I live my life as a good, law abiding person. Following the straight and narrow. The most daring thing I ever did was steal a poster from the bathroom in my dorm freshman year in college, and because I'm such a goody-2-shoes I returned it a few nights later to the same spot. I want so desperately to be a Princess Leia type personality - sassy, quick witted, "charming to the last" - but when it comes down to it, I'm Luke Skywalker. And with good reason...

I do not know a life without Star Wars: my father took me to see Star Wars (back before it was renamed Episode IV: A New Hope) in the theater in May 1977, just days after my 3rd birthday. He loved the movie so much, he then convinced my grandfather & uncle that they should see it as well - all the while these men using me as an excuse to go see this "kids'" movie. In total, I saw Star Wars 6 times in the theater and drive in! What 3 year old can make that claim?

My father created a monster! Consumed by it I am, forever it dominates my destiny. When faced with a decision, I can hear a little voice (it always resembles Alec Guiness) asking me: "what would Luke/Leia do?" Sadly, I usually have an answer - and these answers are always oddly appropriate!

Subsequently, as Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were released in the theaters, my younger brother & I always found ourselves being taken to see them with our very eager parents. With little begging and pleading, they bought us mountains of SW toys. We had ships, action figures, creatures, play sets, and of course the woods out back to reinact every scene from Endor. I remember my brother's loft bed - we would drape a blanket over the side and create the belly of the Millenium Falcon. His closet had shelves big enough to hold a 6 and 3 year old, so we would pretend his closet was the gun turrets. We'd yell, "Great kid! Now don't get cocky!" even though we hardly knew what that meant.

Though we didn't realize it at the time, my brother & I were already consumed with Star Wars. In high school, seems like everyone knew we were into Star Wars. I don't know, maybe my brother's nickname for me: Leia, was a giveaway? We should have known! Every weekend, we would have a Star Wars marathon - watching all 3 movies on Friday night (complete with ice cream sundaes) and AGAIN on Saturday night (those nights were for omelettes & home fries). Yes, you read that right, every weekend we'd watch the OT twice. This went on for 3 years until I graduated and went off to college. Yes, I had friends, thank you very much, but since our strict parents set a 9pm curfew, we had PLENTY of free time to watch these movies!

Something funny happens when you're not paying very close attention to your hobby - it become an obsession because you're too blinded by your enthusiasm to see it! In college, since I did not have a t.v. or VCR in my dorm room, I was Star Wars-less until my weekends or vacations home - when again my brother & I fell comfortably into our old trilogy weekend routines.

Now I had this friend in college who knew I liked Star Wars, so he was looking for an excuse to watch the trilogy and invited me. We not only watched the 3 movies back to back, but soon after became a couple! I don't know that Star Wars was responsible for making us fall in love (though a Terminator marathon probably wouldn't have had the same effect) but it makes for a fun story! My husband is definitely a fan of SW, but not a crazed lunatic such as myself.

As an adult, I know that I am a total geek - the only thing I haven't done yet is dress up like a Jedi! We did have the Imperial March announce us at our wedding, though. I think that counts. No friends will play SW Trivia Pursuit with me (there's a house rule placed only on ME: 3 wedge limit before someone else gets a turn)... No adults want to watch the movies with me (I tend to elaborate wildly when asked even the most simple questions)... It's a sad existence.

We have a child now, he's 4, and a total Star Wars fanatic! He speaks lines along with the movies, acts out scenes with his action figures, knows the names of all the ships. We tried playing Star Wars Trivia Pursuit with him a few weeks ago and he actually got 3 wedges on his own! I'm so proud I could cry...!

No, our child is not named after a Star Wars character. Before the PT came out, we had decided we would name a boy Anakin (these were the days when not everyone knew Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader's real name unless they had seen the movies more than 3 times). But after PT? Well, it's a little to glaring now to choose a name like that! I do occasionally call him Darth Child when he's acting particularly sithy.

I am a Star Wars fanatic and I am proud of it! I am the idol of my younger cousins who are full of questions and want to start discussions with me on anything Star Wars. My son tells me I look like Princess Leia (yes, the round face and brown eyes are similar!). I'm through fighting the label of "Star Wars Geek" and ready to embrace my destiny.