How Stephenie Meyer saved the world!

Ok, so she didn't really save the world, but she did manage to save a town!!

During Stephenie's research for Twilight's location she Googled "most annual rainfall" and came across the Olympic Peninsula and there it was: Forks, WA! (Here is the link to Stephenie's story about how Twilight and it's setting came to be: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html) 

 Forks used to be a very prolific logging town, as most towns are here in the PacNW, but the industry has slowly been fading and Forks was one of the hardest hit by the downturn. Small businesses that had been there for decades were closing their doors and the population was beginning to dwindle as families moved away to find work. Ask any long time Forks resident and they will tell you, the town was slowly and painfully dying! Then along came a little book called Twilight and all that changed....Suddenly their little water logged town that no one had ever heard of was a *gasp* tourist attraction!

 Many residents will attest to the fact that Twilight saved the town! It brought people, business and hope to this small, but breathtaking, little town! Their story is very well documented in the film "Twilight in Forks" and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this amazing story! 

http://twilightinforks.com/

There is also an event held every year in Forks the week of Bella Swan Cullen's human birthday, September 13th (which also happens to be my birthday!!) called Stephenie Meyer Day. I have not had the pleasure of attending this event yet, but I am already making plans for SMD 2013 (Sept 13-15 2013). Hundreds of Twilight fans from around the world descend on Forks and La Push, WA for a fun-filled weekend of all things Twi! I can't wait to go!!

 http://stepheniemeyerday.com/

So, Stephenie Meyer may not have saved the world, but she definitely saved a town and as far as I am concerned that makes her a hero!!! We love you Ms. Meyer and all that you do! Thank you so much for such an amazing story with an amazing setting and even more amazing characters!!!

http://www.facebook.com/TheTwilightersHeart

My Twi-Story!

I wasn't always a Twi-hard. I had my "It's a teeny bopper thing" phase, but then I read Twilight out of sheer boredom and the rest is history! Now I have been a fan for almost 5 years and it has been an amazing journey! I have made many new friends and have had some awesome experiences, but the last 2 years have exponentially increased my personal fandom...let me explain why:

Two years ago this January I started to get sick. At first I just thought it was just stress, I was a manager at a very busy retail store,so it was to be expected, right? As the symptoms progressively got worse I visited numerous doctors and even saw a few specialists, they didn't find anything serious and wrote it off as stress just as I had. We were all wrong! In February of 2011 I quit my high-stress retail job and went to work as a caregiver in a memory care facility....it was my dream job! I loved every minute of it! It's not like there was no stress, but it was a different kind of stress and the rewards were worth it. Three months into that job I got sicker, much sicker.....I ended up needing surgery, but it was supposed to be simple and I would be 100% ....wrong again! That minor surgery led to life-threatening complications that required more surgeries and hospital stays....I was, and still am, in Hell! I will never fully heal from all of this, I can't work anymore, I am on medications I may never get to stop taking and my life has been permanently altered. I have an amazing husband and two beautiful children, without them I don't think I would still be here, but I also believe that without The Twilight Saga I would've gone crazy. My fictional friends (via DVD's and books) kept me company during hospital stays, surgery recoveries and during all my new found free time at home! It has truly become my escape from reality!

The Saga also taught me a few things along the way....love with your whole being, cherish every moment as if it were your last, never take anyone or anything for granted because it could be gone in an instant, stay strong no matter what life throws at you and blood doesn't make a family, love does! I have tried very hard to live by these Twi-rules. It's not always easy, but when I find myself slipping I pop in one of the movies or pick up whichever book I am reading again, (Currently reading New Moon for the 19th time.) immerse myself in my fictional friends world and somehow I always feel better! I know it sounds pretty childish for a 33 year old woman, but I just can't help it. The Saga has helped save my life and my sanity and I can't ignore that! So, thank you Stephenie Meyer for giving us this story and thank you Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate for giving it a face! All us Twi-hards are truly grateful!!

http://www.facebook.com/TheTwilightersHeart

Hello Fellow Twi-Hards

I know I am a little late in the game starting a fan blog/page now! But, for me, the Saga will live forever and I want to pay it the respect it deserves! My life has truly been changed and influenced for the better and I want to share it with the world!! I will explain my personal story in future blogs and I hope you all will enjoy the read and maybe even share your stories with me!!! XOXO and Sparkle On!!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/TheTwilightersHeart