Things Married People Do: Play Word Games

Winning isn’t everything, except when you always lose

In college, hubby and I were total word nerds. A fave Friday night outing entailed a coffee shop and writing together. One person would start the story, then pass it to the next person to pick up the action.

Sadly we both largely abandoned our wordsmithing days after school. I was a full-time reporter, so the last thing I wanted to do was write for fun. But we did find other ways to get our word fix.

Hubby and I discovered that we both enjoyed the word game Boggle. My dad introduced me to the game in middle school, so I was sure I would have an edge on hubby. My so-called edge failed. Not only did hubby beat me, but he beat me consistently and by an embarrassing amount of points.

Unfortunately, Boggle was just the tip of the iceberg. Scrabble, Speed, Monopoly: we played, I lost. Soon I stuffed Boggle – and most of our other board games — into the back of the closet, happy to give my pride a break.

Then about a month ago hubby and I discovered the Words with Friends application on our iPhones. Words with Friends is like Scrabble, but with the convenience of a built in dictionary and score keeper. I wasn’t eager to play my husband, but I’m always on the lookout for things for us to do together, so I agreed.

Quite unbelievably I beat him not once, but twice. Those victories gave my game playing confidence a much-needed boost, so much so that I recently agreed to play Scrabble.

Fred and I were both shocked by the results. For the first time in nearly 18 years of courtship, I won! Hubby is eager for a rematch, but I’m content to stuff the game back in the closet. It’s nice to be on top for a change.

- Kim

Kim is Lucky I Didn’t Meet Vanna White First

It finally happened. Kim beat me at a Scrabble.

This is significant because Kim has never beaten me at Scrabble or any other word game for that matter.

You see, I am a logophile. I was that kid who read the dictionary for fun, kept a word journal, watched Wheel of Fortune, and played with word-centric toys such as Speak and Spell.

I fell for Kim because she shared my love of language. She stood out because I didn’t have to dumb down my language in order to hold a conversation with her. I also liked the fact that Kim enjoyed playing my favorite games: Scrabble and Boggle. Kim never won, but we always had fun playing the game.

On one of my pre-marriage visits to her parents’ house, Kim suggested that we play Scrabble to pass the time and invited her father to join us. Kim warned me that her dad had never lost a game of Scrabble. Although I was confident in my abilities, I was a little intimidated by this 30 year educator and Ph.D candidate.

Her dad quickly swooped in with the word CRONE. I almost challenged him because I was unfamiliar with the word. However, I remembered what Kim said about his never losing and decided against it.

He continued his relentless attack and piled on the points. I kept my cool and stuck to my game plan: get rid of Qs and Xs as quickly as possible and wait for opportunities to use my whole rack of letters.

After an hour of intense battle, I emerged victorious. Kim was impressed that I had beaten her father and I think her dad was a bit shocked by the lost. But I think I earned his respect that day. My Scrabble victory was the proof he needed that I was good enough to marry his daughter.

Over the years, Kim and I have continued to spend quality time playing word games. Our latest addiction is Words With Friends. This iPhone app allows Kim and me to enjoy one of our favorite activities even if we’re not in the same city (which is often).

Couples can strengthen their marriages by sharing common interests. Kim and I like to play word games, but you and your spouse may enjoy hiking or skydiving. Whatever the activity, it is important to cherish the time together.

Now I need to find where Kim hid that Scrabble board so we can have our rematch.

- Fred

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