A Bloomsday Triumph

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My month of May started with Bloomsday, one of Spokane’s signature events. The road race draws at least 30,000 people annually who complete a 12K/7.5 mile course that begins and ends in downtown with scenic views of the Spokane River, historic neighborhoods, and other landmarks sandwiched in the middle. Growing up in Spokane I ran Bloomsday several times but it had been more than 20 years since I last participated.

On May 1, 2022, I ran Bloomsday after more than 20 years elapsed since I last participated in the event.

I joined my brother and sister-in-law to partake in this year’s race. We took advantage of the Bloomsday shuttle that allowed us to board a Spokane Transit Authority (STA) bus at Ferris High School for a stress-free drop off within blocks of the starting line.

Glen, Carrie, and I on the STA bus en route to Downtown Spokane for Bloomsday.

On Sunday I just couldn’t stop smiling. As I waited in the brilliant morning sunshine for the gun to sound, I felt so fortunate that the worst of the pandemic had passed and that community events could finally resume. It had been a long time coming.

To be honest, even before we got downtown I was already smiling ear to ear. Sloan and Beau wished me good luck before I headed out the door.

Trust me, I wasn’t the only one smiling. The enthusiasm and glee was infectious. Glen, Carrie, and I were filled with joy as we huddled with thousands of other bloomies at the starting line. Bloomsday was back!

As the three of us waited near the starting line, we couldn’t help but realize how far our world had come since the beginning of the pandemic.

There is nothing like that first Bloomsday mile. Running the initial 5,280 feet with the masses while injected with natural adrenaline is simply the best. As we ran by Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral during that opening stanza, Fr. Kyle Ratuiste gave us a quick blessing from the church steps. At that moment, I was at peak euphoria for the day and ready to tackle the course.

I took off on my own and simply enjoyed myself as I navigated the course. Bands, vendors, and spectators lined the streets as there was never a dull moment. At one point, someone on the curb extended a couple of PBR tall boys in my general vicinity.

“Sorry, I ran out of water,” the man said.

I declined but a braver soul who was running close to me graciously accepted the man’s offering. I gave him a nod of admiration.

Interactions like that made the race fun. To see everyone so spirited, runners and spectators alike, made for a fun morning. I crossed the finish line at 1 hour, 11 minutes—a little better than what I anticipated.

I approach the finish line during the 2022 Bloomsday.

Once I reunited with Glen and Carrie we picked up our coveted finisher t-shirts. Always the subject of intense scrutiny, this year’s color and design seemed to be lauded by fashion critics and social media users.

After we all crossed the finish line, Glen snapped this photo (photo bomber and all).

With t-shirts in hand, we headed to the next natural spot—the bar. A beer never tasted so good.

We felt like we owned the bar walking in with our Bloomsday shirts on. Seriously, the beer tasted so good.

Thanks to Glen and Carrie for letting me do Bloomsday with them, I had an absolute blast. And thank you, Spokane, for making such an awesome event possible. Until next time! Don’t Blink.

An All-Access Visit From Sid’s Parents

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Last week was a special one for us. Sidney’s parents came to town and it was much different than the previous two experiences when they ventured out west. When they visited in May 2020, it was a quick two-day trip to drop Sidney and the kids off as we started our family’s new chapter. They would visit again in October 2021 but we were still living in a COVID-conscious society that heavily limited what we could do.

What a nice time we had with Sidney’s parents. It was a thrill to show them the beautiful Spokane Falls.

Thankfully, things were different this time around. With pandemic restrictions lifted, we were able to actually leave the house and show them our city and the surrounding areas. Don’t get me wrong, we had plenty of quality time just relaxing in our living room but it was nice to balance that out a bit. Here is a brief synopsis of how we spent our week together…

Beau felt right at home in his dada’s arms.

All Eyes on Sloan – The Saturday that my in-laws arrived, Sloan opened her t-ball season. They got to watch that opener and then they also attended the following two games on Monday and Wednesday. It was nice that they got to see Sloan in action in addition to all the cuteness that goes along with 5-year-olds playing t-ball. Another special component of the t-ball action was that my parents attended all three games along with my sister’s family (Sloan’s cousin, Johnny, plays on the team too). This not only allowed Sloan to have a large cheering contingent but it also provided our two families plenty of time to catch up and enjoy each other’s company.

Sid’s parents got to see Sloan play three t-ball games.

Sunday Fun – The first full day that Sid’s parents were here, we took advantage of the sunny weather and spent most of the day outdoors. We took them to Riverfront Park where they got to see the Spokane Falls up close, feed the garbage goat, watch the kids ride the carousel, and scope out the brand new inclusive playground. From there we went to Avista Stadium to watch the Spokane Indians host the Hillsboro Hoppers. Thanks to my sister-in-law we had box seats for a lovely afternoon of Minor League baseball. Although the Indians came up short, we had a fun time and ate plenty of ballpark food.

We watched a Spokane Indians game at Avista Stadium on a beautiful afternoon.

Coeur d’Alene Excursion – I took a half day from work on Monday and we took Mr. Sid and Brenda across the border to Coeur d’Alene. We ate lunch, looked at shops, played at a super cool playground, and drove along the lake. Although my in-laws have the ocean and other bodies of water in South Carolina, there is just something about admiring a picturesque lake that is surrounded by tree-covered mountains.

Sid’s mom watches Sloan play during our trip to Coeur d’Alene.

Eating Out! – I mentioned that while in Coeur d’Alene we ate lunch. Well, this time around we had many more opportunities to eat at restaurants since all COVID restrictions were lifted. We were able to take Sid’s parents to our favorite fast food restaurant (Zip’s), our special trucker greasy spoon (Broadway Diner), and in Coeur d’Alene we ate at a spot called Sweet Lou’s. The first night we ordered pizza from River City Pizza and later in the week we feasted on fried chicken from the Yoke’s deli. Despite all that yummy eating out, the best eats probably came from our home cooked meals. One night Sidney made spaghetti and another night Sid’s parents made their famous ribs.

We ate at Sweet Lou’s in Coeur d’Alene.

Time at Home – For all we did in and out of Spokane, we spent precious time just relaxing at our house too. We played games, watched TV, and talked. “Gami and Dada” also got to participate in our nightly books and prayers tradition and also got to be present when Beau and Sloan woke up in the morning. It was so comforting to have them under our roof.

Sid’s parents got to read to Beau and Sloan.

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We miss Sid’s parents but are so happy for the time we had with them. It was nice to show them our life out west and have them participate in it with us. They are two incredible great people and we can’t wait to see them again. Don’t Blink.

Ball Thursday Rundown

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Can you believe that by the end of the weekend it will be May? But until Sunday arrives it is still April so let’s get going on the last Thursday Rundown of the month…

T-Ball Season Underway – It was Opening Day for Sloan’s t-ball season this past Saturday and she already has three games under her belt. Throughout the next several weeks I hope to offer some observations from the point of view from a t-ball dad, but until then I am really enjoying the opportunity to watch Sloan in her first organized (I use “organized” very loosely) sport endeavor. To watch Sloan’s t-ball “highlight reel” click here.

Sloan with her cousins, Mikayla and Johnny, on Opening Day for her t-ball season.

T-Ball Reality – I thought it was appropriate to follow up my t-ball update with this meme that my friend Lindsi shared. What you see below was pretty much exactly our experience this past Monday. We drove back from Coeur d’Alene that afternoon and Sloan fell asleep in the car. We brought her inside and let her nap for an hour or so before waking her up to get ready. She did not want to get ready. It was pulling teeth to get her uniform on but we were eventually successful…after some “strong encouragement” from us to cooperate, of course.

It was a struggle to get Sloan dressed in her uniform on Monday.

Minor League Ball – It just isn’t t-ball season, it is baseball season too! Our minor league team, the Spokane Indians, opened their season earlier this month. We visited Avista Stadium on Sunday as we watched the Indians fall to the Hillsboro Hops, 11-9. The best thing besides the crack of the bat and cold beer? A pitch clock! A pitcher now has a set time to make his delivery and it has had a dramatic impact. At the game we attended on Sunday, the game time was a mere 2 hours and 40 minutes even though 20 total runs were scored. The game on Saturday lasted only 1 hour and 53 minutes! I love spending time in the ballpark but I don’t need to be there for more than three hours.

It was a gorgeous day at the ballpark on Sunday. This is a photo I took from our seats.

An Incredible Boston Sports Day – On this date nine years ago, I had a dream day as a sports fan. On that particular Sunday I was lucky enough to attend a Boston Celtics playoff game in the early afternoon and the Boston Bruins regular season finale at night. Not only was the action itself exhilarating but it was a thrill for me to experience the transformation of the TD Garden from a basketball venue to a hockey venue in such a short period of time.

It was quite the experience attending a Boston Celtics and a Boston Bruins game in the same day.

Bloomsday – I am excited to hit the Spokane streets on Sunday for Bloomsday. It has been well over 20 years since I last participated in the race as I didn’t even have the option to participate the past two years (since moving back to Spokane) because of the pandemic. I will be tackling Bloomsday with my brother and sister-in-law. Don’t worry, I will be sure to update you on whether I finish the race or not next week.

Bloomsday is this Sunday and I am excited to participate!

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Speaking of next week, that’s the next time you will hear from me. I hope you conclude your April on a high note. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and have a safe weekend. Don’t Blink.

The Inspiring Fritel Family

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Every so often we attend the 5 p.m. Saturday vigil mass at St. Mary Catholic Church. As we enter the worship space, we always walk past a parishioner sitting in the back row. He chooses this spot because it allows space for his wheelchair. Toward the end of communion, Fr. Jeff Lewis will walk out to him and administer the blessed sacrament via syringe. It is always a touching moment to see both the man’s reverence and respect for the sacrament and Fr. Lewis’ dedication to make sure that he receives it.

Up until a couple months ago, I didn’t know much about this faithful parishioner. But at one of our Young Adult Catholic meetings with Fr. Jeff and Fr. Kevin Oiland, I learned some sobering and powerful information. Fr. Jeff opened up about the wheelchair-bound man named Garth Fritel, disclosing that he has ALS. He talked about Garth’s faith and then mentioned an effort he was going to spearhead.

Venerable Aloysius Schwartz is on the track to sainthood. Fr. Schwartz lived an extremely holy life in which he set up Catholic communities in some of the poorest countries on the planet and saved thousands and thousands of lives. He did this while battling ALS himself.

Fr. Lewis gathered the St. Mary community to pray to Fr. Al for the healing of Garth. If successful, it would help Fr. Al’s canonization process, establish a patron saint of ALS, and, most importantly in my eyes, cure Garth. A grounded man, Fr. Lewis has tried to manage expectations by saying there is no guarantee for healing but prayer is always a worthwhile endeavor, especially when the cards are stacked against you.

But for a moment, I just want to focus on Garth and his wife, Adeline. If you have not read the article yet, please do so. Seriously, read it. The piece written by Kevin Wells of National Catholic Register is simply superb.

Garth is pictured with his two daughters, his wife, Fr. Lewis, our St. Mary formation director, and NCR’s Kevin Wells (this photo is courtesy of Kevin Wells).

Garth had it all. Important job, beautiful family, and a genuine love for life. Then ALS hit. The savage disease ravaged his body over the course of five years and now he is unable to move any body part below his neck. He needs to use a computer to communicate. His parents moved into his house and they help Adeline provide Garth with 24/7 care. At least 12 times a day, he has to have his throat sectioned to clear it.

The attitude that both Garth and Adeline embrace is beyond inspiring. Garth has accepted his illness as his cross. As Fr. Al described it, they are nailed to the ALS cross. Like Fr. Al, Garth frames his ALS as a sign of love and special favor from Jesus. Garth’s life is extremely difficult and he has found himself in dark places, which the story does a phenomenal job of describing, but he has chosen life over the prospect of quitting.

The love and loyalty that Adeline has for her husband is pure and unwavering. Instead of bitterness, she focuses on the blessings generated by Garth’s ALS, quantifying them as “too many to count.” The way Adeline compares her family’s suffering to that of the Stations of the Cross will blow your mind.

Perhaps no other part of the article painted a more vivid picture in my mind than nightly prayer for the Fritels. They gather every evening and identify a blessing from the day. Garth always has one. Always.

Please keep Garth, Adeline, and their two children in your prayers. Let us pray that they continue to draw on their strong faith and that Fr. Al can provide healing if it is God’s will. What an inspiration. Don’t Blink.

Funfetti Thursday Rundown

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It is that time of the week when I brainstorm five topics that no one cares about and throw them together to form a Thursday Rundown blog post. Alright then, let’s go…

Funfetti Dip – Earlier this week I teased this dip when writing about how we spent our Easter Sunday. The dip I speak of is called Funfetti Cake Batter Dip and it is simply incredible. I got the recipe from a Facebook post that my cousin shared and I held on to it for about four weeks before making it for our Easter celebration. You just need funfetti cake mix, whipped cream, cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream. If you are more civilized than simply eating the dip with a spoon (because it is good enough to do so), consider using graham crackers or animal crackers for dipping. It turned out way better than I thought it would and my family loved it.

This funfetti dessert dip was delicious!

Half Decade Later – April 22 is a date that never goes unrecognized in our house. It was five years ago tomorrow that Sloan underwent corrective pyloric stenosis surgery. At just a month old she was having a serious operation because she couldn’t keep food down. You can read about Sloan’s bout with pyloric stenosis or watch this video I put together last year. Needless to say, Dr. Robert Cina is a rock star surgeon who will always have a permanent spot in our nightly prayers.

During Sloan’s bout with Pyloric Stenosis and for over a year afterwards, we kept it between immediate family. Sidney and I are so thankful for the support of our parents. This photo shows our moms and dads with Sloan at MUSC.

The 2022 Easter Bunny – I once wrote a blog post about the weirdness of costumed Easter Bunnies. Let’s face it, we have probably all come across an Easter Bunny or two that looked like it belonged more in a horror movie than a chair at the mall. With that said, I have to give high marks to the Easter Bunny that Sloan posed with this year for actually looking somewhat normal.

Sloan with a rather normal looking Easter Bunny at the 2022 Camelot Easter Egg Hunt.

Red Robin Headache – After Sloan’s t-ball practice on Tuesday, the four of us went to the northside Red Robin for dinner. What should have been a relaxing meal turned into mild chaos. Beau wouldn’t stay in his booster seat and when he made a sudden move to dip his fry in some ketchup, he knocked over his chocolate milk glass. The contents of the glass spilled across the table and then overflowed onto my lap. The mishap kept me damp for the entire dinner but luckily the Sprite that Sloan knocked over only drenched the table and not my pants.

Despite the snafus we faced at dinner, Beau got a Red Robin balloon and went home happy.

The Little Things – Make sure to get yourself a wife who will brighten your day with little surprises. When we were in Walla Walla a couple weeks ago, Sidney secretly bought this chocolate cross sucker and gave it to me on Easter. It was just such a sweet thing to do.

I really appreciated this little Easter surprise from Sidney.

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It’s time to wrap things up for tonight. We have an exhilarating weekend on the horizon so I need to get some rest. Thanks for reading and we will connect again soon. Don’t Blink.

The Chosen

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During Lent, Sidney and I committed to doing something we had wanted to do for several months. We watched “The Chosen,” a television drama about Jesus set through the eyes of his disciples. The series came highly recommended from our friends in our young adult Catholic group and it was praised by Fr. Jeff Lewis, our priest at St. Mary, who recognized its excellence in a homily.

They weren’t kidding.

I recommend that you watch the two available seasons of “The Chosen.”

“The Chosen” is different from other multimedia works on Jesus because of its focused and unique point of view. You would be hard pressed to pinpoint another production that develops the disciples so well and provides a feasible examination of what they might have been thinking as they were called by Jesus.

But the series also stands out because of its depiction of Jesus. God’s Son is portrayed as a compassionate, humorous, and sympathetic Messiah. He is a gravitating figure and a good listener. Many people say that Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus, delivers a performance that resonates with them on a level that past Jesus performances couldn’t reach. I also admire Roumie’s portrayal and I appreciated the evolution of his role as he started to take a stronger stance on matters in the second season.

One thing that you should know is that the series does take some liberties. All dialogue isn’t transported out of the bible nor are all scenes. But supplemental dialogue and scenes are centered around actual scripture and not thrown in with randomness or disregard.

There are so many powerful scenes throughout the episodes. Several times I was reduced to flowing tears. After reading the gospels for more than three decades and then to see some of the events and miracles brought to life in such a beautiful and authentic way had a profound impact on me.

As I have mentioned, the characters and personalities of the disciples are developed throughout the episodes. Some of the best scenes are discussions among the “Chosen” as they debate how to best help Jesus and decipher his teachings. The characters of Peter and Matthew are especially intriguing in the series with the latter my favorite disciple in the show. As a tax collector who is admittedly a little out of touch, he has a long road toward acceptance with his fellow disciples. It is very intriguing to watch him try to make headway.

Even the villains are fascinating to watch. Quintus, a Roman magistrate, and Gaius, a Roman centurion, play compelling roles who face their own struggles over who this Jesus guy actually is and the threat that he could possibly pose.

As we journey through the Easter season, perhaps watching “The Chosen” would be a good way to mark it. What would be better than completing both seasons before Pentecost Sunday comes around on June 5? I know we have countless options when it comes to streaming, but I think watching “The Chosen” on Peacock (the first season is available) is a best bet. Give it a try. Don’t Blink.

Easter Egg Hunt Critique

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Over the past weekend I hit the Easter egg hunt circuit with Sloan and Beau. As we “hopped” to different hunts, a certain trend stuck out. But before I discuss this particular trend, which I liken to a “participation trophy” Easter egg hunt model, let me recognize a couple other hunts we partook in.

On Saturday morning, Sloan and Beau participated in the St. Mary School Easter egg hunt. The third grade class staged the event and it was well-organized and fun.

Sloan dumps the candy inside her plastic eggs into her basket at the St. Mary School Easter egg hunt.

During the evening of Easter Sunday, my brother and sister-in-law staged their annual backyard egg hunt (you can watch a video here). As always, it was an intimate and creative affair.

Sloan, Beau, and their cousins during the Easter egg hunt that my brother and sister-in-law annually put on.

We also attended an Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood and the longstanding Easter egg hunt in my parents’ neighborhood. Now both of these neighborhood events did things a little differently from the other two hunts the kids did. Instead of hunting for candy-filled eggs, Sloan and Beau were hunting for empty plastic eggs. They were encouraged to “find” as many eggs as possible, place them in their baskets, and turn them in at the end of the hunt. Upon turning in the plastic shells they were given a Ziploc bag of candy.

Beau hunting for empty eggs.

Let me preface this all by saying that any type of Easter egg hunt is better than no Easter egg hunt. All it took was a pandemic to truly realize that. With that said, I do have a few issues with the hunt model I just described. First, what is the fun of “hunting” for empty eggs? To pick up an egg, shake it, and hear nothing rattling around is extremely anticlimactic and depressing. There is no anticipation of finding something special.

Second, do you notice my use of quotation marks around words like “find” and “hunting”? Well, there really wasn’t much of either. At both hunts, these empty plastic eggs were scattered in a field, clearly visible to everyone. With candy-less eggs and any type of challenge completely removed, it was pretty much like kids were being recruited simply to pick up a mess.

Sloan picking up empty eggs with other children.

Finally, the “prize” at the end was a small bag of candy. It didn’t matter if you picked up one plastic egg or 30, you earned the same bag of candy at the hunt’s conclusion. There was no incentive to return a large quantity of eggs, no bonus for meeting certain quotas.

These two hunts failed to instill motivation in the kids. In many ways, they were essentially pointless. I sincerely appreciate the effort of the organizers but children aren’t stupid. Easter egg hunts should inspire participants and a glorified pick-up session misses the mark. Thankfully Easter egg hunts aren’t what Easter is about. Don’t Blink.

Easter 2022

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The holiest day of the year was a beautiful one for our family. From the time the kids woke up to the moment they shut their eyes, our day was full of blessings, of course nothing greater than the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. Here is a quick look at the highlights from Easter 2022…

The four of us prior to Easter Sunday mass. What a wonderful Easter 2022 it was.

When Beau and Sloan woke up, they discovered the baskets left for them by the Easter Bunny. Nothing like a sugar high before church, right?

Sloan and Beau with their Easter baskets.

Speaking of church, we didn’t do anything more significant the entire day than attend 9 a.m. Easter Sunday mass at St. Mary. It was so inspiring to see the church filled to a pre-pandemic capacity level. Fr. Jeff Lewis used his homily to stress the importance of family and how the family serves as the true building blocks of the Church. Thanks be to God!

We are so thankful for our St. Mary faith community!

We returned home and ate some sweet treats for brunch. We turned on some Easter hymns and Sloan helped me make a special dessert dip for later in the day. You will have to stay tuned for this week’s Thursday Rundown to learn the details of this dessert dip…it was dangerously good!

Sloan enjoying some sprinkle donut holes.

After Beau woke up from his nap we went out to my parents’ house for our family Easter celebration. It wasn’t long before all of us were hanging out in the living room enthusiastically chatting about anything and everything.

While my parents prepared the Easter meal the rest of us chatted in the living room.

Eventually it was time for our Easter meal as my mom prepared ham, scalloped potatoes, corn casserole, salad, and veggies. This was all complemented by side dishes that all of us brought as well. Per usual, the dinner discussion was engaging, silly, and fun.

The Easter meal hit the spot.

It was then time for the annual Aunt Carrie and Uncle Glen Easter Egg Hunt. They spread Easter eggs out in the backyard and after giving Sloan, Beau, and their cousins a pep talk, they let them loose. Once again it was an egg-tastic success.

Glen and Carrie gave the kids some instructions before letting them loose in the back yard.

The egg hunt was followed by dessert. We had peanut butter lasagna and tuxedo cake (my dessert dip was served prior to dinner) and I can say that I am still full from it.

You are looking at peanut butter lasagna and tuxedo cake.

Before returning home for books and prayers, we posed for some pictures, including the fabulous image below of my parents with their grandchildren.

What a special photo and a nice way to conclude Easter Sunday 2022.

He Is Risen! Thank you God for your Son and for a blessed Easter. Don’t Blink.

Easter 2021
Easter 2020
Easter 2019
Easter 2018

99 Cents Thursday Rundown

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It is the most significant Thursday of the year—Holy Thursday. I almost feel silly offering up five topics on a day like this but as I have written on Holy Thursday in the past I will do it today as well…

Inside the Fire Truck – In Tuesday night’s blog post I mentioned that we visited the Walla Walla Children’s Museum over the weekend. Although it might not scream “museum exhibit,” it did offer an old Milton-Freewater fire truck. It was totally fair game for the kids to climb on and explore inside. Beau and his cousin, Johnny, loved getting behind the wheel. I thought this photo was pretty adorable.

Johnny and Beau loved getting inside the Milton-Freewater fire truck at the Walla Walla Children’s Museum.

AriZona Tea – I read a really interesting article yesterday about AriZona iced tea. The story detailed that despite inflation, AriZona has managed to stay priced at 99 cents for its entire 30 years of existence. How is it managing to do that, especially during these trying times? Well, the company is simply sucking it up. AriZona is making less money but the founder and chairman says he won’t increase the price. He feels that Americans are already the victims of too many price increases and if it means he is going to lose money if he doesn’t follow the trend, then so be it. I found the piece economically stimulating so if you have time be sure to check it out.

AriZona Iced Tea has always been 99 cents and, according to its founder, always will be.

Easter Candy – It was four years ago that I wrote about my favorite Easter candy. Admittedly, I placed more emphasis on the commercialized part of Easter than I should have as a kid and gorged on Easter treats. Although I have straightened out my priorities over the years when it comes to the importance of the holiday, I still enjoy eating Easter candy. My top Easter candy are Cadbury mini eggs. Speaking of Cadbury, the company’s signature egg also found a spot on the list. So did a very specific type of jelly bean. If you want more details, you will just have to read the post.

In 2018, I listed my favorite Easter candy.

National Dolphin Day/National Pecan Day – Today is National Dolphin Day so I feel I should flashback to when Sidney and I swam with the dolphins in Cancun just about six years ago. It was the one thing that Sidney really, really wanted to do on our honeymoon so I made sure to make it happen. It is also National Pecan day and I will once again admit that the way many of us pronounce the nut (PEE-CON) is flat out wrong. Did we all just skip Hooked on Phonics as a kid? When I lived in South Carolina it totally made sense that it should be pronounced phonetically as PEE-CAN. Okay, got that off my chest.

A photo of Sidney and I swimming with dolphins 6 years ago.

Grilled Cheese – Would you buy a $13.50 grilled cheese? I did. Last weekend when we were in Walla Walla we ate at a downtown restaurant called Red Monkey. The “Ultimate Grilled Cheese” came with American, swiss, pepper jack, and sharp yellow cheeses. However, while the bread was decent, it sure didn’t seem like it was packed with four thick, gooey cheeses. It wasn’t my best menu selection for sure. Although I must say that the macaroni and cheese, which I upgraded to for +$2.50 (instead of fries), was the bomb.

I just don’t think this $13.50 grilled cheese was worth it.

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As we mark Good Friday tomorrow, let us keep in mind how easily we can turn on God when things don’t go our way. But once Sunday comes around, let us enthusiastically celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. I wish everyone a very happy Easter. Don’t Blink.

Losing Three Influential Comedic Titans

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In late January, Louie Anderson passed away. Fellow celebrity comedian Gilbert Gottfried tweeted a photo of himself with Louie and Bob Saget, who also died early in 2022. Gottfried expressed his sadness that two of his industry friends had passed away. The sentimentality of the tweet was not lost on me as I retweeted it from my own personal Twitter account.

This is the photo that Gilbert Gottfried tweeted out in January with Bob Saget and Louie Anderson. Sadly, all three men are now deceased.

Well, that tweet received many more retweets yesterday when Gilbert Gottfried also died. Looking at the photo in light of Gottfried’s death, you couldn’t help but feel sorrowful that the three comedic heavyweights in that photo were now all gone.

All three men entered my television screen as a youngster and tonight I thought I would describe the manner in which each one did.

Gilbert Gottfried – As a relatively young boy, probably 8 or 9, my sister and I would walk to a grocery store in Walla Walla to rent a couple movies. The titles? Problem Child and Problem Child 2. We loved them! Each film focused on a troublemaker boy named Junior who wreaked havoc for his adopted father, played by John Ritter. In the first movie, the adoption agent is Mr. Peabody, played by Gilbert Gottfried. In the second film, Gottfried returned but had a career change as he was now the principal of a grade school. Coincidentally, third grade Junior is enrolled into Peabody’s school. In an effort to graduate him from the school as soon as possible, Peabody promotes him to sixth grade.

The Problem Child movies introduced me to the eccentricity and uniqueness of Gilbert Gottfried. I became familiar with his very distinctive voice and character acting chops. For the longest time, whenever my sister and I would see him in other movies or television, we would refer to him as “Mr. Peabody.”

Louie Anderson – In the mid to late 1990s, Louie Anderson actually had his own animated series called Life With Louie. Along with Howie Mandel’s Bobby’s World, I watched both shows on Saturday mornings during my early childhood.

But I probably became even more acquainted with Louie Anderson during the years he hosted Family Feud. He was the person who introduced me to show. Before Steve Harvey and before Al from “Home Improvement,” Anderson handled the hosting duties and it was under his tutelage that I learned the concept and rules of the wildly popular game show.

Bob Saget – I watched Bob Saget the most growing up. Full House was a “family show” that the five of us would watch together on a weekly basis when the new episode would premiere. My brother, sister, and I would eat up the reruns that would play throughout the day during the summer.

Although not a particular fan of the show, I also watched America’s Funniest Home Videos during Saget’s tenure as host. Although I cringed through a lot of his jokes, I now understand that a lot of his material was simply what was expected of him from production.

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I don’t think it is a stretch to say that these three comedic titans combined to produce millions and millions of laughs during their careers…some of them coming directly from me. Let’s remember to pray for the souls of Gilbert Gottfried, Louie Anderson, and Bob Saget. Don’t Blink.