Board Games and Card Games

I grew up in a card playing/board game playing family. I've realized that you either are or are not a game player... it's probably a 50/50 chance of marrying someone who grew up with the same tradition. I distinctly remember Sunday Night Game nights (before Hasbro or Mattel thought to market them); and I remember long running Rummy 500 games with my father in the summertime during college. It's what we did.
Now, I'm not talking "Hungry, Hungry Hippo" or "Candy Land" and "Chutes and Ladders." No chance that we'd have the games of just 'luck' in our house... although I did manage to sneak in "Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City" and "Sweet Valley High." From my earliest memory, we were playing: Uno, Jumble, Yahtzee, Monopoly, Othello, Mastermind, Rummikub, Chinese Checkers, Chess, Pente, Waterworks, Connect Four, Perfection, Mille Bornes, Trivial Pursuit and Parchessi, to name a few. Card games were Rummy 500, Gin, Spades, Hearts and progressed into 42 with dominoes. And I'm completely aware that you may not have heard of all of the board games... neither had my husband. Of course, Solitaire in a dozen different ways was always the option too... Idiot's Delight was a time killer favorite... cards were always packed for vacations, road trips, etc.
New games have come into our family: Phase 10, Sudoku, Mexican Train, Chickenfoot, Pitch, Sequence and Apples to Apples. I'm grateful to game companies who can continue to dream up new and inventive ways to play a game. And I'm glad to see they are games that my husband is willing to try, play and win! But here in lies the twist...
Game playing with just 2 people isn't so much fun. Yes, Othello, Chess, Checkers, Mastermind and a few others work perfectly with two people... but Uno, Phase 10, Spades, Hearts, and domino games work much better with 3-4+ people. You need them for friendly competition and a better strategic game...
Which leads me in to my most recent 'laugh till your belly hurts' reflection.
My sister blew into town this past weekend, enroute to her base. We had brought out the card shuffler (for my husband's entertainment) and the Phase 10 25th Anniversary card set for an afternoon of low-key entertainment and friendly competition. We'd gotten through one game and were starting another, when a friend dropped in... with a few hours to kill before his next appointment. We invited him to join in our game... gave him the brief and important rules, and started a new round. Steven and I were thrilled... we hadn't had 2 guests over in ages to play games.
Halfway through the game, it looked a bit like this... Courtney had the lead early on; but had given it up; Steven was quietly progressing through his phases, not paying attention to anyone else's game... Steph was in the lead, in points and phases and Erik was in dead last in all categories... he was sitting in the defense position to Steph... so, he quickly had to decide: Defense or offense. Was this game about keeping Steph from winning or giving himself a boost in the rankings? He choose defense which lead into the most hysterical attempt to sabotage Steph and in the meantime, inadvertently sabotaged his own hand from ANY chance of going out... he was holding all of the yellow cards, and in the meantime, didn't have a chance of getting his 4 of a kind as necessary. In the end of that hand, Steven, Mr. Methodical; went out... and Erik and I got stuck with obscene amounts of points... I hadn't really cared what I was doing... it was much more fun watching the sabotage play out and laughing till the gut just hurt.
Steven and Stephani are 1st borns: "Must Win."
Erik and I are the babies... "Just want someone to play with. Don't care about winning."

The War in Iraq

Let me start out by saying that this in no way is going to turn into a political piece. I have quickly separated 'politics' and 'emotional ties' in regards to the military, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan or anywhere else for that matter that the government is shipping our soldiers off to.
A bit of background... my father is a Vietnam Vet, not by choice. I grew up in a household where those months/years of his life were not discussed. We were not allowed to watch anything about the war on t.v.
Flashforward... my sister does the college thing, the post-college jobs and then decides to sign up for the Air Force at the age of 26. Eleven years later, we're finally having to face the idea that she's going to be going across the pond to Baghdad for a year, in personnel support with the Army. What she's actually going to be doing... well, do any of us really know? Or want to know?
She was given the information this week of where she will be doing her pre-deployment training... in Washington State. So, the mental preparation really begins for our family.
She's stopping in to visit this weekend, and I know the visits really are numbered before her departure. We're the only siblings... and she's not married nor has kids; so we won't have to worry about her dependents... just our nice, close-knit family... who really struggles with the needs of the military; and how she feels called to this job. I'm grateful she does... because it's never been a part of my thought process... I'm quite a junkie on picking out my own clothes each day... I'm forever grateful that she and thousands of other men and women are dedicating their lives to our government and the freedom of us and others throughout the world.
More to come on this subject, I'm sure...

Eating Out and Eating Healthy in Mid-America

I know... I talk a lot about food. It's become my obsession, as I joined Weight Watchers in 2007; and lost 40 pounds. I've become in fear of it; yet, I still crave it!
So, as you've read... eating out isn't quite as easy as it sounds; and eating healthy is quite the next chore. Most small cafes are equipt with the basic menu: cheeseburgers, fries, gems (tater tots), breaded chicken sandwiches, mexi-burger (Sloppy joes), onion rings and other strange oddities: fried cheese curds, breaded french fries and something local... one is always skeptical.
So, I love it when I do find the stand alone 'house salad.' Usually preparing myself that it's lettuce with a tomato or two on top. Never fear, ask for dressing on the side for your own control.
So, how does one go out to eat with their very high metabolism husband, and stay within the realm of eating well? I think last time that I ate at our local cafe, I ordered the chicken breast sandwich, hold the buns (as they are buttered and toasted); and had a hot veggie side dish. Of course, I had one of my hubby's sour cream fries (which used to be my staple); and I tasted the local water. Not exciting; but supporting the local economy is important!
If you've got tips, or better ideas on how to get around the skinny menu that doesn't keep you skinny, let me know!

Dining Out in a Small Town

So, part of my job is to make arrangements in various communities within Northeast Nebraska, for our office board meetings. Usually 25 people, food is a must, a separate meeting room is a must, and a door to the room is a high priority (not always an option). Other preferred perks are: good food, take credit cards, don't mind 25 separate checks, good service and free use of the meeting room. Pretty basic requests.
Here's the clincher... the median size of a community in Nebraska is 350. I live in a village (for those under 800 in population) of 368. We have one cafe, to dine out at. No separate meeting room. Therefore, they are not on the list of places to eat out at.
But here's the other part... the boss picks the communities with some randomness, and some rhyme and reason; and then gives me the list. I, the very non-native to the area, are then left to discover the list of eatery options. Most times, the list is a list; other times, the list is one. Ok, maybe two.
So, last night we were in Bloomfield. It's getting rather close to the South Dakota border. Lovely city of 1,126 people. You'd think you would have options. We did. Our option was JB's. I think, in the daylight, it also doubles as a gas station/convienent store. But by night, it's the city's only eatery, and it has a NEWLY remodeled meeting room. (They finished the remodeling just in time for our meeting). It was great... tables filled the main store area; and we crowded creatively in the meeting room. We could order from the menu; but they had planned a special Special for us. 2 pieces of Broasted Chicken, a large mountain of mashed potatoes, overflowing with cream gravy; a side of green beans; one very large roll and if we still had room, a large piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting; all for $4.95! What a deal! 20 of the 22 visitors dined on this great feast; while a few opted for the menu's burger and fries.
You must keep in mind that we were all most gracious for the warm and cozy environment, as it had dipped to -3 degrees by the time we departed the meeting. We left in the freezing chill of the night; with tummys full and another successful board meeting checked off my 'to do' list.
I'm just waiting for us to get to a community, where an eating establishment isn't an option... maybe my boss already knows where he can't go...

It's All Relative

This morning, I awoke to an outside temperature of 17 degrees! And so, as I dressed, I honestly debated whether or not it was too warm to wear a 100% wool sweater to work. But rationalized it that I wouldn't have to turn on my space heater, and I could always crack the window if I got too hot... as it would be close to 30 degrees for a high. And did I really need a coat, hat and gloves for my drive to work?
Let me put this in perspective... growing up in Texas, the internal conversation would have been, "Is it cold enough yet for the sweater? It is already down to 40 degrees... and I could always change at lunch if it just gets too warm. I'd really like to wear the sweater at some point this season." Oh, so sad...
So, the highlight is that it will be above freezing for 3 days this weekend... even into the 50s on Monday; and crashing back to the low 30s and into the 20s after that... then again, it is winter in the Midwest.
I've quickly realized that all of the coldness is 99% more tolerable when the sun is out.
2 more months till Spring... but who's counting?

Southerners Surviving Another Winter

I must report that despite that it's just '-7 degrees on my way to work; it's 'not too bad.' Ok, so we had to shovel ourselves out of our house this morning; scrape the car windows (a morning ritual for 5 months), and dress beyond all recognition... it really isn't so bad.
The wind could have been stronger, the snow could have still been falling; and the car could have opted to not start. All of which are possible variables in a Midwest winter.
The first snowfall of the year was around Thanksgiving, I'm pretty sure we still have some of it on our ground... the rest have just stacked on top... melted a few days here and there; but prevailed.
Maybe it's a contest between snowflakes... who can stick around the longest? It's no secret that with Easter coming at just about the earliest possible date (March 23), we've already resigned ourselves to the fact that there will be snow on the ground while we don our springtime attire, in hopes that the more flowers you wear, the brighter the colors, the less obvious the cold winter blanket will feel... right? Or maybe we should just hold off on the Easter dress this year, and wear our Christmas attire, once more... get more wear and tear for the almighty (but shrinking) US dollar.
So... I'm happy to say. we're alive. We're managing our weather conditions just fine. We've adapted and continue to adapt to the early days, the long nights and the blanket of fresh snow that greets us, almost weekly. We know it only lasts 6 months; and then we're greeted with growth, renewal and green. We can wait patiently... or at least, we can wait!