Browse Category: friends

game night

We went to Scott’s house to hang out and play some board games last night. His wife and 3 kids were also there and joined in on the fun. We started out playing poker and one of Scott’s kids won. I actually think they all know the game better than me. Anyway, after they went to bed, we kicked up the drinks and played a Cranium-like game that they’ve had for 10 years. So the subjects and clues were a little out-dated and I didn’t recognize half of the famous people listed on the cards. It was still fun though…by the way, the girls rocked it that night and won two games.
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Tonight we’re having our Annual Christmas Party in our little birdhouse once again. The gift theme this year is “something shiny” and should be interesting to see how people interpret it. It’s going to be a hoot…I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in one place again. Hopefully everyone will be on their best behavior tonight…doubtful. Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Double Ditech

On Thursday night, Jes and I went to The Harp to watch his co-worker play in his band. The group is called “Velicious” and we’ve seen them a couple times now. They play covers all night and some of the songs are good but most of them are just so-so. Jes’ co-worker plays bass guitar and is actually pretty good. Too bad the lead guitarist has a huge ego and plays 10-minute solos and the lead singer has to read the lyrics off of song sheets all night. We still had a good time with a few drinks and some bar food.

On Friday night, Jes took me to his company Christmas party at the House of Blues. We got all gussied up, drove through I-5 traffic, and met up with his co-workers out front. The top floor and stage area were rented out for this shindig and started out rather slow but then it picked up after the Blues Brothers went away and the DJ kicked it up. The party wasn’t bad but it wasn’t very eventful either. It was just nice to get dressed up for a special event.

Getting Set for the Holidays

Jes and I put up Christmas lights on our house today. How festive it looks! We also had a Christmas dinner with our neighbors last night. Jes cooked up a filet mignon and potatoes au gratin and Jay and Nikki brought over some artichokes. It was basically as nice excuse to bust out the fine china and try some new wines. Doggie also enjoyed a nice bone and got to chase Jay around the house for a while. Tomorrow we’ll be getting a Christmas Tree. Woohoo!! It finally feels like Christmas!

Challenge!!

We went to Epcot today. Ryan tried to convince the ticket lady to give us the Florida price so we could get a park-hopper pass at a discount but it didn’t work…boo. So, we spent the day at Epcot and didn’t see Mickey even once. There were some cool rides including “Test Track”, which simulated being in a car on a test track going through hairpin turns and feeling the difference between ABS brakes and wihtout. We also rode “Mission: Space”, which is known for making people throw up. It involves putting you in an enclosed pod and strapped in as if you’re going into space. They have you watch a holographic monitor while spinning you so hard that you feel the G-forces on your body as if you’re actually in a slingshot around the moon. I held tightly to the barfbag they provided in the pod and kept my head pressed against the headrest. What made these rides more interesting was the fact that the Epcot Center readily sells alcohol next to the pretzels and ice cream. Jes challenged Bang to drinking as many pints of beer as humanly possible. It was like being in Vegas…walking around the park with a beer in your hand…felt kind of illegal. Well, each time Jes and Bang purchased a Bud Light, we got in line for a ride. They allow you to stand in line with the beer but then make you get rid of it before getting on the ride. So, Jes and Bang ended up having to chug their beers each time we went on a ride. I’m surprised neither of them threw up. I also made a challenge to Tob that afternoon. I bet him a pint of ice cream if he could eat one of every item on the ice cream menu, which added up to seven different items. He went for it and I was getting a little sick watching him.
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For a late lunch, we stopped in “Germany” one of the featured countries around the lake. We ate at the Biergarten for a German buffet, huge 1-litre mugs of beer, and entertainment. Those musicians were pretty talented…playing one of those long horns that start from the stage and sit on the floor. Jes kept saying, “this is the best place ever!” I guess it was because that one litre of beer there was way cheaper than 2 pints of Bud Light in the park. We also learned the German pronunciation of Lowenbrau…this lunch was quite educational.
We spent the rest of the day walking around in each of the other countries while Jes and Bang drank more beer. There was also a Charlie Horse War and an Ass-Kicking Contest throughout the evening. Everyone was pooped out by 7:30 so they went home. Jes and i stayed after to watch the fireworks at 9:30. Good times…
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By the way, Tob won. He ate a total of seven items: 1) Nestle Crunch Ice Cream Bar, 2) Mickey Cookies and Cream Sandwich, 3) Rainbow Popsicle, 4) Chocolate-dipped Ice Cream Mickey, 5) Strawberry Bar, 6) Chocolate-dipped Frozen Banana, and 7) Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich. *sigh* I guess I owe him a pint of ice cream now.

Cheese-town

OK. St. Augustine may be the “Oldest City in the U.S.” with the “Oldest Schoolhouse” and cobblestone streets but I’m not sure it really needs to have tourist traps. This morning, I went on a hunt for the “Fountain of Youth” discovered by Ponce De Leon. Ryan, Michelle, and I tried to take the trolley tour but it was going to cost 18 bucks. So, we grabbed a free map and took a little walk down the street. After some wrong turns and some problem-solving, we found it. It’s too bad it looked like a rundown Santa’s Village with creepy Christmas music playing overhead and an awesome statue of Ponce De Leon out front. They charged us $5 to get in to see the “Fountain of Youth” and Ryan claimed me as his sister so I could get the AAA discount of 50 cents off…hm…me? Sister of the whitey? Interesting. Anyway, we got a sip of the Fountain of Youth…questionable and we’ll probably get cholera. They even had a fake planetarium with a huge glowing Earth with a cheesy voice overhead explaining the different route that Columbus and other explorers took. It was hilarious and Ryan said it was like a Monty Python spoof. Well, that’s $5 I won’t be seeing ever again.
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After check-out, all seven of us piled into the mini-van and went to the Kennedy Space Center on our way to Orlando. With some more wrong turns and directions from a kick-ass old man at the gas station, we found it. Since it was already 4 pm, we only paid $10 to get in and got to see the Rocket Garden, go inside the Space Shuttle, and check out the new Space Shuttle Memorial. It was cool…it’s just too bad that our space program is so sucky right now. Jes was saying how this place would have been so cool in uh…1984! On our way to the condo, we stopped on the side of the road and saw a pod of dolphins hanging out by where we stopped. We caught a glimpse of a few of them coming up for air one at a time and ended up with stinky fish-smelling flip-flops when we got back in the van. I’m sure Ryan enjoyed that the most…he hates seafood…haha.
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Well, we’re checked into our condo and we saved $59/person by passing on Medieval Times. Ryan wanted to go so bad but the rest of us were so against and got out of it. We’ve gotta save up for our day at Epcot tomorrow. What an awesome way to spend our time in the campiest state in the country. Yay…Cheese-town!!