Monthly Archives: October 2016

The Out of Control Creepy Clown Craze

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The phenomenon started right here in the Carolinas and gained considerable media coverage. It then started to spread to other southern states. Next came areas in the northeast. Soon it spread to states in the heartland. Now, this crazy occurrence has reached my hometown of Spokane!

These creepy clowns are getting out of control!!

Creepy clowns like these are popping up all around the country.

Creepy clowns like these are popping up all around the country.

Well, I am not as panicked as some people. Actually, far from it. I have followed as many of these sightings as possible with interest and curiosity. I know you might think I am a bit twisted but I am fascinated by these clowns. As someone who loves haunted houses, scary movies, and the paranormal, this is right down by alley.

But guess what? These clown sightings aren’t something completely unique to 2016. Remember two years ago when menacing looking Bozos started popping up in a few different places across the country? I sure did because I wrote about it.

But while random intimidating clowns lurking around the streets isn’t a new concept, the degree to which it is happening in 2016 is a whole different circus than what happened two years ago. Weapon wielding scary people in face paint and crazy wigs is a major thing right now. This “trend” (for lack of a better word) has reached mainstream America as citizens from all corners of the country have heard about clown sightings in their local communities.

Let me be frank about this. Because I am a little demented in the head, I love the idea of scary clowns walking around in the dark. I have enjoyed all the parody videos and photoshopped images that have come out poking fun at the trend. I have laughed way too much at the #IfISeeAClown tweets and memes. I have watched countless local news packages from stations across the country reporting on their own clown sightings.

However, I certainly don’t approve of clowns engaging in violent activity (hasn’t happened yet) and I don’t approve of people making calls to the police reporting fake clown sightings (has happened a lot). My hope is that as a society we can have fun with this while not making it destructive. Clowns who chase children or cause harm to anyone should be thrown in prison for a long time.

My hope is that after Halloween this clown phenomenon dies down. Although I am entertained by it, there comes a time when enough is enough. Just like having Christmas lights still up well past the holidays is weird, having clowns running around during Thanksgiving just doesn’t fit either. My other hope is that a documentary is made chronicling the clown sightings along with information on who/what was responsible for starting/maintaining such a bizarre trend.

If you enjoy dressing up as an evil clown, please know that you impact everyone from children to law enforcement to actual professional clowns. Make good decisions and realize potential consequences. These days, we all have reason to be vigilant and concerned about things that seem out of place. Don’t Blink.

A Wonderful Clemson Weekend With the Mathis Family

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The arrival of October brought with it my favorite weekend since our wedding/honeymoon back in June. I had the pleasure of spending a couple of terrific days with Sidney’s family in the Clemson area. By all accounts, it was a memorable trip.

After work on Friday, Sidney and I jumped in the car with my in-laws and we started on our way to upstate South Carolina. It didn’t take long for the trip to become special. We revealed on social media that we were expecting and as we drove through the beautiful state we were overjoyed with the outpouring of congratulatory messages that came through.

Sidney, myself, and my in-laws took off for the Clemson area after work on Friday.

Sidney, myself, and my in-laws took off for the Clemson area after work on Friday.

We stopped in Columbia for dinner at a place called Rush’s, a local fast food type restaurant specializing in fried chicken. We loaded up on chicken and fries and relaxed while we took a break from the road. With two hours of driving down, we had roughly two hours of driving to go. Just like the first half of the drive, the second half went quick. Before we knew it, we pulled into our hotel in the town of Easley, South Carolina, at around 9:45 p.m. We checked into our room and watched the Washington-Stanford football game before drifting off to sleep.

This is my meal at Rush's Chicken on Friday night. Very good food!

This is my meal at Rush’s Chicken on Friday night. Very good food!

The four of us woke up early the next morning. After watching a little bit of College Gameday from the exact same location we would soon be at (the show was at Clemson), we left the hotel to go see the rest of our family. The other two Mathis sisters were at a campground near Clemson. Steph was there with her husband, Jon, and Courtney was with her boyfriend, John Henry. After stopping at a grocery store to pick up some supplies, we used Navigation to get us to the campground.

What was waiting for us when we arrived was the full set up! John Henry had with him his luxurious camper that included just about everything you needed. Outside they had chairs and a television so we could all sit around and talk while watching the early games. The best part, though? The food!! The four of them cooked up grits, bacon, and quiche. We soaked in the beautiful weather while eating/drinking, watching football, and enjoying one another’s company.

This is what the TV and chairs setup looked like. Jon and John Henry are sitting down enjoying College Gameday (photo courtesy of Courtney).

This is what the TV and chairs setup looked like. Jon and John Henry are sitting down enjoying College Gameday (photo courtesy of Courtney).

The time came for us to head to campus. The women got in one vehicle and the men got in another. The girls went off to shop around at a Clemson apparel store and us guys went to a hidden gem to pick up our tailgating food of fried pork chops, mac & cheese, potato salad, and coleslaw. We met back up at a parking lot right outside of campus and merged into one car. From there we went to our tailgate spot.

This is all of us piled into one vehicle on our way to the tailgate spot.

This is all of us piled into one vehicle on our way to the tailgate spot.

Tailgating at Clemson is crazy! After Jon maneuvered the vehicle into our spot, we set up shop and started to have fun. It wasn’t long until some special guests joined us. As I mentioned in my Thursday Rundown, I had plans to meet my friend Kenny during the course of the day. As he is the nephew of Bobby Petrino (Clemson was playing Louisville), he brought some of his family members to hang out with us, including a couple of Coach Petrino’s adult children. The Tigers and Cardinals all got along great.

This was our entire Mathis Family squad (made up of Henrys, Yarboroughs, and Resers as well).

This was our entire Mathis Family squad (made up of Henrys, Yarboroughs, and Resers as well). – Photo courtesy of Brenda

After our guests left, it was the Mathis family just relaxing and having a good time. In addition to all the food we had bought at the place we stopped at before coming to campus, Brenda (mother-in-law) had also brought along a bunch of snacks that we enjoyed as well. With no shortage of drinks either, our tailgate was a lot of fun. However, the main event awaited us. With about 45 minutes to go until kickoff, we all headed toward Memorial Stadium.

A photo of us guys (L-R: Jon, John Henry, Mr. Sid, Out of Place Guy Wearing Louisville polo).

A photo of us guys (L-R: Jon, John Henry, Mr. Sid, Out of Place Guy Wearing Louisville polo). – Photo courtesy of Brenda

In an electric atmosphere, two of the best college football teams squared off in one of the best games of the college football season thus far. It was a high scoring, back-and-forth affair that went down to the wire. However, even though it was a nail biter and even though I ate myself silly at the campground and at the tailgate, I still visited the concession stand during the game. I got myself peanuts and a large dish of cookie dough Dippin’ Dots.

I took this photo as the teams warmed up prior to the 8 p.m. kickoff.

I took this photo as the teams warmed up prior to the 8 p.m. kickoff.

Watching two of the best quarterbacks in the nation compete was exhilarating. Inside the stadium you could just sense the magnitude of the game. The crowd showed up early, stayed during halftime, and of course remained in the stands through the thrilling finish. When the Cardinals came up just yards short of a last second victory, the celebration was on in Death Valley as the students stormed the field.

A photo of Sid and I enjoying the game.

A photo of Sid and I enjoying the game.

With the game on national television combined with the amount of points scored it made for a long game. By the time the Tigers improved to 5-0 with a 42-36 victory, it was close to midnight. We all went back to the tailgate area and waited about an hour for traffic to thaw out a little bit. The eight of us then piled back into the vehicle and went back to the parking lot where we split off. We arrived back at the hotel around 2:30 a.m. and by the time I laid down in bed it was 3 a.m. It had been a long and amazing day.

The next morning, the four of us got back in the car to head home. Steph/Jon/Court/John Henry were about an hour behind us. We stopped in Columbia to eat lunch, this time opting for Texas Roadhouse. We arrived back in Myrtle Beach around 5 p.m. When Mr. Sid and Brenda dropped us off at our house it was a little sad to say goodbye, even though they live just a couple minutes away from us and even though we had spent the whole weekend with them. But that just explains what a great time we had.

Thanks to the Mathis family for a wonderful weekend. I can’t wait to do this again one of these days. Don’t Blink.

We Are Expecting!

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Yes, it is true. On Friday night, Sidney and I announced over social media that we are expecting. My wife deserves full credit for thinking up the creative method we used to share the good news. When we posted the announcement to Facebook, we were right in the middle of driving to Clemson with my in-laws (don’t worry, my father-in-law was driving so everyone was safe). For the rest of the trip we were humbled by the constant stream of congratulatory messages that came in. Thanks to all.

We posted this image to announce that we are expecting. All creative credit goes to my wife!!

We posted this image to announce that we are expecting. All creative credit goes to my wife!!

Sid found out one morning in late July that she was pregnant. After the thrill sunk in, she surprised me with the good news in a very special way. Needless to say, my mind was racing euphorically the rest of the day at work. We both really wanted children but we had no idea we would be blessed with one so early into our marriage.

The past two months have been a lot of fun. Going to doctor appointments with Sid, brainstorming names, reading the progress of our baby’s development each week, breaking the news to our loved ones, and dreaming about when the time will come are just a few of the special moments we have enjoyed.

Of course there is the stress of hoping that everything runs smoothly for Sidney and our baby but I have learned that you just have to trust in God. So far everything has gone great and all signs point toward the delivery of a healthy new addition to our family around April 7, 2017.

We are so grateful for this blessing. The next several months will undoubtedly be an incredible journey. My brother-in-law, who has a couple of small children, told me that our lives are about to change forever but that it is well worth it. We can’t wait for that change to occur. Don’t Blink.