One of the hardest things about being a military spouse, is being far away from my family!  Although today’s many modes of communication make it easier than ever to talk to my family on a regular basis, I still miss participating in the activities that I would if I was right at home right now–going to movies, eating dinner together, playing board games, you know, family stuff.  My all-time favorite board game is Trivial Pursuit, and I have a hard time convincing my dear husband to play any board game with me, let alone Trivial Pursuit (it can sometime become a bit drawn out).  Tonight was no exception…our game lasted more than three hours! BUT, we played it with my dad and sis in Missouri over video chat, so the game was a lot more fun!

My hubby set up the computer with ichat and wired the computer to the tv so that the window with my dad and sister came through on our big screen tv.  We pushed the couch close to the tv for optimal game play.  We set up the game here in California, but in Missouri they got out a deck of Trivial Pursuit cards and a dice, so they could read questions and roll the dice from their end, too.  My hubby and dad were on one team, and my sister and I were on the other team.  It ended up being really fun, despite the fact that in the end, we lost to the boys (so sad!).  Here’s a pic of our setup (although it isn’t the most flattering pic of me).

Playing Trivial Pursuit

Being far away from family is a problem for many of us these days, not just those of us military families.  But with all the amazing technology out there today, I encourage you to find an unorthodox way of keeping in touch with your family!