The Out of Control Creepy Clown Craze

Posted on October 4, 2016 by brent

The phenomenon started right here in the Carolinas and gained considerable media coverage. It then started to spread to other southern states. Next came areas in the northeast. Soon it spread to states in the heartland. Now, this crazy occurrence has reached my hometown of Spokane!

These creepy clowns are getting out of control!!

Creepy clowns like these are popping up all around the country.

Well, I am not as panicked as some people. Actually, far from it. I have followed as many of these sightings as possible with interest and curiosity. I know you might think I am a bit twisted but I am fascinated by these clowns. As someone who loves haunted houses, scary movies, and the paranormal, this is right down by alley.

But guess what? These clown sightings aren’t something completely unique to 2016. Remember two years ago when menacing looking Bozos started popping up in a few different places across the country? I sure did because I wrote about it.

But while random intimidating clowns lurking around the streets isn’t a new concept, the degree to which it is happening in 2016 is a whole different circus than what happened two years ago. Weapon wielding scary people in face paint and crazy wigs is a major thing right now. This “trend” (for lack of a better word) has reached mainstream America as citizens from all corners of the country have heard about clown sightings in their local communities.

Let me be frank about this. Because I am a little demented in the head, I love the idea of scary clowns walking around in the dark. I have enjoyed all the parody videos and photoshopped images that have come out poking fun at the trend. I have laughed way too much at the #IfISeeAClown tweets and memes. I have watched countless local news packages from stations across the country reporting on their own clown sightings.

However, I certainly don’t approve of clowns engaging in violent activity (hasn’t happened yet) and I don’t approve of people making calls to the police reporting fake clown sightings (has happened a lot). My hope is that as a society we can have fun with this while not making it destructive. Clowns who chase children or cause harm to anyone should be thrown in prison for a long time.

My hope is that after Halloween this clown phenomenon dies down. Although I am entertained by it, there comes a time when enough is enough. Just like having Christmas lights still up well past the holidays is weird, having clowns running around during Thanksgiving just doesn’t fit either. My other hope is that a documentary is made chronicling the clown sightings along with information on who/what was responsible for starting/maintaining such a bizarre trend.

If you enjoy dressing up as an evil clown, please know that you impact everyone from children to law enforcement to actual professional clowns. Make good decisions and realize potential consequences. These days, we all have reason to be vigilant and concerned about things that seem out of place. Don’t Blink.

A Wonderful Clemson Weekend With the Mathis Family

Posted on October 3, 2016 by brent

The arrival of October brought with it my favorite weekend since our wedding/honeymoon back in June. I had the pleasure of spending a couple of terrific days with Sidney’s family in the Clemson area. By all accounts, it was a memorable trip.

After work on Friday, Sidney and I jumped in the car with my in-laws and we started on our way to upstate South Carolina. It didn’t take long for the trip to become special. We revealed on social media that we were expecting and as we drove through the beautiful state we were overjoyed with the outpouring of congratulatory messages that came through.

Sidney, myself, and my in-laws took off for the Clemson area after work on Friday.

We stopped in Columbia for dinner at a place called Rush’s, a local fast food type restaurant specializing in fried chicken. We loaded up on chicken and fries and relaxed while we took a break from the road. With two hours of driving down, we had roughly two hours of driving to go. Just like the first half of the drive, the second half went quick. Before we knew it, we pulled into our hotel in the town of Easley, South Carolina, at around 9:45 p.m. We checked into our room and watched the Washington-Stanford football game before drifting off to sleep.

This is my meal at Rush’s Chicken on Friday night. Very good food!

The four of us woke up early the next morning. After watching a little bit of College Gameday from the exact same location we would soon be at (the show was at Clemson), we left the hotel to go see the rest of our family. The other two Mathis sisters were at a campground near Clemson. Steph was there with her husband, Jon, and Courtney was with her boyfriend, John Henry. After stopping at a grocery store to pick up some supplies, we used Navigation to get us to the campground.

What was waiting for us when we arrived was the full set up! John Henry had with him his luxurious camper that included just about everything you needed. Outside they had chairs and a television so we could all sit around and talk while watching the early games. The best part, though? The food!! The four of them cooked up grits, bacon, and quiche. We soaked in the beautiful weather while eating/drinking, watching football, and enjoying one another’s company.

This is what the TV and chairs setup looked like. Jon and John Henry are sitting down enjoying College Gameday (photo courtesy of Courtney).

The time came for us to head to campus. The women got in one vehicle and the men got in another. The girls went off to shop around at a Clemson apparel store and us guys went to a hidden gem to pick up our tailgating food of fried pork chops, mac & cheese, potato salad, and coleslaw. We met back up at a parking lot right outside of campus and merged into one car. From there we went to our tailgate spot.

This is all of us piled into one vehicle on our way to the tailgate spot.

Tailgating at Clemson is crazy! After Jon maneuvered the vehicle into our spot, we set up shop and started to have fun. It wasn’t long until some special guests joined us. As I mentioned in my Thursday Rundown, I had plans to meet my friend Kenny during the course of the day. As he is the nephew of Bobby Petrino (Clemson was playing Louisville), he brought some of his family members to hang out with us, including a couple of Coach Petrino’s adult children. The Tigers and Cardinals all got along great.

This was our entire Mathis Family squad (made up of Henrys, Yarboroughs, and Resers as well). – Photo courtesy of Brenda

After our guests left, it was the Mathis family just relaxing and having a good time. In addition to all the food we had bought at the place we stopped at before coming to campus, Brenda (mother-in-law) had also brought along a bunch of snacks that we enjoyed as well. With no shortage of drinks either, our tailgate was a lot of fun. However, the main event awaited us. With about 45 minutes to go until kickoff, we all headed toward Memorial Stadium.

A photo of us guys (L-R: Jon, John Henry, Mr. Sid, Out of Place Guy Wearing Louisville polo). – Photo courtesy of Brenda

In an electric atmosphere, two of the best college football teams squared off in one of the best games of the college football season thus far. It was a high scoring, back-and-forth affair that went down to the wire. However, even though it was a nail biter and even though I ate myself silly at the campground and at the tailgate, I still visited the concession stand during the game. I got myself peanuts and a large dish of cookie dough Dippin’ Dots.

I took this photo as the teams warmed up prior to the 8 p.m. kickoff.

Watching two of the best quarterbacks in the nation compete was exhilarating. Inside the stadium you could just sense the magnitude of the game. The crowd showed up early, stayed during halftime, and of course remained in the stands through the thrilling finish. When the Cardinals came up just yards short of a last second victory, the celebration was on in Death Valley as the students stormed the field.

A photo of Sid and I enjoying the game.

With the game on national television combined with the amount of points scored it made for a long game. By the time the Tigers improved to 5-0 with a 42-36 victory, it was close to midnight. We all went back to the tailgate area and waited about an hour for traffic to thaw out a little bit. The eight of us then piled back into the vehicle and went back to the parking lot where we split off. We arrived back at the hotel around 2:30 a.m. and by the time I laid down in bed it was 3 a.m. It had been a long and amazing day.

The next morning, the four of us got back in the car to head home. Steph/Jon/Court/John Henry were about an hour behind us. We stopped in Columbia to eat lunch, this time opting for Texas Roadhouse. We arrived back in Myrtle Beach around 5 p.m. When Mr. Sid and Brenda dropped us off at our house it was a little sad to say goodbye, even though they live just a couple minutes away from us and even though we had spent the whole weekend with them. But that just explains what a great time we had.

Thanks to the Mathis family for a wonderful weekend. I can’t wait to do this again one of these days. Don’t Blink.

We Are Expecting!

Posted on October 2, 2016 by brent

Yes, it is true. On Friday night, Sidney and I announced over social media that we are expecting. My wife deserves full credit for thinking up the creative method we used to share the good news. When we posted the announcement to Facebook, we were right in the middle of driving to Clemson with my in-laws (don’t worry, my father-in-law was driving so everyone was safe). For the rest of the trip we were humbled by the constant stream of congratulatory messages that came in. Thanks to all.

We posted this image to announce that we are expecting. All creative credit goes to my wife!!

Sid found out one morning in late July that she was pregnant. After the thrill sunk in, she surprised me with the good news in a very special way. Needless to say, my mind was racing euphorically the rest of the day at work. We both really wanted children but we had no idea we would be blessed with one so early into our marriage.

The past two months have been a lot of fun. Going to doctor appointments with Sid, brainstorming names, reading the progress of our baby’s development each week, breaking the news to our loved ones, and dreaming about when the time will come are just a few of the special moments we have enjoyed.

Of course there is the stress of hoping that everything runs smoothly for Sidney and our baby but I have learned that you just have to trust in God. So far everything has gone great and all signs point toward the delivery of a healthy new addition to our family around April 7, 2017.

We are so grateful for this blessing. The next several months will undoubtedly be an incredible journey. My brother-in-law, who has a couple of small children, told me that our lives are about to change forever but that it is well worth it. We can’t wait for that change to occur. Don’t Blink.

Cafeteria Line Thursday Countdown

Posted on September 29, 2016 by brent

Thank you for finding your way to brentreser.com. You chose a good time to stop by because tonight I present another Thursday Rundown edition. Here we go with five random topics…

Eating Lunch At School – Last Friday I ate lunch with Sidney at the school she teaches at. I have visited her for lunch before but this time was unique. Instead of just hanging out or bringing Subway with me, I ate the actual hot lunch. On the menu was pizza and it looked like it had not changed one bit since I was last in elementary school some 17 years ago. But I would say the taste had improved. I enjoyed eating my pizza, pinto beans, veggies, and low fat Cheetos while meeting Mrs. Reser’s class.

This was my lunch at Sidney’s school.

That One Time I Was in a Music Video – Two years ago, Darius Rucker released his music video for “Homegrown Honey.” At the time, I knew I had a shot at making an appearance in it just because I had participated in the filming. However, my better judgment told me that I probably wouldn’t make the cut. Much to my pleasure, I did in fact make a “cameo” in the video. Although for only a second or two, I am clearly visible at the 1:42 mark.

I made the cut in Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey” video.

Weekend Plans – This weekend I will be heading over to Clemson with Sidney and her family. We are making the trip to Death Valley to watch the college football blockbuster of the week as the #5 Tigers host the #3 Louisville Cardinals. Another reason for the trip is the chance for me to see my friend, Kenny. He is traveling all the way from Seattle to watch the game and cheer on his uncle who happens to be the head football coach at Louisville. It won’t be the first time I meet Kenny in Clemson. Two years ago we met up for the same matchup. The Tigers defeated the Cardinals that day so I am sure Kenny (and Coach Petrino) will have revenge on their minds.

Kenny and I on the sidelines in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium in October of 2014.

Debate Reaction – I must say that Monday’s debate was every bit as advertised. I sat on the couch for 90 minutes and happily watched as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump battled it out. It is tough for me to judge a winner but I was surprised that Trump didn’t act more restrained. I know he got to this point by being outrageous but I thought he would have tried to tone it down just a little bit in hopes of persuading undecided voters (like myself). I can’t wait for the next one!

From the Archives – Three years ago I followed through on one of my many dumb blog ideas. During a weekend in Spokane with my family, I visited three different froyo places and gorged myself on ice cream. I then reviewed each location for factors such as taste, toppings, cleanliness, etc. If you are a froyo fan, you should really read my post.

I visited three different froyo places in a weekend in September of 2013. This was one of them.

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As always, thanks for your support of this blog. Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to touching base again on Sunday. Don’t Blink.

Going Bananas

Posted on September 27, 2016 by brent

Tonight is the blog post where I ask my readers for honest, decent advice. Each day I have a certain item at lunch. No, no, no I am not talking about my peanut butter sandwich. The second most important item in my lunch is my daily banana. When I went on a diet for my wedding I started eating them each day as a compliment to my peanut butter sandwich. Although the big day has passed and about a third of the weight lost has returned, I am still eating a banana at noon every Monday-Friday.

I always eat a banana with my lunch.

Although I love bananas, I had two big dilemmas when it came to caring for them. Luckily, one was recently solved.

I had no idea the brief amount of time it took for bananas to become too ripe. I quickly learned that even if I bought green bananas on Sunday they would be more black than yellow on Friday. Thanks to my mother-in-law, she gave me a special plastic bag that is supposed to keep my bananas in good shape, or, as she said, “Looking pretty.” Not only will it keep my daily fruit from losing its optimal taste, it will also allow our fruit bowl to look more presentable for a longer period of time.

My mother-in-law gave me this bag to put my bananas in.

My second problem is yet to be solved. I transport my lunch in my gym bag. In the morning I throw my banana in the bag, drive to campus, get my workout in, and go to the office. When I arrive at my desk, I take out the banana and put it on my desk to protect it. However, by then, my banana is often bruised or lightly smashed. This takes a lot of the joy away from eating it at lunch as I have to throw the damaged portion (s) away. Please note that when I am carrying around my gym bag I am mindful of the delicate fruit inside so it is not like I am acting careless.

Can you give me advice for securing my banana? Give me your best Pinterest-inspired tips and tricks. Whatever you tell me, please just make sure it will still allow for me to carry it in my gym bag (this would be way too easy if you just told me to carry it in my hand). I appreciate your consideration in this matter. Don’t Blink.

Interviewing An Olympian

Posted on September 26, 2016 by brent

Today at Coastal Carolina University we kicked off a social media event called #CCU Facebook Live Week. It all started this morning when our social media team interviewed a three-time Olympian. The event will continue throughout the week as we interview a different person on each of the next four days.

This week is our #CCU Facebook Live Week (graphic is from Facebook page and is accessible to all).

Wanting to take advantage of Facebook Live, I lined up interviews with some big shot Chanticleers for this last week in September. Who are these prominent Chants we will be interviewing over the next four days? You will have to wait and follow our Facebook page to find out. However, I have no problem chatting about the all-star I met today…

Leading off our #CCU Facebook Live Week was track and field superstar Amber Campbell. This past month she finished sixth in the hammer throw at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the highest finish ever for an American woman in the event. But Rio wasn’t her first rodeo. Amber also competed at the Beijing (2008) and London (2012) games. She has a laundry list of other accomplishments at the national and world level as well.

As you might guess, Amber Campbell is a Coastal Carolina University alumna. Our #TEALnation community is extremely proud of her so it made sense to ask if she would want to participate in our #CCU Facebook Live Week. Despite a hectic schedule, Amber graciously accepted our invite and traveled down to our studio for today’s interview. She brought a lot of energy and a glowing smile to campus.

Our social media team with three-time Olympian Amber Campbell today (from l-r: Me, Amber Campbell, Eddie, Lauren).

The interview went well as I had my two hardworking interns, Eddie and Lauren, helping out. Our assistant director of Media Services, David, filmed the interview with equipment just a tad bit nicer than my iPhone. We all enjoyed the opportunity to be around Amber and share her thoughts/insight with our large #CCUSocialMedia audience.

A little behind the scenes action for you. I asked the questions and Lauren filmed the interview. Eddie covered the interview on Snapchat and Instagram Stories. David was behind us all.

I hope you drop in on one of our Facebook Live broadcasts this week. Thanks so much to Amber Campbell for starting us off in grand fashion. Don’t Blink.

As Excited As Ever for the Presidential Debate

Posted on September 25, 2016 by brent

Next weekend I will travel to watch the biggest college football game of the year thus far when Clemson hosts Louisville. The battle of unbeatens will take place in front of a nationally televised audience at 8 p.m. on ABC. Both teams will be vying to stay eligible for the College Football Playoff. A lot will be on the line.

However, the football game next Saturday has nothing on the competition that will take place tomorrow night. Up for grabs will be much more than a spot in the coveted “final four” of college football. You think Louisville’s star quarterback Lamar Jackson is going to feel pressure? Take a moment to realize what must be going through the minds of the two people who will take the stage at Hofstra University on Monday night.

Four years ago I wrote a long blog post about why I love the presidential debates. Not only is that passion still inside of me, it is magnified more than ever. Is that a surprise, though? Never before has a presidential debate been more anticipated, analyzed, and unpredictable. Coming from a major sports fan, I concede that the script for tomorrow night’s debate is perhaps greater than any Super Bowl or Game 7.

In the wildest presidential race our country has seen, the two candidates will finally come face to face tomorrow evening. The storylines are endless, I could go on and on. But instead of throwing out a random assortment of ways the media has framed the debate, let me just be simple about what Monday evening will finally bring: Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump.

I couldn’t be more excited. Competition simply doesn’t get any better than this. The stakes don’t get higher. The scrutiny doesn’t get more intense. In short, the drama tomorrow will be through the roof.

I am giddy to see how Clinton and Trump perform. I am interested to find out how the debate is moderated. I am intrigued to learn how the American people will respond. It just doesn’t get any bigger. Preparation, dreams, and reputations will be put on the line tomorrow night…for millions of people to see. Talk about pressure.

For an undecided voter, this first debate will be extremely suspenseful for me. I have never followed a presidential race as closely as this one. I followed the primaries, attended the rallies, and watched the conventions. I am dialed in on the main issues and the platforms of the candidates. I am now ready to watch them battle it out in front of each other.

I attended a Hillary Clinton rally as well as a couple rallies for Republican presidential candidates. As an undecided voter, I am invested in this race.

Bring on tomorrow night’s competition! In another example of why this country is so amazing, we will get to watch the two frontrunners for the highest office in the United States express their views while critiquing those of their opponent. Sleep well tonight, Clinton and Trump, a big day awaits both of you tomorrow. Don’t Blink.

Thursday Rundown Here We Go

Posted on September 22, 2016 by brent

Good evening and welcome to the Thursday Rundown. Because I have a couple topics tonight that will be more or less summed up with a photo, this might be the shortest Thursday Rundown (in terms of word count) that I have ever done. Here we go…

Tweeted at by Dateline – As I mentioned before, I watch news magazines like crazy. When you like them as much as I do, you have a dilemma come Friday night. When 10 p.m. rolls around, do you watch 20/20 or Dateline? This past week I tweeted out the decision I ultimately made. It didn’t take long for a reply from the main Twitter account of the program I didn’t choose. Although the blunt assessment of my choice was a little cold, I still found it pretty awesome that Dateline tweeted at me.

Not even a minute had passed before Dateline responded to my tweet.

Gas Going Up – One of the major stories in South Carolina right now is rising gas prices. Because of a major pipeline leak in Alabama, our state has responded by raising prices. Ironically, the person who alerted me to the crisis was on the other side of the country. Pete, a good friend of mine from my Missoula days, texted me about the problem Friday morning. After work I filled up hassle free for $1.79 per gallon. I beat the mad rush to the pump that occurred over the weekend and of course the new $2.05 per gallon price.

Last week, gas was at &1.79 in Myrtle Beach. I filled up before it went up.

Too True – Okay, okay I apologize for sharing comics in consecutive weeks but this was too good to pass up, especially for a blogger. The below strip comes from a comic called Crankshaft. As my brother, sister, and wife all routinely give me a hard time for blogging about “nothing,” I felt they would get a kick out of this.

This Crankshaft comic strip had me thinking about what my brother says about my blog.

Big Brother 18 Finale Reaction – I can’t put into words how disappointed I was about last night’s Big Brother 18 finale. For those who don’t watch the show, you just need to know this: The person who should have won did not. Just the fact alone that the vote was close provided enough of an insult but for Nicole to actually WIN over Paul was asinine. When you looked at Paul’s body of work throughout the show compared to that of Nicole’s it appeared as if there was no debate on who should win. It seemed so cut and dry. I didn’t like Paul from the start of the show but I wanted to see the person I thought deserved to win bring home the $500,000. I literally stormed out of the room last night when the deciding vote was cast.

From The Archives – I have a couple past blog posts written on September 22 to share with you. Two years ago I told the world about my top five favorite fast food restaurants. As I sit here presently, I can tell you that my list has since changed! The changes include both the order and a couple of the restaurants included. An updated list will come in the future. Three years ago on September 22 I wrote about the life, death, and legacy of our family cat, Nabisco. We had her for 16 years and she brought my family so much joy.

Nabisco and I…the best cat I have ever known.

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Sorry to end the Thursday Rundown on a somber note. However, snap out of it by realizing football is on tonight! While you might opt for the NFL game, I will be watching Clemson vs. Georgia Tech. Have a great weekend. Don’t Blink.

Beating Me To It

Posted on September 21, 2016 by brent

For years I thought about doing something pretty silly. Scratch that, I had done more than just think about it, I had talked aloud about it on numerous occasions. However, up until today I never had the guts to do it. Now it is too late because two people beat me to it. Perhaps not surprising, they are both journalists.

Back in my college days I remember sitting with my friends discussing a certain topic in our all-you-can-eat dining hall (it was called the Food Zoo…I am not kidding). Thinking we had come up with a crazy, rebellious idea we continuously pitched this idea to one another: What if we stayed in the Food Zoo ALL DAY LONG?

This is me inside the Food Zoo at the University of Montana in 2007. On this day they had a holiday cookie decorating event for the community (which explains why you might see some older people in the background).

Oh man, what a groundbreaking, newspaper worthy moment that would be. How would we not earn instant glorification from campus if we wasted a whole Saturday in the cafeteria acting annoying and filling up plate after plate of food?

This lofty goal inspired me in other environments too. Also in college my friends and I went to this $5 all-you-can-eat pizza dump quite frequently. We plotted doing a day-long stakeout there as well. But I would later develop higher aspirations. As a way to make good on my college scheme, I considered spending several hours at a Golden Corral. Not only would the food be of a higher quality but it would make a good blog post. Too late now.

Two journalists from the Business Insider, Hollis Johnson and Kate Taylor, went to their local Red Lobster and stayed for eight hours. They did this to cash in on the restaurant’s Endless Shrimp promotion. In a long but entertaining summary of their experience, the two wrote about what it was like to spend the day in one of America’s most popular casual dining chain restaurants.

Although I am a little bitter at the fact they stole my idea, I can’t help but admit that they did a lot more than what I would have done. You see, Hollis (he is a male) and Kate didn’t just loiter around Red Lobster for eight hours while picking at shrimp every now and then. Rather, they went completely all-in. Between the two of them, the duo consumed 305 shrimp.

This is Kate Taylor and Hollis Johnson at the Red Lobster they spent eight hours at. They consumed 305 shrimp (photo is courtesy of Business Insider).

If I ever went through with the plan to spend a day at a buffet or at a restaurant with an “endless” promotion, my number one goal would have been just to hang out and watch the time go by. Sure I would have ended up eating a lot but I would not have focused on stuffing myself silly. I would have done it more for the awkwardness of a customer overstaying his welcome as opposed to setting personal eating records. But these two journalists checked off both objectives…

Well, not exactly.

Hollis and Kate actually called the Red Lobster beforehand and let management know about their plans. They didn’t catch anyone off guard. The restaurant knew they would have some guests sticking around all day and they knew to prepare extra shrimp. So yes, that reality does take a little bit of the luster away from their story.

So does that leave the door open to me? Should I wear a hidden camera and walk inside a restaurant unannounced and sit down for eight hours while eating an exorbinant amount of food? Nah, I don’t think so. I like to reason that I have matured just a little bit since my college days. And while I will do just about anything for this blog, I don’t think I will go that far (even if I did do this). Well done to Hollis and Kate for executing a pretty brilliant story idea. Don’t Blink.

Wearing A Ring

Posted on September 20, 2016 by brent

I normally don’t wear accessories. Necklaces, earrings, and grills just aren’t my thing. Shoot, I don’t wear hats all that much either. But when Sidney and I married in June a piece of jewelry was automatically added to my daily dress.

For over three months I have proudly worn a wedding ring. Until we said “I do” I had never worn a ring for longer than a day in my life. To go from never wearing something to wearing something almost 24/7 is an adjustment. However, that transition period was much shorter than what I thought it would be.

Although a little strange at first, it really was just a matter of days before I got used to the shiny ring Sidney bought me. By the end of the first week it truly felt like a piece of me. Today marks the 102nd day I have worn my ring but because the ring feels so familiar it kind of feels like the 10,200th day I have worn it.

I have now worn my ring for over 100 days and it feels completely natural.

However, just because the ring feels comfortable and natural doesn’t mean I haven’t established some habits with it. For starters, I take it off two times each day: when I work out and when I shower. Having the ring get caught on a weight or a machine is not comfortable. Also, perspiration causes my ring to slip off my finger. Thus, you can probably guess why I take it off when I shower. Water seems to encourage my ring to slide right off so I always remove it before exercising or bathing.

With the exception for those two instances, I keep my ring on. I eat my meals with it on. I sleep with it on. I do all my work with it on. Sidney and I do ring checks on each other quite often and I think I am 100% for having it on when she performs her inspection.

Fr. James LeBlanc, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Myrtle Beach, looks on as we sign our marriage certificate. I had worn my ring for about 30 minutes up until this point. (photo courtesy of Nicholas Gore Weddings Photography).

One thing I do find myself doing is tugging at my ring when I am thinking or watching TV. Using the thumb and middle finger of my right hand I will pull it up about halfway on my ring finger and then drop it back down into its proper spot. I can do this over and over at a frequent pace.

But besides my habits of taking my ring off, wearing it, and tugging at it, there is one thing that causes me to think about my marriage symbol a lot. Unfortunately, that “thing” is the fear of losing it. Always in the back of my mind I fight off the possibility of misplacing my ring. Even when I take it off to shower I will step out and dry off only to freak out for a split second because I forgot that I purposely removed it. I continually question myself about how I am going to make it through the rest of my life without ever losing it. The normalness of wearing the ring set in quickly, the paranoia of losing it did not. I hope as time goes on my fear will subside.

I love wearing my ring. I love how it looks. I even love showing it off! Most of all, I love that an amazing woman bought it for me to symbolize something very special. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Category Archives: Uncategorized