Competing

Please join me in welcoming a fabulous author whose book Snowbound is a MUST read, a good friend, and (as you’re about to find out) very competitive game player, M.G. Braden! M.G. is giving away an ebook copy of Snowbound to one lucky poster, so be sure to comment today!
Take it away, MG…



Thanks, Gemma, for having me today while you are hanging out with your new babe.


I'm very competitive. Most of the time I don't even know it. I'm all about being nice and easy-going and it's all in fun. Blah, blah, blah.


A few weeks ago my family was called up to play Kerplunk Family Feud against another family at Church (well, it was for our church's Fall kick-off, we don't normally play games during our regular service—we're very, very serious for that. Mostly.) Now this was a complete surprise to both our family and the other chosen family. Because, really, who would say yes to playing Kerplunk Family Feud in front of their entire congregation? Let's not even discuss the fact that I'd never even played Kerplunk before and that I was dressed up because I was singing in the choir.


So, since there was no buzzer the children's pastor placed a rag doll in the center and whenever we thought we knew the answer we had to grab the rag doll. Then if we answered correctly we pull these sticks out of this contraption which drops marbles down. As an aside, I thought the idea was that you were trying to drop marbles down, but apparently the idea was to NOT drop them. Good thing my strategy didn't work.


Anyway, so we were part way through a very amicable game and, truthfully, we were winning because my entire family has way longer legs than theirs (other than the Dad in their family) so we could reach the rag doll faster. They may have been vertically challenged. I may have kept throwing the doll back closer and closer to their side to “help” them.


Until it was my turn.


Then all bets were off (not that we were betting, this was church, remember). I ran at that doll like I had the hounds of Hell at my feet and, apparently, so did my competitor. The next thing I knew I was on my knees, on the ground—halfway down the aisle—gripping the doll. And, thankfully, my skirt was still down. The head pastor stood over me, looking very concerned, and my oldest son tried to help me up (I didn't let him, I had to have some dignity.) “It's all good, I'm ok.” I smiled and nodded, but knew my body would deceive me later that day when all the contortions I had made trying to actually stop myself from falling caught up with it. Who cares? I had the doll! I won!!


Then someone made a comment about blood and I looked across at my competitor and saw her skinned knee. Lifted up my skirt (only to the top of my knee, not trying to scare people here) to check out my own leg and, sure enough, the rug burn was imprinted across my knee cap. I think I had left a skin graft on the carpet.


In the end our family won and to this day I still have a scab on my knee. And for what? A couple of Dairy Queen gift cards (pretty sure they got the same thing—because didn't we all win by having fun like that?) I like to joke that my friend hip-checked me in her thirst to win, but the funniest part was we didn't even touch each other. That and the fact that she's maybe 5'1” and I'm a good 5'10”.


Do you like playing games? Are you competitive? Post your answers and let us know and you'll be entered to win an ebook of Snowbound by M.G. Braden.


~M.G. Braden
http://www.mgbraden.com
http://www.mgbraden.com/blog