Game Night with Friends

Everyone needs a little play time. The fun thing about games, whether you watch them on TV, play them with a team, or set them up in your living room, is that they add a little excitement and uncertainty to a monotonous day at work. And, they give you a reason to get together with friends.

We haven’t had a game night in a while. Early in childhood, game nights usually ended with crying (because I lost), or wet pants (because I was too competitive to stop for a bathroom break). As adults, they’re much more fun!

This week, our friends hosted a game night for the first edition of what we hope to become a monthly tradition. We played Taboo, the game where you illiterately bumble through a description of a keyword without saying a handful of obvious descriptors. Guys vs. Girls. Appetizers, drinks, and lot more fun than sitting on the couch!

Go to a Casino

There’s a little known secret about how to definitely make money at a casino: get a job there. But, since we’re both happily employed, we opted instead to carelessly flush money down slot-machine toilets with childlike optimism. But we had fun doing it, and that’s what counts.

This week’s pick was to visit a Casino — and Arizona has several to choose from. Last Sunday, we set out to Talking Stick Resort with another couple who could help show us the ropes. Any good casino adventure starts at the bar, which is where I met Anthony, a telecom industry sales representative from Australia who was in town for a conference. Anthony grew up in the Australian countryside with a family of sheep shearers. More on him later.

We moved on to the slot machines, which sometime in the last couple of years have spontaneously evolved into the most complicated way to lose money imaginable. But, the complexity seems to take the sting out of losing. You get so busy watching Dorothy tap her shoes or Nemo blow bubbles that you don’t really have time to comprehend the credits you’re losing. Before long, all we had left was a ticket for $0.29, which we kept as a souvenir.

In the end, the casino was a great atmosphere for a night out, despite our loss. If you set a limit on your spending, and focus on the experience rather than the temptation of jackpots, it’s no different than a special restaurant or a sporting event.

Back to Anthony. Before we left he said that he believes destiny puts a few choices in front of you, but it’s up to you to choose your path. Through Sunday Bucket, we’re being exposed to more choices through more experiences. And that’s worth more than anything we lost at the slot machine.

 

For Your Bucket:

Cost: Varies!
Location: Talking Stick Resort

Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

I could say that two weeks ago our bucket slip said, “take two weeks off from Sunday Bucket,” but that’s lying. This year, we went on vacation for our anniversary, and blogging fell under our vacation technology embargo. But, we managed to squeeze in an AMAZING adventure, checking an item off our list while we were away.

Of all the potential ways that humans can take to the sky, a hot air balloon seems like the easiest operation to concoct at home. In 10th grade (yes, high school), I unsuccessfully tried to create a flying machine with a helium canister and an inflatable couch. Ridiculous, sure. An obsession with getting airborne? Maybe. And, who can forget the tv-interrupting, awe-inspiring, and ultimately unmanned flight of the weather balloon boy in 2009.

 

We aspire to fly. Or maybe just I do. Regardless, a hot air balloon ride has been on my bucket list forever, and with so many opportunities in Arizona, we decided to add it to our Sunday Bucket. Unbeknownst to me, Lianne made a solo pick a few weeks back, and surprised me with a hot air balloon ride as a birthday present! Last week, on vacation in Northern California, we cashed in.

 

For anyone that hasn’t experienced this, the sensation is magical. Our balloon took about 10 minutes to inflate before the ride in a small town just east of Napa, CA. We watched anxiously, and eventually piled in with 16 other passengers (it was the second largest basket in the country!). We soared for about an hour, drifting up and down through orchards, vineyards, and a vast agricultural landscape.

 

Here’s something we didn’t expect – Hot air balloons don’t land in any specific place. They land where the wind makes them land. So, we spent the last 15 minutes of our ride listening to the pilot negotiate his landing spot with a guy in a pickup truck who went door to door until he found a farmer with some vacant land on our trajectory. Anyway, we made it. A wonderful experience, with some amazing photos to show for it!

 

 

 

For Your Bucket:

Website:  http://www.balloonrides.com/
Cost: $189 per person