Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
It was a few weeks ago that there was a big storm in the area. Trees came down. Lakes overflowed. And as a result in the weeks following, crawfish were everywhere. I can’t speak for the whole city but throughout the neighborhood and surrounding areas they could be seen walking through yards, crossing roads, and swimming in overflow streams. I know cicadas are all over the news right now, and crawfish are like, “Hold my beer…” The other day I got a few pics because without pictures, did it really happen? In the photos below is a lone crawfish being observed by a curious beagle. She barks at them but it’s not till they’re dead that she turns them into a yummy snack.
I’m predicting an eventful wildlife summer in north Florida from a wet spring. So far just in a few miles radius we’ve experienced alligators, crawfish swarms, an armadillo, snakes, turtles, ticks, and that was just Tuesday! OK, not really. But just watch, it’s going to get crazy this summer.
My niece got married or whatever the other day and in the days leading up to it, there were about a thousand showers or shopping trips or mani/pedis or new dresses or hair salon visits. I successfully avoided all of those except for one shower (which was kinda fun, actually. Don’t tell anyone.) but because of this big event (the wedding, which lasted 17 minutes), family came into town from all over the US and by that I mean, Ohio. One night the father of the bride hosted all the family folk for a good ol’ fashioned southern cookout, and by that I mean, things that go well with ranch dressing.
I assigned myself the task of putting together a playlist to help cover any and all awkward silences. Oh, who am I kidding? With my family, there are no silences, but it can get awkward for sure. I like making themed playlists so this is one for some kind of wedding, wedding shower, music you don’t have to listen to the lyrics of, family gathering, type situation. I think these songs are more suited for a bride than a groom but you can be the judge.
Have any songs to add? Keep it to yourself, my list is perfect! Or share in the comments below.
Why!? Why did America put Jack Blocker in third place when he was clearly meant to win it all!!!??? OK, that’s just my opinion but in last night’s 3-hour finale (yes, longer than a football game for something that should go for an hour or less!), Jack was the first one in the final 3. Second place went to Will Moseley and I wasn’t surprised when Abi Carter was crowned the winner of American Idol.
She started with a platinum ticket and ended all alone at the top. Will started with Lionel running out during his audition and ended with just he and Abi going for #1. Jack started with a ‘no’ from 2 judges but ended with a yes from all 3. It was a great season even if the judges made some mistakes early on, and does anyone else get really annoyed by their constant positivity? I understand they want to be encouraging but like we’re taught as young children, honesty is the best policy.
Pet peeves aside, I wish Jack would’ve won but it’ll be interesting to watch the careers of some of the finalists take flight. I’m thinking of Jack, Emmy, and of course Abi.
What did you think of this season? Chime in below!
Amazon is airing a commercial called “Concrete Jungle” featuring a woman living in an urban setting but to make her place more like home she orders all kinds of greenery from Amazon. Take a look then scroll down for more info…
Rewind. I’ve written about this ad before because the song immediately caught my attention. I’m a sucker for the classical music weaved into the song used as the soundtrack. For more about that in my previous post, click here.
The Actress. Featured in this ad is actress Victoria Wyant. She’s a graduate of the Oxford School of Drama (2022) and a bit of her bio is posted on their website…
You might also recognize her from this Sony Xbox commercial.
The irony of rain on your wedding day is something we’re all very aware of. It’s been immortalized in poems, speeches, and songs. All the writers must’ve lived in Florida because you can just about expect the chances of rain every single day in the summer. Throwing caution to the wind, my niece and her fiancé planned an outdoor wedding and guess what… it rained! But it wasn’t till the reception and it’s funny to me when something we think would ruin a wedding is actually the best part of the whole thing (besides the “I do’s” of course 🤪). Someone said this and I think it’s true… more people at this wedding got on the dance floor because of the rain than if it hadn’t rained at all. That’s how you make lemonade out of a lemon, right?
This rainy reception (with thunder and lightning, too) reminded me for a brief moment of one of my favorite movies, The Notebook. Noah and Allie were paddling around a lake to look at swans or whatever and a storm popped up. Allie got real stressed but there was a point in their soaked journey back to the dock that she just embraced the chaos. She let go of what she had no control over anyway. That scene was a pivotal part of their relationship and for the weekend wedding, the rain was definitely a concern. But while some family and friends and on-site staff secured the tents and food and chairs, the wedding party and all the bride’s and groom’s friends danced in the rain. It was really awesome to see that kind of free-spiritedness on display! ☔️
On top of that, the day after the wedding we celebrated a high school graduation for another of my nieces! Finishing high school is a great accomplishment and I’m so excited to see what happens as her future takes shape. The ceremony was everything you’d expect from a graduation, minus the one graduate who does a flip on stage. Then we went to dinner and all of our attention was on the graduate (and the delicious food, of course). It was really amazing to watch the cohesiveness of 2 big families come together. After dessert, we went to homes or hotels and I can’t speak for everyone but crawling into bed that night was especially sweet.
I don’t think it’s quite hit me yet that my niece is married. She’s the oldest of 7 nieces (and 2 nephews) so all of this is new to me and the rest of the family. But what a standard the event set from the fantastic ceremony to the catering and the overall spirituality of it all. God was not just included as a ritual of the Christian faith, He was given credit for doing good things for his glory and our joy. I hope He’s happy now! And since He’s been part of the married couple’s relationship from the first date, I have a feeling He’s smiling just like we are.
Out of the Wilderness 