The Longest Family Night - EVER

We had a great weekend at the lake with our friends, Will, Kerri, Davis, Peyton, Sarah, and baby Kate Lunsford. Will and Cary have been friends over 20 years (sounds old, we are old). They always have a great time re-living their “glory days” at ACU. It was fun this trip to hear our kids share memories about our family trips that we've taken together – we hope to have a lot more!

On Monday, we had done all of the family holiday things you can think of – watched a Christmas movie, read books, worked puzzles, played hide-n-go seek, baked and decorated a ridiculous amount of sugar and gingerbread cookies, etc. It was finally time to play a board game. Since we were all kind of tired of “marathon” monopoly, I suggested the Chicken Foot domino game. It’s obvious I haven’t played that in a while since I had forgotten that the average time to complete a game is 3.2 hours which includes the time that it takes to find all the dominoes to make a complete set – makes Monopoly look like an appetizer.

It didn't take long before we suggested that we skip every other level to go a little faster. About 1 hour into the game, I start to lose it. Mitch, who is sitting next to me, has a severe case of the “taps.” Tap the table, tap the dominoes, tap his foot on my chair, tap to the beat of the “boom-chick” rap-song he made-up. My nerves are feeling unsettled.

Emily, who is in the life-long process of learning how to cope with an older brother, is starting to blow steam out of her nostrils. There is a quiet-before-the-storm-look on her hot, red face. Every comment Mitch makes could be his last.

Each time I look at Ashley, she has re-arranged her dominoes into a new geometrical pattern. At Matrix-like speed, I actually never see her re-arrange her dominoes. Of course, the dominoes are all face down, so she must look at each domino before she chooses which one she will play.

Josh and Cary are sitting to my left, and about every 4 min. Cary grimaces and asks Josh if he’s sure he doesn’t have to go to the bathroom.

At some point, the inevitable breakdown occurs. Cary and I turn on each other over the “domino-laid-is-a-domino-played” rule. Our kids think that when we fight it is the ultimate in entertainment – “Pass the popcorn! The Show has started!” This is the point in the night when I mentally start to quote scripture, but it’s coming to my mind all “twisted,” like, “Be slow to anger, and quick to speak-up when someone is hiding a domino on the floor.”

The Ray Coniff singers are belting out “Silent Night,” I’m panicking – feeling trapped – wait-----am I on reality TV?

Eventually, I go through the full process of snapping at everybody for irritating me, to the complete surrender at the insanity of it all – my irritation included. We look hilarious.

3.2 hours later (note to self: do not suggest the game where you put the dominoes back in the case at the end which takes another 45 min.), our nerves are raw and frazzled. Cary and I send our kids to bed and tell them that this is the last “family time” we’re having for a month. Secretly, we agree-about TWO months.

Yep, we’re all warmed up for the approaching holidays. God bless “family time,” and good luck finding where I hid the Chicken Foot dominoes this year.