I'm a Thirty-One Year Old Twilight Fan...So Bite Me

{Read at your own risk: Spoilers included}

On Saturday, I held a slumber party of sorts. I invited over one of my best girlfriends, we lounged in our pj's on my pull-out couch, rented movies, ate, drank, and swooned over the movie’s lead actor. This may sound like the journal entry of a boy crazy pre-teen, but Ruthie and I are long past our teen years (whew!). We ate pasta instead of popcorn, downed champagne instead of soda, and watched movies that certainly don’t reflect our entré into adulthood.

For six hours and through all four movies of the Twilight saga, we sat mesmerized by the likes of the Cullen’s, the “vegetarian” vampire family residing in rainy Forks, Washington, the werewolf pack made up of boys from the Quileute Tribe in nearby La Push, and the damsel at the heart of it all, Bella.

A few months ago, I wandered into my local Barnes & Noble in search of a good book that would capture my imagination and hold my attention. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood, spending hours at my local library picking out the latest tale from Camp Sunnyside Friends and The Baby-Sitters Club. Since those early days of reading, I’ve matured to authors such as Joshua Ferris, Frank McCourt, and Truman Capote and to historical biographies from Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin.

When I read a good book, I tend to lose myself in the plot, the characters, and the storyline. But until a few months ago, I hadn’t read anything really page-turning since diving into A Million Little Pieces and The Help last summer. My friends (adult, professional women!) all read and loved the Twilight series. She read it. She read it. Heck, even he read it! So, I knew the books came highly recommended. But, could I really sink my teeth into (oh yes, I went there!) a book about vampires and werewolves?

The Cullen Family of the Olympic Coven

The Quileute werewolf pack of La Push

The answer my friends, isn’t blowing in the Olympic Peninsula wind, it’s in the fact that I lost hours of my life to the trials of Edward, Jacob, and Bella. Once I started reading the books, I couldn’t put them down. I stayed up late at night, hurried home from work, and discussed the characters endlessly with anyone who would listen. Will Edward and Bella ever become a couple or will their romance remain requited? Will Bella choose Jacob over Edward and save her family a lifetime of pain? Will the Volturi seek their revenge? And finally, what does the future hold for Renesmee?  

After I finished each book, I rented the corresponding movie and quickly caught up to Breaking Dawn Part I. Creative credit is due to fashion designer Carolina Herrera, herself a fan of the books and movies, who designed a $35,000 custom-fit wedding dress, complete with hand-sewn Chantilly lace, fitted satin bodice, and 169 buttons. Even I'd get bitten for that kind of couture!

A slumber party toast to Edward and Bella! 

I finished the last book of the saga a few weeks ago and, like any good book, the characters and their stories remain with me still.

Have you read Twilight? And if so, are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? Did you become obsessed with the saga and the characters? Tell me I'm not the only adult Twihard!

After a certain age, you're not team Edward, you're not Team Jacob. You're Team Charlie Swan. #Twihard
— Linda (@citydiva) April 22, 2012

{All images, unless my own, courtesy of Google}