We did it. We survived having house guests. Specifically my brother and his now *fiance* aaaaaaayyyyyyyy!

Like Blake said, we started the trip dating and now we aren't. So smooth. He had some real gems this trip.

We started in Yosemite and hot damn. We stayed in the cutest little cabins ever and we found a Living Social deal online so it was even cheaper! It had just enough room for two nights and then it probably would have caused some fights.

#outdoorsy

We hiked up the Upper Falls trail and, you guys, it chewed me up. I'm not in great shape, like I do a lot of walking and occasional running, so I was thinking it would be okay. It was almost not okay. Thankfully, my husband is the most patient human being and had the perfect mix of encouragement and tough love so I got my butt up that mountain.

My lagging behind also allowed Blake and Laura (they are really in shape) some time to be alone so that he could propose to her. AHHH I still cannot handle it.

We made it to Columbia rock and this was our view.


It looks like a desktop background. It was amazing. It took a long time but it was so worth it. We came back the next day and did some more hiking, because we are crazy. We hiked up to Vernal Falls which was also crazy beautiful.


Almost half of it was stupid crazy steep stone steps. My thighs have never burned so bad. My top butt (anatomical term) is still sore. Also how majestic does my Eagle Scout husband look?

We left our fun cabin and headed to Napa Valley to visit our California mom, Judy, and got an amazing tour of her winery. We also were able to sample their wine and it was so so so good.



So cool. It was the fanciest work environment ever. They have an amazing kitchen staff to make lunches, a lap pool, a basketball court, a soccer field, an ENTIRE gym, multiple theaters, and 12 bars. For drinking. Not during the day. I don't think.

Anyway it was so cool.

Overall the trip was amazing. It was so fun to show off Berkeley, to experience it with fresh eyes, and to check off a lot of things on our CA bucket list. In the end I'm slightly shell-shocked and missing my family like crazy but so incredibly grateful that we were able to spend time together.

Ahh feelings. Anyway, sorry a lot of the photos are just Instagram duplicates buuut I love Instagram. I'm sure I left out a ton of details (like how Edge of Tomorrow is surprisingly good, and that I successfully meal planned a camping trip, and that we named some stray cats Will Smith and Kevin James) but my brain is foggy and a little mushy. In the best way.

Go Gonzaga!

People who know me IRL (in real life) know that I'm a big fat nerd. Harry Potter? I'm in. Lord of the Rings? So there. Doctor Who? Duh. Star Wars? Obvi. Video games? For days. Board games? A lifestyle.

You get the idea.

I didn't think it was possible, but I've become an even bigger nerd now. I married the King of Nerds. John worked at a video game store in high school and zoomed through the ranks at Best Buy after college. And now we are just two "grown-ups" living in Berkeley, the Land of Nerds, and it's insane.

We play board games because, slightly serious, I used to watch a lot of Netflix and hulu and the like (and I still dabble a little) but I would get depressed and worn down and so emotional that I had to cut back. Some people can totally watch movies and shows on end and it's totally fine but I would get wigged out. Maybe it was a decrease in melatonin or something. SO! Games.

So, without further ado, here are some of my/our favorite board games. (I also linked each to webpage for further investigation/buying. I'm not sponsored. But I'm totally down to *nudge nudge*)

//ARRAY//

This is the newest game we have and I got to pick it out. We have a lot of strategy and really nerdy games and I wanted one that wasn't so rule-intensive. This one is fun. It's a lot like playing dominoes (matching colors instead of numbers) but with an element of Uno (draw 1, draw 2, draw 5, etc.)

I like it because it's visually appealing and it's easy enough to play and have a conversation at the same time. The only downside is sometimes the colors make your eyes hurt and/or you start to question whether or not you are colorblind. Linkity link.

//BOHNANZA//



I had my doubts about this game. A friend of ours got it for us as a wedding present and the serial killer bean on the front did not look enticing. But it's actually pretty fun! It's a little hard to explain but you are planting beans (I know that sounds boring) in your two bean fields and you want to sell them (I know that sounds boring) when your yield is highest so the price is higher (blech math, but it's fun!).

It's a good two player game because you don't spend the whole game plotting your competitors demise (like Settlers of Catan) but it is still really rewarding if/when you win. Beans bean beans.

//STAR REALMS//





And now we've made it to the nerdy games.

My mom got Star Realms for John for Christmas and my brother and John played it for 3 hours straight. It was nuts. It's a deck building game that takes place in space. You purchase bases and ships to do damage to your opponent and defend your own authority (health) while beefing up your deck with kickin' ships.

It's a great two player game that only takes 20-30mins, which is super nice since a lot of our games can take forever. Pew pew pew!

//SMASH UP//




This game is my favorite. You take two factions (ninjas, pirates, zombies, robots, dinosaurs, etc.) smash them together (like the name suggests) and then take over different bases. Your minions have certain features or powers and you have action cards to make them stronger or destroy your opponents minions. It's fun with two people and it's fun with a group of people.

I like it because it knows it is a ridiculous game. It knows that making a faction called "Bear Calvary" and styling it after Soviet Russia will make nerds everywhere laugh ("You're Pretty Much Borscht"). It's great. 10/10 recommends.


Hey, thanks for reading. Thanks for being you. Hope you have happy gaming! Tell me what games you like!