Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Heather and I just returned from Reno, Nevada for the Boise State-Nevada Reno football game. The weather was great though the game was heart-wrenching for a time when I was convinced my alma mater would blow it giving the Wolf Pack much to "howl" about. It's a trek I've been making since I was in college too many years ago. Friends made in college over 20 years ago congregate at the game, and we have too much fun! Ironically, this long friendship was started in the stands at a BSU game when we happened to run into each other. We've been friends ever since. Some things have changed through the years: We now all fly there rather than drive. We compare health problems, losses in retirement funds, expanding waistlines, and diminished expectations about loving our jobs rather than thinking we were going to change the world. An added bonus to the trip is being able to see my brother Dan and his wife Kay who live in Reno. All those years ago when we were in college,...

This morning, Ethan called me at work to excitedly tell me that he has whiskers. He exclaimed “Daddy! Daddy! Know what! I’ve got whiskers! Two! On each side! They’re small but I can see them! “ I replied “Wow! That’s cool! You’re getting to be such a big boy! Do you need to start shaving?” He nonchalantly replied, “Yeah. I’m growing up.” He’s only 3.

We have rules in our house about "bad words" which include "stupid, butt, hate, hell" and a couple others I'm probably forgetting. At a recent parent/teacher conference, we mentioned Ethan has used some of these recently -- almost testing us it seems -- and his teacher noted there is a boy in class who uses them routinely. Ethan sometimes asks us if "God" is a bad word which is a tough one. He asked "Is Oh My God bad, Daddy?" I said, "Yes, but you can talk about God." Tough to get a little boy to understand the distinctions and nuances of words. It's tough when a boy in school uses bad words. It's tough when we sit down to watch "It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" only to realize every other word it seems in our treasured childhood program is "stupid." But, at least we have avoided the dreaded "s" word and the even worse "f" word. Until Disney On Ice....Returning home with our ...

In 1980, I was able to cast my first vote, and I continue to be proud that I voted for Ronald Reagan. The 1980 election was a watershed that changed history as Reagan's optimism and pride in the United States stood in stark contrast to the embarrassment that was Jimmy Carter with his "malaise" coupled with ineffective foreign policy. Carter's years in office, to me at the time and even now with the filter of years of experience and maturity, were simply awful. Our economy was in a tail spin, our respect throughout the world was dismal, and I cringed whenever Carter spoke because I considered him inept at best. So, my generation's first vote felt special because we changed the course of history. Now, 28 years later, a new generation with the same passion for "change" has rejected the GOP based on many of the same concerns that led me to the voting booth 28 years ago: The economy, fears about the future, concern about world politics, etc. Though I have con...