Monthly Archives: June 2022

A Surprise Reunion

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On Saturday, my mom came over to watch the kids so Sid and I could celebrate our anniversary with a date night. We started at the Millwood Brewing Company and enjoyed a beer in the cozy atmosphere. While sipping on our brews, we debated where to go for dinner. After our deliberation and out of all the restaurants in the area, we decided on a place we had never been before. Little did we know the mother of all consequences was about to unfold.

My wife at Millwood Brewing Company, the watering hole we went to prior to heading out to Craft & Gather on our sixth anniversary.

We selected a place called Craft & Gather. It is nestled away on Dishman-Mica Rd., near a defunct golf course. It is a little out of the way, on the smaller side, and not necessarily a place I would expect to see anyone I know. The latter held true for me. But for Sid? That’s a different story.

Upon entering the restaurant, we spoke to the hostess about seating preferences. Because we were focused on answering her questions about the number of people in our party (just 2) and whether we opposed sitting in the bar area (of course not), we didn’t pay too much attention to the large table within eyeshot of the lobby area.

I snapped this photo of Craft & Gather in the Spokane Valley on Saturday night. We had no idea the crazy coincidence that would transpire within these walls.

As the hostess led us to our table, a voice cried out.

“Sidney!”
“Oh my gosh!” my wife responded.

It may have taken a moment for Sid to rub her eyes and trust that they were registering reality before confirming who was standing in front of her. It was Sid’s high school friend, Casey, who took a full slate of AP classes with my wife. During school they developed a friendship and it even extended into young adulthood as Casey was invited to my wife’s baby shower for Sloan. After the shock of this crazy chance meeting subsided just a tad, Sidney asked the obvious question.

What are you doing here?

Casey was there for the baby shower of her sister, Lindsay. Wait, in Spokane for a baby shower? For her sister? That must mean that Lindsay, who was a year younger than Sid but shared the same lunch group of friends during high school, must have some connection to Spokane. Lindsay was at the table and entered the discussion to add this tidbit: She had lived in Spokane for the past five years!

Oh, and it gets better! The mom of Casey and Lindsay was at the table too. She was visiting from South Carolina with Casey and it just so happens that she is a dear friend of Sid’s mom. The two worked in the same school district and—just like Casey—was also extended an invitation to Sidney’s baby shower nearly six years ago.

There was so much excitement and many more questions to be asked, but we had to move to our table that the hostess had already set and abandoned. Throughout our anniversary dinner we talked about how insane it was that we had crossed paths with Casey, Lindsay, and her mom. A split-second decision to dine at Craft & Gather had resulted in such an incredible surprise. Speaking of surprises…

After we finished and paid our tab, Casey’s party was still at their table. This gave Sidney the opportunity to uncover one more coincidence. My wife asked Lindsay where at in Spokane she lived. She responded by saying that they lived right off a certain street in the Valley. Sidney answered by asking if it happened to be a certain neighborhood that my brother and sister-in-law live in. Lindsay said YES. After a couple more questions, we narrowed it down that Lindsay and her husband not only live in the same neighborhood as my brother and sister-in-law but on the same STREET.

Upon exiting the restaurant, Sid and Lindsay pledged to keep in touch, especially after Lindsay has her baby and might need an extra hand. As we drove home, we still couldn’t believe the good fortune and uncanny timing that graced us during the night.

As unlikely as it might seem, this was actually the second “east meets west” coincidence that has centered on Sidney and I. In a future blog post I might share that equally amazing tale as well. But for tonight’s blog post, I want to simply recognize the “right place, right time” scenario that transpired for us on Saturday. Don’t Blink.

Our Sixth Wedding Anniversary

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My mom is really good at remembering anniversary dates. The number of years the anniversary is commemorating? Perhaps not so much.

A couple weeks ago, she was chatting with me about Sidney’s and my upcoming wedding anniversary.

“How many years will it be?” she asked.
“Six years, mom,” I answered.
“Wow! Already?” she replied.

To use the cliché, time flies when you are having fun and I think that definitely applies to Sidney and I. On June 11, 2016, we tied the knot at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and since that moment it has been an exhilarating road paved with the joy of children, the adventure of a cross country move, and the countless blessings from God.

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

As I personally look back on the past six years, what jumps out to me is progress. As the days turn to weeks, the weeks turn to months, and the months turn to years, the foundation of our marriage continues to grow stronger. To reference an analogy I used in our fourth anniversary reflection (and a Maren Morris song), we have good bones.

The reason for our strengthening bond and healthy bones is pretty simple: God. When we stood at the altar and received the sacrament of holy matrimony, we were blessed with God’s grace. That grace has been with us from Day #1 through Day #2,190—the only difference is that as time goes on we have become better at embracing humility and tapping into it.

Thanks Be To God, it has been a fruitful year of marriage (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photography)

I will remember this past year of marriage for several reasons but for the sake of brevity I will offer just three: Sid and I took our first real vacation together since our honeymoon. We dealt with the loss of a loved one for the first time since saying “I do.” We had the incredible blessing of preparing another couple for holy matrimony.

As we journeyed through the above experiences—one really fun, one sad, one beautiful—we did it against a backdrop of inspiration. Sidney and I have no shortage of successful marriages to glean from, such as the rock solid 40+ year marriages of our parents. But we also admire the marriages of some of our closest peers, namely those couples who are part of our Young Adult Catholic Group. To walk with like-minded husbands and wives, who are also parents, is such a big advantage when it comes to cultivating a marriage that is fruitful.

Sidney and I at our first dinner while on vacation.

Although a faith-based marriage that centers on grace and draws from the experiences of others is bound to be successful, there is one other reason for our past six years of happiness: I have the best wife ever. Seriously. Sidney, thanks for all you do! I love you and feel so blessed to be your best friend. As you would say today, six years down, forever to go. Don’t Blink.

Jump Thursday Rundown

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Who else is enjoying these loooong June days? In this part of the country the sun begins to rise at 4 a.m. and sets after 9 p.m. I always advocate to take advantage of this surplus daylight as much as possible. I also advocate that you take advantage of my excellent Thursday Rundowns (sarcasm). I present to you tonight’s five topics…

Star Wars Merchandise – At last weekend’s yard sale, my brother-in-law was selling some of his collectible items, including these Star Wars Lego kits. Although they were the subject of much interest from our sale’s customers, they didn’t fly off the shelves. But that is a good thing because that means these rare editions can be yours. If you are interested in some Star Wars stuff, just let me know and I will put you into contact with my brother-in-law.

A look at my brother’s Star Wars Lego setup at last weekend’s garage sale.

White Men Can’t Jump – The movie that Sidney and I watched together this week was “White Men Can’t Jump.” I had seen bits and pieces on TV before but never viewed the film from start to finish. Let me tell you, it is early 1990s cinema at its finest. We enjoyed the humor, hustling tactics, and the Jeopardy angle that was worked in. You want to know a fun fact? Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes did all of their own basketball scenes and the coach that was hired to develop their skills said both men could have had collegiate basketball careers if that acting thing never worked out. “White Men Can’t Jump” can be streamed on Peacock.

We were very entertained by “White Men Can’t Jump.”

Dude Night – Yesterday evening, our family split off. Sidney hung out with Sloan and I paired up with Beau. The girls crawled into our bed and watched shows. I took Beau for a bike ride around the neighborhood followed by play time at the park capped off with some ice cream. Lately I have realized that I haven’t spent a lot of one-on-one time with Beau so it was nice to just have a “guys’ night.”

Beau and I finished our night together with ice cream.

Gas Price Insanity – Three months ago I addressed surging gas prices. At that time, I didn’t think it could get much worse than the $4.39 per gallon that my local gas station was charging. Boy, was I wrong. Today, a gallon of gas at most places in Spokane is $5.29…yes, I said $5.29. I think most of us are fed up with the madness at the pumps and the stark reality is that relief won’t be coming any time soon. How crazy to think that in 2016 we were paying $1.79 per gallon?

I took this photo at our local Maverik gas station in Spokane Valley.

Bachelor Party – On this date six years ago, I had my “bachelor party.” I use the quotes because I didn’t necessarily have a stereotypical, wild bachelor party that is now common in today’s culture. My dad, father-in-law, and groomsmen went on an Intracoastal Waterway boat cruise and stopped at one of the restaurants just off the water for lunch and cornhole. Although it wasn’t an out of control bender, we all had a lot of fun.

My bachelor party was relaxing, low key, and fun. In this photo my father-in-law is driving the boat and is seated next to my dad. I am in the back pointing, my friend Kenny is in the middle, and my brother is in the red.

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That will do it for me tonight. I am looking forward to a pretty significant date this Saturday and I hope your weekend is significant in some way too. Don’t Blink.

A Proposal Ruined By Disney

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I literally thought it was a joke.

After all, most of what you see on TikTok is one, right? As I scrolled through my feed, the video of the Disney worker slicing into the screen and intercepting the ring box from the dude proposing to his girlfriend caused me to pause. I watched it over and over.

I thought this who Disneyland Paris deal was staged. Unfortunately I was mistaken.

There is a text message thread with my wife, sister, and I that is set up solely so we can send TikTok videos to each other. I copied the link of the ring snatcher video and sent it to Miranda and Sid. Right after sending it, I followed with a short text that read Haha. That has to be fake though.

Yesterday morning I learned that it wasn’t fake. While at the gym, one of the televisions tuned to a cable news station was replaying the same TikTok video I saw with a lower third that read something to the effect of Disney Worker Ruins Marriage Proposal.

Get out of town.

It actually happened. An employee at Disneyland Paris took it upon himself to swoop in the middle of a proposal and swipe the ring box in defense of “company policy.” The team member carried the ring off the platform the couple was on and attempted to re-position them in a new spot by quipping in a happy/sarcastic voice, “Over here will be even better.” It was mortifying.

After snatching the ring, the Disneyland Paris employee pointed to a spot off the platform for the guy to propose. What a mess.

This time, Disney, you have gone way too far.

But I guess I need to be fair. It turns out that Disney could at least admit how outrageous and disrespectful the employee’s actions were. The company said, “We regret how this was handled. We have apologized to the couple involved and offered to make it right.”

I sure hope Disney’s attempt to “make it right” is giving the couple a Mickey Mouse wedding inside Cinderella’s Castle plus free Disneyland passes for life.

Seriously though, what was going through the employee’s mind? Even if they were breaking a Disneyland rule (which they actually weren’t), why not just let the proposal play out and perhaps issue a rebuke after the woman was able to at least slip the ringer on her finger? What is wrong with some basic human decency.

I can’t help but remember my proposal to Sidney. I did it in a high-trafficked, public spot as well. But everyone around us was respectful and supportive. There was no rogue employee who had to steal the show and ruin a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I feel bad that the guy and his new fiancée didn’t get the same courtesy that was given to me.

Let us never let the perceived power we think we have while doing our day jobs go to our heads. When we allow that to happen, shameful scenes like the one we saw in Disneyland Paris will occur. Don’t Blink.

Moving A Couch

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The neighborhood I grew up in had an annual community yard sale the same weekend every year. The only way to describe it was epic. Most of the houses in the ‘hood would participate and thousands of people from the Spokane area would converge on our streets to find that certain hidden treasure. It was like a carnival atmosphere. Outside vendors would come in to sell elephant ears, driving down the street would be near impossible, and music would boom from the garages of each participating house.

Well, guess what?…

1. My parents still live in the same neighborhood that they did 20 years ago.
2. The community yard sale was last weekend.
3. And Sidney had stuff to sell.

So there we were on Saturday and Sunday, selling tons of little kids clothes and toys, just trying to make an honest buck. Soggy weather on Saturday made it a wet affair but by Sunday the sun decided to poke through. But it didn’t matter if the weather was damp or warm because our merchandise seemed to fly off our tables. Sales were strong on Saturday and on Sunday we were able to clear out most of our remaining inventory but one thing remained…

On Saturday morning the rain was falling so we had to confine all our items to my parents’ garage. Luckily we had our marketing team, which consisted of my kids and my sister’s kids, to let people know that we were selling.

A couch.

Although most of our items were sold by Sunday afternoon, that couch you see just under the garage was still for sale.

The first “big” item that Sid and I ever bought together was a $688 couch we purchased from a furniture store in Myrtle Beach in April 2016. We wouldn’t live together until after we were married in June of that year but we wanted to start preparing. I still remember the salesperson and how comfortable the couch felt inside the store. I also remember the small shot of adrenaline that circulated through my veins as we made the joint purchase.

This was our couch when it was brand new and inside a Myrtle Beach furniture store.

Let me tell you, that couch was just as comfortable in the furniture store as it was in our living room…all four of them. Yep, that piece of furniture followed us to four different houses in South Carolina and Washington. It had a great run but last year we upgraded to a new couch and our first ever piece of furniture was regulated to the garage. It sat with our vehicle until this past weekend.

Sid and I took a photo after we made our first big purchase together because why not?

Unlike Sloan’s old jackets and Beau’s sleep sacks, the couch didn’t move during yard sale weekend. We didn’t price it and just asked for a best offer. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a bidding war let alone a single inquiry. As Sunday afternoon rolled in, I was starting to get nervous. The couch was still in my parents’ driveway and not selling it was out of the question. I had to take action.

Once Sunday afternoon came around we were selling the last of our items but the couch was still hanging around in my parents’ garage.

I threw up a photo of the couch on Facebook Marketplace and hoped for the best. I didn’t have to “hope” long. Within 10 minutes I already had someone message me to say they would gladly pay the $125 for the piece of furniture. It only took 30 minutes from my correspondence with the prospective buyer for my dad and I to have the couch in his (my father’s) truck and en route to its new owner. For the first time in nearly 3,000 days, the couch spent the night under the roof of a residence not inhabited by Sid and I.

It only took 10 minutes on Facebook Marketplace for us to sell the couch. We then loaded it on my dad’s truck and we delivered the piece of furniture to its new owner.

It’s funny. Sometimes a method you think will be a sure-fire way to get something done ends up not working out. However, once you make an adjustment and do something different, you sometimes see immediate results. It’s okay, Camelot Yard Sale, I won’t hold the couch against you. Don’t Blink.

Daly Thursday Rundown

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Wow, I can’t believe it is already Thursday evening. I hope everyone is doing awesome tonight, thank you for giving me another chance to throw five random topics at you. Let’s get started…

Evening With the Bishop – On multiple occasions in this blog, I have mentioned the Young Adult Catholic group Sid and I are part of. Well, this past weekend something pretty special happened. Our group had the opportunity to host the bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, the Most Reverend Thomas Daly. Our friends, Brian and Hailey, opened the doors of their home for the gathering and Bishop Daly brought the energy right when he walked in. It was so neat to be in such an intimate audience with him and to hear his thoughts and guidance. I even had the chance to speak with him one-on-one not long after he arrived. We were so honored that Bishop Daly made time for us and I can confidently say that our diocese is in great hands!

Our Young Adult Catholic group surrounds Bishop Thomas Daly (center, with hands in pockets). Also pictured is Fr. Jeff Lewis (back row, tallest person in photo), the leader of our Young Adult group and the man responsible for making our visit with the Bishop happen.

Luau Across the Miles – Yesterday was the fifth birthday of my nephew, Henry. He was having a Hawaiian-themed party at his house in Myrtle Beach and we wanted to join too. So Sid went out and purchased leis, a Hawaii backdrop, and a cake. We decked ourselves out in the leis, hung up the backdrop, and then FaceTimed Henry. After singing to him, Henry “blew out” the five candles on the cake from thousands of miles away. Sidney went out of her way to make Henry’s birthday special and she definitely succeeded.

Beau, Sloan, and Sid finish up their call with Henry on Wednesday.

Lake Mead Discoveries – Because of massive drought in the southwest, water levels in lakes and rivers are depleting. An example of this is at Lake Mead where the water level is lowering so much that “discoveries” are being made. Last month a barrel was revealed that happened to have a body stuffed inside. Law enforcement was able to estimate the date of the man’s death to the late 1970s or early 1980s because of the shoe style he was wearing. The violence was most likely inflicted by the Mob. As the surface continues to drop, it is expected that more and more remains will be found.

This is a barrel (not the one that the dead man was stuffed in) that is no longer underwater at Lake Mead.

Kind of True – When I saw this meme that my friend Lindsi posted today I knew I had to include it in my Thursday Rundown. Does anyone have doubts about it? The retro Chuck E. Cheese does look downright creepy, in fact it reminds me of the animatronic creatures from Dimes N’ Critters, a wild place I blogged about a few months ago. If Chuck E. Cheese still looked the same way he did on the left panel of this photo, I don’t think I would take Sloan as much as I do. Actually, that’s a lie…I still would.

Chuck E. Cheese has undergone quite the transformation over the years.

Educational Books – We have been introducing these “start to finish” books into Sloan’s nightly reading. They provide an educational break from the narrative stories we typically read to her. They are a little old school but it is fun to trace the many steps it takes to produce a product such as peanut butter or chocolate. Other books in the series include “From Wax to Crayon,” “From Clay to Bricks,” and “From Tree to House.”

These “Start to Finish” books are perfect for curious kids. We just finished reading the ones about chocolate and peanut butter.

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I am calling it a night, folks. Thanks for listening and I hope you have a great weekend. Don’t Blink.

Going Sans Microwave

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It was challenging. It was inconvenient. It was frustrating.

It was…a first world problem.

On the evening of May 3, we said goodbye to company and went to heat up some buttered noodles we made for the kids earlier in the night. Hmmm…strange…the microwave isn’t working. And by not working I mean the appliance had absolutely no power circulating through it. After changing outlets, checking the breakers, and resetting the GFIs the microwave still had no life. We ate cold buttered noodles and resolved to call the appliance manufacturer the next day.

Our microwave stopped working on May 3.

We reached the microwave manufacturer rather quickly. Luckily all the appliances in our house are still under warranty. The person we spoke to on the phone provided us with a local company they contract with for repairs. We would soon learn about the labor shortage plaguing our country…

It took a couple days to get a hold of the local repair place. When we finally did, they told us some unfortunate news: It would be four weeks until they would have time to get to our house. Not wanting to wait that long, we called the manufacturer again and they gave us another business to call. But it was the same story when we reached them—nearly a month wait. We again spoke to the manufacturer who gave us yet another business. This time we were given a timeline that was not ideal but at least manageable…two weeks.

By this time it had already been a week without our microwave. We decided not to pursue a replacement microwave and continue our journey without the modern convenience until the repair person could come out. We found this to be easier said than done. You never realize how nice it is to pop in a leftover slice of pizza or make microwavable popcorn until you don’t have the apparatus needed to do so.

But going microwave-less is definitely more challenging when you have small children. Not having the immediate capability to warm Beau’s milk, heat up Sloan’s chicken nuggets, or just melt cheese on crackers for them wasn’t just inconvenient for Sid and I, it seemed unfair to the kids.

Despite the trials and tribulations, we managed. Sid and I spent a lot of time cooking microwavable items over the stove, utilizing our air fryer a lot more, and employing our toaster oven to fill the void. We also resorted to another strategy—just eating items cold.

A countdown was literally on for our appointment with the repair person. I was in Pullman when he arrived on May 26 but I was anxiously waiting a “Hallelujah” text from Sid about the microwave finally being functional again. Instead, I received a call. Unfortunately I couldn’t answer but I knew it was most likely about the microwave. I sent back a text confirming that the necessary work had been completed. Oh, how naïve I was…

This was the text message exchange between Sid and I.

A whole month to get the parts necessary to fix the microwave?! At this point I raised the white flag. We needed a loaner microwave to last the next 4+ weeks. Luckily our friend Hailey was more than happy to help. Her parents have a microwave at their lake cabin that they were gracious enough to let us use.

Yesterday—27 full days since our microwave stopped working—Hailey drove over to our house and dropped off something I never thought I would be so happy to see. When I came out of my office for lunch, Sid already had the microwave set up.

Thanks so much to Hailey and her family for allowing us to use their microwave!

If you are ever looking for a unique and challenging Lenten sacrifice, perhaps go without a microwave for the entire 40+ days. You will learn to be more patient in food preparation and more grateful for the cooking technology we have at our disposal.

I will leave you with a humorous antidote. After I emerged for my lunch break and took in the glorious site of our loaner microwave, I had to run an errand. I came home just before I had to get back to work. I went to the refrigerator, grabbed some rice, and ate it—cold. I was so used to a microwave-less kitchen that I totally forgot about the functioning “zapper” to my left. I assure you, my absentmindedness won’t last much longer. Thank you, Hailey, for the microwave! Don’t Blink.