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Knowing It Is Coming

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This morning I heard a wise man say something profound…

Sometimes what hurts the most about suffering is knowing that it is coming.

Knowing that suffering is coming is an agonizing ordeal.

Wow. Think about that for a second. It can be true, right? When thinking of a lighter example to share, I kept going back to an uncomfortable rite of passage that many of us face in our late teens…wisdom teeth extraction. I shudder just thinking about it. Showing up at the oral surgeon’s office, going under for the operation, waking up with a bloody mouth, and then the 1-2 week rehabilitation process of soreness and soft foods. Man, it really sucks.

But the lead up to the extraction day isn’t a picnic either. At least from my personal experience, the couple weeks prior to my procedure became defined by nervousness, angst, and dread. The combination of generally knowing the discomfort that awaited but not knowing its full extent messed with me immensely.

Of course, in life, pre-suffering can be much more intense and scary than just getting your teeth pulled. A cancer diagnosis, incarceration sentence, or upcoming deployment can drown even the strongest person in anxiety and fear. Awaiting the initial round of chemo or the first day in prison can be terrifying, lonely, and depressing. It can be a very dark road.

Let’s take time to pray for those people who we know are in a pre-suffering stage right now. May they look to Jesus Christ who knew the unfathomable suffering he would eventually endure. Don’t Blink.

Cereal: Thinking Outside the Bowl

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Today is National Cereal Day and it is safe to say I have celebrated the breakfast staple with enthusiastic zeal throughout the years of Don’t Blink. Whether I was listing my top three unhealthy cereals, my top three healthy(ish) cereals, paying homage to all cereals in general, or just highlighting the quirky cereals I have found/tried, my love for John Kellogg’s ingenious invention is well-documented.

Perhaps an underrated aspect of cereal is its versatility. You don’t always need a spoon, bowl, and milk to enjoy it. Tonight I thought I would pay tribute to cereal by offering five ways I enjoy it in a non-breakfast/non-milk sense. Here we go…

I love eating cereal out of these big made-for-cereal bowls

Dry Snacks – If we need to rush out the door or if they need something to munch on while watching TV, I am giving my kids dry cereal. I pour whatever sugary cereal we have in in a Ziploc bag and let them snack on it as we ride in the car or they sit in front of the television. Not only does this satisfy them but some cereal is actually better dry than it is with milk poured over it.

Ice Cream Topping – The froyo craze from several years ago really brought cereal as an ice cream topping to the forefront—and for good reason. Cap’n Crunch or Fruit Loops on frozen yogurt or traditional ice cream adds crunchiness and a complimentary element of sweetness to the treat. Plus, cereal doesn’t freeze like gummy bears or gumballs do. I kid you not, if I am at a froyo shop I am topping my creation with cereal.

A photo of me at Froyo Earth in Spokane during my froyo tour of the city in September 2013. Notice how I have Cap’n Crunch pieces topped on it?

Marshmallow Treats – Who doesn’t love a gooey rice krispie treat? Talk about a classic! But Rice Krispies is not the only cereal you can combine with melted marshmallow for something truly delicious. In fact, you can pretty much choose any cereal you want (although you might want to avoid Raisin Bran). For Sloan’s first birthday, we made Lucky Charms treats. Another favorite substitute of mine is Fruity Pebbles. Just get crazy and have some fun!

We love making rice krispie treats at our house!

Snack Mix MVP – Cereal can be a crucial component in various sweet and/or salty snack mixes. Take for instance Chex pieces…talk about versatile! We use it in our Christmas Trash. Speaking of Christmas mixes, Target’s Rudolph Mix uses white chocolate-covered Cheerios. Heck, I recently ate a snack mix that utilized Cinnamon Toast Crunch as its headlining piece. Original Cap’n Crunch is another cereal that is widely used in various snack mixes. The license to be creative is endless!

This is me holding our tub of Rudolph’s Mix. Notice the chocolate-covered Cheerios?

Cooking Companion – Cereal even crosses over to dinner entrees. In this respect, Corn Flakes is ever popular. Countless cooks have incorporated the cereal into their dishes, especially casseroles. Whether it is used as a crust or a topping, it seems to always work…well, at least most of the time.

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Whether you celebrate National Cereal Day the old-fashioned way with a spoon/bowl or whether you branch out with an alternative consumption option, I hope it is tasty and enjoyable. Don’t Blink.

Sleeping Like a King

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I don’t think anyone is more low maintenance when it comes to bedding stuff than me. You might remember the meme I shared a couple years ago about how Sid and I contrast when it comes to pillows…

This is 100% true for Sid and I.

It is true. Although our bed has six pillows, I need just one—Sid gladly takes the other five. And, just like the meme says, I take the oldest and flattest one…and sleep just fine.

So, you could probably imagine that I would be just fine sleeping in the same queen-sized bed, on the same mattress, with the same pillow for the rest of my life. However, I do recognize that not everyone shares my lax attitude when it comes to the requirements needed to enjoy a good night’s rest—my wife included.

For some time, Sidney has expressed her desire to purchase a king size mattress. She wanted more space to spread out and get lost within the sheets. Having kids who sometimes find their way into our bed only intensified her desire to make the upgrade. Oh yeah, maximizing comfort also had something to do with it. Who knew mattresses lose their “pep” over the years?

We had a date with the Spokane Valley Mattress Firm this past weekend.

This past weekend, Sid’s dream came true. We found ourselves in Mattress Firm with the intent to replace our current mattress. Sid walked me around the inventory arranged throughout the store. We laid down on the various mattresses to get a good feel for each one. Thankfully, my wife had a better gauge on which one packed the most comfort because they all kind of felt the same to me 😊

A look inside the Mattress Firm store we visited.

The only other people having more fun in Mattress Firm than Sidney were our children. Sloan and Beau ran wild through the store jumping on mattresses and using the remote controls to make the mattresses go up and down. Thankfully they didn’t break anything.

Sloan and Beau hang out on a mattress. This is the queen version of the mattress that we actually got.

When it was all said and done, we made a decision. Sid got her “king” and when it is delivered next Monday, we will be sleeping on a Sleepys by Sealy mattress. Although I wasn’t dancing out of the store like Sid was, I am sure it is one of those things that I will appreciate once I actually start sleeping on it. However, I am sticking with the single flat pillow. Don’t Blink.

Nitro Thursday Rundown

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I love March. Longer days, warmer weather, build-up to Easter, exciting basketball, and a certain little girl’s birthday. I also hear that my Thursday Rundowns are a little better this month too. Speaking of that, let’s get to tonight’s five topics…

Snow Dump – February couldn’t exit quietly. On the last day of the month, it snowed half a foot. I woke up on Tuesday to about three inches. By the time I left the gym a couple hours later, an additional three inches fell. Sidney and I teamed up to shovel our driveway. Although Beau’s daycare operated on normal hours, the greater than expected accumulation of snow caused a two-hour delay for Sloan’s school.

The snow was coming down at a rapid rate on Tuesday morning as Sid and I shoveled the driveway.

Holiest of Anniversaries – Earlier this week, on Feb. 27, we marked the third anniversary of when Sidney was welcomed into the Catholic Church and Beau was baptized. What a holy experience for two life-changing events to take place together in a single morning! As the sacraments were bestowed in the side chapel at St. Andrew Parish in Myrtle Beach, we had a lot of support in the pews. Sidney’s family and my mom and sister were there including many of my Knights of Columbus brothers and other people from the parish. What happened that day transformed our family for the better and continues to bear fruit every single day.

Thanks be to God for Feb. 27, 2020. This is our family at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach on the day Sidney was welcomed into the Church and Beau was baptized.

Dishwasher Diagram – I do a fair amount of dishes in our household, but I don’t always load them exactly as Sid would. I take more of a casual, cram-it-all-in approach. The other day, my wife sent me the below diagram for loading inspiration. This is the second major dishwasher intervention in our marriage. The first was just being able to communicate whether the dishwasher was clean or dirty (thank goodness for the clean/dirty magnet we bought). Do you and your spouse have the same dishwasher loading philosophy?

Sidney sent me this diagram of how she prefers the dishwasher to be loaded.

Pepsi Nitros – I saw these Pepsi beverages on the shelf the other day. Marketed as a “draft cola” I thought the shtick was that the drink was supposed to taste like it came from a tap. That was a major “pass” for me as the only time I would prefer a tap soda over a true canned soda is when it is a Coca-Cola from McDonald’s. But apparently the difference in Nitro Pepsi is more bougie. It is literally nitrogen-infused cola giving it a “softer” taste with smaller bubbles and a creamy taste. Not really my thing.

I ran into this grocery store shelf with Pepsi Nitros this past weekend.

Kai – At the suggestion of my brother, this week we watched “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker.” The Netflix documentary tells the story of a young hitchhiker named Kai. This dude saved a woman from a physical assault and was featured for his heroism on the local news. During that interview his charisma was evident and he said a certain phrase that made him go viral. The media built up what seemed like a lovable and courageous guy. However, Kai wasn’t who he was portrayed to be. The documentary chronicles his rise and fall along with high levels of ridiculousness mixed in. I recommend.

“The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker” is a pretty wild ride.

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Make this month spectacular, friends! Thank you for reading my blog and I look forward to connecting again next week. Don’t Blink.

Better Shape Than Last Year

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Just two very quick notes before a very brief message…

– Happy birthday to all those shafted people who would be celebrating their birthdays tomorrow if it was a leap year. To be born on February 29 is kind of a cruel joke but I guess these folks have the benefit of learning very early that sometimes life brings disappointment.

– I couldn’t let today pass without recognizing that it is National Pancake Day. I have loved pancakes my whole life and this manifests itself in the fact that we make them for dinner a lot in our household. Some people might be turned off when I say that I prefer my hot cakes half cooked with the batter oozing out but you like what you like, right? Most of you probably aren’t surprised that I wrote a blog post solely about pancakes in 2015.

After looking at this photo, does anyone question my love of pancakes anymore?!

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With that housekeeping out of the way, I want to make note that today is the end of a precarious two-month stretch. I always say that January and February aren’t particularly my favorite months. The holiday hangover, short/dark days, and pressure to live up to resolutions can throw me for a loop. If it weren’t for the birthdays of Sidney (Jan. 28) and Beau (Feb. 5), I think I would be obsessively counting down the days until March.

But advancing age will teach you never to count away any of your days.

My family will “march” into the new month tomorrow. This is welcome because last year we kind of limped. COVID had impacted us, we lost a loved one, and Sidney battled other health issues. To advance into March with momentum instead of licking our wounds is a great feeling!

For everyone out there who opened 2023 on a less-than-stellar note, stick in there—things are looking up! Longer days and springtime are just around the corner. For what’s it worth, after our slow start in 2022, we went on to have a fabulous rest of the year. You got this! Don’t Blink.

Streaks

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I love a routine. I make no qualms that I feel comfortable with a set-way of doing things. However, I am not enslaved to routine. If a situation calls for me to be flexible, I will.

However, I feel something related to routine has a firmer grasp on me. I don’t even know if this concept/condition has an official term so let me coin it for my Don’t Blink audience with my own word—streakism.

Streakism is routine’s cousin and I feel like it has become much more prominent in society over the past several years. I define streakism as the compulsive need to complete a task on a daily, weekly, or other timed interval basis. There isn’t a prescribed way—or routine—to do it, you just got to get it done somehow within the certain allotted time period.

But definitions are one thing, examples are another. Let me give you a couple. This morning I completed my 2,047th straight day of looking at my Timehop app. For those who don’t know, Timehop pulls your camera roll and social media posts to give you a curated snapshot of what you did on a particular day in past years. To keep you checking, the app keeps a tally of your “streak.”

Another example is the 1 Second Everyday video challenge I am doing this year. You literally get a notification telling you to record a video at the end of the day if you have not uploaded one to the app yet. After two months I have really enjoyed doing this, but the low-key pressure is definitely there.

Keep in mind, streakism isn’t always expressed so blatantly. Whether it be listening to my Catechism in a Year podcast, making sure I get that blog post written, or getting my five workouts in for the week, these are all examples of streakism that gnaw at me until I get them done. Lent adds even more to my streakism mindset.

Just like with routine, I think streakism can be great. However, in the same way that being so routine-based can produce rigidity and stress, leading a streak-based life can produce similar feelings.

For me, I need to do better at not equating a “good day” to whether I checked all the boxes and extended all of my streaks. Shedding some pressure, especially when it comes to silly social media streaks, wouldn’t be a bad thing. Because when it all comes down to it, even Cal Ripken Jr.’s consecutive games played streak came to an end, right? Don’t Blink.

Pillow Calculation Thursday Rundown

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We have reached the final Thursday Rundown of February. Next week it will be March and that means Spring will be here, right? On that sarcastic note, let’s get to tonight’s five topics…

Ham Bingo – We love bingo. We played turkey bingo in November and we played taco bingo earlier this month as a fundraiser for Sloan’s school. So it goes without saying that we naturally jumped at the chance to play ham bingo this past weekend. My Knights of Columbus council staged the Mardi Gras-themed event. The idea was to have one last hurrah before Lent and allow people to win hams that they could save for Easter. Although Sloan and I didn’t win a ham, we sure had fun eating gumbo, wearing Mardi Gras beads/masks, and hanging with our St. Mary community.

Sloan and I at the Mardi Gras-themed Ham Bingo at St. Mary Catholic Church in the Spokane Valley on Feb. 19, 2023.

Picture of the Week – I mentioned earlier this week that we attended a Whitworth basketball game. Even though I snapped a lot of cool mascot photos, the image below was my favorite from the evening. Sloan, Beau, and their two cousins stood at perfect attention for the national anthem. It made my dad’s heart melt to see his four grandchildren displaying such respect for the country.

Although you can’t quite see Johnny, you can see Beau, Sloan, and Mik focusing all their attention and respect on the national anthem.

Mascot Phobia – Let me use the Whitworth basketball game for one final springboard topic. The mascot birthday party is a dream come true for many children but it is also a nightmare for others. When I worked in the University of Montana athletic department, one of the responsibilities I held was mascot coordinator. Parents would desperately reach out to me and convey that their child was petrified of Monte. On this date 9 years ago, I wrote about how we approached this problem and helped kids overcome their fear.

It’s true; not everyone liked these cute bears.

Pillow Calculation – Let me thank my friend Lindsi for the below rule of thumb. However, I would argue this relates primarily to women. As a dude, I still need just a single, no-frills pillow to sleep soundly. Sidney? You could probably take that formula and add five to it.

How do you feel about this calculation?

Mardi Gras Treat – Let’s end on a sweet note! We celebrated Fat Tuesday by making an ice cream run to Zip’s, a Spokane fast food staple. The kids each got a swirl ice cream cone, Sid got an Oreo Hurricane (the Zip’s version of a Dairy Queen Blizzard), and I ordered a butterscotch milkshake for myself. Beau came with me to place the order and before we brought the goods back to the girls, I took this picture of him admiring our purchase.

Beau admiring our ice cream from Zip’s.

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I am calling it a night. Thanks for your support and I hope you have a fabulous weekend. Don’t Blink.

General Lenten Points of Emphasis

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Lent 2023 is officially underway. Thanks to Ash Wednesday, we are now on the journey to Holy Week. As I mentioned yesterday, Lent is a necessary time of preparation and reflection. In terms of tangibility, it takes the form of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Many Catholics will embrace Lenten intentions that practice these virtues to draw closer to God and to prepare for Easter.

Most of these individual Lenten intentions are also private intentions. Taking the cue from Matthew 6, it is important to perform Lenten deeds so God sees—not man. With that said, there are general Lenten attitudes that we can all adopt and strive for over the next 40 days. Here are three things to keep in mind as we try to make Lent 2023 as fruitful as possible…

Sloan and I after Ash Wednesday mass this morning.

Seize Control – In the end, God is ultimately in control and we need to always defer to him. But he did give us free will and we are faced with choices every single day that we must make. St. Paul sums up a depressing dilemma we all face by saying, “I don’t do what I want to do, and I do what I don’t want to do.” During Lent, let’s take every opportunity to do what we want to do in order to better walk with Jesus.

Stop the Noise – It is a timeless Lenten best practice to embrace silence and retreat from the cacophony of daily life. But each year it becomes seemingly harder and harder to do. Escaping notifications, text messages, emails, and other mindless distractions is difficult. However, it would serve all of us well to make a conscientious effort to block out the noise as much as possible. The power of total silence in the presence of God is something we all need.

Mend Relationships – Lent is the best time to reconcile with others. Whether big conflict or small conflict, we should reach out to those we have a strained relationship with. We can’t forget about God either. Repent and confess. As we walk through our personal deserts, we need to find opportunities to express humility.

May all my readers have a blessed Lent. God bless you all! Don’t Blink.

Lent 2023: A Necessary Time

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A couple years ago, I listened as a priest was open and honest about his personal thoughts on Lent: It is not my favorite time, but it is a necessary time.

In a homily a couple years ago, I listened as a priest described Lent as, “Not my favorite time, but a necessary time.”

Both parts of his statement hit the mark. Lent commemorates, in part, the 40 days that Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. Just like Christ suffered, we are also invited to suffer in our own personal deserts over the course of 40 days. Not exactly the “invitation” that most of us take delight in receiving, right?

Although we don’t generally count toiling in the desert as a “favorite time,” the point of Lent isn’t about that. The focus shouldn’t be about creating pleasant moments of comfort and excess. Rather, it is about embracing prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

So where does the “necessary” part come in?

The Venerable Fulton Sheen said, “Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.” Although awful and violent, Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins. Without that death and the unspeakable suffering that accompanied it, there would be no Resurrection; there would be no Easter.

The next 40 days will culminate with Good Friday. This time of self-denial is necessary to adequately prepare for Easter. Because if we make no attempt to at least understand on an extremely small scale the suffering of Christ, how can we truly appreciate the most holiest of all feasts when it arrives this year on April 9?

Ash Wednesday is tomorrow! As I reflect on the priest’s words from his homily, I remind myself that the next 40 days are not supposed to be pleasant. Instead, they are supposed to be transformational and preparative. When it comes to recognizing Christ’s suffering and rejoicing in His victory over death, there is simply nothing more necessary than Lent. Don’t Blink.

Past Lenten Blog Posts
Lent 2022: Solidarity With Ukraine
The Lenten Road
The Journey of Lent
The Real Purpose of Lent

Fun Evening at Whitworth Basketball Games

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On Friday night, our family went to a Whitworth University basketball game. Whitworth is a small Division III Christian private college in north Spokane. In my opinion, it doesn’t get purer in intercollegiate athletics than D-III. Student-athletes don’t receive scholarships, they aren’t banking on NIL deals, and there is a community vibe at all sporting events.

It was fun and relaxing to watch the Whitworth basketball games on Feb. 17, 2023.

That latter characteristic of Division III athletics—community—was on full display when we visited the Whitworth Fieldhouse to start the weekend. My kids and their cousins jumped in a complimentary jump castle throughout the game, the football team unfurled a United States flag on the court during the national anthem, and the cash-only concessions trailer sold all items for under $5.

Sloan, Beau, and their cousins, Mikayla and John, had an awesome time bouncing around in the jump castle that was free to all kids.

However, what delighted me the most—besides both the men’s and women’s teams picking up wins—were the special guests who attended the game. As the men’s team warmed up, a crew of costumed characters appeared from behind the bleachers.

Sloan, Mik, and Johnny engage with Otto from the Spokane Indians.

In addition to Whitworth’s new mascot, Captain Patches, six of his friends emerged with him. You had Boomer from the Spokane Chiefs, Spike from Gonzaga, Chazzy from CHAS Health, and the entire Spokane Indians mascot contingent—Otto, Doris, and Ribby. Sloan, Mikayla, and Johnny were so excited they didn’t know what to do with themselves. After a few minutes, Beau warmed up to most of them too.

A look at some of the mascots who attended the Whitworth games on Friday night.

Ah, yes, Captain Patches was marking his first birthday and all his friends came to celebrate. As a former sports marketer, I know the appeal and logistical challenge of getting so many mascots under one roof on a given night. Fans love to see so many area characters together. There is just something cool about numerous furry faces collaborating with each other and supporting one of their own. But getting everyone together takes a lot of scheduling prowess and hosting them requires ample locker room space and accommodations.

At halftime, the mascots put on a skit in honor of Captain Patches (Whitworth’s mascot) birthday.

Kudos to the Whitworth gameday team for making it happen on Friday. A truly impressive lineup of Spokane mascots traveled up north for the occasion and the kids in attendance had full access to them. As the teams warmed up, the mascots were available under the baseline for children to interact with them. Parents were free to snap photos and take videos. During halftime, there was a skit with the mascots. It was a bowling competition with an oversized ball and pins. Go figure, Captain Patches won. Afterwards, everyone was treated to free cake.

Captain Patches shared his birthday cake with everyone in attendance, including our kids.

We had no idea that Captain Patches was celebrating his birthday on Friday night and that so many mascots would be in attendance. But it was such a nice surprise and the perfect way to put an exclamation point on a perfect Whitworth basketball experience. Don’t Blink.