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.

—————-

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.