The Major Change Coming to Twitter

Posted on January 6, 2016 by brent

I learned last night that Twitter will soon completely change its identity. I am not talking a logo makeover though, I am referring instead to a move that will completely transform the service.

Very soon, perhaps by the end of the month, Twitter will increase its tweet limit from 140 characters to 10,000 characters. So much for micro blogging, right?

I admit that when I first heard about the impending change I was shocked. I never really considered Twitter going away from 140 characters, let alone increasing it by over 70X. But when you are a social media professional you can’t stay shocked for long. You also can’t feel bitter or angry. Change is a constant in the social media world and people like me must embrace it.

So while I am pumping myself up for the major move I have a couple questions in the back of my head: What exactly will the new Twitter look like? How do I want to use the new capabilities for the Coastal Carolina Twitter account?

The reality is that I won’t know the answer to the two questions above until after the reveal. Of course once the change is made I will immediately know the answer to my first inquiry but it will take more time for the second. I will have to become very familiar with how the new version works, analyze how the longer tweets look on the timeline (both from a desktop and mobile standpoint), and investigate how features such as tagging/retweeting/replying are impacted. Although I will need to step back and digest these changes, I can’t take forever. Twitter users are going to be freaking out when the switch occurs and they will be looking to accounts they know and trust to lead the way in demonstrating how to effectively master the new way to tweet. If I am on my game, Coastal Carolina University will help pave that road.

As I said above, my strategy for the new Twitter will not be completely formulated until the updated version is released. However, I don’t feel like I will be one for using the whole allotment of 10,000 characters for every tweet (if any). General information and updates will still be brief in nature. With the reputation that Twitter has built for almost a decade, I just don’t see users wanting to read what will amount to be a 10K character blog post. Will I ever tweet out a press release in its entirety? Heck no, I think the #CCU account would lose half its followers after a couple times of doing that. I will still summarize and leave a link. I mean let’s be honest here, this new change isn’t revolutionary in the idea that users will now be able to cram more text into a tweet. With the current 140 character version of Twitter, people already post large amounts of text; they just utilize hyperlinks and JPEGs to do it.

I am more interested in finding out if the new version will allow for multiple higher quality photos to be tweeted out at once. I am also curious to see if I will be able to mention our whole incoming freshmen class in a single tweet. Will Twitter also lengthen the character limit for profile bios?

I think the new Twitter will impact other people more than your typical university social media manager. I think sports reporters will love the luxury of sending out more detailed messages when they are live tweeting games. I think comedians who distinguished themselves by typing out hilarious 140 character jokes will lose steam to less Twitter-inclined comedians who now have more space to hit their punchline. Politicians will take advantage of more space to explain their policies and views. Speaking of politicians, Donald Trump’s Twitter insults are already vicious, can you imagine giving him 10,000 characters to really let loose on the people he looks down on?

One thing is for sure, Coastal Carolina University is preparing for and anticipating this big social media development. As for my personal Twitter account, I could definitely use a few extra characters when tweeting out my blog post teasers. Don’t Blink.

My Motivation in 2016

Posted on January 5, 2016 by brent

This is not a New Year’s resolution post. To me, what I am about to write about doesn’t really fit that realm. Besides, I have written before that I am not a big fan of airing out resolutions on social media/blogs. So please just agree with me.

When 2016 hit, the alarm went off in me that said it is now time to really focus on my eating habits. I then hit the snooze button on that alarm for a couple days until after I returned from Spokane. No one wants to stop eating sweets and guzzling beer while on vacation, right?

Most know that I am religious about working out. I never miss my early morning gym session. Those close to me also know that lately I am religious about eating too much. I never miss seconds at dinner and never refuse constant snacking during the weekend. Over the past year or so I have allowed my eating to counteract my work in the gym.

Not that this would ordinarily stress me out. I am not that obsessed with my body image. But, when the ball dropped in Times Square a few days ago a reality set in…I am getting married this year!!!

Of course I could not have asked for a sweeter thought to usher in the new year for me. It is a given that 2016 will be the best year of my life thus far. But behind the euphoria and excitement of the quickly approaching date is the determination to look good for it.

With a wedding and honeymoon only five months away, the dawning of the new year was the major jolt I needed to tell me it is time to quit my snacking and overeating. If I treat my body better with what I put in it, my time in the gym should tighten it up.

There will never be a better time for me to lose weight. How can I ignore the motivation of a wedding and tropical honeymoon? I want to seize the opportunity I have in front of me and make Sidney and everyone else proud. Writing this blog post and declaring my goal in front of all my readers just solidifies my drive even more. Time to get ready for June 11. Don’t Blink.

Sidney’s Spokane Bucket List

Posted on January 4, 2016 by brent

When Sidney arrived in Spokane a few days after I did this past month, she had a list. Now I know the term “bucket list” is very much overused and misapplied in our society but we don’t know what else to call it. During our time in Washington, we kept referring to Sidney’s northwest goals as her “Spokane Bucket List.”

Upon her arrival, we quickly started checking items off. Since Sidney is a southern girl and since it was a winter Spokane Bucket List, you could imagine that most items centered on the weather. Thanks to Spokane for delivering on a certain type of precipitation that Sidney really wanted to see, we completed most of the items with ease. How about we take a look at how she fulfilled the items on her list?

Shoveling Snow – We will start with the most mundane item on the list that also happened to be the first one completed. Sid wanted to experience the “joy” of shoveling snow. Arriving in Spokane a little past midnight on December 22, she was out shoveling with us several short hours later that morning. She woke up to the sounds of my mom and I hastily shoveling out my neighbor who had massive amounts of snow and ice at the foot of her driveway courtesy of the county snow plow. Sidney watched us do the heavy work from our living room window and then joined in on the fun when we came back over to our house to do our own driveway. After a few swipes with the shovel, Sid was a pro.

Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of Sidney shoveling snow. However, I do have this photo of a snowman we built!

Sledding – I grew up sledding with my friends. Since we lived across the street from a park with big hills (and plenty of snow), the entertainment was endless. Never once in her life had Sidney enjoyed this winter activity that I took for granted. Last week my sister let us borrow her sleds and Sidney and I ventured over to the park that I had so much fun in as a kid. We spent time in our traditional and saucer sleds going down the hills that didn’t seem as big to me as I remembered them. Sid learned that sledding is a tiring activity! Soaring down the hills head first is exhilarating but running back up the hill in the deep snow is not. However, the cardiovascular workout was well worth the thrills we both got as we had the whole park to ourselves.

I had a wonderful time taking Sidney sledding.

Ice Skating – This item on the bucket list goes back quite a bit. It seems like since we first started dating, Sidney has expressed her desire to go ice skating. On a night downtown with my brother and his girlfriend, we made it happen. After drinks at a River Park Square restaurant and a walk through the Riverfront Park light display, Sidney had her chance on the pavilion ice rink. Since I am a terrible ice skater and my brother isn’t much better, we sat in the stands and took photos while Sidney and Ashley (my brother’s girlfriend) skated around the winter wonderland. Sid picked up the skill extremely quickly and looked great making circles around the rink. When she got off the ice I could tell she was so happy to have had the opportunity to ice skate…it was very cute.

Sidney ice skating with Ashley to her right.

Gondola Ride – This was Sidney’s third visit to Spokane. The prior times she had eyed the gondola cars hovering over the Spokane Falls. Because of time constraints, we never made it to the attraction. However, this time around with an open schedule and the city covered in beautiful white snow, we knew there wouldn’t be a better opportunity to do it. We went back to downtown Spokane, purchased tickets, and jumped in a gondola car. We went across the falls while Sidney got to Facetime her dad for a portion of it. Although I got a little queasy right at the beginning because our car/cage was rocking back and forth so much, I loosened up and we both enjoyed the ride and spectacular views.

Here is a gondola collage I posted to Instagram. The photo on top is of us inside the gondola car. The image on the lower left is a view of the falls from the gondola. The image on the bottom right is just of Riverfront Park not taken from the gondolas.

White Christmas – This was the big one. All Sidney wanted was a white Christmas and she definitely got it. I didn’t even have to sweat it out either. It snowed the whole time we were in Spokane and it was guaranteed days before that Christmas would be white. She enjoyed the traditional conditions in Spokane while her family in Myrtle Beach celebrated the holiday in 80 degree temperatures. We went out and took photos in front of the deep snow and Sid gleefully posted one to her Facebook account. Snow on Christmas isn’t always a sure thing so I was happy that Mother Nature pulled though.

Sidney and I posing in front of the snow on Christmas Day.

Check, check, check, check and…….check! Sidney satisfactorily completed her Spokane Bucket List and I was honored to be along for the ride. Because of Sid’s motivation, some simple planning by me, and a little bit of luck with the weather everything went smoothly. Don’t Blink.

A Holiday Trip Home Where I Really Felt the Spirit

Posted on January 3, 2016 by brent

After a day of travel, I am back in Myrtle Beach. Bright and early tomorrow morning I will resume my normal routine at Coastal Carolina University. As is the case with most vacations, it is always a little hard to get back on the saddle after having such a fun and carefree time.

I had an incredible stay in Spokane. I could recap the hundred different things I did over the past two plus weeks or I could just briefly describe what made my time at home so memorable. I choose the latter.

I can’t thank my parents enough for providing me with such a great time while I was in Spokane.

This trip I stayed within Spokane limits the whole time. I didn’t pack the schedule with mini trips or Pacific Northwest sightseeing adventures. Instead, majority of my time was spent in my comfy childhood home on Guinevere Drive sitting by the fireplace with my loved ones. We chatted, we played games, we sipped hot chocolate, and we enjoyed each other’s company.

It just really felt like Christmas in Spokane.

This trip I got to do the small but meaningful tasks with my family members. I worked out with my dad at 4:30 a.m. on several mornings. I ran errands all over town with my mom. I went to story time at the local library with my sister and niece. I went “Christmas shopping” with my brother as we visited a couple bars to pick up gift cards (and a drink or two).

I even had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with my parents. This photo was taken at a restaurant in downtown Spokane.

This trip I welcomed my fiance to enjoy the holidays with my family. Sidney arrived in town on December 21 and did everything with us that incorporates our Reser family traditions. The whole time Sidney was right in the middle of our celebrations from making gingerbread houses to attending Christmas Eve mass to finding the pickle in the tree to opening gifts to watching our traditional Christmas Day movie at the theater to enjoying our New Year’s Day meal.

Sidney got to enjoy the holidays with my family. In this photo she is with my mom, my niece, and my sister.

This trip I got to spend a significant amount of time with my niece. Babies grow so fast and it is tough that I don’t get to see Mikayla that often but we did all we could to make up for lost time. Every single day during the second full week I was there, my sister brought Mikayla over to my mom’s. I got to play with her, hold her, and talk to her. She warmed up to me throughout the trip and I became very attached. It was tough to say goodbye to her last night.

I really enjoyed hanging out with my niece.

This trip I soaked in the special feeling of the holidays. Everything seemed so right. Spokane was covered in snow. Everyone I needed was underneath one roof. All of us Reser siblings had our significant others around. The Christmas spirit seemed to swirl throughout my parents’ household. It was nice.

It was a big deal to have all of us Reser siblings and our significant others together.

Thanks a million to my wonderful family for making my 2015/2016 holiday trip so memorable. I am very thankful for your love and support. Sidney and I will see you in five months at our wedding. Don’t Blink.

My New Year’s Day Traditions

Posted on January 1, 2016 by brent

To be completely honest, I am not a New Year’s Eve guy. I find the holiday more depressing than anything. To me, it is a second rate celebration to Christmas. I think the signature song that plays when the ball drops carries with it a very somber tune.

But, I must say that New Year’s Eve 2015 was a great one. I got to spend it with my fiance along with my brother and his girlfriend. Usually I prefer to just stay in but I had a fabulous time hanging with my special group last night.

Sidney, myself, Glen, and Ashley had a great time last night.

So while I don’t get excited about NYE, I actually really enjoy New Year’s Day. I think part of the reason for enjoying January 1 so much is because New Year’s Eve has passed. However, most of my enthusiasm for the holiday stems from the fresh feel of the day and the mini traditions that I have incorporated into the date.

The first order of business is to get my workout in. Starting the year with some exercise sets the tone for 365 days of healthy physical activity. Although today’s workout was especially tough considering last night’s festivities, I made sure to go to my dad’s gym and go through the routine I do while in Spokane.

The second, but most important, tradition I partake in is attending mass. Although New Year’s Day is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics, I would attend even if I had the choice. Getting the year kicked off by sitting in a beautiful church listening to God’s word is not only a good omen but it is peaceful and relaxing. It is also the best possible time to reflect on the past year and prepare oneself for the new one. I attended 11 a.m. mass at St. Thomas More in Spokane this morning.

My third tradition is watching the Rose Bowl game. I enjoy viewing the other hundred bowl games on today as well but I make it a point to sit down and watch the Granddaddy of Them All. The game itself is just beautiful to watch. The Rose Bowl is a pristine stadium and it is always drenched in sunshine. Besides the aesthetics, the match up itself is always dynamite. When the game isn’t a College Football Playoff contest you mostly always have a fun Pac-12 team clashing with a traditional Big 10 power. It is right in the middle of the day and you can just feel that the whole nation is watching. Even though today’s game was a blowout, I still enjoyed taking the action in and watching Stanford’s Christian McCaffery run wild.

It has been another great New Year’s Day. I followed all my traditions and enjoyed spending it with my family. I am now off to watch a Redbox movie with my parents and fiance. Have a great first weekend of 2016! Don’t Blink.

The Best Year (Yet): 2015

Posted on December 31, 2015 by brent

What is the best possible realization about approaching the end of a spectacular year?

Knowing that the next one is going to be even better.

I stringed together two incredible years in 2014 and 2015. A year ago at this time I had no idea how I would top 2014. But it soon became very evident when I knew in my heart that it was time to ask the best girl in the world to marry me. When she said yes it cemented 2015 as the best year in my life.

However, as I mentioned above, 2016 will surpass these past joyous 12 months when I marry Sidney in June.

Besides the obvious reason, 2015 was great in other ways too. I spent the full year in Myrtle Beach, learning more and more about this beautiful part of the country and the culture that comes with it. I grew more in my position at Coastal Carolina University where our social media program prospered. During the year, #CCUSocialMedia grew across the board, involved our student body like never before, and garnered national attention and honors. I got to be part of a few key milestones at our institution as we joined the Sun Belt Conference, installed teal turf, and eclipsed the 10,000 student enrollment mark.

Outside of work I grew much closer to my new family. I was welcomed so warmly by Sidney’s loved ones. I spent holidays with them, ate regular meals with them, celebrated birthdays with them, and accompanied them on a fun trip to Atlanta. With that said, I would say I grew closer to my own family as well. My mom and dad made a trip to see me in March. My brother made the cross country trek to see me in December. I went back to Spokane for two fabulous and memorable vacations in June and September. Trust me, when you don’t get to see your family as regularly as you once used to, you truly start to value them even more and make the most out of the time you do have with them.

If pressed to identify a few highlights from 2015 I would include the following: Talking to various groups from middle school students to our Board of Trustees about social media. Attending the 2015 NCAA Tournament with the CCU men’s basketball team in Omaha, Nebraska. Visiting new places such as Savannah, Charlotte, and Columbia. Returning to Spokane to volunteer at Hoopfest after a year hiatus. Traveling to Walla Walla, Washington, where I got to introduce Sidney to my extended family. Watching my niece grow in-person through six month intervals and on a daily basis through group messaging and Skype calls. Becoming more involved in my church (St. Andrew Parish).

I can’t thank everyone enough for contributing to such a great year for me. I am extremely lucky and blessed. I am sad to see 2015 go but so excited for 2016. I wish you all a fabulous year. Don’t Blink.

My Top Ten Blog Posts of 2015

Posted on December 30, 2015 by brent

It is time for the big blog post. With 2015 coming to an end, today I countdown my top ten posts of the year. In my 2014 edition, I had 253 entries to choose from. This year I have 252. How about that for posting consistency?

I am making a small change to this year’s top ten. Instead of going in chronological order like last year, I will list the posts countdown style. Yes, this year I will name my top post of 2015. Before we reveal the best of the best, I want to give a genuine thank you to all my readers. I sincerely appreciate your loyalty and support. Each year readership goes up and my motivation to write becomes greater and greater. Thank you.

As I did last year, I went through all my blog posts I wrote in 2015. From there I wrote my favorite 20 on a piece of paper and then selected finalists. Although my top favorite was never in question, it was competitive filling out the rest of the countdown. Enjoy.

10. Top Ten Mistakes Made By Social Media Professionals (November 17): I start my top ten list with another top ten list. In November, I wrote a blog post listing the ten mistakes that plague social media professionals the most. While I thought the content itself was good and helpful, this post stands out because I got a little creative/weird. I created and starred in a meme for each blunder, an endeavor that was both fun and time consuming.

This is one of the memes that illustrated a mistake that social media professionals make.

9. Premium vs. Knockoff Showdown (June 7): Needing a blog post idea one Sunday, I went to the store and filled my cart with name brand snacks such as Cheetos, Pop Tarts, and Fruity Pebbles. I also threw in the generic counterpart of each product as well. I then took it all to Sidney’s house and gave her a blind taste test of the real deal and the knockoff. It was a fun experiment with a very definite result.

One of the collages I included in my blog post testing the differences between generic and premium items.

8. A Visit From Santa and His Elf (December 23): Although I wrote this just a week ago today, it is memorable and special enough to make the countdown. My brother was nice enough to let Sidney and I come to his workplace, the Northeast Youth Center, and visit the kids. However, we channeled our alter egos for this particular appearance. I dressed up as Santa and Sid dressed up as an elf. Once at the center we surprised the children and then read to them. The hugs we received after we passed out the candy canes will be something we always remember regardless of whether I wrote this post or not.

Sidney and I reading to the kids at the Northeast Youth Center.

7. The Best Way to Prepare for Marriage (November 25): At the conclusion of our Pre-Cana classes that Sidney and I took to prepare for marriage, I wrote this blog post about how enriching the experience was. Having a great sponsor couple in Tim and Kathy McCormick was a huge blessing and left us very happy that we took this route to allow us to marry in the Catholic church in June. I think my enthusiasm is evident in the post.

Sidney and I with our sponsor couple, Tim and Kathy McCormick.

6. The Fake Brent Reser (May 13): This particular blog post makes the countdown because it illustrated the power and dedication of my readers. In May, I was alerted by a friend that a fake profile of myself was circulating on Facebook. It used my name and likeness but contained loads of bogus information and corny status updates. I asked you to help me out and report the profile to Facebook. Thanks to my readers, within 24 hours the impostor social media account had been removed.

5. A Great NCAA Tournament Experience in Omaha (March 22): I had the honor of traveling with the Coastal Carolina men’s basketball team to the NCAA Tournament in March. As I have said on numerous occasions, attending the Big Dance in a working capacity is a major highlight for anyone with a career in intercollegiate athletics/higher education. I had a terrific experience as I enjoyed my time in Nebraska with many great people from the Chanticleer athletic department. Every moment (except for the loss to #1 Wisconsin) was great, but perhaps my best highlight was engaging in a Twitter dialogue with the rival school that generated lots of positive attention for CCU.

Me on the court moments before Coastal and Wisconsin tipped off.

4. Twins or Not? (March 3): I still get made fun of for this one! I hired twins to produce a commercial for Don’t Blink. Well, rather I hired a person to produce a commercial for Don’t Blink. Billed as a video ad starring two twins, Sidney immediately called “fraud” when she watched it. She bluntly told me that it was the same girl playing both parts. I asked my readers to weigh in and they overwhelmingly supported Sid. I was duped!

I had my leg pulled.

3. Blog Takeover: Dating a Blogger (August 9): This year, after much convincing from my fiance, Don’t Blink debuted a new feature. Each month on a Sunday, Sidney writes a guest post for my blog. Although I have loved every post she has written, her initial one will always hold a spot in my heart. She explained the “peaks and pits” of dating a blogger. It was so funny and honest that it became an instant classic in Don’t Blink history. It was after the overwhelmingly positive reaction to this post that we decided to extend the “blog takeover” concept to a monthly basis.

2. The Triumph of Sean Carty and the Community (May 22): During the spring, I blogged several times about Sean Carty, the former head football coach at Mead High School. Starting with a post titled Feeling Bad for Coach Carty, I did what I could to keep my former high school football teammates and other community members updated on the road Sean took to fight back against the screw job inflicted upon him by a few bitter parents. When the truth came out and the motives of the small number of moms and dads were exposed, Coach Carty was reinstated as the head coach. This blog post captured the sweet feeling of vindication and what can happen when the community unites together. After the battle was won and the message sent, Carty would later gracefully resign to spend more time with his family.

Standing with Sean Carty a couple years ago in MIssoula.

1. The Proposal (June 24) – There was never a doubt. By a large margin, this is my top post of 2015. When you write about the best moment in your life, the words just come easy. The Proposal was written with love and euphoria. It received an amazing social media response and it will be something that Sidney and I look back on and read for the rest of our lives. It is #1 for another reason too. Shortly after Sidney and I got engaged, her grandmother passed away. Sid’s mom told me that the family used the blog post to give them some relief and joy during the difficult time. When I write my top posts of the decade in 2020, The Proposal will probably be #1 as well.

That magic moment.

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It was quite the year for Don’t Blink! If you have any memorable posts from 2015 that I did not cover, please let me know. Enjoy the rest of 2015 and be sure to catch my first post of 2016. Don’t Blink.

It’s Coming Back in 2016

Posted on December 29, 2015 by brent

While many people know me for this blog, there is something else that I am almost equally known for as well. No, it isn’t something prestigious or particularly relevant but it is something that I take great pride in. In fact, I take such great pride in it that I give time and dedication to it 365 days a year.

Some people know me as a blogger, others know me as The Guy Who Posts ‘Life’s Little Instructions’ On Social Media.

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (@brentreser) you know very well what I am referring to. Even if you aren’t connected with me on those services, you might know what I am talking about just from reading this blog. I have devoted a whole post to my daily habit and I have also written about the person who has added so much spunk and humor to it over the past few years.

Life’s Little Instructions will be back on my social media accounts in 2016.

But if you still don’t know what the heck I am alluding to and if you don’t want to click on the above links, here is a quick summary. Each year I purchase the latest “Life’s Little Instructions” page-a-day calendar. Every Monday-Saturday during the year (there is just one instruction per weekend) I will tweet out that particular date’s instruction and also take a photo of the instruction and post it to Instagram. Pretty simple, right? Sure it is! But for whatever reason, people seem to really appreciate it.

I am writing today to announce that I will once again be posting Life’s Little Instructions in 2016. So for those who can’t get by without reading the daily cute/corny/cheerful instruction, you can rest easy. I went to downtown Spokane yesterday and bought the newest edition. I always make sure to go after the Christmas holiday and make the purchase as calendars are marked off 50%.

This was today’s Life’s Little Instruction.

This year marks a milestone. It is the tenth year I have used the Life’s Little Instructions calendar. Additionally, it will be the eighth year I have posted the instructions to Twitter. It will be the fourth year I have posted them to Instagram.

This is me in late December 2014 holding my 2015 Life’s Little Instructions calendar.

What about the status of Ellen Seder, the girl who has made us all laugh with her witty comments underneath each instruction that I post to Instagram? I have not reached out to her yet and asked her to continue in 2016 just because I am embarrassed to! She has worked so hard over the past 2+ years that I just feel really bad asking her to devote another year to the cause. But Ellen, if you are reading this, please know that I would love for you to continue!! However, I just don’t want to put you on the spot and pressure you in to doing something that you might be getting tired of doing. I will find out what you plan to do on January 1 🙂

This is Ellen Seder, the person responsible for bringing a lot of humor to my Instagram account.

I look forward to opening up the 2016 calendar. It is always weird to go from a bare calendar to a fully loaded one with over 300 pages. Thanks to all who have supported and enjoyed Life’s Little Instructions over the years. I assure you that I won’t miss a beat as we transition between years. Don’t Blink.

Tidbits From Opening Gifts With the Reser Family

Posted on December 27, 2015 by brent

Who doesn’t like opening gifts at Christmas? For many families, the act of ripping open presents under the tree is rooted in tradition. Everything seems to follow a ritual. Passing the gifts out. Taking turns opening the presents. Cleaning up the wrapping paper.

Here at the Reser household we have our own traditions as well. A couple days ago we opened our gifts on Christmas evening as per usual. This time, however, Sidney got to take part in our Christmas festivities. Below I have just ten quick highlights from our time opening gifts around the tree.

* My niece did the most significant walking she has done yet while we finished opening gifts. Several times she walked back and forth between my mom and sister, receiving a loud ovation each time she made the short journey.

A couple minutes before this photo was taken, Mikayla was walking back and forth in our living room!

* My sister gave my brother, Sidney, and I scratch off tickets. I looked at Sidney and asked her if she wanted to enter into an agreement where she would split the money she won from her tickets with me and I would split the money I won from my tickets with her. I proposed this deal in front of the whole family.

Sidney, not missing a beat, responded while flaunting her ring, “Baby, all of your money is already mine.” Everyone busted out in laughter.

* I wrapped a last minute gift for my mom seconds before we started passing out gifts. I hastily gave it to her as we sat down. I don’t know if it really registered to her that I was giving her a present. When all the gifts were opened up, I realized she had not opened the small package I had personally given to her. I also realized that it was nowhere to be found. After turning the living room up trying to find it, my dad and I went to the very bottom of the garbage bag that was filled with wrapping paper and recovered it. Honest mistake.

* Probably the favorite gift I was given this Christmas was the personalized stationary from my mom and dad!

I write notes all the time so this personalized stationary my parents got me was exactly what I needed.

* Finding the pickle is a tradition that my family does in conjunction with opening up gifts. My mom hid it in the tree and then sent my brother, my sister, her husband, Sid, and myself on a hunt to find it. After a couple minutes, my sister reached into the back of the tree and found it. Her prize was more scratch offs!

* How about a visual of our celebration. Here is a panorama of all of us opening our gifts in my parents’ living room.

Here is a panorama of our Reser family Christmas.

* As I did last year, I once again outfitted my dad and brother in Chanticleer gear. I took advantage of the sale our university bookstore had a couple months ago and got them baseball pullovers.

I got my brother and dad Coastal Carolina gear.

* When we were younger my mom (or at the time Santa) would fill the stockings of us kids with thank you notes. We no longer have stockings but my mom still made sure to wrap packages of thank you notes for the three of us.

Me holding the thank you notes my parents gave me.

* How about a time line of when we open gifts? We ate dinner at 3 p.m. after a day of watching sports and playing games. After we took some time to let the food from the delicious feast digest, we opened presents. Dessert was then available afterwards. From there we took our annual pilgrimage to the movie theater. This year we watched “Joy.” We then returned home and those (me) who wanted to wait a little while longer to eat dessert indulged.

Our Christmas family movie at the theater this year was “Joy.”

* It seems each year my mom always says “We are going to have a slim Christmas this year.” This declaration doesn’t bother me one bit but it never proves to be true, including this year. Once again my parents outdid themselves getting us all kinds of stuff that we didn’t deserve.

My mom once again outdid herself on gifts. It was nice to be able to share Christmas with Sidney.

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There you have it, everything you wanted to know about us opening our gifts. Have a great rest of your Sunday! This upcoming week I will be publishing a couple of my annual end of the year blog posts. Don’t Blink.

A Visit From Santa and His Elf

Posted on December 23, 2015 by brent

This afternoon, Sidney and I enjoyed a very unique opportunity to really get in the holiday spirit like never before. My brother works at the Northeast Youth Center, a facility that provides a sanctuary for kids in the Spokane area. Late last week he asked if Sidney and I would like to provide a Yuletide surprise to the children.

As I have written about before, I never pass up a chance to play Santa Claus. Also, if you remember correctly, I purchased an elf costume earlier this month for a work meeting. With Glen well aware about both of these things, he asked if Sidney and I would want to dress up and come to the center.

This is us before we left the North Pole and went to the Northeast Youth Center.

He didn’t need to pull my arm. Sidney politely agreed.

Santa and his elf appeared at the Northeast Youth Center at 4 p.m. We were ushered inside and greeted all the happily Christmas-fever induced children with a joyful greeting from Myrtle Be…I mean the North Pole. The kids were delighted at this unexpected visit!

We appreciated Glen for allowing us to come to his work and hang with the kids.

We then sat down in two chairs to read the group Christmas stories. As Sidney reads to her second grade students for a living, she naturally was the one who read the two books we selected in advance, “Snowmen at Christmas” and “If You Take a Mouse to the Movies”. We had a terrific audience and Sid did a great job.

Sidney did a wonderful job reading to the kids.

Before Santa and his elf returned to the sleigh, we passed out candy canes and mingled with the kids. However, with the reindeer outside starting to get restless, we soon had to depart.

After the reading was finished, the kids enjoyed a meet and greet with Santa.

I personally do a lot of things to get myself and others in the Christmas spirit. But today’s activity was a first. I thank Glen for the opportunity to go to his workplace and have some fun. Now even more fun awaits tonight. We are off to enjoy our annual Christmas Eve Eve celebration at a couple of our favorite local watering holes (after we take off our suits). Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

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