Tag Archives: Hoopfest

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.

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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).

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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

Returning As a Court Monitor For Hoopfest 2024

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Alright, can we just get through the next 24 hours as quickly as possible? I have Hoopfest fever and am stoked to return as a court monitor to the best and biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world.

Last night I went downtown to pick up my court monitor gear and court assignment. The forest green t-shirts are nice and the purple basketball really pops. Although I am a little puzzled about why the shorts don’t have pockets, I am thankful for anything free. The coveted shoes are now handed out after the tournament to encourage volunteers to actually show up instead of swiping the shoes and sleeping in.

I am excited to return as a court monitor for Hoopfest 2024.

As for my court assignment? Ah man, you are going to love this: This Coug is on a University of Idaho-sponsored court 😂. But it’s all good because my court location is awesome—right in the middle of the action at Spokane Falls Boulevard and Howard. I am overseeing an adult male 8-team bracket. That means my Saturday will be over after the 12:30 p.m. game giving me time to catch afternoon action featuring my friends and family.

This year’s ball definitely pops!

Speaking of family, I will have my wife and daughter helping me this weekend. Sidney is my scorekeeper and Sloan is my assistant scorekeeper. This Reser trio will make sure our court is in good hands.

This is my bracket. Come see me!

There is nothing like Hoopfest weekend. If you have never experienced it before, make it happen tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous! If you do find yourself walking the downtown streets, don’t hesitate to stop by and say “hi.” Please pray for a safe and healthy event for all involved. Don’t Blink.

Summer 2023

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We are more than halfway through September and Labor Day seems like a distant memory so please forgive me if I bring up an outdated word: Summer.

Ah yes, Summer 😎. Because things have been rather busy around the Reser household I neglected to recap Summer 2023 in a more timely manner. I hope you can forgive me. If I do have your pardon, I figured I would rewind the awesome summer the four of us had by listing 10 themes/events from the season. In no particular order (except maybe the first item), here we go…

New Home – At the very beginning of August, we moved into our new house. This major development was felt the entire summer as we packed up our old house during both June and July. After we moved all our belongings into our new abode, it took the rest of August (and beyond) to unpack.

This is our new home by D.R. Horton.

Godparents! – In the middle of June, Sidney and I became Godparents for the first time. We were honored and blessed when our good friends, Ryan and Allyson Andrade, asked us to be the godmother and godfather of their sweet little boy, Noble.

Sidney and I became godparents to Noble Andrade. Fr. Jeff Lewis of St. Mary Catholic Church in the Spokane Valley performed the baptism. Noble is the son of Ryan and Allyson Andrade (photo courtesy of Rachael and Josh Photography).

Hoopfest – A highlight of the summer was definitely competing in Hoopfest! I played on a St. Mary team that under the guidance of Fr. Jeff Lewis managed to make it to the championship game. It was a wonderful bonding experience with my teammates and we all appreciated the chance our children had to be part of it.

I felt like our team overachieved in a pretty competitive bracket. People in this photo include (from l-r) JJ Nazzaro, Amy Martin, Fr. Jeff Lewis, me, and Ryan Andrade.

Weddings – It was such a blessing to attend three weddings at St. Mary this summer. Two of the weddings were for couples that Sidney and I mentored through Pre-Cana. The other couple, Dylan and Fidela, are our friends and former neighbors from our Young Adult Catholic group.

We had the blessing of attending three beautiful weddings this summer.

Extended Fourth of July Weekend – With the Fourth of July on a Tuesday, it set up the opportunity to take a nice four-day weekend. During that time we had a picnic in Riverfront Park, went to the aquatic center, watched the debut of a friend’s band, saw big cats up close at Cat Tales, and more. Independence Day itself was a treat as we sipped gourmet sodas, enjoyed a cookout at my parents, and then watched fireworks with friends at Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake.

Sidney watches the fireworks at Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake on the Fourth of July.

Vacation – For vacation we headed to the west side of the state. We spent one night in Seattle where we watched a Mariners game and then spent several days in beautiful Seabrook. It was great to get up close and personal with the Pacific Ocean.

What a fantastic vacation it was. We took our photo at Seabrook’s signature oversized chair.

Summer Reading – All the fun we had outdoors didn’t stop us from hitting the books. Sloan and Beau participated in the Spokane County Library’s summer reading program. They logged nearly 20 hours of reading over the summer and although they didn’t win any of the drawings we sure read some memorable stories.

Sloan posing with a couple of the books we read this summer.

Fun in the Water – We didn’t meet a pool we didn’t like this summer. Scorching temperatures made the decision easy to cool off at both public and private swimming pools. Sloan is a little fish while Beau is still pretty anxious.

Just some of the pools that the kids swam in this summer.

Labor Day Getaway – We spent the traditional end-of-summer Labor Day weekend in Missoula. The kids enjoyed their first taste of Montana as they attended a Griz football game, ate Big Dipper ice cream, spent time downtown, and hiked The M.

Our family inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium prior to the University of Montana vs. Butler football game on September 2, 2023.

Pickleball – We picked up a new sport/activity this summer. Our new neighborhood has a pickleball court so we naturally purchased some paddles and balls. It has been fun to compete against Sidney while also watching Sloan pick up the game.

Sloan loves pickleball already!

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It was a memorable summer for sure! Thanks to everyone who played a role in making it so much fun, especially my wife and children. Although it is always sad to see summer go, it is hard to dwell on it when your autumn is already off to a busy and exciting start. Don’t Blink.

Summer Honey Thursday Rundown

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Before I address the present, let me quickly look back on the past. The month of May in Spokane was gorgeous! In terms of weather, I don’t know if I remember a nicer May at any other time in my life. Alright, as we hop into my latest Thursday Rundown, let’s hope the perfect temperatures and sunny skies continue in June…

Ready For June – Speaking of June, this month is going to be bananas (in a good way)! Weddings, business trips, special visitors, end-of-school, Hoopfest, Catholic Summer Camp, and much more await our family. I don’t necessarily know if that means I will have even more to write about or if it means I will be writing less because we will be so busy but please stick around to find out.

My team will look a little different this year, but I will be back on the streets of Spokane later this month for my second consecutive Hoopfest.

Chicks – Last week, one of Beau’s daycare teachers brought in some of her chicks for the kids to hold. The pictures turned out so cute but I was drawn to something profound the teacher said when writing about how the kids reacted to the animals: They were incredibly loving and gentle toward the chicks. It was so much fun and made my heart so warm to see these children with something smaller and more delicate than even they are. That last sentence made me feel a special type of way.

Beau holding a chick that was brought to daycare last week.

Sign of Summer – That familiar tune could be heard in our neighborhood last night as the ice cream truck went up and down our streets for the first time this season. Of course Sloan couldn’t resist as she got a Jelly Belly-branded snow cone. The driver made every indication that she will be back so I will have to lay down some limitations on how many times we are going to give her our business this year…moderation is key. Believe it or not, a half decade ago I wrote about my top five favorite ice cream truck treats.

Sloan and her friends look at the ice cream truck’s menu.

Beer Purchase – In my previous Thursday Rundown, I mentioned that even though I had a Total Wine gift card it would definitely not be used on wine. Instead, I was excited to spend it on the large inventory of beer that the chain carries. After much deliberation last Saturday, I splurged on Summer Honey, a seasonal ale made by Missoula’s own Big Sky Brewing Co. When I lived in Montana this was a favorite brew of mine and when I cracked open a can several days ago it sure tasted like summer.

I love the Summer Honey cans! I enjoyed this in our backyard over the Memorial Day weekend.

Beef – I recently concluded watching the Netflix series “Beef.” I found the 10 episodes to be entertaining and clever. The series revolves around a single event at the very beginning of the first episode that ultimately intertwines two unlikely characters in an out of control rivalry. The show is meant to be funny but it deals with some very heavy themes. I thought the character development was great and if you have already watched “Beef” you might agree or disagree with me that cousin Isaac was the funniest and most engaging member of the cast. A good thing about “Beef” is that it is extremely easy to watch/follow and episodes are usually only 34 minutes long.

I thought “Beef” was a pretty decent show.

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Have a good June, everyone. Please pray for our friends Dylan and Fidela as they get married this weekend. We can’t wait to watch them enter into holy matrimony on Saturday. Don’t Blink.

2022: Bittersweet

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Reflecting on 2022, I categorize it as a bittersweet year. And I think for the purposes of this blog post, I need to start with the bitter portion for a few different reasons. 1. Bitter comes first in the word. 2. It is good to get the bad out of the way first. 3. The “bitter” of 2022 came at the beginning of the year for us.

So, let me be candid. In January, our family battled COVID. Later that month, as we started to regain our health, we received the devastating and unexpected news that my Aunt Nancy died. Those two events, including their ripple effects and a few other unfortunate developments, kind of put the writing on the wall that 2022 probably wouldn’t be our year. However, we persevered and ended up salvaging what seemed like a doomed 52 weeks.

My Aunt Nancy’s death in January kind of got 2022 off to a rough start.

After we made it through February, things started to look up. We found ourselves in Lent and I think that period of reflection and fasting was just what we needed. A joyous Easter followed and then many good times ensued. Sloan and her cousin, Johnny, played an entertaining t-ball season that brought my family together a couple times per week in the spring. Summer then arrived and our kids were outside every day playing with the neighbor children in our cul-de-sac. Fall brought a lot of change as Sloan started kindergarten, Sid returned to work, and Beau got his first taste of daycare. Now, as we conclude 2022, winter made its appearance in a rather grand way with subzero temperatures and plenty of snow. But this arctic weather can’t freeze the love and thankfulness we have in our hearts.

Sloan enjoyed a successful t-ball season in 2022.

I think our theme of the year might be improvement. I took New Year’s resolutions seriously in 2022 and pledged to become a more competent cook and consistent reader. Sidney will tell you I improved dramatically in the kitchen. As for reading more, a subscription to our local newspaper and the completion of many novels covered that goal. Sloan made and followed through with Lenten intentions, an amazing and admirable task for a 5-year-old. Sid set a goal to return to work in late 2022 and ended up landing the perfect job.

It was fun to read a lot in 2022. I polished off numerous novels throughout the year.

Speaking of that job, it brings us to the second theme of the year—transition. After 2.5 years as a stay-at-home mom, Sid re-entered the workforce in a new career. She accepted a position with Traveler’s Insurance this past fall. Between the job offer and her first day of work, we spent time setting up the infrastructure needed for a dual-career family. This meant enrolling Beau in daycare, purchasing a second car, creating enough “office space” in our home, and synchronizing schedules. Yes, it was a little stressful, but now we are a well-oiled machine pursuing our respective professions while our kids are thriving at their own pursuits.

We enrolled Beau at St. Paschal’s EduCare in Spokane Valley and he loves it!

On the lighter side of things, the third unique theme of the year was recreation. With COVID no longer canceling races and preventing groups from gathering, we made up for lost time. As mentioned, Sloan was an MVP on the t-ball diamond. I participated in two Spokane signature events—Bloomsday and Hoopfest. Sid and I played on our Young Adult Catholic softball team and messed around and played some flag football. I braved an icy course to run a turkey trot 5K. And, of course, Sid and I maintained our daily workouts at Snap Fitness.

On May 1, 2022, I ran Bloomsday after more than 20 years elapsed since I last participated in the event.

Although the above three themes were new this year, the same three values I touch on every year were more relevant than ever…

It sure was a great year to belong to a strong, supportive family. My Aunt Nancy’s death brought the extended Reser family together under less-than-ideal circumstances, but the way we supported each other could not have made me prouder to be a Reser. Throughout the course of the year, we had so many fun times with my parents, siblings, and their families—cookouts, holidays, games, and special occasions never get old. Sidney’s parents visited us in April and her mom returned in November to help with the transition. Finally, our nuclear family stood strong this year. Our “Fab Four” battled sickness together, enjoyed many meals at Red Robin, read 500 bedtime books, bounced at Spokane’s best trampoline parks, and so much more. We visited Charlotte, Dallas, Walla Walla, and the North Pole. Sidney and I made additional trips to Hawaii and Montana. With Sloan growing emotionally and Beau developing conceptually, the overall love in our household grew.

We had many memorable family moments in 2022.

When things seem dicey, especially at the beginning of the year, there was no better way to catch some respite than by turning to God. In 2022, we continued to grow in our faith by doing tangible things to nurture it. Sidney and I joined two ministries together, both marriage-related. We became mentors to engaged couples on track to enter the sacrament of holy matrimony and we joined a somewhat similar ministry called Engaged Encounter. The latter is an organization at the diocesan level that holds weekend retreats for engaged couples. Additionally, Sidney taught Catholic Summer Camp and I joined the St. Mary’s men’s group. Our Young Catholic Adult group thrived as our numbers grew exponentially and we became busier than ever. Whether it was attending our bi-weekly meetings, hosting the bishop for dinner, or playing softball (among other things) it was a blessed year for our tight-knit group.

Our Young Adult Catholic group surrounds Bishop Thomas Daly (center, with hands in pockets). Also pictured is Fr. Jeff Lewis (back row, tallest person in photo), the leader of our Young Adult group and the man responsible for making our visit with the Bishop happen.

Career-wise, you already know about Sid’s successes. As for me? It was the year that a digital marketer like myself moved from behind the screen to in front of it. Our social media and digital triumphs landed me some speaking engagements. I presented to the WSU President’s Cabinet, I spoke at our internal marketers and communicators conference, and I traveled to the Washington D.C. area to present with a few of my colleagues at the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed. I had the opportunity to lead our social media strategy when it came to big-time collaborations with companies like Boeing and SEL. Our savvy EM marketing director allowed me to assist with new digital strategies as we aimed to reach prospective students. Our social media program earned a top 25 ranking out of 300+ schools. Other small victories came along that would not have been possible without the talented team I work for.

I had numerous speaking engagements in 2022, but none more important than my presentation with colleagues at the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed.

But you know what I count as the biggest “success” of my job? That at the end of the day, that is what it is—a job. My boss is adamant about a healthy work-life balance and if it wasn’t for that grace, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate as much on the family and faith components that are the utmost importance to me. So, as I close the door on 2022, I do so with gratitude. The year wasn’t smooth sailing, but at least I had the blessing and support to navigate through it while concentrating on the important things.

The years always turn out great because I share them with these three (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photos).

Sidney, Sloan, and Beau…you three are the best! Let’s make 2023 great. Don’t Blink.

Our Hoopfest 2022 Experience

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The dust has settled and Hoopfest 2022 is over. If you read my blog post on Friday, I mentioned that I didn’t particularly like our chances to make a deep tournament run. Well, I can report that the Reser Puffs ended up finishing in sixth place.

Out of six teams. 😂

Although we failed to win a game we sure had fun.

We failed to make it into the win column this past weekend. That’s not to say the games weren’t close. We actually surprised ourselves by being competitive. We lost our Saturday games by scores of 17-14 and 20-13. Our Sunday morning game was even tighter as we fell in overtime, 17-15. That final contest was especially agonizing to lose as we wanted to make it over the hump and take home those consolation champion t-shirts. But it wasn’t meant to be.

And that’s okay.

It’s okay because it was never our goal to win a championship or even a game in the first place. Rather, we were more focused on making family memories and taking part in an incredible community event. Check and check.

Even doing little things like taking the bus downtown with my family was something that made Hoopfest memorable.

Playing with my brother, sister, and sister-in-law was an awesome experience. It means so much when you are competing with family. Being out in the heat together trying to make baskets and doing our other family members proud was a bonding experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.

To play in front of our children was something we didn’t take for granted.

But it wasn’t just the actual action on the court that was so rewarding. For the past few weeks, the four of us had our own text message group where we would hype ourselves up, share weather reports, and iron out details. The excitement and camaraderie we shared was special. We went together to pick up our Hoopfest packets on Thursday and on Saturday night we had an epic Reser Puffs BBQ at our house. On Sunday morning, after we were eliminated, we ordered a round of beers at a downtown restaurant. The tournament brought us together for an extended period of time and we loved every minute of it.

The Hoopfest experience extended far past the action that took place on the court. Our team BBQ on Saturday night was relaxing and a lot of fun.

Hoopfest is an amazing event and I am honored that I had the opportunity to take part in it. Seven years removed from being part of the event and 15 years from actually playing in it gave me renewed appreciation for how unique this tourney truly is. To be one of the 14,000 people shooting jumpers on the downtown Spokane pavement this past weekend was a true pleasure.

The four of us after our final game on Sunday. I really enjoyed playing with Miranda, Glen, and Carrie.

Thanks to Glen, Carrie, and Miranda for playing with me this weekend. Thanks to my wife, my kids, parents, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew for watching us. Thanks to the teams who played us (all great sports) and our court monitor (Keith Miner) who ran a smooth bracket. The soreness I feel throughout my body and the massive blister on my foot were all totally worth it. I am already excited for Hoopfest 2023. Don’t Blink.

Here Come the Reser Puffs

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This could get brutal. Exactly 15 years since I last played Hoopfest, I am lacing up the sneakers to play in the tournament again. You might be asking, why the hell would you do that to yourself? Well, my brother asked me to…which leads to another level of insanity…

For the first time ever, I am playing in the family bracket. To balance out the testosterone of my brother and I, we will be joined by my sister-in-law (Glen’s wife) and my sister. Oh, boy. The Resers are in no way known for their basketball prowess. In fact, some of us have very little experience just dribbling a basketball. This could get interesting to say the least.

I went with Glen and my sister-in-law, Carrie, to pick up our Hoopfest packet on Thursday night and I snapped this photo of them at team check-in.

But no matter how bad we are, I am still really excited to play for several reasons…

1. I have never been on a team with my siblings in any type of organized competition before so this will be unique and fun.
2. The weather is going to be beautiful.
3. I will complete the Spokane trifecta of Bloomsday, the Lilac Parade, and Hoopfest.
4. My wife and kids will be cheering me on.
5. Nothing beats the atmosphere of downtown Spokane during Hoopfest weekend.

This is what the 2022 Hoopfest player t-shirt looks like.

Now, if you want to watch some comedy, you are more than welcome to watch the Reser Puffs play this weekend (yes, we are called the Reser Puffs). We are playing right in front of P.F. Changs on Main and Post on the F5 Networks #5 court. If you are crazy and want some bad basketball to start your day, you can catch our first game tomorrow at 8 a.m. Feel free to track us on the Hoopfest app, just simply go to the loser’s bracket.

When we went downtown to pick up our packets yesterday, not only did we see the location of our court but we saw the actual backboard as well.

What an opportunity to do something fun with my favorite people! My court monitor tenure was a great experience but I am ready to switch sides again. Watch out Spokane, here come the Reser Puffs. Don’t Blink.

Summer Is Here Thursday Rundown

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Summer is here! With the official first day of the season this past Tuesday, the weather has definitely reflected it. We have avoided the brutal heat wave that has hit a large portion of the country and enjoyed extremely pleasant temperatures. Let’s get started with the Thursday Rundown…

Throwback to 2007 – I decided to squeeze in a #TBT for this blog post for a particular reason. This photo is of me playing in Hoopfest the last time I competed as a player. Although I volunteered for Hoopfest for several years after the 2007 event, I have not hooped it up myself for 15 years. That streak will end on Saturday but more on that tomorrow.

This was me playing in my last Hoopfest in 2007.

Funny Answers – If you have a child, most likely they have filled out a form about you like the one below. It is almost a rite of passage for parenthood and sometimes the answers can get pretty wild. I would say Sloan was rather tame with what “she” (her teacher) wrote below. I will give her a special dessert or something for saying that I am 16 years old.

Sloan filled out this form for me. It was good for a Father’s Day laugh.

It’s Summer – Last night I took the kids to Discovery Park in Spokane Valley. They immediately gravitated toward the splash pad. The parks in both Spokane and Spokane Valley boast these impressive water attractions. Last summer I wrote about the mystique of splash pads and included photos of some of the best ones we have visited in the area. If you live in Spokane and have kids who would like a fun option to cool off during the summer, this blog post is a must-read.

This was Beau last night at the Discovery Park splash pad.

Coffee Shops Unite – The espresso stand that is just a couple minutes from our house suffered a traumatic experience yesterday. Its truck was stolen! Th owners of Swell Coffee woke up on Wednesday morning to find out that their branded truck had vanished. It was about 10 hours of anguish before law enforcement tracked down the vehicle 49 miles away in Smelterville, Idaho. The carjacker fled the truck when pulled over. What I thought was really cool about the whole thing was that the million other coffee shops in the Spokane area expressed their relief on Instagram that their competitor’s vehicle was found…pretty classy!

A photo of the Swell Coffee owner with his truck after it was located in Idaho on Wednesday evening.

The Proposal – It was seven years ago on this date that I proposed to Sid (she said “yes”). I popped the question on the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk, the location of our first date. My wife always tells the story about how I inhaled my dinner at the restaurant we ate at prior to the big moment. She just could not figure out why I was in such a hurry. The truth was that we were losing daylight after our food took way longer to arrive than expected. The photographer taking photos of the event needed me to get Sidney to the proposal location before it got too dark. If you want the long story, tap here.

That magic moment.

———————

Thanks for stopping by tonight. I will be back tomorrow with a rare Friday blog post. Until then, enjoy summer! Don’t Blink.

Going Back to My Roots

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I am enjoying my vacation out west immensely but I would be lying if I said it doesn’t feel weird not writing five times a week. With a hectic schedule the past several days, I have not posted at the typical rate that many of my readers expect. Hopefully you can forgive me.

I did want to update you on a couple fun ventures I have embarked on over the last week. First of all, I completed my seventh year as a court monitor this past weekend for Spokane’s Hoopfest. While all the locals complained about the 100+ degree heat as they pretty much melted on the asphalt, I was doing my thing while saying “What’s the big deal?” The Southern humidity conditioned me well and I had no problem staying out in the extreme conditions for ten straight hours on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday.

As for my court, I must say from top to bottom it was the most talented bracket I had ever officiated. With the high talent level came high competitive juices. Two fights broke out under my watch throughout the weekend. At the end of the game that contained the second fight, the instigator, who was a huge bald man with a goatee stood on top of the curb and yelled at me. With his already intimidating presence magnified by the few extra inches given to him by where he stood, it was a nerve-wracking experience. Luckily the Hoopfest rapid response team was right there to keep me safe.

Me meeting with two of the teams in my bracket prior to the game.

Me meeting with two of the teams in my bracket prior to the game.

A couple personal memories from Hoopfest 2015 will be forever documented thanks to media coverage. KXLY, a local news station in Spokane, did a story about Sidney and I traveling so far to volunteer. To view Grace Ditzler’s report, click here. Also, a team in my bracket was composed completely of homeless gentlemen. KXLY was also on hand to tell that story. To view that report, click here. This past weekend was awesome and I owe a big thank you to Sidney, my mom, and my dad for all taking turns keeping score for me.

Just doing my job during Hoopfest 2015.

Just doing my job during Hoopfest 2015.

Yesterday, Sidney and I made the drive to Missoula, Montana. Driving over the two passes, it was Sidney’s first time ever seeing real mountains. Making the trip to Missoula was important to me because after 15 months since setting foot in the city, I wanted to go back to the place that gave me so much.

We arrived in Missoula at around 10:30 a.m. and went right to the University of Montana campus. Sidney and I walked straight to the Adams Center so I could say hi to all my former colleagues in the athletic department. It was nice chatting with these people who I worked so closely with over the span of five years. It was especially humbling that Kent Haslam, Montana’s athletic director, took time out of his day to talk with me for about 15 minutes.

After visiting with Grizzly Athletics, Sidney and I went outside and met Dan, one of my very best friends from my college years. We walked around the campus and then enjoyed lunch at the Press Box. From there we hit up the mall where we met another friend and then we ventured over to a bowling alley. Dan dominated Sidney and I over the course of three games in the outdated, empty building. Mad that he crushed us so bad, I dropped Dan off at his car and he made the trip back to Kalispell (thanks for making the day trip to see us, Dan).

We enjoyed walking around the beautiful University of Montana campus.

We enjoyed walking around the beautiful University of Montana campus.

After checking in at our hotel, we met up for drinks with my great friend Pete at a new place in Missoula called the Thomas Meagher Bar. After some great conversation, Sid and I went to one of my favorite places in the city, the Iron Horse, to meet Shaun Rainey, his wife Britt, and their new son Brandon for dinner. We had a delightful time catching up and sharing a few laughs. From there I took Sidney around downtown Missoula where we made a few stops at some of the city’s famous watering holes. We returned to Spokane early this morning.

Shaun and I in the photo on top, Pete and I in the photo in the bottom left corner, and a view of the scenery on the drive back.

Shaun and I in the photo on top, Pete and I in the photo in the bottom left corner, and a view of the scenery on the drive back.

I am excited for the next couple days. While I enjoyed the hectic-nature of the past week, I am looking forward to just relaxing around the house for the next 48 hours. I plan to use every minute to enjoy myself and re-charge. Come Friday we will be traveling again on what will be a very busy few days.

Hope the month of June was a great one for you. As always, it was awesome for me. In a blog post at the start of the month, I mentioned how June of 2015 was going to be a special one for me…you would say my prediction was spot on, right? Don’t Blink.