Excuse Me While I Have a Girly Moment

I blame this post--and my emotional state--on my sister. She wanted me to watch the trailer for The Hobbit, so I did. Big stupid mistake. 

When I was 8, I started reading my dad's copy of The Hobbit. I didn't understand it, so I put it back in his sea chest turned bookcase/nightstand. He was so proud of me for even opening it and attempting to read it. A few years later, I picked it up again and read it. Then I read The Lord of The Rings and The Silmarillion and anything else Tolkien wrote. It became tradition for me to read them at least once a year. My dad and I would have lengthy discussions about the themes, elements, different insights we learned, etc.

My dad and I went to see each Lord of the Rings movies the first showing opening day, just the two of us. My birthday is in December and each movie came out just after my birthday and when I was home for Christmas break. Daddy and I would spend the months leading up to the movie's release planning on which movie theater to see it in and determining when we should arrive in order to get a good seat. For three years, it was our annual birthday date. We saw all the Star Wars prequel movies this way, also. In fact Revenge of the Sith was our last Daddy-Daughter Date.

So why am I so emotional? Because The Hobbit comes out in time for my 32nd birthday and my Daddy isn't here to take me to see it first thing opening morning. We always went with the rest of the family to see them later in the day, but that first showing was just for us. We watched the movie, and then went out to lunch to discuss. And each time we tried our best to keep that first viewing a secret from the rest of the siblings. 

So, pay no attention to the woman having an emotional breakdown in the corner. She just misses talking to her dad about anything and everything over breakfast at IHOP or lunch at Tony's. Or when she can't sleep and she just wants someone to tell her that she's loved and everything will be okay.