Pickleball Thursday Rundown

Let’s open this blog post with the sobering reality that many people in our country are facing unimaginable hardships due to disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. Please pray for all those impacted and for the conclusion of these disastrous events. On that sad, but necessary, note, here are tonight’s five topics…

Night At Indians Game – On Wednesday evening we finally attended our first Spokane Indians game of the summer. Thanks to our friend Shauna (whose daughter, Aminah, is a great friend/classmate of Sloan) we had free tickets. Even better, Shauna arranged for Sloan to announce the first Indians batter. If you think I am lying, watch her flex her announcing chops here. It was a rainy day but it all cleared by first pitch as it was truly a gorgeous evening at Avista Stadium.

It was a great night for baseball at Avista Stadium as the Spokane Indians hosted the Everett AquaSox.

Other Drink Stand Business Models – Last night I told the story of the drink stand business model we concocted for Sloan. Well, there are many other creative options out there as well. Nearly eight years ago, several groups within a business class at Coastal Carolina University converged on Prince Lawn to compete against each other in a lemonade stand battle. Each group did something different and innovative to attract customers. I loved going from stand to stand and I wrote this blog post highlighting the models and tactics that each group used.

This was one of the lemonade stands I encountered on the Coastal Carolina University campus back in September 2015.

Pickleball – Our new neighborhood has a couple of really well-done pickleball courts and we are all about them. The Resers are now part of the national craze as we have ventured down to the courts multiple times for some family fun. Sidney bought a couple of the Target pickleball sets and they are working just fine for us at the moment. However, if we continue to have a blast playing, we might have to invest in equipment that is a little nicer 😎.

Sloan loves pickleball already!

Strike Force Five – It is kind of a neat concept. Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver are collaborating on a podcast to support their striking writers. Although I am not a fan of any of them, especially the first three I mentioned by last name, I admire what they are doing. When reading about it, I kept thinking, Could you imagine Letterman, Leno, and Conan doing this in their heyday?

I admire the teamwork of these five comedians.

What A Feat! – Early in my career I was a marketing director for an intercollegiate volleyball team so I understand the challenges of packing the venue with fans. Because of this experience, I was blown away by the 92,003 people who filled the University of Nebraska’s football stadium to watch the Cornhuskers volleyball team host Omaha. Many Division I football programs would be ecstatic if just a third of the fans that showed up in Lincoln went to a game in their venue. What transpired on Wednesday night reveals so much about Nebraska’s passion for women’s sports, the commitment of the institution’s marketing team, and the success of the volleyball program. How cool it must have been to watch that match in-person!

What an incredible and encouraging sight! (photo courtesy of CNN).

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Okay, I think I am going to release all of you so you can enjoy a terrific Labor Day weekend. Be safe and savor these last official moments of summer. Don’t Blink.

Princess Thursday Rundown

Happy Friday Eve to everyone! Nothing to see here besides a mid-August Thursday Rundown. If that’s your things, feel free to keep reading because I got five topics coming your way…

Happy Middle Child Day – Let me start off tonight by wishing my fellow “not the oldest and not the youngest” friends a Happy Middle Child Day. I definitely think being the middle kid is an entirely different experience from other children in the family. Several years ago, my mom texted me the below meme on this date. Enough said.

My mom texted me this meme in commemoration of Middle Child’s Day.

My Little Pony – Over the course of a week, I read to Sloan the 10 chapters in the below My Little Pony 5-Minute Stories book. Two observations: First, my daughter watches way too much YouTube because she knew all the characters and most of the stories. The funny thing is I have never observed her watching My Little Pony before. Second, I finally got some context on what My Little Pony is all about. I will never forget visiting Baltimore in August 2014 when BronyCon was taking place. BronyCon is the My Little Pony national convention and I had never seen so many grown men dressed up in brightly colored horse suits in my life. Back then, I didn’t really understand the appeal and, to be honest, I still don’t. But at least I know the basis of the series.

Sloan really enjoyed reading this book and I kind of did too.

Princesses at the Ball Game – We picked the perfect night to go to our first Spokane Indians baseball game of the season. Last Friday we went out to Avista Stadium where the promotion that evening was Storybook Princess Night. Upon walking through the gates, Sloan got to meet Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella. All princesses were kind and enthusiastic to Sloan. Hey, if a little fairy tale magic helps convert Sloan to a baseball fan, I can deal with that girly stuff.

Sloan took photos with princesses from Spokane’s Princess Portraits & More at the Spokane Indians game on Aug. 6.

Looking Back on Lays #DoUsAFlavor – Over the span of five years, I enthusiastically taste-tested the Lays potato chip #DoUsAFlavor creations that would come out during the summer and then review them on this blog. Oh, what fun I had! I found great joy pigging out on wacky flavors like chicken & waffles and bacon mac & cheese. I wrote my last post four years ago. That summer’s crop included fried green tomatoes, crispy taco, and everything bagel. If you follow the link to that 2017 post, you will find links to all my other #DoUsAFlavor reviews as well.

Me holding the 2015 #DoUsAFlavor Lay’s potato chips.

Sibling Love – I thought these photos I snapped the other day of Sloan and Beau embracing were too sweet and innocent not to share. They can seriously bother the heck out of each other, but these moments make it all worth it.

Beau and Sloan share a hug.

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It is going to be another triple digit weekend so that must mean we have another outdoor wedding to attend. My family will be in Walla Walla the next couple days to celebrate my cousin’s special moment so I am sure you will hear a little bit about it in the ensuing week. Stay cool, friends. Don’t Blink.