Game Night Favourites

It's game time! Pull out a blank notepad, a pen and your favourite games and we'll have a blasty-blast of an evening together!

I come from a long line of game and card players. My grandparents had many an evening tournament with their friends playing Uno or Tile Rummy eating Grandma's famous "Uno" cake with butterscotch icing.

As a child my parents encouraged us to play games - Snakes & Ladders, Don't Break the Ice, Skip-Bo and Go Fish.

I've had super cheating matches of Uno with my cousins where half the deck ended up under the table somehow and frantic, gotta stand up to play, games of Dutch Blitz as a teenager. I think someone even took a rather hard, albeit accidental, Dutch Blitz elbow to the eye one time!

I've even tried out our local Board Game Cafe where you can play just about any game you can think of and some you've never heard of while snacking on candy and fresh milkshakes. It's good to be an adult!

Sadly, I was never the best at losing. Many times, as a child, my mom or sister had to coax me back to the room after I'd gotten upset over losing or almost losing. ("Come back, Kirsten. We'll let you win.") Life is tough when you're the youngest and everyone else has a few years of knowledge and skill on you.

I've learned from my past and I am always trying to be a better sport, even though I like winning, I mean, come on, who doesn't? I hope I can mostly hold my taunting tongue and play for fun rather than just for the sweet, sweet thrill of the victorious win.

So, in honour of the cooler months coming soon, where we can plan more indoor activities and fun game nights, I've decided to compile a list of some of my all-time favourite games for you to peruse. Who knows, maybe you'll find a new favourite from my list and start your own game night tradition with family or friends.

In no particular order...

All-Time Childhood Favourites (that still stand up and are fun to play)

 
Dutch Blitz - A super fast-paced, pile 'em up card game where the action never stops till someone calls "Blitz!" Not for the faint of heart, this game will get the blood pumping and the elbows flying. Oh, and the best deck is the yellow "pee" bucket, for real! I especially like the game's instructions, read them aloud for a few honest to goodness belly laughs!

Uno - One of the first card games I learned to play where saving your +4 cards is the best form of vengeance most children are capable of. Some people play with "slips" and sallow the +8 rule! Ask before you play or you might end up with a two-hander batch of cards to get rid of. Oh and remember to say "Uno" when you play that second-to-last card or all your hard work will have come to naught!

Racko - Another awesome childhood game that helps kids learn number order and how to choose wisely. I still love this game! Always start working from low to high, you don't want to have 8 out of 10 cards all sorted in a row and leave that 59 in slot 2!

Phase 10 - A family and friend favourite in my world! It's the game of choice played on trips or winter evenings because it's not fast and everyone is in charge of their own destiny. Well, sort of, until your sister or best friend keeps going "out" on the first or second draw every hand and you're score is already 300+! And no, you don't want a high score. Oh, and watch out for people who play the Skips vindictively...not fun! And those darn 2 sets of 4 catch me every single time.
 
Scattergories - Name 12 random things that start with the letter G! The room is silent, but for the loud click-click-clicking of the timer clock counting down while you frantically try to thing of 'Something on a beach" that starts with a Y. And here it comes, the dreaded last few seconds when the timer always gives me a slight heart-attack. Then the fun of reading and comparing everyone's answers. The trick is, go unique, always write down your first instinct, then go back and scratch it out for something different that won't be the norm. It's a shame to not get a point because everyone chose Jennifer for a girl's name starting with J! Maybe pick Jenaya or Juniper.

Tile Rummy/Rummykub - This game is a little slower paced and can either be played by the impulsive or the complicated mind. Grouping your number tiles into colour-coordinated runs and sets is easy, but when Grandma tries to re-arrange the entire playing field just to get rid of one little blue 2...arg! She's done it again and won the whole evening. Way to go Grandma! (It's better the make sure she wins.) My family has a strong history with this game and it makes me a little teary to remember all the amazing quality evening spent with my grandparents and relatives.

Grown-Up and Newer Favourites

Speed Scrabble - I'm not sure who first introduced me to this keep-up game of individual Scrabble, but it's been a staple favourite at my house. No need for the board, make your own by constantly rearranging your tiles to use them all then pick another tile and everyone else has to pick up, too! The best is risking it all to scrap your whole crossword-like mess to try and fit all the extras in and maybe getting caught with loads left when someone else picks up the last tile.

Wits & Wagers (Family Edition) - I picked up this game at Costco a while ago for a cheap price and it's been a source of fun when you're not sure what you want to play. Wager and guess the answer, without going over, one many random factoids and questions from: How many windows are in the White House? to What is the weight of the world's largest dog? Are you a good guesser? Then this game might be for you. A great pre-game on Game Night, play a few rounds before you get into the big-name games.

Mille Bornes - This little treasure is my newest obsession! I learned it from an actual French friend years ago and just last week broke open my brand new box of cards that has been sitting on my game shelves for a couple of years. It's a partner game and a race to see who can be the first team to travel 1000 miles amidst car accidents, flat tires, speed traps and more. And don't forget to yell "Coup fourré!" if you've got the right safety or remedy card when the other team sideswipes you. The rounds are semi-fast and even if you don't keep score of all the bonus points, you can keep track of who got to 1000 first!

Anomia - Another of my recent favourites! Quick, name a scientist, then a type of jazz instrument, then a brand of shampoo and don't forget about the rock operas!! This is war with words and categories. You are constantly on the lookout for another card that matches your card's symbol then beat that player at naming something from their card's category. Sounds insane! It can be! Especially when one person wins, the top card is awarded and there is another card to be played right away underneath! Bam, bam, BAM! You'll be surprised at what your brain thinks of in a panicky pinch...or can't think of. Politicians, airlines, mystery authors, anyone?

 

Ticket to Ride (European Edition) - Oh yes, a large old timey map, colourful routes with train cars and outdated city names no one can pronounce! This is my kind of game! Pick your route cards and stealthily try to get to all your cities by train before someone blocks your path. Watch out, that one friend is going for the huge multi-pointer route in the Netherlands again! Travel from Milan to Paris to Moscova all in one round. The other editions are all fun, as well. Especially when played late at night on your phone or iPad! You can even play the online editions with a friend, it just tends to take a long time to finish.

Monopoly Deal - My last favourite for now. This card version of the classic monopoly real estate game is a faster, more lively round game where no one too likely to scatter the board in frustration and storm off. Mostly because there is no board, there still may be harsh words muttered now and then. It isn't fun to always be shelling out cash for someone's birthday or payday or rent owed, but when you're the one collecting...payback's...awesome!


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I hope you enjoyed the short tour of my game shelves.
Yes, I have several shelves packed full with all sorts of other games, too.

So pull out those old cards or board games sometime soon and get the family or kids or your friends around to play a few hands or conquer the world or just laugh a lot and spend some quality time together.

What are your favourite games?

Leave me a comment, let me know you're alive and out there. ;)

My Costa Rican Adventure

Making my very own "sand" castle on the beach.

If you asked me two years ago how many countries I had traveled to the answer would have been pretty short...Canada, the US... uh....that's it.

A year ago I was enjoying my much anticipated 3-week whirlwind trip around Ireland, Scotland and England (read about it here >>). I finally felt like I had some international travel under my belt!

Six months ago if you asked me where else I was planning on traveling to I would have said nowhere. I'm just happy thinking up future trips years down the road.

Then along came the LOAS (link).

What is LOAS, you ask? It's short for the "League of Adventurous Singles!"

I had found an awesome, no-holds-barred, tell-it-like-it-is singles podcast, "Seven Minutes in Heaven (link)" by Kira Sabin an awesome singles/life coach, sometime last year and quickly devoured all the episodes that applied to me. I explored further and found her website and something caught my eye...Kira organized and led amazing adventure travel for groups of single women!

Skip to 4 months later and I was prepping for my first tropical destination trip!

In January I packed my suitcase and headed off an a crazy adventure to Costa Rica with a bunch of single ladies that I'd never met in person! Yes, it does sound a little wild and dangerous, and I had jumped in as sort of a last-minute addition to the group after someone else had to cancel. 

I was one of three Canadian gals and the rest ranged from all over the US. It was amazing to get to know every single one of them!

Day 1 - Seeing our villa's pool in daylight, so refreshing in the heat!

We stayed in a rented villa (yes, a VILLA!) on the top of a jungle mountain range over looking the distant Pacific Ocean. We were treated with a mix of local catered meals and awesome restaurants where I learned to love new dishes like ceviche, plantains and black bean soup. I endured the hottest day of my life hiking through a jungle park but was rewarded with glimpses of beautiful wildlife like sloths, monkeys and huge hand-sized spiders (yuck)! We zip-lined, we swam in the ocean, we talked and laughed and I chased geckos, leaf & stick bugs all over our villa. Despite the heat and the humidity I wish we could have had a few more days on the gorgeous Costa Rica beaches. The people were so friendly and easy to talk to and I'm sure I will go back someday.

The retreat portion of our stay was also satisfying and rewarding. On day one, Kira met with each of us and asked us our goals and what we want to get out of the week. We also had plenty of group discussions covering topics from being single, dating, communication, setting goals, confrontation, to how to have those hard conversations.

Day 1 in CR - traveling from San Jose over the mountains to our villa. Truck full of melons on the side of the highway. Stops for lunch along the way. A glimpse of the Pacific over the mountains (the pink hazyglow reflecting the sunset), and finally, our fantastic villa!!

Since we were staying way up in the mountains we were met each day by our local driver, Eduardo,  and his sturdy van. We packed in and prayed the air conditioning would hold out as we ventured over the rough 2 kilometer rocky driveway and onward to whatever amazing destination Kira had planned for us that day. Eduardo tried to play the strong silent type, only to have us break him out of his shell with music or some good-natured teasing or bonding over photos of our dogs back home. He turned out to be a gem of a guy and we loved hear tidbits of his life's story.

A few afternoons were spent in the small town of Quepos and the larger bustling Manuel Antonio. We poked around the small shops and I found the people to be so very friendly and hospitable. I even had a jewelry maker whip me up a free gift of a wire flower while I paid for a cute sloth necklace I had found.

Day 3 - Zip line adventures at Midworld with Josue, walk to a local waterfall...or trickle,
and a frog hopped inside during a fabulous locally catered sunset dinner at the villa.

We were also blessed with wonderful guides on all of our adventures. We even had the same guide, Josue, twice during two different excursions by random coincidence! He was our first guide on our jungle hike through the Manuel Antonio park reserve and two days later we showed up for zip-lining at Midworld and who was our guide for the day, but Josue!

The entire trip, from the humid heat, spectacular scenery, and new friendships will be something I will never forget. That week among total strangers helped me catalyze some big changes in my life. Changes that maybe were a long time coming. I loved Costa Rica and someday I'd love to go back and explore more!


Some of my fondest moments from the week can be summed up in a few more snapshots.

PS - And hey, if this looks super amazing to you, Kira has a few more Costa Rica retreats or just singles travel weeks planned for 2017. Check out her website for details!! >> 

Day 1 - Leaf bug inside the villa. The villa's main floor was totally open!

Day 1 - Hottest Day of my LIFE! Hike through the Manuel Antonio jungle with Jose showing us wild animals.
Supper at a resort right on the beach!

So many interesting types of palm and palm-looking trees!

Day 3 - Zip lining ladies at Midworld. Some of us conquered our fears and some just had a blast whipping through the jungle canopy! Midworld was an excellent company and provided us with an awesome local lunch and great guides!

Day 4 - Amazing local food, boat trip to a secluded beach.

Day 5 - Meet Chewbacca - cutest baby sloth being hand fed at the Kids Saving the Rainforest animal sanctuary.

Day 5 - Morning at "Kids Saving the Rainforest" sanctuary, lunch and gelato at trendy eateries, then an afternoon at an amazing beach! Sunning scenery, warm waves that I could've stayed in for hours! And of course our trusty van rides home with good conversations and lots of laughter.

Day 5 - Amazing afternoon at a gorgeous beach! "Is this even real?!"

Day 5 - Beach for miles! Unreal! The postcards and screensavers are real!
Eduardo climbed a palm tree, cut open some coconuts with his under-the-front-seat machete and served us right there!
He also pointed out a sleeping sloth in a tree nearby!

Day 6 - Our villa from the top of the driveway, finally saw a toucan, fresh fruits, stick bug on our wall,
traveling back to San Jose with new friends and Eduardo!

The amazing and colourful flowers and plants of the tropics!

Travel day home - I touched down in FOUR countries!
(Costa Rica, Mazatlan, Mexico to refuel, Dallas TX US, Vancouver & Victoria BC Canada)

What travel plans do you have for the future? 
- I'd love to go back to Scotland & England, maybe Cornwall, Liverpool, Outer Hebrides and see more of Edinburgh.

Or where was your favourite destination so far?
- I also recently visited Mexico with some close friends and I'll have to write about that soon, too!


You can find more of my adventures on Intagram @keblackstock.

Thoughts on Change

Change.

Change is usually not easy.

Most people dread it. Many avoid it. Too many refuse to accept it.

But sometimes...
change is freeing.

Change, when we hold onto it tightly and let it take us for a ride can help us to see with new eyes. Change can brighten and enliven.

Change can let us breathe again when we didn't know we were struggling.

Change can open new doors, close others in it's wake.
Change can feel bad but it can also feel good.
Change, most of the time, is necessary.

Whether we like it or not, change needs to happen to shake things up, to keep life moving, to bring newness and energy and hope.

Sometimes change, life, hope can feel out of reach.

Sometimes we have to leap to grasp it and grow wings on the way down.

That's what I did.
I leaped, took a chance, grasped at change.

And so far....I'm enjoying the flight!

Valentine's Day Challenge!

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day.

The day of pink and red and candy and chocolate and hearts and Cupid and cards and flowers....or, for some of us, a day we remember that oh, yes, we are still single. Yay.

 

However, THIS Valentine's weekend I have taken up a challenge... 

the League of Adventurous Singles Take Back Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt! (#loasvday on the instagrams) 

Long title but totally NOT made up, I assure you! 

At first it sounded pretty tame and fun and simple...I'd do a few funny things, snap a few photos and Voila, I'd have a splendid weekend.

The Hunt is actually proving to be a tad more challenging than I'd expected. 

I ticked a few items off the list right away, easy things I could do at work yesterday or at home on my own. Today, though, the Hunt has got me stumped.

 

I am supposed to be going out into public, yes public, not on my warm and cozy couch, to be brave and vulnerable and do things that may embarrass myself or make me feel like a heel. The purpose is to break out of our comfort zone and maybe in the process use the excuse of Valentine's Day to bring the love to someone else who might need their day brightened a bit.

 

So, after a rainy day indoors, wallowing in my alone-ness, I am treating myself to a late movie and I'm going to try and hand out some cute Disney Princess Valentine's, with attached candy!

Yes, yes I will do it! Awkward or not, here I come world! (Well, here I come local movie theatre, and please don't kick me out.) 

 

PS - I've tagged the cards with this blog website address so maybe YOU are reading this because you received one of my silly little gifts. I hope it made you smile and didn't cause any cavities. :)

Happy Valentine's Weekend!!!

How a Whiskey Ad Made Me Cry

In June of last year I travelled to the UK on a dream trip. My days in Scotland, and most notable on the Isle of Skye, were some of my favourite places for scenery and rugged beauty.

I had many preconceived notions of which areas I would fall in love with. I was certainly surprised that Scotland won me over way more than England or Ireland (though I loved my days in those areas, too!).

When a Facebook friend shared a whiskey video advertisement, located in Scotland on the Isle of Skye and made by two film students, I was immediately drawn to watching it.

I watched, I got all teary...then I had to go back and watch again and I got all choked up all over again.

Wow! Just wow!

Music, beautiful scenery, poignant words, people's faces and relationships with one another can certainly have an impact on us in something so simple as a commercial.

Turn up the volume.
Pull up the video full screen.

Watch.
Listen.

Then watch again.

Kudos to Dorian Lebherz & Daniel Titz.

Did you see it?
Did you get it?

So good.



Side Note:

Many of the places in the video are places I walked or saw on my trip, Kilt Rock cliffs and the Old Man of Storr. 

They also crossed the Sligachan Bridge in the video and I walked across that bridge on my first full day on Skye! 

See photo comparisons below.