End of an Era

The summer between third and fourth grade I discovered something amazing. I was taken to this brand new world, and when school started back up, I made new friends in that world. That world was Harry Potter, and the friends I made were with characters in the books, but also with people who I met in real life, who I might not ever have talked to otherwise. It was Harry Potter that introduced me to the two people who are the closest things to soul mates that exist. My best friend Chelsea, and my fiance Jeffrey. I've probably told this story a hundred times. I'm such a sap.

I met Chelsea in September when school started. Over the summer she had moved to my town. For my 10th birthday, in November, she gave me a copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. How did she know me so well, so soon? My sister spilled a cup of fruit punch on the table, turning the last 30 pages pink on the edges, and I was so angry. She spoiled my most important book. I got over it, and somehow, over the years, I lost that book. I still hate that I lost that book. I treasured it, and then it was gone. At some point, years ago, I managed to steal Chelsea's copy of it, and only recently mailed it back to her.

The first movie came out the day before my 11th birthday, and a trip to the movie theatre and for pizza afterwards was my party that year. Chelsea then spent the night at my house after. The second movie came out around my 12th birthday, and again I had a Harry Potter Movie birthday. Before the third movie came out, Chelsea and I were at her house, and decided to watch the trailer for the movie, which neither of us had seen. She had dial up and it took forever to load. We would watch a few seconds, and then when a few more had loaded, start back at the beginning and watch it again. It took a good hour, maybe more, but it was amazing. Chelsea and I wrote fan-fiction together and separately, and read our stories to each other over the phone. We also posted them online, but we always were reading ahead in each others stories. We went to the midnight releases of the 5th, 6th together at Barnes and Noble. For the 7th book, I managed to talk another friend into rescheduling her sweet sixteen, because I had already made plans with Chelsea to go to the midnight release. When the 7th movie (part one) came out, Chelsea and I were 800 miles apart, but that didn't prevent midnight phone calls, discussing mutual tears. The three of us, Chelsea, Harry and I, have been a unit for most of my life. The 8th movie, or the 7th part 2, comes out as soon as it turns into Friday.

Chelsea will be in Ireland, I will be in the US. We don't have the money for international phone calls, and our midnights are at different times. Everything is all backwards and messed up and I miss my best friend. I'm sad. And yet, I can't be sad. She's going on an amazing trip - I'm supposed to be happy for her. And I am. But I can't help but wish this trip was at any other time. A part of me would rather have her here for this than even have her at my wedding. How stupid is that? She's my best friend. But this is the close, the end of an era, and while I know this really wont change anything between us, it is going to change everything.

I keep telling myself that it isn't the end - there is still Pottermore which hasn't even opened yet. And I try to tell myself that this is te same way that I felt when the final book was released. But when the 7th book was released I was with Chelsea. We started this journey together, and I wanted us to finish it together.

I think back to a time, in 6th grade, when Chelsea and I planned an impossible road trip, when a mutual friend said that we wouldn't be friends by the time we finished 8th grade, nevermind when we were old enough to drive. And I look back - it's been 6 years since we finished 8th grade and she's still my best friend. And we still can't drive.

And now I'm just babbling, but I feel better now. Still sad, still missing Chelsea, still upset that we wont be pottering together tomorrow night and in the wee hours of Friday, but its okay. We'll be okay. And Harry Potter will live on in my heart forever.

Happy Birthday To Me

Well, I feel obligated to do a birthday posts, but honestly,  I've got nothing to say. My birthday was, for the most part, not blog-worthy.

Jeffrey worked all morning, so I was home alone (Grandma was out). I puttered about on the computer for a few hours, told myself I didn't have to do the laundry, and generally just let myself slack. I had to work from 4-11. I left for work before Jeffrey got home. Work was uneventful (except for one guy who just totally grossed me out, AND was an asshole, to boot.) but after work, I came home to a cake Jeffrey had made, and some presents in the form of Oreos and Cheez-its..... in other words, my two favorite snacks ever (and the cake is lovely, delicious)

I think I pretty much broke my record for Facebook birthday wishes, at a grand total of 56 (but that's not counting all the non-facebook wishes I got) so that was pretty fantastic. It's the little things like that, which make me really happy. On my 16th birthday, not one single person wished me a happy one until after I reminded them that it was my birthday. Even my parents and sisters forgot. Both of my sisters remembered this year. It was fantastic.

In other not-so-news, nothing has changed with college. I STILL have no recommendation letter. No one will write me one, or even respond to my emails. I'm going to get in touch with teh Dean of Students today, because this isn't okay. At the very least, they ought to email me saying "I will not write you a letter." Ignoring me completely is just plain rude. And I'm going to be heartbroken if the reason I don't get into Hollins is because I can't get a recommendation. I was a much better student in college than I ever was in high school, but several of my high school teachers were willing to write me recommendations. I just don't understand, and I'm angry that no one will explain it to me. Are you too busy? Did I not make enough of an impression for you to remember me? Did you secretly hate me for some reason or another?

But since this is my "Happy Birthday" post, I'll end this by saying: I'm 20! Woah! New decade..... ten years ago, I was panicking because I thought my entrance into "double-digits" was going to be scary. 7 years ago, I thought the same thing as I entered "teenagerdom".  And on my 16th birthday, I fell apart because I was afraid that the fact everyone forgot foreshadowed my future. Now I'm entering (or already in, I guess, since my birthday was yesterday) my 20s. This too, is a landmark birthday, but this one isn't nearly as scary. This one I think marks the start of my entrance to adulthood, and I think I can handle that, whatever it entails.