Monthly Archives: October 2021

A Montana Homecoming

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Although the University of Montana held its Homecoming back in September, it was my personal Homecoming this past weekend. My birthday wish was to go to Missoula and my wife and parents made it happen. Sidney was my travel companion and my mom and dad watched the kids so we could enjoy an adult weekend in the Garden City.

It was a sweet homecoming as Sidney and I visited Missoula to watch University of Montana football and to enjoy other experiences too.

On Saturday at 5 a.m., we hit the road. I was a tad bit excited to visit Montana and have the opportunity to watch the Grizzlies play football. Consider this…

It had been more than four years since I last visited the city where I went to college and started my professional career. It had been EIGHT years since I last watched a Griz football game. And it had literally been FOREVER since I was an actual paying fan at Washington-Grizzly Stadium sitting in a seat with a chair back (I attended football games as a student for three years, worked on the sideline as a student intern my senior year, and then worked in the press box for five seasons as a professional).

What a thrill it was to watch a game as a fan inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. This is a photo I took from our seats.

The conditions could not have been more perfect. On a brilliant, sunny fall day in Missoula, Sid and I got to experience Grizzly gameday in all its glory. We walked across the footbridge, tailgated, ate stadium food, cheered on the Griz, and relished a victory. No stress, no expectations, no pressure to please 26,000 people.

Missoula is a special (and gorgeous) place. I took this photo from the top of the M on Mt. Sentinel.

But speaking of people, that was the other cool thing. I got to see so many folks who I had not seen in eight years. And these weren’t just “ordinary” people…many of them were individuals who had great influence on me and helped me get to where I am at today. To be able to introduce them to Sidney was truly an honor.

I had the pleasure of seeing many people from my time in Missoula, including my first ever professional boss, Christie.

Besides the Grizzly gameday experience, I also had the pleasure of doing a couple of other special Missoula things with Sid. On Sunday we attended mass at St. Francis Xavier, the parish I belonged to for most of my tenure in Montana. I knew Sid was going to be impressed with the beauty of the church and it surely didn’t disappoint. Neither did the music, preaching, and sense of holiness within that 120-year-old building.

I took these photos of Missoula’s St. Francis Xavier on Sunday.

Shortly after mass, we ventured over to Mt. Sentinel to hike the M. Sidney had set a goal to make it up the mountain and she smashed it out of the park. We ascended to the top and admired Missoula during its peak beauty in the early fall. What an amazing moment to share with my wife.

Sidney and I triumphant on the top of the M.

I am very thankful I had the opportunity to go back to Missoula and support the University of Montana. To make the journey with my wife and see so many outstanding individuals and partake in so many signature Montana experiences is something I won’t soon forget. Don’t Blink.

My Presidential Birthday

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Finally, a birthday I can be excited about! As a former United States Presidents childhood prodigy and overall history buff of the highest office in the land, I have looked forward to this milestone birthday since I turned 30.

Today I celebrate the beginning of my “Presidential Year.” I am now 35 years old and that means I am eligible to run for the Presidency of the United States of America (scary, right?). Thankfully for all of you, it is not an election year.

Sidney made me this candy bar cake for my 35th birthday.

It’s okay, all that matters is that I am eligible. And that is a good thing, because if this birthday didn’t carry the presidential distinction, I might be focusing more on how old I just turned. Although I didn’t sweat my birthdays during the first half of my 30s, celebrating the big 3-5 is just a little different. I have aged out of the coveted and youthful 18-34 age demographic and that stings just a little bit.

But should it bother me that I am no longer part of an arbitrary age group defined by deep pocket advertisers? If it did, I hope my readers would recommend a therapist. Truth be told, I realized for myself several years ago that age truly is (sorry to use a cliché) “just a number” and birthdays are meant to be celebrated, not dreaded.

So here I am on my 35th birthday—content. No, wait, that word doesn’t do it justice. I am happy. As with previous years, I point to the same things: Family, faith, and career. When I blew out the candles tonight, all three were as strong as Beau’s desire to thrust his hand into my cake. Talk about the best birthday present possible.

Commander-in-chief eligibility or not, I am pretty fortunate as I embark on my latest trip around the sun. Don’t Blink.

Past Birthday Posts
Turning 34
Turning 33
Turning 32
Turning 31
Turning 30

Home Is Where the Heart Is Thursday Rundown

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Good evening, friends! I appreciate you taking the time to read my first Thursday Rundown of October. I don’t want to waste too much of your time tonight so let’s get started with this evening’s five topics…

House Blessing – A couple weeks ago we had a very special visitor to our home. Fr. Jeff Lewis, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church (Spokane Valley) and our family priest, paid us a visit. At our request, he came to bless our house. After an opening prayer, he went to each room in the house sprinkling it with holy water and applying sacramental oils. The house blessing is a way to protect our home from both internal and external forces while inviting the Holy Spirit into our residence to promote sacred family life. Thank you, Fr. Jeff!

Fr. Jeff Lewis with us at our house blessing.

Fun in the Fall Sun – It wouldn’t have been possible to dial up a better Autumn day than what we had last Saturday. The distinctive smell of fall was in the air but the abundant sunshine made for a warm day in the 70s. We took advantage of the pleasant conditions by taking Sloan and Beau to a Whitworth football game. Sloan played the whole time in the complimentary jump castle while Beau roamed around on the stadium’s grassy hill. Sid soaked in the sun and I enjoyed myself some Division III football. The Pirates came away with the win and we all went down on the field afterwards.

Sloan and Beau had a great time at the Whitworth football game and capped it off by going on the field after it was over.

Favorite Emoticons – On this date seven years ago, I wrote about the top five face emoticons I use the most during texting. The list has shifted a little bit over the years as my honorable mention emoticon is now easily in my top five. Exactly a year later, I would write about my favorite non-face emojis. Although it was kind of fun writing those posts, I really enjoyed what I wrote a day after my first emoji post on October 8, 2014. In that post I wrote about the coolest work tradition that ever existed. Back when I worked at Coastal Carolina University, there was a period of a few years when our graphics team would make elaborate, themed cards for UCOMM staffers on their birthdays. Come on, scope out the post to see some of their work.

I am a real big fan of emoticon faces.

Weird Sight – I came across this article about some guy who dressed up as Michael Myers from “Halloween” and went to the beach to roam the shore. The guy said it was a joke but the cops didn’t think it was funny because they arrested him. Part of the reason may have been that he was carrying a knife (although it turned out to be fake). I sympathize with the guy to an extent because there was a period in my life when I would dress in costume and show up in random places. Granted, I didn’t dress up as a disfigured serial killer. With the scary clown phenomenon from several years back, people are probably a little more sensitive to these types of things.

“Michael Myers” getting arrested by police.

Frosty Cereal – I am going to do everything I can to get my hands on a box of Wendy’s Frosty cereal this December. This is no joke…this will be an actual cereal in a couple of months. Although it looks like a cross between Coco Puffs and S’Mores cereal, Wendy’s wouldn’t team with Kellogg’s if the product wasn’t decent. The part I love the most is that a coupon for a free Frosty (with a Wendy’s app purchase) can be found inside each box.

If I can find it, I will buy it.

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That should do it for tonight. I am more excited than usual this evening because an especially fun weekend is almost here. I am signing off for now but I will be publishing a special blog post tomorrow. Don’t Blink

Stationary Movies

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I remember one night in 2014 sitting in my Myrtle Beach apartment watching a movie called “Locke.” Even after seven years it still sticks out to me for one major reason: The entire film took place in a car.

To add even more to the solitude of “Locke,” there was only one character on-screen the entire time. This particular person happened to be the talented Tom Hardy as he played the role of a construction foreman making a desperate 90-minute drive to be present at the birth of a child conceived from a one night stand. Throughout the film he engages in numerous phone conversations with people ranging from his wife to his mistress to his son to his co-workers to medical personnel.

I watched “Locke” in my Myrtle Beach apartment in 2014.

If I realized the entire film would unfold in a car, I probably would not have rented it (yes, it was in 2014 and I got it from a Redbox). Nonetheless, I ended up enjoying the movie. However, with that said, my preference moving forward was still to watch films with multiple settings and on-screen actors.

Fast forward to October 2021 and I found myself watching a similar conceptualized movie. Sidney and I gave Jake Gyllenhaal’s Netflix movie “The Guilty” a shot…and we were glad we did. In the film, Gyllenhaal is an LAPD officer demoted to 911 operator as he faces litigation. Clues for why he was given his new assignment and why he is in hot water are revealed throughout the film but it doesn’t come full circle until the end.

As you may have guessed, “The Guilty” takes place entirely in the 911 call center. Compared to “Locke” it almost seems like “The Guilty” boasts an ensemble of on-screen actors but you really only see a few of Gyllenhaal’s new 911 co-workers.

Sidney and I watched “The Guilty” this week and enjoyed it.

The plot revolves around a call Gyllenhaal receives from a woman who appears to have been kidnapped. As the movie rolls on, Gyllenhaal employs unconventional strategies to save the woman, secure her kids, and neutralize the kidnapper. We were on the edge of our seats the entire time.

But again, just like with “Locke,” I don’t know if I would have been so enthusiastic to watch it if I knew the whole movie took place in the 911 call center. With this the second movie that turned out to be quite good, I think I might have to adjust my attitude when it comes to these types of films. Perhaps I don’t give my attention span enough credit. I have a preconceived notion that I need beautiful landscapes, special effects, and a cast of rotating characters to make a film worth watching. That has proven to be wrong.

However, I have a feeling it has less to do with my concentration than it does with superb acting. Both Hardy and Gyllenhaal gave outstanding performances, allowing the unconventional style to thrive and their talents to shine. If you have Netflix, give “The Guilty” a watch.

To all my movie buffs out there, are you familiar with any other films that use a single on-screen actor in a limited setting to tell an engaging story? If so, let me know, I will at the very least Wikipedia it. Don’t Blink.

RIP Plastic Grocery Bags

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I know this sounds like I am putting myself in front of the environment, but I wasn’t overly excited by the statewide ban on single-use plastic bags that went into effect on Friday. The ban means that in the state of Washington, businesses can no longer offer the plastic grocery bags that most of us have grown up with our entire lives.

Judging by the expressions of Sloan and Beau on the first day of the ban, they weren’t overly excited about it either.

My less than enthusiastic attitude isn’t because I am having a personal crisis figuring out how I will now carry my groceries out of the supermarket. Rather, I am bummed because I will no longer be able to use them for the myriad of miscellaneous ways I employ them once I bring them home.

Basically, I have placed a major overreliance on plastic grocery bags for the following reasons…

– To carry my lunch to work
– To hold an extra change of clothes
– To pack my toiletries during travel
– To dispose of Beau’s diapers
– For use as mini trash bags

I bought eight bags on Friday. After I purchased them, the Walmart clerk placed them on the rack for us to use.

A couple of these uses really irk Sidney. She finds them tacky, which is likely why she wasn’t impressed by the situation that took place this past Friday. Let me explain…

The ban is meant to encourage people to use their own personal tote bags for their groceries. If you don’t want to make that investment, grocery stores now offer reusable plastic bags for 8 cents. These new bags are thicker and use recyclable material in their production.

On the first day of the ban (Friday, October 1), we went to Walmart after work to pick up a few groceries. We made it to the front of the self-checkout line we were in. While Sid scanned our items, I flagged down the bag lady who was going from self-checkout line to self-checkout line selling the bags.

“I will take 8, please,” I told the lady.

“Yes, sir,” the lady replied as she counted out the bags and typed in the code at our register to apply the charge.

I took a photo of our checkout screen after the Walmart clerk typed in the transaction.

“Why did you buy 8 bags?” asked Sid, indicating that only a couple bags were needed for the amount of groceries that we purchased.

“We need them for Beau’s diapers this weekend,” I replied.

“They make bags specifically for that purpose,” Sid responded, annoyed. “Perhaps this is the kick we need to start buying them.”

So perhaps we will. But let me go on record by saying that the new reusable grocery bags are heavy duty and I consider the 8-cent price a bargain. However, I do realize that isn’t the point of the ban.

The new bags are heavy duty, and, in my opinion, worth the 8 cents. But I know that’s not the point.

It will be interesting to see how this ban is embraced statewide. I wonder where our family will stand a year from now. Will we be bringing our own tote bags into Safeway? Or will we be hanging onto the original eight bags we bought at the end of last week (assuming I didn’t use them for diaper disposal)? Whatever the outcome, I just hope grocery store bagger clerks still have a job. Don’t Blink.