Biiiiiiiingooooo! Or not.

I mentioned on my little “blurb” that I enjoy “old lady” activities. Well, that may be an understatement.

Yesterday, I played Bingo at the Senior Citizens Center. This was an outing I had been looking forward to all week, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded my expectations.

I am truly lucky to have one of my best friends enjoy these types of activities as well. Shannon and I arrived at the Senior Center about ten minutes early and were quickly welcomed by a friendly group of “Bingoers” in the Game Hall. To give you an idea of the anticipation surging through our veins, this pretty much sums it up:

So with our extra-large print Bingo cards in front of us, it was game on! The first few games were a little uneventful. That’s when Sweet Wiley, with a twinkle in his eye, piped in and said that we girls needed to get serious. Sweet Wiley was sitting across from me and was as adorable as ever with his bald head, large ears and navy suspenders. His good sense of humor kept the table in giggles in-between games, and even a little bit during too. Since a majority of the players were hard-of-hearing, it was supposed to be quiet while the numbers were called out. It even got a little heated in there at one point as Seniors were hollering for people to pipe down! It wasn’t long before “B6” was called and Sweet Wiley got a bingo. I was so excited that I almost called it out for him. Thankfully, I composed myself.

You see, I have taken many friends to play Bingo when I lived in Reno, and I even took it up a notch and have played in Vegas a few times too. “Woo hoo! Livin’ it up!” you say? Well let me tell you, this game is no joke. Playing in the ” Big Leagues” means you are handling at least twelve cards at a time and there are Seniors dobbing those cards faster than you can scan the first row. There aren’t extra large numbers and little pink chips to mark your spots as we used today. Oh no.  Instead, you have an ink dobber to quickly dot your itty bitty numbers before you miss the opportunity. The numbers are called within seconds of each other, and if you miss one, well tough luck! There is no asking for repeats. My husband doesn’t like to go with me anymore as he thinks it to be too much like homework. Stressful homework! In all my games of playing, I have only won but once, and it was in my small hometown playing with my mother for the very first time. And no, my mom didn’t take me to play, I was the genius behind the evening.

Sadly, Shannon and I didn’t get a Bingo yesterday at the Senior Center. Sweet Wiley even switched his card with me because he felt sorry for my pitiful luck. But, we certainly didn’t walk away empty handed. Half-way through the event there was a raffle. Before the names were announced, Shannon leaned over to me and whispered, “They’re going to call your name.” A few seconds later, sure enough, my name was called. Boy were those Seniors sure happy for me! I wobbled up to claim my prize (I am 7.5 months pregnant, btw) and  was greeted with claps and cheers as my picture was taken. As I sat down, the next and final name was called, and by golly, it was the name of my dear friend, Shannon. Once again, claps and cheers arose from the crowd. This was the moment we became mini celebrities in the joint.

With our matching gift baskets in hand, we were beaming ear-to-ear and boy, Sweet Wiley was sure happy for us too. As the game ended, Sweet Wiley asked when Baby was due and told us to hold tight. He came back with teddy bears to give to our children, because that is the sweet, genuine man that he is. Sweet Wiley is a prime example of why I enjoy these types of outings. His humor, whit, and the way he took care of his Sweetie next to him just about had me in a puddle on the floor.

He reminds me of my own grandpa.

Another highlight of the afternoon?? Funky Freida gave me her digits and told me to give her a ring before this Wednesday to come and play more games! You bet I will, Freida!

The afternoon closed with a birthday song to Precious Irene while consuming a plethora of baked goods, and our celebrity status continued as we chatted up the joint.  Did I mention we were the only ones under sixty? Envious? I think so. 🙂