What Harry Potter Means to Me

So...I went at midnight last night to see the last ever Harry Potter movie.
It was funny: as the movie drew to a close, I couldn't help but feel sad. Harry and I have been friends for a long time. Longer than I've known my husband. Longer than I was in high school. Or college. Longer than I've been a parent. Or known who I want to be when I grow up. We have a history.
Say what you want about the Harry Potter books, but something much bigger is going on here for me. Something bigger than the story on paper. His story has become a part of mine, simply because he's been here all this time. There are other characters that are a part of me--Kinsey Millhone, Anne Shirley, Emily of New Moon, Nancy Drew, Jose and Ursula from *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, and Clay from *Memoirs of a Demon.* I know they aren't real, but I carry them with me and always will.
As an adult, the books that have made a lasting impression on me are fewer and far between than when I was a child. A book that lives and breathes and grows with you is a rare and cherished thing.
I have felt for a long time that God shows his abounding love for me in fictional literature. He created me this way--to read and write and enjoy. I am so thankful for his intricate planning and love for me that I can find such joy in the written word and turn my face to him while doing it.
Anyway, Harry, I'll miss you. It's been a good run.

Made Me Smile

U.S. President George W. Bush (L) awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to American novelist Harper Lee (R) in the East Room of the White House, November 5, 2007. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

This brought a smile to my face.

Today's trivia question:
Who is Harper Lee?

Don't let me down, guys.

Last Meal

While I was waiting at the Chiropractor today (I got a new chiropractor!!! Yay!!!), I read an article in Time Magazine that asked all kinds of famous chefs what they would choose as their last meal.
Mine:
First course: Chop salad with plenty of blue cheese straight from France.
Secound course: Al dente pasta with a spicy cheese sauce of some sort (with blue or gorgonzola cheese as the base). It's gotta be good, though. No Olive Garden BS for my last meal. Nosiree.
Third course: More cheeses and of course, SAUSAGE. Spicy, smoked, maybe even breakfast. Once again--good stuff. No Jimmy Dean for my last meal. Send me Andoullie straight from Louisiana, thankyouverymuch.
Fourth course: McDonald's sausage McMuffin with egg and french fries.
Dessert: Potato chips. Plain.
If a midnight snack is an option for my last meal, it will obviously be Oreos and very, VERY cold Vitamin D milk.


Please note, I have thought long and hard about this list. It is in NO WAY determined by my pregnant cravings. Really. Well, maybe the Oreos. This meal also assumes that I have a bottomless stomach. This is imaginary. Roll with it.
Ha! Pun intended.

What would your last meal be?