Letter #2.

My sweet, brave River,

Yesterday I cried over a book. Which, as you'll come to learn is not unusual for your dear old mom, but this particular time was different.

Nine years ago, I went to a book store with my friends and stayed until Midnight playing games, dressing in costumes, and talking to complete strangers excitedly about an imaginary world. I'm talking, of course, about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows release party. I was 19 years old and I was about to close a huge part of my life that went back to simpler, happier times. For me (like many others) Harry Potter was my childhood.

I've never been great at being social. Even as a kid I preferred to lock myself into a room or lay outside with a huge book to be transported into another world. Don't get me wrong, I had friends and I played, but probably not as often as others did my age. When I was younger I would sometimes wonder if something was weird about me because of this. Harry Potter got me through it.

One day your crazy Mawmaw took me to the Hueytown Public Library where she insisted that I should read this book about a boy who was a wizard. She said other people had told her about it and said it was wonderful. Not trusting your mawmaw very much I decided to pick up a second book just in case. That night, I gave it a go though and I stayed up well past midnight on our La-Z-Boy turning the pages of that book. I was engrossed in this world of magic and creatures. With each passing year I would wait anxiously for the next book. I would get older, my interest would change, but nothing made me happier than when I got my hands on the new Harry Potter book.

At 19 I thought that time in my life had finally ended. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. It felt like I was shutting the door on my childhood and that's never an easy thing to do... especially when you've just left high school and have no idea what you're going to be doing with your adult life. You see, at that point I had never loved anything as much as I loved those books. Nothing had ever come close to making me feel that magical or transported me back so quickly to a simpler time in my life when I had no worries.

Yesterday, I got to feel that again when I came home to find the screenplay Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sitting on my kitchen table. I ripped open the box it was delivered in and squealed with delight as I held the book up, with tears in my eyes, for your Mawmaw to see (she had been babysitting you while I went to work). It didn't matter that I was 28, just got home from work, and wearing sweaty scrubs. It didn't matter that I have a ton of responsibilities on my shoulders now or that I probably looked like the biggest dork on the planet. None of that matter to me because I was happy.

This is what I want you to take with you. Life is too short to hide your excitement over something. If something makes you happy, show it. Scream it out to the world and dance crazily. Enjoy your life. Don't worry about what people think. There will always be people out there that are sadly bitter and want to try and take that happiness away from you  by mocking you. Ignore them. Pray for them. But never let them steal it from you. Never let your life get so bogged down by daily living that you can't be happy with something you once loved.

I love you my amazing happy girl. Nothing in life makes me happier than you, including the above mentioned books. If I embarrass you later on down the road with my love for you, then you know this is why. When I can't stop from hugging you outside of school and kissing your cheek you know this is why. When I shoutand clap crazily for all of your achievements you know this will be why.

Because you make me the happiest.

100 Things I Love.

1. Jesus Christ.
2. River Alexandria.
3. My Husband.
4. Family/Friends in general.
5. A room filled with books.
6. MaddiePup.
7. Candles, especially Fall scents.
8. Fuzzy socks.
9. Goodbye morning kisses from Zachary when his beard smells like the woodsy oil he uses on it.
10. Homemade soaps.
11. A clean house.
12. Over-sized Sweatshirts.
13. Strolling River.
14. Writing.
15. Pens. Tons of pens. 
16. Notebooks.
17. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
18. Heating Blankets.
19. Reading outside.
20. Dark fingernail polish.
21. Harry Potter.
22. Chicken Alfredo.
23. Red Wine.
24. Secluded Houses/ cabins.
25. Scary movies.
26. Graveyards.
27. Cherry Coke.
28. Board Games.
29. Collecting anything.
30. Snuggling up with Zack before falling asleep.`
31. Freshly shaved legs against clean sheets.
32. Rainy, lazy days curled up on my couch with hot tea and a book.
33. Reading bedtime stories to River before she falls asleep.
34. Crimson. The color... and the Tide.
35. Listening to my grandmothers tell me old stories about their childhood.
36. Organized bookshelves.
37. Starbucks coffee at B&N while I roam the store like I have money to spend.
38. Driving with the windows rolled down listening to music.
39. The smell of books... especially old books.
40. Letters.
41. Fluffy pillows.
42. River's laugh.
43. John Green quotes.
44. Any Jane Austin movie.
45. Black Chuck Taylors.
46. The 10th Doctor...Allons-y!
47. Lists. Grocery Lists. To Be Read Lists. Best of Lists. Organization period.
48. Creepily watching my husband be completely absorbed in a book and realizing that I married my soulmate.
49. Traveling.
50. Slip on shoes. 
51. Leggings. Lots of leggins. I'm one of those annoying people who will wear leggings with everything as soon as it's seasonably appropriate.
52. Chocolate.
53. Being nostalgic.
54. Blogging.
55. Flannel.
56. The grunge period of the 90's. I seriously belong there.
57. Pinterest.
58. When Harry Met Sally.
59. Now. I love myself/ my life right this second. I've never felt more comfortable in my own skin.
60. The sound of a typewriter.
61. Using the fireplace on cold winter nights.
62. A mixed CD filled with Bon Iver that my cousin made me in '09.
63. Bubble baths. With wine and a book.
64. Being a Mom.
65. Holding hands.
66. My wedding rings.
67. Fangirling.
68. Falling in love with fictional characters.
69. Dark hardwood floors.
70. Face lotion.
71. Driving through the Christmas Lights house every year with Zack since we've been together.
72. Baking... especially cookies.
73. My glasses.
74. How big and bright blue River's eyes are.
75. Taking advantage of the library.
76. Bobby Pins
77. The red in Zack's beard.
78. Seeing someone read an obscure book that I love and then instantly connecting with them.
79. Taking pictures.
80. Walking the beach at night.
81. Lit class.
82. Poetry.
83. Scottish dudes. It's the accent.
84. Audible.
85. Goodreads.
86. Seeing my entire family on Christmas.
87. Brushing my teeth before bed.
88. Witch Hazel + Lavender.
89. Owl figurines/ trinkets.
90. When my husband cooks.
91. Musicals. Especially RENT. And Buffy's "Once More with Feeling".
92. Chandler Bing.
93. Surprises.
94. Hearing River say "Momma".
95. Reading out loud.
96. Studying my Bible.
97. Marathon-ing fantasy movies with the hubs.
98. Reimagined fairy tales.
99. Noses. Long, straight noses. I have a thing. It's weird.
100. Weekends.