Dazed and Confused

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Confusion. Haze. Doubt.

That’s how I felt over the past two weeks when anyone asked me what day it was.

To be fair, things always get a little foggy during the two-week holiday season. People take off work, kids are out of school, and we celebrate major holidays. Routines and calendars take a backseat as we enjoy the season. It is a recipe for completely losing track of the day of the week.

During the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Day, I need to keep a calendar close by to know what day of the week it is.

Perhaps I am just getting old and absentminded, but this holiday season seemed to reach new levels with day of the week confusion. Adding to my advanced age might be a couple other factors as well.

First, Christmas and New Year’s Day, which always fall on the same day of the week, landed on Wednesday in 2024. When these holidays land on a Friday, Monday, or actual weekend day, they can become absorbed into a general holiday weekend. However, because Christmas and New Year’s Day were on Wednesday, it simulated an additional weekend itself. Thus, Tuesday felt like a Friday and Wednesday felt like a Saturday. Logically, that meant Thursday felt like a Monday (and so on).

Second, working a portion of the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day also didn’t do me any favors. I usually take that week off, but since Sid and the kids were in South Carolina and because I am still a new EWU employee, I worked Dec. 30, Dec. 31, Jan. 2, and Jan. 3. With the Wednesday mid-week holiday, which was preceded by another Wednesday holiday, everything was thrown off.

Can you imagine how hard it was to keep track of garbage day? Our service got bumped from Thursday to Friday for both holiday weeks. Just that is confusing. But add in all the haziness about what day it actually was in the first place and you can understand the conundrum.

But maybe this is by design. During the holiday season the argument could be made that we shouldn’t worry about what day of the week it is. As I alluded to above, there is something about the embracement of a special time of the year where we aren’t confined to whether it is a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.

So, as long as I can keep tabs on when the garbage truck is coming by, I won’t worry about the calendar as much next year. Don’t Blink.

Really, Costco?

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I rarely cuss. In fact, unless I am writhing on the ground in pain because of a cramp, you will almost never hear me utter a bad word. But every now and then, an exception must be made. Unfortunately, I must direct an unpleasant acronym at a popular wholesaler. So, here it goes…

Costco…WTF?

I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I have spoken out against shrinkflation before, but at the time it hadn’t hit home like it recently did. When word reached me that Costco had completely changed its signature jumbo muffins—for a smaller and more expensive version—I lost it.

This is NOT okay.

You might be thinking, What’s the big deal, Brent? We are talking about muffins. You don’t understand! Costco muffins are incredibly special to me. They have been a constant in my life. No matter my age nor where I lived, a Costco muffin has always been not just nourishment but comfort for me. It anchors my list of top 5 items I buy at Costco. When I completed a strenuous weight loss challenge diet, I told the fitness instructor the first “bad” thing I was going to eat was a Costco muffin. I literally wrote an entire blog post paying tribute to the most clutch “meal” on this planet.

Me holding the original Costco muffins (notice how happy I was) back in 2024.

So please forgive me for my tantrum, but this just doesn’t sit well with me. You see, I think the Costco muffin is more sacred than the Costco hot dog. In my opinion, I think the muffin should have received the same well-documented protection that the Costco dog enjoys.

Photo I took of the new Costco muffins this past Sunday.

Please, don’t try to defend the new muffins. People have tried to spin the downgrade by saying that since the new muffins come in packs of eight, you no longer have the stress of eating 12 muffins (the product count with the original muffins) before they go bad. I assure you, thanks to an invention called the freezer, we never “stressed out” about eating the muffins before they went bad.

Defenders will also try to focus on the fabulous new flavors. Oh, you know Costco eliminated all the classic flavors, right? Say adios to blueberry, banana nut, vanilla chocolate chunk, and even poppyseed. In their place, new bougie flavors like lemon raspberry, butter pecan, and cinnamon chip. Thankfully, the chocolate flavor still remains but not without some marketing spin. Instead of double chocolate, the flavor is now called triple chocolate.

Double chocolate was plenty enough for me. The new triple chocolate mini muffins aren’t nearly as good.

The biggest crime is that you get less for more. An article I read broke it down like this: The old muffins were priced at $9.99 for a dozen, but the new eight-count package comes in at $6.99. We crunched the numbers, and pound for pound, the new muffins are about $1.34 more expensive (allrecipes.com).

And they aren’t even that good! Well, scratch that, they are good. Just not as tasty as the old ones. They are drier, they crumble, and they don’t fill you up. Any way you look at the situation, it is a downgrade. And trust me, I know this is a first world problem and I should probably just stop eating muffins entirely and opt for a salad instead. But shrinkflation bothers me and when it messes with one of my favorite commodities, I get a little fired up.

A photo I took of the new Costco muffins at the north Spokane Costco warehouse this past Sunday.

Remember when Coke came out with its new formula in the 1980s? The outcry was so severe that the company pulled the new drink and replaced it with the classic formula. Do I think something similar will happen with Costco muffins? No. But a guy can dream. Don’t Blink.

A Short But Sweet 2024 Christmas Break

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It seems like 2025 is already in full swing and that 2024 is a distant memory. However, I felt like it was necessary for me to reflect on this past holiday season because it was such a joyful time.

But I guess I should mention that even though it was a joyful time, it was also a shorter time. The past couple years I took close to two weeks off because I had that luxury and because someone needed to be with the kids during the full duration of their holiday break. This past break, Beau and Sloan were released from school later than previous years and they left with Sid to South Carolina for the second half of it. Thus, I just took the week of Dec. 23 – Dec. 27 off. However, I made the most of every moment.

When I look back on my 2024 holiday break, I have a few sweet memories that especially stick out. They include staying up late with Beau watching movies, serving with my family as greeters at Christmas Eve mass, playing with my kids as we unpackaged new toys, and enjoying a couple of special meals just the four of us.

Quick photo with the kids after we returned from mass on Christmas Eve.

And even though I didn’t go with Sid and the kids to South Carolina (duty calls at work), driving them out to the airport and still sharing with them that excitement of hopping on a plane to see family made my heart really happy.

Sid, Sloan, and Beau at the Spokane Airport before they boarded a plane for Atlanta (en route to Myrtle Beach).

So besides the truly important aspects of the holiday season that we took to heart (God, family, and thankfulness), I had the opportunity to do some fun things with the kids during that last full week of December. Here are five of them…

Inflatables and Cousins – On Monday (Dec. 23), I met my sister at Jump 4 Joy in Spokane Valley. Miranda brought Mik and John to play with Sloan and Beau inside the indoor inflatable park. While they expended all of their energy, Miranda and I lounged on the facility’s couches and chatted away.

We all had a nice time at Jump 4 Joy in Spokane Valley.

Christmas Movie – On Tuesday, I took Beau and Sloan to the historic Garland Theater for a free showing of the original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie from 1964. It was nostalgic for me as it had been years since I watched it and exciting for the kids who had never seen it before.

Sloan and Beau pose for a photo after watching “Rudolph” at the Garland Theater.

Mall Rats – I enjoy taking the kids to the mall because it is an inexpensive way (if you do it right) to pass some time. Sloan browsed Claire’s for way too long, Beau played on the indoor jungle gym, and we enjoyed all the Christmas decorations. Throughout the week, we made stops at Spokane Valley Mall, Northtown Mall, and River Park Square.

While at the Spokane Valley Mall, we went to WePlay, the facility’s indoor playground.

Libraries – It wouldn’t be a break from school if I didn’t take the kids to the library, right? We hit up both the Spokane Valley County Library and the Spokane Public Library – Central to break up the constant stimuli from the crazy holiday week. Sloan and Beau read books, built Legos, and did crafts.

Beau coming in hot off the slide at the Spokane Public Library – Central. Can you spot Sloan?

Mobius – We made our annual visit to Spokane’s Mobius Children’s Museum on Friday. I love taking the kids here because they are so engaged. Beau, who always gets distracted when we go to trampoline parks and other attractions by the arcade games/food stands/etc., never had his attention span thwarted by what was offered on the museum floor. He interacted with most of the stations and we all had a lot of fun.

Beau living his best life at Mobius.

———————-

It was a blessed holiday break indeed! Thankfully, everyone successfully transitioned back to the school/work grind which is an impressive feat considering I returned them home from the airport late last night. I am appreciative of the memories made and look forward to when we will do it again in December 2025. Don’t Blink.

A New Record! Sloan Reads 600 Books

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Did you know the men and women who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier space their uniform medals at 1/64th of an inch? I didn’t either. Of course, I didn’t know a lot of things before reading 600 books with Sloan in 2024.

Sloan holds “Twenty-One Steps,” the 600th book she read in 2024. She read this book to Beau and me at the Spokane Public Library – Central.

On December 27, 2024, Sloan read her brother and me Twenty-One Steps at the Spokane Public Library – Central to reach her goal. The book, which explained the origin and significance of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, was the culminating story in a year dominated by reading.

Beau reads to Beau her 600th book at the Spokane Public Library – Central

After reading 500 books in 2022 and 500 books in 2023, Sloan became a little brazen at the beginning of 2024. Caught up in the excitement of New Year’s resolutions, Sloan wrote a goal at school to read 600 books during the year. Okay girl, I said, I am going to hold you to it.

And I did 😂.

Sloan made the New Year’s resolution to read 600 books early on in 2024.

What is just an additional 100 books in a year, you ask? Believe it or not, it does increase the nightly reading output more than you think. A few times throughout the course of the year, Sloan had bouts with reading fatigue but for the most part she was committed to reaching the big 6-0-0.

Sloan holds up a couple books she read at Spokane Valley County Library in February 2024.

The lofty goal helped cover her nightly reading homework, scored her Silverwood passes, and continued to improve her reading skills. It also taught her (and me) a lot. In 2024, we transitioned to books that fit her level better. Mature themes (death, divorce, disease, etc.), biographies, historical events, relationships, processes, nature, religion, and culture were all subject matter we consumed over the year. But don’t worry, we had Curious George and Pete the Cat thrown in there as well 😉.

Sloan points to a book she read at the Argonne County Library during the summer of 2024.

We managed the goal like we had in the past. Most of our reading material came from Spokane County Library locations where we would make bi-weekly visits to stock up. We read mostly at night during our infamous Books and Prayers period. We logged the books in the Notes app on my phone. At this point in Sloan’s reading odyssey, everything was pretty routine. However, despite the solid structure, the reading itself still needed to be done. And let me tell you in no uncertain terms: Sloan did the reading.

We logged our books in the Notes app of my phone.

However, things will change in 2025. Sloan and I won’t have a standing nightly date to read books shoulder-to-shoulder together anymore. Instead, she will be released to read independently on her own. She already does this but not with the consistency and structure that will guide the activity this year. My daughter enjoys chapter books—especially the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series—and it is time to allow her to grow with more challenging literature.

The books Sloan is holding here in a photo from early 2024 at Spokane Valley County Library, are now being replaced with books that more accurately reflect Sloan’s reading level.

But don’t worry, ol’ dad won’t be shedding any tears as he is left on the couch without his daughter. Beau will be taking his sister’s spot. In fact, he already has. Well, not her physical spot, but he has joined us for books over the past couple years. However, his undivided attention will be emphasized a bit more this year. I am excited to see the same growth from him that Sloan exhibited during the early years of our reading program.

Keep reading in 2025, friends! If you ever have any book suggestions for Sloan or Beau, please don’t hesitate to send them my way. Don’t Blink.

Oops We Did It Again: Our 2024 #1SE Video

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CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 2024 RESER FAMILY #1SE VIDEO

After you commit to something wholeheartedly on a daily basis over the course of a year, there is a tendency to step back the following year and take a break. After completing the 1 Second Everyday project in 2023, I debated with Sidney about whether I would embark on a second version in 2024.

However, the fruits from my inaugural #1SE year—especially the special moments of debuting the final project to friends and family on Dec. 31—proved too sweet to pass up in 2024. Thus, I made the decision to once again go all-in with #1SE.

It didn’t disappoint.

This is the thumbnail for our 2024 #1SE video.

With a year under my belt, my 2024 project was a little easier than my rookie year. I knew what I was doing, I had learned hacks within the app, and I didn’t put as much stress on myself as I did in 2023. By the time I did it for the second time, the whole process of capturing a one-second video each day seemed much more natural. Basically, it had been ingrained into my daily routine.

But could this second video ever compare to our first one? After all, I mentioned in my year-in-review blog post that my family didn’t do too much in 2024. We stayed in Washington pretty much the whole year. Did that make our #1SE video inferior and boring?

Well, perhaps to you. But for Sidney and me? Hardly.

I highly recommend creating a video using the I Second Everyday app.

The art of a #1SE video isn’t necessarily about exotic sunsets and selfies with Mickey Mouse. Our video turned out just fine with a Spokane rainbow and a Chuck E. Cheese high five 😂. But in all seriousness, #1SE videos can be successful simply if they are mundane yet authentic; basic yet reflective.

Birthdays. Ball games. Baptisms. Board games. Books.

Dances. Dentist visits. Dining out. Diving in the pool. Dressing up.

Family. Festivals. Fair. Faith. Friends.

These ordinary events and things are what filled up our 2024 #1SE. Like I said, nothing too spectacular; nothing too jaw dropping. But when strung together, they tell a story—the Reser family story. And to me, that’s beautiful (but perhaps I am biased).

Like last year, we debuted our video “on the big screen” to those closest to us. My parents watched our 2024 #1SE video on their television and Sidney’s parents got to watch it with Beau and Sloan on theirs. To see my mom and dad tear up for the second straight year as the days flew by on the screen is always touching.

My mom and dad watch the debut of our 2024 #1SE video.

Besides giving my children a piece of media they will always cherish, it is the emotional effect that these videos have on people that make me want to keep doing them. The final product is always just so pure, so genuine, so rewarding.

Which brings me to my last appeal of this post. Just like Jennifer inspired me to do my own #1SE, perhaps I can inspire you to do your own. If you are at all considering doing a 1-Second Everyday video…DO IT!! Trust me, you won’t regret it. Doing a project such as this helps you to appreciate the little things and it allows you to give a gift to your family at the end of the year that is priceless.

This is the ending “day” of our 2024 #1SE video. What a joy it was to make it. I encourage you to join me in making your own #1SE video in 2025.

If you need any extra motivation or have any questions before starting your own #1SE video, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. It is only January 3, you can easily jump on board today and be well on your way to creating something special. Thanks for your interest in the 2024 Reser Family #ISE video and I hope to include your face in our 2025 version. Don’t Blink.

Still Alive in 2025

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Okay guys, this 2025 business is hitting me hard. Yesterday marked a quarter century since I woke up in my bed and realized we all weren’t doomed. Although I had a pretty good idea that Y2K wasn’t going to be the end of us, all the propaganda surrounding the year 2000 proved a lot for an impressionable 13-year-old.

Perhaps an even bigger slap in the face is that if you do the math, 2025 is TWENTY YEARS after 2005 (aka my high school graduation year). It has now been two full decades since I walked across the Spokane Arena stage as a fresh Mead High School graduate.

Ready or not, 2025 is here!

News flash: While I am still very much a Mead High School graduate, I am most definitely not “fresh” anymore.

So, basically, the theme that is prevalent to me as a new year begins is that I am old.

But believe it or not, that is fine with me!

You see, I usually feel a lot of pressure at the beginning of the year. New Year’s resolutions, goals, and the desire to thrive all get into my head. However, as we begin 2025, I don’t seem to be balancing that weight on my shoulders this time around.

Perhaps I am just losing my ambition and drive. However, I like to think that the real reason is that I feel set up for success in 2025. I took a big leap in my career last year and I feel really good with where I am at. Our family is in a solid spot and some promising developments should hit early this month. A lot of opportunities for us to help others and ourselves from a faith-perspective await over the next 52 weeks. So, sorry not sorry, but I didn’t spend Tuesday night, a holiday I find depressing, wallowing in the dumps.

Of course by saying all this, I know I am setting myself up for a year that is anything but successful. Oh well, just trying to be honest. Even if 2025 falls short of my expectations and turns out to be the worst year ever, at least I am well-equipped to handle it. With a supportive wife, loyal friends, and Jesus walking by my side, I will handle surprises the best I can. And like what happened to a man I respected greatly at the end of 2024, terrible surprises do happen.

But again, I am optimistic and excited for 2025. For one, I didn’t spend yesterday vomiting into a toilet like I did on New Year’s Day in 2024. Even though I know that a year is a marathon, not a sprint—and, like last year, even a bad start to a year can’t sabotage the ensuing 364 days (and vice versa)—I am hopeful.

And I hope you are too. Have a blessed 2025. Don’t Blink.

Travis Overton: A Kind and Selfless Leader

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Last night while scrolling social media, a former co-worker of mine at Coastal Carolina University posted a photo of another former CCU colleague with the caption of “love you.” My lack of awareness got the best of me as I just thought it was a silly post commemorating a New Year’s Eve party they were both at. About 15 minutes later, I picked up my phone again and did another scroll. This time I saw photo after photo of this particular colleague from other former co-workers. The shock and sadness hit me hard that Travis Overton had died.

I arrived at Coastal Carolina University in May 2014 and it didn’t take long for me to meet Travis. In fact, we worked closely together. In his capacity as dean of students, he had mastered the microblogging trend of social media that was prevalent at the time. I had the privilege of collaborating with him and other CCU legends such as Jeff Stone and April Betsch as we formed a social media working group to better serve our students. It was a special time to be a Chant as the institution went through an incredible rise unlike one I have ever seen in higher education.

Travis Overton was a special person. This photo is a screenshot from the 2016 holiday video. I was pretty surprised that I didn’t have an actual photo with Travis but you can spot me in the background trying to do a “dance move” in the teal hoodie.

Travis went the same way as CCU during this time: UP. Although he always held a higher position than me from the moment I stepped on campus, Travis had a spectacular ascension into senior administration at Coastal during the middle of my tenure at the university. His talent, work ethic, and charisma were too much for university leaders to overlook. Rightfully, he kept climbing the ladder and served CCU in some very key administrative positions.

By the time I was ready to move on from CCU, Travis was many pay grades ahead of me. However, he never let that gap change the way he treated me. By the time I left Coastal at the beginning of 2020, he still engaged with me the same way he did when we were sitting side-by-side strategizing the Yik Yak takeover we organized in October 2014. There was no ego.

This blurry photo is taken from video (sorry!) so I apologize for the bad quality. But it shows one of our social media meetings from 2014 with Travis seated in the corner. Before Travis entered senior administration, I worked with him a lot.

Speaking of my departure from Coastal, it was at this time that Travis helped me in a way that I will never forget. This brief story I am about to relate is another classic example of what made Travis Overton so respected and beloved.

As happens occasionally in higher ed, bad hires are sometimes made. In 2019, a new vice president for marketing and communications arrived at CCU. Despite high hopes, this particular person made our jobs and lives difficult. When I submitted my resignation to go work for Washington State University, Travis, who oversaw our department, told me to come to him if our department leader gave me any additional grief in the few weeks I had remaining at CCU.

I made it a priority to not reach out to Travis. I didn’t want to bother him with any of my problems as he had much more important university matters to deal with. I held true to this personal pledge as long as I could until a life event occurred…

My wife gave birth prematurely in early February 2020. Beau was sent to the NICU. I was making trips back-and-forth to Florence from Myrtle Beach to be with him. It was one of the scariest and most stressful times of my life. During this period, I needed my department’s approval on something that would make a major difference in my transition from a CCU employee to a non-CCU employee (specific details not important for the story). This approval, which would also help me better communicate to my family out west about Beau’s condition, was withheld. I was basically being played with. 

Despondent and at my wits’ end, I reached out to Travis. He first responded with compassion and empathy. He wanted to know how we were all doing and told me not to worry about the CCU issue. Travis said he would take care of it.

By the time I arrived home to Myrtle Beach that night, I had an email in my inbox stating that I had received approval for my request. An awful ordeal that was causing mounting stress was instantly resolved. Travis’ quick action meant the world to me. I sent a text of appreciation to Travis and he responded in the most humble way.

This was the text Travis sent me after I thanked him for coming to my aid during a very vulnerable time.

My respect for Travis was already permanent, but the way he came to my aid during my most vulnerable time elevated him to a forever special spot in my heart. Even in death, that spot is still reserved for an incredible human being. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Travis Overton. Don’t Blink.

2024: Making Moves

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It was a questionable start. On January 1, I attended mass at St. Paschal Catholic Church. As Fr. Kevin Oiland chanted the Eucharistic prayer, a point in the mass that requires the faithful to be dialed in and reverent, I couldn’t take it anymore. Asking God for his forgiveness, I did the unthinkable and dashed out of the service.

I was sick.

The rest of my New Year’s Day was spent in bed or at the toilet throwing up. It was quite the miserable way to begin 2024 and I couldn’t shake what it might mean for the remaining 365 days (leap year) to follow. I wondered aloud to Sidney: Hopefully this isn’t an omen for the rest of the year…

Thankfully, it wasn’t.

2024 has been a blessed year for our family.

——————

I always say that even-numbered years bring about more change and surprises for my family than odd-numbered years. In 2024, this observation held true once again, at least from a professional standpoint. Duties, habits, commutes, and school drop-off routines were dramatically altered when I accepted the director of marketing position with Eastern Washington University.

But aside from that somewhat major development, the rest of our year was pretty low key. How low key? Consider that our family, at least up through yesterday, didn’t get on an airplane once nor did we visit any other state besides neighboring Idaho. Despite the lack of travel, we still managed to stay busy…

In January, Sloan figured a new way to generate revenue when she lost her first tooth. Speaking of my first-born, the next month Sloan asked me for the third-straight year to be her date at the St. Mary daddy-daughter dance. Also in February, Beau celebrated his fourth birthday with a Bluey-themed party and a few weeks later, Sid and I would present at our first Engaged Encounter retreat. Spring arrived and Beau played t-ball while Sloan hit the soccer field again. A Taylor Swift-themed birthday party for a certain 7-year-old was epically pulled off by Sidney. A new niece arrived in May when my brother and sister-in-law welcomed their first child, Olivia.

In January, Sloan lost her first tooth!

As is typically the case, things sped up during the second half of the year. A trip to Walla Walla to celebrate my aunt’s 60th birthday in June unofficially kicked off our summer. Wedding season also commenced this month as multiple couples Sid and I mentored entered into the sacrament of holy matrimony. Our family made memories volunteering at Hoopfest. In July, Sid’s parents visited from South Carolina and had their stay happily extended due to the CrowdStrike snafu. When the month ended, so did my employment with Washington State University. I would begin at EWU on August 1. After working my first week, we took a family vacation to Leavenworth. The fall was filled with festivals, galas, and birthday parties. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both celebrated with my family but the year is ending in South Carolina as the kids were given a surprise trip to visit “Gami and Dada” in South Carolina.

Sid’s parents visited us in July.

So that is the quick two-paragraph rundown of the events of 2024 but what about the themes? I am glad you asked. I can pinpoint two…

The first theme is emergence. Sid and I “put ourselves out there” by leading retreats and honing our public speaking skills. From a work perspective, taking a higher level job and overseeing more people also took a leap of faith. Sloan’s bravery increased as she became more comfortable in the water and fearless when it came to thrill rides. Beau shook off nerves and competed on his first sports team.

Sidney presenting at the March 1-3 Engaged Encounter weekend while Fr. Pat Kerst and Joe Schroeder look on.

We also faced disruption in 2024. As I mentioned earlier, our solid routines were turned upside down when I changed jobs. Sidney and I pretty much flip-flopped the household/kid duties we championed for the past couple years. It was tough at times but we managed and are now relatively comfortable with our roles. While we faced our own personal disruption, the nation was simultaneously facing its own. The presidential election was bitter and it polarized Americans. I followed the race extremely closely and was shocked when President-Elect Trump cruised to an 86-point Electoral College landslide victory over Kamala Harris.

Taking a job at Eastern Washington University caused some major adjustments to our daily routines and how we care for the kids.

In addition to those two unique themes of 2024, the same three values I highlight every year continued to be key for the Resers…

It all starts with family. With the four of us pretty much staying put this year, we had lots of time to spend together. Our house was a refuge as we spent lots of time reading, baking, and praying inside it. We cheered each other on at sporting events, volunteered together, and explored our Spokane community. A couple road trips resulted in precious bonding and our vacation to Leavenworth provided us with memories we will always hold dear. The Summer Olympics captivated our household and gave us hours of entertainment in which we learned about competition, the world, and pride for our country. Holidays, family dinners, and watch parties for my extended family became a tad more crowded this year. My niece, Olivia, was born in May but don’t worry—my parents had no issue finding extra room to accommodate the Reser family’s newest addition 😂. Sidney’s family also added a new face with nephew Patrick! I couldn’t be happier that Sid and the kids are spending time with him and everyone else in Myrtle Beach as this year comes to a close.

Sloan and Beau meet Olivia for the first time.

When it comes to our faith, it was another solid year. There might not be a greater blessing than sending our kids to the school that is connected to our parish. I’ll tell you what, Jesus was spot on when he lauded the purity of a child’s faith. It seems like each day that Sloan and Beau attend St. Mary School, they come home and teach me something about the bible or saints. Speaking of saints, Sloan was named a Future Saint of the Week in 2024. She also served as a lector, attended Catholic Summer Camp, and spoke of her faith development in the St. Mary promotional video. As a family we made a pilgrimage to the St. Francis of Assisi crèche in Spokane, attended every St. Mary Family Faith Night we could, and served as greeters at mass. Sid and I continued to grow with our Young Adult Catholic group, mentored more engaged couples for marriage, and presented at Engaged Encounter retreats. We celebrated the 13th ordination of Fr. Jeff Lewis, said goodbye to Fr. Kevin Oiland, and collaborated with Fr. Pat Kerst. Although I still continue to ask God every night to increase my faith, I feel I am making progress thanks in large part because of those I have around me.

My brother and I receive a blessing from Fr. David Gaines right outside of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral during Bloomsday 2024.

Because of my supportive family and a strong faith, it allows Sid and me to pursue our careers with zeal. I couldn’t be prouder of the year my wife had with Traveler’s Insurance. She led multiple teams of international customer service employees, helped launch brand new software, participated in the company’s 24-hour Innovation Jam, and added so much to the daily workplace culture. I split my year between two great public Washington higher ed institutions. At WSU, my strategy to revamp our YouTube presence and the effort I led to recognize our system’s top graduating seniors earned award recognition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). I was also proud of the #CougCounties social media campaign I introduced that spanned the state of Washington. At EWU I played a role in our brand evolution, assisted with the launch of our comprehensive fundraising campaign, and produced our holiday video. Over the past 12 months, the accomplishments at both universities were made possible by empowering bosses and talented team members.

Just like at WSU, when I started at EWU, I was connected with some awesome colleagues. This photo is of our film crew for the holiday video (L-R: Luke Kenneally, Sean Nelms, Me, Ginny Baxter).

——————

Wow, have I gone on long enough? I think so. But what do you expect? Like I said in my first blog post of the year, 2024 was an “every four years type of year.” As we lived our busy lives, a slate of 12 months highlighted by an extra day, the Summer Olympics, and a Presidential Election transpired in the background. It was a lot.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year a great one for my family.

As 2024 comes to a close, I am thankful for the many fruits yielded over the past 365 days (with the 366th day coming tomorrow). I am also mindful of the sorrows. Sidney lost her Uncle Tony and although he was mostly out of my family’s picture for the past 23 years, my Uncle Cliff passed away earlier this month. With 2025 almost here, let’s pray for health and peace. Thank you to my readers for an awesome year and I will see you all on the other side of the ball dropping. Don’t Blink.

My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2024

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It is hard to believe that I am about to do this for the 11th time 😱. An idea I hatched in 2014 to highlight some of my favorite entries from the past 12 months eventually became an annual tradition I coin “The Big Blog Post.” At the end of December, I recognize 10 blog posts from the past year that I feel stand out.

But what “stands out”?

Good question! The posts I choose for inclusion in this prestigious list are entries that stand out to me. A spot on the countdown is not earned from analytics, reader comments, or social media reaction. Rather, I curate this list based on posts that exerted special effort in their production and/or ones that I wouldn’t mind reading again 10 years from now.

In 2024 I wrote 187 entries, an output that trumps my previous year’s yield for the fifth consecutive time (2019: 165 posts, 2020: 172 posts, 2021: 173 posts, 2022: 180 posts, 2023: 185 posts). With more blog posts to choose from since 2018, it was a challenging task to signal out just 10.

With that said, I still managed to do it. Here we go…

10. Back In The Office…Literally (October 2) – When you switch jobs, a lot of things change. What an understatement when it came to my most recent career move! Just transitioning from a strategist to a director position was a handful, but there was something else that really took adjusting. You see, I went from a primarily work from home arrangement to an in-person assignment. This blog post was a thoughtful look at what changed with the transition. From the commute to packing lunches to attending meetings, I had to re-acquaint myself with the face-to-face professional world. This post was fun because it resonated with other professionals who were going through the same transition as me and it also highlighted what didn’t change.

I returned to the office on a permanent basis in 2024.

9. Annoying My Front Seat Passenger (April 24) – Sidney and I have different approaches when it comes to operating a motor vehicle. When we are driving solo, to each their own! But when one of us is relegated to the passenger seat? Well, the one not behind the wheel can sometimes get a little annoyed. In this brief blog post, I mention a handful of things I do while driving that irks my #1 front seat passenger. From using the horn to blowing hot air at face level to turning all the appliances off upon reaching our destination, things can get a little tense between the two of us. This post made the countdown because I genuinely enjoyed writing it and mostly because I think other couples can relate. Speaking of driving, toward the end 2023 I received a speeding ticket. In 2024 I took a driver safety course to get the infraction removed from my driving record. During that class, I learned a lot. Buckle up everyone!

Sidney isn’t always smiling when she is driving with me. I explained why in one of my top posts from 2024.

8. Our Leavenworth Summer Vacation (August 11) – How can you deny a blog post filled with so much happiness a spot on this countdown? Well, you can’t. In August, my family traveled to Leavenworth for the first time to enjoy several sunny days in the Bavarian-themed town. The post covered 10 themes from the trip that ranged from big picture to mundane. But it is perhaps those “mundane” themes (i.e. family time in hotel room) I pinpoint that brought the most joy to a fabulous vacation.

We had an amazing time in Leavenworth.

7. Managing A Hall of Famer (September 23) – Earlier this year, Monte from the University of Montana was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. This accomplishment was noteworthy to me because I managed the popular grizzly bear during my first job in higher education. More than 10 years after I left the UM Athletics Department, I was able to reflect on my time as Monte’s boss and share some of the behind-the-scenes triumphs and struggles from overseeing a highly touted mascot program. This post connected me with past Monte performers (both before and after my time at UM) who appreciated my perspective.

I wrote about what it entailed to manage a hall of fame mascot in one of my top posts of 2024.

6. Hoopfest 2024: All About Family (July 1) – How special is Hoopfest? My post related to the event in 2023 took the top spot in that year’s countdown and my 2022 post—surprise—ranked sixth…just like this one. There is just something special about the camaraderie that develops over a Hoopfest weekend and it was definitely evident again at this year’s tournament. For the first time since 2015, I was a court monitor. Just like that tourney nine years ago, Sidney was once again at my side to keep score. But I had some additional “helpers” this year. Sloan joined us for the whole weekend and Beau tagged along on Sunday. This post captured how special it was to have my entire family volunteering for an event that is dear to my heart. I sure was happy to document the relationships we made with the teams assigned to my court and the fun we had when I wasn’t monitoring the action.

Hoopfest 2024 was such an awesome weekend! My family and I volunteered together to make the event better.

5. Presenting With My Wife At Engaged Encounter (March 4) – In 2024, my wife and I completed a couples goal. After preparing for eight months, we worked together to deliver numerous presentations over the course of a weekend. We did this through Engaged Encounter, a Catholic ministry program for engaged couples that culminates in weekend retreats. As a “presenting couple,” Sid and I offered six presentations dealing with marital cornerstones to 13 engaged couples. This blog post addresses the preparation, teamwork, community, and faith that characterized our blessed experience. In fact, after reading this entry, it will probably come as no surprise that we ended up presenting at the May Engaged Encounter retreat as well.

Sidney presenting at the March 1-3 Engaged Encounter weekend while Fr. Pat Kerst and Joe Schroeder look on.

4. 2024 EWU Holiday Video: Leveraging the Brand (December 9) – At one point earlier this month, I mentioned to someone that I had served as marketing director at Eastern Washington University for 4.5 months. They responded by saying it must feel like 4.5 years! Indeed, I became an Eagle at a very busy time. Among other things, I helped with our brand evolution launch and the kickoff of the public phase of our fundraising campaign. But perhaps nothing was as fun (and taxing) as embracing producer responsibilities for our 2024 holiday video. In this post I detailed the pressure of creating a higher ed holiday video but also the joy of working with my team members on something that proved to be very popular. In the end, our strategy to use our holiday video to leverage our brand positioning turned out to be the perfect call.

A celebratory photo of our crew after filming wrapped on November 6 (L-R: Luke Kenneally, Sean Nelms, Me, Ginny Baxter).

3. Most Rewarding Video (January 2) – From a holiday video to a cherished personal video! In 2023, I set a goal to create a 1 Second Everyday video. After sitting on the sidelines for years and watching other people do it, I finally put in the effort myself and it was 100% worth it. In this blog post, I wrote about my inspiration for doing it. I was frank about the challenges and intricacies of undertaking such an ambitious project. I also addressed the beautiful result and how I shared it with my family and friends. At the same time, I also encouraged others to not take as long as I did to attempt #1SE. I truly believe this blog post is a great testament to the charm of #ISE and there is no doubt that my enthusiasm shines through. To watch my 2023 video, tap here.

Our Reser Family #1SE is a little over 6 minutes long and can be viewed on YouTube.

2. My Top 10 Favorite Moments Working For Washington State University (July 23) – When I left WSU in July of this year, I commemorated my time as a Coug extensively through this blog. I detailed the main theme during my employment at WSU (expect the unexpected) and I also gave a heartfelt thanks to all my colleagues who made my time on the Palouse such a pleasure. But my favorite “goodbye” piece was a list that counted down my top 10 WSU moments. Just like choosing my top 10 blog posts is difficult, identifying my top Coug moments was certainly a challenge. Even though I had done a similar exercise when I left the University of Montana and Coastal Carolina University, narrowing down those special moments never gets easier. With that said, once my list was finalized and published, I couldn’t have been more happy and proud of my time at WSU.

Working at WSU was a pleasure and the top 10 moments I enjoyed during my tenure as a Coug prove that.

1. Thirty Years of Fun (September 18) – Perhaps this wasn’t the #1 blog post you had on your bingo card, but like I mentioned, this list isn’t determined by most views. This particular post just meant a lot to me. In 1994, my family installed a basketball goal in our driveway and when the 30th anniversary rolled around this September, the hoop was still standing strong. By that time, a new generation had laid claim to the Reser family landmark— my kids and my sister’s kids. I can’t overstate the importance of the hoop to the street I grew up on nor can I even imagine how many baskets have went through the cylinder. This blog post traced the history, detailed the antics, and explained the competitive spirit that epitomized “Reser Court.” Throughout the entry, photos are featured that range from the hoop’s beginning to its heyday to its current peaceful existence as a refuge for young grand kids. In one photo, Beau is shown placing his hand in the hand print I made 30 years ago when the hoop was installed. I like to think the words and images collaborate to bring to life a blog post that will hold a special place not just in the hearts of my family but all people who know the magic that can happen on an ordinary driveway.

My family stands underneath the basketball hoop we installed in 1994. The entry I wrote to commemorate its 30th anniversary is my top post of 2024.

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That will do it for this year’s countdown. I humbly thank you for your interest in Don’t Blink and the results of this specific post. Although I make a big deal about the control I reserve over these rankings, I would still love feedback about whether your favorite post made the final cut. Once again, I appreciate your dedicated readership. Don’t Blink.

Past Annual Top Blog Post Entries
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2023
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2022
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2021
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2020
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2019
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2018
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2017
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2016
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2015
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2014

Magic At Old World Christmas

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Our family found a Christmas treasure this year. Tucked away off Sprague in an industrial part of East Central Spokane is a warehouse called Old World Christmas. As you can imagine, there is all kinds of magic inside.

There is a lot of Christmas goodness inside this warehouse.

It’s a pretty cool story. Old World Christmas is actually a company with a worldwide reach that produces glass ornaments and ships them to giddy customers on all corners of the globe. It also so happens that Old World Christmas is headquartered in Spokane. And when the company isn’t shipping ornaments thousands and thousands of miles away, they are offering their overstocked ornaments to locals at a heavily discounted price.

Sloan browses inside Old World Christmas in Spokane.

Twice per year, Old World Christmas opens its warehouse retail store to the general public. The schedule almost reminds me of Willy Wonka occasionally opening his chocolate factory 😂. You can go in the middle of summer for “Christmas in July” or you can go from mid-October through Dec. 23. When you walk through the doors, you enter a Christmas oasis with beautifully decorated trees and bin after bin of reduced-priced ornaments.

Beau browsing the Old World Christmas inventory.

We made our first trip to Old World Christmas during Thanksgiving weekend. In fact, many other families did too. Thanks to an in-depth feature in the Spokesman-Review, the hidden gem was made known to a larger audience of us living in Spokane.

At Old World Christmas, you can search in the bins for ornaments or you can just take them off the trees.

Overstocked, outdated, and chipped ornaments find their way to the Old World Christmas retail store. Many are priced at 70% off their original value. Most of them you can’t tell why they landed in the shop. The variety is insane: fruits, vegetables, beverages, household items, hand sanitizer, automobiles, animals, famous people, candy bars, and so much more are available in ornament-form at a cheap price.

A look at how Old World Christmas ornaments are priced. They are tons of $1 and $2 ornaments too!

My favorite section? The sports teams! Old World Christmas boasts bin after bin of MLB, NFL, NBA, and college ornaments. If you need a unique gift for the sports fan on your list, you know where to go!

They have all kinds of sports team ornaments at Old World Christmas.

During our first trip to Old World Christmas, I let both Sloan and Beau pick something out. Sloan chose a Taylor Swift-themed ornament while Beau opted for a mushroom. When we returned this past weekend, Sloan picked out a “World’s Best Teacher” ornament for Mrs. DeRuyter. I plan to make a Thanksgiving weekend pilgrimage to Old World Christmas an annual tradition for the kids where they can pick out an ornament. I can’t wait to see their collections grow over the years.

Sloan looks at a Snickers ornament found inside Old World Christmas.

If you are looking for a festive activity in the remaining days before we celebrate our Lord’s birth, venture over to Old World Christmas located at 4007 E. Main Ave. Don’t Blink.