We had a sitter on Saturday night and headed to our new local brew and view to see the latest Star Wars movie.  I am not going to lie – I was so excited to wear my outfit that I’d bought for the movie.  I mean – CRAZY EXCITED!

So I was only 1-year-old when the original Star Wars movie came out (1977), but by the time the Empire Strikes Back came out, I was 4 years old and, I cannot believe this, but my dad took me to it shortly after its release.  I remember standing in line outside the theater and then sitting in the seat, staring up at the screen, and being scared to death of Darth Vader.  By the time Return of the Jedi came out in 1983, I was a Star Wars enthusiast.  My life seemed to revolve around network television airings of the movies and we watched them on VHS over and over and over again.  All three of us girls LOVED the entire franchise.

Episode VII, the Force Awakens, is the ultimate sequel to me.  I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated a movie’s release more than this one’s.  I remember being a kid and hearing rumors about when this movie would come out.  Then, they made episodes 1-3 and I only saw Episode I because it was so, so, so bad that I didn’t want to see the other 2 prequels.  People talked about Episode VII but I didn’t read into it.  It would come out when it came out.

I waited, literally, 33 years for this.  I know the rest of the world did too, but it’s amazing how different this is for me versus my little sister who is just 3 years younger than me. She missed the hype from Star Wars and Empire, and was really only into Jedi (because of the Ewoks) – so although she’s excited to see this movie, it’s just not the same for her.  Heck, it wasn’t the same for Hottie either, who is my sister’s age.  He loved Star Wars, but he has no memories of seeing the movies in the theaters like I do.  And I think that’s it for me – my very first movie memory EVER is seeing the Empire Strikes back at the Indian Hills theater in Omaha… and that experience included standing in line outside, being scared to death, and falling asleep.  HA!

I found different leggings – the ones I REALLY wanted but for half the price on Ebay, and I returned the purple ones to Kohl’s (I mean, really, why would I need two pair of Star Wars leggings?).  I was giddy putting them on.  Matthew was so excited to see them on me: “Mommy has Star Wars pants!  There’s Star Wars on Mommy’s pants.  HA!”  They were quite popular at the theater, as was my shirt (passed as vintage although it was a reproduction), and because of them, Hottie insisted I have my photo taken with the characters outside the theater.  I thought it was ridiculous, but I’m so glad I did it.  It was super fun, and I felt like a little kid again!

I may have shed a tiny tear when the theater went dark and STAR WARS flashed up on the screen.  Sometimes, especially in times like we’ve had lately, you just need to feel young again, and lose yourself in a movie that serves as a reminder that you did have a childhood that was, at times, magical and memorable.