Hamilton/Wickstrom Weekends

No posts for a while because we had guests for the long holiday weekend. Not just any guests, The Wickstroms. Have you met the Wickstroms? The Wickstroms are our BFF's, friends we consider family. I take that back, we don't consider them family, they are family.

It all started about 1988 when Chris started going to the same church as John. It wasn't love at first sight, but maybe it was love at first fight? You know how boys are.

Here is the only picture I have of them from when they were younger.

Chris top left, John standing next to him, and John's dad next to John

I thought this picture deserved a close up.

Don't they look a little mischievous? Well, maybe not in this picture, but they were. Oh, the stories I could tell you of all the "trouble" they got in to. Or the trouble they should have gotten into from all of their mischievousness. Which they continued to get into together even in college...

when they met us,

Holly and Becky.

Both of those pictures were taken in the fall of 2001 when Chris and John lived in a little, old house across the street from where Becky and I lived. I met Becky at the beginning of that semester after I moved in. She greeted me with one of her large smiles, shook my hand, and said "nice to meet you!" Soon after that we had a conversation where we just kept saying, "me too." One of them being, "You like fruit snacks? Me too!!" We really had so much in common, but there was a period of time when we were silly girls and were pretty stupid. Even after we were married our husbands would be like, "Why don't you call Becky (or Holly) and go shopping together." Becky, think of all that precious shopping time we could have had!!!! What were we thinking???? But, we had a lot of fun times chasing after boys together (mainly John and Chris). Becky joined me early one morning to go put fruit snacks and a note on John's car for him to get when he left for work that morning, and I waited (or stalked) with Becky outside the engineering building to "accidentally" bump into Chris. We both had our first official dates with Chris and John on the same night, and Becky and Chris got married in Colorado the day before we got married in Washington, D.C. Everyone said we would be friends forever, linked through Chris and John, brothers from another mother, and we are.

I met John maybe the second Sunday I went to church that semester. I met him, we laughed, I saw him that evening, and he said, "why don't we get together and play games tonight at your apartment?" (I just realized how appropriate that last sentance was, the beginning of all of our gaming) So, being the girls that we were, we got excited, Becky might have even changed her clothes a few times, and we waited, and waited, and waited. We finally gave up, and got ready for bed when our door bell rang, it was them! John was there with his wingman, Chris. We sat around and talked and laughed (I don't remember if we played any games), and everyone told their most embarrassing moments (John told all of his), and the rest is history, as they say.

Our dating days.

This was the first night John even touched me. I think our first dates were the day after this picture was taken.

Love blossoming fall of 2001

We've had some fun times with the Wickstroms, let me tell you.

We celebrate birthdays with the Wickstroms,

We celebrated Trevan's arrival with the Wickstroms (Becky threw my shower),

We celebrate holidays with the Wickstroms,

and we've not celebrated moving away too many times with the Wickstroms.

This picture was taken when we moved from Utah. This is how good of friends we are - Becky suggested that John grow a mustache, and he did it because he's that funny.

We play games with the Wickstroms. Oh, do we play games. Seriously, we are hard core, board game geeks! We literally have to consult the rules at least twice in a game. We all have different board gaming styles, John is the policeman, Chris is his deputy, Becky is the entertainer (John would also add poor sportsman. Let's just say she won quite a few games this past weekend), and I'm not sure what my style is, I just play, but I do not appreciate revenge moves, poor loser moves, and stupid moves. So whatever style that is. We played Rook a little bit before we got married, but after we got married, we really started playing games! It started with Aggravation, and Milles Bournes. Then we played Settlers, and we took it to a whole new level.

Becky and I playing Ticket to Ride a few years back.

I think I speak for Becky as well, when I say our least favorite part of playing games is learning how to play a new game. John and Chris usually read the directions, and explain them to us. It usually ends up being late at night, and we would rather talk than listen to explanations, which in turn makes John and Chris frustrated, which then turns into one of my favorite parts of playing games together. It is pretty funny. I love playing strategic board games with people, because it brings out the dark side of someone. John policing the game, Chris getting frustrated at the board or telling Becky to stop singing. Seriously, those moments are priceless. PRICE-LESS!

Games, however, are price-y!!!! We have no 401K, or we do, but it's in games. Seriously. No, seriously. The games below are not even a fourth of what we own.

This picture was taken last weekend. We have always said we thought it would be funny if we could play every single game we owned once during one of our Hamilton/Wickstrom weekends together. This trip was one of our last weekends together for a while, becuase they are headed back west, so we thought we could try it. We ended up only playing 15 games, and one of those games was played three times, bringing the total games to 17. Another thing that has stayed a constant since we got married and started playing games is we stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing games. We're talking 2, 3, or for John 6 o'clock AM. Yeah, we are that crazy. So, usually someone ends up having to take a nap. Chris usually "rests his eyes."

Chris, "resting his eyes."

Whenever we get together we really don't do much besides play games and eat. We don't even get out of the house much other than for us girls to shop and the guys go play golf (which they did twice this past weekend, I might add). This past weekend Becky and I did go pick strawberries to have with some yummy fondue and waffles, and angel food cake, and salad. We found a funny one.

Also, on our gaming weekends together we end up skipping showers at least once, and wear stretchy pants and larger shirts to make room for all the food that we devour. Dead serious about the stretchy pajama pants. We eat that much. For example, this past weekend I think I tried eleven new recipes. Really we tried more than that if you count Becky and I experimenting making rangoons. That's one thing I absolutely love about our friendship with the Wickstroms, they appreciate the same kinds of food and it is fun cooking for them (It's not just a like or a love of food, it's an appreciation for a delicious recipe, a divine restaurant, etc.). So I love our weekends together because it usually means we will be eating some GOOD food, and a lot of it. Which is not so helpful to our waist lines, but very delicious.

Becky and I also share a love of shopping, I think we appreciate that too, even if our husbands don't. Becky has more flair and is more fashionable, keeping me informed on the latest trends and fashions, and I take her "slumming" to TJ Maxx (though the prices on some of the purses at TJ Maxx can hardly be considered slumming), Marshalls, & Ross. Our visits together usually include some shopping. And, let me tell you, on this trip, one of our last shopping trips for a while, we went out with a bang!!! Seriously. (You know thats my favorite word, right? I could say 'for real', I guess. I just need you to know how serious I am.)

Our children also love Aunt Becky, and Uncle Chris. Though, Mallary dissed Chris quite a few times during this last trip. (Literally, talk to the hand) But Trevan did the same thing back then too.

But, they bonded (while watching TV I guess), and are good friends now.

Trevan loves playing with Chris. This past weekend they played with Trevan's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle guys. Chirs learned that when you play with Trevan, he tells you how to play, what he wants you to do with the guys, etc. One day Chris pointed this out and said, "Trevan only lets me be these two guys, and makes me fight the same enemies." (Trevan doesn't let anyone deviate from the script in his head.) The next day, they started playing together, and Chris asked Trevan who he gets to play, Trevan said "Donatello and Michaelangelo." Chris said, "Surprise, surprise." It was hilarious. Then, Chris asked what enemies he gets to fight, and Trevan said, "The same ones." (Like, duh!!) So funny.

But, Trevan gets excited when he knows we will see Becky and Chris. Becky was so nice and read Trevan this boring Dinsoaur book more than once this past weekend. I wouldn't even read it last night when Trevan asked me to when I put him to bed.

Something else you can pretty much count on after a weekend with the Wickstroms is I will have more than one picture of Becky's hand covering her face from the camera.

The only picture I got, but still kind of the same pose. Chris pretending to take a picture of himself with his imaginary camera.

One thing you can pretty much count on when we are together is a lot of laughing. SERIOUSLY. This past weekend I felt like I might bust my stitches, literally. We spent that first night that we met together laughing and are still laughing. We did marry some pretty funny guys.

Doing the hula together at one of my ACS banquets

These next two pictures are one reason why we love our husbands sooo much.

Let me tell you the story.

Once when we lived in Maryland while playing games, I think the guys ended up playing mean. To make up for it, they said they would do anything. So Becky, and I made them keep that promise of doing anything and went a little crazy. On hot pink post-it notes (I still have them), we made a list of things they had to do to make up for playing mean. First, we made them wear that orange visor and those funny sunglasses while doing the following:

1. Go to Blockbuster and rent Failure to Launch. (they ended up getting another movie that we all fell asleep to, which is another thing we do if we were to watch a movie or tv together, all fall asleep)
2. Ask the Blockbuster worker where their adult films are located.
3. Shake the Blockbuster persons hand.
4. Play leap frog down the isle at Blockbuster.
5. Propose marriage on one knee while in Blockbuster. Ask someone to take a picture of your special moment.
6. Buy some cold rootbeer.
7. Buy some soft serve ice cream
8. Ask the person at McDonalds for their signature. (which they would not give)

The funny thing is they did it!! Let me tell you that night, was probably a night I probably peed my pants from laughing so hard. This past weekend John recorded his stories that are Becky's favorites, but he and Chris said they didn't want to do it, but they did anyway. They try to resist doing these silly things, but secretly they love it. They are so funny.

We seriously laugh so much, the kind where your face hurts.

Here's an example of one such instance from our recent weekend together.

You can't hear the music very well, but it is from the Bare Naked Ladies Snacktime CD. It is the Popcorn song, and when I play it with Trevan we pretend we are popcorn seeds and then we pop. Well, we had an impromptu dance party and then Trevan and John performed for us.

We love the Wickstroms, and will hate that they are so far away.

Stupid Utah.

You're right Trevan, we don't say that word...

Stupid far, far away place.