#OneLastTime

In December of 2012 I was recovering from major surgery and a blood sugar crisis that could have been fatal. There was very little energy in my body; I hadn't really been anywhere in weeks. Against all wisdom, my son Will and our friend Butch convinced me to go the The Hobbit. It didn't take too much convincing, as I was a very willing victim. Middle Earth is near and dear to my heart and has been for a very long time. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a favorite long before they were made into masterpieces of cinema. The Hobbit was also a much loved book in my younger days. Heck, I even read The Silmarillion! J.R.R. Tolkien's writing has had a huge influence on my life, and Peter Jackson's movies have brought Middle Earth to life in ways that seemed highly unlikely to me. 

Today marks the release of the third and final chapter in The Hobbit trilogy of movies, the first two of which have been simply stunning. I had spent many moments in my lifetime imagining what the dragon Smaug would look like; Peter Jackson captured the beast on film in the most awesome of ways. And now it all comes to an end. At 1 PM today Will, Butch and myself will once again travel together to Middle Earth- #OneLastTime. It's time to bid farewell to the film versions of Gandalf, Bilbo, Gollum, Legolas and so many others. It's time to discover once more time that Hobbits are much more than they appear to be. We have forged our own little fellowship of the ring, and we go forth together on this day to see what promises to be an amazing 2.5 hours of movie magic. The battle of the 5 armies is about to begin. All hail Bilbo Baggins!