Oh one of my most fondest memorys has to be when I first heard they were coming out with a LOTR film while reading an issue of Entertainment Weekly that I had gotten free at a hotel while on a cross-country vacation. Now at the time I had only read Fellowship and had been completely confused (very long story) by the storyline, so I had not read any of the others, and at the time I remember reading the article and saying to myself that maybe I should go and see that film because maybe it will help me to finally understand the story. Months and months passed until it got to be around Christmas and I remember my mother asking me if I would like to go and see LOTR, but everytime she asked I would say "later". Then my sister saw it and told me that I should see it, so I finally went to the theater. During that first viewing I was completely blown away by how good it was, and I was instantly turned into a fan. I went on to eventually see Fellowship 7 times in theaters.
But my most fondest memories are sometimes the smallest little thing that I found so cool. Like when I finished the reading the trilogy, and found myself so angry at the outcome, or that one night that I decided to type in "Lord of the Rings" into Google, or when I visited New York City in November of 2002, and saw the TTT poster of Frodo on one of the Bus Shelters (we don't have bus shelters in Olympia, Washington and they wouldn't have had that in Seattle so I just thought I was so lucky to be there at that time), or when I met Ian McKellen (and I was so nervious, I didn't say anything because he was the first major actor I had ever met in my life), and then when I saw Sean Astin, and then when I saw him and then got to meet him again! (because you realize you are lucky when you get to see them once, but then when you see them again you are just spoiled). I am just amazed at how that one viewing changed my life. It has taken me to so many places, and I have gotten to meet and see people that I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought I would actually get to see in real life. It has made me think, it had encouraged me to keep that thing called imagination around for a little longer, and of course this has come at such a time of change in my life (Sophmore to Senior years of High School) it is just so amazing.
I think though that what I will miss the most is all the excitement around the release, that just added on to the regular excitement of the holidays. I will miss the ads on TV, the magazine covers, the interviews, the free giveouts of the bookmarks at my school, and just all that antcipation. That midnight showing of ROTK was most definitely the most exciting experience at a theater I have ever had. I remember the Football players from my school starting to yell out "Rudy!" when Sam starts carrying Frodo up the hill, and the huge applause that came out when Aragorn gave Arwen that smooch
and also just that general strangeness of realizing that even though it was a school night, and even though I would be going to school the next day. I would most defintely not be going to sleep at my regular time.
This is making me so sad
Next year at Christmas will just not be the same