Codenames - Boardgame review and game night report

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to the game Codenames. When it first came out it was all the rage and was getting a ton of buzz. When I heard the initial descriptions of the game, I was a little skeptical and wondered how it would catch on with my normal gaming friends, family and other groups of gamers since we don't often go in for party-style guessing games. Once I finally tried it, I decided it was worthwhile and wanted to introduce it to my family. It was a quick hit. Everybody really enjoyed it and was excited to play both as a guesser and as clue givers.

That winter I was going to a family holiday gathering with extended familiy and was asked to bring games. I packed Codenames. Knowing that there would be younger kids there, I went out and bought a copy of the Disney version to bring along. Once again, I was a little skeptical as to whether or not it would go over well and work with younger kids and once again I was pleasantly surprised. Just this past month, I was selected by #Tryazon to be a participant in a Codenames party night showcasing Codenames Disney and Codenames Marvel. I got a copy of the Marvel version and sent out invites.

Game Review - Exit: The Pharaoh's Tomb

My family and I had a lot of fun in a mini "brick and mortar" escape room at a recent convention but the price to take 5 of us into an escape room is pricey so it's not something we're going to do much. Even as a date night for just my wife and I, the cost is up there. So this new trend of escape room games at home has me excited. Having the "Exit" series also win the German Spiel des Jahres award this year also means that the trend will likely continue to give us fun new offerings.

I ordered a copy of the Egypt themed "Exit" escape room game "The Pharaoh's Tomb". My daughter wasn't super excited for it so it was just my two boys, my wife and I. We sat down, not knowing exactly what to expect, and opened the box. I'll work to avoid spoilers while also letting you know what's in there and what we experienced.

The contents of the box are simple...basically you get a bunch of cards, a decoder disk, two "strange items" (paper strips with hieroglyphs), an instruction book and a diary/notebook from a previous explorer. (It's not a spoiler but I enjoyed the nods to pop culture in that the notebook was from "Dr. Ford" and there are some hidden images that remind you of a certain whip toting, snake hating adventurer)

Travelogue -- England and Paris 2017

In April, I was asked to travel to England to do some work onsite with a software development company we were outsourcing with. Even though I knew the days would be busy and hectic, I was excited for the trip and my wife was excited to join me and do some sightseeing on her own while I was working.

Work was in Brighton which is a fun seaside resort city on the southern coast of England. Lynette quickly remembered moments of joy from Jane Austen tales of her characters going to Brighton and she was even more excited at the prospect. We stayed in a reasonably priced 4-star hotel called Jury's Inn Waterfront which, as you might expect, was down on the coast with a great view of the ocean and the nearby Brighton Pier.

The hotel amenities were comfortable and acceptable and the staff was quite friendly and very helpful. The beach and ocean were a wonderful draw to me (as usual) although the temperature was rather chilly and the beach was pebble rather than sand so I didn't take any opportunity to just lay down and watch the water like I normally would. Still it was awesome being right on the oceanfront for the trip. The nearby Pier was a fun attraction as well. It had a boardwalk vibe with street vendors, arcade machines and carnival rides. The style and atmosphere was fun.


My office was a short 5-minute walk from the hotel and I spent most of my daytime hours there. The downside for me was that the shops and sights of Brighton (at least during that time of year) largely closed down by 6 pm so by the time I had finished my work day, most points of interest were shutting their doors. We did find some great places to eat for dinner as well as some late-night snacks at the numerous pubs. We thought perhaps the Pier would be open later as a gathering point for after hours family fun but it also closed down fairly early. I didn't do any additional research to see if the early hours were a year-round occurrence or just in the off-seasons of spring and winter considering a beach town may be more accommodating to tourists in the summer months. At the same time, I had to remind myself that I was there as a "working" tourist so the schedule constraints wouldn't apply to normal travelers. In fact, my wife had a wonderful time exploring the sites and offerings of Brighton.

We took the time to explore the Royal Pavilion. Built in the late 1700s as a "pleasure palace" for King George IV, this was a lavish and crazy exhibit of architecture and design. The initial intent was to be a seaside retreat for the King (then Prince of Wales) to recover from physical ailments in the healthy sea climate. It quickly became his go-to locale for outrageous parties or indiscreet romantic trysts. The design showcases a gaudy style based on mistaken English interpretation of East Indian and Asian tastes. The exotic styles illustrate a case of having far too much money to spend and not knowing entirely what to do with it. The Pavilion is set up for a self-guided walk-through of the premises and they have audio narration available for playback through your smartphones. I highly recommend the audio not only to provide greater insight into what you're seeing but also for the chance to partake of the wry British humor in such a magnificent and outrageous setting. My wife was also able to visit during the day and be part of a traditional English Tea in the Pavilion tea room.

Just behind our hotel and winding up and down the main streets of town were the Laines. Navigating along cobblestone paths and passages between fun European stone building were dozens and dozens of wonderful shops ranging from quaint to exotic. While there were some shops with your standard pre-fab souvenirs, we had more fun exploring the small local shops where artisans showcased their talents. There were great examples of classical and modern art as well as beautiful custom jewelry, clothing and other high-end merchandise. We found fun candy and ice cream shops and music and bookstores catering to local taste.

While I was working, my wife took some time to explore the beach and museums as well as to visit a nearby castle in Lewes Castle just a quick bus or train ride down the road. She was initially nervous about exploring on her own as she has self-proclaimed to have no sense of direction. I helped outline the bus route and she was on her way. She came back that night gushing about the fabulous adventure she'd had in Lewes. The 1000-year-old castle was a fun chance to step back in time and explore architecture and history that you just can't find in the United States.

The exhibits and guides were fabulous and really impressed her. While navigating Lewes, she took a few missteps but had a great time doing so. She met a woman who was helping caretake a local church. The woman invited my wife into the cemetery behind the church (which were beautiful in themselves) to look at "a unique view of the castle that the public usually doesn't see." From behind the church she stared along the backside of the castle wall.   She also took a brief walk to Anne of Cleves house. Anne was a wife of Henry VIII and her home was another trip back in time centuries to the Tudor era.  The day trip to Lewes was well worth her time.

On the weekend, my wife and I dedicate each day to longer trips.

On Saturday, we took a whirlwind trip to Paris. Rising early, we caught the train from Brighton to London where we transferred to the Eurostar to zip across the channel to Paris. Sadly, we missed the first train across which cost us an extra hour but we made the best of it. The train ride was fast and smooth and we were there before we knew it (although it did take a few hours). We found our way to the Metro and emerged just across from the Louvre.

Knowing we only had a single day to see as much as we could, we didn't enter the Louvre itself but instead worked our way through the Tuileries gardens to take in the awesome sculptures and topiary as we worked our way towards the heart of the city. We followed the Avenue de Champs Elysees down to the Grand Palais where we took a turn around the block to admire the fabulous architecture and ambience of the Grand Palais and neighboring gardens.

We stopped for a quick lunch at a Brasserie just across from the Grand Palais (actually across from the Palais de la Decouverte portion of the Grand Palais). My lovely companion was giddy with delight as we sat on the patio seating of the darling French cafe.

After lunch, we decided to walk along the Seine for the rest of our afternoon and headed towards the famous Tower. The path along the Seine was lovely. To our right were rows of fabulous buildings each with their own wonderful architectural charm. To our left, people sat on the wall and ate or chatted while beyond them the Seine flowed by with various ferries and water coaches. Before long we were at the bridge directly across from the Eiffel Tower. We paused for pictures and to admire some of the "living statues" entertaining passersby. Crossing the bridge, we noted the huge line to get through the security checkpoint to reach the tower.

In the interest of time, we took a few pictures from beyond the security checkpoint and decided to take a leisurely stroll through the surrounding park and gardens. We found another corner cafe and had a small snack of hot chocolate and macarons. Both were divine (perhaps the flavor was slightly enhanced by the charm of being in such a magical location). Sadly, we realized our time was nearly over so we worked to obtain a few requisite Paris souvenirs and worked our way back to the train station just in time to catch the last train back to London. Our whirlwind adventure in Paris had lasted just over 5 hours but it was wonderful fun.

The next day, we rose early in Brighton and hopped a train to London. We unintentionally planned our day trip the same day as the London marathon so numerous thoroughfares were blocked or highly congested. Still, we were determined to do and see as much as we could. We began with a stop at the Tower of London. We had received very good advice to see the Crown Jewels first (if you wanted to see them) since the line is shortest early in the day. So, after entering the Tower gates, we beelined to the Jewel Howes. Before that day I hadn't fully understood what was meant by "Crown Jewels." For some reason, I had thought it literally just meant the "crown" and the jewels in it. On the contrary, the "crown jewels" includes more than a hundred ceremonial objects and the associated regalia and clothing that are used for various royal events, most notably coronations. The Jewel House was under armed guard and featured immense walls and ultra-secure doors. The jewelry was over the top and a lot of fun to look at.

After viewing the jewels, we decided to take the guided tour (which is free with the price of admission). The tour guides are the "Beefeaters" (officially known as Yeoman Warders). They are part of the Royal Bodyguard and can only become Yeoman Warders after serving in the military for over 20 years. Our guide was a wonderfully energetic and hilarious man. He brought so much life and joy to the tour. The tour lasted about an hour. When we were first buying our tickets, I heard some other tourists expressing skepticism as to whether they really wanted to go on a guided tour versus just exploring on their own. I can recommend the Yeoman Tour as a "must do" activity when visiting the tour. I acknowledge that they don't take you into every area of the Tower but they provide such a lively, fun and informative addition that I can't imagine a visit being as complete without their help. We paused for lunch in the Tower before continuing our journey.

After our visit to the Tower, we took the bridge across the river and began meandering towards the Globe. There was so much literary history I wanted to see but with the short timespan I decided that a visit to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre would suffice. Along the way we found many great spots for fun pictures of amazing architecture whether it was an ornate church or a picturesque office building, it was all neat. At the Globe, I took some time to explore what was there, interact with the staff and peruse the gift shop. Since the Globe is a working theatre, I didn't have an opportunity to tour the place but I acknowledged that I must come back some day and see a show (or two or three).

After the Globe, we walked across another bridge and up towards St. Paul’s. At this point we started getting stuck in Marathon traffic so we dropped down to the underground and took a quick ride over towards Parliament and Westminster. The final path of the Marathon ran right past Parliament and then down the road to end in the parks by Buckingham Palace. Working our way through the crowds, we walked around the outside of Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey and then took the Birdcage walk right alongside the Marathon path down to Buckingham Palace. We looked through the palace gates at the guards doing their duty and explored the nearby buildings to see what might be open for tourists. Sadly, the museum and gallery were closed.

We found our way to a nearby pub (which promised an "adventurous" menu) and enjoyed a relaxing meal. It was also a much-appreciated rest for our legs...checking our pedometers we had walked nearly 17 miles. I tried to convince the group (one of my co-workers had joined us) that after dinner we should walk up the road to Kensington Gardens before making our way back to Brighton. I was keen on Kensington for its literary tie in to J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan. Showing them the map I tried to point out that it's "fairly close" (although upon checking the scale of the map, it looked to be about a 2-mile walk). With the sore feet and legs of my fellow travelers, I was overruled and we instead walked the half mile to Victoria Station to catch the trains back home.

The next day, I bid farewell to my wife and one of my fellow U.S.co-workers as they caught a flight home. I stayed for another 4 days to finish up some additional work. Back in Brighton I couldn’t do much more sightseeing in non-working hours but I did manage to find the Brighton area board game group and joined them for their Tuesday night gaming session which was fun.

Back home we received postcards we sent and shared photos and souvenirs with the kids. It was an adventure that was wonderful fun. We saw and experienced so many amazing things in such a short amount of time. I can't wait to do something like it again.

Family Summer Vacation 2016 - Redwood Forests and Pacific Coast

Leaves have changed colors and temperatures are dropping...I guess that means I should get on the ball and write that "how I spent my summer vacation" post. It's a little late, but who's really keeping track, right?

For our family vacation this year we took a trip to the Redwood National Forests and the Pacific Coast. We spent most of the trip in California but as a family we always said we were going to "Oregon". I think that's mainly because Oregon is new to the kids so the novelty of it made it a place to focus the trip.

The vacation started out with a full day of driving from our home near Salt Lake City halfway across Nevada and then North up to Klamath Falls Oregon where we stayed a night. The drive was long and pretty uneventful. Having driven across Utah and parts of Nevada before, the scenery most of the drive wasn't anything terribly exciting or engaging for the group so a lot of time was spent reading or sleeping. A couple of our gas/bathroom pit stops were in fun small little towns with quirky postcards and souvenirs on the shelves so that was fun. When we did get to the Oregon/Nevada border we snapped a few quick pictures before continuing on. We arrived at our hotel in Klamath Falls after dark and just settled in to stretch and sleep before another day in the van.

Our second day immediately started with more interesting scenery and growing excitement as we continued on the road. Driving around Klamath Lake and the Lake of the Woods was gorgeous. After a few hours we were at the California border and embedded in forest. Driving through the forest, the kids kept excitedly asking if these were the great Redwoods yet. My oldest teenager cynically pointed out that if these were THE redwoods they weren't really any better than trees back home and we could've saved our vacation time. I assured him that we weren't quite there and he'd be impressed once he saw them.

Blogging catch up - The year 2015 in review

Since I haven't done a very good job of posting regularly, I guess it's time for another "year in review" post...this time about the adventures of my family and I in 2015.



Similar to my previous catch-up post, we had a lot of family fun attending "geeky" conventions this past year. Winter (January) and Fall (September) we went to the Salt Lake Comic Con and had a ball meeting and greeting celebrities, checking out all sorts of fun art and geek/nerd memorabilia and just having a good time all around. I volunteered in the fall at the Board Game demo tables which was a fun and interesting experience. Sadly that meant I didn't get to go to as many panels or see as much of the convention, but it was still fun.

For the Winter "FanX" convention, they brought in 3 guests from the modern Doctor Who universe (something that the whole family has been enjoying). We went to a panel and listened to Billie Piper, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as they all just sort of hung out and chatted on a couch on stage. Then later we stood in a very long line to get our picture taken with them. My dear sweet wifey and her aching joints were dying by the time we got to the front of the line so she was a little woozy and out of it and doesn't remember once. The photo experience was pretty funny. The five members of our family got situated (very quickly) and they prepped to take the picture...Matt Smith "struck a pose" with his fingers up in a sort of peace sign or something and in so doing he poked my oldest son in the chin...as a result, my son is sort of glaring a little confused at Matt Smith (who also sort of half squatted down so he's a little covered by my daughter). So, we have a fairly hilarious picture with a laughable memory. The kids also had a lot of fun dressing up in costumes as well as seeing the panels from Studio C (a sketch comedy group) who were just as funny and silly live as they are on TV.

Catching up on nearly a year in review of blogging

Well, once again I've been a slacker of a blogger over the past few months. Not only have I not posted any personal/family updates for 10 months but I haven't even kept up on my semi-regular book/movie reviews. I can't promise any long term changes towards posting regularity but at the very least there will potentially be an influx of posts over the next days or weeks. *grin*

So my last "personal" blog post was from last summer and basically summarized the events of the spring of 2014...which means I basically have one full year to catch up on. Away we go....not entirely in chronological order but combined in a way that makes sense to me. :-)

First, here's the "year in review" slideshow that Google automatically made based on some of the photos I've uploaded. I figured I'd start out with that and then drill into some of the events specifically (not sure how well or whether the Google slideshow thing will work, but it's worth a try).

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Happy Thanksgiving...jibjab style

Hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving and remembers all of the things they're thankful for. I'm so thankful for my wonderful family. They are the best part of my life every day. I love you guys.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The latest in my irregular blog updates

Row, row, row your blog, gently through the Interwebs.

So it’s been another couple of months since my last posts. Real life just keeps getting in the way of fun hobbies and pastimes. Sorry about that.

Here’s a 30 second list of highlights and lowlights since my last posts:

• Youngest child turns 10 years old amid some celebration…but sadly we’ve still been too busy to have a birthday party for her (though she did just get a cool new bed and a fresh coat of paint in her bedroom)
• Oldest son hospitalized with RSV and Pneumonia compounded with crazy Allergy and Asthma flare up
• I spent a couple of days learning new games and just solidly board gaming at SaltCon (Northern Utah’s board game convention)
• Celebrated my two boys earning their next rank advancements in Boy Scouts
• Watched a bunch of “end of school year” programs and concerts as my kids finished up another successful year of classes
• Enjoyed the fun art at our city’s “chalk art festival”
• Reveled in the joy of years gone by at the Utah Renaissance Festival
• Hiked around the foothills of our community
• Took the boys out for our annual community Father and Sons campout
• Repaired a bunch of sprinkler heads and otherwise started cleaning up the yard for summer
• Watched highlights of the road to the World Cup…Goooooooalll!

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Still alive - getting back on the blogging horse...maybe

Wow…where does the time go? It’s been almost 3 full months since my last blog post. Life has just been crazy hectic…and yet I don’t have a whole lot to report on. There were some insane project meltdowns to deal with at work. When not busy with work, I was kept busy with family, scouts and general recreation and begging out. My oldest turned 14, my youngest turned 12 (starting to feel my age). Took the scouts on our Winter Biathlon campout…it was a pretty mild winter and we had some early thaw come on in January so there wasn’t as much snow for this year’s Biathlon but we still had fun. For Valentines, my sweetheart and I had some fun hitting up the museum to check out the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. So an eventful few months, but mostly my inactivity online was just a result of being too mentally exhausted to contribute (or even troll the blogs of friends and family…sorry for neglecting y’all. I’ll catch up on your life soon).

Not sure yet how frequently I’ll be back online. As before, I don’t want online life to take over other stuff…but I do want to get back in the habit of sharing reviews, writing and other thoughts. We’ll see how it goes.


In the meantime, here’s a video of our family hoping for warmer weather and fun at the beach. Enjoy. :)

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Merry Christmas to all and to all a Macarena

Here's wishing you and yours a super fabulous Christmas and a wonderful holiday season overall. Best wishes!

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Thanks for 17 amazing years!

Seventeen years ago today I became the luckiest man in the world by marrying my best friend forever. She's had to put up with so much lameness and garbage from me over the years and she always loves me and supports me and helps me however she can.  She understands my quirks and eccentricities.  We help each other learn and grow and make the most out of life.  She's helped raise 3 fabulous children with great values and standards. She deals with the drudgery of housework, yard work and other tedium like a champ. She makes me smile when I'm down and helps me see things clearly when life gets muddled.

I love all the wonderful happy memories we've created over the past 17 years and I look forward to making many many more memories to last forever.

Thank you for loving me. I love you forever and always.

Happy Anniversary Sweetie! xoxo

Happy Father's Day dad!

Happy Father's Day Dad! Thanks for all you've done and all you do. You're fabulous!

Book Review - Mom Rules: Because Even Super Heroes Need Help Sometimes

Well, I realize I'm just missing the Mother's Day gift buying timeframe with this review, but maybe this will come in handy for a "just because" gift for mom/wife/etc. Or maybe you can pick it up and hold onto it until next Mother's Day. Whatever suits your fancy. :)

As the adage goes, there is no manual about how to be a good parent. As more and more time goes on, that adage isn't quite as accurate as it once was. Each year there is a new smattering of parenting books, magazines, posts and articles filled with new or modified advice for prospective parents, new parents or long time parents. A lot of the advice is similar though sometimes the different books contradict one another or try to come up with some radical new idea to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Whatever your take on parenting, you'll find that there are a ton of places to turn for advice.

Mom Rules begins by graciously acknowledging that moms are superheroes but then also acknowledges, as the cover points out, that even superheroes need help sometimes. This book is the follow up and companion book to Dad Rules released last year. Like its predecessor, Mom Rules is filled with dozens of "rules" for parents ranging from prospective parents to empty nesters. Each rule is short and to the point often taking no more than a single page. The rules are divided into three main sections of parenting advice and often reference other rules in this book as well as corresponding rules in the Dad Rules book.

For readers or parents looking for deep psychological insight into parenting and child rearing, this is not the book for you. Similarly for those looking for specific tactical advice or in-depth instructions to put into practice, you may want to look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for some quick insightful ideas that can make your parenting smoother and more effective, this book is a great place to dive in. Don't take that to mean that this lightweight book doesn't have merit. Many of the rules include reference to scientific studies and many of them also include humorous and poignant real-life examples to illustrate their points.

The light, easily accessible nature of the rules is actually one of the strengths of the read. Rather than getting bogged down in a lot of psychology or analytics, the authors "cut to the chase" and present straight forward no-nonsense advice to help work your way through the parenting minefields.

Life In Review - A Catch-Up Post From a Slacking Blogger

Greetings from a blogging slacker. Over the past few months life has just been hectic and so sadly my downtime (when I can find it) has consisted of sitting very idly playing mindless games or watching mindless TV (*shudder*). That's not to say that all I've been doing is a bunch of mindless activities. I've had a lot of things going on that have been very entertaining and productive. But during the moments of free time when I might otherwise be doing creative writing or updating my blog, I have been adverse to doing anything that takes any real effort.

So consider this an effort to turn over a new leaf. I've got a number of friends/family blogs to catch up on. In addition, I need to be blogging more and doing more dedicated creative writing, book reviews, movie reviews, etc.

To start off…here's today's post. A "personal" post catching people up on the lives and happenings of myself and my family over the past many months. It's been a while since my last personal/family post. For those who aren't interested in the "human interest" side of blogging, go ahead and skip the rest of the post. For the rest of you, keep scrolling and enjoy the quick blurbs and pictures from recent and semi-recent adventures. I actually haven't done a recap of activities since last fall. So you're in for a treat....maybe    ;)

Happy Easter 2013 - Jump Jump

Have a "hoppy" Easter...Jump to it and have a great weekend. :)

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day from my family to you and yours.

May your life be lucky and filled with magic. :)

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Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to you and yours!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous December, a wonderful Christmas and a thrilling holiday season. May you all be happy, healthy and have a wonderful New Year.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Here's wishing everybody a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Take some time to remember all the many wonderful ways you are blessed. Even in our hardest times there is always something to be grateful for.

I am so thankful for my wonderful family. Even when I'm grumpy or geeky or otherwise annoying they still put up with me and love me and stand by me. They truly bring me more joy than I can express. I'm grateful too for my extended family and the fun and support that we share.

I am thankful for God and the gospel and the wonderful peace, hope and joy they bring to my life.

I am grateful for a wonderful home to live in and keep us safe and comfortable. I'm grateful for a great neighborhood, city, state and country to live in. I love the beauty and abundance available all around us in this world.

I am grateful for good friends and neighbors that are always ready to help share in joys and trials. I have so many fabulous people in my life.

I am thankful for the many ways we can be educated and entertained. I love that we have so many ways to learn and experience knew things and become better people.

I am grateful for the many talents I have and the chances I have to share them and grow.

There is so much to be grateful for. I'm thankful for Thanksgiving day when we can sit back and take a moment to reflect on the many blessings in our life. And I'm grateful for every other day of the year and all the blessings and joys that they bring.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a fabulous year.

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Enjoy the following cheesy JibJab Thanksgiving video from my family to yours.

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Happy Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween from my family to yours. Enjoy some silly jib jab videos and zany images stolen from various places on the web.

Have a great Halloween!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A Week In Review - STARWEST Conference -or- A Week in Disneyland

So a couple of weeks ago I went to California for a business conference. The conference was pretty cool…lots of great speakers, tutorials, keynotes, vendors and other work sessions to fill my head (and my bag) with lots of great information and contacts.

As an added bonus, the conference was held in the Disneyland Convention Center in the Disneyland Hotel. While this certainly wasn't my first reason for opting for this particular conference, it didn't hurt.

The conference (STARWEST) is hosted by SQE and they do a number of great conferences each year and also have a good selection of webinars and ongoing resources online. I've followed them and have been wanting to go to one of their conferences for a while. It was well worth it.

Unless I happen to have readers who are in the Software Test and/or QA industry, I won't bore you all too much with the various things I learned at the conference…hit me up after if you're interested. ;)

Instead, I figured I'd give a little recap on the "entertainment" portion of the trip.