I Like Pictures and Stories

Have you ever checked out Suzy's blog? Well you should! Because she always has interesting things to say and cool projects to try out and funny stories to tell! Her blog is where I scammed the idea to do this: Step One: Post your very first facebook profile picture Step Two: pick just one picture from each consecutive year up to the present one Step Three: Explain/tell a story about each one Fun right?!

I was suprised that this was my very first profile picture...I definatly thought it was a different one! Either way, this is a testament to the Tim Tam Slam! For a while there my friends and I were very into the Tim Tam Slam and did it pretty much everytime we all got together! If you don't know what the Tim Tim Slam is...well I'm kinda sad for you. This picture was from 2007.

2008. This picture was taken at the end of a ministry trip we took to Calgary during Easter break. We had a great week helping out at The Food Bank, The Mustard Seed and some other Christian organizations in the city. We also stayed in a church that didn't have any showers, we all took 2 showers at the community pool throughout the week. The four of us were sitting in the back of the can during the last hour and a half drive home and taking silly pictures. This is our "who turned out the lights?!" picture. It made sense at the time!

and here we are in 2009, on a weekend inbetween camps. Craig, Kaylyn, Debbie and I had a most excellent Saturday off! It started with a leftover picnic in "the space van" after which we went for a drive on reserve land and picked berries out of the window. Then we went to the camp and spent the afternoon floating on tubes in the lake. We went waaaaaaay out the the middle of the Lake where a man driving a boat circled around us until we were being tossed by the waves. Also on the list of activities for the day were: a visit to the museum, laundry, listening to creepy music and planning our deaths in a car crash and eating ice cream. It was a really good day! Also, 2009 was a really good year! A lot happened during it.

2010! Also a lot of good things happened but whenever I think about the year it always revolves around the 2 weeks I spent in Regina during the summer for Becky's wedding! I had such a blast helping her do the last minute things and doing all the fun before wedding stuff. Plus her wedding day was just amazing!

One of my most favorite days in 2011!! My 27th birthday :) My friends really went above and beyond to show me I was loved! We went mini golfing, then had a birthday cake picnic, followed by playing W5 and doing some singing around the fire. THEN my friends kidnapped me and drove me around until I was very confused as to our location! When we got to where I had no idea we were going my friends put off FIREWORKS!! It was the best!

And all this brings us to 2010. This picture was taken mere seconds after the new year began. We were all hanging out at a farm playing games, eating food and having a lot of laughs. New Years Eve is one of my favorite nights and I was very happy to spend this last one with these 2 girls, they are a couple of my oldest and dearest friends. That was nice. I'm glad we had this time together :)

Thoughts on The Hunger Games

Ok, first off. I don't want anyone to ever mistake me for a bandwagon jumper oner, or a trend follower or anything like that because I'm really not. I like to decide for myself if I like something or not. Example: I've never, ever read any of the Harry Potter or Twilight books. I also have never seen the movies. And guess what? I never will! Because, even though, they've been all the rage with society and with pretty much all my friends I checked out what they were about and I decided that wasn't something I was interested in.

So there's that.

Now, The Hunger Games is a different thing altogether. I've known for a while that this would be a story I would be interested in. Mostly because even though I'm not a sci-fi fan per se, I do like futuristic settings. I also am drawn to survival stories as well as stories about the underdog rising up against injustice. Thus I knew, this was a book trilogy I would probably enjoy reading.

I've only read the first book but trust me when I say that I devoured it. I bought it on a Friday and by the following Wednesday I had read it twice. I sorely regret not just splurging on the entire trilogy at once because I am very anxious to get on with the story and find out what happens in the world of Panem. Anyway, yes I enjoyed the book. It was well written with complex and beautiful characters along with a tragic storyline about the deep injustice of dystopian societies. I also admit that I am in love with the Katniss and Peeta storyline.

And I know, I know, it's "about" kids killing kids. And everyone who is trying to be a good person says, "How can you read a book or watch a movie about THAT? It's horrible!" But that's the thing, it is horrible! It's unjust and disgusting and no one should be pleased with it! That's kind of the point of these books, the country of Panem is grossly dominated by the Capitol and in order for them to remain in control they intimidate, steal from and bully the surrounding 12 districts. The Hunger Games is just one of they ways the Capitol reminds everyone that they are in charge and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Or at least that's what you might think.

I also watched the movie. Yes, it was violent and no, I wouldn't suggest anyone under the age of 15 watch it but it was very well done.

One last thing: dystopian societies are real, that's not a reality that is far removed from us. None of them might have something as horrible as the hunger games but they have other tactics of control, just as horrible. I just wanted to put that out there.