Our Return From Evacuation

Posted on September 17, 2018 by brent

We are back, safe and sound.

After a seven-hour drive that consumed most of our Sunday, the three of us arrived in Myrtle Beach yesterday evening. As we traveled back, we weren’t on pins and needles about what we would find once we pulled into our driveway. Thanks to the kindness of family and friends, we had multiple people check on our house over the weekend. Each report indicated that except for debris in the backyard, our home escaped Hurricane Florence unscathed.

We had a nice time at our evacuation location, Jacksonville.

However, although I wasn’t really sweating it, I did experience a satisfying sense of relief when I walked through our door and saw our perfectly intact house for myself. God is good and the power of prayer is real.

In the end, it was obvious: If we had stayed in Myrtle Beach instead of evacuating, we would have been fine. Hurricane Florence didn’t impact the area as anticipated. With that said, what choice did we have when confronted with the trusted information from meteorologists and emergency management personnel? If the storm had changed its track slightly, we would have been in trouble. In my mind, the only viable decision was to evacuate.

Regardless of whether leaving was the right call in hindsight, our little family made the most out of our time in Jacksonville. Instead of dealing with dark skies, heavy winds, and pouring rain, we enjoyed the sunny and blue skies of Florida. Although I did have to work remotely, we still managed to do a lot during the time we spent “down south.” While driving in a car for nine hours (Wednesday) and seven hours (Sunday) might seem like a drag, the three of us enjoyed the time we got to spend together in close quarters. However, I would be lying if I said we didn’t prefer the three full days we spent together out of the car at our evacuation destination.

Like I mentioned, we stayed busy. We made trips to Disney World (future blog post coming) and the Jacksonville Zoo. We explored the neighborhood community we stayed at and sampled some of the local cuisine. Between the activities and my CCU duties, we also managed to relax a little bit as well; something we surely would not have been able to do if we stayed home.

As we settle back in at our house, a new threat is looming over our heads: flooding. The street in front of our house is already underwater. However, I much rather face this than a massive hurricane. We will be just fine.

The street in front of our house is flooded.

What a story we will have to tell Sloan years from now! With enthusiasm we will fill her in on how we escaped Hurricane Florence by evacuating to Jacksonville. We will then show her the photos and video of how an unfortunate weather event allowed us to take an unexpected trip to Disney World. Talk about an adventure! Don’t Blink.

Hurricane Florence Thursday Rundown

Posted on September 13, 2018 by brent

Greetings from Jacksonville, our home until further notice. Hurricane Florence might make us leave our home but it won’t stop me from writing a Thursday Rundown. Let’s get right to it…

Evacuating – Yesterday at noon, we set off for Jacksonville. What is normally a six-hour drive took us almost nine. We pulled up to Sid’s aunt’s house a little past 8:30 p.m. As I alluded to in yesterday’s blog post, it was the evacuation traffic that delayed us. The congestion was heaviest around Savannah. Although she had a rough final 45 minutes, Sloan did extremely well for most of the drive, smiling and laughing as we escaped Hurricane Florence. As we traveled away from the hurricane zone, we counted (yes, literally counted) over 300 linemen vehicles going the opposite way, right from where we were coming from.

Sid and I at a random rest stop during our evacuation to Jacksonville yesterday.

Current Outlook – The latest Hurricane Florence outlook isn’t as dire as it was yesterday. The storm has weakened a bit and the Myrtle Beach area can now expect less severe winds. Nonetheless, a HURRICANE is still going to hit the Grand Strand. What is supposed to really send our area into a frenzy of disarray is flooding. Massive rain totals and storm surge will combine to flood the South Carolina coast to a degree of biblical proportions. The wet conditions will soften soil, leading to further problems. Although the wind speed has decreased, gusts will still be strong and they will be sustained, lasting for at least 24 hours. Persistent, strong winds will wreak havoc on trees that are planted in the softened soil, leading to widespread vegetative damage.

This flooding business is not going to be good.

First Day in Jacksonville – It has been a relaxing, low-key first day in Florida. We are technically staying in a place called Fleming Island, a suburb of Jacksonville. After I finished my work this morning, the three of us took a drive around our new surroundings, scoping out the sights. We picked up some groceries and enjoyed lunch. A little later we went out on this long, skinny dock that overlooks a body of water called Doctors Lake. After enjoying the scenic view, we went to the playground in the community we are staying and let Sloan run wild. We are excited to see what the evening will hold!

It has been a good first day in Jacksonville.

Non-Hurricane Florence Topic – This week, the 35th season of “Jeopardy” debuted. It started off with quite the surprise as Alex Trebek trotted onto the stage with a beard! Although famous for the mustache he has sported over the course of numerous seasons, the beard was an entirely new thing. You know what? I like it!!

I am a fan of Alex Trebek’s beard!

Tomorrow’s Surprise – Well, well, well, Sloan is in for a big surprise tomorrow. In order to give her a special experience and to take our minds off Hurricane Florence, we will be taking our little girl to a place that is quite popular in Florida. I can’t say much more than that, but if you don’t know what I am alluding to you must consider somewhere else the happiest place on earth.

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We are safe and sound, so don’t worry about us. However, please pray for the millions of people who are still in the path of Hurricane Florence. We can only hope that the storm will continue to weaken and that it will have mercy on the great East Coast. Don’t Blink.

Evacuating

Posted on September 12, 2018 by brent

The time has come. We are activating our family evacuation plan.

We are on our way to Jacksonville to stay at Sidney’s aunt’s house. Going to Florida will get us far away from Hurricane Florence. Words can’t describe how awful this storm is supposed to be. State leaders have called it “a monster” and “a beast” while meteorologists have forecasted the impact to be “catastrophic” and “devastating.”

In addition to God, we are praying to St. Medard, the patron saint of storms, to help weaken Hurricane Florence.

Unfortunately, the hurricane shifted southwest last night, putting the Myrtle Beach area in line for a direct hit. As we watched the gloomy news in bed last night, I told Sid we had no choice. We were getting the hell out.

This is a tough situation. We are leaving loved ones and friends behind. We have to say goodbye to our beautiful new home, completely clueless about what will happen to it while we are gone. The timetable for how long we will be out of state is anyone’s guess. This hurricane is supposed to pound our area for the entire weekend. Once the punishment is done there is no telling how much recovery work will have to be completed before we can even enter the city again. Things look bleak.

We are praying to God that our house is protected.

But with Myrtle Beach now in the rearview mirror, I am starting to feel more positive. We are off to a secure place and we got Sloan riding comfortably in the backseat. Evacuating can be tough and scary, but it is a no-brainer when the well-being of your daughter is at stake.

We appreciate all the prayers and support. Please pray for us as we make the six-hour drive to Jacksonville. With evacuation traffic, it could be a lot longer. If need be, we will cut the trip in half and stay in Savannah overnight before completing the trek to Jacksonville on Thursday. Most importantly, please pray for everyone who will be severely impacted by Hurricane Florence. It is going to get ugly. Don’t Blink.

Putting Hurricane Florence In Perspective

Posted on September 11, 2018 by brent

Yesterday evening, I was in my office building bagging up my computers and packing my belongings in preparation for a Hurricane Florence hit. It was announced a couple hours earlier that Coastal Carolina University would be closed until further notice. The next time I would set foot in my workspace would be well after the storm hit. What would I come back to?

In the office next door our photographer and my friend, Judy, was packing up her office. I poked my head in her door and we started talking about how quickly things change. Just a few days prior we were stressing over a couple university events that would be happening this week. With a massive hurricane now on the horizon, we remarked at how insignificant those events (obviously canceled) now seemed. Talk about perspective.

But today, my perspective is completely reversed. We are one day closer to the arrival of Hurricane Florence but I am not as deflated today as I was yesterday. Why? Today is 9/11.

Hurricane Florence is awful, but it could be worse. Just take a moment to reflect on 9/11.

You see, this major weather event, which has the potential to obliterate the coast of the Carolinas, pales in comparison to the unjust tragedy that occurred 17 years ago today.

By the grace of God, the art of meteorology has advanced to an incredible and high-tech level over the past several generations. We know well in advance of when these natural disasters will hit. In fact, in most instances, we know the exact hour of reckoning. We are forewarned and free to make our own decisions based on the information that is freely given.

The passengers on those planes and the people inside those buildings didn’t have a clue about what was about to happen that morning on September 11. They had no Weather Channel or no Ed Piotrowski to tip them off two weeks ahead of time about what was to come. Sadly, they weren’t even given an alert on their phones 10 minutes before the ultimate act of evil was about to take place.

I will take nature-induced hell over manmade-induced hell any day. Being tipped off about Mother Nature destruction is better than being sucker-punched by brainwashed scum of the earth destruction.

Many of us Carolinians find ourselves in an awful situation this week. However, things could be much worse. To understand this, all we need to do is remember our fellow Americans who perished on this date in 2001. Don’t Blink.

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Past 9/11 blog posts:
2017
2016
2011

Nervous About Florence

Posted on September 10, 2018 by brent

I am used to it by now. Having lived in South Carolina for well over four years, we all know what September means: Start of college football!

No, you idiot. It means hurricane season.

Hard to believe, but this is the fifth September I have spent in Myrtle Beach. Each one has brought with it some type of hurricane threat. I survived the first four Septembers so why should I be concerned about this one? The hurricane that is lingering off the coast right now is just like all the others, right?

Not so fast.

I never allowed myself to get too worked up about past hurricanes that flirted with–or even impacted–our area. However, Hurricane Florence is a little different. My stress level for this one is more elevated than the others.

I wish it would stay away, but our area will be impacted by Hurricane Florence in some way.

Two years ago, I experienced Hurricane Matthew. It impacted our area quite a bit. Our doors flew open, our fence posts toppled, and our power went out. It wasn’t too enjoyable. But here is the thing: When Hurricane Matthew met Myrtle Beach, it was a Category 1 hurricane.

If Hurricane Florence hits us, it is supposed to be a Category 4.

Now I am sure most of you out there can guess what that means. If not, let me give you a hint: hurricane intensity doesn’t lessen as the category climbs higher.

A Category 4 hurricane brings devastating 133-155 MPH winds and a storm surge 13-18 feet above normal. To say the least, it can be devastating. But don’t feel as if we are on a collision course with doomsday just yet. According to the forecast, there is a 50% chance that Hurricane Florence will hit our area with that intensity. Are you an optimist or pessimist?

Other factors besides the sheer strength of Florence get me nervous too. We are in a new house. We have Sloan. We have a large lawn that is prone to flooding. But all that doesn’t even cover the aftermath headache that we will face once the hurricane rips through the area and the recovery process begins. As you can see, my focus is divided in a few different directions, especially since I am in charge of the Coastal Carolina University social media response to the hurricane (there are thousands of students and parents depending on us for accurate and updated information).

Bottom line, there is no escaping the fact that Hurricane Florence will impact the Grand Strand in some way. The question is just how severe her punishment will be. Don’t worry about us because we will be fine — we have an evacuation plan in place and our little family will stick together. Don’t let my nerves about our personal situation concern you. Instead, let’s turn our attention to those who have nowhere to go nor the means to prepare. A lot of people will be in the dark (literally and figuratively) when Hurricane Florence hits. Let’s pray for them.

I will keep everyone updated on the track of Hurricane Florence. It isn’t a particularly fun time but we will make the best of it. Let’s hope that it is less severe than what we are preparing for. Don’t Blink.

Thursday Rundown Let’s Go!

Posted on September 6, 2018 by brent

The Labor Day weekend has got my days mixed up so it almost doesn’t feel like a Thursday. However, now that I am writing tonight’s Thursday Rundown, it all feels right again. Here we go with the topics…

Fun at Darlington – At the end of last week, I had the opportunity to go to Darlington Raceway to cover Brandon Brown, our CCU student who is also a NASCAR Xfinity driver. Just that alone was pretty cool but making the trip even better was that I got to go with some of my favorite co-workers. Geoff, one of our video production managers, and Judy, our head photographer, both joined me. Leading the trip and doing whatever he could to help us was Bill, our University Communication vice president. It was extremely hot (think the last day in August in the South inside a concrete stadium) but we sure had fun working together. It was also a pleasure covering Brandon and his team. Side Note: I have now been on the infield at three major racetracks.

I had a great time with my University Communication team in Darlington.

“We’re Here” – With Tuesday’s blog post centering on an advice column, I felt it was appropriate to extend the theme to today. I recently was reading a “Social Q&A” column and one of the letters was from a woman who was put off by a texting habit of her husband. When meeting friends for dinner, the husband will usually send a “we’re here” text to the people they are meeting. The wife explained she feels it is rude and puts pressure on the people they are meeting to arrive at the restaurant. In my opinion, I don’t think it is rude. Rather, I think the text conveys a message more along the lines of “look for us when you get here” as opposed to “we are looking at our watches and waiting for you.” I was convinced even more of this notion when I thought about my own dad sending the “we’re here” text. Yes, it would be something he would do, but it wouldn’t have any ill-intent at all – it would just be a nice gesture to let his friends know that they made it safely and were excited to soon be in their company.

This is the question and response to the “We’re Here” controversy.

Happy Birthday, Mik – I wanted to wish a happy birthday to one very special little girl. Mikayla, my niece, turned 4 years old yesterday. It blows my mind because it seems like just yesterday I was sitting on my couch in my apartment typing out this blog post about her birth. Time really does fly. Although I don’t get to see her as often as I would like, I still love her very much. I am also so thankful for the special bond that Mik and Sloan have – which was so evident when we were in Spokane this past summer – even if there is an age difference and a major geographic barrier. Mikayla’s birthday was yesterday but she will be the center of attention on Sunday as her parents throw her a birthday bash.

Happy birthday to my niece, Mikayla.

First Time in the South – Six years ago on this date, I ventured to the true South for the first time in my life (I had been to Florida before). While working for the University of Montana, I traveled to Boone, NC, for a much-anticipated football game between the Grizzlies and Appalachian State. I had so much fun experiencing this unique region of the country for the first time. Little did I know that I would be living in it just a couple years later. The people, food, and sights were unforgettable – but the game result was. The Griz lost to App State on a humid night in Kidd-Brewer Stadium.

This is me in Kidd Brewer Stadium six years ago.

Oreo Cherry Cheesecake – As most of my readers know, every now and then I like to devote one of my Thursday Rundown topics to the @ItsFoodPorn Twitter account. Sometimes it’s for better, sometimes it’s for worse. Today it is for worse. I have a hard time supporting Oreos and cherries mixed together. I like Oreo cheesecake and I can deal with cheery cheesecake, but Oreo/cherry cheesecake is a big no-no for me. What you see below is not something I would want to see on a dessert tray. Am I crazy?

No, this is not for me.

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Thank you again for reading Don’t Blink. I hope your week has not only been short, but sweet, as well. Catch up with you soon. Don’t Blink.

What I Learned About Moving

Posted on September 5, 2018 by brent

This past Labor Day weekend, we spent majority of the time settling into our new house. It capped off a crazy month of preparing for and executing a move. Although stressful and overwhelming at times, the end result was worth it.

I have moved before. However, it has always been from an apartment to an apartment or from an apartment to a house. This was my first time moving from a house to a different house. Totally different ball game. I learned a lot throughout the whole process and tonight I wanted to briefly share 10 takeaways.

Thanks in large part to Sloan’s help, moving went very smoothly.

Amazed at what we accumulated – We are a family of three that lived in our small house for just two years. But holy cow we sure had a lot of stuff! It quickly became apparent that we would need a big truck to get it all out. Sidney and I kept thinking what the moving process must be like for a middle aged couple living in a large house with a few kids.

Organization is Key – Throughout the whole process – pre-move, move, and unpacking – we learned that an organized system would be the only way to be successful. We labeled boxes, spread our packing out over a couple weeks, made the lives of our movers easy, and had a game plan for unpacking. We didn’t just “wing it” and drown ourselves in an unimaginable mess. Visualization prior to doing anything is crucial.

Boxes Boxes Boxes – We became very proficient at taping up new boxes and then breaking them down. We also went through way more than what we thought. Luckily, we got a bunch for free. Sid’s teacher friends brought box after box to her classroom, each one proving to be helpful. We don’t usually recycle but we did properly dispose of all the cardboard we found ourselves with at the end of the weekend.

Expenses – Investing in new real estate isn’t the only cost you will incur when moving. Everything from movers to installation fees to new appliances to different bills will cost you. Moving is definitely not something you want to do on a whim. Plan at least six months in advance and save specifically for the move itself.

About Those Movers – Sidney and I hired a moving company to transport our stuff from the old house to the new house. Although it is pricey, the convenience and peace of mind of having professionals carefully and skillfully move your possessions is nice. You might not know this, but moving companies are usually booked weeks in advance. As mentioned above, plan as early as possible for your move and reserve movers well in advance – especially if you want their services on a weekend.

Embrace Help – Although we opted for a moving company, we probably could have moved our stuff just fine with the generous offers we received from family members, co-workers, and friends. Sid and I know a lot of kind, humble people who reached out to us. From both of us, THANK YOU. With that said, I am 100% glad we went with professionals for the reasons I previously mentioned. But we did accept help with other aspects of the move. Sidney’s parents helped us SO MUCH this past weekend and we are incredibly grateful. They cleaned, unpacked, put things together, and so much more. We likely could not have done it without them.

Cha-Ching – It is inevitable – you will find coins during the moving process. You can do one of two things: 1. Throw them out OR 2. Put them in your pocket. Sometimes coins are more trouble than they are worth but if you are diligent in keeping all the loose change you find, you will have enough money to reward yourself with a milkshake or maybe even a cold beer after a long day of packing or moving. If you are really lucky, you might find some forgotten bills tucked around the house.

Neighbors – Prepare yourself for leaving your neighbors. We made some great friends on our little cul-de-sac and we will miss them. Luckily we got to say goodbye to most of them in meaningful ways. We didn’t let the depression of leaving our old friends detract from meeting new ones. Tonight, our family went and met our new neighbors. We introduced ourselves to the people living next door to us on both sides and the people living across the street from us. We can’t wait to get to know them better.

Paperwork – With a move, the paperwork you will have to fill out and the notices you have to make start to stack up. We tried to be as proactive as possible when it came to forwarding our mail, transferring services, and notifying government offices about our address change. But we definitely aren’t done yet following up with everyone that we need to. Next step for us is to get our driver’s licenses changed to reflect our new address.

Things will temporarily be tough to find – The first couple nights in our new house, we still had numerous unpacked boxes. Although we did a great job of labeling everything, there would be times within those 48 hours when I couldn’t find a toothbrush, piece of equipment, or a document I needed. These cases usually happened late at night when I was tired. I probably could have done a better job at not getting frustrated over such silly things but I will make sure to improve the next time we move.

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What else do you want to know? The above list is definitely not comprehensive but hopefully it will give you a little bit of guidance if you are planning a move. When working through the stress of a move, just tell yourself that in the end it will all be worth it. There is no better feeling than relaxing in your upgraded new digs without a care in the world. Don’t Blink.

An Afterthought to Alleviate Boredom

Posted on September 4, 2018 by brent

Today, my mom started her 17th year as a special education paraeducator at Mead High School. Her summer break has come to an end and she has my sympathies. However, my mom “going back to school” has also left me feeling a little down in the dumps.

My mom started her 17th year at Mead High School today.

You see, during the summer I am able to call my mom during my commute home from work. Now that school is back in session, I am unable to do this because she is still on the job when I am clocking out. As someone who doesn’t call home as much as I should, I am going to miss our summer afternoon phone chats. Worst of all, I recently found out that I was taking our calls for granted.

It would work like this: After I called Sidney and checked in with her, I would then call my mom a few minutes later. We would usually chat right up until I turned onto our street (about 10 minutes), at which point I would start to wrap the conversation up. By the time I was parking in the driveway, we were saying our goodbyes. Little did I know how rude I was being.

In a Dear Abby column over the weekend, a reader complained about people who call her only to pass time while driving. She noted that friends will phone her while in their vehicles, only to end the conversation once their destination is reached. In a damning rebuke, she writes “It’s as if the recipient of the call is merely an afterthought to alleviate boredom while driving.” See below for the entire letter.

This opened my eyes to something that I was doing.

Ouch.

Truth be told, the reader has a point…and the advice columnist thought so too. Abby called the act “insensitive” and mentioned that her own late mom would complain about callers doing the same thing.

To put my lack of sensitivity in perspective, I admit that I had never even thought about the rudness of ending a call when I arrived home. My first priority was always to get inside as quickly as possible so I could see Sloan and Sid. But I never took a moment to consider the disrespect I was showing when I told my mom “Well okay, I guess I should probably let you go…” once our house came into view.

In life, just because you didn’t have the intention of being rude doesn’t mean you weren’t rude. I need to own up with this one.

Mom, I hope you had a great first day. Please accept my apology and know from now on that I will let all phone conversations between us end naturally, even if it means sitting in the driveway for several extra minutes.

We can be oblivious to our actions. However, I do believe in the old adage of better late than never. I plan to never make someone an “afterthought to alleviate boredom” again. Don’t Blink.

Amazing August Rundown

Posted on August 30, 2018 by brent

It is that time of the week that majority of my readers look forward to…Thursday! Don’t worry, we aren’t breaking with tradition today, I got five topics coming at you right now. Enjoy my latest Thursday Rundown…

What A Month! – Without a doubt, August takes the cake for biggest month of 2018…so far. So much has happened that as we approach September I am a little out of breath. Besides Sid starting her fifth year of teaching, Sloan going back to daycare fulltime, and work heating up for me, we had a lot of other things on our minds as well. We made some major decisions that coincided with a couple of professional triumphs. We have also spent the entire month orchestrating a move (see below). A lot went on behind the scenes as we made this month as successful as possible and I owe a lot to Sid and family members for support and guidance. Over the last four weeks it has become even more evident to me that family is everything. It was a good reminder to always put your loved ones first and always treat them well.

Our family could not have asked for an August with more blessings (even if this photo is from July).

On the Move – All the packing and planning we did over the last few weeks will culminate this weekend. Sid, Sloan, and I are moving into a bigger and better house and we couldn’t be more excited. Don’t worry, we are staying in Myrtle Beach! Our new home is closer to both our workplaces and to Sloan’s daycare. Movers arrive at our old house tomorrow and we will take the Labor Day weekend to get settled. More details on the new home to come in the future. Until then, I want to thank all the family members and friends who have so graciously asked if they could help us move. Also, I want to take the time to recognize Sidney for taking the lead in moving logistics. She has done an amazing job!

We can’t wait until we move into our house. The best part might be the huge backyard (bottom left hand corner).

Sloooooaaaaaan – Thought I would share a recent photo of Sloan to update you on her constant growth. She becomes less of a baby and more of a toddler each day. Her current hobbies include dancing, going to the park, and blowing bubbles. She is extremely skilled with articulating what she wants and she is constantly making us laugh. We pray that God continues to bless her (and us).

Like I said, one of Sloan’s new hobbies is going to the park. She loves playing on the jungle gym.

3 a.m. Doorbell Ring – The most eerie story of the week for me was the case of the mystery woman ringing doorbells during the wee hours of the night. A surveillance camera caught a distraught-looking woman going door-to-door in a Texas neighborhood frantically ringing doorbells. It appears as if she has restraints on her arms. This story blew up social media yesterday and everyone had their theories on who she was and what she was doing. Thankfully, news broke this morning that the woman had been located. At this time, no additional details are available. All I can say is I got chills when I saw that ghostly looking individual approaching doors with the look of sadness and desperation in her eyes. I really hope she is okay.

A screenshot of the Texas woman who was ringing doorbells at 3 a.m.

Canker Sores, Willy Wonka, Don’t Blink Insight – I have written about some random topics on this date. A year ago, I wrote about the painful battle between my mouth and canker sores. I am a sucker for them and could still use suggestions on how to combat them. On Aug. 30, 2018, I wrote a tribute blog post about Gene Wilder. The man who was best known as Willy Wonka had recently passed away and I decided to give my two cents. Three years ago on this date I wrote a Q&A post about Don’t Blink. I answered a lot of questions people would routinely (and still do) ask me about my blog. In fact, it is one of my favorite posts of all-time so I suggest reading it.

Three years ago, I answered some common questions I get about my blog.

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Busy and tiring weekend coming up for us! I hope my readers are able to enjoy a more relaxing weekend. Enjoy the start of college football and have a great Labor Day. Don’t Blink.

My Top 5 Favorite Vegetables

Posted on August 29, 2018 by brent

I think most of my readers saw this coming. A week ago, I counted down my favorite fruits. As I was wrapping up the post, I mentioned that a similar one covering my favorite vegetables might be a possibility.

Yes, I am revealing my top 5 favorite vegetables tonight. But before I dive in, let me start with this disclaimer: This list contains the vegetables I would willingly enjoy eating raw or mildly prepared. Because come on, I will gladly eat broccoli and cauliflower when it is covered in butter and topped with seasonings but am I really going to eat a head of either one straight from the produce section of the supermarket? No. With that in mind, let’s get started.

5. Celery – How can you go wrong with celery? It is an easy to eat, simple vegetable. We buy celery sticks and bust them out at dinner. The sticks are great for munching and they are refreshing too. Although fine to eat raw, I am still a sucker for “ants on a log.” Sid, who really loves celery, prefers ranch to my peanut butter.

4. Green Beans – My favorite vegetable green is the green bean. Green beans make the perfect side for any meal and also compliment other vegetables that might be served. Fresh or from a can, I will never pass on green beans if they are offered at a meal.

3. Corn – When I was in kindergarten, we made vegetable soup. We were all assigned a vegetable to bring and my responsibility was corn. Perhaps that was the start of my preference for yellow kernels. On the cob, from a can, or in a chowder, I really like corn. With green beans I will be content with a serving but with corn I will go back for more. I don’t know what I like more – the taste or the texture. Serve my corn next to some mashed potatoes and you will win me over.

2. Carrots – I like carrots so much that I made them a staple in a diet that helped me lose 30 pounds. We buy bags of baby carrots every week at the grocery store and often go through it before the week is even over. I have snacked on raw carrots for most of my life and don’t see that stopping anytime soon. When I was a youngster, I would feed full-sized carrots to the horses of my friends but I would always be tempted to eat them myself. I would eat cooked carrots with a glaze of brown sugar for dessert but my first love is eating them raw right out of the refrigerator.

Carrots and corn — two of the greatest!

1. Potatoes – It almost isn’t fair, right? How can any vegetable compare to the potato? Well, it is tough to not like something that is so delicious that it is served as one of the marquee items at countless fast food restaurants. The potato is versatile, readily available, and yummy. French fries, hash browns, tater tots, chips, the list goes on and on. But take away the salt and deep fryer and you still have a quality food right at its core. Bake me a potato and I will eat the entire thing – skin and all – no butter or sour cream needed. Potatoes pack a hearty, agreeable taste that don’t overpower taste buds. They are filling and satisfying – perhaps the only vegetable that doubles as a comfort food. No hesitation on my part, I like potatoes more than any other vegetable.