Things I learned this past weekend:

• It's never too late to say "Thank you." I know my extended family appreciated it when, at Sunday dinner, I handed them the bright yellow note cards I found stuffed underneath my bed last week. "What's this for?" They asked. "Not sure," I replied. "A thank-you card for either my high school or college graduation gift. Open it! Let's see."
• Feigning ignorance in poker games is brilliant. "I'm not the best card player," I assured J, Todd, and the Real JC on Saturday night. My advice to the amateur poker player: every few hands, study your cards, furrow your brow, then ask pointedly, "What's a royal flush again?" Works every time.
• My thirteen year old cousin, Churd, is a stud. "Wanna hear the line I use to pick up the ladies?" He asks with a grin. "Are you from Tennessee? Cuz you're the only ten I see." Genius.
• It is not okay to exclaim angrily, "MOM! You SUCK!" during the requisite family Trivial Pursuit game. Trust me on this one. It gets awkward.