I want to know...

...is it normal for a 33 year old man (me) to spend many moments in the day contemplating the fate of Harry Potter?  I know the final book was released in 2007, however I recently came across a super Harry Potter fan who analyzed the prophecy a different way, and now I want to re-read the books.

via HPWombat:

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"I am a huge Harry Potter fan. And while I love the series...

...I thought the ending would be a lot different. This is my version of how it should have ended.

There was a part of the prophecy that could have gone a different way:

either must die at the hand of the other
for neither can live while the other survives

In the book it means that, in the end, one of them will have to kill the other. What if it meant something else, instead?  What if it meant that the only way either of them could die, would be at the hand of the other?

either must die at the hand of the other

Meaning the one who didn't die had no other means of achieving death. This means that by killing Voldemort, Harry sacrifices his death.  It's made clear to us that death is the only way he'll ever be with his loved ones.  Dying isn't such a bad sacrifice to make.  But sacrificing his own death and living forever would be the ultimate sacrifice for Harry.  By killing Voldemort, Harry would become immortal, never seeing his family or friends in death.

Harry Potter would, forever, be The Boy Who Lived."

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QOTD

Begin each day with a grateful heart.

Explore All Options, Always

In our neighborhood there is a house that was built in 1994, and it has been for sale for months.  I spotted the house, because as the price keeps dropping it's actually at the next rung on our property ladder.  We have spent the past five (plus) years getting our current house into shape; one budgeted project at a time.  And while, I have an endless list of projects, our house is now an extension of us: it's light, bright, interesting, and it's always ready to entertain our friends! But, our current house won't hold the future babies and nannies with room left over for mothers and fathers.

My husband and I went to look at the 1994 house.  It had potential.  We're sitting at 2,800 square feet in our current house, and the 1994 house was at 4,500 square feet, which seems to level plenty of room left over!

However, the 1994 house is well...stuck in 1994:

The house needs a complete and total reboot: new paint, new flooring, new fixtures, new countertops.  New everything, really.  The house is also only a three bedroom house, and we already own a three bedroom house.  After we consider the cost of reworking the 1994 house (excluding the fact that the floor plan doesn't work) owning the 1994 house isn't going to happen.

One thing I really appreciate about my husband is his willingness to explore all options.  He never says no, immediately.  He is always willing to explore any idea I propose, and then together we run through an analysis to establish pros, cons, and overall priorities.  I think it's a healthy way to live.  The key takeaway: Explore all options, always!

Grammys

Did you see Taylor Swift's performance on the Grammys?  It was spectacular.  As I've said before, Red is brilliant.  I'm a fully grown man, and I cannot get enough of Taylor Swift's Red album.  If you didn't see her performance, then you should be watching the Grammys, annually.  It's a music festival that happens to give away a few awards, and something big always happens...

The biggest moment of the night was the on-air wedding of 33 couples — gay, straight, old, young, of many races and many colors. The ceremony was part of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s performance of their song “Same Love,” which became a marriage-equality anthem last year.  After Queen Latifah married the couples Madonna appeared on stage and sang "Open Your Heart" and weaved her song back into the end of "Same Love."  I saw many tears in the audience as Madonna and Mary Lambert sang the end of the song "...not crying on Sundays....not crying on Sundays...not crying on Sundays." I started snapping a few photos of my TV:

I love the Grammys!

Beautiful

I've flipped through the pages of this month's House Beautiful no less than six times already.  It's a keeper.  You must pick up a copy the next time you're standing in the check-out line...

I snapped a few photos with my iPhone to give you a little flavor.  As you know I'm a fan of all things blue and bright.  Color makes me happy.  Beautiful design makes me happy.  Both color and beauty are overflowing in this month's House Beautiful, which is why I'm telling you to pick up a copy!  I'm spreading happiness.

Rules Are Rules

I've known my husband for over a decade now, and in those ten years I've followed his firm rule:  "You cannot have more dogs than people in a household."  We have two people in our household.  We have two dogs in our household.

This weekend I surprised my husband when I mentioned that after we have children, I plan to get another French bulldog.

He claims that his rule is not to encourage an equal number of people and dogs in a household.  His rule is to ensure you don't have a pack of dogs in the household.  My terrified husband is now trying to clarify his rule: we only need two dogs in the house!

No, no, no...you cannot change the rules ten years into the game.  I promise to not have more dogs than people, which means if we have five children, then we can have seven dogs!  After all, rules are rules.

Sunday Kind of Love

I enjoy slow Sundays.  My husband and I stayed at home all day- not counting yoga.  We walked.  We read.  We just chilled out.  We cooked breakfast tacos in the morning, and we dined on crawfish tamales, cilantro lime rice, and tomatoes and avocados in the evening.

I'm rested and ready to take on the week.