Damon Thursday Rundown

Posted on June 17, 2021 by brent

Greetings my friends! Not much small talk this evening, just five topics coming your way…

Golf With Dad – Since my family was still in Myrtle Beach last weekend, I did something that I normally don’t have time to do: I golfed. My dad and I went on a father-son outing and played 18 holes. We golfed at Esmeralda, my first time ever playing the course. We were paired with two other young men and we had a great afternoon. My game needs a lot of work but it was so nice to hit the links on such a beautiful day.

My dad and I golfed 18 holes at Esmeralda in Spokane.

Honeymoon – When these mid-June dates come around, I always get giddy looking at my Timehop as it takes me back to our honeymoon. Five years later I can still mentally put myself back into our Cancun resort and remember the sights, smells, and feel of the air. All of these sensory memories are so pleasant because there was so much joy those five days in Mexico. I wrote about our honeymoon and discussed some of the tangible things that made the trip the best ever (hint: going with the best person ever sure helped).

I wrote in depth about our honeymoon.

The Departed – The best movie I saw this past week was 2006 Academy Award winning best picture “The Departed.” I had never watched it from start to finish and I am glad I finally did. Jack Nicholson is perfect as a gangster and one of my personal favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio, did not disappoint. I also didn’t realize key roles that Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin played in the movie. The last 20 minutes of the film is a real trip and just the general premise of the cops and gangsters both trying to figure out who infiltrated their organizations is highly entertaining. Definitely recommend.

“The Departed” will keep you intrigued!

Spokane Tribe Casino – On Saturday night, I went with my parents to the Spokane Tribe Casino for dinner. The gaming center/resort opened just a few years ago to compete with Northern Quest Casino and this past weekend was my first time visiting the premises. It is a spotless facility with a nice restaurant area. The menu has several enticing options as I went with the spaghetti Bolognese. But what makes the Spokane Tribe Casino stand out is its beer special. All pints are just $2. It doesn’t matter if you get a Bud Light, a Blue Moon, or an IPA, it will only set you back $2. In an era where 16 oz. of beer usually costs $5, the low cost of $2 for a large selection of brews is much appreciated.

It is $2 for all draft beer at Spokane Tribe Casino.

An Incredible Force – This meme is right on, man. I have spent some frustrating moments in my life trying to separate buckets like these. If teams stuck together like 5-gallon buckets do, I don’t think there is any doubt that they would win championships. Thanks for the meme, Lindsi.

Have you ever tried to pull apart 5-gallon buckets? Hard!

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Thanks for taking time to read my post. Remember that the longest day of the year is on Sunday so make sure to get out and enjoy it. Don’t Blink.

Storms Are Better With Family

Posted on June 15, 2021 by brent

I think we all might have a childhood middle of the night storm memory. We went to bed only to awake in the wee hours of the morning to the sounds of hard rain and pounding thunder combined with the spectacle of brilliant white light generated by lightning bolts.

For many of us, the experience delivered a plethora of emotions including excitement, wonderment, and perhaps a little fear. It was a special and random occasion, one that the whole family shared together during an hour when usually everyone was asleep.

Watching a lightning storm in the middle of the night was always special as a child.

Last night we had a storm in Spokane that reminded me of the ones from my childhood. The sky was in a constant state of illumination and the rain poured heavy for several hours. Our master bedroom is on the top floor and a large sliding door that leads out to our personal deck is by our bed. I prefer to keep the curtains open at night to admire the Spokane Valley skyline. As you can imagine, it provided an incredible view of the storm.

But something was missing. I had no one to share it with. Monday evening was the last night without Sid and the kids. Since I had no one to watch Mother Nature’s theatrics with, I eventually got up and closed the curtain.

I picked up these two (and Sid) at the airport today.

If another wicked storm decides to roll in tonight (which I know it won’t), I will be watching the entire show. My family arrived in town at lunchtime today and I feel complete once again. Life’s little pleasures just mean more when you can enjoy them with those you love. Don’t Blink.

Summer 2021 is Here

Posted on June 14, 2021 by brent

Summer technically doesn’t begin until next Sunday but that is just a formality. In my opinion, summer is already here. School is out, pools are open, and the vibe is evident. To put it simply, it feels like summer.

I came to this realization yesterday. I was over at my parents’ and we went on the back porch to have a beer. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the air smelled like chlorine from the two pools in neighboring yards. By the time we grilled some steaks and ate those outside too I definitely knew it wasn’t spring anymore.

It dawned on me yesterday while I was drinking this (don’t judge) that summer is here.

So, as I tend to say when a new season is upon us, enjoy it. Savor the long days, soak in the sunshine, and get outdoors. If you have children, make these next few months special for them. It is my belief that summer should be a more relaxed, carefree time. Come on, grab an icy cold citrus beer and enjoy yourself.

Also, do I need to remind you? This isn’t the summer of 2020, folks. The COVID tide has changed and we will be able to do things this year. Don’t take it for granted. Seize the opportunities to watch a minor league baseball game, splash at the water park, and attend that fireworks show. While you enjoy those things, remember to be thankful.

Our family has a big summer lined up and we hope you do too. Remember to have lots of fun! Don’t Blink.

Our Fifth Wedding Anniversary

Posted on June 11, 2021 by brent

What do golden rings, the Great Lakes, fingers on one hand, and the marriage of Sid and Brent have in common?

You can put a “5” in front of each one.

Today, Sidney and I celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Although we have never been farther apart geographically for an anniversary, we have never been closer in our relationship. That type of stability can make a few thousand miles seem like nothing.

It was a beautiful feeling walking back up the aisle with Sidney after we were married.

The keys to our strong marriage, aside from the unshakeable love we have for one another, continue to be the same ones I outlined in our third anniversary and fourth anniversary blog posts: Outstanding examples from our parents, a matrimonial union rooted in the Church, and the gift of children.

There is not a day that goes by that those three blessings don’t have some type of influence on our relationship. As I look back on this latest year of marriage and think about what strengthened our marital bond beyond “the big/consistent three,” I can point to, appropriately, five things…

Let’s Begin a Life Out West – I suppose there had to be some trust with this one, right? Although it was hard to leave our life in Myrtle Beach, Sid and I worked together to make a major move that was beneficial for our family.

Weight Loss Challenge – We embarked on a six-week weight loss challenge together. Yes, at times we wanted to flip out on each other as hunger and fatigue set in, but we survived. We saw the challenge to the end and enjoyed some great results.

Meet Like-Minded Couples – Sid and I joined a Young Adult Catholic Group in our area and met some other married couples who are at the same stages in life as we are with careers, children, and faith. Having our parents as examples of what a loving marriage looks like is huge, but having peers who also have strong marriages is important too.

Two Is Better Than One – This past year of marriage was the first full 52-week cycle of having two children. If you think having one kid will bring you closer to your spouse, go ahead and have another. Thanks be to God for Sloan and Beau.

Spend Every Waking Hour Together – The pandemic allowed me to work from home all year and with Sidney shifting into her role as a stay-at-home mom, that meant we were under the same roof pretty much 24/7. If we didn’t kill each other with that arrangement, I would say our marriage is on pretty solid ground.

I am so thankful for my wife. She is a rock star and makes me so happy. Can’t wait to get working on the next five years and beyond. Happy anniversary, Sid. Don’t Blink.

Rehearsing This Thursday Rundown

Posted on June 10, 2021 by brent

I hope the lack of a Thursday Rundown last week didn’t put you in that bad of a mood. Thankfully your favorite weekly blog post is back. Here are tonight’s topics…

Dessert Date – One thing I did not share in last night’s recap about our Myrtle Beach trip was a nice outing that Sidney and I shared. Last Sunday evening, once both of our kids were asleep, we slipped out of my in-law’s house and went to a restaurant I have blogged about before called the Sneaky Beagle. We ordered dessert and a round of drinks. We split a slice of “Death by Chocolate” cake and Oreo pie. Both desserts were delicious and the two of us sure enjoyed our hour of alone time together.

Dessert at the Sneaky Beagle was a great way for Sid and I to escape and enjoy a little time together on our vacation.

Five Years Ago – As nice as the Sneaky Beagle was, it can’t hold a candle to the place we ate at five years ago on this date. The location was Thoroughbreds Chophouse and the occasion was our rehearsal dinner. The evening wasn’t perfect just because the food was superb (Sid’s uncle said it was the best prime rib he has had in his life, beating out a 5-star restaurant he ate at in Las Vegas) but because how intimate and special it was. I will always remember my dad’s speech and sharing the head table with both of our parents. I wrote this blog post about our experience.

A couple different views of the head table for our rehearsal dinner at Throughbreds

National Ballpoint Pen Day – Yet another quirk of mine is that I always carry at least two ballpoint pens in my pocket at any given time. The origin of this habit can be traced as far back as middle school. Before you laugh at me, you need to realize how many times I have saved the day by pulling out a pen when someone was in desperate need of a writing utensil. My ballpoint pen obsession reached a new level when I ordered 262 of them with Don’t Blink branding on it in 2014. Happy National Ballpoint Pen Day, everyone.

I always have ballpoint pens on me.

Family Movies – While on vacation I watched a couple movies that would be great for the whole family. We watched “Blue Miracle,” a Netflix film starring Dennis Quaid in which he plays a washed-up fisherman just looking to be relevant again. It is a short film with a strong message. We also watched “Raya and the Last Dragon,” an animated film that you can catch on Disney+. This movie has strong themes of teamwork and selflessness. If you have young teenagers, watch “Blue Miracle.” If you have smaller children, watch “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

I enjoyed watching “Blue Miracle.”

3-For-1 – On Tuesday night, I gave a Twitter shoutout to the pizza guy at the Minneapolis Airport. Well, tonight I want to give him the Don’t Blink treatment as well. I approached a pizza place near the G gates of the airport and ordered a single slice. After I put in my order I had to pay at a different checkpoint. When I returned to pick up my pizza the employee lifted the box it was in to reveal THREE slices instead of just one. He gave me a sly smile and I expressed my gratitude.

The fact that the pizza place was about to close for the night was probably a major factor in him giving me three slices.

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Glad I could put together another Thursday Rundown. Hoping my wife and kids are continuing to enjoy themselves in Myrtle Beach and I hope that you have a fabulous weekend. Don’t Blink.

Our Summer Vacation to Myrtle Beach

Posted on June 9, 2021 by brent

Yesterday I returned from a nice trip to Myrtle Beach. In our second trip back after our move out west, our schedule wasn’t as packed as our holiday visit last December. This allowed us to both enjoy some more downtime while also connecting with people we had not seen in a year and a half. As I typically do with vacation recaps, I thought it would be best to identify five themes from my* June trip to Myrtle Beach.

We were all smiles as we flew to Myrtle Beach.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family – We were most excited to meet our new nephew/cousin. Sidney’s sister, Court, and her husband welcomed their first child into the world on May 17. FaceTime can only fill the geographic void to a certain extent and we couldn’t wait to hold Jack for the first time. He surely didn’t disappoint! I know Sidney fell in love with Jack the moment she laid her eyes on him and it was a pleasant reminder to me about how little newborns truly are (crazy how you forget so quickly). What joy it brought us to meet Jack!

Meet Baby Jack!

Family – Yes, we were ecstatic to see the newest member of the family but we couldn’t wait to see the non-newborn members as well! The four of us spent majority of our time visiting with Sid’s parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews, and niece. We ate meals, played volleyball, watched baseball, and spent precious time visiting. A couple of my personal highlights included Sidney and I having a sleepover with our niece (Russell, 12) and nephew (Harrison, 8) and also enjoying a birthday celebration for Russell and her youngest brother, Henry (4). I am so blessed to be part of Sid’s family!

Being with Sidney’s family was the reason for the vacation.

Summer Activities – Although we didn’t receive summer-like weather while we were in Myrtle Beach, it didn’t stop us from engaging in summer fun. It may have rained more days than not, but I still wanted Sloan to do things while on vacation. We hit up a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game and despite only getting to see a few innings due to rain, we still ate plenty of ballpark food and were treated to a fireworks show. One day I took Sloan to Myrtle Waves, a huge water park in Myrtle Beach. While it drizzled most of the time we were there and I secretly hoped that the sun would come out, Sloan didn’t know the difference. She loved the lazy river and the kiddie slides. My last full day we were there we headed to the beach. It was Beau’s first time seeing the ocean and Sloan spent the time with her cousin building sandcastles and collecting seashells. Throughout the trip we didn’t let a little rain dampen our fun!

Yes, it rained. However, it couldn’t keep us away from the beach, water park, and ball game.

Nice to See You Again – In addition to spending lots of time with Sid’s family, we also saw some of our closest friends. Sloan played multiple times with her Myrtle best friend, Jacqueline, and I got to visit with her mom, Susannah. We went over to the home of our spiritual mentors, the McCormicks, for pizza and conversation. I also stepped foot on the Coastal Carolina University campus for the first time since February 2020 and had a reunion with my University Marketing and Communication team. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and see how they successfully managed through the pandemic. After I left the offices I went across the street with my CCU bestie, Geoff, to our favorite burrito joint for lunch (Welcome to Moe’s!).

We joined the McCormicks for an evening (top photo), I got to have lunch with Geoff (bottom left), and Sloan and Jacqueline got to see each other a few times and I got to catch up with Susannah (bottom right photo).

Enjoying Our Favorites – Sid and I managed to do some of our favorite Myrtle Beach things. We attended mass at St. Andrew, got dessert at our favorite ice cream spot (Bruster’s), went through the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru countless times, and managed to find Mr. Softee. I also got in several workouts at Iron Legacy, the gym that holds a dedicated spot in my heart. We didn’t take for granted the opportunity to visit and enjoy these places that are so special to us.

From church to ice cream to the gym, we got to enjoy some of our favorite Myrtle Beach things/places.

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Myrtle Beach will always be part of who I am. I met my wife, had two kids, and spent some of the best years of my life there. To have the opportunity to go back and visit is something I am incredibly thankful for. I am happy that Sid, Sloan, and Beau still have several days left to enjoy. Don’t Blink.

* – I say “my” because Sid, Sloan, and Beau are still making memories in Myrtle Beach. They will be returning next Tuesday.

Checking In From Detroit

Posted on June 8, 2021 by brent

Good afternoon, everyone. I am writing this blog post from the Detroit Airport as I have some time to kill and felt like I would check in with my readers.

My view from my seat at the Detroit Airport.

I am in the middle of my return travel from Myrtle Beach. After I leave Detroit I will be en route to Minneapolis and then finally home to Spokane. I am projected to arrive a little past 11 p.m. PT. It definitely feels a little lonely as I am traveling without my wife and kids. When we purchased airline tickets we opted for a later return date for Sid, Sloan, and Beau so they could spend more time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As for me, there is work to be done and more vacation time later in the summer to enjoy so it was necessary to get back to Spokane. I would be lying if I said I didn’t already miss them.

If you noticed, I took an entire week off from blogging. Hope my readers don’t take offense but it was really nice! After 10 years, it felt good to take a break. For the most part, I stayed disconnected from work as well. Thus, it was eight days of strictly family time and relaxation.

Tomorrow I hope to touch on those carefree days but for the time being I wanted to just say “hi.” Well, excuse me as I savor these last couple minutes in Detroit, the excitement is mind boggling. Don’t Blink.

My Top 10 Blog Posts of All-Time

Posted on May 31, 2021 by brent

After 10 years and 2,000 blog posts, I guess you could say this one means something. Today I am not counting down my top 5 favorite hard candies or my top 5 favorite fast food desserts. No, this one is a little more significant.

This month I took time to reflect on my personal favorite Don’t Blink blog posts from the past decade. I combed through the content and engaged in spirited internal debates about which ones meant the most to me. After much deliberation, I picked an extreme short list that comprises just .2% of the posts I have written since beginning this blog in 2011.

I am proud to present my Top 10 Don’t Blink Blog Posts. This countdown is all about my personal preferences and isn’t tied to analytics or the opinions of anyone else. These are my favorite pieces. What a journey it has been…

10. My Insanely Long Hair (February 13, 2014) – We open with a shocker. If I ever want someone to spit out their coffee, I send them the link to this blog post. Back in high school I had LONG hair that was thick, curly, and UGLY. It is definitely a sight to be seen and after reading the post you might either laugh or vomit.

i had some long hair back in the day and it made for an entertaining blog post.

9. Making the Cut: My Cameo in Darius Rucker’s Music Video (September 29, 2014) – Alright, now we go from not getting my hair cut to making the cut! It was a thrilling afternoon in the office at Coastal Carolina University when Darius Rucker released his video for “Homegrown Honey” which took place exclusively on the CCU campus and in downtown Conway. Seeing my goofy mug right next to the Hootie star himself made that day that even better. Besides my starring role in a short film that was showed on a jumbotron, this post is my very brief claim to fame.

I made the cut in Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey” video.

8. Hey Southern Belle, What Have You Learned After a Year? (May 12, 2021) – Some of the blog posts on this countdown go back 10 years…this one goes back three weeks. Around the anniversary of Sidney moving to Washington, I wrote this blog post chronicling some of the major themes my wife learned from her move from the South to the West. It is lighthearted and fun, but it definitely implies that Sid is a rock star and made a major transition look easy.

It didn’t take long for Sid to adjust to Washington but she still learned things around the way.

7. $25,000 Dollar Man (October 19, 2011) – If there is a post that my loyal readers bring up more than all the others, it is the one I wrote about my brother winning BIG at the casino. On a single hand of Paigow he snagged $25,000. Not only do I describe the hand itself but I go into detail about the INSANITY that followed. Needless to say, it was quite fun to tell the outrageous story of a 21-year-old kid who blew the roof off a sleepy bowling alley casino during the wee hours of a snowy winter night.

Glen got real lucky at the table once.

6. A Man of Faith: Monsignor James LeBlanc (February 26, 2017) – I love writing profile pieces and have written numerous of them for this blog, but this one about the former St. Andrew (Myrtle Beach) pastor is particularly meaningful to me. Just the fact that Msgr. James LeBlanc married us is good enough to land him a special spot in our hearts but he did so much more than just that. He gave Sid her first true introduction to the Catholic faith and strengthened my own. About six months after he officiated our wedding, the Bishop of Charleston appointed him the pastor of a couple parishes in Columbia. After hearing the news, I wrote this colorful profile on one very excellent priest.

Sidney and I with Msgr. LeBlanc at his farewell party.

5. Farewells (April 2014 and February 2020) – For this portion of the countdown I must cheat a bit and offer my readers a 4-in-1. This is the spot where I want to include the final posts I wrote before leaving jobs. My top 10 moment entries for the University of Montana and Coastal Carolina University serve as perfect highlight reels for my time at both stops. I also hold my “final goodbye” posts at UM and CCU in high regard because I had the opportunity to recognize the people who made my experiences as a Grizzly and a Chant so amazing.

I have worked for some great employers and I tried my best to say “thank you” when I left.

4. Our Fierce Fighter (April 25, 2018) – At the end of April 2017, Sidney published something significant to Facebook. For the first time, a year after the fact, she made it publicly known that Sloan was critically ill with a rare condition called Pyloric Stenosis. It took us time to come to grips with the traumatic experience but on this particular night Sid wanted to speak out. Her purpose was simply to offer support to other families who might have a baby with PS.

Using Sid’s act of bravery as motivation, I followed up the next night with a blog post. I wrote about the emotions we felt as parents as we watched our baby daughter throw up all food that entered her system. I testified to the undeniable fight we watched Sloan exhibit throughout the entire frightening experience. I also made sure to offer education on what Pyloric Stenosis is and how it can be treated, heaping praise on Dr. Robert Cina (the head surgeon who performed Sloan’s procedure) and his entire crew at MUSC. This post put us in touch with parents who were going through the same thing we did with Sloan. Because I believe this blog post actually helped people (opposed to the 2,000 other posts that most people just find annoying), how couldn’t it be on this countdown?

This is Sloan being wheeled out of MUSC on a wagon after receiving a clean bill of health.

3. My Top Ten Photos From Our Wedding Day (July 17, 2016) – It is really tough to put into words the joy you feel on your wedding day. Although I tried to do so with several different blog posts, I don’t know if it ever did our special day justice. Thank goodness for pictures. In July, I wrote this post highlighting my absolute favorite images from June 11, 2016. Each picture says so much and helps to tell the story of that day in beautiful fashion. I still feel so much happiness looking back at this post. As a blogger, some might think that placing an entry so high on a countdown that didn’t rely much on actual writing would be a disappointment. Nope. Drafting up a blog post that uses the heart more than words is always more rewarding.

Less is more. Images over words. Counting down my favorite pictures from our wedding is one of my all-time favorite blog posts.

2. Long, Painful Process; Beautiful, Perfect Result (March 21, 2017) – Well, what can I say? These next two blog posts are going to be about the births of my children. Let me start with my firstborn. Delivering Sloan was not easy. We went through a week-long saga to meet her once Sid was admitted into the hospital. However, the drawn-out process was 100% worth it. In this post, I take you through the curvy road that started with Sid hooked up to a machine and me almost passing out to us walking out of the hospital on a sunny morning with our beautiful baby girl. This post focuses on the strength of Sidney, the gift of Sloan, and the point in time that our lives changed for the better, making it easily one of my top blog posts of all-time.

One of the best two days of my life.

1. Beau Meets World (February 17, 2020) – This wasn’t just my top post of 2020—it is my top post in the history of this blog. I tried to be raw and thorough as I chronicled the emotional 11-day journey from the moment Sidney’s doctor decided to operate to the Sunday afternoon that Beau was released from the NICU at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina.

The post is special to me because it displays Sid’s courage and Beau’s grit. It also conveys the important role that faith played throughout the saga. Tough setbacks are confronted and glorious triumphs are celebrated. It isn’t saying much because I consider myself a mere novice with the pen, but from a writing aspect I think this is my finest piece. But even if most serious writers consider Beau Meets World to be garbage, it sure means a lot to Sid and I. This trumps them all.

Beau was born at 1:37 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020.

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And there you have it. After 10 years, those are the posts that stick out. Let me again extend my heartfelt gratitude to all my readers who have read my work over the years. It has been a pleasure. Don’t Blink.

Vacation to Myrtle Beach

Posted on May 30, 2021 by brent

It is an exciting day! After our summer of adventure started a couple weeks ago with our trip to Walla Walla, we will be traveling again today. However, this time it won’t be by road.

Our family is hours away from flying across the country to South Carolina. We are going to Myrtle Beach to spend time with Sidney’s family. All of us are excited but I don’t think it is possible for anyone to be as stoked as Sid. She is ecstatic to be with her family and who could blame her? This is going to be a lot of fun!

We are headed to Myrtle Beach!

Although our move west worked out better than we could have hoped, we still refer to Myrtle Beach as “home” and miss everyone there. In addition to all the time we will be spending with Sid’s family, we look forward to connecting with friends we have not seen for well over a year. Thank goodness for the dwindling influence of the pandemic.

Just a quick note: the month-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of Don’t Blink will conclude tomorrow with my personal top 10 blog posts. I hope you get a chance to glance it over.

Now it is time to finish packing. Hoping for the best as we travel with Sloan and Beau. It is vacation time! Don’t Blink.

The Octagon Thursday Rundown

Posted on May 27, 2021 by brent

Happy last Thursday of May to everyone! Hope you have had a nice week and still have enough in the tank to make it through Friday before cruising into the Memorial Day weekend. Here are my five topics for tonight…

Thankful – The current days are some of the longest of the year and I find nothing more uplifting than my 5:15 a.m. drive home from the gym during that first full hour of daylight. As I gaze out at the mountains and trees during the commute, I can’t help but feel thankful for God’s creation and for my personal good fortune to live in this beautiful corner of the country.

A look from my driver window earlier this week as I drove home from the gym.

School’s Out for the Summer – Sloan attended her last day of Pre-K 3 yesterday. Her school year ended a little sooner than her classmates because of vacation so Sloan’s class rolled out the red carpet and celebrated her on Wednesday. We feel so fortunate to have Sloan enrolled at St. Mary. She loved going each day, met friends, and brought home impressive work. Sloan’s last day in her uniform was actually on Monday because yesterday was College Spirit Day and she made her daddy proud by sporting a WSU shirt. Next stop: Pre-K 4.

Sloan at St. Mary in Spokane Valley on her last day of Pre-K 3. It was College Spirit Day so she ditched her uniform for a WSU t-shirt.

We Need This – Last night we attended my niece’s t-ball game at Midway Elementary and the playground had something that Sid and I really want! This octagon “pen” is for a dodgeball-esque game called Gaga Ball but it might as well be a holding cell for overactive 1-year-olds. Not going to lie, it was nice placing Beau in the enclosed area and watching him play without having to chase after him. What a genius idea.

This octagon at Midway Elementary in Spokane was wonderful for Beau to play in.

Happy 10 Years – Here I am bragging about my 10th anniversary of blogging when other people are marking much more important decade anniversaries. Fr. Jeff Lewis, our pastor at St. Mary and great mentor/friend to Sidney and I, celebrated the 10th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood this week. Also, Bishop Thomas Daly, the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, marked his 10th anniversary of being a bishop on Tuesday. May we pray for both of these men as they continue their dedicated and fruitful ministries.

Bishop Daly (left) and Fr. Jeff Lewis (right) in 2017. Thanks and congrats to both on their respective 10 year anniversaries (photo courtesy of Bishop Daly’s Twitter account)

Dating Myself – Thanks to my friend Lindsi’s Thursday collection of memes, I found something that resonated with me in terms of my age. The best hack to get a malfunctioning Nintendo or Gameboy cartridge to play was obviously by blowing air into it. I have taken this trick with me throughout adulthood, whether it be blowing air into my smartphone charging port to get it to charge properly or blowing air into Sloan’s face as a last resort to get her to behave. Although this tactic may have originated in the late 1980s, it is truly timeless.

This tactic would usually work.