Author Archives: brent

Beaunaldo Thursday Rundown

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Last week my rundown was absent because Beau’s birthday fell on a Thursday and his special day took priority over my typical five wacky topics. Well, we aren’t celebrating any birthdays today so the Thursday Rundown is back. Let’s get started.

M&M’s – We tried a new flavor of M&M’s this past weekend (remember when there just used to be a few options?). At Walgreens they had a cardboard display with peanut butter cinnamon roll M&M’s. The flavor is part of a “Bakery Collection” rollout that also includes lemon meringue pie and cherry chocolate cupcake—I would like to try both of those flavors eventually. As for the one we did try? Not incredible and not awful. You can definitely taste both the peanut butter and the cinnamon with the latter having a more pronounced note. At more than $3 per bag, you don’t need to rush out and buy one.

Sloan holding a pack of peanut butter cinnamon M&M’s. We purchased the candy at Walgreens.

Ronaldo Gifts – Hosting a class party means you receive a lot of gifts. Beau was completely spoiled this past weekend but I thought I would highlight the gift he received from his cousins, Mik and John. Ronaldo is Beau’s favorite soccer player (we don’t call our son “Beaunaldo” for nothing) so they loaded him up on G.O.A.T.-related items. From stickers to a book to an LED night light, Beau can flaunt his fandom.

Beau received some great Ronaldo gifts from his cousins.

Father/Daughter Dance – For the fourth straight year, Sloan and I attended the St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance. I will share our official dance photo taken at the school when it is available but until then you can enjoy the montage below. Last year I wrote about the dance and the traditions we have established.

Sloan and I attended the St. Mary (Spokane Valley) Father/Daughter Dance for the fourth time on Feb. 6, 2026.

100th Day of School – We might have done this super last minute, but this is Beau with 100 pasta noodles to commemorate the 100th day of school. To be honest, our intention was to use large rotini noodles from a box that was already open. However, when I saw how much was left, I knew we would be cutting it short, and, alas—we only had 77 pasta pieces. So we had to pivot and go with the much smaller and underwhelming mararoni pasta pieces. Well, at least he had something!

Beau holding his 100 pieces of macaroni pasta. If we were able to use the rotini pasta it would have looked more impressive but we didn’t have enough.

Valentine’s Fortune Cookies – But today wasn’t just the 100th Day of School, it was also the celebration of Valentine’s Day at St. Mary Catholic School. This year, our kids gave out pretty creative Valentine’s. My wife found Valentine’s Day-themed fortune cookies on Amazon and put in an order. Each cookie comes with a label on the wrapper that says, “I’m fortune to be your friend – Beau and Sloan Reser.” A next level activation would be if we could add a customized fortune on the inside. As of right now, all fortunes are the same within the cookies.

Sidney ordered these custom Valentine’s Day fortune cookies for Beau and Sloan to pass out. Each fortune inside reads the same.

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Thank you for taking the time to visit Don’t Blink. Traffic to my blog has dramatically increased in 2026 so if you are a new reader, let me wish you a very warm welcome. If you are a longtime reader, thanks for staying with me all these years. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone! Don’t Blink.

Ordering American Food at a Mexican Restaurant

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On a random weeknight last week, Sid kicked the kids and me out of the house.

“Go to McDonald’s or something,” she told me.

Sid wanted to clean the house and didn’t want dishes and pots/pans from dinner cluttering up the kitchen. So like any good husband would, I got the kids in the car and we left. However, we didn’t go to McDonald’s.

Instead, I took them across the street to a tiny Mexican restaurant called Fiesta Grande. It truly is our neighborhood Mexican joint where we enjoy delicious food, coziness, and consistency. But this time, we did things a little different. Perhaps it was because it was such a spur of the moment thing and/or because Sidney wasn’t with us, but we didn’t order Mexican food. Yes, we had the audacity to order off the American menu.

Sloan ordered chicken strips and fries, Beau chose the grilled cheese and fries, and I opted for the cheeseburger and fries. Here are three things I observed from our extremely non-adventurous ordering…

Last week I took Sloan and Beau to Fiesta Grande in the Spokane Valley for a quick dinner. We all ordered American dishes.

1. We received two sides for the price of one! All of our meals came with fries but we still got bottomless chips. I admit it was kind of weird to eat tortilla chips when I knew a cheeseburger and fries was on its way but I couldn’t pass them up because they are so good at Fiesta Grande.

2. It is much less expensive ordering American items. My cheeseburger was $11.95 which was $3 less than the cheapest one item combination dinner at Fiesta Grande. I went back and forth in my head on whether it makes sense for an ethnic restaurant to charge less or more for American items. On one side, I can understand charging less because it isn’t the restaurant’s specialty. On the other side, I think charging a little more would be appropriate because you are essentially ordering an item that doesn’t fit with the menu and probably takes additional considerations to stock/prepare.

3. Our server didn’t care what we ordered. Even though we went to a delicious Mexican restaurant with truly incredible food, our kind waiter didn’t raise an eye or make a sarcastic remark when we ordered American entrees and fries. And you know what? All the food was really good!

I once wrote a post about how a family Mexican restaurant can truly stand out. I think I now know the answer: offer a tasty and inexpensive American menu. And one more thing to add…Sidney didn’t go hungry because we brought her home a to-go order. Want to guess what she got? Chicken strips and fries 😂. Don’t Blink.

Beau’s First “Friend” Birthday Party

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We celebrated Beau’s birthday this past week and it was especially significant for one big reason: It was the first year we threw him a “friend” birthday party. Prior to turning 6, we only had private family birthday celebrations for Beau.

But even though we threw him the big birthday bash with his friends, we still gave him the private celebration that has been routine in previous years. So let me start there…

Beau’s birthday this year fell on a Thursday. After we all arrived home from work and school, we allowed him to open his gifts from us and his grandparents. Once everything was opened, we gave him the option of choosing where he wanted to go to dinner.

Sloan watches Beau open up his presents on the evening of his birthday.

Sid and Sloan secretly hoped he would choose Outback, Red Robin, or maybe Olive Garden. His choice?

Zip’s.

For those not from the Inland Northwest, Zip’s is your typical local fast food burger joint. Beau got his birthday dinner wish as we feasted on cheeseburgers, corn dogs, fries, and onion rings.

Beau enjoys a corn dog at Zip’s during his birthday dinner.

We then came home for cake. Instead of our traditional Rosauers cake, Sidney made a yellow cake with homemade rainbow chip frosting. It was chef’s kiss.

Beau with the birthday cake his mom made him to celebrate his 6th birthday. The rainbow chip frosting was superb.

After asking us about his “friend” party incessantly for the past two weeks, Beau’s day in the sun came this past Saturday. We pulled up to the Spokane Valley Mall a little prior to 2 p.m. and went to the top level where We Play, an indoor playground, is located. When we walked in, everything in our party area was already set. This was made possible thanks to the staff allowing us to drop off our themed table cloths/plates/silverware/etc. in the morning for them to place before we arrived in the afternoon.

Oh yes, the theme. Beau chose soccer. He wore his Ronaldo uniform—complete with “gold” chain—to his party. We had a good laugh when his friend, Killian, showed up wearing a Messi jersey.

Beau dressed in his Ronaldo uniform for his party. This is him with his friend, Grant. While Grant wore a Seahawks jersey, his other friend, Killian, showed up in a Messi jersey.

Speaking of his friends, Beau invited his whole class. His cousins also attended. Everyone had a fantastic time exerting all their energy inside the play structure. We Play made everything so easy. While the kids played, the staff made sure the pizza arrived on time (they contract with a local pizzeria) and that we had everything we possibly needed to stage a fun birthday party.

About 45 minutes into the party, the We Play staff made an announcement for Beau’s party to come eat. Beau and his friends maybe spent two minutes gobbling their pizza before they sprinted back to the play structure. About 30 minutes later the staff made another announcement for the children to return to the table for cake. This time around they devoted a little more time to letting their food digest as I suspected a little fatigue setting in after 90 minutes of playing hard.

Beau and his birthday guests pose for a photo right before cake in the We Play party space. We Play is an indoor playground located inside the Spokane Valley Mall.

As Beau’s crew made one final run to the play structure, we started to pick things up and pack away the presents. Like we did when Sloan had her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, we opted for Beau to open his presents at home.

The two-hour party quickly came to an end and after distributing the party favor bags to all the guests, we thanked the We Play staff and headed out. As you can imagine, Beau was eager to get home and open his gifts.

Beau poses for a photo with his mom and birthday cake. Thanks to We Play (Spokane Valley) for helping us host such a fun birthday party.

Thanks to everyone who made Beau’s birthday such a success from his relatives to his classmates to the parents of his classmates to the staff at We Play. I didn’t mention it much when recounting the party experience, but it was such a pleasure to visit with the parents in Beau’s class—we are blessed to be part of the St. Mary Catholic School community.

Next year will be tough to beat when it comes to Beau’s 7th birthday party. But there is no time to think about that now because there is a more pressing concern…Sloan’s birthday is next month 🤭. Don’t Blink.

My Super Bowl LX Review

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Okay, I am sitting in my favorite armchair (not really, but you get the point) and ready to dish out my hot takes regarding Super Bowl LX. For the TENTH time I am back to offer my unsolicited and annoying commentary on the game action, national anthem, halftime show, and commercials from football’s grandest night. Without further ado, let’s get started with this year’s analysis…

The Game: From a personal perspective, the game couldn’t have been better. As a lifelong Seattle fan, watching the Seahawks capture their second Super Bowl was sweet. From an objective standpoint? To paraphrase one of this year’s commercials, it was meh. Although the Seahawks did turn in a dominant defensive performance, the Patriots played sloppy as they made many errors that had nothing to do with Seattle’s “D.” Watching the two teams play nearly to the half with no penalties was nice but this definitely wasn’t a hard-hitting defensive battle played by two equally-matched squads. The Seahawks were in total control the whole time.

I was ecstatic that the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX but the game itself from an objective standpoint was very average.

The Anthem: I thought Charlie Puth did a decent job. He performed the song a little on the slow side but he did it with honor. The background vocals and band complemented Charlie at the beginning but then drowned him out a bit in the middle. By the time he arrived at the last quarter of the national anthem, Puth managed to bring it together and delivered a solid finale. Definitely won’t go down in the books as an especially memorable rendition but he did avoid any gaffes.

I thought Charlie Puth did a solid job performing the national anthem at Super Bowl LX.

The Commercials: Besides the overload of AI spots, I thought the rest of the commercial crop was pretty balanced with a good mix of funny and emotional spots. If there is one thing that stood out to me, it is how much a spot can be enhanced with well-placed and powerful music. From Michelob using “Eye of the Tiger” during the Kurt Russell ski training montage to Enya’s “Only Time” in the NFL prostate cancer PSA to the Backstreet Boys T-Mobile commercial, using familiar and critically-acclaimed music at the perfect time can increase the likability and recall of advertising. Advertisers might have to pay a whole bunch of money in licensing fees but I am sure the ROI is worth it 😉.

The Michelob Super Bowl LX ad with Kurt Russell used the familiarity of “Eye of the Tiger” to make it stand out.

When it comes to last night’s most impactful commercials, I always like to recognize the spots that either did something super creative or extended their brand beyond the allotted 30 seconds. I thought the Lay’s “freshest bag” QR stunt was genius. A giveaway CTA with a bold promise will always engage an audience (and win you lots of data). I was amused by Coinbase’s spot that simply played “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys while the lyrics appeared on a blue screen. I smiled as those around me had “WTF” reactions as the lyrics were displayed. No doubt, when the advertiser was revealed at the end, everyone was talking about Coinbase. And then the Liquid I.V. commercial with the singing toilets also received an “attaboy” from me. After an original concept of commodes performing in unison, the screen flashed with “TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR PEE | YELLOW?” There is no doubt in my mind that everyone was silently assessing the current color of their urine.

The Lay’s commercial was successful because it had an engaging call to action that viewers could complete in their living rooms.

My personal favorite commercials from Super Bowl LX? Well it was our Eastern Washington University spot of course! But when it comes to national placements, I have three: The Pepsi polar bear commercial was great. It was the ultimate flex at Coca-Cola, it included a major viral moment from the summer, and it also incorporated music in an impactful way (“I Want to Break Free” by Queen). The Rocket Mortgage commercial was the spot that resonated with me the most. As a family that has moved to several new homes and neighborhoods over the past 10 years, the kindness of new neighbors can mean so much. And finally the NFL “belief is a superpower” commercial was so inspirational and so cute that it was the one spot that truly captured my heart. I give the Super Bowl LX commercials an A.

The Pepsi commercial with the polar bears was my favorite spot of Super Bowl LX.

The Halftime Show: I have said this in past reviews and I will say it again regarding this year’s Bad Bunny halftime show: the bookers and organizers must have done something right because I didn’t like it. The stage sets were cool and the energy seemed to be there but the musical content, crotch grabbing, and booty shaking just didn’t do it for me. Not being able to sing along to anything that was performed nor feeling the least bit of inspiration also contributed to my lackluster reaction. I do feel this particular show will age well because the colors were vibrant and it looked fantastic on TV but even the cameos by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin couldn’t make me feel connected and impressed by the show.

The Bad Bunny Super Bowl LX halftime performance won’t go down as my favorite.

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To be completely honest, I write this annual blog post just so I will have my talking points straight when I chat with my EWU colleagues about the game this morning 😂. Nah, I also do this yearly entry because it is fun to write about…especially the marketing aspects. Congrats on your NFL title, Seahawks! Don’t Blink.

Past Super Bowl Commentary
Super Bowl LIX
Super Bowl LVIII
Super Bowl LVII
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl 50
Super Bowl XLIX

Beau Is Six-Cessful

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My son always has the best, to-the-point one liners. Earlier this week, I asked him why he wanted to turn 6. Without skipping a beat, he yelled, “Because it is better than 5!”

Well, okay, Beau. But 5 wasn’t that bad.

Beau turns 6 today (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photography).

After all, it was the birth year when you dressed like an old man. The age when you sailed on a cruise and visited Disney World. The 365-day window where you established yourself as an athlete as you played on organized teams for t-ball, soccer, and basketball. The 12-month period when you attended Catholic Summer Camp for the first time, hosted your first sleepover, and lost your first tooth. It was the year you started kindergarten. Don’t forget it was also the age you dressed up as Stitch for Halloween. The span of 52 weeks when you hopped in a SWAT vehicle, improved your swimming, and read more than 200 books. The year you traded in your Spider-Man costume for a Ronaldo uniform. The age when you learned to tumble, do the monkey bars, and seek thrills. The time in your life where you continued to grow and love.

My little dude is pretty dang handsome. Now that Beau is 6, I don’t expect his looks to diminish.

And let me tell you, the growth and love aspects I just mentioned are for real. I can’t toss Beau around or pick him up from the couch (or under the covers of our bed) as easily as I once could. Throughout this year, If we went just a month without seeing someone, they would usually exclaim, “Beau sure has grown taller!” But while he was outgrowing clothes, he didn’t outgrow a certain signature trait—his love. Over the past couple years I have lamented Beau’s capacity to love and it continued to blossom during his time as a 5-year-old. Never one to hold back kisses or say “I love you,” Beau’s affection and tenderness continued to touch our hearts.

Beau hanging out at the beach we visited in the Bahamas. He saw some cool places while he was 5.

With that said, his knack for irritating his sister tested our patience, his affinity for the most annoying YouTube shows wreaked havoc on our brain cells, and his inability to sit still foiled our plans for select family activities. But as my dad always says, “It’s in his job description.”

As a 5-year-old, Beau dressed up as Stitch for Halloween.

Well, let it be known, Beau followed the job description to a “T” and crushed his gig as a 5-year-old. Now comes his promotion to the age where he will need two hands to express it. I hope this year brings an increase in intellectual capacity, continued exploration with sports, and an expanded attention span. At the same time, I hope some things don’t change. I hope his sensitive personality stays intact, his curiosity (including the most random questions) remains intense, and his loyalty to his daddy never wavers. I also wouldn’t mind if he doesn’t grow too much these next 12 months 😉.

I am so lucky to be the dad of this sweet little boy.

Happy Birthday, Beau Bear! Thanks be to God for the incredible gift of fatherhood bestowed upon me when it comes to my little dude. I can already feel it, 6 is going to be awesome. Don’t Blink.

National Wedding Ring Day

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I made it through the entire first month of 2026 without mentioning any gimmicky “National Days Of…” but that streak ends today. I wanted to mention a couple different “special designations” of February 3 I have brought up before and then elaborate on an additional one.

Last year on this date I wrote about a significance of February 3 that is very much NOT a gimmick—about as far away from one as you can get. Today is Four Chaplains Day and it commemorates four men who paid the ultimate sacrifice serving our country and serving God. If you need a shot of inspiration, please read my blog post from last year.

Today is also National Carrot Cake Day. Although I have not written a post commemorating this super important observance (😉), I did write at length about carrot cake a few years back on International Carrot Day. You see, my mother-in-law makes the best carrot cake and part of the reason for her mastery of the dessert is the secret ingredient she uses: baby food. Intrigued? You can read my blog post here.

But what I am focusing on today is National Wedding Ring Day. I have written about wedding rings in the past—mostly after the times I lost mine (here and here)—so it is a topic I am somewhat versed in. A wedding ring is very much a tangible (and for many an expensive) object but it is also a symbol. For a married couple, the rings truly are a bond, a piece of jewelry that conveys love and loyalty. To the outsider, it is an indicator that the person wearing it is “taken” and is off-limits to any pursuing.

Sorry, my hand is not “model worthy.” However, I wanted to show off my wedding ring.

I take the wedding rings of both Sid and me very seriously. They were sprinkled with holy water and then slipped on our fingers with care when we entered into the sacrament of holy matrimony. From that moment, they became part of us. Although I do slip my ring off to exercise and shower, it stays on my finger pretty much 23.5/7. If the ring isn’t on my finger for any other reason, I become anxious and almost feel naked. 

Fr. James LeBlanc, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Myrtle Beach, looks on as we sign our marriage certificate. I had worn my ring for about 30 minutes up until this point. (photo courtesy of Nicholas Gore Weddings Photography).

My wife places similar devotion on her wedding ring. She wears it all the time and has done a better job keeping track of hers. Whereas I have two documented times of when I “lost” my ring, I can only remember one instance when Sid misplaced hers and that was very early in our marriage. Speaking of early in our marriage, my wife added another ring to her finger that carries great significance.

Sidney wears a ring with “Don’t Blink” engraved in my handwriting. 

If you have one, wear it proudly. As someone who had never worn any type of jewelry prior to tying the knot, I wasn’t sure if I would like wearing a wedding ring. I sure was wrong. Don’t Blink.

Making Change At WinCo

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I have always appreciated the customer service department/area at WinCo—and not just because they helped me deal with rotten macaroni and cheese. Tucked away in its own dedicated space at the front of the store, the employees are usually always eager to assist with the abundance of services offered. Whether you need a refund, money order, lottery tickets, a bottle of your favorite liquor, or anything else that you can think of, this section of the grocery store is ready to serve you.

The Customer Service area at WinCo can be pretty helpful.

Unless it is making change.

On Saturday, I stopped by WinCo after finishing another errand partly because I wanted to receive change for a $100 bill. I also figured that I could pick up a few items needed at home.

The line, per usual, was long. That gave me time to look at all the signs and notices sprinkled and taped around the counter. I noticed the sign about returning 300 pennies to the customer service area for $3 and a WinCo bag. With pennies in seemingly high demand, I wondered whether those who had intentionally stockpiled them would actually give up such a high quantity in turn for a measly store-banded bag.

WinCo is offering an “opportunity” for shoppers to trade in 300 pennies in exchange for $3 and a WinCo bag.

But that is beside the point. I went to customer service to get change, not to scrutinize the signs. Okay, here’s the deal: I needed two $50 bills in exchange for my $100 bill. The reason isn’t important for this story but I wasn’t looking to clean WinCo out of a bunch of $5 and $1 bills they probably really needed in the cash register. I just needed two other relatively large bills.

When I advanced to the front of the line and asked for the change, the WinCo employee denied my request. She told me her manager forbade it because “We aren’t a bank.”

To be honest, I totally understood. I remember people asking me for change at my family’s yard sale and it was like do you really think I am equipped to do this? But I did feel that asking for just two bills in exchange for the $100 bill could be something that WinCo might be able to accommodate.

I then did something that wasn’t meant to clap back at WinCo or the store employee. In fact, I even asked the woman if it would be okay before I stepped out of the service line. When she told me it was, I walked about 20 feet out of the customer service nook and went to an animal cookie display. I reached into the tall cardboard container and picked out one of the many 88 cent bags of Franz animal cookies.

I re-entered the customer service area and waited for the lone person in front of me to conclude their business. When the person departed, I stepped up to the counter and playfully said, “I’m back.” I placed the animal cookies on the counter right next to the crisp $100 bill.

Me holding my bag of Franz animal cookies and a $100 bill right before I reached the customer service counter at WinCo.

The WinCo employee didn’t object at all and gave me my $99.12 in change. Of course, I didn’t get exactly what I wanted. Not only did I leave the transaction with less than $100 but I also never got the two $50 bills that I wanted. However, the change I did receive—even if it wasn’t the denominations nor the value I wanted—still sufficed for my purposes.

I totally understood WinCo’s stance that they “weren’t a bank.” Instead, I gladly paid the 88 cent “service charge” for the change I needed. And those animal cookies were actually really good! Don’t Blink.

Sid’s 34th Birthday Thursday Rundown Recap

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And just like that, the first month of 2026 is almost in the books. But before Sunday (Feb. 1) arrives, allow me to introduce these five random topics…

Girls Vegas Trip – Last Thursday, my wife, mom, sister, and niece boarded a plane for Las Vegas. They would spend the weekend enjoying the sights and sounds of the Strip. The main catalyst for their journey? They wanted to see “The Wizard of Oz” show in the Sphere. The women gave the show—wait, it is actually more of an experience—rave reviews. But it didn’t take Dorothy and Toto to make their trip special. Rather, it was the opportunity they had to bond together away from us dudes and children. I was really happy they had a great time and I truly admire the relationship Sidney has with my mom, sister, and niece!

My niece, Sid, my sister, and mom prior to watching “The Wizard of Oz” inside the Sphere.

Catholic Schools Week – This week is Catholic Schools Week and Sloan had the honor of kicking it off for St. Mary this past weekend. Not only did Sloan deliver one of the readings at mass but she also read an essay she wrote about the prioritization of Jesus. If you want to watch it, tap here. Sid and I feel so fortunate that Sloan and Beau receive a Christ-centered education. If you have any questions about St. Mary Catholic School please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sloan and Beau pose for a photo inside St. Mary Catholic Church (Spokane Valley) after Sloan read her essay to conclude mass on Jan. 24.

TBT Newspaper – I have read the newspaper since I was in grade school. A common sight growing up in our household was of me sitting at the head of the table reading the Spokesman-Review and eating cereal before going to school. This particular photo was taken in March 2025 when I was a senior.

What do you say we rewind nearly 21 years? This is me at the kitchen table reading the Spokesman-Review in March 2005.

Sid’s Birthday – We celebrated Sidney’s 34th birthday last night in a quiet but nice fashion. I brought home takeout from Olive Garden that we all ate around the kitchen table. We then opened gifts as Sloan and Beau couldn’t contain the excitement of their mom opening the presents they got her. Finally, we had cake. As I have mentioned numerous times on this blog, we purchase most of our cakes from Rosauers because the quality is just so good. Last night, the chocolate-everything cake I got Sid may have been the best ever as the freshness and taste was so on-point.

Sid, Beau, and Sloan pose for a photo right before we sang “Happy Birthday.”

Bizarre Cupcakes – Tomorrow will mark the 11-year anniversary of when I ate two very bizarre cupcakes. I visited a wildly popular shop in Myrtle Beach called Coccadotts and purchased a couple of their special Super Bowl-themed cupcakes. The flavors? One was chicken wing and the other was Bud Light. Let’s just say that since trying them 11 years ago, I haven’t had a craving to order them again. I wrote a blog post that described what they tasted like.

Here is a look at the famous Coccadotts cupcakes I purchased 11 years ago…chicken wing on the left and Bud Light on the right.

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For those of you across the country who continue to face the cold, snow, and ice please hang in there. Funny enough, here in Spokane we have enjoyed rather mild temperatures for late January combined with a healthy dose of sunshine. Just about five months until summer! Don’t Blink.

Sid Is 34

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A tradition that Sidney introduced to our family is the birthday banner. Whenever the kids or me celebrate a birthday, the banner will magically appear draped across our living room wall the morning of our special day.

Today, as Sid celebrates her 34th birthday, we had the chance to return the favor. Although it didn’t have the perfect curve that my wife always manages nor the perfect symmetry from one end to the other, we did our best. My banner shortcoming was just another reminder that Sid truly is a special person.

But before my special person dives too deep into life as a 34-year-old, let me reflect on her Jesus year. Sid started work as an underwriter, traveled to Disney World, and went on a cruise. She fixed a lot of things around the house, cooked some delicious new recipes, and went on a Vegas girls’ trip. She also became a godmother again, mentored multiple couples for marriage, and presented at two Engaged Encounter retreats. So yeah, she pretty much crushed it.

Happy 34th birthday to Sidney! I can’t imagine life without you (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photography).

In terms of turning 34, it is hard to find much significance with the age itself. But then again, any birthday reached should be celebrated as an outright blessing—both by the celebrant and her SPOUSE. Trust me, I am counting my lucky stars that Jan. 28 exists and that Sid was born on the date because I don’t know what I would do without her.

Happy birthday, Sidney! Thanks for everything you contribute to our family, especially all the love and warmth you brought this past year (I guess they don’t call it your Jesus year for nothing, right?). You deserve to be celebrated and make no mistake about it—husbands should ALWAYS wish their wives a “happy birthday” on their blog/social media 😉. Don’t Blink.