hunger games.

Watched The Hunger Games today with E.  I read this trilogy while we were on vacation, and the first was definitely my favourite, so I went into the movie slightly wary, trying to not make my expectations too high. 

A movie adaptation is always challenging, especially with such a complex book.  It was an interesting spin on the story and I think it did a pretty good job with what it could do in 2.5 hours or so.  Glad I watched it, and am definitely looking forward to the next one.

Peetaaaa <3.  Hahaha.

conferences.

Yummy green onion & beef roll at Peaceful Restaurant.  

Been a conference-heavy week or so.  Starting with the Apologetics Conference last weekend, followed by the Rare Plant Biodiversity Conference in Seattle during the week.

Very glad I went to both, for various reasons - lots for my brain to process.

goals.

‎"If you don't put the work in, how's it going to work out?"

Saw a variation of this quote on an acquaintance's page the other day.  This might be a new motto to add to my life.

direction.

"Knowing where you’re going can be confusing. Trust your instincts."

Disney is so wise.

chill winston.

Hit up Chill Winston on Friday night with a few of my favourite girls.  Been there a few years ago for brunch, so was interested in trying their dinner menu.  Got a nice tall imperial chocolate stout with dungeness crab mac & cheese - wonderful.

I love them - they make me feel so loved, even when I doubt myself.

loneliness.

Some days are really difficult.

Why does it need to be so hard?  Why can't we just be happy?

the hobbit.

Finally finished reading The Hobbit last night.  It was on my list of books I "should" read at some point - it was definitely much easier to get into than the Lord of the Rings series, but was still a difficult read.  A lot of the time I didn't fully understand what people were saying and had to do a lot of re-reading.  And the story was fun, but I didn't get sucked in as I'd heard many had.

Ah well, check.

pavlova.

When we were on vacation in New Zealand, we tried their classic dessert - pavlova.  It's basically meringue with fresh fruit and whipped cream... and it is delicious.  Definitely my favourite dessert there.  In New Zealand & Australia, there is a debate as to which country was actually the true inventor (one of many rivalries).

Last week, Elysia and I decided to try a pub called Moose's Down Under before we went to the hockey game, and saw this written on the dessert board!  It was equally as yummy.

Nice surprise :)