Monthly Archives: January 2022

The Best Travel Mistake

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It may have not been the best mistake ever but it still worked out pretty well. 

When we booked travel to spend the holidays in Myrtle Beach, we were set to return to Spokane on Dec. 31…or so we thought. Our understanding was that we would leave South Carolina on New Year’s Eve at 2:30 p.m. and land in Washington around 10 p.m. in time to watch the ball drop. The itinerary called for a couple of short layovers in Charlotte and Dallas, par for the course when you are traveling commercial across the country.

A look outside our window as we flew from Charlotte to Dallas.

It wasn’t until the beginning of December that we noticed a slight mistake. Yes, we were scheduled to leave Myrtle Beach on Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. And, yes, we were still scheduled to land in Spokane at 10 p.m. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for 10 p.m. on Dec. 31…it was for Jan. 1.

Upon closer look at our itinerary, the a.m’s and p.m’s weren’t what we thought. Instead of landing in Charlotte at 3:30 p.m. and departing at 5:45 p.m., we were actually departing Charlotte at 5:45 a.m…the next day. Instead of landing in Dallas at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, we were landing in Dallas at 7 a.m. on Jan. 1. And, instead of departing Dallas at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, we were departing Dallas at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 1. Yikes.

We tried to contact American Airlines and change our itinerary. They couldn’t help. We decided that we would take matters into our own hands and just drive to Charlotte early on Jan. 1 to catch our 5:45 a.m. flight. This would let us spend a little more time with family and avoid spending the night in Charlotte. Not so fast. American Airlines was going to count this as a change of reservation and charge us $700…per person.

Needless to say, we were stuck with our 30-hour itinerary. With no option to tweak it unless we wanted to shell out more than a couple grand, we decided we would make the best of it.

We decided that we would make the best of our 30-hour itinerary.

Our plan for the Charlotte leg of the trip was to get some dinner and spend the night. We landed in the Charlotte airport on New Year’s Eve, gathered our luggage (we had to pick up our checked luggage because we were going more than 12 hours between flights), and then rented a car. Because of our early flight the next morning and our heavy luggage haul, we didn’t want to depend on shuttles or an Uber.

After stopping at a grocery store, we checked into our hotel. It was the Charlotte Hampton airport hotel but our kids seemed to think it was a Disney resort. They loved the change of scenery and chance to stay in a room with a refrigerator, two beds, and microwave.

A photo of us going up the elevator at our Charlotte hotel.

We left our room for a drive around Charlotte and to pick up some fast food. We then returned to the hotel and watched NYE coverage and ate our dinner in bed.

Sloan and Beau in the hotel room watching “Sing.”

Sid and I were up early on New Year’s Day to get the car packed and the kids dressed. We made the short drive to the Charlotte airport and we were soon on a plane to Dallas. Once we landed we picked up our rental car and drove off to enjoy an adventure in a city we had never visited before.

Sloan standing next to an inflatable Dallas Cowboys helmet at the rental car center in Dallas.

We only had about nine hours so we had to stick to a tight schedule. We headed to the Dallas Zoo, one of the best of its kind in the country. Because it was the slow season for the zoo, we only paid $8 per person for tickets. For far less than what it costs to go to the movies, we were able to admire some of the most magnificent animals on the planet.

Sloan and Beau at the entrance to the Dallas Zoo. We had a great time!

After the zoo we did something that Sid and I always do if the city that we are in has one—we ate at the Cheesecake Factory! Surprisingly, we got a table right away and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Our cheesecake of choice this time was S’mores Galore. So good!

Our Cheesecake Factory experience in Dallas was delicious.

At this point our time in Dallas was starting to dwindle but we managed to squeeze in a trip to a park. With just hours before we returned to snow and freezing temperatures, how couldn’t we take advantage of the 70-degree day? We visited Flag Pole Park, a beautiful green area that recently had a new playground built by the Jordan Spieth Foundation. An all-inclusive play area dominated by cargo net structures, both Sloan and Beau enjoyed a unique experience while meeting many new “friends.”

Sloan hanging out at Flag Pole Park in Dallas.

Once we finished playing at the park we started to make our way back to the airport. On the way, I ventured into my first ever Five Below store and Sidney walked into the largest Target she had ever been in. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and with some new experiences under our belts.

Our travel adventure would not have been complete without a delay at the Dallas Airport. The kids passed the time by eating ice cream on the floor at our gate.

As Sidney and I evaluated the whirlwind extension of our vacation, we agreed that it didn’t turn out so bad. In fact, Sid even suggested we do something similar (on purpose) when booking our next trip to visit family in Myrtle Beach. I don’t know if we will go that far, but after what was a stressful time trying to rectify our mistake, everything ended up turning out great. Don’t Blink.

First Thursday Rundown of 2022

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There is always something special about the first Thursday Rundown of the year. Well, actually there isn’t, but I thought that line sounded good. But if you have truly found yourself distraught because I haven’t written a rundown “since last year,” I am about to make you happy again. Here we go with my first Thursday Rundown of 2022…

Another Perfect Gift – For Christmas 2020, Sid gave me a lap desk which has pretty much been the best present ever as I use it on a daily basis. So how do you top that? Simple—you give your mostly-remote-working-social media-loving husband a ring light. It is now set up at my desk to enhance my numerous daily virtual meetings AND to occasionally allow a certain curious daughter the opportunity to play with the light’s controls (she loves the different colors it can project). Thanks, Sid!

My ring light is now fully installed at my desk. I like it!

Snow For Days – We thought we were dodging the snow by visiting Myrtle Beach for two weeks. Unfortunately for us, it never stopped snowing in Spokane as by the time we arrived home on Saturday the white stuff was still falling down. But while my attitude to the snow might be lukewarm, our kids absolutely love it. Sidney took Sloan and Beau to play in our backyard yesterday and they didn’t want to come in. We received another several inches today but it looks like the snow will go away for the weekend.

The kids play in the snow on Jan. 5, 2022, while Sid looks on. We have sooooo much snow.

Movie Reviews – I have a couple Netflix films I quickly wanted to chime in about. While in Myrtle Beach I watched “The Unforgivable” starring Sandra Bullock. Something is revealed at the end of the movie that will make a big light bulb go off in your brain but other than that I found the film average, if not borderline depressing. It came highly recommended from family members but I just didn’t think it was all that great. On Sunday we took the day to relax after a couple days of travel and I watched “Don’t Look Up.” Sure, everyone knows that the movie is a satire about global warming but I was watching it for the cast! I am a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan so I couldn’t wait to see him play an awkward college professor. Jonah Hill, another one of my favorites, was extra savage to poor Jennifer Lawrence who delivered a respectable performance. The film delivered plenty of laughs and touched on the current political landscape beyond just global warming. I recommend it.

As long as you don’t get easily offended, you will probably find yourself laughing while watching “Don’t Look Up.”

A Bit Problematic – Recently, the 2022 Banished Words list was released. It contains words and phrases that are clichés and/or don’t make sense. I really think the usage of 200% on this box of muffins could qualify. Lowe’s (not be confused with the hardware chain) is a line of grocery stores in the South. They make delicious bakery items but I don’t know how that translates to a “quality promise” of 200%…or if that is even possible. I think it is wise to recognize a 100% effort as the maximum threshold for excellence—yes, I even slightly cringe at “claiming” 110%. If the store wants to stick with its 200% “quality promise,” why stop there? Maybe when I return to Lowe’s in a year they offer a 1000% quality promise. It just doesn’t make sense to me and cheapens what it means to give 100%.

Making this “quality promise” is problematic.

Classic Mix – Over the holidays I saw this very special pack of M&M’s. It is a “Classic Mix” that contains the brand’s iconic options…milk chocolate, peanut butter, and peanut. This is the first time I had ever seen it and I had to ask myself what took them so long? I think this is a great idea and a combination that many M&M lovers like myself appreciate. Good to see that this is now on the shelves!

Couldn’t help but take a photo of these when I came across them in a Myrtle Beach Walmart.

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Thanks Be to God there was peace on this day. I appreciate you reading and I hope you have a safe weekend. Don’t Blink.

Our Christmas 2021 Trip to Myrtle Beach

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Sidney, Sloan, Beau, and I were blessed to visit my wife’s family (and our old home) this past month. Myrtle Beach treated us well as we celebrated the holidays and spent time with loved ones who hold special spots in our hearts. To summarize our trip, I thought it would be wise to briefly describe 10 happenings/themes from our time in South Carolina.

Staycation – Sid’s parents rented a condo right on the beach for our family and the families of Sid’s two sisters. We spent several days playing at the resort’s water park, creating Christmas crafts, eating family dinners, and enjoying the beautiful ocean scenery. It was a great opportunity to for everyone to come together, catch up, and get into the Christmas spirit.

Beau and Sloan look out at the ocean from one of our condo windows.

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day – Ah yes, the reason for the season! We attended the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve mass at St. Andrew. After that we went over to my sister-in-law’s house to hang out and eat baked ziti. We came back to my mother-in-law’s house and I stayed up until midnight until it was officially Christmas. On Christmas morning we all gathered to open gifts and later that day we went back over to my sister-in-law’s house for a prime rib Christmas dinner.

Sloan and I after Christmas Eve mass.

Gorgeous Weather – The previous two times we traveled back to Myrtle Beach we had no shortage of rain and cold. Not this time. We basked in numerous 75 degree and sunny days over the course of the two weeks we were there. The conditions allowed me to take Sloan to the park, play basketball outside with my nephew, and go for a run through my in-laws’ neighborhood. While Spokane was being pounded with snow, I made sure the savor the sunshine and warm temperatures.

The weather was beautiful and plenty of Otter Pops were consumed.

Old Friends – In addition to spending time with Sid’s family, we also got to re-connect with some of our dearest Myrtle Beach friends. One particular day Sloan got to visit the trampoline park and go out to lunch with Jacqueline, the BFF she was inseparable with when we lived in South Carolina. The day before we traveled back home, we went over to the home of our spiritual mentors, Tim and Kathy McCormick, for breakfast. I even got to see my former Knights of Columbus brothers when they invited me to drop by before one of their meetings.

Jacqueline and Sloan were re-united again and did lunch together.

Old Places – Over the course of our trip I worked out at the gym I used to exercise at on a daily basis, Iron Legacy. It is still old school and it still has the nicest owners. Best of all, we returned to St. Andrew a few different times for mass. So many good things happened to our family within those walls and it is always special to return to worship God.

A photo I took of Iron Legacy in Dec. 2021. This was taken from inside the class studio and it spans the main workout floor.

Baby Jack – We had plenty of time to see the newest addition to the Mathis family, Jack. When we visited Myrtle in June, he was only a couple weeks old. Now past the 7-month mark, he had grown considerably but was still as sweet as could be. It was fun and hilarious to watch Beau interact with his new cousin. Sid and I each made sure to get our snuggles with our handsome nephew over the time we were there.

Sidney holding Jack and Beau.

Sing 2 – The second week we were there a group of us went to see “Sing 2.” It was a super cute film that had us singing and dancing in our seats the whole time. Just having the opportunity to watch a movie in a theater was a special experience by itself.

Sloan and her cousins at the movie theater to watch “Sing 2.”

On the Small Screen – Going to the theater was really nice but watching programming on television wasn’t bad either. I had the pleasure of watching numerous college football games. Laying in bed at night, Sid and I would watch “Fear Factor” re-runs and after she fell asleep I watched poker. Probably best of all was watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve. Believe it or not, I had never watched the movie until that point. I truly was missing out!

I watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” for the first time this Christmas season.

Good Food – We ate and we ate and we ate. The best part? It was all delicious. From the prime rib Christmas dinner to our takeout favorites to the baked ziti we didn’t obsess over calorie counting. All the baked goods available kept us munching the whole trip.

We baked Red Lobster cheddar biscuits to go with our baked ziti on Christmas Eve,

Bananagram – A game we played both at the condo and at Sud’s parents’ house was Bananagram. It is kind of like a more individualistic, faster-paced Scrabble. It was the perfect game to relax and enjoy a snack with. I had a nice time playing it and even won a few rounds.

What one of my rounds of Bananagram looked like.

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What a blessing it was to spend some solid time with Sid’s family. We were sad to leave everyone in South Carolina but thankful for the memories we were able to bring back. We can’t wait for our next visit. Don’t Blink.

How To Make 2022 Special

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Do you want to do something really special this year? Do you want to do something that will undoubtedly distinguish 2022 from all other years? If so, do this: Read the entire bible.

That can seem like a daunting task but there is something (and someone) that can make it much more manageable. Friends, while it is still early in January, consider doing the Bible In A Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz.

The Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz is incredible.

After some nudging from a friend in mid-January last year, I started the journey. I crammed multiple episodes per day for a week and by about Jan. 20 I was all caught up. From that point on, I listened to a single podcast episode per day for the remainder of 2021 and on December 31 I had made it through the entire bible from Genesis through Revelation. It was awesome.

Don’t get too hung up on the fact that Fr. Schmitz is a Catholic priest. No matter if you are a different denomination, non-denominational, or even an atheist you will appreciate the way that he navigates through the bible and drives home key points. He is extremely inclusive, respectful, positive, and engaging. You will love him from the first episode.

Speaking of episodes, each one averages about 20 minutes. Fr. Schmitz breaks it up by reading a couple different books simultaneously in addition to a couple verses from Psalms or Proverbs. He reads the content first, offers a prayer, and then delivers a mini homily on that day’s readings. The format works perfectly and offers solid structure to an incredibly important endeavor.

If you choose to commit to the Bible In A Year Podcast, just make sure to carve out time on a daily basis to actually listen to it. I would always begin it on my morning drive to the gym and usually finish on my living room couch when I returned home. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to start my day. But timing might be different for you. Your ideal time to listen might be at night before you go to bed or possibly during your lunch hour. My point is that you can choose whatever time is convenient for you but just remember to do your best to listen to that daily episode.

Personally, the experience was very rewarding for me. I learned a lot about how the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament and how God wants us to worship. That’s not to say it was entirely smooth sailing. At times I was disturbed, alarmed, and confused. But Fr. Schmitz had a way of explaining a lot of the “brokenness” described in the bible.

There is just so much good stuff in the bible. When it came to the Old Testament, I especially liked the Maccabees books, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah. For the New Testament, besides the gospels, I enjoyed journeying through Acts and thought that James was beautiful. Speaking of the gospels, Fr. Schmitz does something that makes a lot of sense. Over the course of the year he introduces “Messianic checkpoints” where he will take a week to read through one of the gospels. Because the Old Testament is much longer than the New Testament, he didn’t want us to have to wait until November before we started to hear about Jesus. Thus, the gospels are sprinkled in throughout the 12 months.

Fr. Schmitz introduced his Bible In A Year Podcast last year. It quickly ascended to the No. 1 podcast in the United States. He recorded the show in a fashion that makes it timeless. You can start the podcast whenever you want and it will never seem out of date. Surprise, surprise….the podcast is once again No. 1 in the country as we begin 2022.

Take a chance and journey with Fr. Mike Schmitz by listening to the Bible In A Year Podcast. If you ever want to chat, please let me know. Whether you listen to the podcast in 2022 or not, may God bless you this year. Don’t Blink.

Back At It In 2022

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Happy 2022, everyone!

And with that first sentence, it looks like I am blogging again this year. I am sure this brings delight to some and disgust to many. But for my few fans, please keep in mind that I can’t commit to a rigorous posting schedule like I have in the past. We will just see how things work out and how often I am able to contribute to Don’t Blink. I will do my best.

Okay, let’s get down to business. Today can be a tough day for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are a grade school student or a mid-30s professional like me, the first day back to a school/work routine after the holiday season can be a little depressing. In fact, as I have mentioned before, the first couple months of a new year can at times feel melodramatic compared to the HalloweenGivingMas period that just passed.

Just know that if you find yourself a little down in the dumps that it is normal. With that said, you can neutralize some of those blue feelings by embracing this new year with as much enthusiasm as possible. I know it might be hard to summon that optimism but try to do your best. Set goals, do things for other people, and take steps to enter new positive habits into your daily routine. Even if you don’t inject the beginning of 2022 with change, take solace in the fact that after a few days of “back to the grind” that you will start to feel better if you did yourself missing the holiday season.

I am excited to blog again in 2022. I have several topics in mind to write about over the next couple weeks, including a look into what my family did over the past couple weeks. Again, have a memorable 2022 and hang in there! Don’t Blink.