Monthly Archives: September 2024

Garth Thursday Rundown

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Here in the Inland Northwest, we have transitioned from hot temperatures in 90s to more early autumn-like temperatures in the 70s. With school now in session and football in full swing, it seems about right. You know what else seems about right? Five random topics on a Thursday…

Garth – At the end of August, Garth Fritel passed away (read obituary). This man was afflicted with ALS but still managed to live a fulfilling life centered on his family and faith. Garth embraced his debilitating disease as his cross and inspired so many (including myself—I wrote this post in 2022) by his love for Christ. Those of us who attended mass with Garth will never forget how he gave all his strength to receive the Holy Eucharist via syringe at every opportunity. I am grateful I had to chance to say goodbye to Garth and thank him for increasing my faith. Please pray for Garth’s soul and for his wife, Adeline, and daughters, Tovah and Daphne. May eternal rest be grant unto Garth, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

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).

Fr. Jeff Sketch – I have written extensively about how our parish priest, Fr. Jeff Lewis, enriches our family in faith and friendship. Both of our children love him dearly. This photo is from this past weekend at the home of our friends. Sloan drew a portrait of Fr. Jeff and presented it to him for his approval. I don’t know if he was impressed…

Sloan reveals her sketch to Fr. Jeff Lewis.

Evacuate! – I could handle the humidity and rain of South Carolina, but the hurricanes sure got old. Every year I lived in the South, there was always a major storm that threatened our area. However, there was only one that caused us to evacuate. On this date six years ago, we packed up (Sid, 1-year-old Sloan, and me) and drove to Jacksonville where we stayed at Sid’s aunt’s house for a few days. We made the best of a stressful situation as we visited Disney Land, went to the zoo, and caught up with Sid’s cousin.

When we evacuated to Jacksonville because of Hurricane Florence, we made a day trip to Disney World.

National Chocolate Milkshake Day – Judging by the bold words to the left, you know what day it is. Let me take you back seven years to when I revealed my list of Top Five Favorite Corporate Milkshakes. Usually I make you follow the link to see my #1 choice but I am feeling generous tonight and will straight up tell you: Sonic is home to the best milkshakes in the country. However, if you want to find out the other four chains with excellent milkshakes, you need to actually read the post.

Beau and Sloan drinking a milkshake in November 2023.

Back to Homework – Last week, Sloan and Beau returned to St. Mary Catholic School. They spent those first few days getting acclimated to everything. This week? The homework has started! The below photo is from Monday night as my children hammered out their assignments. Sid and I have differing philosophies on homework but I think it is a great way to instill responsibility and time management while keeping the mind sharp.

Sloan and Beau hard at work completing their homework.

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We have a busy weekend ahead of us. The fair, first soccer game, birthday party, fundraising dinner, and more! Whether you have a packed schedule like us or not, I hope your weekend is fulfilling. Don’t Blink.

Reflecting On 9/11

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I am a chronic journaler. I have mentioned before that sometimes I will randomly look back at past entries—from a year, five years, 10 years ago—and be astonished and saddened that I don’t remember much of anything from the particular day described. An obvious shortcoming of the human brain…or at least my brain.

What is the best way to reflect on 9/11?

From the surface, we might say that September 11, 2001, is a day we would like to forget. But I think what we mean to say is that we wish 9/11 never happened. Since it did happen, we must never forget.

Despite my lapses in memory that are made so obvious by my 25 years of journaling, I have no difficulty remembering September 11, 2001. I often, especially during September, re-hash my day from 23 years ago…

Wake up and turn on TV to see confusion in Times Square.
Anchor greets reporter with “good morning.” Reporter grimly responds, It’s not a good morning.
Television coverage projected onto main gathering spot wall at high school.
Principal cries on intercom when addressing school.
Football coach gives speech at practice, telling us what happened was an attack on us all.
Talk to my parents that night about what happened.

Of course, solely reflecting on my own day is tone deaf and selfish. I try to put myself in the position of those innocent people on the planes, in the buildings, and on the scene as first responders who experienced unspeakable horror and lost their lives. Each year around this time I watch different documentaries about that awful day and gain more perspective. But I am conscious of the fact that making my 9/11 remembrance an annual thing is hollow. For the past couple years I have followed a TikTok account that shows September 11 clips, news reels, and interviews. It keeps the tragedy top of mind year-round but I am not kidding anyone, following a social media account doesn’t cut it.

So, as I have mentioned before, perhaps just educating those who weren’t alive during the attacks is the best approach. Last year, Sloan brought up 9/11 for the first time. She questioned me about it again last night. This time around, she wanted to know how the planes flew into the towers and what happened to those aboard. I told her.

Let us pray for the souls of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2021, and for their surviving family members. Don’t Blink.

Past 9/11 Blog Posts
An Anniversary That Hits Harder Each Year (2023)
Putting Faces to the Victims (2021)
Never Forget, Always Educate (2019)
Putting Hurricane Florence in Perspective (2018)
What Touched Me on This 9/11 (2017)
Standing With Unity (2016)
10 Years Later (2011)

Introducing Sloan and Beau to Jimmy Carter

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As a U.S. President-obsessed kid in the early 1990s, someone always stuck out to me on the poster that hung on my wall and the many president books/flash cards/memorabilia in my room. Out of the 41 or 42 commander-in-chiefs pictured on these items, #39 seemed to pop out.

Of course, for those as nerdy as me, we don’t need the reminder about who that number designation is reserved for in American history. We are talking about James Earl Carter. Out of the numerous other past presidents on my prized materials, no one looked as happy, youthful and folically-blessed as Jimmy Carter. Out of so many stone-faced, scowling, bald, and old men, the guy with a mile-wide smile and full head of hair stood out to a 5-year-old like myself.

On Saturday night, I read a Jimmy Carter children’s book biography to Sloan and Beau. It summarized his whole life from his upbringing in segregated Georgia to his early political career to his presidency to his post-presidency humanitarianism.

I read “Hard Work But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter” to Sloan and Beau on Saturday night.

After we finished the book, Sloan asked the logical question I was expecting from my 7-year-old: Is Jimmy Carter still alive?

I told her yes but I didn’t know exactly how old he was. I whipped out my phone, typed in his name, and found out he is 99. But he didn’t turn 99 this summer or even this year. Former President Carter turned 99 on October 1, 2023. That means, God willing, he will become a centenarian in 22 days.

Jimmy Carter is now 99 and isn’t youthful but he still has that smile.

Needless to say, Carter isn’t the fresh looking face that graced the U.S. President poster that hung in my childhood room. But the smile is certainly still there!

Carter says he isn’t obsessed with holding on until he turns 100. Rather, he has a goal that extends beyond his milestone birthday. The man says he wants to live long enough so he can vote for Kamala Harris.

Although this isn’t a political post by any means, I admire that Carter still has drive and goals. Let’s pray for our 39th president. I will be more than happy to wish him a happy birthday on Oct. 1. Don’t Blink.

Happy To Be Here Thursday Rundown

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It is technically a short week with the Labor Day holiday this past Monday but it has definitely felt like a long week to me. Getting the kids ready for school, devoting my attention to exciting things happening at work, and catering to a full extracurricular schedule has me busy. But not busy enough to refrain from writing a Thursday Rundown. Let’s do this thing…

Fresh Fish – Not too long ago, my next door neighbor offered us all the salmon, halibut, and cod we wanted from his fishing excursion to Alaska. He caught it all himself! We aren’t huge fish fans so we just took some halibut off his hands. On Sunday night, my dad threw it on the grill and it turned out excellent. It had a mild, pleasant taste with incredible texture. What a treat!

Even if you don’t like fish, you would have enjoyed this halibut.

Family Circus Foods – I laughed at this Family Circus comic because I would use this reasoning as a kid (and okay, maybe as an adult) all the time. I fulfilled my veggie serving by chomping on French fries, I satisfied my daily fruit intake by eating strawberry ice cream, and I drank my 64 ounces of water by taking it in Kool-Aid form.

This was a recent Family Circus comic strip.

Pig Out in the Park – For those not knowledgeable about quirky Spokane events, every Labor Day weekend is when Pig Out in the Park is staged. Going strong now for many years, Pig Out in the Park is a music/food festival where 85 concerts meet 65 food booths. We go annually mostly for the food but our status at next year’s event is up in the air due to inflation. After buying Sloan and Beau a $16 cheese quesadilla and a $15 boba tea to split, I told myself, I will just eat at home.

Beau and Sloan with $31 worth of Pig Out in the Park goodness in front of them.

Take A Seat – Yes, I realize the previous three topics all deal with food so I thought I should continue the trend. Thus, I don’t have much to say about this random photo of Sloan sitting in the middle of the Costco food court this past Sunday except for this: the $1.50 Costco dog deal (which includes a soda) is still one of the top 5 items I buy at the wholesaler.

That’s Sloan sitting down in the Costco food court making sure that the $1.50 hot dog price doesn’t change.

Happy 10th Birthday, Mikayla – I wanted to end with something better than food, something that is sweeter than the most decadent candy on the planet. Today is my niece’s 10th birthday. Mikayla was born a decade ago while I was living in Myrtle Beach. Sidney and I waited anxiously in my apartment for word that my first-ever niece was born. My mom finally sent me a text message that birth wing chimes had sounded, signifying that a new baby had entered the world. That new baby was Mikayla and I am so proud of the intelligent and kind tween she is today. I wrote this blog post back in September 2014 celebrating Mik’s birth.

This is Mik getting her birthday celebration started early this morning. She is now TEN!

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Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. Hopefully your September is off to a nice start. Speaking of the month, take a moment to reach out to someone you know was born in September and wish them a happy birthday. Don’t Blink.

A Surprisingly Convenient Process

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I held off until the very last minute.

Although I should have acted more promptly, COVID got in the way. Having lived in Spokane for more than four years now (this second time around), I should have secured a Washington driver’s license within months of moving to the state. But the pandemic had other ideas as it made it nearly impossible to do business with the Department of Licensing, especially for remedial tasks like re-issuing a driver’s license to a prodigal son. Believe me, I tried.

So I held onto my South Carolina license right before it expires next month on my birthday. Nothing like receiving a license that is good for 10 years, right? I was issued my Palmetto State ID in 2014 and used it for 119 of the 120 months that it was good for.

I probably would have used it for all 120 months but I figured that might be cutting it a little too close. If obtaining my license was anything like it was in 2020, I should expect delays and thus give myself plenty of time to secure it. So at the end of August, I made plans to visit the DOL and get it done.

Memories of complete horror shows flooded my brain from previous experiences at DOLs/DMVs in multiple states. Whether it was the state I live in now, Montana, or South Carolina, I couldn’t erase from my mind the long lines, countless people, and wasted hours that characterized my visits.

I thought it would be a repeat this most recent time but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. The first indication that perhaps my whole day wouldn’t be shot was the opportunity to schedule an appointment. That’s right, a couple days before I visited the DOL I was able to snag an appointment time online. And guess what? When I checked in on Saturday morning my appointment was honored and I saw a DOL representative right at my scheduled time.

But even crazier was that it looked like an appointment wasn’t even necessary for showing up at 10 a.m. on the weekend. The center wasn’t crowded and a full team of DOL employees were at their stations helping customers.

My transaction took five minutes. Because I had scheduled an appointment by noting the service I needed, the DOL rep knew I was there to obtain a Washington state enhanced (real ID) driver’s license. I handed her all my paperwork, she processed it, and she asked me a couple questions about my height/weight and whether I wanted to be an organ donor. She then had me look down to take the vision test. To be honest, I was slightly nervous considering my eyes were about 10 years older from the last time I took it but my anxiety was unfounded. It was easier than ever!

After I aced the test she took my photo. I provided a signature that would go on my license (I asked to re-do it a couple times) and then I paid more money than I wanted to. She then gave me a printed white sheet to serve as my temporary license and off I went to enjoy the still young day.

Yesterday I received my permanent driver’s license ID card in the mail. Watch out folks, I am once again an officially licensed driver of the state of Washington. Much love to my state for making the process much more tolerable. Don’t Blink.

Golden Rings At St. Mary Catholic School

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Watch a “First Day of School” video of Sloan and Beau

It seems hard to believe, but our family started our FIFTH year at St. Mary Catholic School today. Sloan kicked things off in the Pre-K3 program in the fall of 2020 and now she is a big, bad second grader. More on that in just a moment.

Today was the first day of school for Sloan and Beau at St. Mary in Spokane Valley.

This “golden ring” year (get it?) for our family brings with it the most confidence and optimism for a school year yet. Principal and friend Stephen Hart introduced so many positive changes during his debut year in 2023-24 that the school couldn’t be in a better spot as the doors swung open this morning. Among the many improvements last year, the best part was just the overall embracing of a strong, devout Catholic culture. Thank you, Mr. Hart!

Stephen Hart, principal of St. Mary Catholic School, welcomes Sloan on the first day of the 2024-25 school year.

Okay, back to Sloan. She will spend her second grade year in Mrs. Abbie DeRuyter’s class. Sloan’s close-knit group of classmates will be joined by three new peers this year—all girls! I know our daughter looks forward to getting to know them while Sid and I are excited to welcome their parents and families.

Sloan sitting at her desk ready to start her first day of second grade.

Actually, we already know one of the “new” parents really well. The mom of one of the second grade newcomers is Mrs. Kristen Mead, the leader of the St. Mary Pre-K4 classroom and Beau’s teacher this year! With Beau’s Pre-K3 class in close proximity to Mrs. Mead’s class last year, we got to know her a little bit. We can’t wait for Beau to learn from her.

Beau sitting at his desk ready to start his first day of Pre-K4.

A big change for Beau from last year to this year is that his school day is now all-day. What better way to get him ready for kindergarten, right? Much to the satisfaction of mom and dad, Beau is still a napper so he will have to adjust his schedule a bit now that he is attending school all-day like a big boy.

My kids on our porch prior to their first day of the 2024-25 school year at St. Mary Catholic School.

One item that needed no adjustment on the schedules of my children was wake up time this morning. Sloan and Beau attended summer school at St. Paschal Educare the past couple months and were used to rising early. Because of that, there was no shock getting up at 6:30 a.m. for today’s first day.

It is going to be another great school year at St. Mary Catholic School!

Here we go! Another year at St. Mary Catholic School is underway and I know it will be a blessed one. Please pray for the teachers and students not just at my children’s school but everywhere. Don’t Blink.

Summer 2024

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Today is Labor Day and that means a lot of things to a lot of people. For our family, it always means “Return to School Eve.” Many also consider Labor Day the end of summer. So with my children heading back to St. Mary on Tuesday combined with the prevailing opinion that fall is just around the corner, I thought today marks the best opportunity to recap the summer.

It was a truly memorable summer—and not just for all the activities we crammed in. I will always remember Summer 2024 for significant life events and historical happenings. In the same way that I have recapped summers in the past, today I want to remember Reser Summer 2024 with 10 distinguishing themes/events.

Walla Walla Kickoff – Our summer truly kicked off with a mid-June weekend in Walla Walla. We ventured to “the place so nice they named it twice” for my Aunt Patty’s 60th birthday. The four of us joined my parents, my sister’s family, and my aunts/uncles/cousins for a birthday bash and so much more. The actual party on Saturday night at gorgeous Pioneer Park was the highlight but we also enjoyed a water park outing and a “welcome” pizza dinner on Friday night.

A look at the birthday party for my Aunt Patty at Pioneer Park in Walla Walla.

St. Paschal Educare – This summer, we sent both our kids to St. Paschal Catholic Church for its educare program. Although it was more or less daycare, Sloan and Beau considered it summer camp and had a blast. Sid and I felt thankful to send the kids to a safe, fun, and faith-filled spot while we worked during the summer months.

Sloan had so much fun making new friends and playing hard at St. Paschal Educare in Spokane Valley.

Hoopfest Weekend – What fun this weekend was! I volunteered to be a court monitor at Hoopfest 2024 but I wasn’t the only one from the family who was serving the community. Sidney, Sloan, and Beau volunteered, too, as they kept score during the games and performed all the extra administrative work needed to make sure a bracket runs smoothly. When action wasn’t taking place on our court, we had the opportunity to watch our friends and loved ones play in their own brackets.

Saturday afternoon, we posed for a photo after we finished the games on our court.

Fourth of July – It might have only been a day, but I feel obligated to give Independence Day 2024 its own spot. What an incredible day it was! We started with a Fourth of July parade in Coeur d’Alene, then headed to Riverfront Park to play at a carnival, drove out to my parents’ house for a cookout, and finally headed to Pavillion Park for the fireworks show. You can’t epitomize summer much better than that.

Our Fourth of July was a lot of fun. We  attended a parade, went to a carnival, had a cookout at my parents’ house, and then went to Pavillion Park for fireworks.

New Job – I will always remember this summer for taking the next step in my career. In June I interviewed for the marketing director position at Eastern Washington University and was offered the job the same month. I spent July wrapping up my tenure at WSU and on August 1 I officially started at EWU. True, a lot of this past summer was devoted to a major professional transition but I am grateful it didn’t take away from all the fun stuff I got to do with my family.

Check the ID, I am an official EWU employee.

Visit From Sid’s Parents – In July we enjoyed a special visit from “Gami and Dada.” Sid’s parents came for a week and had their stay extended (yay!) due to the CrowdStrike snafu. It was nice to have my in-laws in town to experience Spokane in its complete summer glory. We had game nights, boated on Lake Coeur d’Alene, visited a Post Falls festival, and much more.

What a blessing it was to host Sid’s parents during summer in Spokane.

The Olympics – I can’t estimate the total hours my family spent watching the Olympics except for the general assessment of A LOT. We had such a joyful time watching the different events, keeping a close eye on the medal count, and rooting for the USA. As I mentioned in my wrap up, the Olympics took place during a very memorable stretch for our family.

Sloan turned into quite the fan of Team USA and the Olympics in general.

Silverwood – During the short break I had between my time at WSU and EWU, the four of us went on our annual summer excursion to Silverwood Theme Park. We hit up the water park first and then transitioned to the rides. A magic show, bottomless soda, and some carnival games were also mixed in. It was Beau’s first trip to Silverwood but it won’t be his last.

We had a great family Silverwood trip at the end of July.

Family Vacation – This summer we traveled to Leavenworth for our family vacation. It was refreshing and relaxing to visit a new/unique place with so much charm. We stuck around our hotel for most of the time as we took advantage of the pools, games, movies, and delicious food. We also made the most of downtown Leavenworth and some lovely family dinners.

We had an amazing time in Leavenworth.

Water – The mercury reached some record-breaking heights this summer so we made sure water wasn’t ever far away. From swimming in the area lakes/rivers to visiting public water parks to splashing in the private pool of a dear family friend, Sloan and Beau improved their comfort with the water and managed to stay coooooool.

We spent a lot of time at pools over the past few months.

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Thanks to my wife and kids for making Reser Summer 2024 truly memorable and FUN. I don’t know if a future summer will ever quite compare to everything that went down over the past 2.5 months but you never know. Bring on the fall. Don’t Blink.