Current Top 10 Boardgames

Adam has been bugging me about making an updated top 10 for a while several years so I figure now is better than never. Side note, I am not sure there is really an order here. The reality is, I enjoy these games over all other games in our collection and would likely choose to play these before choosing others. It simply depends on my mood. That being said, I jotted down this list one day when I was covering study hall so my mood that day determined the order. Just know that these are my current favorite top 10 games.

10. Quacks - This game is a push-your-luck game. For game noobs that just means that you are trying to draw the most possible chips out onto your board without passing the maximum amount of points on the chips. I enjoy this game because it is not super think-y and offers ample time to have conversations during the game. However, there are things that you can choose during the game, giving it some strategy. For instance, you do get to choose what chips you are purchasing to put into your bag that you draw from. There is an expansion that also gives you a few bonus actions to consider paying tokens for that also adds a little more complexity. Overall though, this game is not super complicated and could even be a gateway game if you have a good teacher. This game is good at two or more players.

9. Tether - Let me start by saying that while I love this game, Adam has beat me the last several times we played. That annoys me, so it may be a while before I pick it again so he forgets his strategy and I have a better chance of winning. This game plays quick, but is also very strategic. If you ever played the game called tether as a kid (the one with the ball on a string attached to a pole), then you can understand the feeling of this game. You are trying to lay cards out to get points, but you don't want to lay down something that will set the other person up to get more points. It's quite a bit of push and pull. I enjoy the complexity level for the time amount. Only downside is that it takes up a lot of table space. This is best at two players.

8. Galaxy Trucker  - This game is in real time which means that there aren't turns. Everyone plays at the same time. That is probably why I like it so much. Basically you are building a spaceship that can maneuver through a deck of events that covers moving through space, carrying goods, fighting aliens and space pirates, and avoiding meteors. Once you finish the deck, you build another spaceship with a total of 4 spaceships throughout the game, each getting bigger with each round. This game is not like other games in our collection and I really enjoy it. This game is fun at four players.

7. Caverna - With this game, you will start to see a building theme as that is one of my favorite game features. In this game you are a cave dweller trying to build your cave property and go on adventures. There is some interaction in this game in worker placement as you can block others from actions. I love that there are lots of ways to win this game. You can win by being a warrior going on adventures or by simply building the best farm. This game is fun for two players or more though I prefer not more than four.

6. Castles of Burgundy - In this game you are choosing tiles based on a die roll and then placing those tiles in a small "waiting room" so to speak until you can place them on your board with another die. This game has ways to make connections so that you have multiple actions on a turn. As a round progresses there are less choices to make as tiles are chosen so game play is also fairly quick yet has quite a bit of strategy. This game also offers different ways to win. Its's really about being more efficient than others with your decisions. This game is fun with two players or more. 

5. Lorenzo il Magnifico - This game is another worker placement game. In this game you are choosing cards from different towers for different costs. You can only play one of your colored workers in each tower and if someone else is in that tower the cost goes up, so you have to think about what order you need to do things. This game plays quickly and is good at two or more players.

4. Obsession - This game gives me Downton Abbey vibes. You are playing as a family trying to become more wealthy and more cultured while putting on events for people to attend. This game also has a building aspect where you are purchasing rooms for your home at the end of your turn. I love the theme and the game really feels thematic. I enjoy this at two or more players.

3. Heaven and Ale - This game is super simple, yet strategic. Your turn is simply moving forward and selecting a tile to purchase until you make it around the board. You place that tile on your board on the sunny or shady side and pay cost dependent on which side you chose. The scoring is a bit wonky at the end so you need to have some understanding of how that works to help you make decisions throughout the game. I enjoy how simple the game is overall and like it at two or more players.

2. Forest Shuffle Dartmoor  - The interesting thing about this game is that Adam probably wins 75-80% of the time and I still like it. I can be a bit of a sore loser even after years of trying not to be. Even though I lose a ton, this is one I choose over others regularly. The game is just fun. You are drawing cards or playing cards on your turn making turns pretty quick and simple. The game is pretty and every game is different because during setup you pull out a certain number of cards based on player count. This game is fun at two or more players though it takes up a ton of table space.

1. Terraforming Mars - This game really is my top pick.  You are purchasing and playing cards all while trying to build up your resources so that you can terraform Mars. Adam 3D printed the tiles so it makes the board look pretty awesome by the time the game is finished.  I enjoy the decisions that I have to make and overall game play. It's very strategic and fun to build up the board. This game is fun at all player counts.

There you have it. My current top 10. Took me forever to sit down and right it and took me forever to finish. 

Jammie Church

Over the last year, I have fallen in love with corporate worship.

For months, we had lazy Sundays of jammie church and coffee.

Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to break that trend when our church announced that it would be opening it's doors again.

Sundays had become a routine. 

We would watch the sermon and maybe sing a song.

When I signed up for church the first week that we could attend and I stood with the smaller congregation and listened to the singing of others around me, I sobbed like a baby.

We are meant to worship together. To do church together.

Hearing other sing, even with muffled voices thanks to the masks. 

I knew I needed to be there.

I know I need to be there. With you.

God has been revealing Himself to me this year. I want more and more of Him. I am thankful for those in my life who are seeking Him, pursuing Him with me. I love the church.

Just Felt Like Writing

Today is one of those days when I want to be creative.

My list of things that I need to get done is quite long, but I want to... long to do anything with some creativity. I want to paint. It's a new hobby to my blog as it is something I only started a few years ago and I don't think I have ever written about it. Yet I found myself sitting down to write instead. Toying with topics and things to write about. Deciding that I really do not have much to write about, but starting this blog anyway. 

Since the shelter in place, I have taken on making homemade pizza on Friday nights. Since today is Friday, that has been my top priority for the day. Getting the dough made so that we can have pizza for dinner. I enjoy the process for the most part.

The last two days I have been trying to memorize a verse for my discipleship group. I hate to say this, but I have not tried to memorize Scripture since right after Kaylee was born. I deemed myself terrible at it and stopped trying. Having a little tune to sing while memorizing is a huge help and I am extremely thankful for it. 

The itch to paint is still pulling at me. I think I will try my hand at something small before the dough is done rising. 

Do you have anything new that you started doing thanks to the shelter in place? Or a hobby that you wish you had more time for? Or a trick to memorizing Scripture? 

Happy Friday!

A Lifelong Love

You guys. This book.

I am on my 3rd time of listening to it. Why? Because once wasn't enough. The lessons in this book are overwhelming. Gary Thomas guides you through concepts driven by Scripture. Every time I listen, my heart aches at my own selfishness and forgetfulness. How is it possible that I forget so quickly the things that God has shown me through His word and through this book? 

My marriage is not for my or Adam's glory. Adam is not my husband to please and fill all my needs. We are married to bring glory to God. Adam is God's son and with that the question that rings in my head is "if one of my girls married a man that treated her how I treat Adam (both mentally and out loud), would I be pleased with him? In the same way, is God pleased with how I treat His son?" I am in this marriage to worship and please my Savior by the way I love Adam and meet his needs.

How often do I make our marriage about me? 

I started this particular blog two years ago. This is still a book that I read over and over again two years later. Probably the best marriage book I have ever read. It's not a practical tips book. It is going to give me hints on what to do to make Adam happy. This book gets to the heart of the issue. My personal relationship with my Savior. This relationship effects all other relationships, especially my relationship with Adam. If I am not seeking God and His desires for who I am, then I am seeking to serve myself. It's unfortunately my natural inclination. This book is great at reminding me what is truly important about our marriage and leading me to my Bible to seek God when it comes to this relationship. 

This book recommendation came from my brother. Thanks Michael.

Valuable

Being of value has been on my mind a lot lately.

We try to find our value in so many things. Our looks. Our careers. Our relationships.

It is one of my deepest struggles. 

I know my value is found in the Lord. But knowing and hiding it in my heart to dwell on are two very different things. 

Recently our pastor was preaching on Isaiah 43. My takeaway had nothing to do with what he was preaching about and everything to do with the passage.

He has redeemed me. He has summoned me by name. I am His. He is with me through waters, rivers and fire. He is the Lord my God. My Savior. I am precious and honored in His sight. He loves me. He is with me. I have been called, created, formed and made for His glory. 

This passage applies to me through Jesus and I must dwell on it. 

My value is found in Him and Him alone. 

Everything here is so fleeting. Temporary.

Yet my heart sways and follows the temporary.

May this be an area that I grow in this year. 

That I would see myself as who I am in Christ more and more each day.

Nightmare

This morning I woke up to my name being yelled out by one of my girls. Now, let me start by saying that this is not the way to wake me up and my girls know it. If they are barfing, then they can holler. But if they have a bad dream or are scared about something, they are to come in and talk to me. That's the wake up in the middle of the night routine. So, all of that to say, I woke up pretty growly.

Ferociously, I enter Ella's room grumpily asking her why she is yelling across the house. She immediately responded with crying. (I know, mother of the year over here.) I took a deep breath and calmly asked her why she was yelling for me and why she was crying.

She then tells me that she had a terrible nightmare; a tornado came through our house and I died.

Now, the interesting thing about all of this, is that she doesn't know that my mom had a pet scan yesterday to check out a mass they found on a CT scan last week and I had spent the better part of yesterday praying that God would heal the mass and make it disappear or that it would be anything easily remedied and not more cancer. But ultimately, His will be done.

I looked her in the eyes and I said, "Ella, if that happened, two things would take place that I am certain of. One is that God would bring people to you to love on you and take care of you. People would come and hold you and tell you it will be ok. He will send them and they will be here in every way that you need them. And two I would be in Heaven with Jesus and since you believe in Jesus, I would see you again someday."

We talked a few more minutes through tears about the joy of eternity and then I went on to say the same things from my perspective.

"My mom is dying. When she does die, whether soon or ten years from now, I am certain that God will provide for me during my grief and that I will see her again some day. My mom has a personal relationship with God. She knows that Jesus died for her sins and that He rose again. She loves Him and serves Him with every fiber of her being and I am certain that when her time comes she will be in heaven with our Lord and Savior. She will no longer be in pain. She will no longer be suffering. And when that time comes, that will bring my heart joy in the midst of tragedy."

As I crawled back into my bed and contemplated this timely conversation with Ella, sleep eluded me. All the what if's started to plague my thoughts. I replayed my conversation with Ella and was at peace with what is to come. I prayed for a while and thought about the words to the song "It is Well" by Bethel music until sleep finally came.

Skillet

The other night I had the opportunity to go to a Skillet concert.

I love Skillet. One of the first songs that I ever listened to by them was Saturn.

That song came out in October of 1996. I was 13.

Pretty sure I am 17 here.

They played mostly new songs at the concert. I would have loved for them to pull out this song. (Totally forgot that they had a girl drummer one other time!) Or even better, come up with a mix that included a few oldies. That would have been amazing.

Their newest album is incredible. A great mix of old sounds and new. Charlotte asks for "Feel It" pretty much every time we are in the car. The name of that song is actually "Invincible", but that's what she calls it. I love sharing my love for Skillet with my girls.