Waffles And Burgers Thursday Rundown

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And so the summer continues. Let’s get started with the five topics of my latest Thursday Rundown…

Darius Anniversary – Yesterday marked the 9-year anniversary of when I participated in a Darius Rucker music video shoot. Rucker came to perform a concert on the Coastal Carolina University campus but wanted to maximize his time in Conway. The day before he arrived, his social accounts asked CCU students to show up to the venue early for a chance to participate in the filming. I showed up at the designated time to cover the excitement but ended up participating in the shoot as well! If you have time, I encourage you to read this blog post I wrote about the experience because it has some great behind-the-scenes info. The next month I was grinning ear-to-ear as Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey” music video was released and your favorite blogger made the cut!

I made the cut in Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey” video.

Roller Skating – I will never forget those nights at the skating rink as a young lad. Growing up, we would go to Pattison’s in north Spokane to skate our hearts out. The smell of the rink, the jitters of couple skating with someone, and the pain/embarrassment of falling on the unforgiving track stick with me to this day. On Sunday, I took Sloan to Roller Valley Skate Center. She used one of the trainers and became proficient with it pretty quickly. She had a blast and has been bothering me all week about going again this Sunday.

Sloan had a lot of fun at Roller Valley. She is currently relying on her trainer but I think it is just a matter of time before she is off it.

Praying Mantis – I am not a fan of insects and bugs but it was kind of interesting to observe this praying mantis. I arrived home with the kids the other day and I noticed something on the front of our garage door. I opened the door and the creature fell to the ground. Sloan, Beau, and I rushed out of the car to investigate and watched the brownish mantis move around. I don’t think there is a more graceful insect.

We encountered this creature over the weekend.

Waffles and Burgers – Today is both National Burger Day and National Waffle Day. For the latter, I actually wrote about it in-depth last year. Namely, I wanted to know if National Waffle Day only celebrates the breakfast waffle or if it includes other items like waffle fries, waffle cones, and Waffle Crisp? As for burgers, I have written about America’s favorite sandwich in a variety of contexts countless times over the years. However, tonight I will recommend my favorite hamburger topping post (spoiler alert: blue cheese crumbles is my favorite) and the entry I penned regarding the first time I tried a peanut butter burger.

I love a good burger (and a good retro shot)

Big Brother 25 – Another summer, another season of “Big Brother.” Because of vacation and other life events, I wasn’t able to give my initial reaction after the first show so perhaps that saved me some face. You see, my favorite girl, Reilly, has already been evicted 😱. Oh well, the dude I am pulling for, Cory, is still going strong. Sid and I are already hooked and can’t wait to see what happens as more developments play out.

Sidney and I are watching “Big Brother 25” closely.

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Another Thursday Rundown is in the books. Thanks for visiting and let’s pray for those impacted by wildfires both here in the Inland Northwest and beyond. Don’t Blink.

My Inner Nerdiness

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During our weekly University Marketing and Communications leadership meetings, we begin with a fun/off-topic question to lighten the mood. Yesterday, the question was what was the worst fashion decision you ever made? I answered by admitting that back in middle school I accessorized my wardrobe by wearing a pocket watch. Yes, I know what you are thinking: Middle school is hard enough, why heighten the nerd factor my wearing a pocket watch?

Speaking of nerdiness, today is Find Your Inner Nerd Day. Needless to say, I didn’t have to do much searching to find mine. According to this super official day, the goal is to “share your uniqueness and your favorite nerdy things with the world today.” Okay, I will play along. Here are 10 ways in which I am a complete nerd…

You ready for this list? My annoying/nerdy hand-rubbing habit is included!

– Before going to bed, I always lay out my clothes for the next day

– I write in a journal—or as my brother calls it, a “diary”—every single day

– Much to my wife’s scorn, I use those tree-shaped air fresheners in my car

– I rub my hands together constantly as an unconscious, excited act

– Just short of a pocket protector, I always carry at least one pen in my pocket

– I write on stationary that is printed with my name, blog address, and social media handle

– I proudly wear New Balance shoes

– Our bedroom clock is 25 minutes fast to ensure that I will never sleep in

– I collected bouncy balls as a kid

– At the gym, I carry around towels designated for washing your car as my sweat towels

It goes without saying, I am a nerd! In fact, I think my nerdiness goes beyond “inner” and manifests itself externally in a major as well. At least I am embrace it, right? Don’t Blink.

The Intrigue of S’mores

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When we were on vacation earlier this month, we made s’mores three nights in a row. It may have been the favorite activity that Sloan and Beau did while in Seabrook. Is there anything better than roasting marshmallows on an open fire and then snatching it off the skewer with two graham crackers loaded with Hershey chocolate? I think not.

Making s’mores was one of our favorite activities while in Seabrook.

But can I make a confession? I don’t really like s’mores. Sure, making them is a lot of fun but as a confectionery treat I am not a big fan. To be honest, when we were in Seabrook, I pumped out golden brown marshmallows for the kids to use in their own s’mores but I held off myself to save room for ice cream later that night.

Sloan and I roasting marshmallows in Seabrook.

When I say I am not crazy about s’mores, I am talking specifically about the traditional graham cracker/chocolate bar/marshmallow combination. Something about that classic trio just doesn’t sit right with my stomach. I don’t particularly care for the messiness either. It is tough to take a clean bite as the graham crackers typically slide of the marshmallow and it is impossible to eat a s’more without being left with sticky hands.

A look at our s’mores ingredients from our vacation. I am not a huge fan of these three items combined together.

But the flavor of s’mores? I am all about that. Whether it be s’mores cereal, cheesecake, Pop-Tarts, donuts, etc., I will gladly partake. In the same way that I like the artificial taste of blueberry but not the fruit itself, the same holds true for s’mores.

Sloan roasts a marshmallow in Seabrook.

One final thing that I should make clear: I am a darn good marshmallow cooker. As I said just a moment ago, I have a knack for making them golden brown. And while I don’t care for a traditional s’mores sandwich, I do enjoy the fruits of my labor. So while I would supply my kids with marshmallows I made to perfection after they torched their own, I would also sneak a couple for myself.

S’mores are fun to make even if they aren’t my favorite sweet treat.

As I write this blog post, I am very sensitive to the fact that s’more season is pretty much finished in the northwest, especially here in eastern Washington. Wildfires are devastating our area and it is flat out irresponsible to possibly contribute to the carnage with a s’mores-induced spark. So for those of us who live where I live, let’s make sure to stick with s’mores Pop-Tarts and s’mores cheesecake. Don’t Blink.

Sand Dollar Thursday Rundown

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The Thursday Rundown is back! You didn’t receive five topics from me last week because I was on vacation but this week is a different story. Let’s get right to it…

2023 Crop Mural – I worked on the WSU Pullman campus today so I had the opportunity to see this year’s crop mural. The 2023 design was recently completed on the hilly wheat field that is visible as you approach the entrance to Pullman. A feeling of Coug Pride always manifests inside of me when I pass the depiction. The latest design features Butch with a megaphone and a speech balloon that spells out “Win the Day.” Thanks to the talented artists for creating it and BECU for sponsoring it (to see the design in greater detail instead of from the window of my car, click here).

This is the 2023 WSU crop mural presented by BECU. I was able to take a photo before any traffic pulled up behind me.

Sand Dollars – I mentioned in our vacation recap that a highlight of my time in Seabrook was waking up early to hunt for sand dollars with Sloan. It was so rewarding to hit the jackpot after being unsuccessful at finding an intact one the previous three days. I thought I would share a photo of our loot—22 sand dollars! They aren’t all dazzling white but Sloan could care less; to her, they are treasure.

A look at the sand dollars we collected. This photo was taken on the porch of our cabin.

Happy 42nd – I want to congratulate my parents on celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary yesterday. On Sunday, August 16, 1981, my parents entered into the sacrament of holy matrimony inside St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Walla Walla, WA. Their marriage is something that my siblings and I try to emulate with our own spouses and it is something that I draw on when counseling engaged couples. Thanks for the example and inspiration, mom and dad!

My parents celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary yesterday.

Our Lady of the Olympics – One of the things I enjoy most about vacation is the chance to visit different Catholic churches. When we were in Seabrook, there was no parish in the town so we had to travel 40 minutes to a small community called Amanda Park. It was there that we attended mass at Our Lady of the Olympics. It probably grabbed the honor of the tiniest Catholic church (excluding college and hospital chapels) that I have worshipped in. A humble nave with 64 portable chairs is where we sat as we listened to Fr. Navy Kumar Thomas deliver the gospel about Jesus walking on water. He then preached a homily about the need to “just listen” during prayer. The church was probably 50% full but as is often the case with small parishes like that, the faith of those present was strong.

My family attended mass at Our Lady of the Olympics Catholic Church in Amanda Park. The church was small but the faith of the congregation was not.

Stream of Week – Sidney recently chose “Fatale” from Netflix’s Top 10 movies. It was just background noise for me at first but later that night I decided to give it more of my attention. I became engaged with the psychological chess match and the carnage that was being done to a hot shot sports agent by a corrupt cop (played by Hilary Swank). If you have 90 minutes to spend on a film that will keep your attention and deliver a pretty solid soundtrack, you might appreciate “Fatale.”

“Fatale” had some twists and turns.

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Thanks for reading! If your area is experiencing oppressive heat, please make smart decisions and stay cool. Don’t Blink.

Arcade Agony

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A couple years ago, Sloan played hard at Chuck E. Cheese all summer long. We bought her a summer pass that allowed her to play unlimited games for 30 minutes each week. For as much as we all love to hate on Chuck E. Cheese, I sure yearn for the “all-you-can-play in a set amount of time” arcade model.

Chuck E. Cheese provided a good value with its “unlimited play” option.

I think one of the most anxiety-inducing experiences for a parent is taking a young child(ren) to an arcade. During last week’s vacation we paid visits to two different arcades and both experiences made me scream internally.

Never mind that just from my own personal perspective I really dislike the direction arcades are going. The “point” price system for games really rubs me the wrong way. Oh, this game takes 16 points to play? Great, now can you translate how much that actually is going to cost me in actual U.S. dollars? I just find it so deceptive and disingenuous. When it comes down to it, the arcade games are priced so outrageously that they have to disguise the true cost with “points.”

So if as an adult I am having a tough time figuring out how to decipher the point system, how is a 6-year-old supposed to understand it? That is where the first big headache originates. When Sloan and Beau run wild in an arcade and I have loaded their cards with $10 each, I have to convey to them that they have to budget their funds accordingly. Of course they immediately gravitate to the games that cost 20 points and I have to “advise” them that if they want to stay at the arcade for more than five minutes, they should probably play something else. Then comes the back-and-forth of whether they can play the 20-point game “just once” and what their balance will be after they play it (to which I respond “I don’t know”).

Adding to the agony of this predicament is that many of these expensive games are too advanced for my kids. Beau tried a shooting game last week and in addition to difficulty he had of just holding the gun he didn’t understand the concept of shooting off-screen to reload. Sometimes my kids can’t even get through the long instruction tutorials many of these games have at the beginning.

These VR games are just too advanced and expensive for my kids.

Then there is just the scam-like nature of the “skill games” that young kids can’t fully grasp. All the claw games for cheap crap like jewelry, stuffed animals, and toys are virtually impossible to win for even a well-coordinated adult but yet my daughter has the confidence that she is going to clean out the machine of every glitzy bracelet it has. I then watch as Sloan deploys the claw on the plastic partition, never even touching the prizes. Sure Sloan, try again.

After much negotiation, frustration, and suggesting, the visit ends with a trip to the ticket counter for a dream-crushing ordeal. Low ticket counts of my kids combined with the deeply inflated ticket costs of the prizes isn’t an ideal combination. I find myself deflecting their gazes from the cornhole boards and repeating, “No, you can only choose between these three bins” (which usually consist of Tootise Rolls, hair ties, and mini erasers).

Last week at the Seabrook arcade, Sloan took a moment away from the scams and overpriced games to play some pinball.

The days are gone when my kids would be happy “playing” the games when they really wouldn’t be playing them. It is all pay-to-play for the Resers now. Unfortunately, at this point in their lives, that price just isn’t worth it. But don’t tell Sloan and Beau that 😉 Don’t Blink.

8 Reasons Why Attending A Seattle Mariners Game Is A Good Value

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When our family went on vacation last week, we kicked off the fun with a day in Seattle. The main event of that particular Tuesday was a Mariners game later in the evening. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, it was the first time I had watched a Mariners game in-person in nine years (at Camden Yards) and the first time I had caught a game in T-Mobile Park in such a long time that I didn’t even know how many years it had been.

Needless to say, attending an MLB game with children is a little different from the days when I would order numerous beers and stroll around the ballpark at my leisure. For this blog post I thought I would list eight ways that our family maximized the value of our time in T-Mobile Park.

Beau and the rest of us had a fantastic time at the Seattle Mariners game.

Convenient Transportation – We bypassed the headache of finding parking and then forking over an astronomical amount of money to pay for it. Our hotel offered a shuttle that took us to SeaTac. Once there we hopped on the light rail that took us to T-Mobile Park. After the Mariners shut out the Padres, we got back on the light rail and jumped off at SeaTac where our hotel shuttle picked us up. Round trip ride on the light rail for an adult was $3 and kids were free. So…yeah…we paid a total of $6 for transportation to/from the game.

Sidney and Beau ride the Seattle light rail to T-Mobile Park.

Value Seats – For every Tuesday home game, the Mariners offer highly discounted tickets. We were able to score $20 seats in the lower sections. We sat in 114 and had a clear and spectacular view of the action.

A view from our seats. Not bad for $20 each.

Affordable Eats – The Mariners now offer a value food menu (and value beer menu 😎) where you can get items for under $5. We loved the value popcorn.

Beau and Sloan enjoying their stadium food.

Unlimited Soda – Our family loves a good souvenir cup! We purchased a $9 Mariners plastic cup that came with unlimited refills! Self-serve soda kiosks are all over the T-Mobile Park concourse so we had no problem filling up our cup whenever we felt the inclination to do so. Let’s just say this…we definitely got our $9 worth.

Cheap Entertainment – This might come as a surprise to you, but Sloan likes attention. The T-Mobile Park video board provided plenty of entertainment as my daughter would dance her heart out between innings in hopes that the camera would spot her and she would get up on the board. Although Sloan didn’t make it up there, she had fun showing off her moves to those around us. We all enjoyed the sponsored games (i.e. hat trick, boat race, etc) and player features that also appeared on the video board.

Sloan had a blast in (and out of) her seat.

First Game Certificate – Thanks to a tip from my friend Shauna, we knew to take the kids to Guest Services so they could get their own certificate printed out that commemorated their first Mariners game at T-Mobile Park.

Beau and Sloan each got a certificate for attending their first Mariners game.

Play Structure – The Seattle Children’s Hospital sponsors a play area in center field that is FREE for kids to play on. When Beau was getting a little restless in the later innings, we took him over there. He played his heart out while Sloan and I watched the ninth inning from behind the center field wall. Beau didn’t want to leave the play area even well after the game was over!

Beau and Sloan ate Dippin’ Dots by the center field fountain before entering the play structure (you can see some of it if you look in the top right corner).

$5 Beer – As I mentioned above, T-Mobile Park now offers a value beer menu with select 12 oz. cans selling for $5. The popcorn was a bit salty so I needed something to drink so I hit the adult beverage stand. I was all set at the counter with my two cans of beer when the worker asked to see my I.D. Unfortunately I didn’t have it with me as I handed it off to Sid when we checked in at the hotel. Oh well.

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I was pleasantly surprised with the overall value of attending a baseball game as a family at T-Mobile Park. With discounted tickets, affordable food, and many free entertainment options, I would recommend an afternoon or evening at the ballpark with the Seattle Mariners. Just remember to bring your driver’s license. Don’t Blink.

Family Seabrook Vacation

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For the first true time as a family of four, we went on a vacation together. Last week, Sidney, Sloan, Beau, and I headed to the west side of Washington for several days of summer fun. In the past, I have commemorated trips by utilizing different writing methods for my Don’t Blink recaps. After giving it some thought, I figured I would write this summary by recounting the main events of each day while also reflecting on a special moment as well. To be honest, my biggest objective with this post is to have something for Sloan and Beau to look back on from this vacation. With that said, here is a glimpse at a very special week for the Resers…

Tuesday, August 8 – With excitement at record levels for the four of us, we departed Spokane early in the morning. We arrived in Seattle around 11 a.m. and played at a 100-year-old park called Wallingford Playfield. After stretching our legs at Wallingford we visited Woodland Park Zoo. The kids loved the otters but I was partial to the sloth bears. We checked into our hotel and then took the light rail to T-Mobile Park for the Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres game. On a gorgeous night we ate way too much ballpark food, enthusiastically participated in all the between innings video board games/cheers, and passionately cheered for the home team as the Mariners blanked the Padres 2-0.

The four of us at the Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres game on Aug. 8. 2023.

A Special Moment – Since it was the first-ever Mariners game for Sloan and Beau, they were both celebrated by the stadium staff as they were presented with certificates memorializing the event.

Some of the photos and moments from our first day of vacation.

Wednesday, August 9 – After eating breakfast as a family in the hotel lobby, we swam in the hotel’s pool. We checked out and drove 30 seconds to the family fun center located right next door. Called Bullwinkle’s, the kids played arcade games and exerted energy in the play structure before eating lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We then drove 2.5 hours to Seabrook where we checked into our cabin and walked down to the beach for a quick taste of what was to come.

When we arrived in Seabrook on Wednesday night we took the kids to the ocean. Didn’t take them long to warm up to it.

A Special Moment – We stopped in Aberdeen to shop at Walmart before entering Seabrook. While there, Sloan was adamant that I take her over to a homeless woman who was asking for money. I honored my daughter’s request and she gave the lady some of her own vacation allowance.

Some of the photos and moments from our Wednesday of vacation.

Thursday, August 10 – We hit our first full day in Seabrook hard. After baking cinnamon rolls for breakfast in our cabin we swam in the town’s indoor pool. By the time we finished there the sun had made its appearance so we ventured to the outdoor pool and luxurious hot tub. After lunch we would spend most of the afternoon at the beach. What fun it was to dig in the sand and make castles with the kids! We ate tacos for dinner and then made s’mores in the fire pit of our cabin’s back yard. We then headed back to the outdoor pool for a majestic round of night swimming.

Thursday was full of trips to the pools, ocean, and more.

A Special Moment – Sid and I set up beach chairs about 30 yards from where Sloan and Beau played on the shore. When I returned to our chairs after helping Beau with something, my wife had written “Sid ♥’s Brent” in the sand.

Some of the photos and moments from our Thursday at Seabrook.

Friday, August 11 – The morning started with the four of us walking over to the shuffleboard courts. Sid and I split two games against each other while Sloan and Beau played their own game on the neighboring court with new friends they made. We fit in a beach trip and pool visit before the morning was done. During lunch we watched “Big Brother” and put Beau down for a nap. Sloan and I then went to the arcade and candy store. A bit later on, we all went over to Seabrook’s green space where a fun cover band performed a free concert. I took Beau to the playground while Sid made dinner and by the time we returned a delicious pot of chicken bog was waiting to be served up. We capped the night by making s’mores again.

Making s’mores was one of our favorite activities while in Seabrook.

A Special Moment – Sloan had the guts to run up to the stage in-between songs during the concert and request a track. Sid put her up to it and encouraged her to ask for “Bad Moon Rising.” Even though the True Romans were a little caught off by the request they played it!

Some of the photos and moments from Friday of our vacation.

Saturday, August 12 – The alarm clock went off early as Sloan and I awoke at 5 a.m. to hunt for sand dollars. Except for a man and his dog, we were the only ones on the coast as we found 22 intact “sand bucks” (as Sloan calls them). Later that morning the four of us traveled 40 miles to a place called Amanda Park so we could attend mass at Our Lady of the Olympics. After eating brunch at the town’s local diner we traveled back to Seabrook and browsed the community’s farmer’s market. The afternoon was spent swimming in the indoor pool. We then had our “nice” out-to-eat dinner of the vacation as we dined at the Rising Tide Tavern. The four of us all had a really nice time at dinner and afterwards the kids played games on the downtown streets (i.e. Jenga, cornhole, sidewalk chalk). We then walked to the ice cream shop for dessert. The day ended with an encore trip to the outdoor pool and one final s’mores session.

What a fantastic vacation it was. We took our photo at Seabrook’s signature oversized chair.

A Special Moment – Watching Sloan’s face light up when we found whole sand dollars was pretty cool. We had looked for intact dollars the previous two days but couldn’t find any. Sloan was rewarded for getting up early and browsing the beach at the time in which sand dollars were plentiful.

Some of the photos and moments from our Saturday in Seabrook.

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Sunday was spent making the nearly seven-hour drive back to Spokane. This time we didn’t have a Seattle excursion to break things up but the kids did awesome (all things considering). We sure had a lot to reminisce about from the vacation and we all agreed that we can’t wait to return to Seabrook again. Having six days to spend exclusively with my wife and kids was a blessing beyond words and I will always cherish the memories we made. Don’t Blink.

Homeowners

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We bought a house!

After seven years of nomadic living, we decided to establish some roots and secure something a little more long term. The Resers are now the owners of a four bedroom/three bathroom house in the Spokane Valley.

This is our new home by D.R. Horton.

Because of our careers and family on both coasts, renting made sense for us. In fact, I have nothing bad to say about renting—I loved the flexibility! But after living in four different houses since we tied the knot coupled with what we have established here in Spokane, making the big investment seemed like the right thing to do at this point.

We landed in a brand new development in the southern part of Spokane Valley. We are one of the first families to move into a neighborhood that currently has about 20 completed houses built but will eventually boast more than 300! To be one of the “originals” is kind of cool.

The “location, location, location” real estate cliché proved true for me. Sid made sure that we were taken care of house-wise while I focused on where exactly the foundation would sit. I wanted to live in a bustling neighborhood near school, church, and work. We checked the boxes on all three of those items. Sloan and Beau will each attend St. Mary this fall and instead of a nearly 20-minute drive, it won’t even be a 10-minute drive. We confirmed that yesterday when we drove to mass and realized how “early” (relatively speaking) we were when our car entered the parking lot. I also now have easy access to the highway that will lead me to Pullman on those days I work on campus.

All credit for our new status as homeowners goes directly to Sidney. She had the drive to buy our own place while I continued to sing the praises of renting. My wife flipped me and then took the lead to find our dream home. Many of you know that purchasing a home is a wild roller coaster and Sidney was in that front seat navigating the whole ride.

We can’t wait to start inviting our family and friends over as we begin the process of making memories under this roof. What an opportunity! Don’t Blink.

Morning Thursday Rundown

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It is with enthusiasm that I wish you a happy Friday Eve! Hopefully your August is off to a fantastic start and you have fun weekend plans on the horizon. Let’s get started with the latest rundown…

Froyo Combo – I always enjoy sharing the froyo combinations of my children because, well, kids have different tastes than adults. Sloan and I walked to Didier’s, a classic north Spokane frozen yogurt shop that came way before self-serve “froyo,” from my parents’ house over the weekend. I think Sloan picked solid flavors (island coconut and vanilla) but her choice of Sour Patch watermelon pieces and Nerds was a little questionable. Oh well, she liked it.

Cotton Candy Soda – How dare I poke a little fun at Sloan for eating like a kid when I am over here drinking like a kid. I found this cotton candy soda four-pack at the Dollar Tree and couldn’t help myself. I brought it home and gave it a try. For someone like myself who is pretty easy to please, this cotton candy stuff might be some of the worst soda I have ever tried. It maybe tasted like cotton candy for one second before it got bitter and then ended with an aftertaste that seemed very similar to what smoke bombs might taste like. It does pour as a vibrant blue liquid so it has that going for it but the taste itself is pretty bad.

This was the cotton candy soda that I bought. Just not very good.

Mariner Drought About to End – On this date nine years ago, Sidney and I were in Baltimore to watch the Mariners play the Orioles. Little did I know that it would be more than 3,285 days before I saw the M’s play again as that streak will end next week…but more on that down the road. Camden Yards was a sweet ballpark with my favorite feature being the mini monuments in the outfield seating area that mark where noteworthy home run balls landed.

Sidney and I in Baltimore at Camden Yards in 2014. It was the last time I saw the Mariners play in-person.

Happy Birthday, Mom! – My mom celebrated her 66th birthday yesterday. I don’t know what our family of four would do without her. She embraces her mom, mother-in-law, and grandma roles with such selflessness, dedication, and enthusiasm. But her role as a party animal might be diminishing a bit. Yesterday, my dad took her to a bar and the bartender told my mom that she was entitled to a free birthday shot. My mom turned him down and ordered an iced tea instead. Cheers, mom!

Happy Birthday, mom.

National Watermelon Day – Today is National Watermelon Day and I celebrate it with some sadness because I haven’t ate any excellent watermelon this summer. Despite trying a decent amount, I haven’t found a melon that is crisp, juicy and flavorful…yet. Hopefully something will come around this month. Speaking of watermelons, I will never forget when my sister made a watermelon cake for my nephew’s birthday and paired it with chocolate chunk watermelon ice cream 😂

A look at the watermelon cake my sister made along with how it looked when paired with the ice cream.

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Thanks for your time today. I am always humbled by those who don’t mind my ramblings. Let’s pray for those souls who have recently left this earthly world and for their grieving families still here. Don’t Blink.

Big Things In August

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August is here and I have strong feelings about this month. In fact, a year ago on this date I wrote an ode of sorts to the eighth month of the year. I explained that for so long August was a transitional month for me—leisure and summer the first half and then back to business and autumn the second half. It doesn’t hurt my feelings that over the past few years the month of August is no longer split between the two extremes but rather a complete extension of summer.

Stock up on your ice cream this month and savor every scoop!

Boy, I sure am glad that the “extension of summer” August will once again be in effect this year. Why? Because it is safe to say that this month will be unlike any other August I have ever experienced. In fact, the month will forever be immortalized starting TODAY. More on the event that will shape this August like no other in a future blog post (sorry for the tease). But besides the “big” event, our family has so much to look forward to this month including a wedding, baseball, vacation, and much more.

But enough about my August. I want to encourage all of you to enjoy this month as much as possible. I understand that for many, as my father-in-law would say, “the party is over” this month. If that is the case for you, I hope you can enjoy the remaining days of leisure before your responsibilities heat up. Savor these sweet days of summer, my friends!

In closing, I do want to extend heartfelt sympathy to all the children I know in South Carolina and other states who must return to school in the coming weeks (yuck). But as I have already alluded to in this post, don’t find yourself dreading the beginning of the school year so much that you can’t enjoy what you have left. Happy August to everyone—make it memorable! Don’t Blink.