I am back in my hometown of Platteville, Wis., today to watch my sister and her future husband graduate from college. That’s all well and good, but what I’m really excited about is a competition my mom outlined for my sisters and I.

We were each (along with our significant others) given $10 and told to go out into Platteville’s citywide garage sale to find the best bargain that we could. The couple with the winning treasure will get some sort of prize (she didn’t say what).

I’m totally going to dominate this competition.

This weekend, I have the privilege of visiting some of Molly’s friends in Rochester. Among other forms of entertainment, I’m looking forward to a rousing game of Marbles.

The Otte Football League (my family’s yearly fantasy football league) begins with an Aug. 30 draft, and I can’t wait. I’m hard at work ranking my players and coming up with my own draft board.

I was watching "Jeopardy" the other day, and it reminded me just how much I want to be on that show. I used to watch it every night after school with my dad.

After an abysmal season, I’ve clawed my way into the second round of the Otte (fantasy) Football League (OFL). This weekend I face off against my own parents for a right to play in the championship game – which could be a rematch of last year’s championship, during which I lost by a slim margin to my cousin.