Pizza and Chips

The other night, we had our family priest over at the house for dinner. We had pizza and as we went into the kitchen to fix our plates, I made an announcement:

“In Sidney’s family, they always pair chips with pizza and we have embraced that tradition in our house too.”

Next to our two boxes of pizza, we had a bag of Doritos and a bag of potato chips. Perhaps I didn’t need to offer the background of how Sid’s family spiced up pizza night, but I find it endearing and I don’t think a little bit of context is bad.

Okay, wait. I am not talking about chips on pizza like this picture shows (I was holding the Papa John’s Fritos pizza). I am talking about chips with pizza.

Fr. Jeff didn’t think too much about its eccentricity until Sid piped in.

“Is that weird? I never thought pizza and chips was a weird combination. Did you know Brent’s family eats tater tots with their tacos?”

You mean tater tots and tacos isn’t 100% normal? I immediately started thinking about the combo. Sid might have a point.

Sid and I then quizzed Fr. Jeff about what combination he thought was a little more obscure: Pizza and chips or tacos and tater tots?

He said pizza and chips.

To be fair, I think tacos and tater tots might be a regional thing. Fr. Jeff and I grew up in an area where taco fast food places are as prevalent as chicken fast food places were for Sidney in the South. If you go to a restaurant like Taco Time, the signature side item is mexi-fries, which are just glorified tater tots. But I bring this up to illustrate that we were conditioned from an early age that tacos and tater tots go together, just like Sid was with pizza and chips.

So now I turn it over to you, readers. Which combination is more “normal” to you: Pizza and chips or tacos and tater tots?

There is no wrong answer, but your opinion and reasoning are both valued. Don’t Blink.

First Day of Kindergarten

Watch a short video of Sloan’s first day

Today, Sloan had a major milestone in her education career. She attended her first day of kindergarten. From here on out, it is full speed ahead to high school graduation. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves…

Sloan had her first day of Kindergarten today. This is her with her “first day” board.

It was a special day for Sloan and her parents alike. There is a lot of significance tied to the first day of kindergarten and we wanted to make sure she got off to a good start.

Sloan riding to St. Mary on her first day of school.

Not that we were too worried. I think a lot of kindergarteners and their parents face that “fear of the unknown” element but it wasn’t a factor for Sloan. You see, Sloan is a student at St. Mary Catholic School, the same school she has attended the past two years. She went through the Pre K-3 and Pre K-4 programs and learned with the same group of students that she stepped into a classroom with today.

St. Mary had a cool display for students to take their photos in front of on the first day.

But there is still plenty of adjustment. Sloan is now going to school Monday-Friday and her kindergarten program is full day. She has a new teacher and is in a new section of the building. It will take some getting used to but after her orientation event last week and her first day today, she seems to be easing right into it.

Once Sloan sat down at her desk, she was ready for us to go 🙂

Our family is excited for what the year will bring. St. Mary is a tight community and there are so many opportunities for academic, social, and spiritual growth. Please pray for Sloan, her classmates, and their teacher (Ms. Roff) as they embark on the 2022-23 school year. Don’t Blink.

The Summer of Sloany

It was called The Summer of Sloany and it was glorious. But all good things come to an end and here we are on the eve of Sloan’s first day of school. I think I am more bummed about the ending of summer than Sloan. I love having her at the house full time and doing evening time activities that aren’t feasible for a girl on school nights. Sloan, on the other hand, has been counting down the days for a couple weeks now until her first day of school.

But that is the last time I am going to say that six-letter “S” word because I am going to focus more on that other six-letter “S” word for today’s post. Here are the five themes from The Summer of Sloany.

The four of us take a selfie as we wait for the fireworks show to begin at Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake. We had an awesome summer!

Friends – Our cul-de-sac really came alive this summer, starting pretty much on the very first day after school was out. With multiple houses on our street with little children, our small corner of the neighborhood was busy from morning to night with kid traffic. I especially enjoyed the evenings after dinner when Sid and I would sit in lawn chairs on our driveway and watch the street activity as the sun went down.

Sloan, Beau, and neighbor children play with each other in our driveway. This group has so much fun together!

Pool – Summer took a little longer to reach Spokane this season but once it did the hot temperatures were here to stay. We took advantage of the consistently gorgeous days by heading to the pool. We spent every weekend at either a city or county pool as Sloan (and sometimes Beau) splashed in the refreshing waters. And it wasn’t just the public pools that we played in. Throughout the summer, my parents’ neighbor, Kathy, allowed us to swim in her beautiful pool.

Sloan spent so much time in the water this summer. This photo is of her exiting Ms. Kathy’s pool.

Parks – It’s not a Reser summer without numerous trips to the plentiful parks in Spokane. Our favorite this year was Discovery Park where we spent plenty of hours frolicking in the splash pad and hanging on the innovative playground equipment. We also enjoyed ample time at places like Riverfront Park, Camelot Park, Greenacres Park, and Edgecliff Park. Picnics, meeting new friends, and trying daring stunts were all regular characteristics of our frequent park visits.

Sloan spent a lot of her summer at Spokane parks. This is her at the incredible Riverfront Park playground.

Bike Riding – Sloan really came into her own when it came to bike riding. The training wheels came off in the spring and she spent the summer racking up the miles on her “big girl” bike. She tore up the cul-de-sac on it and rode it every time her and I walked to get the mail. Sloan even inspired other neighbor kids to ditch their training wheels and keep up with her.

Sloan did some serious riding on her bike this summer.

Grandparents – The long days of summer proved another way that Sloan and Beau could spend special time with my parents. They were over at their house a lot over the past two and a half months to swim next door, play at the park across the street, and raid their freezer full of ice cream treats. In early August, our kids spent five straight days with “grandma and papa” as Sid and I went to Hawaii. Lots of memories were made!

Sloan and her papa spent a lot of quality time together this summer. This photo is of them at the East Valley High School track.

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The summer was characterized with other fun events such as Catholic Summer Camp, Silverwood Theme Park, Hoopfest, Fourth of July, Pig Out in the Park, and much more. But the daily core staples sure made Summer 2022 a whole lot of fun. Thanks for letting me go on the ride with you, Sloan! Don’t Blink.

Baking Fail Thursday Rundown

Wake me up when September ends, okay? Ha, just kidding! I actually love September and I hate that Green Day song so you can be sure that I will be focused and engaged this entire month. I am also focused and engaged for this Thursday Rundown so let’s get started…

Baking Fail – On Tuesday night, I attempted to make two-ingredient candy (some call it honeycomb) with Sloan and Beau. You melt brown sugar and add a pinch of baking soda to make a caramel-type treat. I scorched it. Sidney then gave it her best shot and burned her version too. The resulting creation was something that tasted no better than what it actually looks like. I chronicled the epic fail in this TikTok.

This was the resulting product of our two-ingredient candy. It tasted no better than what it looks like.

Crop Mural – For the past several years, a crop mural has been designed on a hilly wheat field as you enter Pullman. It is always a special feeling to view it as you approach town. Yesterday on my weekly trip to Pullman, I braved holding up traffic to take a photo. This year’s design is Butch holding a WSU flag. I look forward to it every year and I thank the talented artists for creating it and BECU for sponsoring it.

I took this photo of the WSU crop mural on Wednesday morning as I headed into work.

College Football Legggooo – The college football season will begin in earnest this week and that is a good thing. Even if I don’t follow it as closely I used to and even though the institution of college football has changed dramatically, it still is my favorite sport to watch. So here’s to a great season and GO Cougs, Chanticleers, Grizzlies, and Fighting Irish!

My brother, dad, and I watched our first game inside Martin Stadium since 2004 last season. I hope to make a game this season as well.

Truth – Hey parents, raise your hand if you can relate. Sid and I commiserate about this all the time. It seems like the moment we sit down on the couch or at the dinner table, a request from a little person will come in. Thanks to my friend Lindsi for yet another fantastic and relatable meme.

So true!

World Letter Writing Day – When was the last time you sat down and wrote someone a handwritten letter? If it has been a long time, take today or this weekend to do it. Not only will it mean the world to the recipient you send it to, but it will be a rejuvenating exercise for yourself. I am serious. In honor of World Letter Writing Day, go out of your way to make someone else’s day special. I didn’t recommend a book of stamps as my gift of the year in 2021 for nothing.

Letter writing is something we have tried to instill in Sloan. This is her writing (or drawing) Santa a letter in 2020.

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Wanted to give a quick shoutout to my sister-in-law who finished the Priest Lake Triathlon this past weekend. Looking ahead to this weekend, I hope everyone has a nice and safe Labor Day. Don’t Blink.