Good evening, friends! For those of us who had Monday off, this might be another reminder that today is in fact Thursday. Because the calendar doesn’t lie and it is Friday Eve, I have five random topics coming your way…

Family Throwback – For your viewing entertainment (aka laughter), I present to you this family photo from probably circa 2003. Of course what stands out to you is probably my mane. I promise, that was my real hair—it was definitely a thing. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

My family in the early 2000s. Yes, the hair is real.

Cap Guns – The other day, Beau and I intended to go to Hobby Lobby but there was a problem when we approached the entrance: it was Sunday so the store was closed. Because we didn’t want to make it a wasted trip, we decided to visit Five Below which was just a couple storefronts down. The Spokane location is super nice but I became increasingly annoyed because so much of the stuff wasn’t under $5. With that said, within the entire store, I was most interested by the cap gun selection. As a boy, we played with cap guns all the time. If I receive approval from his mother, I want to get Beau one of these for his upcoming birthday.

I came across these cap guns, complete with ring cap ammo, at Five Below.

Cone Animals – This week I have read Beau a couple books by author Sarah Howden. Both dealt with “the cone of shame” with one book detailing it from a dog’s perspective and the other from a cat’s perspective. Each story elaborated on the hardships and embarrassment faced by each animal but then each one described how they ended up using the cone to their advantage. For someone like myself who always finds a little bit of humor when I see a dog wearing a cone, these books were pretty enjoyable.

Beau holds “Cone Cat” and “Cone Dog” by Sarah Howden.

The Unthinkable – Crazy story: when I was younger, I would only order clucks and fries at Red Robin. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized that the only way to go was by ordering something that contained a bun and ground beef. After probably ordering a million cheeseburgers, I finally ordered something different at Red Robin and opted for the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. I am so glad I gave it a try because it was excellent. At Red Robin, because of the bottomless sides and incredible value, you will never go home hungry and this was no exception (I brought half the wrap home).

Consider a Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap next time you are at Red Robin. Yeah, that is a lone potato chip from Beau’s plate that is on top of my fries.

Blonde Brownie Ode – I kid you not, today is National Blonde Brownie Day. Not trying to brag but yours truly can make a pretty mean batch of blonde brownies. Don’t believe me? I made this video of me baking them back in 2022. If learning off TikTok isn’t your thing, you can reference my top secret recipe (😂) by tapping here. Come on people, who doesn’t love a warm, gooey blonde brownie?! Chef’s kiss.

A pan of blonde brownies I made several years ago.

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That’s all I have for tonight. For those who will soon be in the line of cold and ice, make sure to bundle up and stay indoors. Don’t Blink.