Monthly Archives: October 2025

First Thursday Rundown as a 39-Year-Old

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Trying to shake that birthday cake hangover as I compose myself for my first Thursday Rundown as a 39-year-old! Okay, I think I am ready to go. Here are tonight’s five topics…

Baja Blast Halloween – I thought this was appropriate since I wrote about Taco Bell earlier this week. I also thought it fit because I have offered my opinion on unattended trick-or-treat options before. But mostly, I wanted to include this because I thought it was hilarious! Could you imagine? If someone did leave out a bucket of beverage for tween trick-or-treaters, I can’t honestly think of anything better to fill it with than Baja Blast. Thanks to my friend, Geoff, for this meme!

Could you imagine if someone actually pulled this off? That Baja Blast would be gone by the sixth trick-or-treater.

Cake – I talked about that birthday cake hangover at the beginning of this post so I thought I would show you the culprit. This is Sid’s infamous candy bar shake that she has made for me since we started dating. Chocolate cake, Hershey candy bar bits, cream cheese frosting, and lots of love make this the best birthday treat ever. Soooo good!

Another delicious candy bar birthday cake made by Sid.

Muffin Party – From cake to muffins! It is common for donuts to be brought into the office for birthdays. Of course, I always enjoy this because I have never encountered a donut I didn’t like. However, I have a special love for muffins. For my birthday yesterday, instead of the couple boxes of Yoke’s donuts that usually cover the counter of our open space, there were multiple containers of Costco muffins. Yes, I was saddened when Costco downsized my favorite sweet treat in the world, but I still find them absolutely delicious and satisfying. Thank you to my team for marking my birthday in such a personalized way.

My University Relations team at Eastern Washington University celebrated my birthday with a muffin breakfast.

Dollar Tree Price Hikes/Shrinkflation – Going to Dollar Tree is great for greeting cards, movie theater candy, and bath soap. It used to be good for facial/tissue paper, too. As recently as five years ago, you could purchase a regular box of 148 tissues for $1. When the terrible quarter increase went into effect, you could still get the same box for $1.25. However, things have take an even greater turn for the worse. Now at Dollar Tree, you can’t even get a full box of tissues. Sadly, they have decreased to cube-size. But that’s not it: each box now comes with less than 100 tissues and it sells for $1.50!

What you pay for at Dollar Tree for tissue paper isn’t even a bargain anymore.

Ramblings – On this date 11 years ago, I wrote a blog post titled “The Random Ramblings of a 28-Year-Old.” The post is significant because it was the first time that Sid baked the same candy bar cake I mentioned above for my birthday. I also wrote about trying candy corn M&Ms for the first (and last) time, making a weekend trip to Clemson, and how South Carolina only required a license plate on the back of a vehicle so I got to choose something fancy for the front. Anyway, I thought you would enjoy the throwback below.

Sidney and I with the Candy Bar Birthday Cake she made me in 2014.

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That will wrap things up for tonight. Thanks for sticking with me even as I become an old man 😉. Please pray for Sid and me as we are off to lead a retreat for engaged couples this weekend. Don’t Blink.

Kind At 39

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I am trying to keep it positive this birthday. Although I could very well call this year “40 Eve,” I prefer to call it “Be kind at 39.”

(FYI, I have named/branded my last handful of ages as I have climbed into my late thirties. I won’t recap the past monikers here, but you can view them by tapping on previous birthday posts below.).

After some age anxiety in my mid-to-late twenties, I have lived my thirties with relative contentment as the candles on my birthday cake grew more plentiful. However, as the big 4-0 is now on deck, I don’t know how I feel about turning 39 today.

Perhaps I am just starting the coping process early so next year when I turn 40 it won’t be such a bummer. Those are truly the honest thoughts of your nearly middle-aged blogger 😉.

But enough about my advancing age! No matter how old someone turns, a birthday is more than just a glum indicator of how old you are—it is also a celebration of being alive. And although I gave you a very truthful account of how I feel with 40 on the horizon, I feel extremely blessed to still be alive and kicking. In fact, “kicking” is an understatement because even though I am almost over the hill, I feel fantastic!

I experienced some age anxiety as I approached my 39th birthday but I probably had the best birthday of my thirties today.

I am also very blessed. No matter whether I am 29, 39, or 49, I am grateful to have a fabulous wife and two doting children who I adore. Add a terrific job, supportive parents/siblings, and a strong faith to the equation and it all makes the birthday cake much easier to swallow.

Speaking of birthday cake, I swallowed a lot of it tonight. Sidney made her world-famous candy bar cake and it was so delicious. That was all prefaced by a pizza party at the house and at work this morning my colleagues hosted a muffin breakfast in my honor.

I celebrated my birthday tonight with my wife, kids, and parents.

So thankfully, the initial sting of turning 39 is starting to lessen. After all, age truly is just a number and something far greater (or worse) awaits everyone despite the tallies they have in their age box. Thanks to everyone for an awesome birthday and I will be sure to soak up the conclusion of my thirties while trying my best to be kind. Don’t Blink.

Past Birthday Posts
Turning 38
Turning 37
Turning 36
Turning 35
Turning 34
Turning 33
Turning 32
Turning 31
Turning 30

Taco Bell Glory Days

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Last week, I was racing through downtown Spokane trying to arrive at the bus stop in time to ride out to Cheney. I suddenly found myself at a halt as I slammed my brakes at a red light. While frantically waiting for the light to turn green, I gazed at the Taco Bell to my right. On the restaurant’s windows were multiple posters advertising the chain’s Decades Y2K promotion. Besides the general poster, the other ones promoted specific menu items. One poster promoted the chili cheese burrito, an absolute retro favorite of mine!

This was the poster I saw on the Taco Bell located on Third Avenue in downtown Spokane. However, I took this particular photo at the Taco Bell on Sullivan in Spokane Valley when I went to pick up food on Saturday night.

I ended up making the bus and when I sat down I Googled the promotion. In addition to the chili cheese burrito, Taco Bell had also revived classics like the double decker taco, the cool ranch Doritos locos taco, and even its infamous caramel apple empanada.

Surprise surprise, all of this really excited your esteemed blogger. And it didn’t just make me happy because I loved the chili cheese burritos and the gooey/hot empanadas. Believe it or not, I appreciated it the most because Taco Bell was paying tribute to the absolute best era of its existence: the early 2000s.

Although I enjoyed Taco Bell more in the early 2000s than in 2025, I couldn’t help but visit on Saturday.

I had so many good times and nice memories at Taco Bell during my high school years. Late night burritos after poker, big meals after football victories, and casual lunches with friends during the summer. The food hit the spot, the prices were dirt cheap, and the dining rooms were always inviting (who didn’t like the purple/teal color scheme).

I loved hanging out at Taco Bell in the early 2000s. It just isn’t the same anymore. As you can tell from this photo I took when I was inside the location on Sullivan in Spokane Valley, they don’t even try to make the store locations welcoming to people who want to eat inside.

Don’t get me wrong, Taco Bell helped me through my college years and I still enjoy it every now and then today, but nothing beat the “Y2K” era.

If Taco Bell introduced Decades Y2K to generate nostalgia and bring back 35-40 year olds who never said “no” to a bean burrito when they were in high school, they hit their goal with me. This past Saturday night, I made it a requirement that my family order food from Taco Bell. Trust me, if I had not seen the promotion earlier that week, I would not have told my wife Yo Quiero Taco Bell.

If it wasn’t for the Decades Y2K promotion, I would not have visited this Taco Bell (Sullivan in Spokane Valley) on Saturday night.

As you probably guessed, I ordered a chili cheese burrito. Oh wait, I can’t lie, I actually ordered two chili cheese burritos. They came out in vastly different sizes but that didn’t phase me. Were they as good as I remembered? Unfortunately not. Did I still eat them both in record time. You bet!

These were the two chili cheese burritos I brought home from Taco Bell. Like I mentioned above, there is some size disparity.

Even if a retro item didn’t seem to hit like it did decades ago, nothing can taint the memories I have from the hours I spent inside Taco Bell as a teen. Perhaps I am just drunk on Baja Blast, but those were some special times. Don’t Blink. 🌮

Too Good To Go

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I like to learn nerdy things and my latest inquiry resulted in the discovery of a pretty cool app.

Recently I Googled “how buffets minimize food waste.” Numerous methods were outlined, including one that mentioned an app called Too Good To Go. Intrigued, yet totally unaware of what it actually was, I looked it up. What I read made me want to try Too Good To Go immediately.

Too Good To Go is an app that allows businesses to sell food at discounted prices that otherwise would go to waste.

What a concept! Too Good To Go is an app that allows restaurants to sell surplus/unsold food that might otherwise go to waste. To participate, eateries must discount the food they sell by at least one-third its original price. Customers then use the app to purchase the food. However, all Too Good To Go meals come in mystery bags. You aren’t allowed to choose your items although the app will describe the most likely possibilities you will find in your bag.

Too Good To Go appealed to me for two reasons:

1. I love a good bargain
2. Surprises are fun

I downloaded the app and discovered that Spokane Valley had various businesses on it. Within 10 minutes of downloading Too Good To Go, I had already made an order. I then made another one 🫣. My first ventures? Circle K and Desserts By Sara.

I purchased mystery bags via Too Good To Go from Circle K and Desserts By Sara.

I went with Circle K because three different locations in Spokane Valley were offering mystery bags and the window for pickup was basically all day. You see, those using the app who purchase a mystery bag must pick it up within a certain time period. For some places it is just a couple hours but Circle K offers a wide window that spans most of the day. Also, for just $3.99, I figured it was worth a try.

Holding my mystery bag I purchased from the Circle K location on Pines in Spokane Valley.

When I went to pick up my Circle K mystery bag, they made it in front of me. A store employee placed a deli sandwich, Lay’s potato chips, and 20 oz. Pepsi bottle in a Circle K-branded bag. I guess I was a little surprised considering I thought I would be getting old corn dogs, pizza sticks, and jalapeno poppers. Based on the fact that the chips themselves had an on-package suggested price of $2.69, I definitely received a greater value for my money than if I bought each item individually. But even with that said, do I think I would use Too Good To Go for another mystery bag of some very common items? I don’t think so.

I received a 20 oz Pepsi, potato chips, and spicy Italian deli sandwich in my Circle K mystery bag. Not bad but not something I would go back for.

What I received from Desserts By Sara was better. Although the price for a mystery bag was a little more expensive ($5.99), the anticipation of what a bakery would probably have on-hand made my mouth water. It didn’t disappoint.

Holding the mystery bag I received from Desserts By Sara. The bakery is located in Spokane Valley on Montgomery.

We received two giant cookies, two cake pops, and a pack of pumpkin bread. The two cake pops alone—which every espresso stand in Spokane sell for $4 each—already surpassed the price of the mystery bag. The cookies were fresh and the only reason Sid thought they were in our bag was because some of the decoration frosting was mistakenly on the edge of the cookie. That was obviously no problem for us 😜.

These cookies look smaller than what they actually were, but the Desserts By Sara mystery bag packed deliciousness and value. I will use Too Good To Go for Desserts By Sara again.

I will test out some of the other Too Good To Go businesses soon. Judging by the first two test runs, I think it might be hit and miss. Regardless, the idea itself is golden. Don’t Blink.

Smarties Thursday Rundown

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Happy October and good day! I hope everyone is enjoying a pleasant beginning to the HalloweenGivingMas season. Let’s begin with tonight’s five topics.

Sloan Discusses Trend With Fr. Jeff – One thing you should know about Fr. Jeff Lewis is that he spends just as much time involved with the school side of St. Mary as he does with the church side. He visits each class once per week and discusses faith with the students. However, pop culture topics come up frequently during these conversations. This past weekend, we were spending time with Fr. Jeff when he started talking about the “6-7” trend. I had heard nothing about the meme until my priest mentioned it during our visit and noted how St. Mary children seem pretty enamored with it. Of course, Sloan got a giant kick out of it and within no time both pastor and student were saying “6-7” with hand motions and all. It was quite the sight.

Fr. Jeff Lewis and Sloan go back-and-forth about the “6-7” trend.

National Smarties Day – Today is National Smarties Day and I have one big memory of the candy. Growing up, my mom would take us grocery shopping with her every week. When it was time to pay, we would always get in the line staffed by an elderly bagger named Kermit. This kind soul would joke around with us and then always hand us a pack of Smarties. If he didn’t already have such a distinctive and fun first name, I probably would have just started calling him “Smarties.”

This Valentine treat character, which was created in February 2021 for my daughter’s pre-school Valentine’s Day party, has Smarties as arms.

Lesson on Disabilities – The book I read to Beau last night was titled “You’re So Amazing” and was about a little boy with one leg. Whenever he would do anything—even the most mundane tasks—people would gawk and say you’re so amazing. Then, if he decided to sit something out just because he didn’t want to partake, people would take immense pity on him and think his disability was limiting him. The point of the story was to normalize those who might have a disability and refrain from making a big deal out of everything they do. The story’s subtitle summarizes it perfectly: being singled out doesn’t always feel amazing.

Beau and I received an important perspective when we read “You’re So Amazing”.

Eat Mor Chikin – The Chick-fil-A cow was at last week’s high school football game between Mead and Mt. Spokane. Sloan jumped at the chance to take her photo with the mascot. After I took the photo, I mentioned to her that I had my own photograph taken with the cow approximately 11 years ago when the Chick-Fil-A restaurant opened at Coastal Carolina University. I don’t think she was that impressed.

I took a photo with the Chick-fil-A cow at the grand opening of Coastal Carolina University’s Chick-Fil-A restaurant in September 2014..

Flood Waters – This weekend is the 10th anniversary of when Myrtle Beach was flooded via the byproduct of Hurricane Joaquin. It was the most surreal scene as people were literally riding on jet skis and floating on kayaks through the neighborhood streets. Although the governor told people not to go exploring, Sid and I did the exact opposite. Hey, you make stupid decisions in your 20s, right?! This was the blog post I wrote about the crazy spectacle.

This is me in the water during the expedition that Sid and I took during a massive flood that took place in Myrtle Beach in 2015. Follow the link to my original blog to see photos of the kayaks and jet skis.

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Have a great month everyone. This is my last Thursday Rundown as a 38-year-old (😱). Don’t Blink.

October Nostalgia

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Happy HalloweenGivingMas! Today is October 1, one of my favorite days on the calendar. Not only does it kickoff my birthday month, but it begins the three-month blitz of holidays, excitement, family, delicious food, and magic.

But let me not get ahead of myself. Before we even think about November and December, let’s cherish and savor October. I love this month—and that love goes beyond the vanity I have for my own birthday 😉. Autumn beauty, spooky fun, football galore, and fall festivals all contribute to my affinity for the 10th month of the year. I even secretly like the stuff I DON’T LIKE about October.

As you could probably guess, my October admiration didn’t develop overnight. I have enjoyed this month since as long as I can remember. I thought the basis of this very short blog post could be a few nostalgic memories I have from my childhood that transpired in October…

– We would always get excited when my mom would read us scary books during October. I think this might be the genesis of how I became such a fan of scary movies. My mom would read us a plethora of spooky children’s stories and the book I remember most was about a scarecrow. At night, the scarecrow would come alive and roam around. When day returned, it would be back in its field.

– Speaking of scarecrows, my family actually made one! We called him Frank Farwell. How did we arrive at that name? The clothes he wore belonged to my grandpa (named Frank) and we allowed the school we attended, Farwell Elementary, to use him for its fall festival.

My siblings and me with the actual Frank Farwell!

– When I think of October and my childhood, I have many pleasant memories of birthday parties my parents threw me. Whether it was at Chuck E. Cheese or a classic home party, I can visualize my friends around me and feel the importance of being the center of attention. My absolute favorite birthday party, however, was when mom and dad rented a limousine for my friends and me to cruise around in.

Major throwback to when I had a limo at my birthday party. In this photo I am wearing the hate of the limousine driver.

– To harken back to the spooky theme I already touched on, my dad would always take my sister and me to a haunted house attraction. How we loved getting the crap scared out of us! Just like with the scary story books, these haunted house trips from early in my life paved the way for my current enjoyment of spooky stuff. Yep, I still try to visit a haunted house attraction every year.

Me at a haunted house in Myrtle Beach back in 2015. 

Okay everyone, the year is now ¾ of the way over. Make October and the ensuing two months the best they can be. Don’t Blink.