Friends, Hunger Games, Dinner

     We started a new tradition at work. The girls as in Jean, Jenna & Tina & I are planning on going out to dinner once a month. We each contributed names of restaurants we would like to try. The first name we drew out of our list of names is Yamatos Japanese Restaurant. here in Gainesville. We planned for April 20th to be our first girls night out. We decided we would also see The Hunger Games! I first read the triliogy back in December. Then I convinced the girls they would really like it. So one by one they've read it. (Well Jean is almost finished with the third book).

Then the bad news came: Jean forgot she had a dentist appt. to have oral surgery! Oppsie. I thought Tina was going to have a melt down because she has talked about The Hunger Games book & movie every day since we planned this outing. So being the nice friend I am (haha) I suggested her and I would go see it and then we'd watch it again with the Jean & Jenna. Tina was up for that..she was smiling again! :)

Lauren another friend here at the hospital is going to join us & she may be bringing a friend too. I think we may eat at TGI Fridays for dinner then catch a 6:50 movie. I have heard good reviews of the movie. We are so excited to finally get to see it. The books were intense. I'm trying to imagine how they are going to bring this to life!

I'm hoping everyone has a blessed Friday & a wonderful weekend. :)

The Hunger Games Trilogy....Unforgettable!!!

     I've been out of the blogging loop due to several things. First, I was off work last week Dec. 7th - 9th due to having bronchitus. It started with a sore throat on Tues. morning & I was callling my beloved Dr. Gary for an appointment. So just that fast..one day...is all it took for Broncitus to set in!! It kicked my butt!!! Honestly, I didn't leave the house Thurs., Fri. or Sat.!!! I was getting stir crazy for sure. But I did have something to help  kill the time I had at home. :)
     Secondly, my downfall for not blogging was: The Hunger Games Trilogy!! I saw the movie premiere for The Hunger Games when my sister in law Amy went & seen Breaking Dawn. I remember thinking I'd heard of the book but didn't know anyone who had read it. (At the point in time I thought it was just one book!) Well the movie premiere looked interesting enough, BUT I had NO idea what the book was about. (totally clueless!!) So I thought why not go to Amazon & read the previews? After I read a few of the customer reviews I thought to myself, "why not buy the book for my Kindle app for my pc?" I think it was around $5.00. Well let me tell you once I started reading I could not stop!! To my amazement I soon found out there was a second book 'Catching Fire'! 

     It wasn't long and I had entered my debit card # to amazon & clicked buy for $6.86 (or something like that!). I think Amazon & I may become best friends! Well each book is approx. 300 pages so they aren't a short read. By Sunday night I was finishing book three 'Mockingjay'.
     All I have to say is these are the first books I've ever read by Suzanne Collins & they are totally awesome because they captured me & I felt like I was right there in the book. I'm not sure if you are like me, but when I read a book, to me it's a movie all in my mind. Honestly, sometimes I can't remember if it's a book I've read or was it a movie I've seen! That's how into it I get!!! You just can't beat a good read.
     To add more to the excitement, I so can't wait until March 23, 2012 to see the movie. I do plan on being there that Friday night to see The Hunger Games. I've watched the movie premiere & it looks like they did an awesome job selecting the young woman to play the star of the film "Katniss". She looks like I thought she would!!! Amazing, huh?
     Here's a description of the book The Hunger Games:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

      All I can say is this is nothing like the reality show Survivor. The Hunger Games makes Survivor look like Sesame Street!!! While I was reading these books all I could think is how blessed we are to live here in the United States of America!!!! 
     If you've made it this far reading my post....then you really should go ahead & download the first book. I do believe you will understand why I loved this awesome trilogy.  :)
     Oh yeah, here's the LINK to watch a preview of The Hunger Games movie that will be released March 23, 2012. Enjoy...