Got Bite?

In March, my husband conned, I mean convinced, me to watch Twilight on dvd. I do NOT do scary movies! Just the mention of the word "vampire" makes me want to wear a turtleneck, even in the Summer! I don't like ghost stories or anything remotely close to that world of fiction. I'm even slightly afraid of the dark. Although I put on a brave face when my kids are around and tell them there is no reason to be afraid, I simply can't believe it myself. So, here I am with a husband who says "I rented a movie to watch. It's that Twilight movie. I want to see what the hype is all about. I'm sure it's no big deal. You'll be fine. Just watch it with me." I surrendered to his persuasion and agreed to scare myself halfway into hysterics by watching a "vampire movie." The only stipulation... that he was willing to check the closets, look under the bed, sleep with every light on, and be willing to have me shake him awake from a deep sleep at the slightest noise while I lay bug eyed in bed with the covers up to my chin. "Deal," he said. So I grabbed a blanket and got settled on the uncomfortable old couch and prepared to watch a movie that would give me sleepless nights for the next year. Of course, I sat so close to him that I was practically on his lap, and I don't think he minded that at all. I was hurling myself head first into an evening of watching a "scary movie" that I was practically ignorant about. You see, although I'd seen a lot of the Twilight mania happening around me, I ignored every bit of it to the absolute possible degree! I closed my eyes and plugged my ears during commercials or flicked the remote to quickly turn the tv to a vampire free channel, as I do with all scary movies and shows. If I didn't hear it, read it, or look at it... it didn't exist to me. Ignorance is bliss right? But alas, the world of Twilight caught up to me when my husband was so inclined to "see what the hype was all about." Amazingly as I watched, it began to draw me in, just like vampires do I guess. I found myself becoming more intrigued and less frightened than I expected. I was however very nervous and untrusting, just waiting for the most horrifying gory thing to pop out at any second. I hid my face a few times, expecting the worst, but my fears were quickly squashed like a pesky mosquito (great another blood sucker). I can't bring myself to put any spoilers here, for the few people on the planet who have not seen the movie or read the books, so I won't go into details about my reactions throughout the movie. I'll just get to the overall nitty gritty of it all... the movie was something I could really sink my teeth into! Oh come on, now you didn't really expect me not to throw something like that in?!? I found myself awake that night, but not for the reasons I initially imagined. I was so caught up in the story that I lay awake and went over it all again and again in my mind. Seriously? A vampire story that doesn't scare the beejeepers outta me?!? I of course was not yet willing to admit this fact to my husband... but by the next evening the topic came up in conversation. I simply let him know that "it wasn't what I expected." He agreed and actually mentioned that he was interested in reading the books.

Within the week, my husband returned home from a day at work with Twilight (the book). In April, the remainder of the saga found our home as well. I'm not one to hold off on reading any book within reaching distance, but I watched my husband finish Twilight and begin New Moon before I even touched one of them. We decided that we would both read the series together, kind of like our own personal book club. I devoured the books! I couldn't stop myself from making late nights turn into early mornings... I read till 2am just to finish one or two of them! Once I began, it was hard to stop. I read Twilight at a pretty steady pace, New Moon went even quicker, then I took a break to read the final book in another series (the Sisters Ink series, by Rebeca Seitz) before picking up Eclipse. I believe I conquered Eclipse in 3 days and absorbed Breaking Dawn in 2 (could have been 1 if I'd started earlier the first day lol). My husband is almost done with Eclipse and then on to Breaking Dawn. I'm anxious for him to finish so we can talk about everything we've read! Honestly, we have bonded over reading these books. We'd never read the same book before and it amazed us that we both have enjoyed discussing the different elements of it all, the plot, the characters, and of course the inevitable "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" question. I love them both by the way! I'm completely amazed at my turn around on this entire story as well! My husband even went out and bought an Edward action figure for me to place on our shelf (he'll be getting an Alice as soon as she becomes available). More than anything, I've just enjoyed experiencing these stories with my husband! It's funny how things turn out sometimes... We are already talking about moving on to another book series when he finishes these. Harry Potter has been the number one suggested series so far. I read book 1 when it first came out and have considered picking it up again and continuing to read the remainder. I'm pretty sure it would hold my husband's attention. Any other good suggestions?

I want to add a very heartfelt thank you to Stephenie Meyer... for creating a world that sucked me in. For keeping it just scary enough, but not too scary for me, to enjoy! Who'd have thought that a bunch of vampires and werewolves would bring my husband and I closer together? Not me... not in a million years!