Friendship and Donuts

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I wanted to devote an entire blog post—not just Thursday Rundown treatment—to a man who has treated me and my family so well over the past nine years.

Read on for more details, but this is me holding my box of birthday donuts from Retro Donuts owner/friend Jon Fine.

Jon Fine came on my radar in 2015. That spring I shed light on a parent-led mutiny effort (it failed) to remove the football coach I played for at Mead High School. Jon, whose son had played in the football program, also opposed the parent steamroll and followed my posts. He provided me positive feedback and a friendship was born.

A year later, Jon would open Retro Donuts in north Spokane. I swear I could smell those delicacies all the way from South Carolina. About nine months after he opened the doors, Sidney and I visited the shop during a summer trip out west. Not only was it the first time we visited Retro Donuts but it was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting Jon face-to-face. He came right up to the counter, greeted us, and added some complimentary donuts to our order. Jon was even nicer in-person.

In future trips to Spokane, we would make it a tradition to stop at Retro. We wouldn’t tell Jon we were coming in, but the moment we walked through the doors it was as if he was expecting us. He would come right up to the counter, warmly welcome us, and catch up. We always left with some extra donuts in our box.

My kids with a box of Retro Donuts.

But my interaction with Jon wasn’t limited to our in-store vacation visits. After the Coach Carty saga, he continued to follow my blog, becoming a loyal reader. I could always depend on Jon for insightful and positive comments. In fact, perhaps nothing was more enlightening than when Mr. Fine cleared up the “donut vs. doughnut” debate I passionately wrote about. In an eloquent way that only a true donut-maker could convey, he explained that most donuts don’t contain “dough”—clearly leaving no doubt that the “donut” spelling is correct.

I mean, how do you argue with this response?

In 2020, Retro Donuts was no longer 3,000 miles away but rather 30 miles away. We moved from South Carolina to Spokane Valley and the world’s best donuts were now just a car ride away. Jon welcomed us “home” and our friendship continued. Although we don’t visit Retro as much as we would like, Jon has brought Retro to us…

A couple years ago when I returned to Hoopfest as a player, Jon sent me a box of donuts for the team. Although my teammates and I didn’t necessarily indulge right before our first game, we certainly had the happiest donut-fed young fans cheering us on.

My kids, niece, and nephew eating Retro Donuts at Hoopfest.

Then, just yesterday, my mom surprised me when she texted me a Retro Donuts box with a “happy birthday” message on it. Later that night, she brought the delicious gems out to me. The box was packed with 13 beautiful donuts, including four of my personal favorites – fritters! What an incredibly nice gesture by a really nice man.

What a generous (and delicious) birthday present. Thanks Jon Fine for the Retro Donuts!

I highly encourage my Spokane-area readers to try Retro Donuts. The donuts baked within those walls are creative, fresh, and delectable. Best in the region by far! But keep in mind you won’t just be making a great donut/breakfast decision, you will also be supporting an incredibly kind human. Thanks for everything, Jon. Don’t Blink.

Feeling Great At 38

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I am feeling great at 38!

Opening up gifts at my birthday dinner. I am feeling great at 38!

And obviously feeling pretty corny with a slogan like that. Please forgive me, in order to cope with another candle on my birthday cake, I have named/branded the last several years 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.

But don’t think my reasoning for naming each year means I am depressed over here in the corner. Quite the contrary, I do seriously feel great—both from a physical and life stage perspective. The mental piece? Well, I think I am pretty set there, too, but you would have to confirm with my wife.

All joking aside, I feel very blessed to turn 38. Each day I pay attention to the obituaries and read about many people who don’t make it to the age I am celebrating today. For this blessing, all I can say is thanks be to God.

I won’t reflect on the past year as a 37-year-old because I will save all that for my 2024 recap in December, but I will say this: It was fruitful. And because of a superb previous year, I am bringing plenty of momentum forward to this next trip around the sun.

It is my hope that this momentum will help me love life even more. I want to be more appreciative of my wife, more patient with my kids, and more intentional with my faith. Basically, I want to be a better person. Not a bad (if not very general) goal for a birthday year, right?

After the past three years of celebrating my birthday on a weekend day, it landed on a Tuesday this year. But I actually feel fortunate—the leap year spared me of a Monday birthday. Then again, when you get to be my age, you can’t really be choosey of when your birthday falls on the calendar.

Sorry, before I went on that tangent, my point was that I worked today. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t a fulfilling birthday. My boss treated me to lunch, my parents took my family out to dinner, we ate cake, and then we capped everything off by watching “Hubie Halloween.” Not a bad day 😌.

Enjoying cake with Sloan and Beau. What a day!

I fully intend to “Feel Great at 38” not just today or even through the week or the month—I want to feel great at this age all the way through the eve of my 39th birthday. Will it happen? Well, you will have to check back a year from now to find out. Thanks to everyone for making my birthday special. Don’t Blink.

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

Dang, Where’s Waldo Got Hard

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A half decade ago, I learned something about my wife that really shocked me. We were at one of those restaurants that offers customers fun things to do while waiting at the table for their food. I looked past the trivia cards and peg games to a book from my childhood. I grabbed it and asked Sid, “Remember this?”

This was the Where’s Waldo book that was at our table back in 2019 when Sidney looked through it for the first time.

Well, she didn’t.

I had in my hands the red-book version of the “Where’s Waldo” series. Sidney had never looked through one of the pop culture-significant books before. Surprised out of mind, I told her that today was as good as any to delve into the world of Waldo. Apparently she was given a heavy dose of beginner’s luck because she smoked me on numerous pages as we raced to see who could find Waldo first.

In the same way that you only notice how many makes/models of a specific car are on the road once you own the vehicle yourself, I think the popularity of Waldo started to take hold on Sid after that dinner. She started to notice the extremely popular Waldo Halloween costume, the references to “finding Waldo” in crowded situations, and even the children’s animated series that Sloan started watching shortly thereafter. There is no doubt about it, Waldo is a bona fide celebrity superstar.

Anyway, I say all this to bring up the fact that I checked out a “Where’s Waldo” book from the library the other day. I knew when I brought it home that Sidney wouldn’t give me a blank look on what it was. I figured we could open it up with the kids and see who could find Waldo first like we had done many times over the past five years. For me, it was kind of cool to find a “Where’s Waldo” book that I had never laid eyes on before after 30+ years of searching the classic yellow/blue/red books.

Latching onto “The Wonder Book” after finding it on one of the shelves in the library.

The excitement faded to frustration as finding Waldo in this new book proved to be incredibly elusive. After trying in vain to find Waldo in most of the scenes, I looked up “Where’s Waldo” on Wikipedia to see if there was something I missing. I learned that after the classic books came out, the ensuing Waldo books were purposely harder. Increasing in difficulty with each new release, the illustrator made the scenes more crowded and Waldo smaller. No wonder I felt so miffed!

Needless to say, “The Wonder Book” was a little more than we could handle. If I couldn’t even find the guy in red and white stripes, you can probably imagine how “fun” it was for the kids. Oh, well.
Just a few brief additional things about Waldo…

Sloan and Beau holding “The Wonder Book.”

– As a kid, I learned to draw from celebrity artist Mark Kistler. He recommended to look at “Where’s Waldo” books for drawing inspiration.

– Illustrator Martin Hanford says it takes him about eight weeks to draw a single “Where’s Waldo” scene.

– While looking through “The Wonder Book” I learned that other characters are also now included in each scene. There is his evil alter-ego Odlaw, a red and white-striped female counterpart named Wenda, a wizard, and more.

– In Britain, Waldo is know as Wally.

– I used to wear a red and white striped shirt that my friends would mock me for and call it my “Waldo” shirt.

An actual photo of me in my “Waldo” shirt with my mom from 2012. I wore this all the time over the course of many years.

Do you have any “Where’s Waldo” stories? Do you incorporate them into anything you do with your kids? Let me know. Don’t Blink.

Angel Thursday Rundown

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If you read one of my blog posts from earlier this week, you know how much I love October! So far, just three days into the month, it is living up to its billing. Hopefully this latest Thursday Rundown will live up to its billing as well. Here we go…

Angels – Once a month, our parish hosts Family Faith Night. These events revolve around a single topic and include lessons, food, games, and fellowship. This past Saturday, our Director of Religious Education Marie Bricher presented “Angel Flight Academy,” an evening all about angels. It was so enlightening to learn about these spiritual beings and how they help and protect us every single day. Although the content was superb, Beau’s favorite part was decorating the homemade angel food cake that was cut into—you guessed it—angels.

Beau and Sloan having a great time at St. Mary’s angel-themed Family Faith Night.

Mr. McMahon – Even for someone who doesn’t typically binge shows like myself, it took me very little time to rip through the six episodes in the Netflix documentary series “Mr. McMahon.” The episodes resonated with me because throughout my childhood I was a big professional wrestling fan so it packed a lot of nostalgia. Besides learning about some of the truly despicable things done by Vince McMahon, I was also surprised by how obsessed he was with success and the lengths he would go to “win.” It was really interesting hearing insight from Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Dwayne Johnson, The Undertaker, and more. Also, all of the footage incorporated into the documentary will have you traveling down memory lane. If you are/were a pro wrestling fan or if business interests you, I recommend “Mr. McMahon.”

Vince McMahon is a complex and win-at-all-costs person.

Friday Night Lights – This past Friday I had the thrill of attending my first high school football game of the fall. And it wasn’t just any football game, it was the Battle of the Bell rivalry game between the two high schools in the Mead School District—Mead High School and Mt. Spokane High School. As an alumnus of both Mead High School and its football program, I naturally cheered for my Panthers. In front of 6,000+ people on a beautiful evening, Mead defeated Mt. Spokane, 27-7. The victory nudged Mead ahead in the overall head-to-head record as the Panthers now lead the Wildcats 14-13 in the rivalry.

It was a beautiful scene at Union Stadium as Mead High School defeated Mt. Spokane High School in the 2024 Battle of the Bell.

Social Circle – One thing I miss from earlier in my career was the chance to work on a campus television show. This month marks 10 years since we launched Coastal Now, the revamped campus show at Coastal Carolina University. When we debuted the fresh version a decade ago, it was a breath of fresh air as we used a digital-first blueprint that was popular in pop culture at the time. The launch of Coastal Now included a segment that was written and delivered by me. Called the Social Circle, I was able to highlight the cool stuff our social media program was doing. To see that first Social Circle segment, tap here.

Me on set of Coastal Now.

Reading Rainbow – It is always ideal when I can end with something fun and wholesome. My niece, Olivia, was born last May. Not even six months yet, she is already starting to follow in the footsteps of her niece when it comes to reading prowess. Last Sunday when everyone was over at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, I had the pleasure of reading “Five Little Pumpkins” to her. She was engaged the entire time and my brother (Olivia’s dad) managed to take this special candid shot.

I read a book to Olivia while her Aunt Sidney holds her and cousin John looks on.

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Thanks for taking time to read Don’t Blink. Hope your enjoy your first October weekend. Don’t Blink.

Back In The Office (literally)

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I have now worked at Eastern Washington University for two months. Over the past 60 days, many differences have become apparent between my new gig at EWU and previous higher ed jobs I have held. Duties, structure, and procedures are all examples of this contrast. But perhaps there is one glaring difference between working at EWU and my last stop at WSU…

I am now working entirely in the office vs. mostly remote. Returning to five days on-site has definitely been an adjustment, but not in an overall negative sense. But you want to know one thing that has not changed? My attire. Throughout four years of working primarily at home, I always dressed as if I was working at the office. My wife told me I was crazy but it helped me to take my job more seriously.

However, while my wardrobe didn’t change (except from replacing crimson with red), lots of other things did. Here are five adjustments I have made since returning to the office full time…

I am back in the office!

Packing A Lunch – When I worked from home, I would take a break around noon and stroll into the kitchen. I would pull out some leftovers from the previous evening or heat up some chicken nuggets and sit down to watch Netflix. Ha! Not anymore. I am back to making peanut butter sandwiches the night before. However, it all works out because I also prepare sack lunches for my kids, so I am able to knock out midday meals for the three of us all at once.

Meeting Time – Of course a major dynamic shift is that most of my meetings are now in-person. Speaking with people face-to-face is definitely more enriching than over Zoom but the biggest adjustment I have had to make is just taking care to be punctual. I became so used to Zoom calls and the convenience of hopping on the meeting right when it started (i.e. if a meeting was at 9 a.m. I would log on right at 9 a.m) that at first I didn’t provide myself extra time to walk to the meeting site once I started at EWU. I know it sounds weird but it is true. And even though most of my meetings take place in a conference room inside the building I work in, it still takes a couple minutes to leave my office and walk up the stairs.*Sigh* Remote work to in-person problems.

Commute – Perhaps the biggest adjustment of all has been driving to/from work each day. While employed at WSU, I worked from home four days per week and the only driving I did on those days was taking my kids to/from school. Over the past two months, I have driven to Cheney (and back) each day, about a 36-minute commute in average traffic. Having that daily time in my vehicle to just chill/think is nice but so was walking out of my at-home office into our living room at 5 p.m.

Co-Worker Interaction – When I worked remotely, I never felt a disconnect with my colleagues. Even through Zoom, we developed genuine relationships—both personal and professional. But now that I am back in the actual office, that same relationship development and the opportunity for social interaction is so much more enhanced. I don’t have to wait for a Zoom meeting to chat with someone…people are literally just a few feet outside my door. You greet people when filling up your water bottle, mingle with co-workers at lunch, and join the occasional gatherings that take place in the lobby area of our offices. Work is truly social again.

What My Job Is All About – When it all comes down to it, working in the office is so great because it has brought me back to campus full time. What’s so great about campus? Well, besides the beauty, squirrels, and dining options there is one other big thing…STUDENTS. Most of us who work in higher education do it for the students and when I was working primarily from home, I didn’t get to be around them much. Now, on a daily basis, I get to be inspired again by the enthusiasm, youth, and intelligence of the population that makes it possible for me to even have a job.

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I know it is a good thing that I have returned to the office. I always said that the WFH arrangement I had at WSU probably wouldn’t last forever. Making the switch on my own via a job change was better than having it one day taken away from me. However, soon enough, I will have the chance to work one day from home per week. I am looking forward to having that brief taste of working remotely. But you better believe I will still be dressing up in my EWU polo and khakis once those days start 😂. Don’t Blink.

So Much To Love About October 1

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Happy October, everyone! We are at the very beginning of a terrific month and I hope that you are ready for a spectacular 31 days. But before we look ahead too far, how about we just focus on October 1? Why? Well, because October 1 is pretty special in its own rite. Whether something is happening on it or it kicks something off, let’s consider five things about Oct. 1…

October is here! I love this month.

– Happy HalloweenGivingMas! Or, to those uppity types, happy HalloGivingMas! Whatever you call it, today begins a three-month blitz of some really special holidays. This stretch is such a fun and festive period with so much to celebrate and look forward to. Enjoy!

– Speaking of a three-month stretch, these last few months comprise the final quarter of 2024. Yep, we are already 75% of the way through this year. You can look at the remaining 92 days as either a long time or a short time but one thing is for sure—it is the perfect amount of time to satisfy any goals you had for 2024 or to do something that will leave you with a positive impression of the year.

– With October now here, we can say that the presidential election is NEXT MONTH. In fact, in exactly five weeks we will elect a new president. If this race has brought you anxiety, I know the next 35 days might be tough. Stick in there!

– Hooray! Jimmy Carter turned 100 today. Last month I had the opportunity to read the kids a book about the 39th President of the United States. At the time of the reading, Sloan asked, Is he still alive? I answered her question and mentioned that he was so close to turning 100. We are all glad he reached the milestone.

– While we are on the topic of October birthdays, a blogger you know will also be blowing out candles this month. My cake will have a few less of them than President Carter’s.

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Have a fabulous month. October is a lot of fun and I hope you kick it off the right way by enjoying today. Don’t Blink.

Feeling On-Brand At EWU

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Fitting In

I definitely feel like an Eagle now. A major project championed by our University Relations Department flew into market last week. Its reveal proved a perfect way to mark my two-month anniversary at Eastern Washington University.

Last Tuesday, we officially launched EWU’s evolved brand positioning as the region’s polytechnic. Our university is owning our time-honored commitment to applied learning while continuing to invest in additional opportunities for all students across all disciplines to engage in hands-on experiences. By allowing students to do their craft while at EWU, we equip them for more opportunities once they enter the workforce. After all, there is a reason why 75% of our graduates find jobs related to their major.

We launched EWU’s evolved brand positioning last week. We are now the region’s polytechnic.

Hey, I Know About This

I had a really interesting perspective with the development of the evolved brand when I started at EWU. While still at WSU—where we were coincidentally working on debuting a major branding campaign ourselves—it was made public that EWU would embrace the positioning of the region’s polytechnic. Although it was months away from launch, the future of brand marketing at Eastern Washington University was now revealed. From this outside-looking-in vantage point, I paid close attention as the institution provided updates on the work, faculty offered feedback, and the media covered the developments/debate closely.

Yes, there was some controversy about the branding direction EWU was headed. However, it didn’t faze me.

You see, I was well aware of the shift to the region’s polytechnic long before I even applied to EWU. To be honest, I saw promise with the positioning. I firmly believe that the key to successful branding is differentiation. Often, I bring up the example of attending a higher ed marketing conference where a slide was shown with brand tag lines on one side and university logos on the other. The presenter asked if we could draw lines from each marketing tag line to the respective college it belonged to. It was just about impossible. All the tag lines were so generic (i.e. “Driven to Discover,”Here is How,” Creating Bold Futures,” etc.) that you couldn’t differentiate which mantra belonged to which university.

EWU wasn’t going to have an identity issue at all with the region’s polytechnic. At the same time, it wasn’t going to be easy. In addition to the massive amount of work required for any brand evolution, the push back element was  very real.

And here is the actual slide I referenced in the previous paragraph. I couldn’t help but take a photo of it during the 2023 AMA Symposium for Higher Ed.

Joining the Effort

And that’s where I came in. Launching any type of brand is a marathon and I entered the race toward the home stretch. It takes a lot of time to successfully introduce any type of branding campaign—usually at least a year. Research, discovery, platform development, expression, and launch are just some of the major components. With my hire date roughly two months before launch, I entered the picture as we were finalizing our brand platform and building assets.

Basically, I jumped on the band wagon once all the hard work was already completed 😂.

To be fair, the home stretch was grueling and there were still plenty of challenges to navigate. However, the major effort put forth by those on the University Relations team and others across the university prior to me setting foot on campus was significant. I was impressed with what everyone had done.

I was also very humbled by how gracious my team treated me. My UR colleagues truly knew how to make me feel part of the brand squad, even if it could have seemed like the new guy was swooping in at the last minute to snatch glory for himself. My boss and co-workers provided me with in-depth context, valued my opinion, and tolerated my many questions.

Assisting Where I Could

They also allowed me to contribute. Providing input at strategy meetings, participating in calls with our marketing consultants (shout out to idfive!), approving brand assets/resources, and LISTENING were all ways I got my feet wet with the brand evolution.

As the days passed and crunch time drew near, I became very invested in our brand evolution and felt genuine camaraderie with my EWU team. I had the opportunity to build our paid media plan for the brand’s roll out, write brand-related content for the web, develop the SEM strategy, and deal with launch logistics. Again, small contributions compared to what my team had already done—and continued to do—but exciting nonetheless.

Our evolved brand positioning officially launched on Sept. 24, 2024.

Let’s Launch!

The official launch came on Sept. 24 during Convocation, a start-of-the-academic-year event where the EWU president addresses faculty and staff. Toward the end of the program, President McMahan talked about Eastern’s new positioning and then premiered the two-minute brand anthem video. The centerpiece of the brand evolution roll out, our team exerted a lot of effort to perfect it. The video was met with resounding applause and at that moment we went live with our paid and organic plans. We were finally in market.

Although executing the launch took a big weight off our shoulders, the crucial work is now just beginning. Incorporating, explaining, supporting, and feeding EWU’s new positioning is something that our University Relations team and the rest of the institution will focus on each day moving forward.

A successful branding initiative requires differentiation and I think we nailed it. I am proud of my team for their tireless work and grateful that they allowed me to be part of the effort

Set For Success

I believe in the unique way that we are now presenting Eastern Washington University. Positioning ourselves as the region’s polytechnic will deliver us more attention from prospective students and their parents who are looking for colleges that offer hands-on learning and real-life experiences. Even though we aren’t changing who we are, just boldly stating who we are, I think our fresh approach is going to make EWU standout in a very crowded and competitive market.

Once again, much gratitude to my team members who worked so hard on this brand positioning and welcomed me with open arms. Working with Eric Limburg, Ginny Baxter, Amy Bradberry, Melodie Little, and so many others down the stretch was a rewarding experience. But in the end, a change of brand positioning goes way beyond just marketing. I recognize everyone else at EWU who helped us become the region’s polytechnic through their vision, research, planning, support, and time. Cheers to forward-thinking. Don’t Blink.

Bigfoot Pee Thursday Rundown

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We have been blessed with such a gorgeous September in the Inland Northwest and the sunshine will continue through the weekend. Mid-70s are forecasted throughout the next few days, something I don’t mind at all for early autumn. Let’s get started with tonight’s rundown…

Best (or worst?) Bottled Water Name – This past weekend I was handed a bottle of Bigfoot Pee. Don’t worry, it’s not actual urine from sasquatch—it’s spring water. Sourced from the mountain springs of Oregon, it did have a purer taste than what I usually enjoy from my tap. The kind gentleman who gave me the bottle at his Bigfoot Pee booth at ValleyFest told me I would never go back to drinking “regular water” again. Although that prediction held for maybe an hour, Bigfoot Pee did capture my curiosity.

Would you drink a water called “Bigfoot Pee”? I did.

Snack Creativity – I have written before about the pressure that exists on parents who sign up to bring snacks at the conclusion of a child’s sporting event. From what I have experienced over the past four years as a youth sports parents, the offerings continue to get more and more bougee. Sid and I have evolved a bit from the old days of Goldfish crackers and a Capri Sun but we haven’t embraced full course meals in happy meal-like boxes either. This past Saturday, we were on snack duty for Sloan’s game. We purchased granola bars, trail mix, applesauce, and a small sports drink to place in brown paper lunch sacks. Sloan wanted to add something a little extra. She took the time to write the names of her teammates and draw a soccer scene on each bag. Our daughter was proud of her “special touch” and was beaming later that evening when her coach e-mailed to say he was impressed by Sloan’s extra effort and creativity.

Sloan organizing the team snacks prior to her soccer match.

Pass Through the Pillars – Tuesday was an awesome day at work for me on several levels. One thing that really stood out was the opportunity to participate in Eastern Washington University’s Pass Through the Pillars tradition. The day before the first day of fall quarter, first-year students walk through EWU’s iconic Herculean Pillars to ceremoniously begin their college careers. Faculty, staff, and community members line the path and give high-fives to the new students. It was a thrill to slap skin with these brand new Eagles and offer encouragement as they embark on a big journey. Wishing all new students the best!

It was cool to be part of the Pass Through the Pillars tradition at Eastern Washington University.

All About Beau – Thank goodness my wife took the lead on Beau’s latest homework assignment. As a way to develop community in the classroom and to express personality, each child in Mrs. Hoard’s St. Mary Catholic School pre-k4 class completed a “Read All About Me” sheet (or at least their parents did). Not only did Sid fill in all the required fields, she also used her coloring skills to make it look really nice. Word on the street is that Beau is really proud to see it attached to his classroom wall.

Take a look at Beau’s “All About Me” sheet.

National Pancake Day…Again? – Sometimes the gimmicky “National Day of _________” celebrations get so out of control that they show up TWICE in a single calendar year. Such is the case with National Pancake Day. I have traditionally celebrated this “special” day on February 13 but it turns out that date is reserved for IHOP’s National Pancake Day. Anyway, I guess today is just the generic National Pancake Day. Regardless, I am such a huge pancake fan (read my ode to hotcakes) that I can recognize both dates. Best way to cook pancakes? By undercooking them of course! I prefer “doughy” pancakes where the batter is slightly runny. If I didn’t tell you in February, let me tell you now…happy National Pancake Day!

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

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Time to stick the fork in another Thursday Rundown. I hope to watch the “Mr. McMahon” Netflix docuseries over the next several days but we will see what happens. Have a great weekend. Don’t Blink.

Community Outreach At Its Best

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This past weekend, I attended ValleyFest with Sloan and Beau. The event is a tremendous showcase for Spokane Valley that offers entertainment, food, a car show, 5K race, and countless vendors. It truly is a major community gathering.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department showed up in full force to the event. Several fire fighters were on-hand to pass out plastic station hats and allow youngsters to sit inside one of the department’s shiny red fire trucks.

Sloan hanging out in a Spokane Valley Fire Department truck.

As Sloan and Beau each took a turn climbing into the truck, I couldn’t help but think how fire departments all across the country seem to excel at community outreach. From as far back as I can remember, the local fire department has always made it a priority to connect with the families it serves outside of emergencies. This has always been the case—no matter where I have lived. I thought I would briefly mention three ways that I remember the fire department connecting with the community in non-crisis situations when I was a boy.

Beau loving life hanging in the Spokane Valley Fire Department truck while his new “buddy” stands close by.

Fire Hydrant Flushing – If we thought running through the sprinklers was cool, the annual flushing of fire hydrants took our excitement level up several notches. When we would see a fire truck pull up to the fire hydrant across the street, we would manically get our swimsuits on and wait for the high-pressure soak that was about to ensue. When the fire fighter pulled the valve and the water came bursting out, it momentarily flooded the street, much to our delight. When this happened just a couple years ago at the same fire hydrant across from my parents’ house, Beau was able to experience the same joy I did decades ago. The sticker that one of the fire fighters came him afterwards was a nice touch.

Santa Visits – Perhaps no fire station outreach tactic is as beloved as Santa visits. I have so many beautiful memories of resting in bed on random December evenings only to hear sirens filling the neighborhood. My parents would help my siblings and I get out of bed and hobble out to the front of our house in our pajamas. With canned food in our hands, we would wait for the procession of fire trucks to reach our street with the Christmas light-decorated vehicle towing the rear. Situated in the caboose trailer was Santa Claus himself. After donating our cans to the food drive we would sit on Santa’s lap and get a candy cane. It was purely magical!

Simulated Situation – My family would always attend a Fourth of July celebration at Pioneer Park in Walla Walla. It was something similar to ValleyFest with vendors and community partners present. The fire department would always attend and haul in this small house on a trailer. Children could enter the house and go through a simulated fire emergency. I remember crawling on my knees (where the fresh air is) and locating a door handle to determine whether it was hot (don’t open) or cool (go ahead and open). If my memory serves me correctly, they even pumped in a smoke-like substance to make the simulation even more real. This little house was such an effective way to draw in kids while teaching them some extremely important lessons.

I salute fire fighters everywhere not just for their savvy ways of making their presence known in the community, but for the critical/brave work they do every single day. Let us not take for granted how lucky we are to have a strong fire department infrastructure in this country. Don’t Blink.

Managing A Hall of Famer

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I can now say that I supervised a hall of famer.

This summer, Monte, the grizzly bear mascot at the University of Montana, was selected for the Mascot Hall of Fame. This past Saturday, he was officially inducted into the esteemed fraternity when he received his Hall of Fame “ring” during the Griz vs. Western Carolina football game.

After being selected to the Mascot Hall of Fame this past summer, Monte was inducted this past Saturday. Former University of Montana students who played Monte, including a couple who I personally supervised, took part in the ceremony and are featured in this picture (photo courtesy of the University of Montana).

Call me proud.

I started my career on the marketing team within the University of Montana Intercollegiate Athletics Department. I was pretty much the low man on the totem pole as I wore a lot of different hats but gained some fantastic experience. One colorful duty I held was that of mascot coordinator. It was my responsibility to manage the mascot program and make sure that appearances were scheduled, game entertainment was planned, our student performers were taken care of, and much more than you could probably ever imagine.

Monte and I at the NCAA Tournament in 2012.

Don’t look at me to take credit for Monte’s ascension to mascot stardom. By the time I was installed as the mascot coordinator in 2009, Monte was already well on his way to the Mascot Hall of Fame (even though it didn’t even exist at that time 😂). Legends like Scott Stiegler and Barry Anderson had already catapulted Monte to the national level by their epic portrayals of the costumed grizzly bear. Basically, when I started in the athletic department there was already a profound legacy and established program to oversee. It was both a lot of pressure and a lot of fun.

What an awesome opportunity I had to manage the Monte program!

Just like with my time at UM in general, I learned a lot from managing the Monte program. Whether it was navigating a packed schedule of appearances, billing the hundreds of people who would hire Monte, ordering new mascot suits (not cheap!), or answering fan mail, there was never a dull day…and that was just behind-the-scenes stuff.

There was never a dull day with Monte.

The public-facing, athletics-related work was another dimension of mascot management. Basketball halftime performances, skits between volleyball sets, fulfilling in-game sponsorship obligations, and making the mascot available to fans just scratch the surface of Monte’s presence at Grizzly Athletics events. And that doesn’t even cover the most stressful part…football home entrances! Whether Monte was cruising out on his motorcycle, tubing across midfield, roaring out on an ATV, or saluting the stadium on top of a military vehicle, all of these spectacles took down-to-the-second planning and plenty of rehearsing.

Monte pours his heart out for the community, but he especially goes hard when it comes to supporting the student-athletes of all sports at the University of Montana.

But for every minute of stress incurred from being the mascot coordinator, I was rewarded with two minutes of joy. Because I was the staff member responsible for Monte, I got to accompany him to road games, national mascot competitions (went to Disney World twice), cheerleading camps, and some super cool community events where we were treated like gold.

Monte and I at the UCA Championships at Walt Disney World in 2013.

I also had the opportunity to produce “Monte Movies” (I even appeared in one), direct a couple different Capital One National Mascot of the Year campaigns, coordinate birthday bashes, and have a front row seat to the unbelievable chemistry that exists between Monte and Griz Nation.

The opening scene of the Monte Movie I appeared in back in 2013.

And that last item truly is what makes Monte so special. It is why I am in the position to brag about the rad things I got to do all those years ago. Simply, the students who have portrayed Monte over the past few decades are beyond amazing. Starting with Scott and Barry and followed by all the talented others, the Monte alumni inner-circle is almost as prestigious as past U.S. Presidents. Although they have all brought a slightly different skill set and personality to the role, they still honored the Monte legacy and left no doubt that the greatest tradition and ambassador at the University of Montana is a beloved grizzly bear.

Had to include the most awkward photo I have with Monte.

But to be honest, I think Griz Nation only knows half of what Monte truly does for the community. I saw firsthand the truly heroic acts the students I supervised would do. I am talking about donating hours of their time in the suit to help non-profits. Or going to hospitals to brighten the days of sick children. Or going out of their way to help kids petrified of Monte overcome their fear. Or answering the call when a clueless mascot coordinator would ask them to go back on the field in the fourth quarter after they had already spent every ounce of energy. These are the individuals inside the suit.

Congrats to this special bear!

Congratulations to Monte, especially the three students I had the pleasure of supervising at the start of my career. May the country’s best collegiate mascot forever enjoy enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Don’t Blink.