School is out and the official start of summer is just about 24 hours away. Hope everyone is encouraged and excited about the next couple of months. Likewise, I hope everyone is encouraged and excited about this latest Thursday Rundown. Let’s go…

Rise Espresso & Dough Company – I continued the tradition with my kids of treating them to donuts after the last day of school. Despite the shop we used to visit no longer being in business, we found a new joint. Called Rise Espresso & Dough Company, it is a shop with an impressive variety of donuts and extra large fritters. You already know what I ordered (and still brought half home to Sid) but my kids each got a chocolate bar topped with peanut butter icing and Reese’s Pieces.

Some photos from inside Rise Espresso and Dough Co.

Go Chants – It is insane what the Coastal Carolina University baseball team is doing right now! The Chants have won 26 straight games and cruised into the College World Series finals. After smashing three teams in Omaha already, CCU will face LSU in a three-game series for all the marbles. Coastal is just two wins away from a second national championship. I had the pleasure of working at CCU when the Chants won the College World Series the first time in 2016 and even though I didn’t go to Omaha, I told a local Myrtle Beach news station that I had the second best seat in the house. I ranked the title run as my top moment while working at Coastal Carolina. Would love to see my old friends at CCU enjoy the fruits of another baseball championship.

I took a photo with the national championship trophy that the Coastal Carolina University baseball team won in 2016. I hope they do it again!

Mega Pouch – I might have wrote about root beer on Tuesday, but today it is all about Capri Sun. Did you hear? The iconic drink released 15-inch pouches this week filled with 20 ounces of juice…that’s more than 3X the size of a regular pouch. It even came with an extra long yellow straw. Even though I didn’t come close to beating the rush by getting my hands on a pouch, I think I would have drank it using the same technique I demonstrated a few years ago.

A look at the 15-inch Capri Sun pouch that contained 20 ounces of product.

Father’s Day Gifts – Sid and the kids spoiled me (per usual) for Father’s Day. Out of all the gifts they gave me, the new phone case was probably my favorite. I am an OtterBox user and the case I had for over five years was falling apart. I now have a brand new OtterBox that is providing my iPhone with the best protection possible. I switched from a black case to a blue case and I am digging the change.

My wife and kids spoiled me once again.

The Keys – If I was to rewind time to exactly six years ago, I would find myself in the Florida Keys with my family. In June 2019, we traveled to the Keys for the wedding of Sid’s sister. Although my sister-in-law’s big day was definitely the highlight, we got to do a lot of other fun stuff, too. We played at the resort, explored the Gulf of Mexico in a boat, and ate a lot of rice and beans. I really enjoyed going to Key West and standing at the southernmost point in the continental United States. To be honest, although I usually say time flies, that trip seems longer than six years ago.

I will end with one of my favorite photos from our Florida Keys trip. This was from the longest day of the year…we ate at a restaurant called Island Fish Company and sat outside as the sun went down.

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That will do it for tonight. Make sure to get outside tomorrow evening and truly enjoy the longest day of the year. Don’t Blink.