Not Your Mommas Game

I had a grand weekend. GRAND.

The primary highlight was being invited to A Girlfriend's Guide to Gaming Nintendo party by her Majesty Sizzle of Sizzle Says. I was a silent reader of Sizzles for about a year, had sent her my favorite chocolate chip recipe awhile back, but it wasn't until the last few months that our blogging friendship ripened a bit more. She truly is one of my favorite bloggers. Witty. Sarcastic. Funny. Irreverent in the best way possible. Open. Honest. And she is in Seattle. Even better. Her blog is so refreshing because you feel like you are talking to a good friend. I find myself nodding in agreement or laughing to myself as I read her daily posts. You don't feel like she is trying to be someone she is not. She is just herself and she shares her feelings so freely. I believe we were meant to be friends.

So awhile back I get an email from her inviting me to an all girls Nintendo party. Uh, yes please. She was kind enough to let me bring my + 1, Meghan. So off Meghan and I went to our fancy party while the brothers had a playdate.

Free valet.
Fancy Seattle brick studio.
Champange and Diet Coke.
Meet Sizzle - in person. Hooray!
Funky furniture.
Nintendo DSi.
Mario Kart.
Chicken Satay.
Brain Age.
Crosswords.
Rhythm Game.
Beautiful Seattle night.
Fellow Bloggers.
Cool People.
Happiness.

If the fancy blog party had ended with those words it would have been a delight. But no friends, it did not end there. As we sat down at the last station, the nintendo girl starts pulling out a brand, spanking new Nintendo DSi box. As she is doing this, I looked at Meghan and wondered if they were just messing with us. Was this whole party just the bait to get me to buy the machine? Is this where they insert the sales pitch? Oh no friends, it is not. Not at all. I asked the kind lady if she was showing me how to set up this machine for educational purposes or because it was going to be MINE. She told me that, yes, yes indeed it was mine for the keeping. A free Nintendo DSi just for coming to a party where they treated me like a really important somebody? I was so excited! Quite possibly the most excited party person. See below:

If they hadn't wooed me with the handsome drink servers, chic atmosphere, and free gaming swag they figured that throwing in 1000 free points to download games and a cartridge game would be the icing on the cake. Icing it was. I still have a yummy, sugary taste in my mouth.

The night was so much fun and I have been playing on my DSi all weekend (and secretly during church). My brain age is getting younger every minute and meeting friend bloggers in person is always a treat. Virtual friends becoming real-life, in-person friends. Lovely. Oh, how I love this community.

I get it: Nintendo isn't only for 14-year old boys. I totally get it now.
Brilliant marketing, Nintendo.
Brilliant.

Thank you for being awesome, Sizzle.