from you forever would just be gut wrenching. Then later Edward admits that he would end his life when hers ended but I’m sorry, is that supposed to make me feel better? What a crazy little predicament they’ve gotten themselves into.

Some of my favorite stuff is when Bella is talking to Carlisle after the birthday party incident. I like this bit of the conversation the most:

“You try very hard to make up for something that was never your fault…What I mean is, it’s not like you asked for this. Your didn’t choose this kind of life, and yet you have to work so hard to be good.”

“I don’t know that I’m making up for anything,” he disagreed lightly. “Like everything in life, I just had to decide what to do with what I was given.”

Amen to that. If that’s not true I don’t know what is. On a side note, I don’t think Bella is ready to be a vampire at this point. I think she’s only thinking about getting older than Edward. She’s not thinking about the hard work and the sacrifice that the change would entail.

It’s because of Carlisle and his example that I’m totally OK with this family of vampires. Bella says, “I couldn’t imagine ayone, deity included, who wouldn’t be impressed by Carlisle.” I would have to agree. Who wouldn’t look at what he’s done with his life and cut him some major slack for being turned unwillingly into a vampire. Don’t worry, I know vampires are fictional, but can’t you see a correlation into real life? There are great people out there in every walk of life.

Anyway, I’m enjoying the ride so far. The hard parts are coming so I’ve got to bask in the sunshine for now.

This is the final installment of the Twilight Quiz soon to be followed by the New Moon Quiz. Just a reminder that I got this quiz from the lady at the Forks Chamber of Commerce.

21. What ornament hung in an upper hallway in the Cullen’s home?

22. What age is Carlisle?

23. What river could Edward see from is bedroom window?

24. What animal does Edward run like?

25. What kind of ball did the Cullen’s use playing baseball?

26. What were the names of the three visiting vampires at the baseball game?

27. How fast did Edward drive the jeep when fleeing from the other vampires after the baseball game?

28. What’s the name of the street in Scottsdale, AZ where the ballet studio is located?

29. What did Edward taste when sucking the venom from Bella’s hand?

30. What part did Jacob need for his car?

31. What kind of trees did Bella & Edward sit under at Forks High School during the prom?

32. What did Bella want to happen at Twilight and why?

Here’s the second installment of the Twilight Quiz.  Some of these are no brainers.  I almost didn’t write them but you need some easy ones too I guess.  Answers in the comments.

11.  What are the names of Edwards’ adoptive brothers and sisters?

12.  What are the names of Edwards’ adoptive mother and father?

13.  What are the color of Alice’s eyes?

14.  What did Edward rip from the trunk of a spruce tree?

15.  Where and what year was Edward born?

16.  What was Edward dying of?

17.  ____________is one of the most sunless places in the world where vampires can go outside in the daylight?

18.  How old is the Cullen’s house?

19.  What kind of car does Edward drive?

20.  What job does Edward’s father do?

btw The picture is of “Bella’s house.”

I just finished Twilight and have to say that I love it as much now as I did the first time.  Totally feeling Bella’s desire to become a vampire and be with Edward.  Not personally Scott, I just mean I get it.  He asks her if she’s so ready to become a monster but like Bella I don’t feel that he is one.  I’m not stupid, I know he’s a vampire but look what he chooses to do with his life.  He’s more than a vampire and that’s what is so appealing about him.

I still love/hate James and his sneaky plan to get Bella to ballet studio.  I totally would have fallen for it too.  The story of her falling through a window is a little far fetched to me, but if you buy into the whole Bella not being able to walk straight thing I guess it makes sense.

I know Twilight was originally a stand alone book so it makes me smile that Stephenie left it in such a suggestive way.  Did he bite her?  Did he just give her another kiss?  That ending would have killed me had the next book not been out when I read it.  I guess that’s what prompted New Moon; all of the fans writing in asking what really happened

All in all, a great book.  I would totally read it a sixth time.  Heck, I still read Harry Potter over and over again and I like these books better so why not?  On to New Moon…

So when we went to Forks the lady at the Chamber of Commerce gave us a quiz for Twilight and New Moon. As I read through the book again I answered the questions for the quiz and it was so much fun. So I thought I would print the quiz in installments here and put the answers in the comments so you can take it too. I’ll have to find an Eclipse one on the web somewhere but don’t you worry, I will find one. Here goes.

1. When Bella took a walk in the forest what did she see covering the trees?

2. What is the driveway of Charlie’s house made of?

3. What description did Bella give of Port Angeles when helping her friends pick dresses?

4. What is the name of the Port Angeles restaurant that Edward and Bella went to?

5. What dish did Bella order at the Port Angeles restaurant?

6. How long did it take for Edward to drive from Port Angeles to Forks?

7. What kind of car was Edward’s sister Rosalie’s red convertible?

8. What is the name of the classical musical piece and composer that Bella & Edward listened to while driving?

9. What was Bella’s favorite gemstone?

10. What is the safest time of day for vampires

Alice: “I’ll play you for it.  Rock, paper, scissors.”

Edward: “Why don’t you just tell me who wins.”

Alice: “I do.  Excellent.”

Have you guys been on Stephenie’s site?  She’s posting a quote a day from Breaking Dawn!  I thought there was no way I could get more excited about this book coming out and then this happened.  The first quote which I’ll put here only because I’m posting about it brings happiness to my whole being.  I just love that Edward and Alice are being so playful with each other.  I guess you have to trust Alice pretty thoroughly to believe the outcome of the game.  I love that she seems to be surprised by the outcome too.  What did I do before these books?  I’m seriously wondering how I used all this mental energy before I became obsessed.  Who cares, right?

So I know that you know that I love the Twilight series. And most of you know that I love Bella. She is so much like the seventeen year old me it’s ridiculous. With some exceptions of course. For instance I was boy CRAZY at the time. And dancing was my life. I’m just reading the part where the dance is tomorrow and she’s running around telling everyone that Edward canceled on her and she’s staying home alone to do laundry and study for trig. That’s going a little overboard for me. I mean she hardly even knows the guy, he’s a freaking vampire and she totally covers all tracks that would lead to discovering what happened to her should things go wrong. She’s a bit too trusting and I have a little more value in my life than she does. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have gone with him, I totally would have been there, I’m just saying I would stick to the story that he was driving me to Seattle. That may seem like a minor difference but there you go. I don’t always agree with Bella or the things she does. Shocking. I know.

And why does she have to fall down all the time. I get the contrast between her and sturdy perfect Edward and there’s also the contrast of what she is now to if she becomes a vampire but does she have to fall down so much. I remember this not being as much of a factor in the next two books which makes me happy. No more PE class I think.

I just wanted to mention really quick that I’ve finally come to grips with the whole sparkling thing. At first it was just too weird to me to picture big burly Emmett sparkling, but I took a deep breath and accepted it. I actually like the idea now which is saying a lot. Who says vampires have to burst into flame in the sun anyway? Not Stephenie, oh no, she puts diamonds in their skin.

Now today I just got to my favorite quote from all three books. It’s when Bella asks Edward why he doesn’t attack humans and he says,

“…just because we’ve been …dealt a certain hand…it doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to rise above–to conquer the boundaries of destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can.”

I just love that about life. No matter what we’re born into we can rise above it and even make a difference in the world. This is what makes these books so special to me. Sure I love the romance and the action but this is what keeps me reading it over and over.