With the nights becoming shorter and colder, the warmth of one’s bed becomes a little more irresistible. The protection and heat provided will keep you pressing that snooze button on those freezing cold dark mornings.

But when closing your eyes for just a couple more minutes is not an option, it can be one of the hardest tasks to rip the band-aid off and jump out of bed.

On Friday, I had one of the best feelings ever…right after one of the worst. I woke up that morning to realize it was 4:05 a.m., well past the 3:30 a.m. time I usually on weekdays to head to the gym. What’s 35 minutes, you ask? Well, I usually plan my mornings right up to the minute with exercise, chores, getting the kids ready, taking them to school, and commuting to work. Even running five minutes off my schedule can throw everything off and put me in a cranky mood.

I was alarmed to wake up and realize that it was already 4:05 a.m.

But the schedule adjusting I would need to do because of my “sleeping in” wasn’t my only issue. I had to snap out of the best sleep I had in several weeks on probably the coldest morning we had so far this autumn in Spokane. I needed to kick off the covers, throw my workout clothes on, and venture out into the freezing, dark streets of Spokane Valley to get to the gym.

Then a realization hit me. The expletive I thought to myself changed to something else. The dread and disappointment vanished. My anguish literally transformed into laughter. Yes, laughter.

Sidney was understandably confused after waking up to her husband laughing and re-situated himself in bed. Knowing I needed to end the suspense, I looked at her and offered the reason for my amusement:

“It’s not Friday, it’s Saturday.”

Returning to sleep with gleeful relief was one of the best feelings I experienced all month. Don’t Blink.

Joy! We are just one week away from Thanksgiving. I hope you are feeling as excited as I am for the special holiday. Let’s jump right into my latest Thursday Rundown…

Turkey Bingo Season – It is that time of the year where Catholic parishes across the country offer turkey bingo events. Knights of Columbus councils stage Sunday afternoon bingo sessions where either turkeys or grocery store gift cards are on the line. My family is right in the middle of our turkey bingo circuit. This past Sunday we attended the event at the parish/school we attend—St. Mary. This upcoming Sunday we will attend the turkey bingo event hosted at my parents’ parish—St. Thomas More. Crossing our fingers that we have more luck where my mom and dad attend church because we came away empty handed last weekend.

Beau at the St Mary (Spokane Valley) Turkey bingo event this past Sunday.

Death By Lightning – For a U.S. President buff like myself, this offering by Netflix was right down my alley. Adding to the intrigue was that it focused on past Commander-In-Chiefs who are largely footnotes in past president history—James Garfield and Chester Arthur. Now factor in that one of my favorite actors, Michael Shannon, depicted Garfield and you can probably imagine I was all about “Death By Lightning.” I highly recommend watching it. If for nothing else, you will realize that sleaziness and corruption in politics was just as rampant in the 1880s as it is now.

“Death By Lightening” is great. I learned a lot about James Garfield and Chester Arthur.

Thanksgiving Lunch – What has become one of my favorite events at Eastern Washington University took place again today. One week before Thanksgiving each year, EWU stages the President’s Fall Recognition Luncheon. It is a time to recognize EWU employees who go above and beyond but it is also a time to feast. A hearty Thanksgiving lunch is provided and President McMahan herself serves the pumpkin pie. Just like with my first luncheon last year, I took the opportunity today to enjoy time with my team and realize how lucky I am to be an Eagle.

Today’s luncheon was delicious and very appreciated.

Thanksgiving Traditions – It was 10 years ago that I wrote about the Thanksgiving traditions I grew up with. A decade later, we are still honoring those traditions. What are they? Well, chiefly, we go to a movie and always serve lasagna with the turkey. But the most beloved tradition that my wife and I have instilled for our own little family is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade together every Thanksgiving morning.

You can’t have Thanksgiving without turkey.

EWU Football Game – This past Saturday, Sid and I went on a nice date. We rode the bus out to Cheney and attended the EWU vs. Northern Colorado football game. It was a perfect autumn afternoon as we watched the Eagles win while meeting some great supporters of Eastern Washington University. The best part could have been eating a bag of warm Cathy’s Cookies as we walked back to the bus.

Sid and I at the EWU football game on Nov. 15, 2025.

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If you are doing a turkey trot next week you might want to put in some training this weekend. If not, enjoy some football and start saving up that appetite. Don’t Blink.

It has been an insane week for me. Even with the day off (Veterans Day) on Tuesday, I am wrapped up in work. More on that in the future. But even a packed schedule can’t prevent me from writing a Thursday Rundown so let’s get to my latest five topics.

Tour of KSPS Studios – At Eastern Washington University, we partner with KSPS, the PBS member television station in Spokane. On Friday night, the station held an event for friends and supporters. Because I oversee EWU’s partnership with KSPS, I was invited to the event and had the honor of taking Sid with me. After the evening’s presentation, Sid and I were given a private tour of the station. The studios, control rooms, and editing bays were all impressive as we received a first-hand glimpse at what fuels “the machine.”

Sid looking around one of the control rooms during our KSPS tour.

Cherry On Top – About four years ago, I detailed how one Mexican restaurant can set itself apart from another. The answer? Well, it depends what blog post you read. In February 2021 I answered with chips. But in August 2021 I said free dessert. When we ate at Rancho Viejo on the South Hill this past weekend, it was the latter. In one of those rare occasions, at the end of our meal, the server brought us sopapillas topped with whipped cream and cherry sauce. After a rocky start, the complimentary sweet treat left us with a good taste in our mouths.

We were brought these sopapillas at the Rancho Viejo on the South Hill.

The Set Up – Downtown Spokane is a truly magical place during the holidays and River Park Square is a big reason for that. The mall is beautifully decorated with the focal point being a 50-foot tree that ascends throughout all five levels of the structure. On Veterans Day, we had the rare chance to see the actual construction of the tree as a crew worked to assemble its frame. It is a pretty involved process.

A crew works to build the infrastructure of the River Park Square Christmas tree.

Best Snack Mixes – On this day nine years ago, I wrote about snack mixes. I highlighted a couple that I enjoy but then I revealed the snack mix that changed my life. Called Rudolph’s Mix, you can only buy it at Target during the holidays and it is flat out indulgent. With chocolate & white chocolate-covered cereal pieces, graham bits, M&M’s, and peanut butter cups it truly is a mouth-watering experience. The best part? It tastes exactly like Christmas! Almost a decade later I still look forward to its release.

This is me holding our tub of Rudolph’s Mix in 2016. It is incredible.

Gangs of New York – While browsing Paramount+ the other night, I stumbled upon “Gangs of New York” and thought hey, I’ll watch that. I didn’t really know what the movie was about but after watching it I can say that the title describes it perfectly. But what the title doesn’t do is allude to how violent the film is. Dang, for a 2002 movie, I didn’t expect all the gore. But nonetheless, it was excellent. Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio give outstanding performances and I was surprised that Cameron Diaz had a significant role as well. “Gangs of New York” is a vintage Martin Scorsese production and if you like mid-19th century American history with a twist, you will like this film.

“Gangs of New York” was pretty entertaining…and violent.

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Big Friday for me tomorrow! Whether it is big or small for you, I hope your Friday leads you into an awesome weekend. Don’t Blink.

Throughout our entire marriage, including our entire time as parents, we have lived close to either Sidney’s family or my family. Because of this, we have enjoyed many perks, but one specifically stands out:

Free babysitting.

These kids have benefitted from a lot of free babysitting over the years.Because of the willingness of our parents to watch our kids when we have a commitment or just want to enjoy a date night, we have not had the need to hire a traditional babysitter. However, this past week a work-related function popped up that allowed Sidney to attend as my date. Not wanting to bother my parents as they had watched Sloan and Beau just the day before, I decided to commission a babysitter.

I inquired about babysitting services on our neighborhood Facebook page and within hours I had someone hired for the next night (Friday). That evening (Thursday), the babysitter and her stepmom came over for a quick meet-and-greet. Thankfully, they found our family normal enough and the sitter accepted the job.

Although it was a little strange to pay for babysitting and confine ourselves to returning home at a certain time, the positives truly outweighed the negatives—at least for this time. Here are just five quick reasons why:

Excited kids – From the moment Sloan and Beau met the babysitter (a sophomore who attends the high school right next to our house) they loved her. The next day, they asked non-stop when she would be over. They got themselves so worked up with excitement that just before the sitter arrived, Sloan confessed to me, “I am a little nervous, daddy.”

Opportunity for Sitter – I realize I am probably giving ourselves too much credit, but it was our hope that hiring the sitter would also benefit her as well. Some quick cash for spending a few hours with an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old probably isn’t the worst thing in the world, right? Granted, our sitter probably didn’t have the easiest clients to watch so I don’t want to put words into her mouth.

Role Model – My kids LOVED the time they got to spend with the sitter. She challenged Sloan in chess, played Roblox with both kids, fixed our Nintendo Switch, and left our kids asking when she could come back again. To have a high school-aged individual come to our house and give so much attention to Sloan and Beau in a way that left them positively mesmerized was worth every penny.

Connections – Although us reaching out to the sitter was initially a “business” opportunity, it also led to some personal connections. First, it introduced us to a family in our ever-growing neighborhood we didn’t know beforehand. Then, when we met them the night before the babysitting job, something really cool was realized: it just so happens that the sitter’s stepmom works at Traveler’s Insurance just like Sidney! It was really neat to know that someone else in the ‘hood reports to the same building that Sid does every morning.

Break For Grandparents – Our parents go out of their way to watch the kids and they become offended whenever we consider a babysitter. But they also watch the kids of my siblings as well and despite their kindness and assurance that we don’t take their babysitting efforts for granted, we never want to overdo it. To have a babysitter on retainer is a good thing.

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We are really thankful to the young lady who babysat for us last week. It was also important for Sid and me to go through what most couples do when they want to enjoy a night out. Finally, it also helped us value even more the care our parents have provided to their grandchildren over the years. Don’t Blink.