Four years ago, a quiet family trip to Boone with three kids ages 8 to 14 was a bit of an ear opener for David and Holly Greene of Cary.

“No one said anything during the trip,” said Holly Greene. The Greenes realized it was time to unplug from technology and communicate more with each other.

Holly, a former kindergarten teacher, and David, an employee at SAS, developed several “random fun questions” the family could ask each other and began writing them down on index cards.

“The kids enjoyed hearing our questions as well as answering,” said Holly Greene. “We started playing the game with friends and grandparents and thought maybe this would make a great board game.”

“People seemed to love the questions and we said ‘we need to do something with these,’” Holly Greene said. “[We] kept trying to come up with a board game, which always became complicated to think through. We finally realized that the beauty of it was the simplicity. One answer would lead to many more fun facts. So we began making [a game] at home and sold a few at small craft fairs.”

Gab to Go was born.

Gab to Go continued being sold and distributed on a small scale until Holly realized she and David could do some marketing.

“After I began singing a lot in various retirement communities, I got to hear many wonderful life stories,” Holly Greene said. “The message I kept hearing over and over was ‘if you want to do something you better do it.’ I know how creative my husband David is, and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to show that side of him.”

Nine months ago, the Greenes took the financial plunge and began mass producing the game.

“It felt a lot like labor,” Holly Greene said. “It went from being in a Chinese to-go container to a coffee cup, in order to be more travel-friendly.” Bill Rowland, owner of Blue Rain Café in Apex, places Gab to Go on the tables in his restaurant.

“Customers absolutely love it,” said Vonna Woodard, Blue Rain Café manager. “[It] makes you think, ask questions about people you thought you knew and helps people to communicate.”

The Greenes say it has been a whirlwind since their Gab to Go inspiration took off.

“There have been many moments where we think we might have lost our minds, but it is a good feeling that in our own little way, we are helping people connect,” Holly Greene said.

Gab to Go can be purchased for $9.95 at several local stores including Borders Books. Holly Green will be singing holiday music and reading some questions from the game at the Apex Borders on Saturday, Dec. 15, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Gab to Go has a Web site, gabtogo.com.

Gab to Go
Rules: There are no rules; just take turns asking and answering questions. If a question is not relevant, pick another card.
Players: Two or more.
Sample Questions: “Name a word you dislike.” “What do you look back on as a ‘fashion mistake’?” “What was the first record, tape or CD that you ever owned?”
Winning: Everyone wins when you learn to connect and communicate with others.