Have I told you lately I met Rawrmy?

"P-racticality d-oesn't interest me! Love the life that I lead!" I've been keeping this to myself because for a long time I wasn't sure it was going to happen, but... I met Richard Armitage. I repeat: I met RICHARD. ARMITAGE. He gives me ALL THE ALL CAPS FEELINGS. His gravelly voice is what crème brûlée would sound like if it could speak to me. Mmm... Voices are my favorite and his is my absolute favorite! Naturally I want him to narrate the audio books of my stories one day... and possibly hand me my cup of coffee every morning with a sly, "Your bed-head has never looked better," but one thing at a time. Anyway, I took a whirlwind trip to NYC for the grand event. I had just met Andy Serkis, the genius behind Gollum who was so gracious and who I was able to string coherent thoughts together for, when this happened:

To think I went without smelling salts!

When he made his slow-mo exit from the building (haha... but really) all I could think was "RICHARD ARMITAGE" and "PROXIMITY" aka two of my favorite things. To say I spoke to him like someone who had just been hit with a tranquilizer dart would be a gross understatement. But to see him and hear him up close, someone who has captured my imagination with so many memorable characters on screen, was the perfect post-NaNoWriMo treat. He has this ability to focus in on you despite all the surrounding chaos that makes you a little weak in the knees. So naturally, I was super dignified while gazing at his lips and having an An Affair to Remember "all I could say was hello" type moment (though I was more like this in my head). Look! I'm actually blushing on camera! Oh my. This man. This man! So charming, so lovely, so gracious... Mariah, Caroline, and I were all a bit bewitched, bothered, and bewildered afterward. So looking forward to seeing him (and hearing him siiiiiiiing) in The Hobbit and all of the much-deserved success that follows.

As if this book wasn't special enough...

We spent a wonderful day in magical New York City, though stunned speechless the second half. But we livened up a bit in the One Direction pop-up store where we took our roles as the oldest people in there very seriously. We were the very definition of dignified and there was no singing or dancing to speak of... *cough*

Because Louis is the BEST!

This Friday you can see Richard Armitage along with Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, and Sir Ian McKellen on Anderson Live where you just might see a camera lens crack when Rawrmy walks into the room, because I'm screaming so loud. Just a lucky guess... Can I  squee one last time? I heard this voice! IN PERSON! *swoon*

one week later

It's hard to believe that NaNoWriMo has been over for a week now. I'm still in shock. I've not touched my story since then, but it's still on my mind 24/7... which might explain why I burst out crying at my desk yesterday. A sweeping score, an epic preview for a movie, everything still draws me back to B and her great adventure.

(x)

Here are some random NaNoWriMo stats of mine taken from the last month...

• words written: 51,943
• characters I had not anticipated: 8
• tearful breakdowns the final week: 10
• nights spent away from my desk: 6
• jars of Speculoos consumed: 1
• activities crossed off my list of 101 Things in 1,001 Days: 2
• tweets about One Direction: 9
• care packages received: 3
• song most played: "Chasing the Storm" by Patrick Doyle

So to answer the looming question, no, the story is not finished. I will blaze through the rest as soon as possible so I can have one messy rough draft, but first I have to finish grad school applications. Yay!!! My work is just beginning. But I'm still trying my hardest to bask in that same glowing sense of accomplishment I felt right around midnight on November 29th. I can't believe I actually did it!

P.S. Speaking of everything setting me off, you know since I'm basically a walking Allstate commercial i.e. "emotionally compromised teenage girl," this video went straight to my heart today. I feel rather delirious after watching it. The majority of the places I pinned on my secret pin board for my story were of Iceland. So many of these locations look like they tumbled straight out of my story... I would give anything to go!

Fragments of Iceland from Lea et Nicolas Features on Vimeo.