This Month's Update

Warning: This post will be rambly. I just haven't felt like updating my blog recently. One big reason is once I get done with work I just don't want to be on a computer anymore. And blogging without a computer is kind of difficult. We've also been busy enough that when I do have downtime, I just want to veg out and turn my brain off for a while.

Big news in our life? Well, a few weeks ago we put an offer on a house! It was accepted and everything seems to be underway to close towards the end of the month. I'm excited to paint its rooms different colors (I've wanted to paint our apartment for a year, but that's not really allowed). The way the timing will work, it looks like we'll have our apartment for a couple months of overlap, too, so we'll be able to take our time moving out without a lot of stress. Yay for that :)

What else has been going on...? We went to a conference with our high schoolers earlier this month and learned about prayer. It was lots of fun! We also saw the Hunger Games twice this weekend: Thursday night at midnight and Friday night. I really enjoyed it. Yes, the book is way better, and there were a few things I would have done a little bit differently, but I thought they did a good job of capturing the book on film. Since the book is written completely from Katniss' point of view, it made parts of the story hard to capture (or at least her thought process and how she feels about things). Overall it was great, though!

Oh, and I wanted to mention my grandpa turned 99 this month! I was a little sad we weren't able to make it to his birthday party, but I did get to talk to him on the phone and it sounds like he had a good time :)

On that note, I'm calling it a night. Good night!

The Hunger Games

I have a new favorite book trilogy: The Hunger Games. Okay, to be fair, this doesn't replace my other books as favorites, it's merely added to the list of those I re-read from time to time. But back to The Hunger Games...

These books are popular right now, and for good reason. Although they aren't a challenging read, they're a fun one. Without giving too much away, the trilogy is about a suppressed society that the government controls through taking advantage of its citizens and their need for food. The books follow the story of Katniss, a 16 year-old girl that's grown up in a coal mining district.

A few things I like about the story, without spoilers:

• It's told through Katniss' eyes, which helps you see her growth and development over the course of the story. You can also see the character development of her friends and family through her eyes, too. Character development is always a key part of a good story.
• It takes place in the future in the United States (although it's not the U.S. anymore). No, we don't know what the future will bring, but there are elements of the society described that seem fairly realistic.
• It's a quick read. I've already read it twice; the first time I read all 3 books in 6 days (it would have been much faster if I didn't need to work, sleep, eat...).

I'm also excited to see the movie, although I'm sure the books will be better. The official site seems like it has a lot of fun stuff to help prepare for it, including a separate site mimicking The Capitol where you can get your District Identification Pass. Here's mine:

And here's the teaser trailer:

Anyone else into the Hunger Games? Did you get your District Identification Pass yet? What's your assigned occupation?