Monthly Archives: June 2024

Powell Thursday Rundown

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It is officially summer at the Reser household! The school year completed last Friday and this week we jumped into our summer routine. Here’s hoping that life for you slows down just a bit over these next few months. However, one thing that isn’t slowing down is the Thursday Rundown. Let’s begin with tonight’s five topics…

Wedding – On Sunday, the four of us attended the wedding of Joseph and Deidre, a couple we mentored during their pre-cana marriage prep. The wedding mass at St. Mary was beautiful and the reception was a blast. It was so cool to see both the bride and groom infuse their own cultural traditions into the day as Deidre honored her Pacific Islander heritage and Joseph honored his Mexican heritage. The food was delicious, the performances were executed with skill, and the music was so much more passionate than U.S. Top 40. I was really happy that my children got to take part in such a diverse, vibrant experience.

Congratulations to Deidre and Joe! They were married on June 16, 2024.

Memory – I want to give a shout out to my sister-in-law (Sidney’s sister) and my brother-in-law who are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary today. They tied the knot in the Florida Keys on June 20, 2019. It was the first (but not the last) destination wedding I attended as the nuptials allowed us to the tourist stuff, too. Exploring the exotic Key West was fun, the large iguanas roaming our resort were interesting, and the thatch roof restaurants had a lot of personality.

Key West was awesome!

Recent Netflix Movie – Earlier this week, Sid and I decided to watch the #1 movie on Netflix. Called “Hit Man,” it told the “somewhat true” story of an actual undercover police agent who would pose as a contracted killer to solicit murder-for-hire deals. When I first started watching the film, I was like Hey, this main actor looks familiar. That’s because it was Glen Powell, the same guy who starred in another movie I reviewed a month and a half ago, “Anyone But You.” Unfortunately, this most recent movie wasn’t much better than the one I watched in early May. Although Sid and I are true crime junkies and are intrigued by undercover police stings, there were multiple cringe scenes in “Hit Man” and I didn’t find myself captivated throughout the whole film.

“Hit Man” is just another average movie.

Flight 509 – Yesterday was Juneteenth so I had the day off to spend with the kids. As a special thing to do, I took them to the recently opened Flight 509 family amusement center. It has everything imaginable including a ropes course, laser tag arena, arcade, mini bowling lanes, indoor playground, and more. Beau loved the VR experience! We actually had an incentive to visit because a couple weeks ago we stumbled upon a geocache that contained four free Flight 509 passes. We took two and left two for the next lucky person.

Flight 509 was fun. Photos are from our visit yesterday and when we found the free passes in the geocache.

Man With Knife – I wanted to end the rundown once again on a humorous note. When I saw the below version of the Man With Knife meme I laughed out loud, immediately saved it, and sent it to my family’s text message group. I have been outspoken in the past about vanity tipping and this meme perfectly illustrates one of the more frustrating situations you can find yourself in. Sorry, not giving 20% for a takeout order.

This is an uncomfortable situation.

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Another rundown in the books! We have a busy and hot weekend planned so I should get going so I can make some final preparations. If I get everything done, I am taking my kids to the park to enjoy this longest day of the year (Happy First Day of Summer!). Please remember to wear sunscreen and hydrate. Don’t Blink.

Eras

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You don’t need to be a Swiftie to know that the word “eras” is synonymous with Taylor Swift. When the superstar launched her unprecedented and wildly successful stadium concert series, she called it the Eras Tour. Each “era” represented a different album she made throughout an 18-year career in music. My 7-year-old could tell you the name of all 10 eras.

Regardless of what you think about Taylor Swift, she has introduced a unique way of thinking about eras.

But each era serves a greater purpose than just naming her albums and highlighting her musical diversity. Rather, each era expresses where Swift was in her life at that time—personally and emotionally. Ask a true Swiftie about any era and they will tell you who Taylor was dating, who she was feuding with, and the overall state of her life at the time.

Taylor Swift’s recent reliance on eras has created a major impact in everyday society. Because of her gigantic influence, whether you are a fan or not, an “era” is now a unit of time measurement used by many to chronicle different periods in their lives. For example…

Last night, Sidney and I presented at our monthly Engaged Encounter meeting. Although the central function of this ministry is to stage weekend-long retreats for engaged couples, those of us who do the presenting meet monthly as a group to socialize and offer marital enrichment. The topic of our presentation? You guessed it…marital eras.

Sidney and I presented “Eras (Marriage Version” last night.

Inspired by an article by Stephanie Calis, Sid and I used the Taylor Swift formula to divide our marriage into eras. We told the story of our 8-year marriage through five different periods of time. Some of these eras were joyful and some were challenging. While the topic was fun to present as it offered relevancy to our group as we try our best to resonate with a much younger demographic of engaged couples, it was also therapeutic. By looking back on our marriage and naming our different eras, my wife and I were able to better understand how each one helped us grow and prepared us for the current era we are in.

Sidney and I after our presentation on the eras of our marriage.

Going through this exercise also helped me realize that the “eras concept” can be applied far beyond album releases and marriages 😂. You can use eras to chronicle your life based on cars driven, pets owned, houses lived in, and much more.

You can also use eras to define your career. I can chop up my professional experience by employer (UM, CCU, WSU), decade, boss, and even office. By segmenting my career into eras I can get a better understanding of my professional growth and the journey that has led me to where I am today.

So what about you? How can you use “eras” to tell the story of your life experience? I don’t share the Taylor Swift fandom that my wife and daughter embrace, but I can appreciate the usefulness of eras. Don’t Blink.

Father’s Day Gifts 2024

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I celebrated my eighth Father’s Day as an actual dad this past weekend. Just like with the previous seven, it was a special day where my family went above and beyond to celebrate me.

Hanging with Beau and Sloan during Father’s Day 2024.

Although I am not a gift person (just ask my wife), I still appreciate the kindness and effort that my wife and kids put forth to give me something that is tangible. I wanted to share with you the heartfelt and unique presents they spoiled me with for Father’s Day 2024…

I usually say “a card is enough” when it comes to birthdays, Father’s Day, and Christmas. Of course they always make sure to get one, they just give a bunch of other stuff too 😂

Beau gave me a few gifts. You got the trophy that doubles as a cup for my cold beverage, an “I love my dad” sheet, and a paper weight photo display. With the sheet, I thought it was sweet that Beau values our daily walk to the end of the street to pick up our mail just as much as I do. I also loved the photo that accompanied the stone paper weight…My Dad ROCKS.

Beau spoiled me with a few different gifts.

Sloan made me a decoration craft that lists an adjective on each popsicle stick she feels describes me. It also came with a popsicle stick enclosed picture frame with a photo of her inside holding a sign that also contains nice words about me. Cut me some slack over here, I am trying not to let my ego get too out of control.

I can’t wait to hang this up.

Then you had my wife’s gift. Sidney always goes out of her way to get me something that I will enjoy and actually use. She nailed it with the gift bag that included work socks (most of my current ones have holes), mop towels (I will actually use them at the gym because I sweat a lot), pens (I am very picky with the writing utensils I use), and Twizzlers Bites (my favorite candy). I received the gifts on Sunday and it is now only Tuesday night but everything has already been used in some way!

Sid always goes all out when it comes to giving me gifts.

Big thanks to my family for making me the luckiest dad on earth. I hope all the other dads out there had a fabulous Father’s Day. Don’t Blink.

A McDonald’s Punishment

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Those of us who play fantasy football are familiar with punishments. If you finish last in your league, you are mandated to do something that can be time-consuming, humiliating, bizarre, or all the above. I saw one punishment on social media over the weekend that got me thinking…

A person by the name of Joe DeLeone was the big loser in his league and was sentenced to 24 hours in a McDonald’s. Yes, Joe would have to park his behind inside a McDonald’s restaurant for an entire day unless he wanted to shorten his stay by “eating his way out.” A card was presented to DeLeone with menu items from McDonald’s in one column and the number of minutes that would be subtracted from his sentence if he consumed it. Look below for the details…

Take a look at the menu items and minute values that govern the punishment.

I immediately put myself in Joe’s situation. If it was a dozen years ago and I was single with no kids, I might embrace the 24 hours in McDonald’s and just hang out. I might sip on soda all day and make conversation with employees and customers. As someone who loves looking at the Costco carts of others to see what they fill it with, I would be similarly intrigued to hear what people are ordering at McDonald’s.

But news flash: I don’t exactly have 24 hours to waste away inside a fast food restaurant these days. So, I would probably do my best to shave off as much time as possible without triggering a heart attack. What I did first was calculate the number of minutes in 24 hours (which is 1,440 minutes) so I could work in the same units when it came to time and menu items.

I order McDonald’s from the drive-thru more often than eating inside so as you can imagine, spending 24 hours inside a restaurant would be a little cumbersome.

I then was realistic with myself. Eating enough menu items to cover 1,320 minutes (based on if I gave myself two hours to completely “eat myself out”) would probably send me to the hospital. So, I gave myself some grace. I reasoned that if this punishment was ever served to me, I would serve eight hours in the restaurant during the late night/early morning hours (10 p.m. – 6 a.m.) and hopefully eat 960 minutes worth of food.

With this goal, do you want to know the first thought that went through my mind? Chicken nuggets, baby! Eating a pack of 10 nuggets is good for 30 minutes. That means if I ate 320 nuggets, that would cover 960 minutes. Could I accomplish that in eight hours? That would be 40 nuggets per hour. I ate a 10-pack nugget just a few days ago and those pieces are pretty light. I really think I could do it! But what fun would that be?

Ice cream is good for 25 minutes with the punishment. However, brain freezes would only slow me down.

In the event that McDonald’s would run out of chicken nuggets (and to curb my own boredom), I would take a different eight-hour route. Cheeseburgers and an order of medium French fries count for 30 minutes each. In order to reach 960 minutes, you could simply eat 32 items that are valued at 30 minutes. Given eight hours, that means I would need to simply eat four 30-minute items per hour. Staying with me?

I know how I would accomplish that! I would eat an hourly meal of 20 nuggets (-60 minutes), 1 cheeseburger (-30 minutes), and 1 order of medium French fries (-30 minutes). I know all of that would really start to add up starting with just a couple hours, but it is a pace I know I could keep.

I hope to never spend 8 hours…let alone 24 hours…inside a McDonald’s.

It is a good thing that I don’t play fantasy football as I would never want to find myself in a situation such as this. But for other working dudes with a wife and kids who do play and happen to be at the bottom of their leagues, perhaps this plan can provide you some inspiration. Don’t Blink.

Making Saints In 2023-24

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It was quite the scene in the first grade classroom on the last day of school. After mass this morning, the students returned to the room one last time to pack up items and say goodbye. Many of these 6-and-7-year-olds were crying and giving hugs. As the time arrived for us to go, I had to practically drag Sloan out of the classroom as she protested with tears in her eyes, “But daddy, I don’t want to leave.”

First graders in Ms. Lunsford’s class, including Sloan, say goodbye to each other after the last day of school on June 14, 2024. (photo courtesy of Paola Devila de Muela.

The vibe at St. Mary Catholic School was a little different this year and it extended far beyond just a tight-knit first grade class. With a new focus on the making of saints, St. Mary students were immediately challenged by a heavenly goal. From there, other more earthly goals like academic excellence and social growth fell right in line.

It was a blessing to walk these two across the parking lot and to their classrooms each day at St. Mary Catholic School in the Spokane Valley.

Both in my 2022-23 school year wrap up post and the entry I wrote on the first day of this school year, I outlined the potential that existed for the next 180 days. With new principal Mr. Stephen Hart reinvigorating St. Mary’s Catholic mission and two familiar teachers leading the classrooms of my children, I had high hopes—and I wasn’t disappointed.

St. Mary Principal Mr. Stephen Hart opens the doors for the first time during the 2023-24 school year. He ended up doing incredible things!

Sloan had an excellent year as a first grader in Ms. Emily Lunsford’s class. Although she made strides academically in Kindergarten, she struggled at times with jealousy and acting out. That all disappeared this year. Taking Mr. Hart’s charge seriously, my daughter made an honest attempt to be St. Sloan. Instead of going to the principal’s office for behavior, she was going to the principal’s office to pray. What more can I say? (Ha! I rhymed).

From her first day to her final day, Sloan had a fantastic school year.

Highlights of Sloan’s school year included being named Future Saint of the Week, proclaiming a reading at the first grade mass, being featured in the school promotional video, and performing in the talent show. Her reading efficiency and math prowess grew at the same immense rate as her pure and beautiful faith in God.

Ms. Emily Lunsford is a talented and devoted teacher who helped Sloan so much.

Beau also had a solid year. His St. Mary rookie debut in Mrs. Leanne Shaurette’s Pre-K3 classroom was loaded with cuteness and growth. We loved Mrs. Shaurette when she taught Sloan three years ago and the feeling was re-enforced this year. The tears in her eyes when we said goodbye immediately triggered my own.

Beau had a lot of fun this year and made many friends.

Highlights of Beau’s first year included making many new friends, being class leader, learning basic skills, and building a strong relationship with his fifth grade buddy, Savannah.

Mrs. Leanne Shaurette is very special to our family.

Perhaps the differentiator that makes St. Mary Catholic School so special is that students aren’t the only ones creating highlights. Parents are invited (and expected) to be involved. What a fruitful year it was for Sidney and me! From worshipping at school masses to serving as the guest reader in Sloan’s classroom to attending the school auction to helping out in class, it has been a lot of fun.

It was a year of fun events, opportunities to serve, and chances to grow closer to God.

But the best part of this past school year was the sense of community. As cliché as it sounds, St. Mary Catholic School is a family and the level of support that is championed equally by the staff, students, and families is downright special. How else do you explain teachers using their lunch period to attend Adoration so they can pray for the students? Many of our close friends are parents of Sloan’s classmates and it was nice to meet new parents from Beau’s class, too. It also helps to have a solid friendship and admiration for the school principal along with the man who oversees the entire St. Mary education program, Fr. Jeff Lewis.

Fr. Jeff receives the gifts from Sloan during a St. Mary School mass this year. Community members are always welcome at the school masses and they always foster so much joy.

Speaking of Fr. Jeff, his homily during today’s final school mass drove home an important challenge. He told the students that the arrival of summer vacation doesn’t mean a vacation from practicing our faith. Rather, it is an invitation to remain fired up with the Holy Spirit until school begins again.

Because, let’s face it, the making of saints is a year-round process. Don’t Blink.

Pita Koala Thursday Rundown

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It is Last Day of School Eve at our house and as you can imagine excitement is high. So as I ride a wave of adrenaline (or is it a wave of anxiety?), let me present tonight’s five topics…

Happy Father’s Day – I thought the most appropriate way to begin tonight’s rundown was by recognizing a special man. My dad is supportive, kind, helpful, and empathetic. He also happens to be the best grandpa. It is not lost on me that I grew up with the perfect male role model in my own house and I am so thankful. I also want to give a shout out to my brother, Glen, who is celebrating his first Father’s Day after becoming a dad last month. Welcome to the club, bro!

Happy Father’s Day to my brother and dad!

Tanghulu – Earlier this week, we tried another TikTok trend when we made Tanghulu. For those who don’t know, Tanghulu is a Chinese candied fruit treat. You choose your favorite fruit and coat it in a hot sugary film and then submerge it in an ice bath. The film hardens and when you bite into the fruit you should be able to enjoy a satisfying, crunchy, sweet experience. Only it didn’t work for us. We burned the film and it ruined everything. Add this to our TikTok Fail Hall of Shame.

Tanghulu was a failure.

Honeymoon Reminiscing – On this date eight years ago, Sid and I departed to Cancun for our honeymoon. That trip provided us with a lifetime of memories and sometimes, if I put my mind to it, I can close my eyes and transport back to our resort. To this day, Sidney and I still reminisce about the special time we had and one of these days (our 10th anniversary is coming up in a couple years 😂) we would like to go back. This is the blog post I wrote about our honeymoon.

Our honeymoon was fantastic.

Here Come the Balloons – Last Friday, I brought Sloan and Beau to the YMCA Healthy Kids Day event at the Spokane Valley facility. It was an evening filled with free activities, food, and games. Also on-hand were numerous vendors and friends of the community. One particular vendor was Glenn, a local balloon artist. He donated his time and talent to make balloon creations for the children in attendance. When the event ended at 7:30 p.m., Beau and Sloan were at the very end of a 15-kid-deep line. As all the other vendors packed up and left the facility by 7:45 p.m., Glenn stayed in his spot and made balloons for every single kid still waiting, including Sloan and Beau. By the time he finished at well past 8 p.m., the gym was completely empty and the organizer was basically pushing him out the door. If you are throwing a birthday party in the Spokane area, consider hiring this extremely kind man. His business is called ABS Balloons.

Much gratitude to Glenn from ABS Balloons for staying way after the Spokane YMCA Healthy Kids Day event to make balloons for my kids.

Off the Mark – I thought this one was too cute. Although I do enjoy the refreshing taste of a pina colada, I am in no rush to sample koala, even if it does come in a fresh pita.

Does your sense of humor mesh with my sense of humor?

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That will do it for my latest rundown. Let’s pray for all students finishing up the school year. May they retain the knowledge learned, value the friendships made, and prepare for a safe/fruitful summer. Don’t Blink.

Our Latest Anniversary: Eight is Great

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Before I begin, one special note: Today we celebrate more than our wedding anniversary; we also celebrate the baptismal anniversary of our godson, Noble Andrade. A year ago today we were given the blessing of becoming godparents. Thank you for choosing us, Allyson and Ryan. We love you, Noble!

It was an ego-booster for sure. Just last month, someone who Sidney and I recently met approached us with an observation. With complete confidence and conviction, he told us that I (yes, ME!) looked exactly like Jake Gyllenhaal.

I was elated. Not since the mid-2010s when several people told me I resembled Russell Wilson had I received such a flattering comparison.

Well, Sidney brought me down to earth real quick. She proceeded to tell this guy that he was out of his mind! A text to my family text thread for their assessment of the comparison resulted in the resounding opinion that he must be blind and that my wife was right.

But Sid wasn’t going to let the reality check burn too harshly. She conveyed that it didn’t matter if I looked like Jake Gyllenhaal or Jake the Snake, she married me for me. Looks be damned.

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Today Sidney and I celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary. It is another one of those anniversaries that doesn’t seem to carry much significance, at least at its surface. However, an anniversary is an anniversary and should be recognized and celebrated as such.

Sidney and I celebrate our eighth anniversary today.

When it all comes down to it, today marks another achievement in our marriage. We receive another tally mark in the “Sid and Brent” column. The two people who are total opposites with communication styles as different as their accents continue to add up the years.

Sidney and I got married at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach, SC, on June 11, 2016.

But for as different as we are, the fact that our marriage grows stronger every year doesn’t surprise me. You see, besides the genuine love we share for each other, the three things I highlight every year continue to be relevant in our marital relationship: A dependence on God’s grace, the solid examples of strong marriages from our own parents, and the special way our children enhance our relationship.

Sidney and I enjoyed another year of marriage together in large part to God, our parents, and our kids.

When I look back on the past year of marriage, two things stick out that truly define it.

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

The first was moving into our own house this past August. Finding a home of our own was a dream of Sid’s and we finally made it a reality after realizing we have everything we need in Spokane. It wasn’t lost on us that the abode I currently type this blog post from will be the spot where many, many more years of our marriage will transpire.

This past year of marriage was defined by moving into our new home.

Then there was the opportunity that Sidney and I had to help lead two retreats for engaged couples. While Sid and I do Pre-Cana marriage counseling for individual couples, the Engaged Encounter retreats we led provided an entirely new level of intensity. During these weekend retreats, Sid and I worked as a team to deliver multiple marital-based presentations over the course of three days.

Sidney and I at our first Engaged Encounter weekend retreat in March. After months of preparing, we got to present and would do it again in May, too!

These presentations took a lot of prep work as we spent many late nights practicing and perfecting them. It was labor intensive but so worth it! We felt like we were able to connect with the 13-14 couples present at each retreat while also re-connecting with just the two of us. When we volunteered to do these retreats we definitely put ourselves out there but it paid off. I think all marriages can use a challenge every now and then.

This was our March 1-3, 2024 Engaged Encounter weekend team. What a pleasure it was to present with the Shroeders and Fr. Pat Kearst.

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Sidney and I do something that is quite elementary. Whenever we make a big decision together, we always “shake on it” like we are car salesmen making a deal. We made some big deals over the last year and I can’t wait to see what else we will be shaking hands over in the future.

A photo taken of us from just a couple days ago. Okay, I admit it, I don’t think I look like Jake Gyllenhaal.

Whether I look like Jake Gyllenhaal or not, I am lucky that Sid still wants me in her corner shaking hands and making deals. Thanks be to God for his abundant grace in our special marriage. Don’t Blink.

Dr. Pepper vs. Pepsi

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I recently came across some business news that surprised me. Dr. Pepper has surpassed Pepsi as the #2 soda brand in the country. While both brands own 8.3% of the soda market, Dr. Pepper obviously won the coin flip and has claimed Pepsi’s silver medal. Coca-Cola is comfortably #1 with 19.2% of the soda market.

From a personal standpoint, this news is bittersweet to me. Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda but Pepsi holds sentimental value. Growing up, we were a Pepsi family. Although my parents only let my siblings and me drink soda on a special occasion basis, it was usually with a Pepsi when those times presented themselves. I also fondly remember my grandpa stocking his fridge with Pepsi from his restaurant when my family visited.

Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda but I also have an emotional to Pepsi.

Because of this emotional connection, I have rooted for the brand over the years, even if I would choose a Dr. Pepper if given the choice. In fact, I have always approved of Pepsi’s marketing strategy. In my mind, Pepsi rightfully selected a modern, pop culture-based strategy to counter Coke’s nostalgic approach. Think “Pilk” and A-list celebrities vs. polar bears and “classic” messaging.

My daughter drinks “Pilk,” a combination of Pepsi and milk that the soda giant embraced as a way to be relevant and in-touch with the country.

But perhaps Pepsi has never fully evolved from the 1980s Cola Wars to equip itself to compete against other formidable competitors. The story of Dr. Pepper’s ascension from a small regional Southern product to a national powerhouse brand is pretty impressive. How did the company do it? Well, as a marketer, you know what my first reason would be. Strategic marketing decisions, such as partnerships with college football/ESPN and its wildly successful “Fansville” advertising campaign, endeared the brand to a sports-obsessed country. However, I think there is something else prominently at play that can explain the soda shift. Dr. Pepper simply offers a product that is distinctly different from cola. In a society that values variety and has embraced “dirty soda” drinks, DP is uniquely positioned at this point in our country’s history to replace Pepsi as #2.

It’s not like Pepsi isn’t trying when it comes to its marketing. Campaigns to partner with other brands like the Pepsi x Peeps contest are creative but they don’t necessarily directly respond to the threat that Dr. Pepper poses.

The question now is this: Will Sprite (8.1%) leapfrog Pepsi as well? I think the answer is no—at least not in the next year. With Pepsi’s recent demotion to #3, I think it will serve as a wake up call to shift the focus back to its flagship brand and perhaps be more aggressive in its marketing to directly compete against Dr. Pepper.

What soda are you going to put in your shopping cart this summer? If you choose either Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, because of razor-thin margins, chances are that you’re helping decide who seizes the #2 spot in the soda market. Don’t Blink.

King Thursday Rundown

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Awww…it is wedding season. I want to start this Thursday Rundown by wishing the best to all engaged couples who will be tying the knot very soon. I also want to congratulate all married couples who will be celebrating anniversaries over the next few months. Alright, let’s get going with tonight’s five topics…

First Ice Cream Truck Purchase – There is nothing quite like that first ice cream truck purchase of the summer. For my children, it happened this past Friday at Browns Park in the Spokane Valley. We had a dinner picnic with my sister and her children when at one point that familiar music reached our ears. Of course, Sloan and Beau pleaded for the chance to pick something out and I relented (at least this once 😂). Beau got a Spider-man treat and Sloan got a bomb pop. The most ironic part? The kids enjoyed their first ice cream truck treat on the same date this year (May 31) as they did last year.

I captured this moment from last Friday when Sloan, Beau, and their cousin, Johnny, picked out their first ice cream truck treat of the summer.

King Richard – Sidney and I recently watched “King Richard” on Netflix. Want to know what stood out to me? Throughout the film I totally forgot that Will Smith, one of the best actors on the planet, was playing Richard Williams. He played the role so well that his reputation and celebrity never made me think “Okay, how is Will Smith going to approach this next scene?” Besides Smith’s performance, the movie was solid and I really enjoyed watching the different coaches and how they put up with Richard’s demands/ego.

Will Smith delivers an outstanding performance in “King Richard.”

Amputee Soccer – I was today years old when I learned about amputee soccer. What an inspiration! Athletes who are missing a leg play with forearm crutches but without their prosthesis. It takes guts to play a sport but the courage needed to play with a significant disability is a whole different level. I was introduced to the sport of amputee soccer when this ABC report came on at the gym.

I loved learning about these talented athletes.

Pickleball Oasis – I took Sloan and Beau to Riverfront Park on Saturday. While walking to the Ice Age Playground, we decided to investigate all the commotion that was coming from under the pavilion. Lo and behold, we strolled into this beautiful pickleball scene. As part of the 50th anniversary of Spokane Expo ’74, a pickleball tournament was held to promote and celebrate the wildly popular sport. I enjoyed watching some of the play while the kids participated in the pickleball activities offered by the vendors who were set up on the pavilion floor away from the action.

I took this photo of Picklefest ’24 underneath the pavilion at Spokane’s Riverfront Park. What a cool event!

Summer Essentials – With summer practically here, I had to take a photo of Beau next to the below Safeway display. It just nails it when it comes to the bulk essentials needed for these summer months. I probably averaged 10 Otter Pops per summer day as a kid and now, rightfully so, my children pay me back by leaving their sticky Otter Pop wrappers all around the house. You need crisp, cold water during these sweltering summer months—at least two bottles for every beer. And finally, I am convinced the classic licorice tub is bottomless. I eat piece after piece but I don’t think I have ever seen one of the containers completely empty.

Otter Pops, water, and Red Vines….who is ready for summer?!

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A hot weekend is on tap here in Spokane and we have a lot on our agenda! Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and I will catch up with you in a few days. Don’t Blink.

Delivering Phone Books

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Last week, I was reading a book to Sloan and Beau called Strong Man. It was a children’s biography on Charles Atlas, a bodybuilder and fitness guru who was a national celebrity during the first half of the 20th century.

Sloan holding the book “Strong Man” by Meghan McCarthy.

At one point in the story, it addressed how Atlas got his start as a strongman in the Coney Island sideshow. During his routine, he would tear phone books in half. When I read that part, Sloan stopped me with a confused look on her face and asked a question.

You can see the reference (bottom left) to phone books that made Sloan ask “the” question.

“What’s a phone book, daddy?”

Although a bit mortified at how old her question made me feel, I couldn’t hide my laughter. I explained to her what a phone book was and then I told her a personal story…

During one summer in college, I answered a classified ad in the newspaper. The gig? Delivering phone books. I reported to a warehouse in Spokane Valley where a gruff guy interviewed me for 10 minutes in a makeshift office. Convinced that I wasn’t going to hoard the phone books for myself, he hired me and assigned me a route. The guy then helped me pack every spot in my small Nissan Sentra with phone books.

For the next couple weeks, my time was consumed with delivering phone books to front porches. The pay structure was based on how many books I delivered, with each book netting me something like $.10.

Yep, not something I was going to get rich on.

I was kept honest by automated telephone calls that were placed to the households on my route. The recording would confirm that the person received a phone book. As you can imagine, this work could get strenuous. Hauling phone books in the heat through hilly neighborhoods at a dime per delivery wasn’t exactly a cushy job.

Thankfully, I didn’t do the phone book racket for too long. A road construction job I held for a couple summers started again so I said “peace out” to my phone book delivery duties after finishing my route.

But the experience did build a little character, put some money in my pocket, and provided a story that I could one day tell my children about. Little did I know how educational that story would end up being. Don’t Blink.