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2025: Stepping Up

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About three weeks ago, I sat down on the couch with the kids prior to school. Usually things are hectic in the morning and I don’t get the chance to hang with them before loading up the car.

I asked Sloan and Beau a question: What is a leader?

“The person who stands at the front of the line,” my son responded.

Hmmm. Not exactly what I was going for.

“Someone who sets an example and shows people how to do things,” Sloan said, before adding, “And brings others closer to God.”

In 2025, the themes of leadership and prioritization emerged (photo taken by Nicole Lynn Photography).

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It has been a good year. As I write in every one of these annual entries, even-numbered years always bring change and disruption to our family while odd-numbered years usually bring more consistency. This pattern once again held true as 2025—although busy and adventurous—didn’t pack life changes or any “rug pulled from under us” moments.

Our 2025 didn’t pack too many surprises…which isn’t a bad thing.

It was a busy 12 months for our family. Compared to last year, we boarded more planes, embarked on more trips, played more sports, and even lost more teeth. Let’s see if I can summarize 2025 in two paragraphs…

Usually, for us, the first half of the year is mellower than the second half. Don’t know if that was the case in 2025. The year started in South Carolina with Sidney’s family. Once back west, Sid celebrated her 33rd birthday at the end of January and Beau marked his “golden” birthday (5 years old) in early February. During this latter month, Sloan asked me to be her date to the Daddy/Daughter dance and she won a Taylor Swift trivia competition. Speaking of my sassy daughter, Sid threw her a spa-themed 8th birthday party in March and then our family friend, Fidela, took her to the real thing shortly after. Sports ramped up in April with soccer and t-ball seasons but the real highlight of the month was going on our first cruise. Before our Caribbean tans disappeared, we were off to Disney World a couple weeks later. June was nuts with participation in a color run, Catholic Summer Camp, a wedding in Brewster, and a family affair at Hoopfest.

Sloan and I living our best lives on Freedom of the Seas. Our family went on our first cruise in April 2025.

In July, we attended numerous community events from park concerts to parades to outdoor movies. But the ultimate pinnacle was becoming godparents to Neteyam. In August we watched my niece get married, spent 24 hours in Walla Walla, and vacationed in Leavenworth. Sidney’s uncle and aunt paid us a visit and I went with my brother and dad to Seattle to watch the Mariners play. Baseball was a constant theme throughout the summer as I took my kids to several Spokane Indians games and we even branched out and attended a professional soccer match. The fall brought the Spokane Interstate Fair, lots of high school football, a visit from Sid’s parents, and a weekend trip to Missoula. Both kids played fall soccer seasons, Sloan joined Chess Club, and Sid and I presided over our second Engaged Encounter retreat of the year. During the winter Beau played basketball, we tried our luck at bingo, we hired a babysitter for the first time, and we attended as many holiday events as possible.

During the second half of the year, Sid’s parents came and visited. We had the pleasure of taking them to Montana for a portion of that visit. This photo was at a Griz football game.

Dang, did you catch all that? If you didn’t, perhaps what I am about to discuss next will be easier to digest. As all the fun mentioned above transpired, a couple themes that defined the year developed…

The first theme of 2025 for us was leadership. In January, Sid and I were elected leaders of our Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter chapter. We didn’t seek the position nor expect it, but it has been a blessing (and a lot of work) to oversee such an important ministry. Teaming up with Sid makes it even sweeter. 2025 also marked the first full year in my marketing director role at EWU. As I continue to manage more people than I have ever before, I seized the chance to sharpen my leadership chops. Additionally, Sid volunteered for a 24-hour work innovation challenge and ran point of her squad. Despite all that, Sid and I realized where our leadership is needed most of all: in our family. I feel like we have relished the role God has given us to be the best guiders and examples for/to our children.

Sid and I were elected leaders of the Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter chapter in January 2025. In this photo we pose with Ric and Cindy Gaunt (former leaders) plus Fr. Ken Krall during an October 2025 retreat.

Speaking of Sid and I, the other theme that manifested itself in 2025 was prioritization. And what I mean by this is placing my relationship with my wife above all earthly things—including our children. The necessity of this became apparent during one of the Engaged Encounter weekends we gave in May. The couple we presented with conveyed the importance of this prioritization and it really hit home. Sid and I have enjoyed a fruitful marriage but I thought forever that I was “doing it right” by embracing a “kids are always first” attitude. We tweaked things after that retreat and things have never been better.

I am lucky to have such an awesome wife; we had a wonderful 2025. #Prioritization

With those two unique themes defining 2025, the big three values I pinpoint each year continued to be critical in our lives…

Let’s start with family. The prioritization theme I just finished explaining contributed to the positive dynamic in the Reser household this year. The truth is that when the husband/wife bond is placed before all earthly relationships, everything else—children, extended families, friends, in-laws—will seamlessly and orderly fall right in line behind it. With Sid and I taking more time for each other—even hiring a babysitter at times—we set the necessary foundation for solid family life. It was a blessing to spend time with Sloan and Beau in fun spots like the Caribbean, Orlando, and Leavenworth but we continued to make memories inside our own home. Perhaps some of the best bonding time occurred when we had movie nights centered on “classic” films that Sid and I watched as children. My parents’ home continued to be a haven for my siblings and our respective families to gather for birthdays, holidays, Sunday dinners, and special events. We were blessed to see Sid’s parents three times this year—South Carolina in January, Florida in May, and Washington in October. Perhaps I should add “Montana” to the October meeting because a true highlight of that trip was taking “Gami and Dada” to Big Sky Country for their first time when we spent a weekend in Missoula. The Florida excursion was especially meaningful because in addition to my in-laws, Sid’s siblings and their families joined us as well.

Welcome to the Reser family Thanksgiving table! We had a lot of good times around my parents’ dining room table in 2025.

Our faith was in action in 2025. Thanks to our election as Engaged Encounter leaders, we spent lots of time nurturing the ministry through planning retreats, running meetings, hosting social events, and doing the behind-the-scenes work to keep our chapter healthy. Sloan and Beau finished and started school years at St. Mary Catholic School, attended Catholic Summer Camp, and showed up for as many Family Faith Nights as possible. It was a big year for Sloan and the sacraments. She made her first confession and started prep for the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Sid and I mentored two couples for marriage, gave two Engaged Encounter retreats, and became Godparents again. Other highlights included hiking to a sunrise mass, attending the Easter vigil, joining a Catholic young family group, continuing my membership with the Knights of Columbus, and worshipping as guests at some beautiful Catholic churches across the country. For the second year, I made it through the entire bible. We mourned the death of Pope Francis and cheered the election of Pope Leo. We celebrated the ordination anniversaries of Fr. Ken Krall (54th), Fr. Mike Kwiatkowski (47th), Fr. Pat Kerst (35th), and Fr. Jeff Lewis (14th).  It was a faithful year that can best be described in four words: Thanks be to God!

Me, Sidney, Fr. Jeff Lewis, Fidela, Neteyam, and Dylan pose for a photo in the St. Mary sanctuary after the baptism on July 6, 2025. Thanks be to God! (Photo courtesy of Dylan/Fidela/Family).

Our careers continued to progress thanks to the supportive family and strong faith I just highlighted. Sid earned her company’s national In-Synch Award, traveled to Orlando for special recognition, and was promoted to underwriter. I enjoyed my first full year at Eastern Washington University as I grew our team, marketed our academic programs, generated community pride for the return of commencement to Cheney, and produced the 2025 EWU holiday video. But my proudest accomplishment in 2025 was writing a successful proposal that funded our marketing program and enabled the launch of a major brand awareness campaign. The key to our professional success in 2025 was the support we gave each other. Whether it was visiting each other at our respective offices, attending one another’s work events, or just being a cheerleader/open ear, there was never a doubt that we valued the workplace growth of each other in the same way that we value our own.

It was a good professional year for both Sid and me. This photo shows me with my colleagues in November 2025 with communications director Linn Parish on the left and digital marketing supervisor Ginny Baxter on the right.

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My apologies, these year-end blog posts always run long. As I prepare to sign off, I want to mention those our family knew who passed away this year: Ed Galloway, James Gibson, Rob Heacock, and Susan Yarborough. May perpetual light shine on them all.

Although it has been a good year for our family, we did lose some really good people. This photo was taken on Christmas Day at my parents’ house.

Thanks to everyone who entered/remained in our orbit over the past 365 days. We thank God for his many blessings and hope to use the lessons learned and the experiences gained throughout 2025 in the years to come. Don’t Blink.

Summer 2025

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It is the first day of September at the end of Labor Day weekend on the eve of the first day of school. I guess this means the party is over, right? Summer 2025 is just about complete and it seems like the only thing left is to write the blog post about it 😂.

The summer was highlighted by many activities and events but as you will see, it also brought much needed rest. As I have done in years past, I will break down the past few months into 12 themes. Thanks for reading…

Beau smiles with his cousins, Johnny and Mik, at the Concerts Under the Pines series at Audubon Park in Spokane. Going to this park on Thursday evenings for live music was one of the favorite things I did this summer with the kids. Read on for 12 themes from the past 2.5 months.

Relaxation – As you read the below nine themes, you might think how did they even get a minute to relax? Well, I assure you, we did. No matter how busy summer is, the break from school and activities changes the pace of life. Our weekday mornings were less stressful and our evenings were so refreshing. Instead of attending a full slate of after school/after work obligations, we came home and just hung out. We ate dinner, watched shows, and went to bed early. Awww…summer is so sweet.

Although we did a lot, we also had many relaxing summer nights where we didn’t do much.

Colorful Beginning – On a Saturday at the beginning of summer, Sloan and I found ourselves covered in colored powder. We completed the Color Me Rad race in Liberty Lake, Washington, and truly enjoyed the experience. Although it was on the cooler side that morning, Sloan was captivated by the camaraderie that exists when people come together for a race. It was a RAD way to start the summer.

A selfie after we crossed the Color Me Rad selfie. It was a great way to kick off the summer.

Fests – But when the work week ended and the weekend arrived, we forgot about relaxation. Different festivals and community events drew us to different parks and spots all around Spokane. From Kids Fest to Unity in the Community to Cops & Kids to Millwood Daze to farmers markets to many more (literally), we had a lot of fun interacting with the community.

A look at the foam madness at Harmon Park in Hillyard. This was one of the most unique experiences we had at a community event this summer.

Thanks Be To God – At the last day of school in June, Fr. Mike Kwiatkowski told the kids we can’t take a vacation from God during summer because he doesn’t take one from us. Did I do a good job turning Fr. Mike’s preaching into practice? Well, I could do a lot better. Still, during this summer some cool things did happen. Sloan and Beau attended Catholic Summer Camp. I worshipped at a sunrise mass with a small hiking group led by Fr. Jeff. Sid and I became godparents again. Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Bible In A Year podcast took us through the prophetic books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and more. And, we continued to attend mass at St. Mary throughout the summer while also visiting the parishes of St. Louise (Bellevue) and St. Pat’s (Walla Walla).

Me, Sidney, Fr. Jeff Lewis, Fidela, Neteyam, and Dylan pose for a photo in the St. Mary sanctuary after the baptism on July 6, 2025. Thanks be to God! (Photo courtesy of Dylan/Fidela/Family).

Water Is it even summer if you aren’t swimming? If you ask us, we would probably say “no.” From pools to water parks to splash pads to rivers, we had our swimsuits on a lot over the past few months. Sloan continued to be a fish while Beau’s anxiety around the water lessened. My favorite memory was racing Sloan down the water slides at Spokane County’s Northside Aquatics Center.

Rivers, pools, water parks…we did them all during Summer 2025.

Independence Day – It might have been just a day, but our Fourth of July receives its entire spot on our summer recap. We started the day in Coeur d’Alene at its American Heroes Parade. After an all-American lunch at one of the town’s drive-ins, we ended up at my parents’ house for their annual Independence Day celebration/cookout. From there, we went to Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake for the fireworks show.

Our 2025 Fourth of July was spectacular.

Picnics/Cookouts – Over the past few months, we never let a chance to eat outside slip by. Whether it was with friends, family, our Engaged Encounter group, or in a couple instances the general public, we enjoyed nature while eating meals. From pizza to fried chicken to hamburgers, it all tasted better in the great outdoors. Perhaps the most meaningful cookout of the summer was just this past week when we welcomed Sid’s Uncle Steve and Aunt Sharon to our home for burgers in our backyard.

This is a photo from one of our early summer picnics. We met my sister, Mik, and John in Browns Park and ate pizza.

Hoopfest – My family returned to the streets of downtown Spokane once again to volunteer at Hoopfest. I assumed my usual spot as court monitor while Sidney kept the books and Sloan/Beau helped keep score. It was another fulfilling experience that allowed us to give back while placing ourselves right in the middle of Spokane’s signature event.

My special 2025 Hoopfest crew.

Watching Sports – Nothing says “America” like baseball during the summer. When it came to Summer 2025, my family took this seriously. I took the kids to three Spokane Indians games where we had a blast at each one. What’s not to like about ballpark food, fireworks, running around the bases, and mascot fun? I also had the chance to go with my dad and brother to Seattle for a Mariners game. Don’t worry, we did branch out. In July, I took Sloan and Beau to a Spokane Velocity soccer match where they had just as much fun as they did at the baseball games.

It was Family Feast Night at the last Spokane Indians game we attended this summer! From the Indians to the Mariners to the Velocity, it was a lot of fun!

Weddings and Birthdays – In June, Sidney and I traveled to Brewster, Washington, to watch a couple we mentored—Katie and Tristan—enter into holy matrimony. Then, in August, the whole family drove north to Deer Park, Washington, where we attended the wedding of my niece, Zella, and her now-husband, Thomas. In July, we celebrated my nephew’s 8th birthday by attending his dog-themed party and then just a couple weeks ago we traveled to Walla Walla to attend the birthday bash of my cousin’s daughter who turned 1.

Weddings and birthdays played big roles during Summer 2025.

Parks Parks Parks – We lived it up at green spaces across the area this summer. Balfour, Browns, Discovery, Orchard, Q’emlin, Pavillion, and Riverfront are just a few of the parks where we climbed on the playgrounds and cooled down in the splash pads. We even watched outdoor movies in them! However, my fondest park memories from this summer took place at Audubon Park. It was here where we attended the “Concerts Under the Pines” series. On two different Thursdays in July, we enjoyed live music on perfect summer evenings.

How can an outdoor movie not be pleasant when the scenery is like this? This photo is of Beau sitting in his chair at Balfour Park on July 11, 2025.

Leavenworth Vacation – As you can tell, staying in Spokane all summer offers more than enough to do. However, we made a quick trip to Leavenworth for an end-of-summer vacation. The affordable, wholesome, and sunny adventure was just what we needed before preparing for the start of school.

This photo of my family epitomizes Leavenworth. We took a photo of us all at the exact same place last year and if we return again we will make sure to take another one,

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When summer ends in the Inland Northwest, we don’t get too upset. Autumn is gorgeous in this area of the country and with an exciting new school year on the horizon we are ready to transition. However, that’s not to say that we aren’t a little sad to see Summer 2025 pass by. However, In the words of a middle school cliché, we won’t cry because it is over but we will smile because it happened. Don’t Blink.

Leavenworth Round II

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I swore we wouldn’t do it. After going on a cruise and visiting Disney World during the spring, I said there was no way my family would even think about leaving Spokane this summer. I was adamant that we would enjoy a relaxing time staying put in our local community.

Well, we made a slight addendum to that plan.

We ended up taking Beau and Sloan on a short trip to Leavenworth.

In June, Sid and I made the decision to take a very brief end-of-summer “getaway” to Leavenworth. Feeling like it might be nice to treat the kids to a few days outside Spokane borders, we decided to return to the place we visited for the first time a year ago.

This was our view from our hotel room balcony at the Enzian Inn. We spent a lot of time in that pool.

It just seemed right. When we vacationed to Leavenworth last August, we fell in love with the wholesome and quirky Bavarian-themed community. Luckily for us, considerations like the cost, the distance, and the offerings worked for the vacation-depleted budget we were working with.

Returning to Leavenworth was something we could swing.

To be honest, our second trip to Leavenworth was pretty much a rinse and repeat of our inaugural voyage last year…which was a good thing.

Although most of what we did in Leavenworth this time around was a rinse and repeat from last year, Sloan and Beau did try a new treat on our most recent trip. In this photo they are eating a Frostbite Freeze from Der Snow Cave. This treat is a slush drink infused with Dippin’ Dots.

Since our trip mirrored what we did last year, there isn’t a need to basically duplicate the post I wrote in 2024. If you remember, I pinpointed 10 themes from the vacation. Guess what? They were all pretty much prevalent again in 2025. Instead, I thought I would just highlight five of my favorite photos from last week…

Read on (and look on) for my five favorite photos from Leavenworth.

⛰️ This photo is my favorite from the trip because, it is, well…our family 😂?  We took the exact same photo last year, too. I don’t think we will go to Leavenworth for a third straight year in 2026 but if we do, you can imagine that we will pose once again on Main St. with the mountains behind us…

This photo of my family epitomizes Leavenworth. We took a photo of us all at the exact same place last year and if we return again we will make sure to take another one,

🐐 Look closely, do you see something besides Sloan and Beau? Ah yes, the goats! These cute guys have a habitat that hugs the putting golf course that is one of the amenities of our hotel, the Enzian Inn. They definitely add a spark of personality to the beautiful course…

Can you spot the two goats behind Beau and Sloan? They loved the goats so much that they each got a stuffed goat from the front desk at the Enzian Inn.

❄️ Brrrr it was freezing in Der Snow Cave, a unique cold treat spot on Main St. that combines shaved ice with Dippin Dots. You can see the treats that Sloan and Beau ordered earlier in this blog post but the photo that truly reminds me of this unique business is below. Sloan posed with the giant Yeti inside Der Snow Cave and I happen to really love it…

I love this photo of Sloan hanging with the Yeti inside Der Snow Cave.

🎶 I have a favorite photo of Beau, too! Every morning during breakfast at the Enzian Inn, they would play the alpine horn. Beau’s concentration on the musician, the colors, and the background make this an image that I will develop a hard copy of…

Everything about this photo of Beau watching the alpine horn performance makes me smile.

🍨 We got dessert every single night we were in Leavenworth (because why not?). But nothing beat the ice cream we got from Whistlepunk Ice Cream Co. the last night we were in town. Read my Google Review if you need more details but it was phenomenal. This photo shows Sid and the kids with their Whistlepunk treats and I just couldn’t leave it out…

Sid and the kids pose with their WhistlePunk ice cream the last night we were in Leavenworth.

Thanks to Sid and the kids for accompanying me on such a fun vacation. Like I mentioned above, I don’t think we will return for a third straight summer but as my wife always points out, I have a habit of making traditions out of things we do twice. Don’t Blink.

Sloan: Great At 8

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When I look back on Sloan’s stint as a 7-year-old, a seemingly minor memory sticks out. When we were vacationing in Leavenworth, our hotel offered movie nights. One particular evening, the featured presentation was “Charlotte’s Web.” Sloan sat on one of the couches and watched the whole thing while the rest of us did other activities in the family room.

As the credits started to roll, I looked at Sloan. Her eyes were filled with tears. When Sid and I asked her what was wrong, Sloan simply said she was sad and touched. Charlotte’s death and the birth of her offspring made Sloan feel some type of way. Our daughter has a heart, I thought.

Happy birthday to my 8-year-old daughter, Sloan! (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photos)

Compassion and empathy are two qualities that developed within Sloan this past year. Whether it was the death of a fictional spider or the death of an actual schoolmate’s father, she seemed to understand the fleetingness of life and the emotions that accompany it.

Sloan learned a lot about compassion and empathy as a 7-year-old.

In addition to her emotional development, the past 365 days also came with a lot of fun and achievements. Coincidentally, our St. Patrick’s Day baby started and ended her term as a 7-year-old with T-Swift inspirations. She had a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party in March 2024 and won a Swiftie trivia contest in February 2025. In between those two events, she was a lector at mass and a skater at the roller rink. She played on a soccer team, performed in a talent show, and joined a huckleberry-picking group. She zipped down water slides and nourished butterflies. She attended her first baby shower, flew to South Carolina, and rode roller coasters. She signed up for a cheer camp, learned to yo-yo, and started preparing for the sacrament of reconciliation. She read 600 books, got behind the grill as a hibachi chef, and attended the father-daughter dance with her handsome date.

Sloan welcomed her cousin, Olivia, as a 7-year-old.

Sloan simply experienced and loved life as a 7-year-old.

This girl likes to be herself and have fun.

Now it is time to be great at 8. As long as she continues to live each day with joy, love God, and stay curious, she will be well on her way. If she manages to limit her dramatic tendencies and curb her temper—a couple of things that did surface occasionally this past year—she will surely reach that elusive greatness (or at least I hope).

Sloan sitting at her desk ready to start her first day of second grade.

Although watching Sloan get older is hard at times as a dad, I am excited to see what is in store for my daughter this year. I love you, Sloany Baloney! Don’t Blink.

Past Sloan Birthday Posts
Sloan turns 7
Sloan turns 6
Sloan turns 5
Sloan turns 4
Sloan turns 3
Sloan turns 2
Sloan turns 1

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 fourth consecutive time (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

Summer 2024

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Today is Labor Day and that means a lot of things to a lot of people. For our family, it always means “Return to School Eve.” Many also consider Labor Day the end of summer. So with my children heading back to St. Mary on Tuesday combined with the prevailing opinion that fall is just around the corner, I thought today marks the best opportunity to recap the summer.

It was a truly memorable summer—and not just for all the activities we crammed in. I will always remember Summer 2024 for significant life events and historical happenings. In the same way that I have recapped summers in the past, today I want to remember Reser Summer 2024 with 10 distinguishing themes/events.

Walla Walla Kickoff – Our summer truly kicked off with a mid-June weekend in Walla Walla. We ventured to “the place so nice they named it twice” for my Aunt Patty’s 60th birthday. The four of us joined my parents, my sister’s family, and my aunts/uncles/cousins for a birthday bash and so much more. The actual party on Saturday night at gorgeous Pioneer Park was the highlight but we also enjoyed a water park outing and a “welcome” pizza dinner on Friday night.

A look at the birthday party for my Aunt Patty at Pioneer Park in Walla Walla.

St. Paschal Educare – This summer, we sent both our kids to St. Paschal Catholic Church for its educare program. Although it was more or less daycare, Sloan and Beau considered it summer camp and had a blast. Sid and I felt thankful to send the kids to a safe, fun, and faith-filled spot while we worked during the summer months.

Sloan had so much fun making new friends and playing hard at St. Paschal Educare in Spokane Valley.

Hoopfest Weekend – What fun this weekend was! I volunteered to be a court monitor at Hoopfest 2024 but I wasn’t the only one from the family who was serving the community. Sidney, Sloan, and Beau volunteered, too, as they kept score during the games and performed all the extra administrative work needed to make sure a bracket runs smoothly. When action wasn’t taking place on our court, we had the opportunity to watch our friends and loved ones play in their own brackets.

Saturday afternoon, we posed for a photo after we finished the games on our court.

Fourth of July – It might have only been a day, but I feel obligated to give Independence Day 2024 its own spot. What an incredible day it was! We started with a Fourth of July parade in Coeur d’Alene, then headed to Riverfront Park to play at a carnival, drove out to my parents’ house for a cookout, and finally headed to Pavillion Park for the fireworks show. You can’t epitomize summer much better than that.

Our Fourth of July was a lot of fun. We  attended a parade, went to a carnival, had a cookout at my parents’ house, and then went to Pavillion Park for fireworks.

New Job – I will always remember this summer for taking the next step in my career. In June I interviewed for the marketing director position at Eastern Washington University and was offered the job the same month. I spent July wrapping up my tenure at WSU and on August 1 I officially started at EWU. True, a lot of this past summer was devoted to a major professional transition but I am grateful it didn’t take away from all the fun stuff I got to do with my family.

Check the ID, I am an official EWU employee.

Visit From Sid’s Parents – In July we enjoyed a special visit from “Gami and Dada.” Sid’s parents came for a week and had their stay extended (yay!) due to the CrowdStrike snafu. It was nice to have my in-laws in town to experience Spokane in its complete summer glory. We had game nights, boated on Lake Coeur d’Alene, visited a Post Falls festival, and much more.

What a blessing it was to host Sid’s parents during summer in Spokane.

The Olympics – I can’t estimate the total hours my family spent watching the Olympics except for the general assessment of A LOT. We had such a joyful time watching the different events, keeping a close eye on the medal count, and rooting for the USA. As I mentioned in my wrap up, the Olympics took place during a very memorable stretch for our family.

Sloan turned into quite the fan of Team USA and the Olympics in general.

Silverwood – During the short break I had between my time at WSU and EWU, the four of us went on our annual summer excursion to Silverwood Theme Park. We hit up the water park first and then transitioned to the rides. A magic show, bottomless soda, and some carnival games were also mixed in. It was Beau’s first trip to Silverwood but it won’t be his last.

We had a great family Silverwood trip at the end of July.

Family Vacation – This summer we traveled to Leavenworth for our family vacation. It was refreshing and relaxing to visit a new/unique place with so much charm. We stuck around our hotel for most of the time as we took advantage of the pools, games, movies, and delicious food. We also made the most of downtown Leavenworth and some lovely family dinners.

We had an amazing time in Leavenworth.

Water – The mercury reached some record-breaking heights this summer so we made sure water wasn’t ever far away. From swimming in the area lakes/rivers to visiting public water parks to splashing in the private pool of a dear family friend, Sloan and Beau improved their comfort with the water and managed to stay coooooool.

We spent a lot of time at pools over the past few months.

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Thanks to my wife and kids for making Reser Summer 2024 truly memorable and FUN. I don’t know if a future summer will ever quite compare to everything that went down over the past 2.5 months but you never know. Bring on the fall. Don’t Blink.

Our Leavenworth Summer Vacation

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Our family recently returned from vacation. I am guessing that your initial thought after that first sentence wasn’t Where did you go? but rather How did you go on vacation just a few days after starting a new job? Fair enough. My employer knew when I received the job offer that my family had a vacation planned for the first full week of August. Thanks to Eastern Washington University’s understanding and the fact that all my leave time from WSU transferred to EWU, I was able to make it work.

Okay, so where did we go? Thanks to recommendations, this summer we visited Leavenworth, Washington.

Sloan and Sidney hanging out in downtown Leavenworth.

Even though I grew up in Washington, I had never visited Leavenworth. The fact that it was only three and a half hours away (we didn’t want to travel far) and a totally new place for all four of us made it our preferred option. For those unfamiliar with Leavenworth, it is a town built to resemble a Bavarian village. Everything from the hotels to the shops to the McDonald’s embrace the German-themed identity.

Leavenworth is a Bavarian-themed town in central Washington.

To put it simply, based on our four-day stay, Leavenworth has a quaintness and charm that is utterly endearing. We had an incredible time and are so glad we chose this town nestled in the Cascades for our vacation. Here are 10 themes from our memorable time in central Washington.

We had an amazing time in Leavenworth. I wanted to share with you 10 themes from our vacation.

Wenatchee – Let me start pre-Leavenworth. On Tuesday, we stopped in Wenatchee to stretch our legs, grab some lunch, and kill some time before our 4 p.m. hotel check-in. We ended up at a cool spot called Walla Walla Point Park. We played on the playground and then looked for a geocache that took us to an island within the park. As you can probably tell from the photos, it was hot.

Before arriving in Leavenworth we stopped at Wenatchee and went to Walla Walla Point Park.

The Enzian Inn – Most of what we did started and ended with our hotel. This particular property had everything a family needed to be busy for four days. The “charm” of Leavenworth that I spoke about is very much embodied by the Enzian Inn. If I could describe this hotel in one word it would be wholesome. This place is simply perfect for families and we would stay there again in a heartbeat.

We had it made at the Enzian Inn. Perfect for families!

Swimming – It isn’t vacation without a pool, right? We got our money’s worth with the outdoor and indoor pools on the Enzian property. Large, long, and comfortable, we spent hours at the pools throughout our stay. We met new friends, read our books, and splashed the time away. The numerous hot tubs on site also added to the enjoyment. Perhaps the most memories were made during our night swims—it just doesn’t get more magical than swimming in a well-lit pool when it is pitch dark on vacation.

We spent a lot of time at the Enzian Inn pools.

Golf – Our hotel offered a miniature golf course that guests could play for free. Well, calling it a “miniature golf course” probably isn’t the right phrase. I think the Enzian calls it a “putting course.” The 18-hole oasis is immaculate with perfect greens, flowing water, and roaming wildlife. We played the course three times with Sloan and me starting the day off on the course bright and early for two of them.

A unique feature at the Enzian Inn is a putting golf course that is gorgeous and fun.

Movie Night – Each night our hotel would offer movies at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the family room. Popcorn was popped from an old school machine and you were welcome to take as much as you pleased. The irresistible popcorn aroma would reach our noses and practically pull us into the family room. Sloan watched “Charlotte’s Web” in its entirety while Beau and I watched “Rudy” together. After long days spent in the sun, it was relaxing to sit in the very well air conditioned room and watch a movie while munching on popcorn.

Each night the Enzian Inn offered movies and popcorn in the family room.

Alpine Coaster – Leavenworth has a roller coaster built into one of its signature mountains that is impossible to miss for anyone visiting the town. On Thursday we visited Leavenwoth Adventure Park that is home to the Tumwater Twisted Alpine Coaster. Because it is an alpine coaster, that means the rider controls how fast (or how slow) their respective car/sled goes. Sidney and Sloan rode together and had an absolute blast although there are discrepancies on who wanted to go faster and who was more prone to pump the break.

Sidney and Sloan had a blast on the Tumwater Twisted Alpine Coaster.

The Shops – Downtown Leavenworth is beautiful and eclectic. The variety of shops appealed to both my kids and Sidney. We had fun strolling through toy stores, souvenir shops, the Christmas/nutcracker boutiques, candy stores, and much more. Sloan and Beau each had a set amount of money they could spend as it was entertaining to watch them budget and make decisions on what they wanted to buy.

Downtown Leavenworth has something for everyone.

Food – We went with the Bavarian vibe and dined at a couple different German restaurants. We ate multiple pretzels, tried some sausages, and sampled German potatoes. To be honest, some of the restaurants were hit and miss but we were never dissatisfied with the copious amounts of ice cream we scarfed down throughout our trip.

We ate our share of pretzels and ice cream while in Leavenworth.

Games – The family room of our hotel offered ping pong, shuffleboard, pool, and skee-ball. We played all four. Sidney and I had some competitive and spirited ping pong matches while Beau impressed me with his serve. We also had fun with the jumbo Jenga set and wide selection of board games.

We took advantage of the many games available in the family room of the Enzian Inn.

Family Time In Room – For all the fun and excitement that the Enzian and Leavenworth offered, my favorite part of vacation was probably just hanging with my family at the end of the day in our hotel room. After dinner, swimming, movies, and games finished up, we would head back to our room and watch the Olympics, eat a dessert, and enjoy endless laughs. It simply didn’t get any better and was the highlight of my trip. As we hung out talking and joking with each other as it grew late, I kept thinking to myself, this is what vacation is all about.

I really treasured the fun nights we spent together in our Enzian Inn hotel room after long, fun days.

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Mark my words, one of these days we will return to Leavenworth. It is a special place with plenty to do for families. Speaking of families, I feel so fortunate that I got several days with just Sidney, Sloan, and Beau. I will latch onto the memories made and look forward to next time. Thanks be to God. Don’t Blink.