Princess Thursday Rundown

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Happy Friday Eve to everyone! Nothing to see here besides a mid-August Thursday Rundown. If that’s your things, feel free to keep reading because I got five topics coming your way…

Happy Middle Child Day – Let me start off tonight by wishing my fellow “not the oldest and not the youngest” friends a Happy Middle Child Day. I definitely think being the middle kid is an entirely different experience from other children in the family. Several years ago, my mom texted me the below meme on this date. Enough said.

My mom texted me this meme in commemoration of Middle Child’s Day.

My Little Pony – Over the course of a week, I read to Sloan the 10 chapters in the below My Little Pony 5-Minute Stories book. Two observations: First, my daughter watches way too much YouTube because she knew all the characters and most of the stories. The funny thing is I have never observed her watching My Little Pony before. Second, I finally got some context on what My Little Pony is all about. I will never forget visiting Baltimore in August 2014 when BronyCon was taking place. BronyCon is the My Little Pony national convention and I had never seen so many grown men dressed up in brightly colored horse suits in my life. Back then, I didn’t really understand the appeal and, to be honest, I still don’t. But at least I know the basis of the series.

Sloan really enjoyed reading this book and I kind of did too.

Princesses at the Ball Game – We picked the perfect night to go to our first Spokane Indians baseball game of the season. Last Friday we went out to Avista Stadium where the promotion that evening was Storybook Princess Night. Upon walking through the gates, Sloan got to meet Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella. All princesses were kind and enthusiastic to Sloan. Hey, if a little fairy tale magic helps convert Sloan to a baseball fan, I can deal with that girly stuff.

Sloan took photos with princesses from Spokane’s Princess Portraits & More at the Spokane Indians game on Aug. 6.

Looking Back on Lays #DoUsAFlavor – Over the span of five years, I enthusiastically taste-tested the Lays potato chip #DoUsAFlavor creations that would come out during the summer and then review them on this blog. Oh, what fun I had! I found great joy pigging out on wacky flavors like chicken & waffles and bacon mac & cheese. I wrote my last post four years ago. That summer’s crop included fried green tomatoes, crispy taco, and everything bagel. If you follow the link to that 2017 post, you will find links to all my other #DoUsAFlavor reviews as well.

Me holding the 2015 #DoUsAFlavor Lay’s potato chips.

Sibling Love – I thought these photos I snapped the other day of Sloan and Beau embracing were too sweet and innocent not to share. They can seriously bother the heck out of each other, but these moments make it all worth it.

Beau and Sloan share a hug.

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It is going to be another triple digit weekend so that must mean we have another outdoor wedding to attend. My family will be in Walla Walla the next couple days to celebrate my cousin’s special moment so I am sure you will hear a little bit about it in the ensuing week. Stay cool, friends. Don’t Blink.

How A Google Review Helped Improve a Bad Experience

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A month and a half ago, I wrote about how I had started to do Google Reviews. Well, six weeks later I am still writing them and I have already received my first “payoff” for doing so.

The only thing that went wrong for Sidney and I in Las Vegas last month, except for losing a small amount of money, was a pretty bad dining experience. Our last night there, Sid made reservations at Benihana. We both really enjoy hibachi and wanted to try the “granddaddy of them all” when it comes to that style of restaurant. I am not exaggerating when I say that my wife was over the moon excited to eat there.

When night fell, this was the Benihana location on the Las Vegas Strip that we went to (photo courtesy of Eater Vegas).

Unfortunately, our visit to Benihana turned into a major snafu. I won’t get into the particulars (you can skip to the next paragraph for the link to my Google Review) but our reservation wasn’t honored, the hostess was extremely rude, and we didn’t even get to sit at the grill once we were seated hours later.

I am usually generous when it comes to Google Reviews. I heap praise rather than dish insults. Don’t believe me? Take a look at my more than 30 reviews. But I couldn’t hold back with our Benihana nightmare. Although written in a diplomatic tone, I did outline our evening and air out our frustrations.

We never got to eat at the actual grill and had to settle for ordering food at the bar. Dinner was good but it wasn’t the experience we were after.

A few days after I wrote the review, the restaurant replied to my review. The restaurant rep who responded apologized and asked that I visit a link to provide more information about our visit. I went along with it and answered questions about the date, time, and other details from that July night. I then forgot about it.

A couple weeks ago, I looked down at my phone after driving home from Pullman to a missed call from a Las Vegas area code. A voicemail was left so I curiously tapped the message and listened. It was one of the managers from Benihana. The voice on the other end asked me to call the restaurant back at my convenience and ask for April Silver.

I called back soon after I listened to the voicemail and the staff connected me with April. She thanked me for calling and mentioned that she read my review (ummmm…yeah…about that…). Before I could answer to what I wrote she genuinely apologized for our bad experience and started asking questions about the hostess we encountered that night and other details from our visit. She mentioned that they received a lot of complaints from that particular evening and shared with me the fallout from it.

April then turned the conversation toward “making it up” to us. She asked if we were locals. Nope. She asked if we had a Benihana location near where we lived. No. She asked if we planned to return to Vegas soon. Nah. After we struck out with those three questions I did suggest that sometime in the near future we might find ourselves in a location that has a Benihana restaurant and that we would be willing to give it another chance. “Great” she said and asked for my mailing address.

I was about to receive something in the mail from Benihana.

Yesterday in the mail I received the below letter and gift cards. Each gift card is good for $20. April mentioned in the letter that if we return to Vegas and visit the Benihana restaurant on the Strip (the one we went to) that she would make it special for us.

I received this letter and two gift cards from April Silver, a manager at the Benihana on the Las Vegas Strip.

Not going to lie, we were disappointed in pretty much every facet of our first Benihana visit. But it was therapeutic to have the option to write out our qualms in a Google Review and then to be contacted by management added closure and vindication.

Thank you to Benihana for these gift cards.

Thank you to Benihana and April Silver for making this right. It goes a long way with us. Don’t Blink.

Totally Satisfied by Tokyo 2020

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Okay, I know all the knocks on the 2020 Summer Olympics. Nobody watched them. Too hard to watch even if you wanted too. Mired in controversy and political angst. Athletes not patriotic enough. While I understand that not everyone enjoyed the Tokyo Games, please don’t lump me into that group.

I don’t watch the Closing Ceremony because I find it a little sad but I will look at a picture from it.

Our family had an awesome time watching the games. From the Opening Ceremony to the end of Saturday night (I don’t watch the Closing Ceremony because I always find it too depressing), we were dialed in and engaged. From the mainstream sports to the obscure events, we were thoroughly entertained.

Perhaps we were just set up to enjoy them this year. We watched everything on our TV from the NBC app, making life easy. It allowed us to switch around from the live coverage on all the NBC networks and provided the opportunity to watch any replays we desired just with the tap of a button. It seemed like we were following the developments and drama of Tokyo in real time.

To be honest, I probably enjoyed them a little too much. Sidney will tell you stories about waking up at midnight to find me watching water polo or perhaps even speed walking. She will testify to other times when she would have to tell me to shut up because I would cheer a little too loudly during a relay. But what can I say? I was at a stage in life during this Olympiad that allowed me to truly consume the games and I took full advantage of it.

As I expressed in an earlier blog, the 2020 Summer Olympics were also special in the fact that I was able to introduce them to Sloan. She became more aware of the world around her and developed an increased sense of pride for the United States of America. Years from now, I will associate the Tokyo Games with “Sloan’s Games.”

When it comes to my personal favorite moments from these games, watching the 4x100m freestyle men’s swimming relay from my parents’ basement is up there. Also, watching the epic 400m hurdle men’s race from a treadmill at the gym early in the morning also ranks as a top moment. Cheering on the men’s basketball team was also fun and, speaking of basketball, I tried to catch as much 3×3 basketball as possible. But just in a general sense, it was nice at the end of the day to just relax on the couch and watch the Olympics with Sid and the kids.

I wanted to congratulate Team USA for once again performing at an elite level. America came away with the most medals, including most golds. Just another reason why I am proud to be an American. There is nothing like the Summer Olympics and I am sad to see them go. However, I find consolation knowing that I got to enjoy the games to their full extent this year. I am already looking forward to Paris. Don’t Blink.

Celebrating 40 Years of Marriage

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On Saturday night, we had the chance to celebrate my parents’ 40th anniversary. We did it in a truly special way as my dad surprised my mom. He organized reservations at one of Spokane’s best and swankiest restaurants, Clinkerdagger. My mom knew that after the Saturday night vigil mass they would be heading to the restaurant but she didn’t think anyone would be waiting for her.

My dad and mom last night on their 40th anniversary dinner at Clinkerdagger.

My dad was adamant that the three of us children and our spouses be at the dinner. He wanted us to join in the celebration and to help my mom’s night be just a little more special. My sister coordinated a babysitter for all our children so they could play together while we all enjoyed a night out. As to be expected, when we go out to restaurants for large family dinners, things can get a little hectic, so it was nice to just have the adults present on Saturday night. Sure, it seemed a little strange at first to just have the eight of us at a table but we quickly realized that the peace and quiet was quite spectacular.

All eight of us around the table at Clinkerdagger. It was a little weird without our kids!

Clinkerdagger gave us one of their best tables that overlooked the Spokane Falls. They put tiny celebratory streamers on the table in recognition of the joyous occasion. The staff went out of their way to inquire about the beautiful marriage and to extend their congratulations.

This was the view outside of my window at Clinkerdagger.

When my dad brought my mom into the dining area, she didn’t even recognize all of us sitting there. She literally saw right past us. We had to quietly call out to her to grab her attention. Once she saw us the surprise took full effect. After a bewildered moment she was finally able to speak.

My brother-in-law, Jay, looking out the window at Clinkerdagger.

“Where are the kids?” she stammered.

My dad with the prawn and scallop fettucine.

From that point the dinner was on. We savored the moments we had from one of the best views in Spokane as we talked and relaxed. Oh yeah, there was food too. I ordered ribs and Sid ordered Dijon chicken but we split the two dishes right down the middle when they were brought to us (can’t go wrong with that!).

I ordered ribs last night. Just a couple seconds before I cut into it and split it between Sid and I.

After the dishes were cleared but before the Clinkerdagger staff brought out complimentary crème brulee to my parents, our table discussion narrowed. We started chatting about the marriage of my mom and dad. I asked the cliché question of what has been their “secret” over the past four decades and then other people at the table asked follow up questions dealing with their first date, favorite vacation, and more. It was an intimate way to put the focus on my parents and let them distribute some golden nuggets of knowledge to us regarding marriage.

Sid and I at Clinkerdagger on Saturday night.

My parents will celebrate their actual anniversary a week from today (Aug. 16). It will be an additional opportunity to congratulate them on a fantastic marriage. However, I sure enjoyed the opportunity to recognize the milestone in the setting that we did this past Saturday. Thanks for always being the best example, mom and dad! Don’t Blink.

Here is a slide show that chronicles some of the best moments from my parents’ marriage.

An Elusive Thursday Rundown

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It looks like you have returned. Good. I have my latest Thursday Rundown fully prepared for your enjoyment. Off we go….

Vacation Bible School – This week Sloan is attending Vacation Bible School. All the parishes in the Spokane Valley combined together to offer this year’s faith camp. The theme is “the Vatican Express” and Sloan has had a blast learning about Peter and the Holy Papacy that he started. Each day is full of games, crafts, music, teachings, and everyone’s favorite—snacks. I have a lot of fond memories from attending Vacation Bible School myself so I am glad that Sloan is getting the opportunity to start making her own.

Sloan holding a couple of the things she made at Vacation Bible School yesterday. She has her fishing pool so she can be a “fisher of men” and her “I am re-lion on God” craft.

Camp Snack – With my sister and brother-in-law providing dinner and breakfast at camp this past weekend, the least we could do was bring snacks. One item my wife made was Rice Krispies treats. I don’t know your personal opinion, but I don’t think it gets much better than this childhood (and adulthood) snacking staple. My wife always makes a delicious batch of Rice Krispies treats and it was evident at camp because there wasn’t one remaining when we went home on Sunday. Do you have a special trick for making your own?

Sidney working hard to bag up the Rice Krispies treats she made for camp.

Meeting the Mouse Himself – I have kept you updated on the adventures we have had with our Chuck E. Cheese summer pass. Well, I have something new to report this week. Sloan finally met the living/breathing costumed Chuck E. Cheese! Although she posed for a photo with an inanimate Chuck E. Cheese, she never had the pleasure of meeting the actual person…umm…mouse? The reason for this is that we haven’t even seen the costumed character until this latest visit. He is tough to track down during this COVID era. Despite his elusiveness, Sloan was happy to finally get a hug.

The different stages of Sloan’s interaction with Chuck E. that resulted in a hug.

Cheetos Mac’N Cheese – I am known to be a sucker for novelty products so it might not come as a surprise that I bit on the below item. I found this macaroni and cheese box at Grocery Outlet for 79 cents and knew I had to give it a try or deal with lifelong regret. I cooked it up yesterday for lunch and when I went to put the seasoning on something became very apparent to me. The orange stuff I was sprinkling on the pasta smelled exactly like a crunchy Cheeto. There was little doubt in my mind that it was the same “dust” that tops Chester Cheetah’s most popular snack. As for the actual taste of the dish, it definitely wasn’t the best boxed mac and cheese I have ever had. It tasted like it smelled (like a crunchy Cheeto) with some spice thrown it. I won’t be getting it again.

Trying Cheetos Mac’N Cheese once was enough for me.

Beau At 1.5 – Today Beau turned a year and a half. To commemorate his 18-month milestone, I made the below collage to show him at 0 months, 6 months, 12 months, and today. Our little boy is a tornado full of energy who loves to pull his sister’s hair. But he is also one of the most affectionate little dudes you will ever meet. We sure love him.

Beau on February 5, 2020 (top left), Beau on August 5, 2020 (top right), Beau on February 6, 2021 (bottom left), and Beau on August 5, 2021.

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That will wrap it up for tonight. Hope your August has started off on the right foot and that the first full weekend of the month is an exciting one. Don’t Blink.

Eating At A Retro-Esque Pizza Parlor

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I think we all have that pizza place from our childhood that was the place to go after sports games or for birthday parties. You know what I am talking about, right? Subpar pizza, pinball machines, a ball crawl, air hockey, and redemption games. Ah, these places were more like palaces for us as kids.

I am about to share with you a place in the Hillyard district of Spokane called Market Street Pizza.

These days, the joints I just spoke about above are few and far between. Gourmet pizza ristorantes and giants like Dave & Buster’s dominate the market that these blue-collar pizza parlors once claimed. The nostalgia remains but the profit does not.

Another look at the exterior of Market Street Pizza.

Unless of course you can offer modern disguised as nostalgia. That is the formula that Market Street Pizza in the Hillyard district of Spokane has championed.

A glimpse into Market Street Pizza from the front entrance.

My mom’s birthday was yesterday and she requested that we try out Market Street Pizza. It opened rather recently in November 2019 but it had to tangle with the pandemic so many locals are trying it out for the first time. We were in that boat last night.

Beau and grandma enjoying Market Street Pizza.

Our entire family gathered for this special occasion. My parents, my sister and her family, my brother and his wife, and the four of us all gathered at Market Street Pizza. The 13 of us sat around a large round table and celebrated the end of Monday.

The table that we sat at last night.

We admired the spacious and retro-inspired interior. The sectioned areas, checkered décor, classic salad bar set up, and colorful memorabilia made it feel like a parlor of yesteryear. But the old school was balanced with a sophisticated bar, string lights that zigged and zagged throughout the restaurant, and an indoor brick wall that made the place feel warm.

This photo I took shows the brick wall in the background.

Of course, Mikayla, Johnny, Sloan, and Beau couldn’t be kept out of the arcade. They milked us for all our coins and managed to turn the silver into tickets upon tickets.

The arcade was a big hit with our kids.

Let’s be honest, the real draw of Market Street Pizza was its namesake. Each couple chose a pie and then we all shared with each other. Although I enjoyed the carnivore pizza that Sid and I ordered (your classic meat pizza) I thought the Goodfella pizza my parents ordered (olive oil, tomato sauce, meatball, red pepper, multiple cheeses, garlic, and more) was especially on point.

You can’t go wrong with the pizza at Market Street Pizza.

After we ate, the whole staff came out to sing my mom “happy birthday” and present her with a big bowl of ice cream. There was almost enough in that bowl to give everyone at our table a little scoop to go with the cakes that my sister and brother brought.

Market Street Pizza definitely had some charm.

What a nice time we all had at Market Street Pizza. As I have said before, I feel so fortunate that our family is able to consistently get together and have so much fun. I will never take it for granted. But back to Market Street Pizza—if you are ever in Hillyard, give it a try. Don’t Blink.

Camping in God’s Country

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The “Best Summer Ever” continued this past weekend when we went camping with my sister and brother-in-law. Wanting to “be one with nature” and stretch beyond our comfort zones just a bit, we eagerly accepted their invite to join them at a remote campsite a couple miles north of Usk, Washington (aka God’s Country).

Sidney and I enjoying a camping weekend.

This wasn’t a glamping excursion. Although they have a camper, we spent most of our time in the middle of the woods disconnected from the world and cell phone service. It was glorious. My parents watched Beau so Sid, Sloan, and I could have a relaxing time with Miranda (sister), Jay (brother-in-law), Mikayla (niece), Johnny (nephew), and Duke (family dog).

We did get away from the campsite to visit a lake and also this gravel area where the kids got to climb a “mountain.”

A lot of the weekend was spent sitting in a circle of camp chairs just chatting…and hydrating. While the adults talked, the three kids ran around the campsite and played in the creek that flowed right by us. It was quite the scenic backdrop.

Sloan and Mikayla hold hands while walking in the creek at our campsite.

We did get away from the campsite to spend a couple hours at a nearby lake. After we swam and ate rice krispy treats, we headed to a large area where the kids could play on gravel mountains at one end while Jay and I could safely take target practice at the opposite end.

The kids (and Duke) enjoying the lake that was near our campsite.

On Saturday night, Miranda and Jay prepared venison tacos for everyone. We also made s’mores, played Taboo, and busted out the glow sticks. The kids retired inside the camper to watch a movie and the four adults stayed up well past midnight just talking about life.

Sloan decked out in glow sticks on Saturday night.

It is easy to forget about the magical world we live in. God truly designed a picturesque planet. Taking time to literally smell the fresh air, listen to a stream flow, and taste a cold beer while surrounded by nature are things we should all try to do more often. I am glad we took the opportunity to experience all three this past weekend.

Thank you to Miranda’s family for inviting us camping!

Of course these experiences are enhanced even more when you get to do them with people you sincerely enjoy. It was so nice spending quality time with Miranda and Jay while watching the three kids have an absolute blast with each other. To be isolated from the outside world but connected with family is a special thing. Don’t Blink.

A Comparative Thursday Rundown

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Good evening! I hope your week has been a success thus far. Here is your chance to enjoy a quick respite as I cover five random topics. The latest Thursday Rundown starts now…

Comparison – On July 28, 2020, I took the photo on the left. Yesterday morning I decided to replicate the pose and took the photo on the right. Beau has ditched the helmet and Sloan has grown…both in height and hair follicles. I sure love these two!

Same pose, same calendar date, different years.

Cheers – My brother and sister-in-law recently received their wedding pictures from Zach Nichols Photography and they are beautiful. Well, except for this one below because it is of…um….me. I had the honor of delivering the best man speech at the reception and this shot captures a moment from that address. In future Thursday Rundowns I hope to share a few more photos from that special day.

I attempt to drive home a point at Glen and Carrie’s wedding.

FlatStickPub – Last Saturday we joined my brother, my sister, and their spouses at FlatStickPub, an entertainment/restaurant center in downtown Spokane. There are a few other locations in the United States and each one focuses on two activities along with its food and craft beer/special cocktail menu: miniature golf and duffleboard. You read that latter activity right—duffleboard. It is an original game that FlatStickPub made up that you can research on your own because we didn’t play it. Instead, we opted for miniature golf and let me tell you, it was a unique experience. It wasn’t like the Happy Gilmore-esque courses you find on every corner in Myrtle Beach. Rather, it was a more industrial experience that focused much more on angles and out-of-the-box thinking. FlatStickPub had a nice vibe to it and I think a lot of my readers would have a good time if they tried it out.

FlatStickPub is a fun place. Beau got to play some miniature golf and the course has Spokane-themed holes (my sister-in-law, Carrie, is pictured in the bottom right photo).

Favorite New Olympic Sport – Four years ago I wrote about my five favorite Olympic sports but that countdown now needs to make room for another one. I loved watching the 3×3 basketball over the past several days. What a fun brand of basketball! What’s not to like about 10-minute games, 12-second shot clocks, and no stoppage for change of possession? It was my impression that the sport was going to take the form of traditional 3-on-3 basketball tournaments that communities annually host but I was pleasantly surprised. Congratulations to the USA women on winning the gold medal.

I really enjoyed watching the 3×3 basketball during the Olympics.

Big Brother 23 – I didn’t write a Big Brother preview post for this current season but that doesn’t mean Sid and I aren’t watching it. We have enjoyed the first few weeks of competition. The team concept seems to work, the high risk/high reward theme is interesting, and Julie Chen’s fortune cookie signoff lines are as corny as ever. But what I find pretty cool is that there is a houseguest named “Brent.” Thus far I have enjoyed watching the game play and I especially appreciate the way that Kyland and Derek X. have approached the competition. We are hooked!

Big Brother 23 is shaping up to be a another great Big Brother season.

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That will do it for tonight. Don’t let the Olympics pass you by, make sure to tune in for the best international competition there is. Enjoy your weekend. Don’t Blink.

Counting to 100

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Every night, we read books with Sloan. Last night we made it through “Curious George Learns to Count from 1 to 100.” As you could probably surmise from the title, the book chronicles how George navigates from 1-100. It really is quite creative how the author transitions from number to number as George encounters different objects on his climb to 100.

We read “Curious George Learns to Count from 1 to 100” last night.

Sloan is starting to get a little obsessed with counting to 100. Out of all the books we checked out at the library this past weekend, she was really stoked about George. Although 100 excites her, she has a long way to go before she is able to chronologically reach the top of that mountain. She is still at the point where she starts to stumble after she reaches 20.

But if she is anything like her daddy, she should be counting to the century mark in about two years.

In life it is crazy the stuff we do remember and the stuff we don’t remember, especially early childhood memories. I think Forest Gump explained it best in his “It’s funny what a young man recollects” bench monologue (go watch it if you don’t know what I am talking about). There are so many things I don’t remember about being a kindergartener but I do remember when I counted to 100 for the first time.

I was in the car riding somewhere with my mom. Suddenly, I just decided to count to 100. I had never done it before, never really even practiced it. But I had my mind set on doing it…and I did. I still remember how effortless it felt. Up until that point I didn’t really even remember ever saying “70” or “80” or “90.” But for whatever reason I was able to pull those numbers out of my brain and correctly pair them with whatever second number was appropriate (70, 71, 72, 73…). I managed to pull knowledge I didn’t know I had and smoothly count to 100.

It would be cool if it just clicked for Sloan like it did for me. Here I am thinking it was kind of a phenomenon but perhaps that is how it happens for a lot of people. Do you remember when you counted to 100 for the first time? Don’t Blink.

Olympic Lessons for Kids

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This past weekend we were fixated on the Olympics. Our family watched a lot of coverage and thoroughly enjoyed it—well, at least Sid and I did. Although I think Sloan might still enjoy her YouTube videos to the Games, she did show some genuine interest in what we were watching.

And I think that is good. I believe that the Olympics provide learning opportunities, even for a 4-year-old. Over the past few days I think we have had some mild success in conveying the following lessons to Sloan…

Sloan has been so on fire about the Olympics that she can’t even manage to stay still long enough for me to take a non-blurry photo of her while watchng the coverage.

1. The World is a Big Place – By watching the Olympics, Sloan is starting to learn that there is more to our world than just Washington and South Carolina. By seeing the different flags, hearing the different languages, and observing different nationalities, she is developing a concept of countries. She might not be able to distinguish exactly what makes Spokane different from Germany, but the seed has been planted.

2. Tokyo – The country of Japan, especially the incredible city of Tokyo, will forever have a place in Sloan’s heart. This place has been drilled inside Sloan’s brain the past few days and while she might not know the names of all the countries on this planet she does know about this far east island. Sloan was introduced to Japan during the opening ceremony and has become more acquainted with it by seeing all the cutaway shots of Tokyo during the Olympics coverage. I also took the opportunity to teach her some kid-friendly facts about Tokyo courtesy of the world wide web.

3. Cheering for the Stars and Stripes – As Sloan has learned about the world and all the countries that it encompasses, we have also taken the liberty to highlight the country she lives in. We have cheered hard for the American teams and athletes, hoping our passionate support rubs off on her. So far it has…she has morphed into a red, white, and blue cheerleader! Trying to teach her the hierarchy of town-state-country-continent-world is undoubtedly challenging, but I think she is coming around to what it means to live in the United States of America.

4. The Diversity of Sport – Over her short life, Sloan has been conscious of the sports that she will sometimes find her daddy watching on TV—baseball, football, and basketball. But over the course of just 72 hours, she has learned that there is so much more to the athletic world than American-inspired sports. From hand ball to water polo to equestrian to synchronized diving to so much more, Sloan has watched these games with eyes wide open. To be honest, it just isn’t Sloan getting a crash course in the diversity of sport—I am too!

5. Winners and Losers – A valuable lesson Sloan has learned is that there are winners and losers. Not everyone wins gold, not everyone gets a medal. Yesterday we watched a medal ceremony where an Australian athlete won gold and as the unfamiliar anthem played, I explained to Sloan that the United States did not win. I didn’t have to heart to elaborate and say that “not winning” is a common theme for all of us throughout life but hopefully this will set the stage for that discussion later on.

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If you have kids I hope you get the opportunity to watch some of the Olympics with them. It truly is fantastic family programming with lots of lessons built in. If you feel like I have missed any of the lessons in this post, please let me know…I would love to share them with Sloan over the next couple weeks. Don’t Blink.