Going to McDonald’s as a kid, at least for me, was a score. For one, we didn’t get fast food often, so whenever my parents took us to the Golden Arches it was a real treat. Secondly, it meant we got to play in the play place. Let’s just be honest here, nothing beats crawling around in play tubes while knowing that a plain cheeseburger and HI-C orange drink is waiting for you.

Because I had many fond memories of tearing it up in our local McDonald’s play place, I naturally wanted my children to have a similar experience as well. But we had to wait.

Due to the lack of play places in Myrtle Beach, we never took Sloan to one while we lived in South Carolina. Once we moved to Spokane, it goes without saying what was preventing us from hitting one up. In November of 2021, McDonald’s dining rooms finally re-opened in many of the Spokane restaurants. As Sloan and I ate inside the McDonald’s close to our house, I wondered when the play places would open too.

This is a photo of Sloan from Nov. 2021 when we ate inside a McDonald’s for the first time in nearly two years.

Well, it would be another long string of months. But luckily, the “play lands” are now open and kids can play their hearts out in between bites of chicken nuggets.

I took Sloan and Beau to the McDonald’s on Argonne for Happy Meals and play time last week. Not only was it my children’s first time in a play place, it was my first time in one since probably the late 1990s. As can happen with pleasant thoughts of nostalgia, the play place wasn’t as grandiose as I remembered it. Smaller and flimsier than I recalled, it mirrored more of an at-home set up as opposed to something you would find at a fun center.

Beau looks out from the “globe” feature of the McDonald’s play place on Argonne in the Spokane Valley.

Not like it mattered to Sloan and Beau. They descended upon that structure and let loose. In fact, I had a difficult time corralling them to our table to eat their dinners. That was a dad rookie mistake that I will improve upon next time (ADJUSTMENT: Make it mandatory that they eat first before entering the play place).

Sloan and Beau sure had fun in the play place at the McDonald’s location on Argonne.

So even though they prioritized the play place over their food, I was pleased that the kids had a ball. However, one other thing besides my false notions of a swanky structure disappointed me: the cleanliness. Not going to lie, it appeared that not just the play structure itself but the entire separate section that houses it could have benefited from a good scrub down. The streaks on the equipment, messy tables, and overall smell didn’t necessarily endear itself to me.

With the play place as the ultimate distraction, it was tough to get Beau to our table to eat.

But the kids had fun.

I think we might try another play place at another McDonald’s location in the area.

I think we might “shop around” at other area McDonald’s and check out their play places. I do like the concept of “eat and play” but I want to find a location that better conforms to my romanticized, idealized memory of what a play place is all about. Don’t Blink.

There is no doubt about it, I am getting old. After participating in two events centered on physical activity earlier this summer, I quickly came to the realization that my body isn’t as nimble as it used to be.

First there was Bloomsday at the beginning of May. Running a 7.5-mile road race made for an achy body the following morning. Then there was Hoopfest at the end of June. Banging around on the pavement resulted in soreness that lasted through Tuesday.

On May 1, 2022, I ran Bloomsday after more than 20 years elapsed since I last participated in the event.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be too ashamed. Although my past 17-year-old body would have fended off any threatening soreness, Bloomsday and Hoopfest are strenuous events that will take a toll on the bodies of people who have racked up at least three decades on this earth.

Hoopfest had me feeling sore for a few days.

But I was a little less understanding with my aching legs and general slow step this past Sunday.

If you remember from my last blog post, I played in a softball tournament on Saturday. It was a slow pitch, low key affair. However, the soreness that blew through my shins was anything but low key. I started feeling soreness that day and woke up with a limp on Sunday. At least I wasn’t the only one. Several of my teammates were also in various states of soreness when we met for coffee and donuts after mass.

Playing first base and stretching to make plays was something I had not done in a long time.

My state of soreness was that of an old man. A couple games of softball wouldn’t make a young buck hobble, right? As I reflected on my discomfort, I could trace its origins to a couple of specific softball functions. Running at full speed on a dirt/gravel field was undoubtedly one of them. I exercise on a daily basis but my days of sprinting are long gone. Hustling around those bases on an unforgiving surface came at a price. Then of course there was the repercussions of playing first base. Stretching off the bag to make plays activated muscles I don’t use normally in my advanced age.

But you want to know the silver lining in all of this? Sometimes, no matter how much soreness hurts, it feels good at the same time. The same physical discomfort can also be the source of accomplishment and satisfaction…even for an old guy like me. Don’t Blink.

When you marry and have children, you naturally and rightfully reserve your Mother’s Day social media posts for your wife. The only conundrum with this is that the opportunity to recognize your own mom falls to the wayside. Thank goodness for birthdays.

My mom and I dancing at my wedding in 2016. Today I would like to wish her a happy birthday.

Tonight I would like to warmly wish my mom a happy birthday. She turned 65 years old today, which corresponds roughly to the 65,000,000 acts of kindness, selflessness, and service she has done for others over the course of her life.

They don’t come much better than my mom.

I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that my mom does as much for me as a 35-year-old as she did for me when I was a 5-year-old. In fact, it might be more. You see, 30 years later, she doesn’t just watch over me but she watches over the other three members of my family too.

My mom isn’t just supportive of me. She is an extremely supportive mother-in-law and grandma.

She is Sid’s second mother, Sloan’s baking assistant, and Beau’s hero. Most of all, she is my example of what it means to put others first. There is simply no one else in my life who gives as selflessly and endlessly as my mom.

My mom does so much for her grandchildren and they all love her so much.

So on this second day of August in 2022, I want to encourage my mom to take the time for herself that she so justly deserves. Our family is so appreciative of you. Don’t Blink.

August is interesting. I consider it a transitional month. The first part is devoted to remaining summer fun while the final part is reserved for getting back to business—whether that be returning to the classroom, shifting back to regular hours at work, or just preparing for the impending arrival of fall.

Last August, we spent a weekend in the middle of the month at a wedding in Walla Walla. It kind of marked the middle of the transition from lazy summer days to a more structured routine.

With transition comes emotion. For some it is excitement, for some anxiety—or perhaps a little bit of both. It can be exhilarating to begin a new school year or go back to a more structured routine. At the same time, for many it is tough to wave goodbye to the waning days of summer and the carefree vibe from the past couple months.

For a lengthy period of my life, August was more of the “back to business” equation of the transition. In high school, football practice would start in the middle of the month. Once I reached college, I would be summoned back to campus at the start of the month for my resident advisor gig. After I graduated, my first professional job was working in the University of Montana athletics department and we would always say that summer officially ended on July 31—any type of August transitional period be damned.

But at this current stage in my life, thankfully, August is more about “summer fun.” Sloan doesn’t start school until September and after devoting so many past Augusts to “getting back into the swing of things,” I have no problem embracing a more relaxed attitude.

This August especially will bring with it more summer memories than autumn memories for our family. More on that later.

It is my wish for you that, if it is your preference, you also get to enjoy a summer that extends through most of August. Have a wonderful month, everyone! Don’t Blink.