The Land of Quelf

Saying the Horstman Family likes games is like saying the sun is a bit bright - it's so obvious and such an understatement that it's meaningless. We don't just like games - we don't even just love games - we consider them a way of life, serious business, something so necessary to the way we interact that I can't imagine what we would do without them, although I'm guessing it would involve watching movies and eating chocolate, our #2 and #3 activities.

This Christmas we were in fine form. There were the standards, such as nights of Apples to Apples with friends and families, and dominoes (see picture above!), but this year we started some new traditions. For starters, there was Wii Day, wherein Megan, Andrew, Nick, Aidan and I stayed in our pajamas all day and played Mario Soccer and Mario and Sonic at the Olympics. This was especially amusing/embarrassing, because it was the first time we'd played the Olympics, and Nick very sneakily took video of us trying to figure it out!

Another great addition this year was Speed Charades. We have a history of taking traditional games that we've played into the ground and making up new rules for it - and by we, I really mean Aidan, who is the king of the games. Charades is a game we've been playing our whole lives, so we have the hand signals and shortcuts all down pat, and frankly it's become a bit too easy. To mix it up a bit, we handed out a card to everyone in the beginning, then timed how long it took for everyone to get through one round - it was hilarious to watch people jumping up and down and panicking as they acted things out! One of my favorite additions was the signal for 'fad', which was to swing your hips around as if you're spinning a hula hoop - you probably had to be there! As you can imagine, timing the game made it very intense. I tried to get my friend Katie to play with us, but after watching for a few minutes she whispered to me ' You guys are very intimidating to play games with!' and decided to remain a spectator.

The newest and most significant addition to our gaming regime, though, is Quelf. Quelf is hands-down the most random and ridiculous game I've ever played. You take turns moving around the board and drawing cards with various actions, which if you don't perform cost you spaces. Some of the things people had to do:

• Nick: every time he made eye contact with someone he had to point at them and say 'I have you now!'
• Megan: perform a 60-second aerobics routine. Bonus points if anyone joins in.
• Lauren: drink a full cup of water from the opposite side of the glass. Think about that one for a minute!
• Aidan: every time someone rolls a 4, pretend like you are a weeping willow and sing a sad movie theme song through your tears.
• Katie: end everything you say with the words 'I have spoken!'
• Andrew: turn an article of clothing inside out - he chose his pants (trousers for you Brits!)
• Megan: wrap your left hand in aluminum foil and leave it that way
• Andrew: swing an article of clothing around your head while singing 'Rawhide'

I could go on and on - this game is RIDICULOUS! Highly recommended, if you're in a playful spirit.

There's pictures of some of these games, and the rest of our Christmas break here. These include pictures from the very successful surprise birthday party we threw Mom. I don't think we could ever pull off a real surprise party, so the Party Conversion Route (turning the Christmas Open House into the birthday surprise party) was definitely the way to go! I just feel sorry for Aunt Mary Beth and Auntie Mary, who had to wait out in the back yard until we were ready for them...

Wheels.

Exciting news on the home front: a short 9 days into 2008 and we became proud owners of…a new car!! Well, maybe not quite new, but our friends John and Becky did a great job making it feel new with this air freshener to give it that just-out-of- the-factory scent. It was great to be able to buy the car from friends, especially since we wouldn’t have had the first clue how to go about getting a car on the open market.

Our new chariot is a blue Peugeot 206 “3-door”, since apparently they count hatch-backs a “door”. I think if I was buying a new car I would make the dealer enter and exit the car from all 3 doors just to prove the hatch is really a door. Anyway, it’s small (apparently 3800mm long) but zippy and those French really know how to style a car. It’s got some nice curves, and two impressive though surly over-done air intake holes to let the 1.4 liter monster of an engine under the hood breathe. Most importantly, it unlocks hundreds of potential day and weekend trips in the UK, and I even hear there are ferries that will take you over to Europe in your car! Now if we could just get rid of these time-demanding jobs we could be in Hong Kong by Summer.
Realizing this weekend that 1) we own a car and 2) it’s the weekend, we headed out on our first road trip to the Welsh border town of Ludlow, to see not one, but two castles! You can’t walk to the coffee shop in this country without tripping over a castle =). Check out a few pictures of this rare sunny January day.

Celebrate, Celebrate!

It was very, very difficult for me (Lauren) to leave home, especially after having such a wonderful time with my family - I'll try to post soon on some of the games that we played, because in true Horstmanian style we had days in a row where we did nothing but play games - but the transition has been a little bit easier because the Horstman family has received so much good news this week:

• Aidan, who is a senior in high school, received a scholarship for Akron University's Honors College, which is his top choice!
• Megan, who has been working full-time but for part-time pay at a local school, was hired for a great full-time position teaching sixth-grade science and social studies at a school just outside of Springfield - she starts next Monday!
  
• my parents are going to visit us this fall to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary,
  
• and, best of all, my mom, who finished chemo this fall, had her three month appointment the day I flew back, and her numbers are the best they've ever been, so she is really cancer-free!

We have a lot to be grateful for right now!

…And We’re Back!

Not returning empty-handed: Nick hit the 70lb checked bag limit right on the nose with all the American delights that a suitcase could hold. These delicacies of Uncle Sam’s kitchen should last us through the winter, or at least till the end of the month. I have no idea, but this might be the first time that Auntie Anne’s pretzels were ever birthed in their soft, buttery goodness on English soil. When we do make them, we should send one to the Queen so she can command Auntie A to open a store here by royal decree. That still has some pull I understand.

Apologies for the massive blogging gap, but it has been a crazy December. To fill you in using one sentence, work has been really busy for both of us and Nick is now a FULL UK LICENCE HOLDER capable of backing around a corner, driving on the left (wrong) side, and navigating 16 lane roundabouts with ease. Nest stop: car ownership.

We had a great last 2 weeks at home with our families, and the time sure reminded us of all of the amazing people we left behind for a time in the States. We spent the break eating, grinning, playing games, throwing surprise parties, attending cultural events, shopping for cheap (re: any) American products, walking, singing, and laughing a lot. All at once.

Lauren returns to the UK on Wednesday, and until then I’m doing my best to keep it together and avoid a repeat of the lows of last year. Here’s to the civilized male, in the land of civility.

Happy New Year!