Things to Do

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Team Activity at GROW Plant Bar

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Ching under Things to Do.

We recently had a team activity at GROW Plant Bar. We did the DIY plant bar as a group and it was so much fun. It’s been about a month now and I’m happy to report that my plants are still alive. Here are some pics from the event:

I brought mine to work the next day.

Here’s a picture of my plants today.

I am happy to report that both of the plants I chose are still alive and seem to be thriving, which I am glad about because if these died I would be really upset. They weren’t cheap to make.

GROW is a neat place and the atmosphere is super fun but, if you’re looking at potting some plants, this is most definitely not the way to go. There are way cheaper options. I had a great time bonding with the coworkers though, so there is that.

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Banana Ball Craze

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Ching under Things to Do.

We ended up getting sucked into the Banana Ball craze earlier this month. This event is so hyped up but, after having attended, I don’t get it. I heard about it for the first time last year from a couple of friends. Because I’m such an easy target, I ended up entering the lottery. I think back in December-January time frame, I got information that I was picked in the lottery. You feel kind a special because not everyone gets picked so, of course, I went for it and purchase my allotment of five tickets. I didn’t really know what to expect. I was mostly just along for the ride.

Fast forward to Banana Ball weekend. Amazingly enough, they managed to fill Equity Bank Park. I have never seen the ballpark packed with so many people. We were in the outfield standing room only area and even that was packed. It was wild!

Supposedly, what makes Banana Ball such a huge draw is that it’s way more fun than regular baseball games. And it’s true, there’s dancing and tricks and crazy rules. I think we would have had way more fun if we had actual seats and weren’t in the outfield SRO section, though. I mean, we didn’t really know what was going on most of the time. The regular baseball rules are confusing enough for me. The modified rules made it even more confusing.

Anyway, glad we got to experience it but probably won’t do this again. Baseball, even if it’s fun like Banana Ball, just isn’t for us I guess.

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Tom’s Last Visit

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Ching under Things to Do.

Here’s a recap of our friend Tom Grace’s last visit to Wichita, which involved nails, a tequila and mezcal tasting, dinner, and brunch the next morning.

The four of us got our nails done together at Nails & Beyond, a nail salon in West Wichita where Brian and I had been going every month for nearly 20 years.

Tom got cuddles with Nugget and all of us (except for Tom, who just did “buff shiny” on his nails) got some shade of blue.

I did a dark blue on my toenails and then a light blue on on my fingernails purposely to go with the dress I was wearing to the wedding we were attending the following weekend.

Here’s a pic of my nails with the dress.

After nails, the four of us went to Total Wine for a tequila and mezcal tasting class.

We tried eight different bottles of tequila and mezcal. I list them all below along with how much each retails at Total Wine and how much I liked them.

Bad Bull Spicy Taramindo ($19.99) *****
Luna de Jalisco ($39.99) ***
El Ateo Reposado ($49.99) ***
3 Amigos Anejo Tequila ($34.99) **
Mi Familia Flores Cristalino ($65.99) ****
Fosforo Ensamble Mezcal ($54.99) *
Mi Mama Me Dijo ($44.99) *
Mi Familia Flores Extra Anejo ($99.99) *****

As you can see, the two that I liked the most were the most expensive and the least expensive. While some people really enjoy expensive bottles of tequila, price it seems has zero bearing on whether I will enjoy it. I learned a ton at this class but my key take-away was that I apparently do not like mezcal – at all. Out of all the ones we tasted, I enjoyed the mezcal ones the least.

After the tasting, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Oak & Pie. Here are some pics of our food. I think the Italian nachos were the hit of the night.

The next morning, we had brunch at Chicken N Pickle where Brian and I ran into an old friend, Michael Castile, who we hadn’t seen in a long time.

By the way, the brunch at Chicken N Pickle is legit. They offer something for everyone. We’ve been to Chicken N Pickle for brunch a few times now and have never been disappointed.

Anyway, that pretty much wraps up Tom’s last visit to Wichita. Until next time!

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My First Blarney Breakfast

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Ching under Community, Things to Do.

The Blarney Breakfast is on its 51st year but I’ve never ever been able to attend because it’s usually on a weekday. This year, however, I managed to squeeze it in to my schedule. Although, I did have to get up super early and go at 6 AM. It helps to have a little bit of peer pressure.

The event benefits Rainbows United and is usually on St. Patrick’s Day (whatever day that might fall during the week). There were drink specials but I couldn’t partake because I had to go to work immediately after. Some of our friends were smart and took the day off, though. I’m thinking I might have to do the same to fully experience Blarney Breakfast next year. What a great way to start the day!