Utah: Family Game Night

Today was again another sleep day. Joliene had taken a while to go to sleep the night before so I can't blame her for sleeping in so much. She and Tanya were the last ones up. What can you do, they're family right?

Breakfast was something a bit different. I think before Joliene or Tanya had even gotten up I had eaten cereal for breakfast. Once Tanya woke up my mom had mentioned something about cinnamon rolls. Gram had stuff here and there to make them, but Gram couldn't eat them. I guess we were going to have to.

We spent a good 20 minutes looking for her pie dish in cupboards, cabinets, and under the oven. Not there. As I was down stairs looking for the tray in the pantry Colton and Jen came down to say Good bye. The first of many good byes within the next few days for everyone, but unlike the rest of the Allertons, they had a flight to catch and couldn't stay any longer.

Anyway...

We finally found the pie tin in one of the cabinets after taking a bunch of things out. Yes, deep in the back piled under and behind things. There was the pie tin, hiding from us.

When Gram woke up and again wasn't acting like Gram. Talking a little nonsense, Joliene said it was almost as if she was drunk, but we all know she wasn't. We were all a little worried about her, so she, Tanya and I went to watch some NCIS. I say smart thinking, let her rest, let her sleep and hopefully let her get back to being Gram.

It was Friday and we had some good intentions of going to the snow. Snow, snow snow!! The parents had talked the night before about swapping or borrowing someones car and heading to a peek or a peer of some kind so that we could spend some time in the snow. I was excited and I couldn't wait. SNOW!! Sorry to say though, that no such thing happened.

Dad had talked to Tirzah between 1 or 2 I think asking if any of her girls wanted to join in on the snow fun that we were sort of planning. Mariah was done in an hour or so, and it was a little longer then that that Mattea and Alyssa had. Jenna had to work, so that was a no on her part. As time grew closer I got more excited, checking the clock every so often, but of course I then got disappointed, when time just kept going. 4:30 came and went. No one...

Mom and I were just about to go outside and try to make a snow man of the little snow that was left, when Bri and Will drove up. This only meant one thing, everyone esle was soon to follow. Sorry left over snow, you are no longer going to be a snowman, just going to stay as snow.

It was Friday night and so in the living room everyone was trying to decide what we could do to make it a fun night. Movies? It was not very interactive. Bowling? Well, mom has a broken foot, and Gram shouldn't be lifting something that heavy. Instead there were other games that we could just do at Grams. One was Mafia. Each person was given a role: citizen, mafia, or detective, and in the last game we added an angel. It was very fun, and very interesting, we played about 3-4 rounds of this game.

How does the game work? Well, its a little like process of elimination. The mafia has the choice to kill someone, while the others have their eyes closed. Then except for the dead person there is the decision of who is the mafia. Basic game, if you are mafia, you want to survive and eliminate the rest, if you are the citizen you want to get rid of the mafia. Once you are dead, or voted out you no longer get to participate, so while everyone else keeps playing you could go much some food. I have to say things got pretty intense. In about the second or third round, Joliene knew who killed her and she wanted revenge. "It was my dad. I know it!!" And sure enough she was right.

I mentioned the Mafia got to kill one person, the detectives got to see if someone was mafia or not, the citizens didn't get any super power they were just asleep. Then there was the narrator who said "go to sleep or mafia open eyes" and for the detectives, he or she knew weather or not someone was mafia. Then the last time there was an angel. This person got to save someones life, if that person is who the mafia wanted to kill. Other wise the person was dead.

The angel ended up being Gram. And when it was going down to the wire, and there were three or four people left, it was who is mafia and who could you trust. It ended up being that Mattea and Corinne were the last two mafia, Gram was the angel that was still alive, and then it was Me and Tirzah as citizens. Gram saved Tirzah twice, way to go Gram! Then she was finally dead. It was now down to 3 Mattea was out, it was Gram, Corinne and I. I knew I wasn't mafia, but Gram didn't believe me. Process of elimination. Who should we vote out? I knew. But apparently everyone else didn't agree. Gram let the mafia win by voting with Corinne and getting rid of me. Thanks Gram. It's okay. I still love you.

After Mafia was over everyone went to get some snacks. I guess while we weren't looking the dead had risen and prepared some snacks. There were little meat rolls, 7 layer dip, fig newtons, flavored water, and chips to snack on. Once everyone was refueled we went back and played a different game Signs. I have to say when ever we go to Utah we always learn the funnest games.

Signs is a little hard to explain via computer. Its kind of like monkey in the middle, but you're passing people their signs while the one in the middle is trying to find out who has the sign. Each person has their own sign, you have to send and receive the sign, one is yours, the other is the person you are sending it to I guess. If the person in the middle makes 3 guesses and they are wrong, they have to sing I'm a little teapot. Yes they do!

They were signs you could do that were simple. A pull on the ear, wiping your knee, rubbing your belly or scratching your elbow. Each person had their own sign, the hard part was figuring trying to remember whose sign was whose. And to not get caught.

Joi tried to get out of it, " can't I just sing.." No, we have to guess and so do you! After about the first round we realized that the mirror and window were big helpers to the person in the middle, and so they were covered up. Sorry, no cheating.


I guess you could say we had two winners for this game, Joi and Joliene. Well, if you ask them I don't think they would say they won anything except the chance to be a little tea pot. 3 strikes and you're out ladies. Sorry.

For Dinner? We had Mexican food and leftovers. I think Joliene made the rest of her tofu stuff, there was re fried beans, brown rice, some meat thing (don't ask me I only ate it) and then left over stuff like potatoes, and well anything we had in Grams fridge. There was plenty of food, it was just a matter of who was going to eat it.

During one of our games, or a little after Gram had suggested an Ice Cream run. Mmmm. Sounds good to me! Well, it was more like Marion went got the boxes of Ice Cream he bought a few days earlier because they were on sale and brought them over. I don't know if they were toppings from Grams or he brought them too, there was sprinkles of different colors, chocolate and caramel syrup, bananas and 3 flavors of Ice Cream.

Great idea Gram!! I didn't see every ones, but they all were a little different. I guess that was a good thing. The day ended pretty well, and with one more good bye checked off. Since Joliene, mom and I were leaving tomorrow and Jenna had work, tonight was the time for good byes.