The Games We Play

I have always been slightly obsessed with games.

Like when I was little, I couldn't wait until I was old enough to play Boggle with the rest of the family. I looked on jealously as they all played Risk. I had stars in my eyes when Patrick and Alicia were in high school and got together with their friends to play Trivia Pursuit for hours on end on weekend nights (at least that is what they claimed they were doing!). I am not ashamed to say that one of my favorite games as a little girl was Memory...and it is still on my top 5 list of favorite games to play as an adult.

While Thomas and I were dating long distance we played Scrabble over the phone. He has tried to teach me chess, and I like it, but am quite stinky at it.

Before Thomas, a guy I dated gave me Connect Four for a gift because I loved playing it...and loved winning even more.

Playing games was a great way for me to connect with my grandmothers when we didn't have anything else to talk about: Authors, Dominos, Checkers. And, I remember as a teenager, our youth group would get together with the senior group at church to play games and it was always so fun.

I was so excited when I started buying games for the children...ones that I never had but would play at other kids' houses, like Hi-Ho Cherry-O, and Chutes and Ladders.

And how proud I have been that Calvin and Suzana have both become such excellent game players.

The last time we were in Columbus, Omi had cleaned out one more corner of her basement and found all of their old games from when Thomas was growing up. They were games that I had never heard of. They were so retro and SO 70s. The kids fell in love. We brought the Magnificent Race home with us and I think they have played it everyday for the last two weeks. I myself have yet to learn it, although they have taught several babysitters how to play already.

Dexter will be next to learn.