Chip is back on spring break from UCSD!!! I haven’t seen my little brother in ages so I planned a special event. Actually, this was supposed to be a secret date activity for M, but I decided to kill three birds with one stone. Take M out on a date he’ll really enjoy, celebrate Chip’s homecoming, and spend some quality time with Pops. I multitask like a felon.

The activity I had in mind? Paintballing.As I currently type this with no less than four (FOUR!) giant swelling welts on my posterior, no joke, I ask myself, “What in the holy blazes was I thinking?”

What I was thinking, was that Chip and I would barrel-roll around like ninjas and light up M and my dad (both expert marksmen)  like Christmas morning with our impeccable aim. Didn’t quite go like that. Chip did have his “battle-tunes” on the entire time though.

First of all, I somehow chose the rainiest, soggiest and coldest day to go paintballing. The facility was in Santa Clara so we had to drive a ways. I kept hoping as we got closer and closer that I’d see the sun peeking out from behind its gray, wet rain blanket, but no such luck. Fine, we’re troopers – a little rain is only going to make the game that much more intense.

We suited up, took a few practice shots, and headed off to Field 7. Since none of us had ever been paintballing, I don’t think we quite knew what to expect. My dad quickly found out as he took a paintball straight to his face mask in the first five seconds of Game 1. I laughed like a loon as he trudged through the mud back to the “safe bunker” wiping yellow paint off the eye shields.

Then I got nailed three times at pointblank range as I scooted past a couple of plastic barriers. I think I surprised whoever was hiding in there and they just shot reflexively since you aren’t actually supposed to shoot people when they are that close to you. Oh my God it hurt. So bad. I was paralyzed for a second as my hip and butt just radiated “OW!” to my brain.

That was fun.Dad and M loved crouching behind lean-to shelters or the giant tires to sniper people. Or play cat and mouse with a few of the better shots on the field. It was awesome seeing Dad get so into it. What was not as awesome was my judgment when I thought someone was sneaking down against the fence toward my team’s area. I opened fire and laid a barrage of paint pellets on the hapless dude. Then I hear a 10-year-old yell at me,

“That’s the ref!”

Oh shit. I waved apologetically and lamely called out a “Sorry.” Oopsies.

It was a good, dirty, muddy time.We all dug into some peanut butter chocochip cookies as soon as we got in the car and headed to dinner. I baked them special this morning for Chip and they were just the thing to tide us over until we drove around the corner to Famous Dave’s BBQ.

This place was packed and had awards all over the walls. It looked totally legit.

However, according to M and Chip, the ribs were only meh. Tasty, but not falling off the bone and certainly not deserving of the 500-something awards Dave’s boasts. The cornbread muffin was delicious though. The boys got a “Feast” platter and the waiters brought it out chanting “Feast, feast, feast!” like cavemen. It was amusing.

Family time was wonderful. I’m pretty sure everyone had a bang-up good time.

Now I am going to console my sore and aching butt with some tea and cookies.

xoxo,

Jenn