I like games, including board games, cards, dice, and dominos. I particularly like word games, dating back to playing Scrabble while growing up.

When going on trips, I often pack a couple of games to play. Popular “road games” have included Phase 10, Farkle and, of course, Scrabble.

A couple of different groups of friends and I even had a traveling trophy. After a weekend of Phase 10, the overall champion took it home until we met up to play again.

During CUZNS 62-62-60, a Fourth of July reunion weekend, I played games with my cousins, Laura Burton and Lynda Day. When the weather was gorgeous outside, we played badminton and they introduced me to cornhole. I had a blast and still wonder why I never played before. During a stormy evening, we rolled a rousing game of Farkle.

Luckily, my husband also enjoys games. However, more than a dozen years ago, John put the kibosh on Monopoly. While I didn’t aspire to become a real estate mogul, I made shrewd deals just to extend gameplay.

Monopoly doesn’t take a lot of skill or strategy — it mostly comes down to the roll of the dice and the spaces you land on. However, it reminds me of growing up playing with my family — I wish I still had that original set with wooden houses and hotels.

Imagine my surprise when John ordered Shepherd-Opoly in April 2017 to play with my parents when they visited for an extended Mother’s Day weekend. It didn’t take long for the cuteness of the German shepherd version of the game to wear off — it’s now collecting dust on a shelf in our garage.