Monopoly

One of the gifts I got for Sweetest Day last weekend (and you can guess who picked this out) was a Monopoly game. But this isn't just any Monopoly game. This one could only be appreciated in the Austin household -- at least around these parts.

It's a special edition Vikings Monopoly game where street names have been replaced with names of legendary players like Fran Tarkenton and Cris Carter, "Downs" are used instead of Railroads and cards are customized for the football theme.

The three of us finally got time today to play. I better mention Daddy won -- he was the only one with a monopoly (though I had both "utilities" and Carter had 3 of the 4 downs). We didn't have a prayer when we landed on Daddy's row of luxury suites, costing us a thousand bucks a crack. Yikes. We mutually forfeited before he had the pleasure of stripping us of all our belongings!

Win or lose, it felt good to have family time. Talk about a monopoly. We've had so many things monopolizing our time of late, that this was the first Saturday we did not have to be somewhere. No football. No out-of-town meetings. No nothing. It was great!

I found it was just about as productive as I needed it to be. I got some housework done, some laundry, too, and most importantly, I finished a scrapbook (the 2006 family album -- which makes it my 12th completed book. Whoo-hoo!). So that was my day.

I only left the house for a walk in the brisk wind. So no makeup. No hairspray. Just a relaxed look on my face. Oh, and that big loser "L" in the middle of my forehead! (Thanks, Daddy!)