Tag Archives: Marco Rubio

Dancing in the Dark Thursday Rundown

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Well, how is your February going? In less than two weeks it will already be March. I guess that means I better get writing if I want to finish this by the end of the month. Here are tonight’s five topics…

Father/Daughter Dance – A few weeks ago, Sloan slid into the car as I picked her up after school. She bashfully asked, “Daddy, will you go to the Father/Daughter Dance with me?” I told her “absolutely” and we eagerly awaited the big evening. It all took place last Friday night. After we took photos in the front of our house, we went to Red Robin for dinner where we met Sloan’s classmate and her dad. We had the best double date! We then went to St. Mary for the dance and had a blast dancing to all the classics (think “Don’t Stop Believing,” “YMCA,” “Sweet Caroline,” etc.) and having fun with the other dads and daughters. As we drove home, Sloan was already planning for next year’s date.

The St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance was such a fun experience!

Heart-Shaped Pancakes – I didn’t purchase a Papa Murphy’s heart-shaped pizza this year so we did the next best thing and made heart-shaped pancakes on Valentine’s Day (and by “we” I mean Sid). She used red food coloring and her special skills to make (near) symmetrical heart-shaped pancakes. Served with fresh fruit and sausage, we topped the pancakes with whipped cream. Chef’s kiss.

We got a little wild with the heart-shaped pancakes that Sid made.

Marco Rubio – On this date 8 years ago, Sid and I went to a Marco Rubio rally. It was 2015 and all serious presidential candidates—Republican and Democrat—were campaigning in South Carolina ahead of the 2016 presidential election. I took advantage of South Carolina’s coveted spot in the primary landscape and also attended rallies for Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. But on this particular night it was all about the fresh-faced senator from Florida. We watched him stump and then he graciously posed for a photo with us. He seemed like the real deal at the time and he has remained very relevant over the past several years but I don’t think another presidential run is in the cards for 2024.

On this date 8 years ago today, Sidney and I met Marco Rubio.

Welcome To Your Home – Oh man, I must go down memory lane for the second time tonight. On this date three years ago, we brought Beau home for the first time. His arrival was a little delayed due to his stay in the NICU, making it all the sweeter. The highlight was Sloan meeting him and holding him. As we helped keep Beau steady on her lap, she spontaneously started to sing to him. I was fortunate to record that precious moment.

This was the first ever meeting between Sloan and Beau. It went well.

What Would Be Your Pick? – Alright, I will bite on this. If I had to select just a single treat on this ice cream truck menu, I would opt for 11, 14, 15, 24, and 25. I loved the character ice cream pops, even the hard-as-rock bubble gum that made up either the eyes, nose, or other component of the pop. Those diehards of this blog might not be surprised by this. Nearly five years ago, I literally wrote about my favorite ice cream truck treats. With that said, my next choice after the character pops would be 27 followed by 8.

Here is the ice cream truck menu…what do you choose?

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Phew. I did manage to complete this rundown before the month slipped away. In fact, I made such good time I think I will be able to fit another Thursday Rundown in before February passes. Stay tuned for that. Don’t Blink.

A Normal Thursday Rundown

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Don’t Blink because February is more than halfway over. Here we go with my latest Thursday Rundown…

Latest Buffalo Wild Wings Visit – As I mentioned in a previous post, I am going to update you on all the meals we enjoy from the many gift cards we received at Christmas. My sister and brother-in-law gave us a card to Buffalo Wild Wings and we used it this past Friday. We usually order wings and split them, but this time around Sidney and I ordered our own non-wing items. She got the Bayou po’boy chicken sandwich and I went with the new buffalo mac and cheese. The mac and cheese comes with chicken covered in your favorite BWW wing sauce (spicy garlic for me) and it is topped with bread crumbs. Although it looked like kind of a small serving when they brought it to me, I soon found out that it was more than enough. Best of all, it was delicious.

We enjoyed a Buffalo Wild Wings date night on Friday.

Grammy’s Review – Over the past couple of years, I have been pretty hard on the Grammy’s. It just seemed to me that the content and quality of the show kept declining. I think 2017 was a step forward for the awards show. The energy was back and it seemed like the Grammy’s ditched efforts from the past couple years to be as artsy and symbolic as possible. It was more about the awards and performances this year. I actually even thought James Corden, someone who I am not a big fan of, did a great job with the hosting duties.

The Lego Batman Movie – On Saturday, my father-in-law and I took my nephew to the theater to watch “The Lego Batman Movie.” I assumed the film would be completely geared toward kids but I was wrong. I actually enjoyed “The Batman Lego Movie” and laughed often throughout it. In fact, at times it felt like I was watching something off of Adult Swim. But don’t think that the film was lost on the children! Harrison was so engaged with the movie that he refused to go to the bathroom, doing his best to fight off nature’s call (he was successful) until the credits started to roll.

The “Lego Batman Movie” was pretty good.

Latest Netflix Documentary I Watched – I recently finished watching a documentary titled “Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs.” The film profiles this guy who believes he sees UFOs pretty much on a nightly basis. He has video proof but it is sketchy at best. However, what really stands out is his personality. I was shaking my head in amusement throughout the whole documentary at the degree of eccentricity the dude constantly displayed. If you are weird like me, you will like it.

If you pass “Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs” on Netflix, give it a try.

Marco Rubio – One year ago today, Sidney and I attended a Marco Rubio rally. At the time, he was at the peak of his popularity in the Republican Primary race. However, Chris Christie would soon embarrass him on the debate stage and he eventually dropped out. But Marco has nothing to be ashamed about. He won re-election to the U.S. Senate and he is very relevant on the national stage. He will run again for president one of these days.

A year ago today, Sidney and I met Marco Rubio.

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Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day. I will be back on Sunday to share an interesting experience with you. Have a nice weekend. Don’t Blink.

My First Ever Political Rally

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I don’t get excited about politics. In fact, I don’t have a political bone in my body. However, I am attracted to the presidential election for two reasons: strategy and competition.

Much to the chagrin of Sidney, I have watched the Democratic and Republican debates with great interest. I enjoy watching the candidates compete with each other. Because I have watched these debates, I have learned a lot about the candidates from both sides.

Living in South Carolina is pretty cool right now. Our state is on a national stage as candidates campaign for the primaries that will be held on Saturday (Republican) and later this month (Democrat). These presidential contenders are taking over South Carolina as they hold rallies and town halls in every nook and cranny of the state.

Tonight I went to my first ever political rally. I saw Marco Rubio in North Myrtle Beach.

Tonight I went to my first ever political rally. I saw Marco Rubio in North Myrtle Beach.

Wanting to capitalize on this madness, I attended my first ever political rally tonight. As I mentioned, I have watched all the debates and this has led me to get a good gauge of each candidate. Because I feel like I kind of know each presidential hopeful, both Democrat and Republican, I thought it would be kind of cool to see one in person.

Marco Rubio rolled into town this evening and Sidney and I decided to go see him. We didn’t do this for political reasons, we did this for the experience.

We arrived to a packed conference center in North Myrtle Beach about 15 minutes before the rally was about to start. As all the chairs were already taken, we stood about 80 feet from the stage. As we waited, patriotic music played and diehard Rubio supporters started chants. Finally, it was show time.

Tonight’s rally reminded me a lot of a concert or comedy shows; you have opening acts. Before Rubio talked we heard from a random elderly woman, the mayor of Myrtle Beach, and a congressman. Then, before Rubio took the stage, there was one more speaker. U.S. Senator Tim Scott introduced his Florida colleague. Scott, the South Carolina senator not named Lindsey Graham, was a phenomenal speaker. It was actually a lot of fun to listen to him talk and he gave Marco Rubio an awesome introduction.

A photo I took of Senator Tim Scott tonight. The guy could really talk!

A photo I took of Senator Tim Scott tonight. The guy could really talk!

As you might expect, Rubio came out and claimed the stage with energy. As the crowd chanted “Marco! Marco! Marco!” he waited for it to die down just a bit and then he spoke into the microphone for the first time.

“Please don’t say Polo,” he quipped.

That line pretty much summed up his 40 minute address. Throughout his whole talk he constantly made jokes…and most of them were funny. Even when he alluded to Trump he did it with humor. The only time his tone noticeably changed was when he talked about Hillary Clinton. When he criticized her the words seemed to shoot out of his mouth like venom and it was the exact same serious Rubio most of you have watched during the debates.

This is where we stood during the rally (no zoom).

This is where we stood during the rally (no zoom).

But besides a couple of those moments, he gave an engaging, humorous address. He also did it seamlessly. His speech was clear and well-delivered but it also seemed a little packaged too. He knows what he believes and he has no problem at all getting those beliefs across. He just stood up on that stage and did his thing. Each time I said to myself, “Now when is he going to start talking about (insert a political issue)…” he literally segued right into talking about it! It was weird.

Marco Rubio in the middle of his speech.

Marco Rubio in the middle of his speech.

Even though I had never attended a political rally before, the audience was exactly how I thought it would be. They clapped loudly, they yelled out answers to Rubio’s hypothetical questions, they audibly said “YES” whenever he talked about his platform, and they booed when he brought up a rival.

I was standing on some bleacher steps when I snapped this photo of Marco Rubio.

I was standing on some bleacher steps when I snapped this photo of Marco Rubio.

The speech was well done but he drew out the ending. After he said “in conclusion” he went on for about ten minutes. But he made up for it afterwards as I watched him interact with all the excited people who wanted to meet him. Although I wasn’t necessarily “excited”, I thought since I was at my first political rally I would meet my first presidential candidate. After Rubio had already stayed out in the conference room for at least 20 minutes after his speech, he took the time to shake my hand and take a photo with Sidney and I.

You bet! Sidney and I met Marco Rubio

You bet! Sidney and I met Marco Rubio

Although the political life isn’t for Sidney or I, we enjoyed tonight’s experience. Living in South Carolina we have the opportunity to watch firsthand the race to the most powerful office in the world. Informed or ignorant about politics and policies, this is something that all of us who are able to should take advantage of. Don’t Blink.