Adventures in Twilightland
First, we want you all to know that we realize there is more to life than Twilight. We don't spend every waking moment talking and thinking about Twilight, but it is near and dear to our hearts.
Within this blog you will find our Twilight musings, declarations of adoration, and all sorts of other silly Twilight-related nonsense. And to all you other Twilight fans, we'd love to hear from you.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Field Trippin'

Edward recently went on a school field trip to Quebec, Canada. He and his classmates got to discover the sights and sounds of Quebec City and Montreal for 4 days. Big T was actually asked to accompany the group as a chaperon and provided us with some pictures of Edward's adventures.
The students were not allowed to bring any kind of electronic devices on the trip besides cameras, so Edward had to check-in with the other Cullens via pay phone.




Getting to visit Parc de la Chute Montmorency was a trip highlight for Edward. He said years before he and Emmett had summer jobs in the area thinning forests for the paper industry. Apparently the boys would often visit the falls so they could ride over the edge into the water below. He tried to convince Big T to sneak back with him at night to give it a try, however, she politely declined. After all, she is merely a human.



One of Big T's favorite stops on the trip was the Biodome in Montreal. She had to stick to Edward like glue on the walk through each of the different environments in order to keep him from grabbing an animal to munch on. She suspects he probably managed to sneak a few nibbles since she had to drag him out of more than one fish tank during their tour.



Edward was a great tour guide in Montreal. Since he actually attended the 1976 Olympic Games, he was able to tell Big T all sorts of facts about the stadium and the impact the games had on the city as a whole. Of course he had to brag about the fact that none of the athletes that had competed would have been able to hold their own against a vampire, but he still enjoyed watching people from different nations come together with a common goal.



Edward's group spent a great deal of time on their tour bus. From Montreal to Quebec City was a three hour ride, not to mention the various stops in and around both cities. It was hard for Edward to be on the bus for long stretches of time, all the while pretending to be your average teenage boy. To remain inconspicuous, Edward channeled his inner teen human and would draw on sleeping kid's faces and sneak up on people to scare them while they were distracted.


The autophile forced Big T to snap a pic of him near the grill of the tour bus. Who knew they made Mercedes Benz buses?

Friday, May 15, 2009

Spotlight on ... Jasper

Jasper is our next featured Cullen vampire for two reasons. You can't have Alice without her Jasper hovering in the vicinity and he happens to be Big C's favorite bloodsucker. She is particularly fond of the the movie version Jasper's tormented facial expressions. If you ever see Big C on the street, ask her to do a Jasper impression. It's quite good with all of the pain and bugged out eyes.


While Little T and I were chit-chatting about this post yesterday we decided that one of the traits we admire most about Jasper is his untamed nature. Yes, he can suppress that blood lust urge sometimes, but his control could be gone in a flash. Need I remind you of the birthday party incident?


Out of all of the Cullens, Jasper is the most flawed and that is hugely appealing to me because it allows you to relate to his character. In a world of perfect creatures, he is unique. Jazz (as his family sometimes calls him) is the only one in his clan who is an exceptionally skilled fighter and does not shun violence the way the rest of the family tends to do. Jasper is all about the intimidation, which again, isn't in line with the majority of his family's beliefs. To the human eye he is still rather beautiful, but vampires find him scarred, mutilated, and the mere sight of his battle ravaged body causes other vamps to become protective and defensive.


Though he needs to deal with all of that, he still has his Alice. That undying devotion and connection he maintains with Alice is a HUGE reason why all of the Adventures in Twilightland girls like Jasper. How can you not like a guy who cares more about making sure his true love is safe during a mega battle than he does for his own safety? And we don't know how he does it, but you will barely ever find Alice out of Jasper's reach. Any time a problem pops up - Bam! - he is there for his special lady.

The ability to control and sense emotions is another unique trait Jasper possesses. Alice is a special girl, so you can't expect anything less from her sweetie. He was able to help during all the Bella drama many times by temporarily soothing her and sensing the emotional climate of others. I'm thinking Jasper has to be pretty emotionally strong in order to process all the negative feelings he has to deal with from others. I wonder if he ever learned to block it out the way Edward does with his mind reading....


So next time you are reading your Twilight saga books, remember to give Jasper a little more love.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Equal opportunity vampire lover

Oh Edward, how I adore thee! But alas, you were not my first vampire love. No, long before you became the object of desire for thousands of swooning females, my heart belonged to another creature of the night - Angel.

Angel, the original brooding vampire with a conscious, who was hopelessly in love with a human girl, the Vampire Slayer no less. With his long duster coat, wickedly sarcastic sense of humor, and smoldering gaze, sigh - what girl didn't dig him?

I watched him deal with the Slayer and friends on "Buffy" and enjoyed his eponymously named television show. How could you not get a kick out his squabbles with Spike? And the tortuous love affair with Buffy - dude, I cried when she had to send him to Hell just as he got his soul back. And the time when he got to briefly experience life as a human again with Buffy only to have her and the rest of the world forget it happened - sob! In my mind, he and Buffy end up together some day. Joss Whedon, I know you are busy with "Doll House", but get crackin' on my dream, man!

Even though the shows are off the air, I still got my Angel fix with a little help from DVDs. The giant Buffy/Angel poster that one of my sisters bought for me and the cardboard cut-out of Angel a friend gave me provided the strength I needed to soldier on.

Then I discovered Edward and the Cullens. It started with me begrudgingly reading the first book at the absolute insistence of my younger sister. I am a stubborn cuss and finally gave in one day. "You'll really like it," she said. "Not likely," I thought.

As with most people, I do not enjoy admitting when I am wrong. But in this case... I was SO VERY WRONG!

The first book sucked me in and I read straight through so I was done within a day. I got the occasional call from my sister, Little T, to see what part I was at. We would chat for a minute and then I'd dive back in, relishing the story. I was hooked and there was no looking back. Of course I wanted to continue with the rest of the series, but no, I had classes that needed to be finished, so I had Little T make sure to take the copy of New Moon I purchased and hide it for me. Once free of college coursework, right back to Forks, Washington for me. After taking three consecutive days of my Winter Break to power through all of Bella and Edward's triumphs and tribulations, my brain was mush and full of vampire goodness.

There are many, many differences between traditional vamp stories and the world Stephenie Meyer created. Yes, I lean towards the more well-known vampire ideas that sunlight equals Kentucky fried deadness and little pieces of sharp wood are not a bloodsuckers best friend. But really, who cares if someone adds something different to the folklore mix?

And so I sit atop this fence with my Buffy/Angel gang on one side and my Bella/Edward clan on the other. It can be a struggle sometimes to balance my devotion when having a friendly debate with fellow Twilight or Buffy fans, but that is the burden I have to bear. Though, I wouldn't mind if Joss and Stephenie decided to do a little collaborating some day. Imagine it...a tablespoon of singing, a cup of sarcasm, a healthy dash of gut-wrenching drama, and a pop culture reference or two wrapped up in a yummy vampiric shell. What more could a vampire fan (Twilight or otherwise) ask for?

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Spotlight on ... Alice

Besides Edward, both Little T and I agree that Alice is our favorite Cullen. From her delicate elfin face and artfully spiked hair to her graceful movements and trendy designer outfits, Alice is one awesome vamp chick.

I think the element of Alice's persona that causes us to gravitate towards her is her kind nature. She was a sweetheart to Bella from the start. Of course knowing that you are probably going to end up being someone's best friend does kind of taint the act of kindness, but not too much.

Even though she is a vampire who cannot recall her mortal life, she embraces every "normal" moment she can. Whether that involves throwing an over-the-top graduation party, subjecting a girlfriend to endless hours of beautification, or spending a day shopping for clothes, Alice zealously attacks each human situation with glee.

The fact that Alice can see glimpses of the future is pretty neat and all, but the way she handles that pressure is much more admirable. She knew she might become bffs with Bella, but there was always the potential of her dear brother munching on the poor girl first. That had to be stressful, biding your time to see if your sibling would find true love and let you become pals with his new girl or would he have an all-you-can-eat Bella feast and cause his whole family to relocate.


I could go on and on about what a fantastic character Alice Cullen is - I really could . Instead I'll leave you with a few of the many reasons to love Alice.



1. She's got mad chess skills - who else could beat Edward?

2. Her idea of a small party involves a disco dance floor and a giant sound system.

3. No one can sweet talk a parent like Alice.

4. She doesn't take crap from anybody, not even Rosalie.

5. Alice loves her some designer clothes and will try to give anything that sits still a makeover.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

And he's dancin' like he's never danced before...

Big T's co-workers recently threw her a surprise Golden Birthday party and they thoughtfully invited Edward.

Never one to turn down a party invitation, Edward arrived ready to rock. His island attire was perfectly suited for the luau-themed gathering and he wasted no time by immediately joining in the birthday festivities.









Edward insisted he get a pic with the birthday girl while he took a dance break. Who knew the fang boy liked to boogie?

As witnessed during our Polynesian getaway, Edward is not one to let an evening end early. So after the party broke up, he took Big T and a few friends to a local hot spot. Big T is not a big drinker (she prefers her pina coladas sans alcohol), but she did humor Edward by making a birthday wish on his flaming shots and blowing them out before he slammed them back.



After the Adventures in Twilightland gang saw Edward's behavior during this birthday bash, we can only imagine what he'll do in June when we celebrate Little T's big day.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Tidbits

Edward knows how to rock out!
Exclusive footage of Edward bustin' a move at Big T's Golden Birthday celebration coming soon!

Voting news
Seems that the vast majority of our blog readers feel Chuck Norris could kick Edward's butt if they ever had to throw down. Chuck Norris just defies all laws of man and the undead.
Full disclosure: I voted for Angel and he even got more votes than Edward! Guess we feel Edward is more of a lover than a fighter. And Twi-hards don't be hatin' on me - this Twilighter's heart has plenty of room for Buffy and the gang, as well as the Cullens. We just have to make sure all pointy sticks and other weapons are left at the door when the two groups mingle.

Reader Interaction
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