Summer 2010 recap

Well it's that time of year, friends. People are retiring their bathing suits and schools are starting all over the country. I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on Summer 2010 and see what happened. Good and bad.

* WORLD CUP! From June 11-July 11, I was riveted. Such fun to see countries from all over the world bond over this one event. I could have done without the vuvuzelas ("Is there a beehive nearby??") Congratulations to Spain for their victory. Oh and my marriage proposal to Gonzalo Higuaín is still standing.

* THE GULF OIL SPILL. On July 15, the leak was finally capped off. But not after spilling millions of oil into the ocean. I had a hard time seeing pictures of those pelicans and turtles covered in oil on the news. BP, you SUCK.

* COLORADO TRIP. My friend Amy and I had a wonderful time visiting our friend Jody in Boulder. I want to go back!!

* SUMMER READING. I started the summer with Eat, Pray, Love (haven't seen the movie yet) and then read Water For Elephants. I fully intended to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo after that, but then I was recommended "The Hunger Games" by a co-worker. That trilogy has consumed my summer reading ever since.

Here's the gist according to wikipedia: "Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen lives in a post-apocalyptic world where a powerful government called the Capitol has risen up after several devastating disasters. The Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to a fight. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to show how no one, including children, is above the Capitol's power. The last person standing wins the game."

So North America was hit with tons of disasters and many died. The part of America left was renamed Panem and the Capitol (located in the Rockies) is the city that run the 12 Districts. The Capitol is super evil and corrupt and could care less that everyone in the districts is starving. Finally the rest of the nation decided to rebel. There was an uprising. The Capitol won. And to show the people who is in charge (and to also issue a warning to never rebel again), they throw the Hunger Games every year. From each district one girl and one boy (between the ages of 12-18) are chosen by lottery to play in the Games. They are flown to the Capitol and put in an arena. The last one standing wins. So basically these kids have to kill each other! Ahh! There will be 23 dead and only 1 winner. Whoever wins gets to live in luxury back in their district with their family and never go hungry again.

It's a crazy premise and I was super skeptical at first. I don't read much post-apocalyptic stuff. But my friend reassured me it was amazing and to not read before bed because I won't be able to stop. "Pssh, I can totally stop reading when I want," I thought. But oh dang, he was right! I was staying up till 2 a.m. to find out what happened! So so good. The third and last book of the trilogy came out this past Tuesday. I went to the midnight release party at Borders. I am currently halfway through book 3. I'm going to be so sad when it's over.

* FLASH MOB AT WEDDING. This was such a highlight of my summer. I loved seeing my roomate's face as we danced.

* 2 CROWNS. Not fun. Many tears. But luckily the pain is gone.

* SUMMER MOVIES. I was kind of disappointed in this summer's choices. Usually I see a ton o' movies in the summer. I think I only saw 5. And the only ones I really liked were Toy Story 3 and Inception. What did you think about this summer's movies?

* JOB. I love summer at my job - lots of relational time. One of my highlights was talking with a girl who was home for the summer and started coming to the college group because she made some friends. She was a full-on atheist and didn't want to hear about God. By the end of the summer, she was asking so many questions and seeking God! It was so cool! I am praying that when she goes back to college, she will find a bible study or college group to get plugged into.

* TRIP TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. So fun to see friends, go to D-land, sleep, and relax. Vacation is soooo needed for the soul.

* WEATHER. Weird weather this summer. It was pretty much cloudy and foggy every day, all day for the first 2 months of summer. Dreary. And then recently it's been sunny and beautiful. Just as summer is ending. What am I doing indoors typing? I need to go outside and soak up the sun! *cue the Sheryl Crow song*

How are you guys feeling about your summers? Were they good? Bad? Ok?