The Game is Afoot

Gems of Reflection: #41

So, it seems that I responded to a reflection very similar to this one in a post a while back entitled, Board Games and Giveaways, and I don't want to get repetitive, so check that post out for the traditional answer to this question, then come back here to read today's post. 

Now that you're back, I am going to touch on some new games that I have discovered recently, along with some of all my all-time favorite games, in the non-traditional sense - because a girl likes to be non-traditional and frivolous every now and then. And what do ya know, it isn't even Friday. Hehe.

So, I went to a baby shower recently, and though I was looking forward to seeing some old, familiar faces, and being there to support my friend on this exciting, new journey, I often feel an initial sense of unease going to these things. I know there are usually games at these things - and for some reason, when I am aware of the fact that I am not going to know many people at the party, the idea of games makes me a little nervous. I don't know why, maybe because I might actually have to talk to someone I don't know? Haha. When did I start feeling anxiety over talking to new people? What a weirdo I've become. lol.

Anyway, I got to the party and was pleasantly surprised at how fun some of the games were - and also to my surprise, a few of them were even games that I haven't played a hundred times at other showers. One, in particular, was a piggy bank game called I've Never. The party host listed a series of experiences, starting each sentence off with "I've never..." If she said something you've never done, you stayed in your seat, but if she mentioned something you had done (ridden a horse, flown on a plane, swam in the ocean, etc.), then you would get up and put a coin in the piggy bank. You had to empty your coin purse for this one, and the intention was to fill the baby's first piggy bank as much as possible. It was actually really fun, and I thought it was a very clever game. I found myself wishing I had brought more change with me. If I ever host a baby shower in the future, I might have to steal this one. Hehe.

Now, I know we don't usually think of sports as games, but each individual competitive experience is called a game, right? At least it is in some sports (football, soccer, basketball, etc.). That's why we say, "Good game" at the end, right? So, in this sense, my favorite game is volleyball. I played several sports in high school  (volleyball, basketball, track, marching band), but volleyball was my absolute favorite. 

My love for "the game" was sparked early in my teen years when I played with other youth at the church, so when high school came around, I just had to play - and some of my fondest memories of high school involve bus trips to games, practices, and friendships with teammates. Those were some of the best times. 

I also played club volleyball in the off season for UNLV for a few years, for which we traveled out of state for tournaments - which was always a blast. One year, we even put a team together to compete against women in an adult league at Chuck Minker Sports Complex here in town. We always got spanked (I think we were only freshmen in high school at the time, so our skills hadn't been honed yet), but man, that was fun.

To this day, I love watching volleyball - on tv, or in real life. I especially love watching it in the olympics. Gabrielle Reece (a beach volleyball goddess from the 90's) was one of my idols as a teen - until I heard she had posed for Playboy. Doh! Now, I love watching Keri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor; although, I heard that Kerri Walsh has a new partner now. Boo Sauce.

Related Link:

52 Gems of Reflection