Total Confusion 2018...

was AWESOME!

• No one got sick!
• Michael stayed in John's hotel room, giving him a taste of freedom, taste of having a room mate (we called it the bachelor hotel room) and he did GREAT (although, I barely saw him!)
• Willow got to go swimming, found some little boys to play with at the pool (showing her brilliant imagination at the same time--she made up a game about mermaids, etc.)
• Chewy got into not one, but TWO Andre games--
• and was able to get me a spot for one also! So, I got to play in an Andre game this year--from 7 p.m. til 3 a.m....on Sunday, I was happy/exhausted!
• Played a miniatures game with Willow--and found Michael at the table to play in the game too!
• Willow had the main objective that had to be shuttled through the landscape (by water/land/air) to the end of the board...Willow is not a good person to keep secrets....which meant that...
• ...we were shot at a lot and Warrior Princess Esmeralda (Willow) died a firey death out of a heli-giro...
• In both role playing games I played--I was a fighter character (rare for me!) and one of them I got to bash the heck out of zombies with a hammer...(FUN!)

We went a day earlier, which made for a really fun time...it was nice to see old and new friends and all and all it was one of the best times we have had in a while!  Looking forward to next year....

Pool time!

Princess Hat from her favorite vendor--the face painter lady!

Selfie by the pool...

Warrior Princess on a boat.

I was too tired to do my Ticket to Ride (Gary Gygax Memorial run) so Chewy did...and lost...spectacularly...he is the blue trains..

1st day--Breakfast...theme was Pirates this year...I bought everyone eye patches...no one wanted to wear 'em!

Michael, (another player), Willow and I playing the miniatures game...

Willow can't keep secrets (she has the prize that everyone is looking for...she has to get it from where she is to the other end of the table...where the photographer is...)

Chewy came by to see...

Michael moved an armored car to the docks...

Making his move...with miniatures, it includes dice and tape measures...

More things Change...

Lots of changes here at the moment...as I was laid off from my position last Friday because business was slow...

Silver lining is I was available to be there for Willow this week during her school vacation. 

Wednesday was Michael's 19th Birthday, which was celebrated so low key that one would barely know that his father and me were exchanging memories through out the day of the day 19 years ago that made us parents....

Random CUTE picture!

Random picture of the fleeting teen/young man...

Meanwhile, while everything is changing and in flux...there is still-- TOTAL CON!

Bags are mostly packed, waiting for Chewy to come home...and off we go...to forget, for a bit, the struggles of daily life--and fight for our lives against monsters, zombies, random trains and diabolical cults...

To my children...

I know things seem tough right now.  Things you think should be easy are not and things that are hard are harder than you thought.  Growing up is hard.  No matter what we have done to prepare you, it is never enough...especially if you see and react to the world differently.  It can seem like an endlessly, rough road.

But.  I know you.  I SEE you.  I know that you will persevere.  I know that the hard knocks will bruise and batter and may make you weary to get back up again.  But you will.

Because you have before.  You have faced adversity before and changed and grown.  You have shown people who did not believe in you that you were not to be underestimated.

Things will get better with practice, experience and time.  Patience is not our strength...but we can work to achieve it while we work harder to obtain our goals.

You.  You are the most valuable resource.  And you will find your way.