Tag Archives: Northwood Middle School Spokane

Eccentric Pancakes Thursday Rundown

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I can’t help but feel optimistic. The weather is gorgeous, the days are longer, and the birds are chirping. Summer is on the horizon. But before we get to that point, I want to enjoy the rest of what has been a busy and fun month of May. Let’s go to the Thursday Rundown…

May At St. Mary – Speaking of May, it has been a blessed month for Sloan at St. Mary. She helped with the Mary crowning, participated in a special children’s rosary, and won a class raffle for a Happy Meal lunch. But what really made me proud was on Tuesday when she delivered a reading during the school mass. Proclaiming from the Acts of the Apostles, Sloan stood at the lectern and read flawlessly in front of the entire school and a crowd of parents. I admired the bravery of Sloan and her classmates who also read during the mass.

It has been a busy month at St. Mary School in Spokane Valley. Photos include Sloan and her friend holding Mary’s crown, the group of children who prayed the rosary, and Sloan delivering the reading at the school mass.

Lucky Charms Pancakes – On Mother’s Day, Sidney requested I make my famous pancakes. I happily obliged and in addition to the traditional buttermilk hot cakes I made for her, I whipped up something a little different for the kids. I had a package of Lucky Charms pancake mix that I threw on the griddle for Sloan and Beau. The mix itself had Lucky Charms bits inside it and the box was accompanied with a package of actual Lucky Charms pieces that I sprinkled on top. Overall, the Lucky Charm pancakes were better than the Cinnamon Toast Crunch pancakes I made 15 months ago.

Despite Beau’s scowl, these Lucky Chams pancakes weren’t that bad.

Last MLB Game – It is hard to believe that it has been four years since I last attended a Major League Baseball game. On this date in 2019, Sidney and I visited brand new SunTrust Park to watch the Atlanta Braves host the Milwaukee Brewers. Sid’s parents took care of Sloan as we had a fantastic weekend that also included TopGolf and Cheesecake Factory. Perhaps we will break our MLB drought this summer and go to a Seattle Mariners game.

A photo of Sidney and I from our seats at SunTrust Park on May 18, 2019.

Mother’s Day Photo – During our Mother’s Day celebration at my parents’ house, my siblings and I took a break from the good food, ladder golf, and the metal detector to snap this photo with my mom. We sure owe a lot of gratitude to her for all she has done for us over 3+ decades.

My sister, brother, and I stand with my mom.

7th Grade School Photo – Not much else to share tonight so I thought I would throw in this headshot of a pudgy seventh grader. Let’s hope Beau doesn’t go through this awkward phase 😂

My school photo from seventh grade at Northwood Middle School in north Spokane.

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Yet another Thursday Rundown is now in the books. Thanks for reading and keep your eyes open for a rare Friday blog post tomorrow. Don’t Blink.

Pickleball Enthusiasm

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Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee—by law—made pickleball the official sport of Washington. It makes sense. The game was invented in our state in 1965. But I believe the legislation was also made possible by influence that extends beyond Washington borders. Currently, the game of pickleball is red hot in our nation. The Parade cover story that was published yesterday acknowledging the fact was just a formality.

Pickleball might be the hottest sport in the country right now. Parade Magazine ran a big story about the game yesterday.

With enthusiasm continuing to grow, I suppose Washington declared it our state’s official state sport before another state swooped in and did the same, thus delivering a heavy dose of embarrassment to all Washingtonians.

Pickleball is a great game. My first time playing it was at Northwood Middle School in Spokane. The physical education curriculum offered a special racquet sports unit that a limited number of students could sign up for. As a seventh grader I successfully got my name on the list. Over the course of a few weeks, I improved my ping pong skills and dabbled in badminton. But the best part of the unit was an introduction to the sport of pickleball. The PE teachers running the unit set up a couple courts in the cafeteria gym and I felt the addicting nature of smacking the wiffle ball with the oversized paddles.

I repeated the unit in eighth grade, too. I remember my partner and I finishing second in the pickleball round robin tournament, losing to the eventual champions in a hard-fought match characterized by several long volleys that grew my admiration for the game even more.

Over the years I have not played pickleball as much as I would have liked, but perhaps now is the time to re-commit (because everyone likes the bandwagon trend adopter, right?). Spokane boasts parks with pickleball courts and if the enthusiasts who continue to write letters to the editor in the Spokesman-Review have their way, more might be coming.

Do you play pickleball? If so, let me know when you started playing and where you currently go to get your pickleball fix. Don’t Blink.