On Monday afternoon, our family was given another gift from God. At 3:37 p.m., my sister gave birth to her first son, John Thomas Koutecky, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington. Sidney, Sloan, and I were right there to welcome Little Johnny just moments after he entered the world. Perfectly healthy and very handsome, it was so amazing to hold him.

This photo was taken right after John was born on Monday night.

First off, I am very proud of my sister. She did so well carrying John for nine months, the whole time which she checked up on Sidney during the final months of her pregnancy and Facetimed us nightly once Sloan was born. Although she was carrying her own child, she unselfishly put our situation before hers. That is just the type of person Miranda is.

Congrats to Miranda!

With John’s birth, it caps a wild four months for us. Sloan was born in March, Henry was born in June, and John was born in July. Our family has definitely grown. Just yesterday, we looked at a photo from our wedding in June of 2016. The image was predominately of our two families. Sidney and I looked at each other and said, who in this photo would have thought that just a little over a year later there would be three new babies hanging around?

Several of the people in this photo would be impacted by three babies that would enter the world in just 13 months.

What a blessing that Sloan gets to be around John for the first week of his life. Although they will have no memory of their initial time spent together and although thousands of miles will soon separate them, they will be special cousins. Sloan will brag that she has a west coast cousin and John will say he has a sweet southern cousin. They will always look forward to their visits together.

Thank you God for John’s safe delivery and for Miranda’s health. Also, thank you for letting my mom keep her sanity through a very busy week. Don’t Blink.

It is time to talk about the fun part!

Over the past couple of blog entries, I have alluded to a big trip we are taking. However, my writing has focused more on pre-trip logistics such as packing and traveling with a baby. Enough of that!

Sidney, Sloan, and I are about to fly to Spokane, Washington, for two weeks of fun and memories. This expedition will have three major components to it.

1. My family will meet Sloan – And we aren’t just talking my nuclear family. Aunts, uncles, and cousins will all have their first look at our beautiful angel. Judging by Facebook comments and texts, I have some relatives who are very anxiously awaiting Sloan’s arrival on the west coast. We can’t wait to show her off and properly introduce the newest Reser.

2. My sister is having a baby!! – This Friday, my sister will give birth to her first son. I was unable to leave Myrtle Beach when Miranda had Mikayla almost three years ago so I feel privileged and fortunate to have this special opportunity. Not only will Sidney and I be gaining a nephew but Sloan will have a new little cousin. Please pray for my sister that she has a safe delivery.

3. Mom and Dad’s 60th birthday party – Long before Sloan and even longer before Miranda’s happy news, this was the reason we were traveling to Spokane this summer. As my parents both have summer birthdays, we are throwing them a joint 60th birthday bash/family reunion this Saturday. Lots of family and friends will attend and we can’t wait to celebrate!

It is going to be a fun ride! Like in the past, the path to Spokane will be grueling. We will drive from Myrtle Beach to Charleston. Once at the Charleston Airport we will depart on the cross country flight to Seattle. We will then catch a plane from Seattle to Spokane, arriving at our destination around midnight. It will all be so worth it.

If you are one of my Spokane readers/friends, feel free to reach out! I am honored to head back to the city I was raised in and introduce Sloan to her “home away from home.” Don’t Blink.

Going on a vacation, especially an extended one, can be stressful. Our family will leave this side of the country for two weeks starting tomorrow. However, don’t think our preparation for what will be a very memorable trip started tonight.

Truth be told, I started preparing early last week. Same with Sid. In fact, last Tuesday, she was already compiling a packing checklist for Sloan. That is what it is all about, my friends…checklists.

My secret to getting organized prior to leaving is to jot everything down in checklist form. Items to pack? Checklist. Chores to do around the house before departing? Checklist. Documents and itineraries to place in a folder? Checklist.

I usually start compiling these lists 6-8 days before I leave. Now notice how I just say start. I begin the lists well in advance so I can have several days to think about what I need to do and what I need to pack. Because, honestly, who can write down the 101 things that need to be done in one hour? Giving myself 72 hours of stress free planning allows my brain to recall everything that needs to be done.

Then, with 2-3 days remaining until takeoff, I actually start to physically pack and get tasks done. Working off a thorough and complete checklist with plenty of time to spare removes most of the pressure.

How nerdy am I? I already had the clothes laid out that I would change into after work on Wednesday.

You know what else relieves pressure? Having a great wife! As I mentioned above, Sid is not just packing for herself; she is packing for Sloan too. I am extremely thankful for all the work she has done to prepare us.

Not unlike preparing at home to go on a trip, prepping to leave work for two weeks is extremely daunting as well. I have worked ferociously over the past week to put myself in position to enjoy my time off without worrying too much about my job while in Spokane. Again, checklists have proven key to keeping me on track and relieving me of anxiety.

At this point, because of great support and detailed content calendars, I am ready to step away from Coastal Carolina for two weeks so I can have some fun out west.

Granted, we will still be putting finishing touches on our preparations this evening. However, we won’t be running around with our heads cut off. I will be working half the day tomorrow before we start our travel itinerary. I am confident that I will be able to drive home after work completely relaxed and ready to go.

Yes, being prepared to go on vacation can be a lot of work. But the time put in is more than worth the fun, joy, and memories that are made. This trip especially will provide us with an extremely favorable return. I can’t wait!

Probably the biggest knock on my blog is that I am too positive. Sorry, not sorry. When you have so many positive things to write about and you are an optimist by nature, what do you expect? However, let me shift to the “dark side” just for tonight’s blog post.

I am fed up with airlines. Maybe it is just bad luck on my end, but over the past three years I have seen way too many flights delayed and/or canceled. Now I can understand blizzards and hurricanes throwing wrenches in air plans but this has hardly been the case. When flight conditions are pristine, whether it be in the middle of the summer or during a time on the calendar where the nation is enjoying stable weather, it seems like more and more are getting canceled. Why is this? The airlines never tell you.

Okay, fine, let me give the airlines the benefit of the doubt. I know certain conditions must exist beyond our wildest imaginations that can make a flight extremely unsafe. Thus, the numerous times flights are canceled for seemingly no reason whatsoever, there must in fact (well at least I hope) be a reason.

However, although there might be a reason, there is rarely any accountability. I have flown airlines where our entire itinerary was ruined and we didn’t get so much as a voucher or a complimentary hotel stay so we didn’t have to spend the night on the airport floor. Other airlines have provided us with decent customer service and travel vouchers. Unfortunately, the vouchers were for such a small amount that all they served as was a gimmick for us to fly that airline again at just about full price.

When flights are canceled, the economic impact on the traveler is immense. You waste vacation hours, give up work wages, spend money on hotel/ground transportation, lose out on tickets/reservations you already purchased, and increase spending on crummy airport food.

But for many, the economic punch in the gut doesn’t come close to the disappointment and pain of missing valuable time with the people or places you were traveling to see. Whether you are traveling coast to coast to see family members or you are flying to your favorite vacation spot in the world, an altered itinerary is a crushing blow. Nothing is worse than when all the excitement and planning goes down the drain because an airline decides to cancel a flight at the last minute.

So how about this? What if airlines figured out a better way to stay on schedule? What if airlines developed better technologies and protocols to deal with problems that sometimes delay flights? What if airlines try to do a better job for the customers?

If such solutions aren’t readily available in the near future and travelers will continue to miss out on vacations or fail to return home at the correct hour, I challenge airlines to make it right from the economic standpoint. Yes, I know it doesn’t satisfy the disappointment that is suffered from a sentimental standpoint but the wallet shouldn’t have to take a hit. If an evening flight is canceled, complimentary lodging at a nice hotel (with round trip ground transportation) should be mandatory. As for the flight that never took off? A round trip ticket good for the entire cost of a flight should be given to anyone impacted by the cancellation. No more of this bait-and-switch voucher offer.

I couldn’t imagine life without air travel. The whole concept of an airplane still boggles my mind. Believe me, I value the service offered by airlines. However, for the amount of money that we pay and the trust we put in when we make a reservation with these major companies, a higher standard should be strived for. I welcome any feedback from people within the industry to set me straight on where I am missing the mark.

Until then, I am crossing my fingers that I have not jinxed myself. Sidney, Sloan, and I are traveling out west next week and the last thing we need is a flight delay. Don’t Blink.