Cereal and Steak Thursday Rundown

Posted on October 13, 2016 by brent

It is so nice looking ahead to an upcoming weekend that calls for plenty of sunshine as opposed to one that calls for a hurricane. With the weekend in view, it must mean that it is time for the latest Thursday Rundown. Here we go…

How I Pass the Time – What do I do when I am bored? Tweet at sugary cereals of course! While browsing Twitter the other day, the Lucky Charms account popped up as a suggestion to follow. Not only did I heed the situation but I sent a tweet to Lucky Charms as well. It looks like the way I have always ate the cereal isn’t really all that unique.

Lucky Charms supports the way I eat the cereal.

Meme Worth Sharing – I love Facebook birthday wishes, especially really creative ones. Pete, my friend from Montana, posted a custom meme to my wall this past Saturday. It not only made me laugh, it made my other Facebook friends laugh as well. Since the meme generated so much engagement on Facebook as well as my Instagram account where I re-posted it, I thought I would share it on my blog as well.

This was the meme that Pete posted to my Facebook wall on my birthday.

Milk With Steak? Why Not? – Apparently it is a slow news day and that is why there is a story out about Jim Harbaugh drinking milk with his steak dinner. Recently, Harbaugh went to Ruth’s Chris and ordered milk with his meal. It sparked minor outrage as people questioned how someone could ever pair a glass of milk with steak. However, I am just chilling over here saying WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? I am a big milk drinker and I don’t think twice about drinking it with my steak when at home. However, I will concede this: ordering milk at Ruth’s Chris might just be a tad bit unconventional. Do you want something even more unconventional? Harbaugh once used Gatorade instead of milk in his cereal…yuck.

I have no problem with drinking milk with my steak.

Throwback Thursday Photo – When I worked at the University of Montana, one of my duties was to serve as the mascot coordinator. During my tenure I learned a lot about the pressures of being Montana’s favorite grizzly bear. My last year working at the college we filmed several mini movies centering on our mascot (I starred in one of them, click here to watch). This photo was taken on October 13, 2013, outside of the local hospital. Click here to watch it. Miss you, Monte!

This photo of Monte and I was taken three years ago on this date outside of St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana.

From The Archives – One year ago I wrote about the downfalls of both Steve Spurrier and Steve Sarkisian. However, that blog post doesn’t hold a candle to the one I wrote on this date two years ago. On October 13, 2014, I wrote about the worst hotel experience in my life. To this day, it is still by far the absolute nastiest hotel situation I had ever found myself in.

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That is a wrap. Thanks again for reading my blog and I hope you have a great weekend…and watch out for those clowns! Don’t Blink.

Why Working Out in the Morning is the Best

Posted on October 12, 2016 by brent

Although I enjoyed working out in different gyms during the Hurricane Matthew Shut Down, there is nothing like returning to your home gym. At noon today, University Recreation opened back up. That meant our super nice gym at Coastal Carolina University was back in business.

It was nice to walk back inside my home gym today.

I used my lunch hour to visit the place I spent a week away from. It felt great to use the equipment I am comfortable with, enjoy the amenities that the CCU gym provides, and see familiar faces. Tomorrow the facility will go back to operating on regular hours and while I enjoyed today’s experience, I am very glad for one big reason…

Working out in the early morning is simply the best.

Trust me, I can speak on this. I have gone through stages in my life where I worked out at all different times in the day. In fact, today’s noon workout used to be the normal for me. I spent my last couple years working at the University of Montana by exercising right when my lunch hour hit. Because I worked so much basically seven days a week, I could take a longer lunch, thus enabling me to work out beyond the standard 60 minutes.

When I first started working after graduating college I opted to get my workout in once I got off. It made for some late nights but I was single and it didn’t matter what time I arrived home. For the first couple years of high school, I lifted in both the mid-morning and the mid-afternoon, depending on when my weights class was scheduled.

However, throughout my whole life I have always gone through stages where I worked out bright and early in the morning. It started with zero hour weights during the latter part of high school and translated to college where I worked out at 6 a.m. all four years. When I started working professionally, although I mainly exercised after work or at noon, I would still get my pump on in the morning if I had a day off or if I was visiting my family in Spokane. When I arrived at Coastal almost two and a half years ago, I decided that I would revert back to always working out in the morning.

I don’t care what you tell me, working out in the morning is the best time to do it and let me tell you the main reason why: there is simply no better way to start the day.

A sign at one of the gyms I worked out at over the Hurricane Matthew break had a sign that read “Want To Be In An Instant Good Mood? Get Your Workout In.” This is so true. It doesn’t matter when you exercise, it is going to make you feel good. However, why not get that euphoric feeling in the morning so it lasts you the whole day? If you work out in the morning, it will give you a great outlook on whatever you are going to face over the next 12 hours. It is powerful.

But working out in the morning isn’t just about feeling good the rest of the day. It is also about taking advantage of the gym when it isn’t crowded. It is also about using the equipment when it is at its freshest. It is also about sharing the space with other dedicated people who don’t mind waking up at 5 a.m. so they can arrive at the facility five minutes before it opens at 5:55 a.m.

Another main reason why I choose to exercise in the mornings is to get it done with. Believe me, working out is a hobby for me and I enjoy it but it can also stress you out. When I would work out in the evening, it would always be in the back of my mind throughout the day. I knew after I finished the long work day I couldn’t just go home; rather, I had a date with the gym. Even when I worked out during the lunch hour the fact that I had to hit the rec center always loomed in my brain. It is so nice to exercise early in the morning and then not have to worry about setting aside time later in the day to work out and get sweaty.

The morning is really where it is at. If you are new to working out, I would really suggest you consider starting your day with it. Don’t Blink.

The Top 10 Things I Did During Hurricane Matthew Shut Down

Posted on October 11, 2016 by brent

After almost a week off, tomorrow I will return to work. I can’t describe how ready I am to get back on campus. Although I completely understand it, as I have declared before, I dislike missing work for unplanned weather events.

However, I did my best to try and enjoy the time off I had over the last several days. Even though I was working from home a majority of the time, I did make provisions to take advantage of the fact that I was not in the office. Tonight I want to briefly share the top ten things I did during the Hurricane Matthew Shut Down.

10. Watched every Governor Nikki Haley press conference – Along with the rest of the state, I became a fan of interpreter Jason Hurdich.

9. Got out of the house and went to the movies with Sidney to watch “The Girl on the Train.” – Although I can’t recommend the movie, the popcorn I had at the Coastal Grand Mall Cinemas was some of the freshest I have ever had the pleasure of eating.

We enjoyed getting out of the house last night and going to “The Girl on the Train.”

8. Ate Cinnamon Toast Crunch and doughnuts for breakfast one day – Sure beat my usual half of a peanut butter sandwich.

7. Watched day time TV, including “Let’s Make A Deal.” – Turns out I am not missing much when I am at work.

6. Intensely followed the U.S. Presidential race – What a wash, absolutely nothing happened at all.

5. Worked out at three different gyms – If only the exercise I put in could compensate for the roughly 10,000,000 calories I ate over the past week.

Over the last several days I worked out at Planet Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and Sky Fitness.

4. Managed to petrify all of my relatives who feared that Hurricane Matthew would sweep me away – Hey, the national news made the hurricane look like it was Armageddon.

I had many family members texting me to make sure that I would survive Hurricane Matthew.

3. Celebrated my birthday – No better way to ring in your “dirty thirty” than in a state of emergency with no electricity.

On the day that Hurricane Matthew hit Myrtle Beach, I celebrated my birthday.

2. Experienced my first major hurricane – Pretty big deal for a west coast boy.

1. Grew a Hurricane Matthew beard – Well, my best excuse for a beard anyway.

It was the best I could do.

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So happy to return to work tomorrow. It is time to get back to normal. Hurricane Matthew, it has been real. Don’t Blink.

The Ten Reasons Why I Love “Forrest Gump”

Posted on October 10, 2016 by brent

Over five years ago, I wrote a blog post titled “The Top 5 Movies That Are Shown Way Too Much on TV.” Despite the seemingly sarcastic nature of the title, the post was actually an homage to the movies on the list (trust me). Holding the number one spot was “Forrest Gump.”

Well, five years later I still have the same passion for the movie that garnered the top spot on that list. In fact, believe it or not, my love for the movie has grown even more. This says a lot coming from a guy who usually can only stand to watch a movie once. Last week the film was on television once again. Sidney and I couldn’t resist watching it. Although it was probably the 557th time I watched “Forrest Gump,” I probably laughed and cried as much as ever.

While watching it last week, it became obvious that I had to write about it again. For today’s blog post I want to share the top ten reasons why I love “Forrest Gump” so much.

Forrest Gump is a masterpiece and I have ten major reason why I like it so much.

10. Savannah – The city of Savannah is special to me because Sidney and I went there for our one-year anniversary. It is a great and beautiful American city with an incredible history. Savannah is home to several historic parks right in the heart of the city. One of these parks is the setting where Forrest sat down to catch the city bus. Of course it is where he told a large portion of his story and he uttered his famous “Life is like a box of chocolates…” line. Because the movie reminds me of our one-year anniversary and because I had the opportunity to visit the bench spot, it serves as a good reason for why I love the movie.

9. The Unbelievability – “Forrest Gump” combines actual historic events with things that are borderline unbelievable. Although I prefer non-fiction, I still love the story of Forrest Gump running across the country twice, mowing a lawn for free, and making it to the White House based on his own merit three times.

8. Acting – The acting in “Forrest Gump” is incredible. Although I am especially partial to the way that Forrest and Lieutenant Dan are portrayed, the whole cast turned in memorable performances. But why do I have acting so low on the list? How could I make acting #8 when Tom Hanks won the Oscar for Best Actor? It is because, for me, the movie is so good in so many ways that acting simply doesn’t take one of the top spots.

7. The Way the Story Is Told – I love the unique way in which the events of the movie occur. It starts off in the present as Forrest is sitting on a bench. He then reflects on his past. However, the movie doesn’t end when he tells his whole story. Rather, he leaves the park bench and goes to find Jenny and the movie goes on for another hour. I think the non-chronological way in which the movie was made is extremely creative.

6. One Liners – “Sometimes I guess there just aren’t enough rocks.” “Does this mean I can’t play ping pong no more?” “I was runnin’!” “And that’s all I have to say about that.” ……

And they go on and on and on. “Forrest Gump” introduced so many phrases and humorous one liners into our lexicon. When watching the movie, you can’t help but say them with the characters. Over 22 years since the movie was made and many of the one liners are as popular as ever.

5. Watchability – As I mentioned in the opening, there is not another movie I can easily re-watch more than “Forrest Gump.” If I turn on the TV and it happens to be on, it doesn’t matter what point of the film it is in, I can easily just start watching it. When adapted for television, the film is three hours long. If I am fortunate enough to catch “Forrest Gump” as it starts, I will devote the full length of time to watching it. The movie is just so smooth, so fun, and so gripping that I can’t turn away.

4. Emotional Moments – I hate to admit it, but “Forrest Gump” makes me cry…a lot. The film contains so many scenes that just get you. From Forrest putting his head down on his mom before going off to Vietnam to Forrest seeing his son for the first time to Jenny and Lieutenant Dan meeting at the wedding your heart is tugged so many times. The movie makes me feel some type of way.

3. The Music – First off, “Forrest Gump” uses some of the iconic songs of American music throughout the movie to signify the current era the film is in. The makers of the movie did this in a superb fashion. In fact, many classic American songs from the 1960’s – 1970’s that I hear today immediately remind me of “Forrest Gump” simply because they were used so brilliantly in the movie. However, it is the original instrumentals in the movie that stand out to me the most. From the triumphant melody played when Forrest breaks out of his leg braces to the soft instrumental that is played throughout the whole movie, these unique pieces bring emotion and harmony to the film. It really is a thing of beauty.

2. The History – The movie “Forrest Gump” is a history lesson. World events, public figures, and American attitudes are presented throughout the entire film from the perspective of the lead character. The music, the actual historical footage, and the cinematography all lead to a genuine and fascinating look at the United States of America in the mid to late 20th century. As a history buff, I genuinely appreciate the heartfelt and humorous look at our past.

1. The Writing – “Forrest Gump” is just beautifully written. While I understand that the film was first a book, the way it was adapted for the big screen was phenomenal. I can lay in bed and close my eyes and listen to the movie and just feel great and peaceful. The narration is soothing, funny, and beautiful. You can watch a scene from the movie and just blurt out loud, “Man, that was just described so well.” Go ahead and take away the music, the actors, and the cinematography because “Forrest Gump” will still stand as a masterpiece based on the writing alone.

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Can you tell I like this movie? “Forrest Gump” is an American classic and I think history classes should show the film. However, if you are a teenager and your teacher hasn’t played it for you yet, do yourself a favor and watch it on your own couch. Don’t Blink.

Surviving Hurricane Matthew

Posted on October 9, 2016 by brent

Good news and bad news.

First the good: Hurricane Matthew has passed us by.
Now the bad: His aftermath has not.

But let’s first start from the beginning. The most concerned I was during the whole Hurricane Matthew episode came late Friday night (technically Saturday morning). I awoke at around 1:30 a.m. to the sound of what seemed like an army of men pounding on the outside of our house. The high speed winds and bands of rain made sleeping tough. Laying in bed, my mind raced about whether or not everything was secure outside. Several times throughout the night I walked back and forth from the bedroom to the living room to look outside the window to make sure all was okay.

Morning finally came and our house was intact. However, we knew the worst part of the storm was still to come. Sidney and I went with my in-laws over to Steph and Jon’s house (sister-in-law/brother-in-law) for the day. It was there that we spent most of the day riding out the storm. We ate a ton of food, played games, watched college football, and celebrated my birthday. We also kept our eye on the storm as the rain came down with more intensity and the wind picked up in speed.

Over time though, the rain started to lessen. By 4 p.m., it had stopped. Although the wind was still whipping, we thought we might be out of the woods. But then the power went out!

With the news that a majority of the city was dealing with no power, Sidney and I decided to venture out into the storm to see the state of our own home. We drove extremely cautiously as we dodged large debris in the road and non-working traffic lights. When we arrived at the house we were ecstatic to see that we still had power. We were less ecstatic to see that the storm had taken out several sections of our fence. But, considering the nature of Hurricane Matthew, suffering a broken fence wasn’t too bad.

The rest of our family came and joined us at our home. As of this afternoon, much of Myrtle Beach, including my in-laws and Steph/Jon, don’t have power. We still have a full house and we are enjoying each other’s company as we wait for the city to do damage control.

Personally, I am busy with work as we communicate to the Coastal Carolina University community about campus operations. Campus will be closed tomorrow, meaning I will have another day out of the office. Horry County Schools also canceled classes tomorrow so Sidney will be at home with me. I am anxious for things to get back to normal.

One final note…today Sidney and I went to church. As mass started, the power was out. The service went along without electricity until we stood up for the Lord’s Prayer. Right before we started, the lights triumphantly turned on! Without missing a beat, Father Norbert Mendonca proclaimed “Praise God!!”

He is right. Although we are still dealing with a few issues from Hurricane Matthew, we are all lucky to be safe thanks to God. Sidney and I appreciate all of the calls and messages we have received over the past few days inquiring about our safety. We have survived Hurricane Matthew! Don’t Blink.

Happy At 30

Posted on October 8, 2016 by brent

It is official. I am old. No longer can I hide behind the excuse that I am “in my twenties” (despite holding onto it all the way through my last day as a 29-year-old). Today I turned 30 and I can’t deny that the age carries with it a notion that I am now a mature grownup. Those carefree years of being a twenty-something are gone.

So go ahead and throw all those “old” jokes at me. I deserve them and I will take them in the stride. However, I don’t know if I would be such a good sport if things weren’t as good as they are now. Because, to be honest, I am too happy to worry about my advancing age.

As a new 30-year-old I have an amazing wife who I couldn’t imagine life without. The two of us have a baby on the way who will be here in less than six months. We both have good jobs with a nice place to come home to at night. We have amazing families who love us both very much.

But let me stop with the bragging because I can sense all my readers throwing up in their mouths right now. Basically I just want to get across the point that I realize I am not young anymore but at the same time I am not stressing too much about it.

My 29th year was the best one of my life. What a great way to lead me into my thirties. Furthermore, 2016 has already cemented itself as the best calendar year of my life. To know that I have three more months of this blessed year to warm me up to being 30 is a good feeling.I am ready to be old!

Thanks to everyone in my life who has made my first three decades on this earth so rich. I am extremely lucky and I love you all. Don’t Blink.

Hurricane Matthew Thursday Rundown

Posted on October 6, 2016 by brent

As I sit in our living room watching the news and working on my computer, I figured this would be a good time to write my Thursday Rundown. Here we go with today’s five topics…

Hurricane Update – Yesterday I gave a summary on how the lead up to Hurricane Matthew is impacting us. I also mentioned the toll it might take when it actually reaches us. Here is the thing: Weather forecasters are having a tough time charting the exact track of Hurricane Matthew. It keeps moving around, causing frustration not just for weather people but for citizens trying to make plans. However, no matter what course the hurricane takes, our area in Myrtle Beach is going to feel the presence of it in someway. Hurricane Matthew is still not expected to directly hit our area but strong on-shore winds do figure to give us some problems. We are also expected to receive MORE than 10 inches of rain. Because our soil here in Myrtle Beach is already saturated, this could give us some real issues.

I took this photo of a TJ Maxx this morning as I was coming back from the gym. The store boarded up its windows in preparation for the storm.

Alternative Places to Exercise – Because the Coastal Carolina campus is closed, so is the gym. This has forced me to go elsewhere for my workouts. Yesterday I went to ultra fancy Planet Fitness. This morning I got my pump in at traditional Gold’s Gym. Talk about the tale of two gyms! Planet Fitness was modern and large. Gold’s Gym was old school and small. Although I prefer working out at my home gym, venturing out these past two days hasn’t been too bad; in fact, I have kind of enjoyed it.

This is me taking a selfie inside the old school facilities of Gold’s Gym this morning.

A Good Business – I want to give a shout out to the person who helped us with the chalk art portion of our baby announcement. Brooke Holden provided us with the board and wrote the actual text on it. She was very helpful, affordable, and quick. Brooke specializes in weddings. If you have any calligraphy or chalk art needs, I highly recommend you take a look at her website.

This is the sign that Brooke Holden made for us.

Happy Birthday, Steph! – Last night we celebrated my sister-in-law’s birthday. Stephanie turned 34 and we celebrated with a little get together at her house. We enjoyed pizza and then ate cake and ice cream. We finished the night by watching her open presents and by playing with the kids. One final happy birthday wish to my great sister-in-law!

A scene from Steph’s birthday celebration last night.

Our Newest Show – Sidney and I have a brand new network show we are watching! “This Is Us” is a program on NBC that chronicles the adventures of triplets. Well, I am using the term “triplets” lightly since one of them is not biological to the two others. Anyway, Sidney got me to watch the premiere and the second show was equally as entertaining. Making things even more interesting is that my family out west is also watching the show so it gives us something to talk about with them. If you are looking for something to watch on Tuesday nights, I recommend it!

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If you live in South Carolina, please be safe this weekend. Thanks to everyone who has been thinking about Sidney and I. Like I said yesterday, I think we are going to be just fine. Don’t Blink.

Here Comes the Big One…Hurricane Matthew

Posted on October 5, 2016 by brent

Since living in South Carolina, I have written a few times about hurricanes. There was Hurricane Arthur, Hurricane Joaquin, and Hurricane Hermine. Each storm impacted us here in Myrtle Beach in some way. However, those three hurricanes supposedly won’t hold a candle to what we have coming.

Hurricane Matthew is set to rip through Myrtle Beach and the Horry County area on Saturday.

How serious is the threat? Yesterday we closed campus and canceled classes at Coastal Carolina…for the rest of the week! Today we evacuated our residential students. All schools are shut down in the area too, meaning Sidney is joining me at home as we wait out the storm. The governor is holding press conferences twice a day. Large scale evacuations in parts of the state started at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Portions of Myrtle Beach will start evacuating tomorrow. Where Sidney and I live, we are in an evacuation zone. However, we are in Evacuation Zone C. Right now, just Evacuation Zone A must evacuate. It looks pretty good that we will be able to stay in our home as the hurricane arrives.

People are vigilantly preparing for Hurricane Matthew. Good luck finding bottled water in Walmart. Also, there is another resource that is getting sucked up. In her press conference yesterday, the governor advised everyone to fill up their gas tanks. Trying to heed her advice, I planned to make a stop at our local gas station. As I neared the area, I called Sidney to let her know I was going to make a quick stop. When I told her I was stopping to fuel up, she simply said “good luck.” The timing was like that of a movie because once she said that I looked to my right at the gas station and saw the chaos. A station with 12 pumps had what looked like 36 cars crammed around them.

In another eerie scene today, Sidney and I drove through our neighborhood and watched as neighbors boarded up their windows. People are not messing around.

With all this said, please don’t worry about us too much (seriously). I know in my gut that we will be fine. As of the latest update today, it looks like the hurricane’s impact won’t be as severe as once projected. Currently, we are bracing for the storm by just relaxing and having fun. Although I have to work from home, I am finding time to enjoy myself. This morning I hit up a new gym for a workout (since our gym at CCU is closed). I then went over to my in-laws and hung out with Sidney and our niece and nephew. We even went hunting for the ice cream man, it was great fun. So please know that we are doing just fine.

We had a great time hunting down the ice cream man today (top photo is courtesy of my mother-in-law, Brenda).

Thanks for all the texts and calls we have received. Come Saturday (the day the storm is supposed to hit us in Myrtle Beach), I hope to take some footage of Hurricane Matthew that I can share with you. Don’t Blink.

The Out of Control Creepy Clown Craze

Posted on October 4, 2016 by brent

The phenomenon started right here in the Carolinas and gained considerable media coverage. It then started to spread to other southern states. Next came areas in the northeast. Soon it spread to states in the heartland. Now, this crazy occurrence has reached my hometown of Spokane!

These creepy clowns are getting out of control!!

Creepy clowns like these are popping up all around the country.

Well, I am not as panicked as some people. Actually, far from it. I have followed as many of these sightings as possible with interest and curiosity. I know you might think I am a bit twisted but I am fascinated by these clowns. As someone who loves haunted houses, scary movies, and the paranormal, this is right down by alley.

But guess what? These clown sightings aren’t something completely unique to 2016. Remember two years ago when menacing looking Bozos started popping up in a few different places across the country? I sure did because I wrote about it.

But while random intimidating clowns lurking around the streets isn’t a new concept, the degree to which it is happening in 2016 is a whole different circus than what happened two years ago. Weapon wielding scary people in face paint and crazy wigs is a major thing right now. This “trend” (for lack of a better word) has reached mainstream America as citizens from all corners of the country have heard about clown sightings in their local communities.

Let me be frank about this. Because I am a little demented in the head, I love the idea of scary clowns walking around in the dark. I have enjoyed all the parody videos and photoshopped images that have come out poking fun at the trend. I have laughed way too much at the #IfISeeAClown tweets and memes. I have watched countless local news packages from stations across the country reporting on their own clown sightings.

However, I certainly don’t approve of clowns engaging in violent activity (hasn’t happened yet) and I don’t approve of people making calls to the police reporting fake clown sightings (has happened a lot). My hope is that as a society we can have fun with this while not making it destructive. Clowns who chase children or cause harm to anyone should be thrown in prison for a long time.

My hope is that after Halloween this clown phenomenon dies down. Although I am entertained by it, there comes a time when enough is enough. Just like having Christmas lights still up well past the holidays is weird, having clowns running around during Thanksgiving just doesn’t fit either. My other hope is that a documentary is made chronicling the clown sightings along with information on who/what was responsible for starting/maintaining such a bizarre trend.

If you enjoy dressing up as an evil clown, please know that you impact everyone from children to law enforcement to actual professional clowns. Make good decisions and realize potential consequences. These days, we all have reason to be vigilant and concerned about things that seem out of place. Don’t Blink.

A Wonderful Clemson Weekend With the Mathis Family

Posted on October 3, 2016 by brent

The arrival of October brought with it my favorite weekend since our wedding/honeymoon back in June. I had the pleasure of spending a couple of terrific days with Sidney’s family in the Clemson area. By all accounts, it was a memorable trip.

After work on Friday, Sidney and I jumped in the car with my in-laws and we started on our way to upstate South Carolina. It didn’t take long for the trip to become special. We revealed on social media that we were expecting and as we drove through the beautiful state we were overjoyed with the outpouring of congratulatory messages that came through.

Sidney, myself, and my in-laws took off for the Clemson area after work on Friday.

We stopped in Columbia for dinner at a place called Rush’s, a local fast food type restaurant specializing in fried chicken. We loaded up on chicken and fries and relaxed while we took a break from the road. With two hours of driving down, we had roughly two hours of driving to go. Just like the first half of the drive, the second half went quick. Before we knew it, we pulled into our hotel in the town of Easley, South Carolina, at around 9:45 p.m. We checked into our room and watched the Washington-Stanford football game before drifting off to sleep.

This is my meal at Rush’s Chicken on Friday night. Very good food!

The four of us woke up early the next morning. After watching a little bit of College Gameday from the exact same location we would soon be at (the show was at Clemson), we left the hotel to go see the rest of our family. The other two Mathis sisters were at a campground near Clemson. Steph was there with her husband, Jon, and Courtney was with her boyfriend, John Henry. After stopping at a grocery store to pick up some supplies, we used Navigation to get us to the campground.

What was waiting for us when we arrived was the full set up! John Henry had with him his luxurious camper that included just about everything you needed. Outside they had chairs and a television so we could all sit around and talk while watching the early games. The best part, though? The food!! The four of them cooked up grits, bacon, and quiche. We soaked in the beautiful weather while eating/drinking, watching football, and enjoying one another’s company.

This is what the TV and chairs setup looked like. Jon and John Henry are sitting down enjoying College Gameday (photo courtesy of Courtney).

The time came for us to head to campus. The women got in one vehicle and the men got in another. The girls went off to shop around at a Clemson apparel store and us guys went to a hidden gem to pick up our tailgating food of fried pork chops, mac & cheese, potato salad, and coleslaw. We met back up at a parking lot right outside of campus and merged into one car. From there we went to our tailgate spot.

This is all of us piled into one vehicle on our way to the tailgate spot.

Tailgating at Clemson is crazy! After Jon maneuvered the vehicle into our spot, we set up shop and started to have fun. It wasn’t long until some special guests joined us. As I mentioned in my Thursday Rundown, I had plans to meet my friend Kenny during the course of the day. As he is the nephew of Bobby Petrino (Clemson was playing Louisville), he brought some of his family members to hang out with us, including a couple of Coach Petrino’s adult children. The Tigers and Cardinals all got along great.

This was our entire Mathis Family squad (made up of Henrys, Yarboroughs, and Resers as well). – Photo courtesy of Brenda

After our guests left, it was the Mathis family just relaxing and having a good time. In addition to all the food we had bought at the place we stopped at before coming to campus, Brenda (mother-in-law) had also brought along a bunch of snacks that we enjoyed as well. With no shortage of drinks either, our tailgate was a lot of fun. However, the main event awaited us. With about 45 minutes to go until kickoff, we all headed toward Memorial Stadium.

A photo of us guys (L-R: Jon, John Henry, Mr. Sid, Out of Place Guy Wearing Louisville polo). – Photo courtesy of Brenda

In an electric atmosphere, two of the best college football teams squared off in one of the best games of the college football season thus far. It was a high scoring, back-and-forth affair that went down to the wire. However, even though it was a nail biter and even though I ate myself silly at the campground and at the tailgate, I still visited the concession stand during the game. I got myself peanuts and a large dish of cookie dough Dippin’ Dots.

I took this photo as the teams warmed up prior to the 8 p.m. kickoff.

Watching two of the best quarterbacks in the nation compete was exhilarating. Inside the stadium you could just sense the magnitude of the game. The crowd showed up early, stayed during halftime, and of course remained in the stands through the thrilling finish. When the Cardinals came up just yards short of a last second victory, the celebration was on in Death Valley as the students stormed the field.

A photo of Sid and I enjoying the game.

With the game on national television combined with the amount of points scored it made for a long game. By the time the Tigers improved to 5-0 with a 42-36 victory, it was close to midnight. We all went back to the tailgate area and waited about an hour for traffic to thaw out a little bit. The eight of us then piled back into the vehicle and went back to the parking lot where we split off. We arrived back at the hotel around 2:30 a.m. and by the time I laid down in bed it was 3 a.m. It had been a long and amazing day.

The next morning, the four of us got back in the car to head home. Steph/Jon/Court/John Henry were about an hour behind us. We stopped in Columbia to eat lunch, this time opting for Texas Roadhouse. We arrived back in Myrtle Beach around 5 p.m. When Mr. Sid and Brenda dropped us off at our house it was a little sad to say goodbye, even though they live just a couple minutes away from us and even though we had spent the whole weekend with them. But that just explains what a great time we had.

Thanks to the Mathis family for a wonderful weekend. I can’t wait to do this again one of these days. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Author Archives: brent