Scrabble | Don't Blink

Happy Easter season, friends! I hope this blog post finds you well. What do you say we just jump right in this evening? Alright, let’s go with my latest five topics…

T-Ball Season – Earlier this week, a certain 6-year-old reported for the 2023 t-ball season. After a successful 2022 debut season, she is back on the field for another couple months of fun. This year she is on the Red Pandas, a team that five of her St. Mary classmates are on too. With two practices now in the books, I think this squad has talent!

Sloan started her second season of t-ball this week.

Stolen Youth – This week, Sidney and I watched an extremely interesting three-part documentary series on Hulu called “Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence.” The documentary tells the story of a group of close-knit college friends who live together in a campus housing dorm/apartment hybrid. One day, the dad of one of the female residents randomly moves in. The students are sketched out at first but then he starts to win them over one-by-one. From there, he maneuvers them completely under his control. It is a unique look at a non-traditional “cult” and you will be amazed at how this “dad” is able to manipulate these bright and ambitious college students.

“Stolen Youth” was a fascinating and sad documentary.

National Scrabble Day – I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to mark National Scrabble Day. Scrabble was my family’s favorite game growing up as we played many intense, competitive rounds. When we moved back to Spokane three years ago, I was delighted to dust off the board and play a game with everyone for old times’ sake. Another fond memory I have of Scrabble is from the sixth grade. My teacher, Mr. Jared Hoadley, took our class to a neighboring rival elementary school to play its sixth grade class in a Scrabble tournament. We might have mobile apps like Words With Friends and Wordle, but the ultimate word game will always be Scrabble!

A look at our Scrabble board from the “homecoming” game we played three years ago.

Mike & Mike Memory – One of my favorite career memories was when I covered the Monday After the Masters event on this date 8 years ago. A fundraising showcase for Darius Rucker, the event included the live broadcast of Mike & Mike from the golf course where the event was held. At the time I was working for CCU and our mascot and spirit squad attended/appeared on the Mike & Mike broadcast. I went along to document the moment for social media and had a blast. It was so cool to see Mike Golic up close along with countless other celebrities. It also served as a “reunion” of sorts between me and the man who allowed me to play a small part in his most recent music video at the time. This was the blog post I wrote about the awesome experience.

This was a fun day! Follow the link for many more photos.

Spa Date – On Sloan’s birthday, she received a coupon from her Aunt Carrie and Uncle Glen. It was good for a spa date followed by dinner. Last Wednesday, Sloan redeemed her coupon. Glen picked Sloan up and took her to the salon where Carrie was at. Sloan got her toes done and enjoyed the pampered life. The trio then went to Outback (Sloan’s choice) for a nice dinner. What an evening!