I'm A Winner

That's just a fact. I like to win. I am annoyingly competitive to the point where it sometimes threatens to ruin relationships during board games and sporting events. I don't know where the "nice Celia" goes during these times, but yeah- she's gone.

Throughout high school, I was well-known for receiving various red and yellow cards during soccer games. My junior year, a six foot Amazon of a woman kicked a ball right in my face, giving me a small bump on my nose that I will have for the rest of my life. The following year, I (kind of illegally) slide-tackled my arch nemesis...breaking her leg. Oops!! Tit for tat. I was being aggressive!!

Well, I sometimes forget who I am competing with- especially when it comes to Nathan. He is just the sweetest guy when we play games, while I can transform into some sort of crazy person. So last night, when we were playing this game:...my competitiveness reared it's ugly head.

Let me just say: I absolutely love Scrabble. My best memories of my grandmother involve this board game. My cousins and I would always play when we visited her house. At 7 years old, my much older cousin Jason blew me out of the water when he spelled the word "lingerie," doing the impossible and using all of his seven letter tiles. I remember thinking, "Ling-er-ie?" OH!! Lahn-zhuh-rey! And that's when I learned how to spell that word even though I had NO idea what it meant.

My sophomore year of college, I remember one of the guys in my apartment complex asking: "So, Facebook says you're a Scrabble Champion. Is that true?" I said: "Thanks for stalking me so thoroughly and yes. Yes it is." And then he made me prove it. Embarrassing for him. Silly boy.

That was enough background so on to last night's story. I won the first game. Second round, Nathan won. I was done. I thought: "I'll be a supportive wife and let us end with a tie!" How juvenile, but hey- marriage takes sacrifices!!

However, Nathan demanded we continue. So continue we did. The game was close. My finals letters were Z, P, S, A. I looked for a place to place the precious ten point Z. And then I saw the elusive triple letter square beckoning. I weighed whether or not I should let Nathan win. I was kind of over the game, and I could tell he was excited that he might pull out the win. So I deliberated...

a few seconds or so....

before spelling Zips and completely obliterating his paltry remaining letters. Like I said: I'm a winner. Marriage takes sacrifices, but that doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my Scrabble genius.

But in all seriousness, I love my husband. I'm glad Nathan is ok with me sometimes being a pill when it comes to winning. He loves me and accepts it as part of my innate nature...which is a VERY good thing :)