It's about time to relax and get some pup snuggles in.

This has been an incredibly long and exhausting week. And maybe that's because I drank too much on Wednesday night, or maybe it's because a friend of mine has been going through a rough time and needed to lean on me.... maybe it's neither of those things and I'm just exhausted as a person in general. It really could be any of them.

But, it's finally Friday and while I have to do a few things after work today (ie: run to the grocery store, finish cleaning the house, and do laundry), I'm hoping to not do a whole lot else the rest of the weekend. 

My brother, his girlfriend, and the baby are staying over tonight, but they'll be heading back to their house probably on Saturday morning, so after that I plan on not doing much of anything. I think even D has to work on Saturday. 

So.... maybe I'll just not wear pants and watch the new Breaking Bad movie on Netflix. Maybe I'll find and start a different show and binge-watch that. Who knows? Perhaps, a few scary movies. The point is, once I get off of work today and do the things I have to do this evening, nobody bother me, because I'm checking out.

Obviously my first selection is Harry Potter.... and I have no regrets. ⚡️⚡️

Dani gifted me Audible for Christmas (she's so much better at gift exchanging than I am), and to be honest, I had no idea where to start. With the membership she gifted me, I get one free credit a month (you buy the audiobooks with "credits") and you can listen to any of the "Audible Originals" for free.

There are a million books to choose from (you buy audiobooks for Audible through Amazon) and to say that my "Book Wishlist" was long would be an understatement.

I originally decided that my first listen would be "Dear Mr. You by Mary Louise Parker" because I have loved her since she played Ruth Jamison and since it had been on my wishlist for a long while, I thought it would be a good place to start.

Yeah.... I got about 35 - 40 minutes and gave up. I just couldn't get into it to save my life. The cool thing is though, I didn't "waste" my credit, because if you get a little bit into the book and you don't like it, you can return the book and they'll return your credit without charging you.

Since I was so disappointed with my first choice, I had no clue what my next selection should be. So, I went with my comfort zone and chose.... Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The fact that I love Harry Potter is universally known by all my friends and family (and some strangers, but that's not the point) and honestly, I can't believe I didn't think to start there to begin with, as it seems like such a no-brainer.

You see, even though I LOVE Harry Potter, I haven't ever read the first book (I know, treacherous), and I haven't even watched the first movie since Manda's Pa took us to see it in theatres when it first came out (and we were ELEVEN years old). Therefore, starting from the very beginning, and then continuing in chronological order, seems to make the most sense. I've been listening to it for one day (at work while I have the office to myself and prefer it over the radio tenfold) and I'm already almost through chapter nine and onto chapter ten.

If y'all need me, I'll be elbow deep into audiobooking HPATSS and probably watching the movie sometime in the next week. Afterall, I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good.

You can always count on your real friends to remember.

I can feel the hatred that I have for this day (this day being a Monday) deep in my soul.
But I still had to come into work like an adult.
No worries, my friends find ways to get me through these kinds of days.

Every single friend in my entire life:

"Hey, I found this really old and questionable picture of Katie that makes us all remember how much of a dork she has always been.... let's go ahead and post that right now."

Courtesy of Krista (JB's wife) on FB 1/22/18 (circa 2002....2003?!)

Because it's just too good not to share.

I've We've talked about my ongoing battle with my hair a time or two.... right?! I always say that I'm going to grow it long and when it's long I hate it and want it short, but then I cut it short I hate it and want it to grow and.... do you see where I'm going with this? Do you see that I'm never satisfied with my hair? (Except one time when I was like, eighteen and had my favorite hairstyle that I've ever had.... another story for another day).

It's an ongoing battle that I've been fighting my entire life.... ever since my arch nemesis cut off one of my pigtails (yes, just one, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). And honestly I can trace it back to that exact moment (and the little asshole that did it), but it only got increasingly worse as I got older and always toed the line between Wtf and #JeffFoxworthyHairDontCare. And while it's long now and I like the way it looks when I put effort into it, the truth is, I don't put effort in nearly enough (because eff that) and I end up with it piled on top of my head.

And that opens the door for a myriad of things including, but not limited to: headaches, pain, agony, and defeat (not to be dramatic or anything). Plus, I sometimes get my hair shut in my car door.... more often than I care to admit. And while it's curly and has a mind of it's own, I think I would miss it if I was to cut it short. Why?!

Well, I have a tendency to live more in my imagination then I do in actual reality, and I "feel" like I should have long hair. You know, because in all of the legendary love stories/books and movies that I insist on reading/watching, you never hear of the "long lost love" or "woman of the dreams" or "heroine of her own destiny" having short hair. You just don't. The only one that I can think of off the top of my head is Maggie Greene-Rhee and let's be honest, she's such a badass that you can't argue with her.

And while my sensibility tells me that's ridiculous and my inner "warrior woman" says that's foolish, I can't seem to compute that to my actual brain. I always think of cutting my hair and end up at, "what if?!" I know that shouldn't bother me, but it does. And if you think I'm as crazy as what I do, I get it, but just know.... EXPLAIN IT TO MY BRAIN AND MAKE IT UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE IT'S A JERK (and that's probably why that makes up at least 87% of my personality).

Also, doesn't society.... and your family/friends kind of make you feel like if you're female you should have long hair?!

I say all of this, because I don't know how to not ramble feel the need to tell you that when you have a lifetime full of "hair woes" you're bound to have some real "gems" hidden away in old pictures. (And so do your family and friends). And when I run across a really good one.... I have to share. So, without further ado, I give to you.... Katie and Amanda (and our friend from back in the day- Devo) at ten.... eleven? (twelve?). Something like that. We are truly the epitome of 90s kids.

This simply could not wait until Thursday.... Manda, there's no one else I would have rather survived my 1983 bangs and high waisted "mom" jeans with. 😂 9/4.

A post shared by Katie Hopwood (@kdhopwood) on Sep 4, 2017 at 4:45pm PDT

Harry Potter is 20.... and I am old as f*ck.

On this day in 1997 JK Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the Sorcerer's Stone to us here in the states) was released. And shit was changed FOR-EVV-ERRRRR.

While I didn't know about this book until four years later (when the first movie was released), it's safe to say that everything would be a lot different without this little anniversary. Just think, when I existed in a world without Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger no one knew how much better the fictional world was about to get.

Don't believe me?! Yeah, tell that to their theme-park. *mic drop*

Today is the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter books release (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.... Sorcerer's Stone here in the states), and to say I feel a bit old would be an understatement. 20th anniversary?! I remember when it happened the first time!! 😭 I think I'm gonna have to watch Harry Potter this evening. ❤️ 6/26. #HarryPotter

A post shared by Katie Hopwood (@kdhopwood) on Jun 26, 2017 at 9:41am PDT

The point is, a moment like this needs to be documented (and yes, I feel like this is an important enough event in my life to document). From book releases (1997-2007) to movie releases (2001-2011). If you don't want to do the math that's fourteen years. And fourteen years doesn't even begin to describe what this is to certain people. While legit fans love the books as much as the movies, it was the movies that really made it sink in for people. What does all of that boil down to?

10 years, 8 movies (7 books), and $1.342 billion dollars. Yes, BILLION.
And the late great Alan Rickman in yet another one of his amazing roles.
And you're wrong.... Ron and Hermione totally DO belong together FOREVER.

The first run in I had with anything Harry Potter was when I was eleven years old and my friend Amanda wanted me to go with her to the movies. We were pretty inseparable and her Pa agreed that I should come along (that was also the logic used to take me to Guntown Mountain with them). I'm not sure there has ever been two more mesmerized kids in the history of any movie. Just us sitting in that teeny little theater in the town next to our holler of a town.... it was only us, because in the town we grew up in, Harry Potter was considered witchcraft therefore blasphemy for many people. Deep South, amirite?!

We watched that movie and then got a hold of any and every thing Harry Potter. Here we are now as grown adults (I'm 27, she's 28) and we still share that special bond. The "kids might grow up and apart, but true ones are still there no matter what" bond. And Harry Potter is what really cemented that for us at such a young age. Almost twenty years of loving/unbreakable friendship and for that, I am forever grateful.

Thank you, JK Rowling. Love, Dumbledore's Army.... Forever & Always.