Ring Thursday Rundown

We are smack-dab in the middle of September and I hope everyone is easing into their back-to-school routines and whatnot. If I am not mistaken today is Thursday and that mean’s I have five topics coming your way…

Soccer Girl – Sloan is playing soccer this fall! She is “playing up” because team spots for girls born in 2017 were full. It’s okay, after two practices with her 2016 team it looks like she will be just fine. The Icky Squids (team name chosen by the athletes 😂) will play their first game on Saturday. As a parent, I am encouraged to see Sloan try new things and I hope this turns out to be an overall excellent experience for her.

Sloan at her soccer practice last week,

Ring – What do you do when the doorbell rings and the camera shows these two hooligans at the door? Call the police, right?! Our new house came equipped with Ring technology, the first time I have had such capabilities. So far in the five weeks since we moved in, I think our doorbell has been pressed around 50 times. Of course, 49 of those times came via our two children while the remaining ring came courtesy of a maintenance person. Yep, it is being put to great use.

What are you gonna do when these two come to your door?

Peanuts – On a back page of yesterday’s paper was the below information. I love peanuts so I took interest in the facts. I appreciated that boiled peanuts were called out (so good!) and I didn’t know about all the towns/cities in our country named “Peanut.” But the fact that I found fascinating was the quantity of peanuts in peanut butter. Supposedly 500 peanuts are ground up into a jar of peanut butter. Although the size of the jar isn’t specified, I will assume it is an average-sized jar and when I have that image in my mind, I can’t help but mentally stack 500 peanuts into an empty jar for a true visual.

This peanut back page was published in the Spokesman-Review on September 13, 2023.

Eucharistic Revival – Last Sunday, Sloan and I had the blessing of attending the Spokane Diocese’s Eucharistic Revival at the Podium in downtown Spokane. The event, which was put on by my home diocese, was part of an overall National Eucharistic Revival spearheaded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The point of the revival is to inspire people to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist. Sloan and I watched the beautiful and holy procession enter the Podium and then we followed inside to grab our seats. Dr. Mary Healy and Bishop Thomas Daly both spoke and then we spent time in holy adoration. After the event everyone converged outside in the park for a picnic dinner. It was powerful to see thousands of Catholics from our diocese and BEYOND gather for such a sacred event. Thanks be to God.

Photo I took of Catholic faithful walking into the Podium for the Eucharistic Revival sponsored by the Diocese of Spokane on Sept. 10, 2023.

Disney World! – On this date five years ago, we took Sloan to Disney World (sorry Beau, a little before your time). The reason the opportunity presented itself was because of Hurricane Florence. We had evacuated Myrtle Beach and went to stay in Jacksonville at Sidney’s aunt’s house. The three of us stayed there for a few days and decided to drive to Orlando for one of them to see Mickey. It was a lot of fun but also very HOT.

Five years ago on this date, we made a trip to Disney World. The impromptu visit resulted from our Hurricane Florence evacuation.

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Time to wrap things up. It is supposed to be a gorgeous weekend and we will be busy. Wishing you the best and will catch up next week. Don’t Blink.

Hearts On Fire Thursday Rundown

It is once again Friday Eve. By this time I hope you are over the disappointment of Groundhog Day and ready to give the next six (make that five) weeks of winter everything you have. I am ready to give this Thursday Rundown everything that I have…

NICU Memories – These past few days, as I will for the next several, cause me to reflect on the events that transpired three years ago at this time. I am talking about Beau’s stint in the NICU at McLeod Children’s Hospital. For 10 days, Sid and I made daily trips from Myrtle Beach to Florence to be with our little guy as he got better. It was an experience that will undoubtedly always remain with us. The blog post I wrote on the saga was ranked the #1 all-time best in the history of Don’t Blink. Thanks Be to God for his many blessings during a trying time.

By the time this photo was taken, Beau was steadily improving and we were all so relieved.

Guys Night – Up until this point, I haven’t had the opportunity to do too many things with just Beau and me. Now that he is 3, I know this will start to change. Last Friday night I had so much fun taking him to the local high school to watch basketball. We visited East Valley High School to watch the girls and boys teams play. Beau had fun watching the action, listening to the band, and eating/drinking concession stand fare. He also enjoyed the intense attention he received from the high school girls who enamored by him. At the end of the game, one particular student came up to me and gave me her number and offered her babysitting services!

I had a great time with Beau at the East Valley vs. Shadle Park basketball games.

Bag Limit – I have written about Washington state’s plastic bag tax before and what I saw on Monday night made me laugh. When I was checking out at Walmart, noticed that there is now a prompt on the screen that sets a plastic bag limit of 99. I asked myself, are people really coming into the store and buying copious amounts of plastic bags? They are extremely high quality and useful but I don’t know if I would buy them to bulk. Needless to say, I don’t think the plastic bag reduction efforts went according to plan in this state.

Do you notice the red bag limit notice or are you too busy deciphering the groceries I bought?

Hearts on Fire Men’s Conference – Last Saturday, I was blessed to spend the day at the Spokane Diocese Hearts on Fire Catholic Men’s Conference. Held at St. Thomas More in North Spokane, the event was comprised of mass with Bishop Thomas Daly, music, confession, adoration, reciting of the rosary, small group sessions, testimonials, meals, fellowship, and more. The speakers brought in for the conference were Deacon Bob Rice and Deacon James Thruman. The best part was meeting new Catholic brothers and just being in the general presence of so many devoted men.

I photo I took of St. Thomas More Parish in North Spokane upon walking into the Hearts on Fire Men’s Conference sponsored by the Diocese of Spokane.

Birthday Dinner – Although sickness derailed Sid’s birthday dinner date night, we made up for it this past weekend. My parents watched the kids for the night and we went out to Airway Heights. We ate dinner at Spokane Tribe Casino and Sid tried her luck at the slots. We then drove a couple minutes to Northern Quest where Sid continued to play and we both drank a lot of soda.

Sid and I ate dinner at Three Peaks inside Spokane Tribe Casino. I had the Cougar Gold mac and cheese.

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That will wrap up another Thursday Rundown. Thanks for your time this evening and enjoy your weekend. Don’t Blink.

Snow Globe Thursday Rundown

Have you ate a candy cane yet this year? Do you prefer a traditional peppermint cane or do you like the bacon-flavored variety or the tutti-fruity kind? Mini canes or large ones? Okay, this Thursday blog post has absolutely nothing to do with candy canes and all those questions were rhetorical. So, let’s get started with tonight’s five topics…

White Elephant Auction – This was a first for me. Although I have done too many white elephant gift exchanges to count, I had never participated in a white elephant auction. Last Sunday I attended a Christmas party for a ministry I am part of in the Spokane Diocese. The organizers held a white elephant auction and asked all of us to bring any items from our house that we don’t use much anymore but that others might find value in. Once at the party, the items were displayed with a bidding sheet underneath each one. We then made bids on the items we wanted. I walked away with a few items, including this jumbo snow globe that now adorns our living room. The best part? All proceeds went to charity.

My $10 bid was enough to take this guy home.

Best Birthday Party Ever – Last Saturday night, Sloan attended a pretty unique birthday party. Her friend and classmate, Aminah, invited Sloan to her sixth birthday bash at the Spokane Chiefs hockey game. The party attendees got to eat pizza on the Spokane Arena concourse, play in the kid’s zone before it was open to the public, slap hands with the Spokane Chiefs players, and watch the best game of the year—Teddy Bear Toss Night! The cutest part was during the second intermission when Aminah got to ride on the zamboni. Naturally, Sloan now wants to have her birthday party at a Spokane Chiefs game.

A collection of photos from Sloan’s experience at the Spokane Chiefs hockey game on Dec. 3. Aminah is pictured in the first photo with Sloan.

Rudolph’s Mix – It was six years ago that I tried Rudolph’s Mix for the first time. A half dozen years later, I must give it another plug in this blog. Available only in Target stores, it isn’t labeled as an “indulgent” snack mix for nothing. You just have to trust me on this one. I say year after year that Rudolph’s Mix simply tastes like Christmas. In fact, it rivals Christmas Crack for my favorite Yuletide treat not on this list. We are just now finishing off our first jar of the season and you should catch up with us.

That’s my hand holding the current jar of Rudolph’s Mix we have in our house.

Christmas Archive – In the not-so-distant past, I have written a couple Christmas-themed posts on December 8 in different years. Two years ago, I offered 10 fun and easy Christmas activities to do with your children. They are all still relevant today so I encourage you to check it out. Then, just a year ago on this date, I wrote an amusing post on the differing wrapping paper philosophies of Sidney and I. Trust me, you will laugh out loud if you read it. Feliz Navidad!

A Christmas-themed pajama party is on the list.

A Laugh to End It – My friend Lindsi posted the below meme to her Instagram Story. If this isn’t the best gingerbread house hack then I don’t know what is. Hey, this might be the perfect weekend to buy that gingerbread house kit at Walmart and do some building…just make sure to have your kid’s toy dinosaur close by.

Thank you to Lindsi for this meme.

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Thanks for sacrificing five minutes to read about five topics. I hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend…my family will be heading to the North Pole (sort of). Don’t Blink.

Beau Bear Eve Thursday Rundown

It is Beau’s Birthday Eve! Tomorrow we will have a 1-year-old. As I come to grips with this upcoming milestone, I decided to write a Thursday Rundown. Let’s go…

Latest Blizzard – The Thursday Rundown is a landing spot for my Dairy Queen Blizzard reviews (here and here). In honor of Sidney’s birthday weekend, we picked up dessert on Saturday night. I opted for the red velvet flavor which happened to be the Blizzard of the Month. The DQ famous vanilla ice cream was blended with red velvet cake pieces and cream cheese icing. It had really good texture and really good flavor…for the first few bites. After I scratched the surface of my blizzard, it was just pure white the rest of the way. Unfortunately the classic problem plagued me—all the toppings and mix-ins were at the very top with plain vanilla ice cream the rest of the day.

This was my red velvet Dairy Queen Blizzard from Saturday night.

Super Bowl Hope/Prediction – Last week I humbled myself and gave mad respect to Tom Brady and the mesmerizing career he has enjoyed. Although I will savor the chance to watch a legend play on Sunday, it doesn’t mean I want him to win. I hope the Kansas City Chiefs will repeat as Super Bowl champs? Do I think they will do it? Actually, I do. Chiefs beat Bucs, 28-24.

I will be rooting for Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Preparing to Sleep – Please use your imagination and read the below meme from my wife’s point of view. Okay, did you do it? This explains Sid and I exactly. Out of the numerous fluffy pillows that Sid keeps on the bed, I take the oldest and skinniest. I also have a bad habit of throwing some of the excess pillows on the floor, which will get me a prompt scolding. I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow whereas Sid needs pretty much everything listed in this meme, plus the TV turned on. I know Sid thinks it is unfair that I can simply shut my eyes and go to sleep but perhaps this is the way it is for many married couples.

This nailed it.

Heart’s On Fire Men’s Conference – Last Saturday, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Heart’s On Fire Men’s Conference sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Spokane. Having enjoyed the South Carolina Catholic Men’s Conference, I knew that attending a similar event out west was a must. The conference took into account social distancing. Instead of everyone meeting at a designated spot, different parishes in the diocese served as satellite locations where guys could go to watch the livestreamed presentations with a small group. I attended the conference at St. Thomas More, the parish I actually grew up in. Fr. Pat Kerst celebrated mass with our group in the morning and heard confessions at lunch. During the morning and afternoon we listened to Dr. John Bergsma, a professor at Franciscan University, deliver four different talks. After each talk, we gathered in our small groups at our satellite location to discuss the content. Thanks to the Diocese of Spokane for putting this conference on during difficult times, I sure got a lot out of it.

I took this photo at St Thomas More Parish in Spokane. Although a premium was placed on social distancing at the Diocese of Spokane Men’s Conference, it was still a very worthwhile experience.

Soups – Who out there loves a flavorful, piping hot bowl of soup? Your favorite blogger sure does! If I am given a choice between soup or salad at a restaurant, 9/10 times I am opting for the former. A few years ago, I actually ranked my top five favorite soups. My list consisted of clam chowder (#5), chili (#4), butternut squash (#3), potato (#2), and pasta fagioli (#1). Oh yeah, Italian wedding was included as an honorable mention. Happy National Soup Day! 

I love a good bowl of soup.

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Time to cuddle my baby boy tonight before he wakes up a man tomorrow. Okay, I exaggerate, but do you get the picture? I got to go. Have a wonderful night, my friends. Don’t Blink.