Hunger Games party

"The Hunger Games" has been the only movie I have actually been excited about for the past year. I don't like paying more than the cost of a redbox for a movie, so it was really saying something that I wanted to see it opening weekend.

But in true Rachael fashion, it wasn't enough to merely see the movie, I had to coordinate a Hunger Games party as well, complete with district themed couples, district themed food, and elimination style games (in a friendly but ruthless kind of way). Richard and I represented the Capital (as hosts of the event), so we wore bright vivid colors, drew tattoos on our faces, and I adopted a haughty accent for the evening. Our themed food dish was a peanut butter mousse brownie torte with chocolate ganache (to represent Capital decadence).

The food and games were phenomenal. Other districts and their food were:

Meat district (wore Texas T-shirts): ribs and sausages

Technology district (wore iphones and earbuds): "apples" and caramel

Utah district (BYU sweatshirts): funeral potatoes and green jello

Rebel district (bandanas and blue jeans): chips and salsa

Athletic district (full on biking gear and helmets): bread rolls for carbo loading

Coal district (gray clothing): ice cream?

In addition we had two certified game commissioners on hand to make sure there was no cheating when it came to the elimination games.

There were three rounds:

1) two team relay with 9 "minute to win it" type challenges (like stacking blocks with chopsticks and pulling all the kleenex out of a box with one hand)

2) trivia and knowledge count downs (30 seconds to name all the prime numbers, or scientific elements, or shakespearian plays, etc.), with the lowest scoring team being eliminated after each specific round.

3) blindfolded musical chairs.

I wish I had the photos from these events because I was dying laughing. We had so much fun. It was one of the most successful events I have planned in a long time and it was great to have so many friends come. We had set up a room with movies and snacks for the kids complete with babysitters so all the adults could play unhindered.

And yes, Hunger Games was SO satisfying to watch. And emotional-- more than I thought it would be. I cried twice. I think I would have cried anyway even if I hadn't been pregnant. For some reason, it was easier to separate myself from some of the scenes of the book so that I was just emotionally removed enough to enjoy it without being horrified. The movie didn't leave me quite as lucky! I thought they did a fantastic job.