Monthly Archives: July 2024

The Eagle Era

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I have that first day of school eve feeling! You know what I am talking about? A mix of excitement and nerves combined with images of arriving at school (or work) and mentally walking through those first initial hours. No holding back now, it is go time.

Yesterday I wrote that “it is almost time to get to work.” Well, that time has now arrived (after a few hours of sleep of course) and a new chapter is about to begin.

Okay, enough with the clichés. My goal starting tomorrow is to listen and learn with humility as I go through the on-boarding process and become better acquainted with Eastern Washington University. I then hope to positively contribute to this institution that has given me such an incredible opportunity.

I officially become an Eagle tomorrow.

Speaking of this incredible opportunity, I also owe gratitude to my previous universities who undoubtedly helped prepare me for this role. Also, much thanks to my wife for her overwhelming support and enthusiasm as I navigate my career.

Tomorrow I become an Eagle! Don’t Blink.

Unemployed Or Not?

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Over the weekend, I had a couple people reach out to me and tease, “How does it feel to be unemployed?” Well, the truth, (I would respond), is that I am technically not unemployed. My employment at Washington State University runs through July 31. However, to give me a few days between jobs, I did take annual leave for the first half of this week before starting as the director of marketing at Eastern Washington University on Thursday.

In the past when I have switched jobs, the unemployment ruse was accurate. Because my previous position changes included relocation, the time between the end date/start date was much longer and thus my separation date from my departing university fell during that range. Let me tell you this: it is so nice not to deal with relocation on top of accepting a new job!

So far, I have taken this week to do all the essential stuff prior to beginning a job: got a haircut, filled out some paperwork, bought some new clothes, etc. I have also continued to watch the Olympics and may have had a cold beverage.

It is almost time to get to work. I will enjoy the rest of today and tomorrow but EWU is in my sights. Don’t Blink.

Thoughts After First Weekend of 2024 Summer Games

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Our family jumped right into the 2024 Summer Olympics this past weekend. In fact, we watched so much of the opening weekend from Paris that I already have 10 observations/thoughts to convey. Let the games…I mean “thoughts”…begin!

Sloan has turned into quite the fan of Team USA and the Olympics in general.

– First thing’s first: our daughter can’t get enough of the Olympics. She is all-in and has turned into a USA super fan. Will she keep up the intensity throughout the whole 16 days? I will report back once the flame is extinguished.

– I watched the entire four-hour opening ceremony package offered by NBC. There were things that I liked and things that I didn’t like. However, I can separate a production delivered by the host city from the Games themselves. The TV will continue to remain on Peacock in our house.

– Speaking of Peacock, I really enjoy Mike Tirico. He brings the same reverence to the Games that Bob Costas did (read my ode to him here) and I loved the tour he gave us of the studio last night.

– So far, I have not jumped on the Snoop Dogg bandwagon. It seems like his presence is a little overbearing. Take for example the women’s gymnastics qualifying round last night. I am interested in the reactions of the gymnasts’ parents after their daughters complete a routine but not those of Snoop. Placing him right by the families of Suni Lee and Simone Biles takes away the focus on mom/dad and shifts it on him.

– Sticking with gymnastics, it is the Olympic sport most loved by Sidney and Sloan. Yesterday afternoon we watched the entire rotation of the Brazilian women’s team in the qualifying round and then returned to the couch later in the evening for the primetime coverage of the American team’s rotation. Sloan is a huge Simone Biles fan and wants to be placed in gymnastics classes.

– A sport that doesn’t quite capture our enthusiasm the same way that gymnastics does is cycling. Sidney and I tried watching it on Saturday afternoon only to wake up from unplanned naps about 90 minutes later (we were at my parents’ house so the kids were taken care of).

– A sport that doesn’t put me to sleep even when it is past midnight is handball. It reminds me of a soccer + basketball + arena football hybrid. I stayed up late on Friday and Saturday watching both men’s and women’s action.

– It took the Olympics for me to actually watch a rugby game. I tuned in for the France vs. Fiji gold medal match and was impressed by the atmosphere in the stadium and all that the athletes do without any type of protective equipment.

– I have watched probably every 2024 Summer Olympics Peacock commercial about 20 times. As of right now, the Nike “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” spot is my favorite.

– Finally some decent weather for these Games! Watching the rain-soaked opening ceremony and the Saturday washout was a little depressing. Beach volleyball just isn’t meant to be played when the game officials are wearing windbreakers. Oh well, today is supposed to be sunny and warm!

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Dang, all those thoughts after just a couple days; can you imagine how many I will have in two more weeks? Hope everyone is enjoying the action from Paris. Don’t Blink.

Thanks, WSU

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A couple days after accepting EWU’s offer to become its next marketing director, Sidney and I found ourselves engaged in an honest conversation. She told me she felt bittersweet about my next career step. I asked my wife to explain the “bitter” portion of her sentiment. As innocently and honestly as possible, she conveyed that we moved all the way across the country for WSU and that it now seemed weird that I was leaving the place we initially made such a big sacrifice for.

I responded by saying that we indeed made a major sacrifice to join the Coug community. However, the leap of faith we took ended up materializing in an extremely fruitful way that was worth every ounce of our westward sacrifice. Going to work at WSU allowed me to benefit from a once-in-a-lifetime work arrangement (don’t think I will ever get the opportunity to work from home four days a week again!), grow tremendously as a professional, and ultimately ascend the career ladder.

But, best of all, it allowed me to work with and learn from some of the best people.

Although I had my concerns when remote work started, it quickly became apparent that goals could be accomplished and camaraderie developed even if it required Zoom calls and Teams chats. Or perhaps we got s*** done simply because of the caliber of people I had in my corner, work-from-home be damned.

Whatever the reason, despite a global pandemic that disrupted everything, I developed strong working relationships and cherished friendships with my WSU colleagues that matched the relationships built at previous stops in my career.

So today I get to say thank you. I will absolutely embrace the opportunity to extend my gratitude to those who supported, encouraged, and empowered me. As I have mentioned, our University Marketing and Communications team accomplished much during an unprecedented time when everything imaginable was thrown at us. Any contributions I made resulted from the talent, selflessness, and leadership that surrounded me.

It has been such a great experience working with the University Marketing and Communications professionals of WSU and others within the system.

Okay, here we go…

I might be partial to my UMC team but I would be remiss not to mention the many bright, talented, and kind WSU employees throughout the system. Out of all those, I have a few favorites. Erin Carroll and Sarah Page from Student Affairs constantly brightened my week during our Wednesday meeting with their positive attitudes and humor. I respect how much they truly care for the students at WSU and are willing to do whatever it takes to improve the student experience. Over the past couple years, I have worked a lot with Hailey James who serves as the chief of staff for the WSU Pullman Chancellor’s Office. She has a tough and stressful job but I always admired how she would consider the viewpoint of our UMC team even if priorities between her department and ours ever clashed. Then there is Kylie Condosta from the President’s Office who was always so easy and helpful to work with. She was instrumental in assisting me with optimizing President Schulz’s social media presence and always supported the strategy I put forth.

Erin Carroll was a great friend and ally. This is her presenting at the WSU System Marketers and Communicators Conference on the WSU Everett campus

Now for my UMC colleagues…
(a suitcase emoji 🧳 means the person no longer works at WSU. A paw emoji 🐾 means the person still works at WSU but not in UMC)

First, shout out to the patient and helpful administrative/financial officers, managers, and supervisors who helped me with all the budgeting, purchasing, and procedural tasks that are necessary for a social media program to function. Carrie Johnson (🐾), Brenda Campbell (🧳), Amanda Beardslee (🧳), Maria Amorim (🧳), Lael Gray, Kiersten Oliver, and Betty Smith…I don’t know what I would have done without you!

I will always hold a spot in my Coug heart for the news team. When I started at WSU, social media was part of the news unit. For those first several months, I was in a daily check-in meeting with the news staffers. They welcomed me with open arms and never hesitated to cover our prominent social media efforts. I appreciated the friendship of Will Ferguson (never forget late night beers at Red Lobster in Vancouver), the quick turnaround capability of RJ Wolcott, and the sheer brilliance/talent of Sara Zaske to make even the most complex scientific study understandable to a novice like myself. And I always valued the clutch web and HTML email work of Jon Bickelhaupt during major announcements when the pressure was on.

Will and I became friends and even hung out when not working. This was us social distancing during the summer of 2020 at Edgecliff Park in Spokane Valley.

Speaking of friendship, Jenny Walsh (🧳), our former EM marketing director, was my first friend at WSU. We worked closely together and she helped me become acquainted with the WSU landscape. She cared about my success and made me feel comfortable in my role.

Jenny was my first friend at WSU. That’s her with (from l-r) Jon Bickelhaupt, Larry Clark, Jenny, and Eric Limburg.

Another UMC employee who helped with our enrollment marketing efforts (and helped me) was Chris Falgiani. Many of our promo items were housed in another building on campus that I had limited access to. Whenever I needed to replenish our supply, Chris would happily haul the items from the building straight to my office. But I will most remember Chris for the countless discussions we would have about reality TV and MMA.

Our photography unit never held anything back from our social team. Bob Hubner, Shelly Hanks, and Dean Hare provided us with beautiful images that routinely became some of our top social media posts each year. I had the privilege of organizing and accompanying Bob and Shelly on several photo shoots and they were always so professional, technical, and efficient.

I can’t thank our video team enough. Jason Refsland and Kara Billington have contributed so much to UMC whether it be through brand videos, EM videos, or social videos. If not for Jason and Kara, our YouTube transformation would not have been possible (because you need the content) and my #1 WSU moment would not have occurred. This duo humored my ideas and brought many to life. Additionally, I also always enjoyed working with their top intern, Rhynne Lee, who brought a student perspective and genuine enthusiasm to every project she worked on.

Our video team is superb. Kara Billington is on the left, Rhynne Lee is on the right, and Jason Refsland is kneeling down.

While I am on the topic of interns, it is my pleasure to thank the ones who have worked for our social team over the past four years. Thank you to Kendall Hoy (🧳), Rachel Lutovsky (🧳), Chloe Houser (🧳), Dani Paramo (🧳), Fiona Scanlan (🧳), Ryan Hiller (🧳), Serena Hofdahl (🧳), Amy Rooney (🧳), Jessica Willis (🧳), Taylor Megaw (🧳), Shannon Whiting, and Claire Fruehauf. These 12 former and current WSU students brought creativity and ingenuity to the job each day. It is no wonder why many of these individuals entered immediately into incredible careers.

There probably isn’t anyone prouder of those interns than Matt Haugen, our social media manager. When I came to work at WSU I was impressed by Matt’s passion for the university and his job. Thanks to his 14 years of service to his alma matter, Matt constantly offered valuable institutional knowledge that helped our social program. He also knew how to plan one heck of a social media April Fools’ joke!

When you think of highly intelligent people with large brain capacity—at least in the context of marketing and communication in higher ed—the web director will always come to mind. I don’t like stereotypes, but in this instance I must say that Danial Bleile fits it, because in my mind he is a genius. Danial, our web development director, assisted me tremendously. Whether it was aiding me with Google Analytics, providing me access to manage the social feeds on wsu.edu, or placing the myriad of tracking pixels I asked him to install, Danial always came through. We also bonded over our nerdy fandom of Weird Al Yankovic.

If you need an example of someone who epitomizes integrity, look up Larry Clark. Our alumni magazine editor/content development associate director, Larry always puts others before himself. He will fight for, advocate on behalf of, and celebrate those around him. I worked closely with Larry as we both served on the UMC leadership team and I always valued the perspective he brought. There are two things I will always fondly remember about him: when I came to Pullman for my interview, Larry gave me the best campus tour imaginable (when he probably had a thousand other things to do) and he traveled all the way from Pullman to Spokane this week just so he could attend my farewell lunch. What a guy!

Larry Clark is sitting across from me in the middle. Both him and Jackson Price (to my left) traveled to Spokane on Wednesday to eat lunch with me at The Onion. Cara Hoag organized the lunch and Dave Wasson (end of booth opposite of me) also attended.

The next two people I am want to thank devoted their own talents and the resources of their team to WSU Social Media. Eric Limburg (🧳) and Jackson Price, who both served as creative director, spared nothing to advance the social media needs of our department. They greenlit any graphic that needed designing, video that needed shooting, or photo that needed capturing and made sure it got done. But you know what says even more about Eric and Jackson? Many times they would do the work themselves. I can’t count all the times we made a request and these guys decided to do the creating themselves—whether that meant they designed a holiday graphic, created a GIF, or made a social media profile frame. And their contribution to social is just a drop in the bucket of all they do for WSU and the creativity they bring to the table. Lucky for me, Eric and I will get the chance to work together again very soon 😉. Thank you to our talented designers for their attention to detail and willingness to experiment. I appreciate you Annie Patterson, Charles Dillon, and Valerie Boydo.

Of course the creative directors would win the office pumpkin carving contest! Eric Limburg (left) actually hired Jackson Price (right) to be our art director. When Eric left for Eastern Washington University, Jackson was promoted to creative director.

Time to say a few words about our vice president. To put it simply, I don’t know how Phil Weiler does it. If I ever felt flustered with any of the situations we dealt with over the past four years, I would just tell myself imagine what Phil is going through. As WSU’s spokesperson, you simply won’t find a more composed, even-keeled professional. When I traveled to Pullman for my interview, I had a short 1-on-1 session with Phil. He told me his leadership philosophy was to allow the experts in their area to shine without interference from him. Phil was true to his word.

Phil Weiler presents during the WSU System Marketers and Communicators Conference in Vancouver in Oct. 2022

Okay, Dave Wasson is up next. This guy was the very first WSU face I saw when he picked me up at the Spokane airport on a dark and cold December evening. He was also the person who hired me and initially supervised me. I joke with him that I accepted the job only because he gave me delicious Cosmic Crisp apples to take back to South Carolina. Of course that’s not why I actually took the job (well, at least it wasn’t the only reason), but holy moly those apples were good! In all seriousness, I appreciate Dave more than he knows. Our voyage to Pullman after he picked me up for my interview in December 2019 wasn’t the only time we would make that drive together. Knowing that we were just a one-car family for my first couple years of employment, Dave (who also lives in Spokane) would go completely out of his way to drive me to/from Pullman on the days both of us worked on campus. I sincerely appreciated his generosity and sacrifice while also relishing the chance to get to know him on a personal level during those car trips.

Dave Wasson (the one in blue taking the photo) was instrumental in me coming to WSU.

In January 2022, I didn’t make the best first impression with a UMC key hire during our 1-on-1 introductory call. I had come down with COVID and while my cough game was strong my ability to speak actual words was not. Thankfully, Cara Hoag, our EM marketing director, didn’t hold it against me. Her understanding would pave the way for an effective work relationship and a valued friendship. We navigated WSU’s partnership with a major vendor, introduced creative digital strategies to attract new Cougs, and totally transformed our university’s YouTube channel. The work we did on that last item sent us to Chicago where we presented on higher ed marketing’s biggest stage, an experience that I count as my proudest moment working for WSU. As we worked together on a professional level, we also clicked on a less formal level. For all the passion we have to advance the goals of the university we work for, at the end of the day both Cara and I are family-oriented people. We connected over this and respected each other for our shared values. Cara became a major cheerleader for my spouse and children while I did the same for her family. There is no doubt about it, our friendship will endure beyond my last day at WSU.

I am really going to miss Cara! This is us when we drove together to the WSU System Marketers and Communicators Conference in Everett in June 2023.

And now I conclude this “thank you” post by recognizing the single-most influential person during my time at Washington State University. What a transformational experience it was working for Holly Sitzmann. Her organized, pro-active, strategic leadership style has resulted in massive success within our department and provided me the guidance and opportunity to grow. It can’t be overlooked how much Holly does. She lives in Washington D.C. and works early east coast hours while finishing the day working late west coast hours. I have seen her rare vacations completely derailed by crises at WSU. I have watched as she dealt with personal tragedy after personal tragedy only to still stay on top of work and make sure her team was taken care of. Although Holly puts in long hours no matter the situation, it has always been her top priority to secure a positive work/life balance for those who work for her. She always allowed me to put my family first, pursue my quirky interests, and perform my WSU duties according to my preferred work arrangement. I have learned so much from Holly about marketing and communication but I have learned even more from her about leadership and what it means to be a good human.

I owe so much to Holly Sitzmann. Can’t believe we didn’t get a photo together over the past four years.

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It is time to finally (and sadly) make my WSU exit. Holly reminded me of a blog post I penned just a couple weeks before I started here. I wrote: I have no greater motivation than to show my new bosses and co-workers that they made the right decision in hiring me. I hope I was able to achieve that objective. It would be quite the shame to come up short when all the people I mentioned above did everything possible to help me thrive.

So let me just say it one more time: THANK YOU!

What a pleasure it has been to serve Washington State University, I will always be a Coug at heart. Don’t Blink.

Let the Games Begin Thursday Rundown

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Wow, lots of emotion this week in Don’t Blink as I wrap up my time at WSU and reflect on a special visit from my in-laws. I am glad the Thursday Rundown is here so I can return to the “nobody cares” genre of writing that I seem to have mastered 😂. Alright, here we go…

Exploding Cans – I guess it could be worse for Southwest Airlines…it could be Delta. But even though Southwest wasn’t impacted by CrowdStrike as much as its competition, it is dealing with a dilemma: exploding soda cans. More than 20 airline flight attendants have been injured when the soda cans they were opening exploded. The culprit is the record-breaking heat and lack of ground refrigeration. Because Southwest doesn’t serve perishable food on its flights, it has no need for refrigerated trucks on the ground. That means the soda is exposed to scorching heat before it is packed on the plane and thus cooked to burst once a poor stewardess attempts to open it. Get the airline some ice troughs!

These Dr. Pepper cans wouldn’t stand a chance on a Southwest flight.

2024 Summer Olympics – I love the Summer Olympics and am so excited for them to start tomorrow. If the Paris games are half as good as the Tokyo games we are all in for a treat. It will probably come as no surprise to you that I have written A LOT about the Olympics over the years but I don’t want to overwhelm you with a bunch of different links. Instead, I will just offer one: My top 5 favorite Summer Olympics events. Enjoy the games, everyone!

Back in 2021, Sloan loved watching the Tokyo Games. This is her cheering on the U.S. men’s swim team.

Shoe Swap – An embarrassing episode occurred as we left a birthday party that Beau attended on Saturday. We walked out the door with the blue crocs we thought belonged to him. Shortly after we arrived home, Sid looked at his shoes with a mortified look on her face and explained, “The sun shrunk Beau’s crocs!” She was about to leave for Target to buy a new pair when she looked at the shoes a bit closer. She noticed they were a 6-size, a far cry from the original 10-size that Sid bought for Beau. I texted the birthday party host and confessed that we likely took someone else’s shoes while leaving Beau’s at their house. Thankfully, we lucked out. The shoes in our possession belonged to the birthday girl’s 2-year-old brother. As the mom told me, “No one went home shoeless” 😂. I was mildly embarrassed when I drove back to the house to make the switch.

These were the crocs I mistakenly brought home. I sent this photo to the party host and luckily she responded by saying they were her son’s shoes meaning no one went home shoeless.

#TBT – Figured I would include a Throwback Thursday image in tonight’s rundown. This photo was taken on this date four years ago and it certainly takes me down memory lane. Back in July 2020, Sloan was a pipsqueak and Beau had just recently started wearing his helmet. Okay, that’s all I got for that one.

In this photo, Sloan was 3 and Beau was 5 months.

Last WSU Video – I wanted to share the final video I worked on while at WSU. In honor of National Ice Cream Month, we planned to do a video with Food Science Professor Carolyn Ross. She specializes in food sensory perception and we wanted her to explain what makes ice cream taste so good. But the night before the shoot, our video director had an awesome idea. He pitched that we position the video in the style of the show “Hot Ones.” So what we ended up doing was purchasing several flavors of Ferdinand’s ice cream and having Dr. Ross taste each one individually. Her analysis and on-camera demeanor were just what we were looking for! Watch it here.

Thank you to Dr. Carolyn Ross of WSU Food Science for helping us make a fun and educational video.

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Okay, that’s five topics, right? Tomorrow is the end of an era as I wrap up my time as an employee at Washington State University. Look for a special and rare Friday blog post as I thank those who made the last four years so rewarding. Don’t Blink.

Sweet Summer Visit From Sid’s Parents

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For over 10 years, the somewhat mischievous thought has floated through the heads of both Sidney and I. Whenever my parents and siblings left Myrtle Beach (when we still lived there) or when Sid’s parents left Spokane, we always held out a long shot hope that perhaps their stay would somehow be extended. Well, for the first time since we started dating, the improbable happened…TWICE!

We were blessed to have an incredible (and extended) visit from Sid’s parents.

The summertime visit from Sid’s parents was so fun and enjoyable that fate felt the need to continue the good times for several more days. Due to the CrowdStrike incident, my in-laws’ Saturday flight was canceled and re-scheduled for Tuesday. At about 11:30 p.m. on Monday, we found out the Tuesday flight wasn’t happening either. It took a Wednesday night flight on a different airline for Sid’s parents to escape our grasp 😉. The extended stay gave us about 108 extra hours to truly appreciate how nice it was to have our kids’ “east coast grandparents” under our roof.

Thanks to CrowdStrike, Sid was give more time to enjoy extra laughs with her dad.

Before I mention some of the special moments we had with Sid’s parents, it is worth noting how their trip coincided with historic events. Sidney and Brenda Mathis arrived on Saturday, July 13, and attended my nephew’s birthday party that afternoon at the YMCA. While watching their grandkids splash in the facility’s pool, news broke that Donald Trump had been shot. The following weekend, President Joe Biden would announce that he would not seek re-election. Needless to say, while we spent many nights playing board games at the kitchen table, the faint background noise of a news broadcast was usually audible from the living room.

What a blessing it was to host Sid’s parents during summer in Spokane.

And to add even more context to their visit, it was really hot. Like 100+ degree hot for several of the days they were in Spokane. But here is the crazy thing: my in-laws said it didn’t feel nearly as nasty as Myrtle Beach even though the daytime highs in South Carolina were routinely 15 degrees less than Spokane. They were pleasantly surprised that even with the extreme temperatures they could still depend on mornings and evenings that cooled down to the high 50s and low 60s. They didn’t miss the suffocating humidity and nagging rain of the Grand Strand one bit even though we reached temperatures that are uncharacteristic for the Inland Northwest.

Because it was so hot, we spent a lot of time around water. This photo shows Beau hanging out in the boat we rented while Sloan, Sid, and Mr. Sid are visible splashing around in Lake Coeur d’Alene.

So although my in-laws’ July 2024 visit will always be remembered partly by unprecedented historical moments and intense heat, the memories made over the past 10 days could have easily stood on their own.

The moment Sloan and Beau saw “Gami and Dada” after they got off the plane at the airport.

We picked up our special cargo on an early Saturday afternoon. Sidney took her parents out to lunch while I drove the kids up north to their cousin’s birthday bash. After they ate and dropped their luggage off at our house, my in-laws joined us at the YMCA pool. “Gami and Dada” marveled at how their grandkids had progressed in the water, kicking off a solid beginning to what would be a memorable visit.

It felt awesome for all of us to re-unite again.

The following day, the six of us ventured across the state line to Idaho for the Post Falls Festival at Q’emiln Park. We visited vendor booths, ate delicious festival food (my father-in-law ordered a massive elephant ear), watched the kids play on inflatables, and admired the Spokane River. This particular day would also begin the many evenings of kitchen table games that included favorites such as Phase 10, What Do You Meme, and Speed.

Now that is what I call an elephant ear! The Post Falls Festival was a lot of fun.

When Monday rolled around, Sloan and Beau spent time exclusively with their grandparents as Sid and I returned to work. They played with each other, went to the park, and even exercised together. Yep, Sloan and Beau were invited to accompany Sid’s parents on their daily walk.

Mr. Sid and Beau playing “What Do You Meme?”

Once Wednesday arrived, Sid was off work for the week. She took everyone to the Southside Aquatic Center, a beautiful swimming oasis on Spokane’s South Hill. They had so much fun that they would return the following day as well.

That next day, Thursday, proved special beyond just the pool. After I finished work that evening, the six of us traveled up north to my parents’ house. It was there that we ate steak in the dining room followed by strawberry shortcake on the back porch. But again, it wasn’t the food that made it a memorable night. Rather, it was the rare opportunity Sloan and Beau received to be around their four grandparents at once. I know my children don’t realize the significance of how unbelievably cool that evening was but one day they will. After dessert, we all walked across the street to the park and enjoyed being in each other’s company. It really is heartwarming how well my parents and Sid’s parents get along.

Sloan and Beau spent Thursday evening surrounded by all their grandparents.

On Friday, I did something for the first time. In a spur of the moment act, I decided to take off the afternoon by putting in notice just a couple hours prior. But how can you blame me? Sid came into my home office around 10 a.m. and said they had rented a boat on Lake Coeur d’Alene and that she would love for me to come. We traveled back to Idaho, ate at an awesome local hamburger place, and then hit the water. We cruised for several hours while making several stops to jump into the water on another triple-digit day. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

Beau “drove” the boat for “Dada” while we were on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Saturday morning was tough. Beau and I left the house for a church engagement followed by a birthday party. We gave our farewell hugs and expected to come home later that afternoon to just Sid and Sloan. But as I said at the beginning of this post, CrowdStrike had different plans. When we arrived at the house after the party, Gami and Dada were waiting for us after returning from the airport about an hour prior to our arrival.

Thanks to fate, Sloan got to spend a few more days with both of her grandpas in town.

Even though we had so much fun during their scheduled week with us, it still felt like a second chance to bond even more. That afternoon/evening we played games and hung out with an even greater appreciation for the extra time we had together. On Sunday we just relaxed, followed the Joe Biden news, played more games, and then had a chicken bog dinner that my parents attended…another chance the kids had to be around all four grandparents!

Sloan and my mother-in-law had the chance to make cookies together.

When the new week started, it was back to work again for Sid and me. This allowed my in-laws to have several more hours with just them and the kids. By the time the work day was over, we were back to what had become the norm during the evenings: games, puzzles, and laughs. Sid made a pork loin dinner on Monday that capped about 10 straight days of delicious food. Before we went to bed, the kids said their goodbyes again as we prepped them that Gami and Dada would be on an airplane by the time they woke up in the morning. But then it happened again shortly before midnight…Brenda received a notification from Delta that their flight was canceled and, just like that, Sid had her parents through Wednesday night. We all said, WE’LL TAKE IT!

My mother-in-law and Sid work on a puzzle last night.

Tuesday and Wednesday were both nice and low key. My in-laws played with the kids outside, took them to lunch at McDonald’s, made a trip to the Dollar Tree so Sloan and Beau could purchase them gifts (the idea of my children), embarked on a Target run, and more. At night we played cards, watched “Big Brother,” and ate ice cream. Eventually, the kids and I had to say goodbye for the third time 😔…

Sidney dropped her parents off at the airport this evening so they could catch their midnight flight. CrowdStrike wasn’t going to extend their trip a third time. But it was okay, because even though it was still sad, we were all so grateful that not only did we maximize our scheduled week together but we also got some bonus time none of us were expecting. We feel blessed that we had the chance to host our two very special visitors and we are already counting the days until we get to see them again. Don’t Blink.

My Top 10 Favorite Moments Working for Washington State University

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I am currently in a contemplative mood. As my time at Washington State University comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the nearly 1,600 days that have passed since I became a Coug on March 16, 2020. Most of those days were spent in either a closet (first house), bedroom (second house), or (finally) a legit home office (third house). It would be understandable to think that a chapter in my career where I worked mostly from home wouldn’t produce the type of distinctive moments that I experienced at previous stops.

We moved to Washington when I was hired by WSU. I worked one day on campus and that afternoon we received the directive to work from home. We rented a house and I worked out of a closet space while the pandemic rocked the world.

However, that’s just not the case.

Truth be told, I did enjoy some defining moments while working at WSU. Yes, some of them did occur while I was on campus or traveling BUT others occurred at home as I sat in the ancient red office chair that my grandpa once used (and that my wife hates). It is with great pride that I present this blog post that counts down my top 10 moments working for WSU.

10. Winning Gold – In 2022, Holly Sitzmann (my boss) and I wrote a CASE award submission for an enrollment management marketing piece our UMC team put together. I was hoping it would just receive some recognition but my expectations were far exceeded when it won the highest honor bestowed by the organization. Our CougBeat magazine, a play on the teen fan publications wildly popular in the 1990s (i.e. Tiger Beat), earned the CASE Circle of Excellence Grand Gold award. I was proud of the social media-specific activation I oversaw in the issue but mostly I was elated that our UMC team was honored in such a profound way.

CougBeat was a creative and collaborative effort that won top honors from CASE. It was a pleasure to write the winning submission.

9. Presenting to the President’s Cabinet – Our social media program hit it out of the park in 2021 when it came to smashing benchmarks from previous years. As was custom for me at the beginning of each calendar year, I would deliver a presentation to our UMC leadership team recapping the analytics from the previous year. However, I gave an extra presentation in February 2022 when Phil Weiler and Holly asked me to also present the data to WSU’s top administrators at the president’s cabinet meeting. I nervously agreed and when the day came I fought back anxiety so I could coherently talk analytics with WSU big wigs such as President Kirk Schulz himself, the campus chancellors, provost, athletic director, and more. It was a proud moment for me because I was able to overcome nerves to deliver the presentation in a way that made sense to these senior administrators. But more importantly, the opportunity allowed me to showcase the solid work of our social unit and overall UMC team.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous to deliver this presentation. However, it ended up being a successful afternoon and a positive experience.

8. #PalouseUnity – One of the first big campaigns I worked on after arriving at WSU was our #PalouseUnity initiative. With COVID wreaking havoc across the Inland Northwest, we teamed up with the University of Idaho to promote positive pandemic behaviors. It wasn’t long after we launched that our dual university effort grew to a community coalition that was TEN organizations strong. Pullman and Moscow healthcare providers, city chambers, law enforcement, and even an electrical equipment company all joined the cause and lent their marketing/comms teams to help in whatever way possible. Throughout the entirety of #PalouseUnity, I worked with Holli Sampson from UI to execute the digital portion of the campaign in a strategic and organized manner. To partner with Holli and lead so many Palouse-based social media managers and digital strategists was the perfect way for me to meet area professionals and advance a worthy cause.

The #PalouseUnity project mattered and I was honored to work on it. Our photographers and designers worked together to create some powerful images of Palouse community members coming together with an “It takes all of us” message.

7. Rolling Out the Brand – Our UMC team pulled off the remarkable by executing a successful in-house modernization of our brand. Although I had nothing to do with the nearly two years of hard work it took to refresh a brand with 130 years of history, I did assist with the rollout. I was enlisted to serve on the training team that taught WSU employees across the system how to engage with/use the new brand assets and narrative. Throughout a series of Zoom trainings, I partnered with Danial Bliele, our web development director, to educate the WSU community on how to use the modernized brand on web and social. It was a thrill to teach these trainings because you could sense how hungry and curious these large audiences of WSU employees were to learn about the modernized brand and how to use it.

It was an honor to help facilitate training for our brand modernization rollout. This image is a sceenshot from one of the sessions I did.

6. #CougCounties – During my time at WSU, we were hit with crisis after crisis (COVID, Idaho tragedy, Pac-12 demise…just to name a few). Because of this, it wasn’t always an option to do fun stuff on social media. However, just this month I was able to conclude a major organic social media campaign that turned out really cool. Called #CougCounties, we took five months to feature all 39 counties of Washington. We designed special #CougCounties t-shirts and sent them to Coug volunteers who agreed to “rep” the Washington county they lived in. The volunteers slipped on the t-shirts and went to a landmark or point of interest in their county and posed for photos. The images turned out fabulous! We incorporated them into social posts that contained info on the county, fun facts about the landmark, and a quote from the volunteer on what WSU meant to them. The campaign pulled in massive numbers and became something that our social media audience looked forward to every Monday and Thursday. Here is the recap blog post I did on the campaign and here is where you can view a photo album of all the reps at the locations they visited.

#CougCounties was a really fun and successful organic campaign I had the opportunity to introduce at the beginning of 2024. We just now wrapped it up earlier this month.

5. Sharing the Stage with Colleagues – While at WSU, I was able to network with counterparts at other major universities. In fact, some of these “counterparts” became great friends. I teamed up with Victoria “V.” Mendoza from USC and Andy Thompson from the University of Utah to submit a proposal to present at the 2022 American Marketing Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed. Our proposal, #LearnOnTikTok: Higher Ed Strategies, was accepted and we spent the next few months preparing together for the big day in November. Prior to us traveling to the Washington D.C. area to present, our team grew stronger when Katie Camacho Smith from TikTok joined us. Our presentation went well as the four of us each focused on a different aspect of TikTok (I covered paid ads). To make things even sweeter, my boss, Holly, was in attendance to watch.

A photo of me presenting at the 2022 American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed as Katie (left) and Victoria (right) look on.

4. A Rewarding Mentorship – Throughout my career, I have enjoyed the honor of mentoring many students. However, my most recent experience might be the most rewarding of all. At the beginning of this year, then-WSU student Timothy Duenas emailed me to ask if I would mentor him about the marketing industry and best practices for entering the professional world. Over the course of several meetings, I was so impressed with the questions Timothy asked coupled with his curious/respectful nature. I looked forward to each session and was thrilled that our last meeting was in-person. Shortly after that final chat and just prior to graduating with a marketing degree, Timothy published a LinkedIn post about our time together that really touched me. I look forward to following his career long after I work my final day at WSU.

Timothy Duenas and I take a photo together after our last mentorship meeting in May 2024.

3. Meeting Colleagues in Vancouver – In October 2022, I attended my first #WSU System Marketers and Communicators Conference. The annual opportunity for marketing and communications professionals from across the system to meet for networking and presentations was revived after a COVID hiatus. Since it was my first time attending, I didn’t know what to expect but I left feeling so thankful for the opportunity. This particular conference took place on the beautiful WSU Vancouver campus and provided me the chance to visit in-person with many colleagues who I had only engaged with on Zoom up to that point. I also delivered one of the conference keynote presentations that I felt really helped introduce me on a greater level to my fellow Coug marketers and communicators.

Even though it was an internal conference, I relished the opportunity to network with many colleagues who I had only engaged with on Zoom. I also gave one of the keynote addresses.

2. Wisconsin Fans Try Cougar Gold – One of the best parts of my job was serving in a producer role for the creation of fun and engaging videos. The fact that I was able to complete these projects with our brilliant video team made it even better. Out of the many videos I worked on with Jason Refsland and Kara Billington, nothing tops the one we made prior to the 2023 WSU vs. Wisconsin football home opener. A few hours before kickoff, we approached Badger fans and asked them to sample Cougar Gold cheese. Of course the angle was whether self-proclaimed Cheeseheads would admit that WSU’s signature cheese was on par with what they produce in Wisconsin. The reactions were priceless and our video team executed an incredible edit in record time that allowed us to release the video near halftime. The video took a lot of planning and the filming took place on a scorching hot gameday but the final product was so worth it! I can only wonder if the University of Wisconsin will impact me at Eastern Washington University in the same it has at my previous three colleges…

Collaborating on this video took a lot of planning and a lot of sweat, but the end result was awesome!

1. Presenting With Cara In Chicago – Although it took place almost 2,000 miles away from Washington, presenting with my co-worker and friend Cara Hoag at the 2023 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed in Chicago was my favorite moment as a Coug. Our submission titled Not Your Parents’ YouTube made the slim 11% acceptance rate for the stacked conference. However, earning the right to present at such a prestigious higher ed gathering was only part of what made this experience so special. The topic we covered was a major success story that resulted from our semester-long effort to transform our WSU YouTube presence. To be able to present our method and results to a packed conference room in the engaging way we did will always be a career moment for me. I can’t thank Cara enough for teaming up with me and working so hard to positively represent WSU on the national stage.

Cara and I were all smiles after we answered the final question that put a cap on our AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed presentation.

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I have so many other happy moments like working on our holiday video, serving on a committee that planned fun gatherings for our department, and winning the 2023 UMC end-of-year trivia contest (😂) but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Bottom line, I was blessed to enjoy four years at WSU packed with opportunities and memories. However, none of the above would have happened if not for my UMC team. I can’t wait to thank them in a couple days. Don’t Blink.

My Time At WSU: Expect the Unexpected

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There is a certain reality show my wife and I watch that relentlessly promotes its tagline. The mantra, expect the unexpected, is repeated multiple times per episode. Over the past four years, I have held a job that had me reciting the same thing at a similar frequency.

I had not even worked my first day at Washington State University before the unexpected hit. Shortly after accepting a job offer to become a Coug, my wife gave birth to Beau. While the birth of my son was expected, his stint in the NICU was not. Thanks to the graciousness and compassion of my bosses, Holly Sitzmann and Dave Wasson (at the time), my start date was moved back.

Once my delayed first day finally arrived, the unexpected struck again. Before leaving campus, the directive came that all WSU employees were to work from home for the foreseeable future. Hello, COVID.

And so it would continue for the following 200+ weeks. Pandemic disruptions, vaccine communications, head football coach scrutiny, a dark day on Dec. 30, 2022 (Idaho murder suspect arrested), the collapse of a conference, courtroom drama, and so much more.

Thankfully, my time at WSU is not ending in an expect the unexpected fashion—which is good—because it probably would have meant that I got fired 😂. Instead, my tenure as a Coug is concluding on my own terms with an offer from another employer that I simply can’t refuse. On August 1, I will begin my journey as the director of marketing at Eastern Washington University.

I will soon be leaving WSU. Thanks to everyone for making the past four years so rewarding.

But now is not the time to look ahead to my future with EWU. Rather, I need to heed the consistent example displayed by my bosses, including that initial instance when my newborn was sick, and show some graciousness. I much prefer to use this last week as a WSU employee to thank the institution that gave me so much over the past four years.

Because you know what? Even though I was certainly confronted with the unexpected, those who hired me still delivered on the expected. When I said “yes” to WSU in Dec. 2019, I was promised a senior role leading a social media program at a large university. I certainly got that opportunity and more.

Social media was elevated to its own unit within University Marketing and Communications, I was given a seat on our UMC leadership team, my bosses empowered me to represent WSU on a national level, and I was challenged with duties that extended beyond social. Yes, there was adversity that struck consistently but just because you face the unexpected doesn’t mean you aren’t equipped to deal with it.

So please allow me to go out the right way. As I start to phase out my extensive collection of WSU polos from my closet, I wish to adequately express my gratitude for my Coug experience. Over the course of this week, I plan to reflect on the moments that meant the most to me and thank the people who made my time at Washington State University so fruitful. Stay tuned Cougs, I’m not done yet. Don’t Blink.

Hot Hot Hot Thursday Rundown

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Hot! Hot! Hot! We are in the middle of summer here and the high 90s/low 100s temperatures certainly reflect it. However, I am lucky to have my in-laws visiting from South Carolina and they are loving mornings and evenings that bring actual relief along with a very forgiving shade. So let me get through these five topics so I can join them under our back yard patio umbrella.

Wedding Memes – On this date eight years ago, I did something that might have been pushing it. I took the photos from our wedding and made memes out of them. I know, I know…why use the beautiful, expensive images from your happiest day just for a few cheap laughs? Well, perhaps I don’t always think straight. Below is one of the memes I created but if you want to see the rest, tap here.

Telling myself not to screw it up the entire night before obviously paid off.

Watermelon Art – Last Saturday, we attended my nephew’s 7th birthday party. It was held at the YMCA pool and followed an aquatic life theme (my sister loves a good theme). Speaking of my sister, she carved and prepared this watermelon to resemble a shark. Pretty cool, right?

This watermelon was served at my nephew’s birthday party.

National Sour Candy Day – I won’t even consider entertaining National Sour Candy Day (at least in the form of indulging). Even as a kid, I was not a fan of candy that made your face pucker. My children, on the other hand, are a completely different story. For whatever reason they enjoy the sensation of their eyes watering when they eat something like sour gummi bears, a Warhead, or Sour Patch Kids. But as I have conveyed through both my top five favorite hard candies list and my top five Jelly Belly list, I steer far away from anything that is sour.

Give me chocolate any day but I detest sour candy.

Big Brother 26 – It’s that time again. The latest Big Brother season premiered last night and our family is dialed in. Yes, even Sloan is now a fan. Big Brother 26 will mark the 13th season that Sid and I have watched together (10 regular seasons plus 3 celebrity seasons). Not bad for someone who was once passionately anti-reality TV. I can’t give my picks on who I want to win yet because last night’s episode only revealed eight of the 16 houseguests.

Big Brother 26 kicked off on July 17, 2024.

Better Late Than Never – By this point, you can probably tell I don’t have much new material this week given all the past blog posts I have referenced and the fact that this will be the second “national day” that I recognize. But I just feel like it wouldn’t be right if I completely snubbed the special day of one of my favorite foods—mac and cheese. Although I won’t give it the individual blog post treatment I bestowed on hot dogs yesterday, I do want to recognize National Macaroni and Cheese Day that took place on July 14. My two favorite mac and cheese blog posts jump right out at me: we have the time I achieved a life goal of actually judging a macaroni and cheese cookoff AND the post in which I shared the often overlooked toppings that complement the best dish in the world.

I love mac and cheese more than I love hot dogs.

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Five topics up, five topics down! As I mentioned, we have some special visitors so I am off to join them. Have an awesome weekend. Don’t Blink.

I Always Celebrate National Hot Dog Day

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Today is National Hot Dog Day. If you ever doubt my fandom for a delicious frankfurter, simply type “hot dog” in the search bar of this blog. The number of hits that pop up will ensure that you never question me again.

Okay, so you want me to put my hot dog where my mouth is? In no particular order, let’s browse seven of my hot dog experiences as documented in Don’t Blink.

1. The Big Dog. It will be 12 years ago next month that I had the audacity to order “The Big Dog” at Northern Quest Casino. When the server came out with my entrée, I seriously thought it was a joke. The 22-inch gigantic hot dog topped with chili and cheese was “extra” to say the least. What wasn’t extra? The fact that it was on special that night for just $9.

This is me with The Big Dog at Northern Quest Casino in Spokane during the summer of 2012.

2. The Killer Dog. There is a favorite restaurant of Sid’s family in Myrtle Beach called Carolina Roadhouse. They offer terrific steaks, seafood, burgers, and much more. I always bypass all that stuff and go for the Killer Dog. Topped with chili and cheese like “The Big Dog” (but much smaller), it became a running joke that I would always order the hot dog instead of the many better options on the menu.

Sloan looks on at the Killer Dog I was about to eat at Carolina Roadhouse in 2017.

3. Is A Hot Dog a Sandwich? A year ago, I produced a video at WSU that was a lot of fun. We asked one of our food scientists to answer the age-old question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich. Dr. Foraker did a fabulous job as he described the scientific and historic merits on whether a hot dog is a sandwich or not. He then passionately offered up his personal opinion. No spoilers here, you must watch the video to find out what he said.

We made a video that asked one of our #WSU professors if a hot dog is a sandwich.

4. Ice Cream Hot Dog. All the other hot dog stories in this post are resoundingly positive except for this one. Last November I was in Chicago for a conference. During one of the evenings, we were invited by a vendor to the Chicago Ice Cream Museum. It was at this museum that my co-presenter and I were offered an ice cream Chicago Dog. It consisted of a poppy seed bun filled with hot dog-flavored soft serve ice cream and topped with mustard and relish. Needless to say, we passed.

This isn’t a joke! They make ice cream Chicago Dogs at the Ice Cream Museum.

5. Is A Corn Dog a Hot Dog? Ha! Okay, I promise this is the last topic that begins with a question. I would probably say a corn dog is not a hot dog, but I did write an entire blog post dedicated to corn dogs several years ago.

Sloan eating a Sonic corn dog.

6. Wienermobile. I achieved one of my life goals when I saw the Wienermobile in-person. The “big hot dog on wheels” visited Myrtle Beach in 2018 and parked in front of a Publix grocery store. It was fun to scope it out, touch it, and pose for photos in front of it. But the best part was definitely the free hot dogs from the Oscar Meyer trailer that was a short distance away from the Wienermobile.

Back in 2018, our family visited the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile while it was parked outside a Publix grocery store in Myrtle Beach.

7. Costco Dog. Even though I made it clear that this list wasn’t organized in any particular order, I bet a lot of people believe I saved the best for last. Who doesn’t love the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo at Costco? When I listed the top five things I buy at Costco, you probably won’t be surprised that a hot dog from the food court was on the list. It isn’t just that the value is amazing but that the hot dog itself is really good!

Sloan and I eating Costco Dogs in 2019.

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Trust me, those seven instances just scratch the surface of hot dog mentions in my blog. If you are still hungry, keep searching! Or, save yourself some time and just eat a hot dog right now. Don’t Blink.