Surprise

Last night, I drove up to Algona to take part in a surprise 40th birthday Party for Sherri and Jay. (sorry about the picture quality) Sherri and Jay were truly surprised. It was so fun seeing their expressions. It still cracks me up- when Jay was telling us that he thought going out to eat at the Chinese Restaurant was his idea.

Even Lexy knew about it and kept it quiet. She made them think they were taking her out for supper to celebrate her accomplishment of getting a "1" at the solo contest that day- (way to go Lexy)

I wish the boys could have been there to help celebrate. But, we had things going on Saturday and Sunday mornings- and 5 hours in the car and 3 hours in a restaurant most likely wouldn't bring out the best of my energetic children. It's been awhile since I had been in the car by myself other than going to work- I jammed out all the way up and back- I am surprised I have a voice today.

Big Boys Having Fun

I think this may be Eric's favorite time of year! He works so hard and with all the pressures of life it is so much fun to see him let loose and act like a kid again. The NCAA tournament is the cover for him to invite friends, take days off a work, have his parents watch the boys so he can have some much needed belly laughs and act as if there is not a care in the world. Friends since early elementary school. They may all be in there mid 30's and professionals, but if you were in my basement last night you may think you saw some over grown junior high boy playing.

I could tell my age, while watching this all play out- I had to cross my legs so I wouldn't pee my pants from laughing so hard. That didn't happen years ago!

What on earth you may ask! Well during the NCAA games we play games. One of them being poker. Well, who wants to take your friends money when instead you could torture them with a dare. Thank goodness for pause and DVR. We still didn't miss a second of basketball- just the commercials.

They would come up with the bet- making modifications for me of course- no one needs to see me shirtless! We would play some poker and the bottom two players had to do the dare. Everyone was such good sports taking the punishment of being the looser. My prayers last night were of gratitude, "Thank you for good cards"

Good, clean and innocent fun! It feels so good to laugh, be goofy and silly- we need to do it more often. I for one get too serious in life- this is just exactly what I needed!

NCAA Basketball Tournament Time

An hour from now tip off begins for 4 straight days of basketball. The brackets are filled out, the snacks are bought, the house is picked up, the friends are invited and now it is almost time to veg out on the couch and cheer on our favorite teams- waiting for upsets and Cinderella teams to emerge.

It’s an annual event at our house from the beginning of Eric’s and my relationship- brackets filled out and wagers are made. When Eric and I fill out our brackets- we flip for who gets the first pick and the other person has to pick the opposite- so we are always cheering for the opposite team- so every game is valuable. Our wagers have varied over the years- never monetary – it doesn’t make sense since it comes from the same account. Thing like making meals, back rubs, cleaning duties, getting up with the kids (when they didn’t sleep through the night) and free time. This year- if I win- Eric gets to watch Mama Mia with me and he hasn’t picked a movie that would torture me yet just in case he wins.

This year- Zach and Cale are joining our friendly competition during the NCAA tourn. I will be curious to see how their picks turn out. We directed them a little on the number 1 and 2 seeds- letting them in on the fact that most often they will win, but after the Number 1 and 2 seeds were picked- the rest was free game. We would tell the names of the two teams and they would pick. They based it on if they have ever heard of the state before or if they thought the name sounds funny. I think Cale would have picked “BUTTler” to be in the finals- just because he could say BUTTler without getting in trouble. Our family wager- picks the place we eat and all the games we play for the next family night.