Because of my quick trip to Nashville, this week seems a little out of sorts for me. However, someone told me today is Thursday and that just means one thing: The Thursday Rundown.

Free Hugs – Speaking of Nashville, when I was at the CASE Conference, the keynote speaker was Ken Nwadike. This man started the Free Hugs Project. Ken shows up at hostile situations and tries to serve as a peacekeeper between opposing parties, freely giving out hugs along the way. Lately, this has been in the form of helping ease relations between law enforcement and protestors. He was present at recent events such as the Dallas shootings, Charlotte protests, and President Trump’s Inauguration. Watching him literally stand in between adversaries and sooth tensions is incredible to watch. Despite being on the front lines in very dangerous situations, he is an extremely mild mannered and humble man. It was a pleasure listening to him speak.

I listened to Ken Nwadike, AKA the “Free Hugs Guy,” in Nashville at the CASE District III Conference on Tuesday.

Baby Update – Over the weekend, Sidney and her mom spent a lot of time getting the nursery ready. I have shown pictures before of the area coming together but after they finished with it on Saturday night, it looked baby-ready! My father-in-law helped me provide the muscle for moving heavy items, but it was all the work of Sid and her mom to make it look so nice. In other news, Sid and I had the chance to see our daughter via another ultrasound today. Words can’t describe how beautiful she already is. We are now under two months until she is due.

This is what the nursery looks like now.

Kettle Corn at My Theater – A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I bought a popcorn tub at my local Cinemark theater that grants me discounted refills throughout 2017. Although I already knew I made a good decision by making the purchase, my investment recently got a little sweeter. Last week when I visited the theater, I saw that an entire popping cage is now devoted to KETTLE CORN. I absolutely love kettle corn and although I do prefer regular popcorn at the movies, I can see myself every now and then opting for the sweet and savory option instead (yes, kettle corn is included at the same discounted tub rate).

Kettle corn is now offered at my local Cinemark theater and I can use my refillable tub to get it.

Gold – The reason why I made my kettle corn discovery was because I attended the early bird showing of “Gold” this past Saturday morning. If you don’t know, “Gold” stars Matthew McConaughey as a prospector looking to strike it rich. He travels to Indonesia and teams up with a geologist to find gold in the country’s jungles. As per usual, McConaughey turns in a great performance but the film was just a little too slow for me. I followed it the whole way and found it interesting but I was by no means impressed by it. I would wait for it to come out on Redbox.

I saw the movie “Gold” this past Saturday.

Cool Stationary – Cleaning out drawers the other day, I stumbled upon something pretty cool. A few years ago, Sidney’s mom gave her this stationary for getting organized before embarking on trips. I always write out a manual list from scratch when I go on a trip so this intrigued me. In fact, I actually used a piece of it when I packed for Nashville. I just circled the items on the list I needed to pack and then scratched them off as I packed them. It was extremely efficient and it saved me time. What a useful little gift!

I am a big fan of the travel stationary that my mother-in-law gave Sidney.

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There you have it, another Thursday Rundown in the books. Thank you for reading, I appreciate the time you devote to Don’t Blink. I look forwarding to reaching out to you again on Sunday. Don’t Blink.