The Best Family Games

     About five years ago, I thought I'd hit the jackpot when my dad said he thought it might be good to play some games during dinner.  Someone he knew at work did that with their family, and I was all for not having to just sit their and eat.  Playing a game sounded fun!  What followed is now known as our tradition.  Though we don't play games every night at dinner, we have become self-pronounced connoisseurs of family board/card/ect. games (RELATED: My Favorite Apps.) and from that esteemed position, I'm here to tell you the must have family games of this era.  If you are a semi normal family....or less than averagely normal-- like my own clan-- I promise you will thoroughly enjoy "womping" on each other in the following games:

Snorta
(photo credit: latoysetc.com)

Snorta- There's no better way to embarrass company and get to know someone than by making barnyard animal noises in quick succession.  This game is good for kids 6+, and combines a sort of go-fish concept with farm animal noises.  You pick an animal (there are actual animal pawns), pick it's "noise," and repeat the noise to the group.  Then, you hide your animal in its mini barn and listen to the other players as they announce their noise.  As the game begins, you are watching to see if someone lays down the same card that you just laid down.  If they do, you must make their animal noise before they make their own.  If you do, they get all the cards you had laid down.  The winner is the one who gets rid of all their cards first, and is an expert at quick thinking!

The Awkward Family Photo Game
(photo credit: wired.com)

The Awkward Family Photo Game- Ever seen those awkward family photos of mom, dad and the kids all dressed in denim?  How about the one where one child is looking like a soon-to-be ax murderer?  If you haven't, you clearly need to!  From the people who exploited these photos-gone-wrong, comes the board game that makes them even funnier!  You have to put captions on the awkward photos, tell what must have been happening before the picture was taken, and lots of other hilarious explanations.  You get points for having the funniest response.  The person with six points first wins, but honestly: we just kept playing till we were laughing to hard to continue!

Uno- This game is a classic.  It is what started our family game nights and dinner games.  We became quick experts at bluffing, cheating, and other wholesome aspects of competition....ok, that sounds pretty bad, doesn't it?!  No, we really did enjoy Uno.  Our family played it just about every night, and it's a simple enough game that younger children can either participate or team up with an older sibling.  This is a definite must have!

Scattergories

Scattergories- This is my personal favorite.  Although The Awkard Family Photo Game is a close second, I'm a sucker for creative thinking games like Scattergories.  I first played it at a friend's house, and laughed at her older sister for practically forcing us to play.  "She doesn't want to play anything else,"  my friend revealed, "We have to play it all the time!"  After a game, I realized why my friend's sister was so addicted to Scattergories: it is amazing!  It's pretty simple too; you roll the die filled with the alphabet.  Say you land on "B," then you pick a sheet that has plenty of categories (like: pop star, fruit, vacation spot, school supply, ect).  Everyone has 90 seconds-- or less if you want to set the timer to 60 seconds for a challenge-- to write down answers to the categories.  The catch?  Everything has to start with "B."  There are three rounds, and you change the letter and the category sheet every time.  The one with the most points at the end wins.  Oh, and FYI: I hate to lose at this one!  Everyone in my social circle knows that my brain is built for Scattergories, so I can't be inferior and lose :)

Wits and Wagers

Wits and Wagers- Wits and Wagers is a numbers trivia game that goes to the extreme by letting you "bet" chips, and win more chips by either, A.) getting closest to the answer, or B.) guessing the correct answer.  There's nothing more family friendly than teaching your kids to gamble, right?  I truly never thought of it that way, but I can understand now why people go crazy over betting.  Wits and Wagers is so nerve wracking!  There are seven questions asked (like: How many starring movie roles did Johnny Depp have before he was 30?), but it always comes down to the last round for us.  Nobody wants to stash their chips and be called cowardly.  We all know the winner is going to bet almost everything on the last answer, making Wits and Wagers and very dynamic game for the underdog!

Bananagrams
(photo credit: amazon.com)

Bananagrams- I'm sure I am not as good at this game as I think I am, but for someone who just discovered it last week, I think I have a pretty good concept of Bananagrams.  It's a fairly simple spin off of Scrabble-- which I love, but is WAY too slow moving.  I love words, so I enjoy spelling them out with my letters as fast as I can.  It is so much faster paced than scrabble, which I love, and it really works your brain!  I have yet to lose...so challenge me if you dare!

Apples to Apples- By now, I'm sure just about everyone has heard of this game.  You take turns judging while the other players try to best match the label card that was laid down.  These can be anything from "Old Fashioned" to "Gross."  The person who laid down the most fitting-- or, often, the funniest-- card, wins the round.  If you haven't tried it though, it is even more hilarious to do try to find the card that worst describes the judging card.  In fact, there are many variations on the game, some of which are written out on the game box.  If you have a larger group of people, this is sure to entertain the  masses for a long time!

Apples to Apples
(photo credit: amazon.com)

     And of course... some games aren't available to be purchased in a game store.  My creative aunt came up with this idea for our last family Christmas.  Sometimes, a homemade game is the must fun of all!  For the Great Marshmellow Conflict, our family split up into teams, each team making their own castle.  We couldn't use tape or glue to hold the castles together, and we had to make a marshmellow shooter at the same time.  When everyone's castle and shooter were completed, we declared war and began pelting each other with marshmellows.  It was too funny!  Some castles were built for beauty, and quickly met their demise.  Others were borderline unbreakable!  By the end, we were all cracking up laughing and trying to pick the smeared marshmellows up off the floor and off our bodies.  Come up with your own creative family game, or get in touch with my aunt!

Devotional: Stop Looking at the Clock

     Once again, my adventures in running have segued into a life lesson-- one that I'm still slowly learning.  It started with my long run on Saturday (Click HERE to read about that).  To summarize: it was a great run, and a fast one at that.  I got to thinking that I should be able to run my recovery runs faster if I can run my long run at that fast of a pace.  So I went out on Monday and I ran fast.  Too fast.  I ran and kept looking to see my pace: "Oh no!  I've gone from 6:49 to 6:53."  It went on like that for almost the entire run.  I was feeling decent, and happy to be running that fast.  But towards the end, I started really lagging.  I was still keeping a 7:03 pace, but I was having no fun and I was just running to the next stoplight where I would hopefully get a quick rest.  Ya...stupid.

My literal-- and perhaps spiritual-- watch.

     It is even worse, considering I had a hard tempo run this morning: 2 mile warmup, 3 mile 80% max. threshold pace tempo, 5x 1 min. hard, 1 min. easy fartleks, and a 2 mile cooldown.  I felt great when I did this workout for the first time last week.  I was rested and mentally "chomping at the bit" to get some hard running in.  With Vacation Bible School this morning though, I had to wake up at 6:30 in order to get out by 7:00 a.m.  I was not as sore as I'd expected.  When I checked my watch a few minutes into the tempo though, discovering it had only been .67 miles, I realized my legs were pretty flat.  For how they felt, I was happy at my mental toughness.  At some points-- like when running the entire thing against the wind-- I felt like just giving up and bagging the workout.  I couldn't though.  That's absolutely NOT how I conduct myself or finish business.  So overall, I got a good physical workout and an excellent mental workout today.
   
      It got me thinking though, how often am I looking at the clock in life?  Maybe it's a literal clock, or maybe its the clock of my own timing.  As in, "I SHOULD be at this point by now," or "God should let this happen, because that was how I planned it."
     Much like running, when I fall into those cycles of looking at my own watch and trying to measure everything in my own timing, I completely miss the whirlwind of life around me.  I'm reminded of Proverbs 16:9, which says: "Man plans his steps, but the Lord directs his path."  God has an amazing plan for each and every one of us (Jeremiah 29:11).
     So what does it take to stop looking at our clocks and our watches?  How do we stop the silliness and focus back on the father?  I think part of what is required is a step of faith.  In order to stop looking at our own watch, we have to be content to live in freedom and trust that God is in control.  We have to step back from the cockpit and believe that we are not needed to fly the plane!
     Then, after we've surrendered that need to control and keep time for ourselves, is when we find the freedom Christ offers.  See, there's nothing like a run where I just flip my watch to my wrist (so it's harder to look at it), and I just run according to the pace my body needs that day.  Sometimes it is slower than I think, and other days it's faster.  But those are the runs when I am able to notice the beautiful trees or the trickling stream that I'm running beside.  God has placed those things there for me to enjoy, but I can only enjoy them when I stop trying to measure everything up.  Looking at my watch while running is a method of controlling and not trusting that God knows what my body needs that day.  The same goes for life!  When we manipulate others, try to control minute details, or act like our own gods, we rob ourselves of the joy Christ offers.
   

     Take a look at your life: what are your "watches" or "clocks" that have gotten in between you and God?  What do you need to do to eliminate those and experience freedom in those areas again?  I'd encourage you to memorize Proverbs 16:9, to remind yourself how capable God is of controlling those things you are trying to control.  Then, we can take that step together and relax in the beauty God has surrounded us with.

Just Another Update: August 3

     Let's see...what have I NOT been up to.  There's been college shopping, running, getting back into things after vacation, babysitting fun, and church today.  It's craziness that I'm headed off to school in only 15 days.  When people ask-- which they do about seven times a day-- I say, "I'm so excited," because that's true.  But I also share honestly, "I'm still really nervous, but I know that this is where God wants me to be, so I am confident and excited."
     That's the thing: I don't have to be concerned about holding onto God or legally prescribing myself to a strict rule of time with God.  I want to focus on spending more time with him, but I know there is no condemnation for those called according to Christ.  Furthermore, I know that God holds on to me!
     Babysitting has included trips to the splash park, the pool and the skate park lately.  We even had a lemonade stand last week that was a hit!
     As far as running goes, I hit 55 miles this past week, which is probably the highest I'll get this summer.  I'm really proud to reach that mark though, considering I used to run 35-40 miles a week during summers in high school.  I also ran a super awesome tempo run last Tuesday-- as my first tempo hard run-- and had an amazing long run yesterday.  My legs felt so fresh that I didn't even feel tired AT ALL until about 8 or 9 miles in.  My friend and I ended up running a 7:07 ave. for 12.7 miles, and I felt like it wasn't even that hard.  That is really encouraging to see my fitness is at a good level at this point. I am pumped for an awesome freshman cross season!
     The only trouble I've been having on that front is a nagging pain in the toe ligaments in my left foot.  I also started having pain in my arch a few days ago, a result of compensating for the toe pain I think.  Both at prayer group on Thursday and church today, I received prayer for that.  I also have been praying for my mindset.  On Saturday morning, I was very much in a complaining mood.  I kept whining to God about the pain, expecting him to be like a genie and make it all better.  That was a sin I quickly had to repent of.  Then I got to thinking of it this way: God has a direct reason for this pain.  There is something he wants to show me through it, and I don't want to miss my personal message from him.  I won't lie, I still want this to stop hurting..like..now! But I am holding on to the promise that he makes all things new, and I will worship and watch while I wait.  Not only do I have more peace that when I was whining, but I am able to focus on things other than myself.

Lyrics in Matt Maher's new song, "I Need You"

     I just had a nice bike ride around town to just think and sing and relax.  I've forgotten how nice that is.  I am absolutely loving Matt Maher's new song, so that is naturally stuck in my head.  It is such a beautifully simple song of worship.  Next up is college shopping, and a relaxing evening I hope.
     I am praying for the girls Bible study I'm part of, that God will raise up a leader for it when I can't be there next year.  I am also praying that he will open doors for me in college, to find Bible studies and ministries to be a part of.  I know he will, because that is who he is.  I pray you all have a great week!

Family Activities on Hilton Head Island

     I'm still missing the beach and sunshine that I eagerly soaked up during our family vacation to Hilton Head last week.  Since we only had 4 full days on the island, we tried to pack in as much activity as we could, and I realized that-- once again-- there were plenty of fun things to do just about anywhere we went.  If your looking at visiting this family friendly destination, take a look at some of the adventures we tried during our vacation:

FUN!

Pirates Island Golf- For our family, a round of putt-putt golf is a must on vacation.  We've putt-putted in San Diego, Tennessee, and even Hawaii, so naturally: we had to putt-putt while in Hilton Head.  My younger brother, the self pronounced connoisseur of the game, chose Pirates Island Golf.  We went there when we visited Hilton Head two years ago, and it was just as fun.  Its so fun for the whole family, and the golf holes are really interesting and fun!  Plus, if you get a hole in one on hole 8, you get a "piece of treasure."  Of course, my dad did, and received a free game as his prize.  The good news?  The man at the counter said it never expires.  He said he's seen people redeem free game coins from 40 years in the past!  Woah-- that's a long time to hold onto a plastic coin if you ask me.

photo credit: tripadvisor.com

Kayaking- This was my choice for the trip, and it was so much fun.  We went to a company located at the Broad Creek marina, and had a nice lunch at a waterfront restaurant before taking to the water.  It was lots of fun, and we paddled down to Shelter Cove Marina.  Just when I was beginning to complain about not seeing dolphins: we saw two!  They popped up every few minutes before eventually swimming away, but it was such a cool sighting.  The way back was much easier since we were going with the tide and wind.  The rates were very reasonable as well: $15 for a single kayak and $20 for a double.

Cycling- In case you don't notice the constant bicycle rolling by the main street in Hilton Head: biking is a big thing on the island.  You can ride your bike to the beach, on the beach, to eat, and to do just about anything.  I thoroughly enjoyed riding my bike around during the week, and we had lots of fun cycling up to get frozen yogurt at Yo Addiction.  During my long run, I also found out you can ride your bike on the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (RELATED: Unforgettable Runs: Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge), which I would definitely recommend.  I absolutely loved my run there!

photo credit: americabikes.org

Running- How could I leave this out!  The bike paths were interesting to explore, as was the beach.  The most fun however, was my run on Pinckney Island.  Whether you walk, run or ride your bike there: I would highly recommend it (RELATED: Unforgettable Runs: Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge).

The Beach- This is a given, but an absolute must-- especially if your from a landlocked state like Ohio. Make sure to soak up the sun (but wear sunscreen!) and go early to take a relaxing walk on the beach in the morning.

FOOD!

photo credit: yoaddiction.com

Yo Addiction- I am a strong advocate of frozen yogurt.  If you keep the toppings limited to fruit, it is an extremely healthy dessert.  This place was so much better than any frozen yogurt shop I've ever visited though.  It had limitless toppings and very different flavors.  There were lots of berries that I put on my frozen yogurt, as well as cheesecake bites, chocolate covered acaí berries, maple syrups, cereals, and tons of other toppings, that I didn't try.  We rode our bikes there twice.

The Quarterdeck- I'm not a big "foodie," but this restaurant was really fun to eat at.  It was right by the lighthouse at Harbour Town, and had a great musician playing fun songs throughout the evening.  The seafood was great-- and I know my seafood-- and it was relaxing after a long day of fun.

Unforgettable Runs: Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, Hilton Head, South Carolina

One of the "points" where the trail ended, or connected
back to the main path
(photo credit: tripadvisor.com)

     After a few days in Hilton Head for vacation, I realized that my options for running routes were limited to either the beach or the limitless bike paths around the island.  The bike paths were good for a few days, until I got bored.  I either ran left out of our neighborhood, or I ran right.  Pretty awful when I'm doing long runs and the paths are straight as an arrow after a couple of miles in either direction.  For my long run of the week, I was determined to scour the internet to find somewhere I could do the 12.5 miles I was hoping to get in during the 90 minutes (RELATED: Unforgettable Runs: Handies Peak, Colorado).
     In a magical moment, I found it: Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge.  The website said that there was a long 7.5 mile loop, and plenty of off shoots that I could run for some more mileage.  Perfect!  My dad agreed to drive me there early Saturday morning, but I was nervous for the 90 minute run all by myself, when I usually run it with friends.  The week before, my long run had gone well, but with my mileage going up, my legs were beginning to feel the increase.  My dad and I prayed that the run would go well and I would see God through the nature and the ability he gives my body-- because he cares about the big things and the little things!

Part of the path near the beginning
(photo credit: trip advisor.com)

     The beginning of the path was out in the sun and looked like a dirt road with beautiful marshland directly on either side.  I was caught up in the beauty, but relieved when I hit shade after about half a mile.  The rest of the run was 90% in the shade, which I was very grateful for!  I breathed in the sweet sea air as I passed the gorgeous Ibis Pond on my right side, which just so happened to be teeming with large white birds... like: they were everywhere!  I ran really fast to get away from the birds, and soon came to the point where the path bent as I'd seen in the map (RELATED: The Seagull Lady).  I needed to go left.  Well, I couldn't go left.  Bummer: they'd closed the path.  It seemed I had to go straight, so I continued on for a good mile before the path ended at White Point.  The view was breathtaking, and there was no one but me and the water.  Running back, I realized I would just have to take lots of little paths and make my own route to get my distance in.  I was disappointed that the minimal visitor information-- consisting of just a giant map in the parking lot-- hadn't informed me that the main path was closed.  In hindsight though, I really enjoyed running out to a lot of other points on the islands.



(READ ABOUT MY OTHER ADVENTURES! Like, Ziplining in the El Yunque National Rainforest)
 

Beautiful shaded path that runners love
(photo credit: panoramio.com)

      It was so weird though because I kept thinking that there were birds rustling in the bushes.  After I'd settled into my run though, I realized that the noise I heard was a million tiny little crabs scrambling to escape my footsteps running through their little crab towns.  They were literally everywhere where sand was, but as long as I kept moving, I was good.  Even that was awesome though, because I don't usually encounter crabs when running in Ohio.  I weaved in and out of the main trail, going on a lot of the routes out to points and separate islands.  Some were flooded with water, since I was so deep in the marshland, but most were passable with minimal mud.  I even passed a few cyclists who were out searching for birds (which is cool with me since they stood as markers for me on where the birds were).      
     I enjoyed how the run was on soft terrain.  Sometimes it was grass-- with few ruts-- and at other times, it was fresh forest floor, in the woods.  I run at a hilly, wooded park at home all the time.  The difference?  This one was impeccably serene, the paths were more interesting, it was FLAT, and it was right by the ocean, surrounding me with tall and wispy Palm Trees.  Most of the paths connected to each other, so instead of going out to many points and just turning around, I was able to explore and find my way around the refuge.  No problem: 12.5 miles leaves plenty of time to explore (and yes: I got my 12.5 miles in, although my pace was a little slow at a 7:19 ave.  I'll chalk that up to my loneliness and the humidity).  I would recommend bug spray though.  Every time I stopped to tie a shoe or "relieve myself," I was swarmed with giant biting flies and mosquitos-- even at 7 a.m. 
     I was so impressed with the wildlife refuge and envious of people that can run there more often.  I am a total beach girl, and having the beach right by my side as I passed from one tiny island to the next, was the coolest thing.  I will never forget the fresh ocean breeze that blew from behind while I softly crushed palm branches underfoot.  If your in the Hilton Head area: this run is a must!

What I'm Grateful for on August 2

     Wow.  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, starting with a wedding and-- most recently-- culminating in the commencement of college shopping.  Oh my goodness: there are so many little odds and ends that I have to remember to bring or buy in order to bring with me.  It's interesting because God has been showing me just how much of a blessing this experience is going to be.  He is constantly assuring me and giving me peace.  He has been answering prayers to prepare the way.  At the same time, the enemy wants me to live in fear of leaving home.  Yet, I think going to college is something you can't be sure about.  It's part of living in faith.
     I have FAITH that God is going to be in control.  I have FAITH that he has prepared me physically, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually to be a collegiate student athlete.  It is a little crazy that this year has brought so much change.  It's even more crazy that I have grown as much as God has allowed me to.  I'm not sure why today is a reflection day, but it seems to be.  I am thankful for it all.  I am thankful that running is going great and it's going according to God's plan.  I am thankful for my new bedroom-- which I have had all too much fun organizing!  I am thankful that I am provided for, and I am able to buy the things I need for college.  Yes, I complain far too much.  I truly am so blessed by all God has given me.  I've got 2.5 weeks until college life begins, and I intend to enjoy every minute and enjoy every minute as I transition as a student.