Before the Waffles moved in we did a few things to the house.
Er…I guess this is a good time to admit that we call our foster kids ‘the Waffles.’ This is because when we first started talking about bringing them into our home and possibly adopting them it sounded scary. FOSTER CARE. Just say it. It’s like saying a scary medical term. FOSTER CARE – terrifying, huh?
Don’t you just hear those drums the Texans had to listen to while they were waiting for the Mexicans to attack at the Alamo when the words foster care are uttered?
Boom. Boom. Boom. Foster Care. Foster Care. Foster Care.
But Waffles? EVERYONE LOVES WAFFLES! There is NOTHING scary about waffles! So, we’d say ‘hey, are we getting the Waffles this weekend? What are we thinking about the Waffles? Can we really handle having three biological kids AND three waffles? Do you think we should take the Waffles to Auburn with us this weekend? How in the world could we ever go to Disney World again if we got the Waffles?’
What? It makes total sense.
So, when we started moving rooms around I decided to have Ginger (my decorator – y’all, I’m SO fancy) do something about the closet under the stairs. It didn’t have shelves and ended up just being a hot spot – ya know, one of those places where you stuff things and close the door when your Mom comes over. So, we decided to turn it into a little mini office. We (and I’m using the term ‘we’ here very loosely) took the door off, added a desk with a piece of glass over it, a skirt to cover the electronics, and a cork board.
Enter Patrick Rothfuss. Y’all know I’m a wee bit obsessed with the Kingkiller Chronicles. It’s my very favorite book series. Yes, Patrick Rothfuss did singlehandedly destroy my house one day but I’ve forgiven him for it. So, I decided to order vinyl lettering to put on the wall with the opening of the Name of the Wind – the first book in the series.
I love the way it turned out. It just makes me happy every time I walk by it.
Plus, between you, me and the Internets THE MAN HIMSELF ACTUALLY RETWEETED MY PICTURE when I tweeted it – which, of course, pretty much made my year.
Hey, have I ever told you about the time he mentioned my blog in his blog?
Yes?
Only a thousand times?
Really?
Well, do you want to hear it one more time?
No? Okay! You don’t have to get huffy about it.
The thing I love SO much about Rothfuss is he is so good at world building. If you don’t know what world building is it’s the process by which authors create their fantasy worlds. He’s just a master at it. This fantasy world he has created in which his characters live is so big and so awesome.
For instance, take his first sentence:
It was Felling Night and the usual crowd had gathered at the Waystone Inn.
It wasn’t some random Tuesday or New Year’s Eve. It was Felling Night. A made up holiday. A holiday just for his world. And it’s not at just any inn. It’s The Waystone Inn. Sigh, I just love it. I just stinking love it!
Alright, simmer down Paula.
Rothfuss also runs a charity called Worldbuilders where fantasy authors and readers come together to make the world a better place. Dude! That’s what we’re trying to do with the Waffles!
I love The Kingkiller Chronicles like like I love waffles – but, not our Waffles because, oh my goodness, how much trouble are they? Okay, okay. I love our Waffles too…most of the time…definitely on Felling Night.