Monthly Archives: January 2024

Juggling A Thursday Rundown

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Are you settling into 2024 yet? I hope you are and that this year will be a fruitful one for you. Let’s get started with the five topics that encompass my latest Thursday Rundown…

Zags Game With Dad – The hottest ticket in Spokane is no doubt Gonzaga basketball. People do some pretty wild things to secure a seat inside McCarthey Center. Luckily for me, I got inside this past weekend simply because someone asked me to go. My dad scored seats from a lady he used to work with and was beyond kind to take me with him. Prior to the game we went out for dinner and drinks and then moseyed over to “The MAC” for Gonzaga vs. San Diego. What a thrill it was to watch a game in that setting with the Zags notching a decisive victory. Thanks, dad!

My dad and I at the Gonzaga game inside the McCarthy Center on Jan. 6, 2024.

Juggling Act – You never know what you are going to get when you stumble onto a street act, but this juggler outside River Park Square in downtown Spokane was pretty good. I gave Sloan and Beau each a dollar (cheapskate, I know) as they watched the entertainer do his thing while he interacted with them. Just a small thing to make a fun trip downtown even more memorable.

Beau and Sloan watch a juggler perform outside of River Park Square in downtown Spokane.

Papa Murphy’s Deal – I love this! When scrolling Instagram I came across the below offering from Papa Murphy’s. Of course I used my info (October + Blue) to discover what pizza I would qualify for and it is a good thing I like cheese because my combo is mozzarella cheese and feta cheese. It might not surprise you that I sought out more information and found that the $10.99 price is for a large pizza and all pies begin with red sauce, mozzarella cheese base, and cheddar/mozzarella top mix. Obviously if I make good on my combo it will end up being a quadruple extra cheese pizza 😂. What is your combo?

This is kind of fun! What is your combo? You can get a large for $10.99.

Pete Carroll – Yesterday it was announced that Pete Carroll would not return as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. I am a Pete fan and really admired the infectious enthusiasm he brought to the organization. You won’t find a cooler 72-year-old (including you, Mr. Saban) and I remain amazed at the through-the-roof energy level he seemingly sustained at all times. Pete Carroll deserves the sincere gratitude from all Seahawks fans and he definitely has it from this blogger.

Thank you, Pete Carroll, for all you did for the Seattle Seahawks (photo courtesy of Fox News).

Those Who Wish Me Dead – Recently, Sidney and I watched “Those Who Wish Me Dead” starring Angelina Jolie. The film contains multiple plots but the gist is that assassins are trying to end the life of a boy on the run who has incriminating information with worldwide ramifications (but it is never revealed what that info is). The bad guys start a massive forest fire that creates a diversion away from the search and rescue operation. Jolie plays a smokejumper who is battling past demons while trying to protect the boy. Although my mom recommended the movie to us, I didn’t think it was that great. I felt it lacked focus and even with a superstar like Jolie the acting was a little corny. One funny thing happened when the movie ended: Sidney told me it was made by “Yellowstone” creators. It made so much sense! The vibe, effects, make up, and more all had me thinking about the Kevin Costner series in the back of my head. If you are a “Yellowstone” fanatic you might appreciate “Those Who Wish Me Dead.”

I wasn’t a big fan of “Those Who Wish Me Dead.”

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That will conclude things for tonight, I hope everyone is staying healthy and optimistic. Have a fantastic weekend and I will be back on Monday. Don’t Blink.

Why You Should Take Your Kids to Burger King Instead of McDonald’s

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During the holiday break, I took the kids to lunch at the sparkling new Burger King that opened on Sprague (near Pines). It replaced an outdated BK that always seemed like a trip to the 1980s every time I walked inside.

But whether we ate at the new or old location, the food was always good and I always found myself wondering why we didn’t eat here more often compared to its arch (pun intended) rival—especially when it came to the kids.

The fact of the matter is that I think Burger King is a much better option for children than McDonald’s. How so? Let me offer five quick reasons…

Burger King is a good time for the kids!

Feel Like a King – Burger King always has crowns at the front counter for the enjoyment of kids. Not only is it a great souvenir, but I am pretty sure cheeseburgers just taste better when you are wearing a paper ornament on your head. McDonald’s could probably offer clown hats or something similar but do they? You know the answer to that.

So Cheap – The typical kid’s meal is $2.99. At McDonald’s, a Happy Meal will cost you almost double. What more do I have to say?

Cookie Dessert – Each kid’s meal at Burger King comes with a soft chocolate chip cookie. If you aren’t too concerned about the childhood obesity epidemic this is a pretty sweet deal, especially if you can convince your child to break off a piece for you.

Freestyle Soda – Kid’s meals come with a fountain beverage and if you dine inside the restaurant you get to use Burger King’s Freestyle Coca-Cola machines. As an adult I am still fascinated by these things so you can imagine how enamored Sloan and Beau are by them. McDonald’s on the other hand? Not only do they not have Freestyle machines but they plan to remove self-serve soda machines entirely!

Bold Opinion – While it is a no-brainer that Burger King offers better cheeseburgers than McDonald’s, I am going to speak for my kids and say they have better fries too!

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Remember, the crowns aren’t just for the kids. The next time you have the choice between Burger King and McDonald’s, you might want to opt for BK and enjoy a cheaper and more entertaining dining experience. Don’t Blink.

Freeze-Dried Candy

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I remember looking at the strangely-shaped candy about a year ago. I was at the mall and the candy I was gazing at looked like blown up versions of childhood favorites: peach rings, Skittles, and salt water taffy. I would soon learn that this was freeze-dried candy.

There isn’t a bigger trend in the confectionery world at this time. Freeze-dried candy is all the rage and it actually doesn’t taste that bad.

This is what freeze-dried candy looks like.

The process of creating the candy is semi-scientific (after all, freeze drying is the method NASA uses to send food to space). The candy goes through a freezing process in an actual freeze-dryer. Once the candy is frozen, the pressure is reduced in the machine and a vacuum is created in the chamber. Heat is then introduced and evaporation occurs, thus dehydrating the candy and giving it the “blown up” look.

As someone with a sweet tooth, I was intrigued by freeze-dried candy but I wasn’t motivated to the extent that I needed to try it. So as the treat continued to pop up in other places, I didn’t “bite” until this past summer. While we were in Seabrook on our summer vacation, the town’s cute little candy store had a display devoted to the candy. Sloan decided it was the one thing she couldn’t live without and used some of her vacation allowance to buy a bag of freeze-dried Skittles.

Sloan holds the freeze-dried Skittles she bought at a candy store in Seabrook.

Part of the deal of her purchasing the candy was that she would have to let me try it. Well, after I ate that first Skittle I had to amend our agreement so I could eat a few more 😂. The candy was crunchy, airy, and so flavorful. Basically, it was very satisfying. We enjoyed this new take on an old favorite so much that Sidney and I would return to the candy store to buy our own bag.

Kind of like the phenomenon of not realizing how many vehicles of a certain model are on the road until you buy the model yourself, it seemed like freeze-dried candy was even more prevalent after our Seabrook experience. One example truly illustrates this: When we were in South Carolina in November, we went to a Christmas tree farm. This particular farm had a green space with a handful of vendors. Out of those five vendors, two of them offered freeze-dried candy as their signature product! (yes, we got some).

For this past Christmas, I knew the perfect gift to get Sid. I went back to the candy shop in the mall where I first saw freeze-dried candy and I purchased my wife’s favorite sweet treat in freeze-dried form—Nerd Clusters. Needless to say, she was thrilled.

For Christmas, I got Sidney some freeze-dried candy from Big Bear Chocolates in the Spokane Valley Mall.

Have you tried freeze-dried candy yet? If so, what kind and what did you think? Don’t Blink.

Sloan Reaches 500 Books In 2023

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The climatic end to our year of reading went like this…

At #499 it was “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” Then, clinching the milestone at #500, was “The Best Seat in First Grade,” a book that was totally appropriate since a first grader herself was the one who read it.

Sloan holds book #499 and book #500 for 2023.

And with that (the 2023 season… 😂), Sloan Reser had reached the coveted 500-book mark for the second straight year. Thanks to another year of dutifully reading every night, her goal was once again achieved.

Call me a “soccer dad” but when she finished the last page of her 500th book, I made a production of clapping for her. I wanted to commend her for not only committing to something for an entire year but for sticking with an activity that is so beneficial and intellectually stimulating.

A lot of our books come from the Spokane County Libraries. This picture was taken earlier in the year at the old Spokane Valley County Library before it shut down and a new one opened down the street.

Reaching 500 books in 2023 was definitely different from 2022. This most recent time, her milestone was met with a healthy diet of non-fiction books, children chapter books, and more mature-themed picture books. And the biggest change of all? Sloan read many of them herself!

But reaching 500 books in 2023 was also similar to 2022 in some ways, too. We continued to do the bulk of our reading during our infamous Book and Prayers routine. This comes right before bed when we are all relaxed and dialed in. The supply of our books was also fed similarly to 2022—bi-weekly visits to our great Spokane County Libraries. During these trips to the library we continue to check out around 25 books and still occasionally bring home a book or two that we have already read before.

Sloan reads a book at the brand new Spokane Valley County Library during the summer.

Prioritizing reading for Sloan has resulted in her becoming quite proficient at the skill. She is a vivacious reader who has now made it impossible for Sid and I to secretly communicate via note or text. Does she still have a long way to go with her reading? You bet. Sometimes she will read words out of order or she will lose interest mid-book but she is definitely on the right track.

Although we have made reading a big deal for our kids, we definitely can’t take all the credit. Helping Sloan reach her goal this year was the Silverwood Read 2 Ride program (read for 10 hours and get a free theme park pass) and the Spokane County Library summer reading program. Also, Sloan’s first grade teacher, Ms. Lunsford, is a fierce advocate for reading and challenges the students to rate the books they read. Sloan loves that!

We read several of her 500 books in the libraries themselves. Sloan read these two books in the North Spokane County Library.

As we have entered 2024, Sloan now has her eyes set on an even bigger goal. She wants to read 600 books! Her class made New Year’s resolutions last week and when I opened her folder I saw her target written on a piece of lined paper. Will it be challenging? Well, we barely reached 500 books these past two years. But is it possible? She thinks so!

Okay, I don’t really get the “Ms. Reser” business either but her resolution in an ambitious one.

For any parent who is reading this post and aspires to a similar goal, go for it! Reading can fit right into your nightly routine and the benefits—both from an educational and family bonding perspective—are immense. Happy reading in 2024! Don’t Blink.

First Thursday Rundown of 2024

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It has been a long time since I wrote a Thursday Rundown. In fact, the last time I published one was LAST YEAR 😂. For those counting at home, the last rundown I wrote was three weeks ago. So after 20+ days I am sure you are craving five random topics so let’s go…

LEGO Store – One activity I didn’t mention in last night’s holiday recap post was our visit to downtown Spokane to eat lunch with Sidney during her lunch break. After we ate, the four of us checked out the brand new LEGO Store. The shop had a lot of cool stuff but what the kids appreciated was the LEGO Minifigure Factory. It was at this station where Sloan and Beau could create their own custom LEGO Minifigure.

The LEGO Store in Spokane is pretty cool.

Claire’s – Not every store can be as cool as the LEGO Store. Case in point…Claire’s. Perhaps my animosity toward this store is that I have just spent so much damn time inside it. Sloan LOVES Claire’s and will very thoughtfully stretch any gift card she has been given to the retailer. I am talking “so thoughtfully” that she will take 60 minutes to choose a pair of earrings. Does your daughter enjoy Claire’s as much as mine?

Sloan shopping at Claire’s.

Throwback Wedding – Thought I would throw in a throwback photo for this initial Thursday Rundown of 2024. I don’t even know the year of this gem but this photo is of my family at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Walla Walla. This was the site of a wedding in which I was a ring bearer for. Don’t I look like a million bucks? Well, maybe not…

Hanging with my family for a wedding at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Walla Walla in the 1990s.

National Spaghetti Day – Today is National Spaghetti Day and we celebrated by eating…you guessed it…spaghetti! What is funny is that we scheduled this meal for tonight before even knowing that significance of this day. A couple years ago I mentioned that Sid and I would always play up spaghetti night to our kids by telling them they could eat with their shirts off.

Just a no-filter type photo of our spaghetti dinner tonight.

Offer Encouragement – Just a quick reminder to lift up those new members at your gym this week. While it is easy to scorn and scoff at people who are trying to make good on a New Year’s resolution to get fit, let’s not belittle those who are trying to make a positive change in their lives. I expressed this point more thoroughly in a blog post from 10 years ago.

Be nice to the new people at the gym!

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It is good to be writing these rundowns again, thanks for reading them! Enjoy your first weekend of 2024, friends. Don’t Blink.

Another Special Holiday Break At Home

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Alright, I made it through the first couple days of work for 2024. I think we can agree that returning to the office after the holidays can be tough. But I believe that working those initial days of the new year can give you a better appreciation of what you got to experience while on break. Such is the case for me.

For the second consecutive year, I had the relaxing advantage of staying put in Spokane for the holiday break. My children completed their last school day of the calendar year on Friday, Dec. 15, and I worked my last day of the calendar year on Tuesday, Dec. 19. From the evening of that Tuesday through New Year’s Day, we had a spectacular time together. As I did last year, I want to offer up 10 of the activities we engaged in during our holiday break…

Ornament Craft – As I said in my intro, we literally started doing fun stuff on that Tuesday night. Our kickoff event was at the North Spokane County Library where Sloan and Beau joined their cousins for an ornament craft. The kids made sleigh decorations with Sloan placing a snowman in her sled while cousin Mikayla crafted a Santa to ride in hers.

Sloan and her cousin, Mikayla, making Christmas crafts at the library.

Geocache – At Sloan’s request, we ventured into the world of geocaching during break. We devoted an entire afternoon to finding them. Although we couldn’t seem to find the geocache at the first location as Beau’s bladder forced us to stop sooner than desired, we did find the capsule at the second geocache location we visited.

Sloan holds her first-ever Geocache capsule.

Flying High – After my kids expressed their desire to get strapped into a bungee and jump high, my parents told Sloan and Beau they would take them during winter break. Grandma and Papa lived up to their word when they met us at Fanorama Bungee in the Spokane Valley Mall. With cousins Mikayla and Johnny in tow, the four kids had an excellent time jumping for the stars. Wait a second—scratch that—Beau wanted out the moment he was strapped in 😂. But the other three kids definitely had fun.

Sloan jumping her heart out at Fanorama Bungee

Bowling – I took Sloan and Beau to Lilac Lanes for 60 minutes of bowling mania. We set up the bumpers and Beau had a ball ramp so they could each have the chance to actually knock down pins. Much to my surprise, we only had to call the staff over once to retrieve a ball that stopped in the middle of the lane.

We bowled a few strikes at Lilac Lanes.

The Grinch – Spokane’s old-fashioned Garland Theater welcomed the three of us for a showing of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” starring Jim Carrey. Sloan and Beau had a fun time eating popcorn and “stretching their legs” as they took a couple “breaks” from the movie to walk around our section of the majestic theater. Me? I walked in thinking I didn’t like the Jim Carrey version but actually thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I actually really enjoyed watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at the Garland Theater.

We Play – Thanks to the generosity of Numerica, Spokane’s best play center opened its doors for free over winter break. On Dec. 22, admission was complimentary for the entire community. You better believe we took advantage! My sister and her two kids (you are very familiar with them by now…Mikayla and Johnny) met us at the facility for a hardcore play session that left the kids very entertained but surprisingly (and unfortunately) not very tired.

Thanks to Numerica, the kids played free at We Play.

Baptism – On the Saturday before Christmas Eve, the three of us (Sid had to work) went to St. John Vianney Catholic Church for the baptism of Eden Rose, the baby daughter of our friends, Brian and Hailey. Fr. Kevin Oiland performed the baptism as Fr. Jeff Lewis had the blessing of being selected as the godfather! Eden did a great job remaining calm for most of the ceremony, even when the holy water was poured over her head.

Hailey looks over her daughter, Eden, during the baptismal ceremony. Fr. Jeff Lewis, Eden’s godfather, is on the left. Fr. Kevin Oiland, who performed the baptism, is on the right.

Hibachi – As a Christmas gift from me to Sid and the kids, we ate at Fujiyama Japanese Steak House. What a fun and cozy place to eat! Our friends, Dylan and Fidela, joined us for the evening as our cook entertained and amazed us. Although Beau was a little afraid of the flames at first, he warmed up to it all. And oh yes…it was delicious!

Entertainment and delicious food is a great combination. We had a lot of fun at Fujiyama.

Mobius Discovery Center – Who says education can’t be cool? To be honest, visiting this children’s museum may have been the most fun activity that the kids did the entire break. I couldn’t believe how engaged Beau was with everything from the “launch it” stations, excavation pit, bubble area, and costume corner. When it came to Sloan, I literally let her loose and didn’t see her until it was time to go.

The kids may have had the most fun this break at Mobius Discovery Center.

Trampoline Park – It wouldn’t be a winter break without a trampoline park visit, right? On New Year’s Eve weekend I took the kids to Flying Squirrel. The best part? Sloan and Beau actually honored my request that they just jump and NOT hassle me about the arcade games.

Is it even winter break if you don’t go to a trampoline park? This is Beau at Flying Squirrel.

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It was a dad’s dream to have so much quality time with his kids. I am very fortunate to have a job where I am able to take an extended period of time during the holidays to re-charge and be with family. As I predicted in my Dec. 19 blog post, memories were made! Don’t Blink.

A Most Rewarding Video

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CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE RESER FAMILY #1SE VIDEO

As someone who works professionally in social media, it takes a lot to impress me. But for the past several years, a college friend’s annual post on Jan. 1 would blow me out of the water.

My pal from the University of Montana, Jennifer, would publish a 1 Second Everyday (#1SE) video that chronicled her family’s previous year via 365 one-second video clips—a clip for each day. These videos would always come out beautiful. They were authentic, endearing, and fun. It wasn’t just a video from my perspective, it was a work of art.

Jennifer and I at the University of Montana in 2007.

For probably 2-3 years I watched Jennifer’s videos with so much wonder and respect—and perhaps a little bit of envy. I knew her videos were spectacular for a couple big reasons: they were extremely thoughtful and took an entire year to make. In a world of instant gratification and “quick content,” these year-long #1SE videos take a lot of discipline, planning, and consistency. Not exactly attributes that all of us are willing to uphold for a video project.

And that is why I spent multiple years observing Jennifer’s project from the outside looking in. I thought they were incredible and I thought it would be nice to do one for my family but I was weary of whether I had the commitment and energy to pull one off myself.

I highly recommend creating a video using the I Second Everyday app.

A couple years ago I reached out to Jennifer about the behind-the-scenes production of her videos. I was finally seriously considering making my own. I unfortunately ended up passing. However, a year ago at this time, I reached out to Jennifer once again. This time around I was ready to take the plunge.

I asked more detailed questions and found out all the info about the #1SE app. Jennifer allowed me to pick her brain and filled me in about how the app makes the production of the videos so easy. Basically, the #1SE app does everything for you in terms of video production except for shooting the actual videos. It did come with a price ($50 per year) but it was an investment I was ready to make.

What an incredible project it was! My wife and children totally bought-in. If I was out of town, my wife would capture a clip for me. If I needed Sloan and Beau to help with a shot, they were more than eager. I would mentally plan #1SE shots for the upcoming week depending what was on our calendar and look forward to actually shooting them.

Our Reser Family #1SE is a little over 6 minutes long and can be viewed on YouTube.

Once I got in the groove of capturing a clip each day, I became more and more invested in the project. It was exhilarating to see the clips stack up and the length of the video slowly increase. I started to daydream about when the project would finally be done.

After using the #ISE app to edit the final video and choose a song, I was ready to “premiere” the video to loved ones. On Dec. 31, my tribe of four gathered in front of our TV and together we watched the Reser Family #1SE. What a rewarding 6+ minutes it was! The attention spans of Sloan and Beau were captivated and the tears ran down the cheeks of Sid as we watched. A couple hours later I went over to my parents’ house to allow them to watch the video on their big screen. They had absolutely no idea what to expect and only had a vague understanding of what #1SE actually was. Listening to their reactions as the clips sped by was so gratifying. Yes, they wanted to watch it again. I then sent the video link to various people in our circle of friends before posting to social media.

My parents watch the Reser Family #ISE video for the first time.

Our Reser Family #1SE video will be something we treasure forever. What I especially like about the final product is that it captured the values of our family so well: time together, faith, and friends. I want to extend a very special thank you to Jennifer for providing the inspiration and motivation to embark on this project. As she was counsel for me, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about 1 Second Everyday…there is still time to jump on for 2024! Don’t Blink.

An “Every Four Years” Year…2024

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Welcome to 2024, friends. How does it feel?

Happy New Year from my children! We are looking forward to a good year.

For me, it has felt a bit rough. The day started great with a workout and then the beginning of mass. However, during the latter, I started to feel a little queasy. By the time the Eucharistic prayer came along, I had to excuse myself as I felt I might make a mess. Thankfully, no vomit touched the ground inside St. Paschal Catholic Church.

As I write this, I am still battling the effects of this holiday bug. However, I am not allowing it to place an omen on what 2024 might have in store. I am way too positive for that. Instead, I am framing today as the perfect opportunity for a body cleanse before the year starts in earnest 😂.

I have made a better effort at New Year’s resolutions the past several years and I have a few for this year, too. However, I have decided to make my resolutions focus on specific acts as opposed to sustained habits. Wish me luck!

It goes without saying that this year will be big for many of us because of national/global events. It is a Presidential election year, the Summer Olympics will convene in Paris (can’t wait!), and it is a leap year! Yes, 2024 is an “every four years” year that packs plenty of excitement, competitiveness, and animosity. Tread wisely.

I always say that even-numbered years bring my family more unpredictability and change than odd-numbered years. However, if this is true, 2023 was an outlier. I am looking forward to 2024 and hope your year is fabulous as well. Love your family, trust God, and work hard—if you do those three things, you can a least get your year off to a good start…even if you spent most of Jan. 1 sick in bed. Don’t Blink.