The Barrel Game

So I have two photos today- one I took, and one which I LOVE, but that my little friend Jamie at Youth Venture took. But, seeing as how I had just taught her how to take cool focused blur pictures, I'll take credit, even though I was taking shots of the boys shooting at the 8 ball, and she had the great idea to capture Mr. Foosman here:

That's brilliant right there, I tell you.

And here's mine. Not nearly as good, but I tried and tried during my shift today to get a great pic of the kids. They were just moving too fast most of the time, and there is a story to go with that and this picture:

The story is that I taught the five kids who were at youth venture today how to play the barrel game. The barrel game is a favorite of ours. Justin, Justin, Jesse, Tyler and I invented it when we were 19 and bored one night, wanted to play a fun kid game like hide and seek, but decided we were too cool for boring old hide and seek. So we made up the barrel game. It's kind of like Blind Man's Bluff and it's called the barrel game because originally we played around these barrels the Aubrey's had in their backyard when Justin and the guys used to have paint ball wars down there. The game was such a success that we continued to play it many times over the next year, anytime the stress of college and work got to us. Then Justin's mom threw the barrels away and we were devestated. And then we adapted the game for any location.

Barrel Game Rules:

1) You cannot change location once the seeker has finished counting.

2) One foot must remain in its original location at all times; the other foot can be used to pivot away from the seeker.

3) The seeker must keep their eyes closed until he or she finds someone, and then must accurately guess who they have found.

So I taught the kids the wonderfulness that is the barrel game. And, just like with my friends, they learned quickly that the most fun part of the game is banging on things to make noise for the blind seeker and, even better, to throw things at them to get their attention.

And that's where it got a little out of hand. But still, oh so much amazing fun.

Then David Porter, my fellow shift worker got in on the fun and, well, let's just say he did not follow the rules of the barrel game.

And then he made them all return the pillows to their rightful couches. Good times, good times.