The always fabulous Jason checked me in as I chatted with KarenD, and started making my personalized name tag out of fun foam shapes (flowers, rectangles, stars, etc.). In a rare absence of originality and creativity, I stuck with pink and purple flowers with a single rectangle for my name. I’m sure if I’d had more time I could’ve come up with something cooler, but in the end, it worked out perfectly.

In the pub I met up with Mo Pie, Ian, and Bozoette Mary, and we were soon joined by Karen and Mr. Karen, and we began working on our “Icebreaker” quiz, Two Truths and a Lie. I found it quite difficult to come up with a lie, since I’ve been openly writing about my life, my thoughts, and my feelings for nearly six years, but I managed to come up with one I thought might stump people, as well as a couple truths – one I figured was pretty easy, the other I thought might throw people, as I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before. Anyway, once we wrote our sheets out, we passed them around. It was kind-of hard figuring out the lies with some of the newer attendees (and even with some people we’ve known for years!), but it was a great deal of fun.

Before long it was time to load up the motorcoach and head out to the Rock K Ranch where the sleigh ride was taking place.  Mo Pie was our entertaining and informative tour guide, and the Doctor made the rounds several times, so we were all pretty warm and happy by the time we arrived.

Once at the Ranch, we gathered in the already warm and toasty tackroom where Weet’s in-laws were already setting up for the supper. We all enjoyed a few more drinks (hot chocolate with Doctor? Oh, yes!), then headed out to the sleighs (we needed two this year!), climbed aboard, and headed out into the woods. It was beautiful – beautiful as last year, but in a different way. last year we had some light snow fall, and it was very dark, but for the lights that guided the horses. This year we had clear skies, so the woods were a sort-of hazy blue for quite a while. You could see all the bare trees, and it looked almost mystical. (Pity none of the pictures came out; guess it was just too dark.)

Halfway through the ride we stopped and warmed ourselves around a raging bonfire. This, too, was a change from last year, and was most welcome, as it was very cold.

We returned to an amazing spread of delicious food – the brats, the pineapple fluff with “crack-laced” pretzles, the chicken booyah, cheese curds, and brownies to die for. There was a grateful and cheerful buzzing as people sat and ate and talked.

Later that evening was Karaoke. We were at the same little bar we Karaoke’d at last year, and were even treated to a song by our favourite zipper-impared local:

Many of our group sang (No, not me. I do not sing. I dance. Badly. But I do not sing.), and many of the locals sang. We (Our Group and the Locals) were getting on quite well until the end of the evening when a couple of Locals got up and did “If I Had a Million Dollars”. Oh, no, they did not just do our song! (And by “our song” I mean, of course, Trance Jen and Jessi’s song) That’s not cool! WE CALL A KARAOKE OFF!! Dammit.

So Jen and Weet (because Jessi and her Thumper were no longer there) got up and did a much, much better (funnier, wittier, and in every way, shape, and form more entertaining) verson of the song. Needless to say, we won. We also pissed off the Locals, who dispersed quickly. Oh, well. About time to call it a night anyway.