Monthly Archives: September 2026

Pre-Labor Day Thursday Rundown

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With September here and school in session, autumn is in the air. So let’s go crazy with pumpkin-everything, okay? 😉 Actually, the weather will still be warm for the next month or so and Labor Day weekend is right around the corner, so by all means don’t give up on summer. But whether you prefer fall or summer, hopefully everyone prefers a Thursday Rundown. Let’s get started with tonight’s five topics…

Wienermobile Part III – This past weekend we saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in-person. It traveled to Spokane Valley where it was parked on Sprague Avenue for the Cops & Kids event. It was Beau’s first time seeing it but Sloan experienced the euphoria of the Wienermobile twice before. Once at a Publix parking lot in Myrtle Beach in 2018 and then in a Fred Meyer parking lot in 2021. During the 2018 encounter we actually received free hot dogs. In 2021, Sid and Sloan were given hot dog cutouts to pose with. This past weekend, they were gifted Wienermobile whistles (that drove me absolutely crazy).

Sloan and Beau pose in front of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile on Sprague in Spokane Valley during the 2026 Cops & Kids event.

Back To School Boards – Earlier this week in my back-to-school post, I shared a lot of photos from the big first day back for Sloan and Beau. However, I didn’t share their back-to-school boards. Well, tonight is the night. Let’s start first with the oldest…

Sloan holding her 2026-27 back-to-school board.

And here is Beau…

Beau holding his 2026-27 back-to-school board.

Burger King Mini Cones – In the past, I have argued that Burger King has surpassed McDonald’s as a better value. There is now yet another reason why that argument holds true. Burger King now gives all kids a free mini cone each visit. After losing his two front teeth, the soft serve was actually just what he needed when we visited our local BK this past weekend.

Beau with his mini cone from Burger King. Every child receives one for free if a purchase is made.

Happy 109th Birthday, Grandma – My maternal grandma, Virginia Fazzari, would have turned 109 today. Dang, that seems so old! But there is the other part of me that says people have lived to 120 years old so it wasn’t impossible (God willing) that my grandma could still be alive today. It is crazy to think of her meeting my wife and kids…they would have loved her. Instead, she died my freshman year of college at the age of 88. Although she was quiet, she still had a terrific sense of humor and served the Lord with complete devotion. On her 100th birthday, I wrote this blog post about her.

My grandma would have been 109 today.

Topic of the Day – This was the latest riveting “Topic of the Day” posted for the consideration of our University Relations office at EWU. When it comes to whether I would want to be a friend of an alien or ghost, I found myself torn. Of course many factors enter the equation. After much contemplating, I think I would befriend an alien first just because of what I could learn from it and the possible positive ramifications for mankind. I also believe that the chances are better that the alien would be nice (or maybe that’s because I recently watched “Project Hail Mary:”) as opposed to the ghost. Who would be your bestie…an alien or ghost?

This was one of our topics of the day this week. Thanks to senior designer Emily Ausere for thinking up the question and drawing the great display.

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Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone. Make sure to be safe and enjoy. Don’t Blink.

All I Want For Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth

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Blood makes me queasy so the scene made my stomach turn.

While at Silverwood, Beau and I were waiting in line for the bumper cars. To corral the line, they have a metal railing that keeps order. Although adept at crowd control, the railing can be tough on teeth. Not that any sensible person should ever find out firsthand.

But there was my son, jolted with the copious amount of caffeine he had consumed thanks to the re-fillable soda cup we purchased, swinging like Tarzan on the railing. As you can probably guess, his hands slipped while swinging and his mouth met the metal.

This photo of Beau was pre-accident. This was not the bumper car ride (rather it is the bumper boat ride) but it shows what the metal railings look like at Silverwood.

There was one second of silence and then he started wailing.

I didn’t want to look. But dang it, I am a dad, and that is what dads do. I had him open his mouth and was relieved to see that his teeth were still there…or at least from what I could tell. Yep, he was bleeding pretty bad.

I took him out of the line and tried to find a rest room nearby or perhaps a park worker who had access to a first aid kit. No luck. So I did what I thought was best given the situation. Remember the re-fillable souvenir soda cup I mentioned? By that time it was filled with the very much non-caffeinated Starry. I had him guzzle it and swish it around his mouth until we got control of the bleeding. It actually worked.

However, it was apparent that his two front teeth—although still there—were not as secure as before. I eventually met back up with Sid and Sloan who were waiting in their own line for a separate ride. Sid wanted to see if she could pull the teeth right at that moment. I asked her to hold off.

And thankfully she did. But that restraint wouldn’t last too long as within seven days of the theme park visit, both of Beau’s loose front teeth were gone (Sid is the teeth puller in our family). Not a bad look for the first day of school, right?

Beau lost his two front teeth in the same week thanks to an accident at Silverwood.

Beau has taken it all in stride. Not having two front teeth really hasn’t seemed to bother him that much. He can eat just fine, there is no impact on his speech, and the Tooth Fairy paid up.

With that said, I don’t think he will be using the metal railing method to lose any additional teeth. The natural method works just fine. Don’t Blink.