You must really want to see a certain baby boy if you take a whole day to travel across the country only to spend two days at your destination. Needless to say, nothing was going to stop Beau’s grandma and aunt from seeing him, travel logistics be damned.

My mom and sister in the airport on their way to Myrtle Beach.

A week ago, my mom and sister arrived in Myrtle Beach for a quick and final South Carolina trip. They arrived in the early afternoon and immediately started gushing over Beau while showering Sloan with attention as well. Not to get sentimental, but it was nice to hug two of Beau’s greatest long distance prayer warriors and supporters. That afternoon and evening were spent just holding the baby and playing with Sloan. My mom made us a delicious pasta dinner and we simply lounged around in the living room.

My mom feeding Beau.

Thursday was really special. That morning, Beau was baptized and Sidney was confirmed into the Catholic Church. To have my mom and sister join us at St. Andrew along with Sidney’s family, several of my Knights of Columbus brothers, and other supporters meant a lot.

My mom and sister got to witness Sidney’s confirmation and Beau’s baptism.

Back at the house we opened gifts people had given us in honor of the holy occasion. We ate lunch together and then my mom and sister started to help us pack up our kitchen. Later that night Sidney’s parents came over to watch the kids so Sid, my mom, sister, and I could go out to dinner. We had a really nice time relaxing and laughing. We returned home and did a repeat of the night prior––living room lounging.

The four of us had a really nice time at dinner on Thursday night.

The next morning, my sister and I took Sloan to the Carolina Forest Library and playground. A mother of three, Miranda enjoyed the opportunity to see some of the local educational places I take Sloan to the most. Back at the house we again ate lunch together and did some packing. Sloan and I then joined my mom and sister at Broadway at the Beach so they could shop for souvenirs. Our guests went shop-to-shop while us locals released energy on the playground. That night we ordered Mexican food takeout and watched the most recent episode of “This Is Us.”

My mom and Sloan take a break on a bench at Broadway at the Beach.

After about 60 hours in Myrtle Beach, by Saturday morning my mom and Miranda were on their way to the airport. Although short, they met their objective by seeing Beau and they got to witness a very important event for our family. The visit did a lot of good for Sidney, who really enjoyed talking all things mother-related with my sister. After so many high stress weeks, she appreciated a couple days of relaxed and carefree conversation. When it was time to say goodbye, there was no sadness because we all knew that we would be reunited soon. I look forward to it! Don’t Blink.

The boxes are starting to pile up in our house as we prepare to move. However, “we” will move in two different stages. When I announced on Sunday that I have accepted a position at Washington State University, I received a lot of questions about when we would be heading west. Tonight I thought I would update everyone on our timeline as I am sure my South Carolina contacts are wondering how much longer they are stuck with me.

This is what one area of our house looked like this morning. Didn’t take long for even more boxes to be added to the mix.

I will be leaving the state solo next week. I have bought a one-way ticket to Spokane for Friday, March 13. I will then have the weekend to adjust to the Pacific time zone before reporting for my first day on Monday, March 16.

A month from my start date is when Sidney, Sloan, and Beau will join me. Sid’s parents will accompany the trio on their flight. We have hired a moving company to ship all our items to Washington so I won’t be driving a U-Haul this time around (thank goodness!).

Okay, I know what you are thinking: He is going to be away from his family for how long? It will definitely be one of the greatest challenges of my life to be separated from my wife and kids for 34 days, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Beau is still very new and Sid still needs to heal from surgery, not to mention she will return to work for two weeks at the beginning of April. I will deal with the separation in the best way possible while counting down the days until we are reunited.

Thank you for the well wishes over the past couple days. It is an exciting, but stressful, time. I feel fortunate that I have employment lined up with a top-notch university and that Sid, Sloan, and Beau will be well taken care of during our time apart. Don’t Blink.

We all have that first love. However, very rarely does it stand the test of time. Due to countless factors, most notably the desire to explore what else exists, a first love relationship usually comes to an end.

Although uncommon for the most part, sometimes such a relationship can be rekindled. As the years march on, we sometimes long for the authenticity and joy of the past.

What happens when this occurs? In my case, it is the best professional homecoming I could have ever dreamed of.

My family is moving out west! I have accepted a position at Washington State University.

———–

Some of my best childhood memories revolve around weekend road trips with my dad to Pullman, a college town approximately 75 miles from where I grew up in Spokane, Washington. The reason for these Saturday odysseys was to watch the Washington State University Cougars play football in Martin Stadium.

An alumnus of WSU, my dad raised me as a Coug and his efforts had a distinct influence on me. Throughout elementary and junior/high school, I proudly rocked the university colors of crimson and gray. I enthusiastically supported the athletic teams and learned as much about the institution as possible. When it came time to apply to colleges, Washington State was at the top of my list. But when it was all said and done, I made a tough decision and ended up attending a university elsewhere (Go Griz!).

Don’t think for a second my affinity for WSU ever waned. Even though I attended and worked at different universities, I always kept a close eye on Washington State, no matter how many miles I was away from campus. Whether it meant reading WSU publications or watching the football team kickoff at 10 p.m. on the East Coast, I tried to stay connected.

Well, it will now be much easier to stay connected because I have been hired as WSU’s social media strategist!

I can’t wait to begin work at WSU starting on March 16.

If I was ever to leave Coastal Carolina University, I wanted to find an institution that met a few personal conditions. Power Five status, strong tradition, and an already established social media program were at the top of the list. Most importantly, Sidney and I agreed that we would only move to a campus that was geographically close to one of our families.

When a social media position within the Office of University Marketing and Communications at Washington State University opened, it was a no-brainer to apply. Not only did the university itself meet my aspirations but it also had other attractive intangibles, such as an increasing enrollment, countless prestigious academic programs, and land grant distinction. Even better, the opportunity would bring us not just within the same time zone of my family but within the same area code!

If the employer made it a no-brainer to apply, the position itself provided all the motivation in the world to pursue it with full force. As the social media strategist, I will be focusing on the aspects of social media that I am most interested in and skilled at. WSU has tasked me with executing effective paid social media advertising, building campaigns, reporting and acting on analytics, and helping to formulate an overall social media strategy. With a talented social media manager already in place, I will have the privilege of working on a legitimate social media team with multiple fulltime employees…I can’t wait!

There is one last component that will make all the difference in this job: the people at WSU are awesome. As I went through the interview process and met the team members I would be reporting to and working with, I knew that Washington State University would be a perfect fit. I felt at ease from the start and I have no greater motivation than to show my new bosses and co-workers that they made the right decision in hiring me. After all, I owe them nothing but the best––they graciously allowed me to pick a start date that landed weeks after Beau’s birth.

Which brings me to one final piece of information. My employment with Washington State University will begin on March 16. GO COUGS!

———–

Who says they get to work at the first university they ever loved? Although my first priority is to bring my professional experience to WSU, I also plan to bring some childhood passion as well. Watch out family and friends, I am coming home and bringing a beautiful wife and two children with me. Don’t Blink.

Good morning! I would like to begin this post by acknowledging that today is Ash Wednesday. With the beginning of Lent now at hand, it is important to remember that the journey over the next 40 days is meant to be experienced both personally and communally. May your 2020 Lenten season be filled with meaning and sacrifice.

With that said, something else is special about this day. My mom and sister are coming to town! In just minutes, they will be landing in Myrtle Beach. The trip is significant in multiple ways, primarily for the reason that they will meet Beau for the first time.

My mom and sister are in route to see Beau.

Their mini vacation is meaningful in other aspects as well. This will be the final time I have family visit me in Myrtle Beach prior to our move. My parents will tell you that even though South Carolina is far away from where they live, at least it was always a fun and warm place to visit!

While my mom has made multiple trips to Myrtle Beach, this will be just the second time my sister has visited. The first time Miranda came to Myrtle was nearly four years ago for our wedding. In fact, that was the sole time she has ever met Sidney’s family. Speaking of time passing, Sidney and I haven’t seen my sister in more than a year. It is time to catch up!

Their visit will also coincide with major moments in the faith journeys of Sidney and Beau. It will be a very special day tomorrow morning at St. Andrew and my mom and sister will be there to witness it.

Beau has a big day coming up tomorrow and will be able to share it with my mom and Miranda.

Finally, it just isn’t “the Beau show.” I know my mom and sister can’t wait to hug Sloan again. And, although it might just be a rumor, I think they might be a little bit excited to see these new parents of two as well. Although their time in South Carolina will be short––they are leaving Saturday morning––it will definitely be sweet. Don’t Blink.

Just because I have made sure to get Sloan out of the house every day during our transition period doesn’t mean we haven’t had any fun inside of it. On Sunday, we conducted a couple of “experiments” at Sloan’s picnic table.

I found a website that listed various educational activities that toddlers could enjoy. Out of the 35 options listed, we made a goal to complete two of them.

Figuring that Sidney would forgive me if I did one “messy” experiment, I chose one that was very hands-on and another that was more of a demonstration. We went to the grocery store and pulled baking soda, vegetable oil, strawberry cake mix, and food coloring. With our supplies purchased, we headed back to the house.

We came back to the store with these ingredients.

Our first mission was to make strawberry ice cream dough. The recipe promised that a fluffy, strawberry-licious product would result. Well, at least it was strawberry-licious.

This is what the strawberry ice cream dough was supposed to look like.

Much to Sloan’s astonishment, I instantly turned the contents of a liquid measuring glass pink by adding a few drops of food coloring. Pushing the pink water to the side, Sloan helped me rip two packages of baking soda into a white plastic bin. We then poured an entire box of strawberry cake mix on top of it. Next, we brought the measuring cup back into play and started pouring the water into the bin. We used a wooden spoon to mix the concoction, adding water intermittently.

Sloan mixing the baking powder and cake mix.

When it was all said and done, we added the water a little too intermittently. There was nothing fluffy or “doughy” about our creation, instead, it was more of a thick strawberry paste. Thinking on my feet to salvage the experiment, I spinned it to capture the imagination of Sloan.

The strawberry ice cream dough sure didn’t turn out fluffy.

“Hey look, it’s strawberry slime!”

Toddlers LOVE slime. They think it is the greatest thing ever while parents cringe at the mere mention of the five-letter word. Even though it goes against our parental values to encourage slime, on this Sunday afternoon I rolled with it.

Sloan had a lot of fun playing with the slime….even though it wasn’t supposed to be slime.

Although the strawberry ice cream dough didn’t turn out how I envisioned it, the mixture did feel soothing and it smelled really good. Best of all, Sloan loved it.

The encore of our Sunday experiment session was ocean water. I initially thought what we were about to do was unique but Sidney set me straight––apparently ocean water is just as common in elementary school science lessons as dissecting frogs is for middle school ones.

I took a Diet Sunkist 2-liter bottle that had a small amount of soda left and dumped it down the drain. I brought the empty container to Sloan’s picnic table. I then re-introduced what Sloan liked most about the first experiment…food coloring! I put fresh water in the measuring glass and added a few drops of blue dye. I then used a funnel to deposit the colored water into the soda bottle. Next, I took the bottle of vegetable oil and sent it down the funnel into the bottle as well.

Sloan and I making “Ocean Water.”

Sidney then came over to our station and shook the bottle up. The water and oil separated, creating an intense blue dreamy scene inside the bottle. It looked cool, but Sid quietly suggested that next time we should pick up glitter to add in as well.

We sent Sloan to the bathtub to wash off the slime that covered her arms. While Sid watched her, I was able to throw the slime (container and all) and bottle of ocean water into a trash bag and dump it in our big garbage bag outside. Although the experiments didn’t run perfectly, Sloan had fun and the cleanup was mini

I think when it is all said and done, I will have to write a blog post summarizing February 2020. It has been a major month in our lives and, if you can believe it, a few significant moments still await before March begins on Sunday.

But until the second half of the week arrives, we are trying to catch our breath.

Between wrapping things up at #CCU, Beau’s birth, his stint in the NICU, and our first week at home as a family of four, it has been a crazy few weeks in the Reser household.

Things are going to slow down a bit over the next 48 hours.

With Beau doing well and Sloan adjusting seamlessly to her little brother, some of the trial and error from last week has dissipated. Combine that with no work obligations for the both of us (don’t be jealous) and we have a couple days of carefree living to enjoy. I imagine this small window of time will be devoted to more Netflix binge watching, adventures with Sloan, and cuddle time with Beau.

It was a wonderful initial week as a family of four.

Things will pick up again mid-week with Ash Wednesday and a special visit from my mom and sister. A huge day for our family will follow on Thursday. Friday and Saturday will be eventful as well. Then, once March arrives, it will be all about packing for a move.

So please excuse us for pressing on the brake for the next 48 hours. We can’t thank our family and friends enough for looking after us throughout this hectic but blessed month. Have a great week, everyone. Don’t Blink.

Good afternoon everyone! It has been a couple weeks since my last Thursday Rundown so let me brush off the dust and get back on the bike. Let’s get through these five topics so I can conclude the week tomorrow with my farewell post to Coastal Carolina University.

Sibling Love – It has been so heartwarming to see how Sloan has accepted Beau. We thought there might be some jealousy but Sloan loves her little brother and is eager to help…perhaps too eager. We have to constantly remind Sloan that she is not an adult and performing tasks such as picking Beau up or changing his diaper are not expected out of her. Oh well, her strong desire to assist with Beau is better than harboring envious feelings. Can’t wait to see how their relationship continues to develop.

Sloan accepted Beau immediate;y/

Unemployment – Although I am not even a week into my stint of unemployment, I must admit I am already enjoying it. Sure, I am perpetually tired as I am usually running on 2-3 hours of sleep, but being able to chill all day long with my wife, daughter, and son is really nice. I am taking Sloan out of the house for at least one fun activity per day while enjoying snuggles with Beau and watching plenty of Netflix with Sid.

Each day I make it a point to do something with Sloan, whether it be going to the library, the trampoline park, or somewhere else.

Not Impressed with Bang – So everyone seems to be talking about a line of energy drinks called Bang and I finally tried one yesterday as we took our first road trip as a family of four. The cotton candy flavor sounded interesting and unique so I went with it. Big mistake. I have tried numerous different energy drinks from super generic to premium and Bang was by far the worst. I like an energy drink that is a pleasure to consume but Bang tasted cheap and had an unpleasant aftertaste. It was so bad that I didn’t even finish it. Perhaps I went wrong with the flavor but at this current moment I am giving it two thumbs down.

Was not impressed with my first ever Bang energy drink.

Road to the White House Goes Through South Carolina – Every four years, South Carolina hosts crucial presidential primaries. Next week the Democratic Party candidates for commander-in-chief will roll through the state. I can’t help but rewind four years ago to when the presidential candidates for both parties stumped in South Carolina. I took advantage of the historical moment by attending rallies of candidates from both sides of the aisle. Although I missed out on President Trump, I did see Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, and Jeb Bush.

In February 2016, I had the chance to see a few presidential candidates in person as they came through South Carolina.

From the Archives – Over the past few years I have written some pretty crummy blog posts on Feb. 20. For example, a year ago I wrote about the crazy world of Chinese buffets. On Feb. 20, 2018, I counted down my favorite varieties of chips. Three years ago on this date, which was President’s Day, I appropriately revealed my all-time favorite United States Presidents.

Three years ago, I wrote about my favorite chips.

——————

Special shoutout to my readers! It has been an exciting week for my blog and I appreciate all the support you have given me. Remember, I will be publishing a special Friday blog post tomorrow. Don’t Blink.

This was tough. I knew I couldn’t close my chapter at Coastal Carolina University without reflecting on some of my favorite moments from the past five and a half years. But I realized I would have to exercise some restraint and limit my highlights to a number that was appropriate for a blog post. Naturally, I chose 10––but it just doesn’t seem like enough.

I smiled a lot while writing this. For nearly six years I have been spoiled with opportunities, support, and an outstanding team. These special advantages contributed to a memorable ride with defining moments. Today I would like to share them with you.

10. The Social Circle with Brent Reser: I would have embraced the role of anonymous social media dude who no one knew about, but my team had other plans. Shortly after I arrived at CCU we debuted Coastal Now, a television show that detailed the happenings of our University. Would you believe that I was given my own segment? Called the Social Circle with Brent Reser, I had a few minutes each show to tell #TEALnation the latest about #CCUSocialMedia. Given the freedom to write and present my own segment, I relished the creative control I was entrusted with. My favorite show will forever be when I made my debut.

Hosting my own segment on “Coastal Now” allowed me to take a temporary break from behind the screen so I could get in front of our audience.

9. In the Fast Lane with NASCAR: Because of the marketing genius of our former vice president, Bill Plate, we identified a student on our campus who was working his way up the NASCAR ranks. We signed a sponsorship deal with Brandon Brown and soon enough the CCU brand was zooming around the most famous racetracks in the nation. I had the opportunity to help leverage the sponsorship. I received all-access at places such as Bristol Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway to chronicle Brandon’s pursuits on social media. But my favorite instance of covering Brandon Brown didn’t take place on Facebook or Instagram. Rather, it occurred in print. I was tasked with writing a feature about CCU’s unique NASCAR marketing venture for our alumni publication, Coastal Magazine. Oh yeah, my story wasn’t just a regular feature––it turned out to be the COVER STORY! 

I had the honor of writing the cover story for a recent Coastal Magazine issue.

8. The Hurricanes: I know it sounds insensitive that I would list hurricanes as a “favorite” moment but please let me explain. It took me a while to become accustomed to living in a hurricane-prone corner of the world. It was strange and scary at first. Having experienced this, I was able to bring a special kind of empathy to our #CCUSocialMedia audience when a hurricane threatened the area (which happened at least every year). Using a formula based on accuracy, compassion, and customer service, our team was able to deploy a social media strategy that made students and parents, many of whom were from out-of-state with no hurricane experience, feel comfortable and safe. Our Hurricane Florence social media plan won a Communicator Award for its effectiveness and creativity. This past fall during Hurricane Dorian I wasn’t just running our social media response––I also sat in the #1 spot for the communication division of our Emergency Operations Center (EOC). To literally sit shoulder-to-shoulder with our university president while we crafted communication messages was a big (and kind of intimidating) moment in my career. Being able to serve our CCU community during such vulnerable times was always a pleasure.

Me working in the EOC during Hurricane Dorian. I took the role I got to play on social media very seriously during these challenging times.

7. In Front of the Board: Even though I was petrified at the time, looking back on it, I still didn’t realize how big of a deal it was to address the Board of Trustees. But there I was, about a year into my tenure at CCU, standing in the Wall Ballroom in front of the trustees, the President, and every other important person at Coastal. Our department’s vice president had tasked me with delivering a 10-minute presentation on our social media program, specifically our digital success at that year’s men’s basketball NCAA Tournament. You better believe I prepared hard to properly represent our University Marketing and Communication department. But would it pay off? Fortunately on that day it did. Using analytics and humor, I won over at least one trustee who stood up at the end of my presentation and publicly commended our strategy, leading to rousing applause from everyone in the room.

I had a lot of nerves prior to addressing the Board of Trustees in the Wall Boardroom at Coastal Carolina University.

6. Totality: In the summer of 2017, the nation was captivated as the Great American Eclipse swept over our country. Our social media program relied on faculty experts to teach our audience about the phenomenon leading up to the big event on August 21. When that day arrived, I jumped in a car with our vice president, Bill, and one of our videographers, Alexandra, and we drove 80 miles to a small South Carolina town called McClellansville (population 500). Why? It was one of the few places in the country that would experience the eclipse at complete totality. It was also the location where Louis Keiner, one of our physics professors, was observing and photographing the event. It was an incredible day listening to Dr. Keiner analyze what was going on and then to experience that special moment of totality was indescribable. Needless to say, our social media content on August 21 received heavy engagement.

The Great American Eclipse was a unique experience. Bill, Alexandra, and I traveled together and met Louis Keiner and his daughter, Emma, in McClellansville.

5. Generating National Attention at the NCAA Tournament: In 2015, our men’s basketball team punched a ticket to the Big Dance. The Chanticleers earned a #16 seed and a game against top ranked Wisconsin in Omaha. Because our athletic department did not have anyone in its main marketing position at the time, I was sent to perform social media duties. Just like when I went with the University of Montana, the whole experience was amazing. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the best tournament in sports and became friends with several of the athletic department staffers. But the most memorable part of the week was engaging in a Twitter back-and-forth with the main University of Wisconsin account. We each were able to toss some playful jabs while maintaining a civil tone and proudly representing our universities. The exchange was picked up by numerous news organizations and generated a lot of positive exposure for our university.

In 2015, I traveled with the Chanticleer men’s basketball team to the NCAA tournament.

4. Appearing in a Darius Rucker Music Video: The night before Darius Rucker rocked the HTC Center on the CCU campus, I went to bed thinking how rad it was that I would get to cover the concert. Little did I know that much more was in store. About 24 hours before the show, Rucker tweeted that they needed extras for a music video they were going to shoot a few hours prior to that Saturday’s show. I showed up to the shoot, which took place in a hallway of the arena, to document the excitement for #CCUSocialMedia. Apparently I looked more like a Darius Rucker die-hard than a social media professional because they chose me to stay through the entire shoot. I got to meet Darius, watch how a music video is made, and witness an epic concert later that night. The cherry on top came about a month and a half later when the music video for “Homegrown Honey” made its debut. Right at the 1:42 mark there is a goofy-looking blogger with a mile-wide grin across his face sharing the screen with Darius Rucker. I made the cut.

I had my two seconds of “fame” at the 1:42 mark of the Homegrown Honey video.

3. Working With My Team: While at CCU, I have had the honor of working with talented and dedicated marketing and communication professionals. It has been a pleasure collaborating with these individuals to reach and exceed the goals of our University. But while I am proud of the professional accomplishments, I cherish the fun we have had along the way. Whether it be Kentucky Derby parties, t-shirt exchanges, birthday lunches, karaoke nights, the infamous birthday cards, or a host of other quirky/fun things, I have been fortunate to become friends with so many great people. Thanks to Bill Plate for establishing a special MarComm culture that kicked butt in the office and had fun outside of it.

I love these people. It was an honor to be part of the University Marketing and Communication team

2. Representing #CCU on a National Stage: I feel like an exclamation mark was put at the end of my CCU tenure just a few months ago in Las Vegas. It was at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education in Caesars Palace that I presented with Lindsi Glass, our former associate vice president for marketing and branding, in front of a standing room crowd. We earned a coveted speaker spot at our industry’s premiere conference by working together to submit a proposal about how #CCUSocialMedia was connecting with Gen Z on Instagram. After several months of preparation, we hit our presentation out of the park. The feedback we received from our counterparts at universities across the nation was sweet validation of our methods and creativity…it was the highlight of my career.

Presenting with Lindsi Glass in front of the higher education marketing world at the AMA Symposium was the highlight of my career.

1. CCU Wins the College World Series: The summer of 2016 was like a dream. Fresh off getting married and returning from our Mexican honeymoon, the Coastal baseball team punched its ticket to the College World Series. That feat alone was enough to make our #CCUSocialMedia audience go bonkers but it was just the beginning. The Chants would land in Omaha and win…win…and win some more. When it was all said and done, our University had played on an ESPN network eight different times in 10 days and won a national championship. Back in Conway it was bedlam. Engagement on our social channels was through the roof and I told one local station that “Other than being in Omaha, I had the best seat in the house” for the magical ride. It was a surreal scene covering the team’s return to the Myrtle Beach Airport as the crowd and energy blew me away!!! The next day was even crazier as the student-athletes and coaches were celebrated with a parade through Conway followed by a ceremony inside Springs-Brooks Stadium. Not only did every piece of content we publish seem to stick but user generated content was out of this world as well. The title run by the baseball team was something every higher ed social media professional hopes for as it boosted #CCUSocialMedia to new heights. Nothing will ever compare.

I had to think really hard about what to write for this tweet. In all honesty, it was an honor to be the person to send this out.

—————————

Wow, it has been a ride. As I reflect on these great times at Coastal, I am so grateful that the institution empowered me to do my job and succeed. I will take these experiences with me throughout my professional career and always cherish the time I spent in #TEALnation. Thanks, CCU. Don’t Blink.