Monthly Archives: April 2023

Easter 2023

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He is risen! After journeying through the spiritual desert of Lent, it was a glorious 2023 Easter Sunday. As is my custom, I will provide a glimpse at our day through photos and words…

It was a blessed 2023 Easter.

Sloan and Beau were up by 6 a.m. to claim their Easter baskets. I really wish the Easter Bunny would realize that they don’t need more candy…

Sloan and Beau with their Easter baskets on Easter morning.

The holiest and most significant part of our Easter came next. We attended 9 a.m. mass at St. Mary. There is nothing better than spending the holiest day of the year in a packed church with your beloved parish community. Fr. Jeff Lewis channeled C.S. Lewis by referencing his “trilemma” argument that Jesus was either a “Lunatic, Liar, or Lord,” and that all evidence—historical, spiritual, and cultural—points directly to the third option.

Easter mass at St. Mary was beautiful! We took this photo after mass.

We returned home and ate a delicious brunch of…wait for it…cookies! The four of us chomped on these giant iced bakery cookies from Rosauers that are incredible. To be honest, we were going to get breakfast from McDonald’s but by the time we arrived at the drive thru they had stopped serving. So cookies it was! Sid and I then prepared dishes for our family Easter celebration. I once again made a dessert dip but you will have to wait until my Thursday Rundown to learn about the “monster” I made this time.

Yep, we ate cookies for brunch.

The Reser “children” and their families arrived at my parents’ house around 2 p.m. After our typical but cherished banter in the living room, my brother and his wife staged their annual Easter egg hunt for the real kids in the family. Because of a back yard remodel project, the hunt moved to the front yard this year but was still a success.

The annual Aunt Carrie and Uncle Glen Easter egg hunt was once again a success.

It was then time for my mom’s cooking to shine once again. This year’s menu featured ham, macaroni and cheese, corn casserole, veggies, salad, and rolls. Adults ate in the dining room while Sloan, Beau, and their cousins ate at the kids table downstairs. Sometimes I wish the dinner table conversations were recorded so we could compare and decipher which one was more ridiculous 😊

Our Easter meal was delicious.

After dinner we converged in the living room and played the “Heads Up” game on our phones. Once our stomachs settled we ate dessert. There were many options including a seven-layer pie, peanut butter brownie dish, homemade ice cream sandwiches, and my dip. Why choose just one?

So many good Easter desserts this year that I couldn’t choose just one.

We then returned home and I spent some special time with Beau watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” in our bedroom. After family prayer I spent some time with Sid, read the Sunday paper, and then went to bed.

Beau and I spent some of Easter evening watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

Thanks be to God for the resurrection of his Son! Although Lent is now over, the Easter season is just beginning. Let us rejoice and be glad. Don’t Blink.

Easter 2022
Easter 2021
Easter 2020
Easter 2019
Easter 2018

The 100th Day of the Year

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It is a common practice at elementary schools across the country. When the school year reaches a certain point of completion, students dress up as elderly people. Second graders will arrive to class with walkers and white hair. They will throw on old people glasses and walk with a limp. It is cuteness overload as 8-year-olds dress as centenarians to commemorate the 100th day of the school year.

Some might feel like it is a shame that we don’t follow the same practice for the 100th day of the calendar year. If we did, today your co-worker may have dyed his hair white or your barista may have been slinging coffee with a cane.

I look pretty weathered in this FaceApp photo from a few years ago. But it is appropriate for the 100th day of the year.

Yep, today is in fact the 100th day of 2023. And while we don’t dress up for the occasion like 2nd graders, I think we can still follow their lead by making a big deal out of it. I place a special emphasis on July 1, the halfway mark of our calendar year, but I think the 100th day of the calendar year also calls for reflection. When the digits extend from two to three I think it is safe to say the honeymoon phase is officially over.

How are things going for you? Did the year get off to a rough start? Have you taken your lumps? Well, here’s the good news: The first 100 days are the hardest. Re-setting after a manic holiday season and living through short days and winter weather can be tough. But you have now reached a point where it stays light out until 7:30 p.m., spring is here, and our Lord just rose from the dead. Alleluia!

The next 265 days are going to be great for you! But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Perhaps we just concentrate on the next 100 days? This will take us through July 19. By that time we will be smack in the middle of summer. From now until that point, we all have a lot to look forward to. Baseball, festivals, Mother’s/Father’s Days, road races, Memorial Day, farmer’s markets, summer beers, Independence Day, sunshine, and so much more—just to name a few.

Don’t sit back and wait for all these things to roll by, though. Make sure to set goals and personally do whatever you can to enhance all the fun stuff that is on its way.

Happy 100th Day of 2023! The honeymoon might be over but the year is just now starting to heat up. Don’t Blink.

Pre-Easter Rundown

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Good evening to all. I hope you have had a blessed Holy Week thus far. Let’s get going with tonight’s five topics…

Easter Bunny Beau – The beyond cute holiday photos keep coming from Beau’s daycare. Recently they threw some bunny ears on his head and snapped this. We are definitely cherishing the images from all the festive photo shoots that Beau’s teachers are staging.

It’s Beau the Easter Bunny!

Spring Break Tradition – Last year, I wrote about a Spring Break tradition my mom instituted that I revived with Sloan. Growing up, we didn’t go on crazy trips during our week off but my mom would take each of us kids out individually for a nice lunch with her. Sloan is currently on Spring Break and yesterday we engaged in the tradition for the second consecutive year at the exact same spot—Zips’s!

Sloan eating a hamburger at the Zip’s location on Trent in Spokane Valley.

Happy 406 Day – Today is April 6 and that means Montanans are celebrating 406 Day. Although I lived in Montana for 8 years, I never had a personal phone number with the state’s only area code. But I think that is for good reason. As I mentioned in a blog post last year, I don’t think I ever fit in while living in the Big Sky State. Although I loved my time there, I lacked the toughness and resourcefulness that is innate in so many of the people who were born and raised there. Happy 406 Day to all my Montana friends!

Montana is a beautiful place. Happy 406 Day, everyone!

Easter Egg Hunt Planning – For those parents who will be taking their children to Easter egg hunts this weekend, I offer some advice. If you are able to do research ahead of time, see if the hunt(s) you plan to attend offer eggs with candy inside OR if kids simply pick up empty plastic eggs and exchange them for a bag of candy at the end. Last year, I wrote about the problematic latter model which I coined a “participation trophy” hunt. Happy hunting!

Beau hunting for empty eggs. I would have a disappointed face too.

Throwback Feature – I came across this photo of my brother and I which caused me to spend way too much time trying to figure out why we are holding up the fingers that we are. Are we each expressing a number unique to us or are we combining the digits we are holding up (14) to express something else? I simply don’t know. But I did think showing a photo of when I was still considerably taller than my brother would be cool.

Back when we were young. I don’t understand the fingers we were holding up.

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Thanks for dropping in tonight. As we conclude Holy Thursday and venture into Good Friday, let’s prepare ourselves to truly celebrate Easter on Sunday. Don’t Blink.

What’s Up, Doc?

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As today is International Carrot Day, I thought it was appropriate to say a few words about the versatile vegetable. After all, it is my second favorite veggie of all-time so how could I snub it on its special day?

I am a big fan of carrots. In fact, I enjoy carrots so much that it is the only vegetable I will eat raw. And I just don’t merely eat them raw, I will devour an entire bag if given a chance. One of my favorite diet foods, I enjoy the crunch and mild taste of a raw baby carrot.

Carrots and corn — two of the greatest!

But just because I eat a lot of raw carrots doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the cooked variety. I have no issue eating cooked carrots tossed in butter and lightly topped with brown sugar…yum! I like carrots on my salad, hibachi, and even pizza!

However, my main reason for shining the spotlight on carrots tonight is to briefly mention carrot cake. Growing up, I never turned down a slice of it. I vividly remember the Costco carrot cake with orange frosting on each piece that resembled a carrot. Some might think that a cake and vegetable don’t mix but I give it the same exception as I do for a fruit on pizza when it comes to pineapple.

Despite my fond memories of Costco carrot cake, nothing can hold a candle to my mother-in-law’s carrot cake. To put it simply, her version is perfect—fresh, moist, flavorful, and satisfying. You want to know her secret?…

Baby food!

Yes, she uses baby food carrot puree for her carrot cake and it is a game changer. Trust me, you don’t know what you are missing until you try it. Happy International Carrot Day. Don’t Blink.

My First Car

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We all remember our first car, right? I sure do.

When I obtained my driver’s license at 16, there was a shared understanding with my parents about how it would work if also got my own car: It wouldn’t be new and I would be paying for it.

This is me (posing super awkwardly) with my first car, a 1989 Nissan Sentra. I paid $650 for it at an auction.

After looking at some cars for sale around the neighborhood, I decided to take a different approach. My uncle was an auctioneer and would regularly hold large car auctions. What if I tried my luck at one of those?

My dad and I traveled to Walla Walla for the auction. I remember feeling a little nervous when the two of us walked on my uncle’s property that morning. This was a large event with tons of cars and other items too. I didn’t really know all the ins and outs of participating in an auction, but luckily I had my dad with me.

We walked around the large lot and scouted out the cars. The two of us hopped in and out of the vehicles, trying to gauge if any of them had driving life remaining because here’s the thing: purchasing a car at an auction is a big gamble. When it comes to these cars at these types of auctions, you don’t get to test drive them, you don’t know their history, and you are oblivious to whether they will breakdown the moment you take one off the lot.

Once the auction started, we had our eyes on a few different cars. One of them happened to be a red 1989 Nissan Sentra. When my uncle arrived at this particular vehicle to auction it away, I remember he prefaced the bidding by saying that it was a “nice, clean little car.” To be honest, I don’t remember the bidding process in terms of whether we were in deep competition with anyone, but I do remember our winning bid–$650!

Knowing the risk I took, the first BIG test awaited us the next day…driving it the three hours from Walla Walla to Spokane. Would it even make it out of town, let alone all the way to our house in north Spokane? That maiden voyage proved to be a good omen. The 16-year-old car made the trek seamlessly and set the stage for the next two years.

I drove this car for more than two years and it never gave me any real problems. For my first car, I lucked out.

Not only did my little beater car drive faithfully throughout the remainder of my sophomore year, junior year, and senior year but it also lasted long enough for my brother to drive it after I went away to college. If you break down the daily price usage of the car based on how long we had it and what I paid for it, the cost equated to about 44 cents per day.

My Nissan was reliable transportation to/from school. We never had any major mechanical issues with it, snow didn’t cause it too many problems, and I always felt a sense of pride while behind the wheel. That pride was bolstered by the Best Buy stereo system I installed in it 😊.

Looking back, I never really longed for a bigger or better vehicle during those high school years. I was content with my Nissan Sentra as it provided everything that a first car should. Don’t Blink.