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*