This time last year we hit the 1000 game mark in our ongoing Scrabble contest. It is doubtful that we will ever reach the 2000 game mark, but we still enjoy playing.
This New Year’s Eve found my husband and I tied for number of games won for the year.
Sadly, I must report that he won the game yesterday – so he is the reigning champ for 2021.
But this year is going to be mine!
Happy New Year to my readers!
Those of you who follow my blog know by now that my husband and I are Scrabble addictions.
We have kept a record of our scores since 2008. Equally matched in skill, we usually remain only one or two games ahead of the other one.
Recently, however I seemed to be on a winning streak. As I was leading with four games ahead of my husband, he began to get nervous. If I got too big a lead it would be hard to catch up with me.
So when we sat down to play this week, he informed me he was out for revenge.
Boy did he get it!
For those of you who are not Scabble fans, you get seven letter tiles to make your words. If you can use all seven of the tiles in one word you get not only the actual points of the word you made, but an extra 50 bonus points.
He began the game by using all seven tiles and starting off with 50 bonus points. No big deal I thought. That early in the game I had plenty of time to catch up. But he did not stop there. Of the first six words he made, five were made using all seven tiles. Now he had 250 bonus points.
And the rest of the game was all in his favor! He not only won the game – he beat me by over 200 points.
Still, considering he had 250 bonus points I think I did okay.
Now he only has to win the next three games to be equal with me again.
Don’t think I am going to sit idly by and let that happen.
Those who have been following my blog for awhile know that my husband and I are Scrabble addicts.
Confessions of a Scrabble Addict!
We began keeping score in 2008. We have the score books from all these years. My husband keeps score and he keeps tab of the total of games we each win – by how many points and even the seven-letter words we play.
At the beginning of 2020 we realized we were close to playing 1000 games – so we set a goal of doing just that. And with the year it has been cooped up at home – it was a good thing to keep us from going crazy!
We have the official Scrabble dictionary and after several challenges by me, my husband uses it a lot to make sure he is spelling the word correctly so I don’t challenge him again.
Being totally crazy, we even have a list of all the three-letter words in the dictionary – and we allow ourselves to use the list to help us make more points.
As we began the last game of 2020 I was one game ahead of my husband and I wanted to win this game and end this 1000 game stretch ahead. However, it did not start out too good for me. These were the letters I had – no vowels.
My husband’s hand was not much better. He had no vowels also but he did have a “y” which he could use. After playing the word “sty” I had to take a “0” for my first turn because I could not do anything with these letters. So – the game did not start off in my favor.
I gained the lead quickly and when we were about two-thirds done, I was ahead 487 to 434. However, it game turned to his favor when he was able to spell a seven-letter word which gave him 50 extra points and he won the game with a score of 711 to my 692.
So – after 1000 games in 12 years we ended all tied.
We each have won 498 games and we have four tied games.
A friend told me she found it hard to believe we were tied after all these games. She said she thought one of us was letting the other one win. Clearly she is not a very close friend because if she were, she would know we are too competitive for that.
Since it took us 12 years to reach 1000 games, I seriously doubt we will ever see 2000, but we can have fun continuing to challenge each other – and keep our old brains active.
My husband fell earlier this year and was rushed to the hospital for surgery following a brain bleed. I worried if he would still be able to compete with me in Scrabble. The doctors told us that one of the possible side effects of this injury was damage to his ability to speak or read and communicate. It was such a blessing to see that he recovered quickly and could keep me on my toes. We both think getting right back to Scrabble was a big help in that recovery.
Iâm Back With a Miracle Man!
Well – I did want to end ahead of him – but such is life. I’ll just have to put on my big girl pants and go on.
Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that my husband and I are avid Scrabble players. We are very competitive and have kept a record of our scores since 2008. I tell my story in:
Confessions of a Scrabble Addict!
We have been known to wake up at 4 am and, not being able to go back to sleep, get up and play a game of Scrabble before heading back to bed. Since we play with a Super Scrabble board which has twice the number of tiles for a normal game and a much larger board, it can take us two to three hours to play a game It doesn’t help that we are so competitive and often take minutes to find the right word.
Currently we are at game number 928. We want to make it to 1000 games by the end of the year. Since there are only 78 days left in the year this means we can only skip six days without a game.
Since we are retired and winter is fast coming to our home in Michigan, I think we can make it.
Right now in our 928 games I have won 464, my husband has won 460 with four ties. Recently a friend said she did not think we could have that many ties or be that close in games won and suggested that one of us was letting the other win. Obviously while she is a friend she is not a close friend. Otherwise she would know how competitive we are and how we would NEVER let the other one win.
Questions:
When we reach that milestone who will be ahead in the total number of games won?
What should the winner of the most games receive as a prize?
What should the loser of the most games have to do for ending up behind?
Any ideas? I would love to have your input on these questions.
Those of you who follow my blog know that my husband and I are Scrabble addicts. We are very competitive and our final scores are often very close.
Recently I beat my husband by just 15 points. He decided he wanted to add the scores again to make sure no mistake had been made. While I was more than glad to do this, I said to be fair if we were going to check the scores of this game, we would need to check those games where I lost by just 15 points.
So I agreed with his new rule. Going forward any game where there was a difference of 20 points or less, we would add up the scores again.
He may regret making that rule.
This week we played a game and when it ended he was ahead of me by just five points. I insisted he check the scores again.
To his great disappointment he found that he had made an addiction mistake in his score giving him ten more points than he should have.
By subtracting those ten points, I now won the game by just five points.
So be careful what you want to change – it may turn against you.
(And I’m still laughing at this!)
Well I did it! I won the last Scrabble game of 2019 – making me the champion!
My last post told the tale of my husband’s effort to catch me.
My husband did his best – but couldn’t catch me. He tells me he is now depressed. (A joke only – he’s fine.)
But guess what his New Year’s Resolution is? You got it!
To beat me in 2020.
Happy New Year to all my readers!
Those of you who have followed my posts for awhile know that my husband and I are Scrabble addicts. We play with a super scrabble board. It has more spaces for words than a regular Scrabble board and 200 tiles instead of 100.
We have kept a record of our scores since 2008 and are very competitive.
As we come to the last day of 2019 I am one game ahead of my husband. He is determined to end this year with a tie between us as we did last year.
So this evening we will play our last game of the year.
If he wins and we end in a tie – all is well.
I did it!
But if I win – I will end the year two games ahead.
Champion!!!!
Of course, you know I’m rooting to win and be the champion for 2019. However, if the last two games are any indication of how it will go – I’m nervous.  Most of the time our scores are very close but the last two games he has not only won but beat me by over 150 points. NO!
In our game last night he had three seven-letter words. For those of you who don’t play Scrabble playing all of your letters in one turn adds 50 extra points to your score. NO!
The game tonight will be our 829th game since we started keeping scores. This year we played 136 games. My husband has figured out that if we play 171 games in 2020 we will reach 1000 games.
So – while I am sure I will at some point today or tomorrow be more serious about goals for 2020 – for now that seems like a worthy goal.
Think we can make it to 1000 games in the coming year?
Think I can win the game tonight and be the champion?
We still see.
For all my readers, Happy New Year! May the coming year bring you God’s peace and joy!
If you follow my blog you know my husband and I are avid Scrabble players. Very competitive, we started keeping a record of the scores of our games in 2008. We laugh that we are actually addicted to the game.
Thankfully we are evenly matched. It would be no fun if one of us was much better than the other. We go back and forth on winning the games. Usually we are never more than one or two games apart. A few years ago my husband actually pushed way ahead of me with a seven game lead. I was so discouraged as I did not know how I would ever catch up with him again. (Do you think losing too many games of Scrabble to your husband would be good grounds for a divorce?)
Some of our kids bought us a Super Scrabble board a few years ago. The board has more squares to play on and twice the number of letter tiles as the regular Scrabble game. We have used it so much that it is falling apart. We have it taped together but have agreed for our Christmas gift we will purchase a new one next month. We also need a good Scrabble dictionary as our present one is falling apart.
This week we played our 800th game. After eleven years that is roughly 73 games a year or 6 games a month. Since I did not retire until 2013 we are actually playing more games each month now. Winter finds us playing more games as we hate going out in the snow and cold. Summer finds us making road trips so the games take a back seat for a few weeks.
When we played that 800th game I was two games ahead of my husband and he was really hoping to win the game. I beat him and that put me three games ahead for the eleven years we have kept score.
He threatened to never play again. But he was only joking as I often whine when I get behind more than two games that I do not want to play any more.
In the 800 games played we have actually tied three games. When I told one friend of how close our games are she felt one of us was just being nice and letting the other one win to keep our scores close. However, she clearly does not know us. We are very competitive and would never willingly let the other one win.
I am thankful that my husband and I share this common love. Along with giving us hours of enjoyment, we figure at our age (71 and 79) it may very well help keep our minds sharp. When we get to 1000 games we are going to have a party! (If we continue at this pace, that means we will be 74 and 82. Who wants to bet me we will still be going strong in three years?)
Do you and your family play board games?
What games do you like?
Are you addicted to any games?
Are you a good loser? Good winner?
I have often shared how my husband and I love Scrabble. For us it is almost an addiction.
For those who follow my blog you have already read about this, but if you are new and interested, here are the links to my stories behind our addiction.
Confessions of a Scrabble Addict!
I Owe My Scrabble Addiction to an Out-of-work Architect
This past weekend we realized how much we do love Scrabble!
Our power went out this past weekend. After fifteen hours without any electricity, service finally came on again, only to go out again in three hours. We had planned to play a game of Scrabble after supper.
When we started the game it was still light out and with the curtains all open we had no problem seeing the board.
Most Scrabble games take anywhere from one to two hours depending on the number of players.
But not for us!
Our games go on forever.
First, we have a “super Scrabble” board. This board is much larger than the normal game and it has twice as many tiles.
Second, we are very competitive and not only want to win but want to get as high a score as possible.
So each play may take minutes as we rearrange our tiles over and over trying to find the right word to get the most points.
We also play defensively so we need to play where our opponent does not have a chance to play on a triple or quadruple spot on the board.
So as the evening proceeded the sun slowly descended in the sky until it was dark both outside and in our house.
Did that stop us?
Not at all!
Out came the candles and the flashlights and we continued on in the dark. This only slowed our game down more as we could hardly see our tiles.
Over four hours later we finally finished the game and used our flashlight to find our way to bed.
Oh – by the way – I won!
We all love a winner!
We hold parades, parties, all kinds of celebrations when our team becomes state champion. Coming in second in a state-wide contest leaves people feeling so dejected. They seem to forget that being second means they have beat out many other teams.
In the Olympics, athletics say they are going for the gold. You don’t win silver, you lose gold.
This desire to be number 1 is not necessarily a bad thing. To try to do your best, to succeed, to take pride in what you achieve, to have a healthy self-esteem are all good qualities.
But when that desire to be number 1 becomes so important that it leads us to step on others to reach the top, to despair when we do not achieve first place or to be overly prideful when we do, it has become a negative influence in our life.
For years I struggled with being number 2. As a pastor’s wife, I worked right alongside my husband. I visited women who were in the hospital, counseled those who were struggling with issues of life. I taught Bible classes, played the piano and led the Christian Education department in the churches where my husband was pastor. My youngest daughter and I went to the Philippines with my husband as missionaries. While there we also taught classes and worked with churches. Many Sundays, we each went to a different church to speak. My daughter conducted a Kids Klub and the children in the neighborhood called her “Tita” or “aunt.” I conducted a Bible class for a group of professional women and taught leadership classes to one church’s leadership board.
Yet when we returned to the states and visited the churches who had supported us to give a report of our work, they always introduced my husband and talked about the work he had done there. It was usually
We are glad to have Pastor Paul and his family with us today. Pastor Paul recently returned from the Philippines where he……..
A few times my daughter asked me “Were we there too? Did we do anything?”
But slowly God helped me to see that my motive in working for God must always be to do His will and not to expect or even desire recognition for my efforts.
And it was through reading about Barnabas “the Encourager” in the Bible that I found my role model for all I do.
We first meet Barnabas in Acts 4 where we are told his real name is Joses. But the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas “Son of Encouragement.”
And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostlesâ feet.
I love that thought. To be a person that so encourages others that he becomes known not by his real name but by the nickname of “The Encourager.” That has been my prayer – that I would be someone who encourages, builds up, strengthens others.
The next time we meet Barnabas the gospel has been received in Antioch. When news of the new group of Christians there reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to meet with the Christians there. And there again he encouraged.
News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.   When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.   He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
We see Barnabas having success in the work at Antioch. So what did he do? He headed off to Tarsus to find Saul (who became known as Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament).Â
Barnabas had been Saul’s friend when he first became a Christian. The church at Jerusalem was afraid of Saul because they knew how he had persecuted the Christians. But Barnabas, stepped in and told them Saul was a new man.Â
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Barnabas brought Paul back to Antioch where the two of them worked together sharing the gospel with the new church there. As you read the story in the book of Acts, you see for quite a while it is “Barnabas and Paul.” Later in the story it becomes “Paul and Barnabas.”
This is the joy of being willing to be number 2. Barnabas brought Paul from basically exile in Tarsus and encouraged him to become a main leader in the early church.
The church writes, speaks, quotes Paul a lot. There are churches all over the world named after him.
But it was Barnabas, “the Encourager” who no doubt encouraged Paul to follow the calling of God on his life. We know God had called Paul to the work of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles so he would obviously do that because God is in control. But I like to think that God used Barnabas to help Paul step up and fulfill the call of God on his life.
Finally we see the heart of Barnabas when later in his ministry with Paul, the young man John Mark wanted to go with them on their second missionary journey. Paul refused to take John Mark with them because he had left them halfway through their first missionary journey. Paul was not willing to give him a second chance. But Barnabas’ heart was that of an encourager. He insisted John Mark be given a second chance.
Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, âLet us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.â  Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,  but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,  but Paul chose Silas and left,
Most Bible scholars believe this John Mark was the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark. So again Barnabas was instrumental in helping another young man fulfill the work of God in his life.
That’s what I have asked God to help me be. That one that encourages others to follow the call of God on their life.
When we get to heaven, I imagine the lines will be long for those wanting to speak to Paul. That’s okay. But I’m going to look up Barnabas and tell him how he was my role model in life.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.     1 Thessalonians 5:11
Grandma's Ramblings 