Good evening and thank you for returning to my blog. I hope everyone is getting acclimated to August and enjoying the summer days that remain. Let’s begin the latest Thursday Rundown…

Daddy and Sloan Portrait – Remember the time I wrote how my dad marked milestones in my childhood by drawing pictures of me? Well, Monday morning, right before he flew out of Myrtle Beach, he drew another masterpiece. While I watched the morning news and Sloan watched my phone, he captured the moment in signature style. I think his rendition of me looks pretty spot on while Sloan might look a little more mature than she actually is.

My dad is the artist behind this work of art.

Price Dip – Last week I mentioned that I have “a thing” for Olli’s, a store that sells funky discounted products. Because I am part of the store’s loyalty program, I receive ads via email. I almost spit my coffee out (just kidding, I don’t drink coffee) when I saw the below ad. I know personal drones have been available for several years now and that the market is a bit saturated, but $29.99?!? I went and showed our video production director the ad. David, an accomplished drone photographer, raised his eyebrow when I told him I found a drone for $30. He confirmed my suspicions that the model was probably a piece of crap and pulled up on his computer a reliable and reasonably priced drone that sells for $399. Some things are too good to be true.

I wasn’t lying…$29.99 for a drone.

Making Someone’s Day – Recently, the father of a young NASCAR fan tweeted a video of his son with a magazine. The publication was Coastal Magazine and the cover was of NASCAR driver and CCU alumnus Brandon Brown. We saw the tweet and responded to the father and son through our main Twitter account (@ccuchanticleers), asking for their address. We sent them some signed Brandon Brown items. Yesterday, they replied with an adorable video thanking us for the loot. Brandon Brown’s team then jumped in on the conversation and invited Aiden to Darlington later in the month to watch the race…VIP style! If you have time, see how everything went down by clicking here. You will love Aiden’s videos!

A screenshot from the video of Aiden opening up the signed Brandon Brown hero card I sent him.

Back to School…Kind Of – Today, Sidney returned to Palmetto Bays School for her first mandatory day back. Don’t worry, the first day of classes isn’t until Aug. 19. But still, it is an obvious sign that summer is nearing its conclusion. Even though I am obviously not off during the summer, I really enjoy it when Sidney is. Three years ago, I wrote about some of the reasons why. However, a lot has changed since then and I now mostly appreciate Sidney’s summer break because she gets to spend lots of quality time with Sloan while also enjoying some time to herself (we sent Sloan to daycare two days during the summer weeks).

Sidney spent the first half of this week setting up her classroom.

No-Brainer – There is controversy that former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant won’t receive a national championship ring. The Tigers won the 2018 title but Bryant left the team after four games due to playing time issues. I guess I don’t understand why it is even up for discussion. I mean honestly, would he even want a ring? Many times I feel championship rings are given out to way too many people (for example, I received championship rings when I worked in the athletic department at Montana). The fact that Clemson is somewhat controlling the distribution of a valuable symbolic object is a good thing in my mind. I think a ring given to someone who played with a team for only a third of the season cheapens the value of it.

I don’t think Kelly Bryant is owed a ring.

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Let’s continue to pray for the victims and families of recent violent acts. While it might be trendy these days to discount prayer (especially in these situations), don’t ever stop. Have a restful weekend. Don’t Blink.

It happens more often than we think. When adults resort to squabbling and blaming, it is usually the younger generation that rises above and sets an example for us all.

With the recent mass shooting tragedies, as a country, there seems to be more venom and division than kindness and unity. This morning, I heard a story about an El Paso boy who has implemented an impactful social media challenge. Based on positivity and action, 11-year-old Ruben Martinez rolled out the #elpasoCHALLENGE to remember the 22 people who were killed in his hometown this past weekend.

I think the #elpasoCHALLENGE is a great idea.

The movement is simple but beautiful. Ruben is challenging El Paso residents to complete 22 good deeds, one for each person who perished in the senseless tragedy. The acts can be big or small, random or methodical. Meant at first just for El Paso, the #elpasoCHALLENGE has now spread across the country.

Ruben’s written plan.

Although nothing will reverse what happened, I find this challenge practical, do-able, and helpful. At first, it seems pretty ambitious––completing 22 acts takes time and planning. But when you can fully embrace that each act is to be done for someone who perished¬¬––whether it be 15-year-old Javier Rodriguez or 86-year-old Angie Englisbee or any of the 20 other victims––the task becomes much more inspiring than daunting.

Great work, Ruben!

There is no stipulation that says the challenge has to be done alone. I think completing it with family is ideal. Coming to grips with the hate that exists in this country while at the same time fostering the love and kindness that is needed to overcome it is the best family lesson there is. With the underlining focus that each deed is done for a specific person, I think the #elpasoCHALLENGE can be very powerful for loved ones to complete together over the course of a month.

Thank you for challenging us, Ruben. Don’t Blink.

My parents returned to Spokane today after a short (but sweet) impromptu trip to Myrtle Beach.

During their time here, my mom and dad enjoyed doing A LOT with Sloan, including…

Giving her all the watermelon she could eat.

Sloan never went without one of her favorite foods, watermelon, while her grandparents were here,

Riding in play cars, both big and small.

Sloan found a Ram at Walmart but also cruised a lot in her pink car.

Assisting with making coffee every morning.

Literally…Sloan’s favorite thing to do was help grandma make her coffee every morning.

Nestling her in the early mornings and late at night.

A lot of cuddling on the couch went on.

Dancing to the Hokie Pokie and “Move Like the Dinosaurs” over and over.

Sorry! No photos exist of my parents dancing with Sloan. You will just have to trust me that it actually happened. Here is a basic cute photo instead.

Pushing her in swings at the park and in the backyard as she screams “HIGHER!”

Sloan has no fear on the swing and her grandparents satisfied her demands to go higher.

Allowing her to play with Play-Doh all she wants even though her parents hate it.

We don’t always allow Sloan to play with Play-Doh…but this weekend we did.

Reading her every book in her play room library.

My parents spent a lot of time reading books with Sloan and were amazed at how she could follow and memorize the stories.

Eating candy, ice cream, and popsicles all weekend long.

My mom and dad let Sloan eat a lot of sweets, including this cup of ice cream at lunch.

Nudging Papa’s sunglasses on and off.

My dad usually doesn’t like people to mess with his sunglasses, especially by getting fingerprints on them. He made an exception for Sloan.

Throwing pieces of bread and crackers into the neighborhood pond to feed the turtles.

My parents took Sloan to the neighborhood gazebo to feed the turtles.

Smiling at her like she is the most precious thing in the whole world.

The smile on my mom’s face says it all.

We are so happy that Sloan was able to see her grandparents during a time we usually never see each other. I personally want to thank my parents for making the long trip and spoiling us. They truly are the best. Don’t Blink.

Happy August! I know this month is packed for many of us so I sincerely hope the next four weeks are productive and enjoyable for you. Let’s get started with the Thursday Rundown…

Gone Fishing – Sloan “fished” (just like she “bowled”) for the first time over the weekend. From the same gazebo where she feeds the turtles, Sloan was also able to cast her first line. Does Sloan have the patience to be an accomplished fisherwoman? NO. Well, at least not at this point in her life. But it was still nice to get a fishing pole in her hands.

Sloan went fishing this past weekend.

Impromptu Visit from Parents – My mom and dad recently booked a spur of the moment trip to Myrtle Beach and they arrived in town yesterday. With us not making a trip to Spokane this summer and the jury out on whether we will visit at Christmas, my parents made sure that they wouldn’t go too long without seeing their granddaughter. Sloan’s love for her grandma and papa is as strong as ever and watching them spend time together is the absolute best. We are excited to have my parents stay through the weekend.

My parents are in town. This is a photo of them with Sloan at lunch today.

Banana Creme Frosted Flakes – There is a store near our house called Ollie’s. It reminds me of a second-run movie theater. Instead of getting the newest and hottest right when it is released, it receives inventory a little longer down the line. The benefit is that the product (or movie) comes at a discounted price. Ollie’s is home to a large and eclectic mix of grocery/toy/hardware/personal care/etc. products that you might not see on the shelves at a Walmart or Home Depot anymore. The selection is vast and discounts many. I couldn’t help but purchase this banana-flavored family sized box of Frosted Flakes for $1.99. Make sure to take your own trip to Ollie’s to see the other oddball products you can take home with you.

I picked up these Banana Crème Frosted Flakes from Ollie’s.

Mt Dew Varieties – The highly caffeinated green liquid from the Pepsi-Cola company isn’t necessarily always green. Mt. Dew Code Red, Livewire, and Baja Blast are all drinks under the Dew brand that most of us have heard of. A rare trip to KFC recently introduced me to another. When I purchased one of the mashed potato bowls a drink came with it. I noticed the Mt. Dew Sweet Lightning option prominently advertised on the drive-thru menu. Without even asking about the flavor (because how do you conceptualize “Sweet Lightning”?), I decided to order it. Can’t say that I was that disappointed with it. It tasted like tangerine soda and on a hot July evening it hit the spot.

You can only get Sweet Lightning Mt. Dew from KFC.

Something to Snicker At – Even by social media standards, this is a shameless publicity stunt. Snickers says it will distribute 1 million free candy bars to America if the Federal Government changes the date of Halloween this year. The candy company wants to see Halloween moved from Thursday, Oct. 31 to Saturday, Oct. 26. Of course it would NEVER happen. Could you imagine Halloween on a date other than the last day of October? Not even Dracula himself could get it moved. The other part I find funny about this “bribe” is that having Halloween on a Thursday really isn’t that bad. Of course a weekend night would be preferred but compared it having it on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, it isn’t that terrible of a deal to have it on Thursday. What a crock.

Give me a break.

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It will be a weekend dedicated to family. I hope all of my readers can enjoy some family time too as we navigate through these dog days of summer. Don’t Blink.