Thankful For Our Nov. 2023 Myrtle Beach Visit

Posted on November 29, 2023 by brent

The Resers are back on the west coast after nine days in Myrtle Beach. It was such a blessing to return to South Carolina to visit Sidney’s family. Even though we are still fresh from the sadness of leaving family and have just started the battle of adjusting back to pacific time (and from rainy/cloudy days to crisp/cool days), I feel like I can still write about the many happy moments from our trip. So, in no particular order, here are ten themes from our Thanksgiving visit to Myrtle Beach.

Cousin Time – For the first time in two years, the six cousins derived from the Mathis family were together again. Russell, Harrison, Henry, and Jack were waiting for Sloan and Beau at the airport when we landed and the gang hung out with each other for the duration of our time on South Carolina soil. When you are dealing with kids and nearly 24 months pass, it is crazy how big everyone gets. But no matter how much you grow physically, you never “grow out” of family.

The six cousins started their time together from the get-go at the Myrtle Beach Airport.

Thanksgiving – I devoted a whole blog post to Thanksgiving 2023, but just to recap: We drove to Conway, South Carolina, to attend the Thanksgiving gathering of the Henry family. Our connection was my brother-and-law and husband to Sid’s sister, John Henry. Everyone welcomed us with supreme Southern hospitality as we ate fried turkey, chicken bog, mac and cheese, and barbecue pig. After cruising on tractors and ATVs through the family’s wooded property, we returned to Sid’s parents for an afternoon of football, books, and relaxation. It was awesome.

The four of us, Sidney’s sister, her husband, their son, and my in-laws pose for a photo outside the barn on Thanksgiving Day.

Feliz Navidad – After Thanksgiving was adequately celebrated, we had Christmas in November. On Black Friday, the cousins slipped on their new Christmas pajamas and were treated to a gift exchange. The following day we took them to the Christmas tree farm where they had their picture taken with Santa. After not doing any Christmas activities together last year, it was nice for them to have these moments this year.

The cousins had their picture taken with Santa.

Games – Creativity, humor, and brain power were all used at different times depending on the game we happened to be playing. Selections such as Stir the Pot, Chameleon, Banana, and Rummikub were all played during the days and nights we were in Myrtle Beach. But the undisputed favorite? That would be the kids’ version of Charades that the cousins loved to play! There is no doubt that we will have to get Beau his own Charades game when we make it back to Spokane because he loved it so much.

We played games such as Stir the Pot, Chameleon, Banana, and Charades.

Re-Connecting With Co-Workers – It was work that originally brought me to Myrtle Beach and paved the way for me meeting Sidney and the many blessings that followed. Because of this, Coastal Carolina University will always have a special place in my heart and I will always hold the people dear. During this recent trip, I had the pleasure of hanging out with a few of my “work besties.” On Thanksgiving Eve I sat down with Kim Harper and Martha Hunn for a long overdue catch-up session. Then, a couple days later, I shot the breeze with Geoff Insch. It was awesome to see these outstanding individuals again.

Thanks to Kim Harper (left) and Martha Hunn (right) for taking the time to hang with me on Thanksgiving Eve at Tavern in the Forest in Myrtle Beach.

Murder Mystery – On the Saturday evening of our trip, the opportunity arose for Sidney and me to take our eldest niece and eldest nephew on a night out. Russell, Harrison, Sid, and I went to the Christmas edition of the Riga Tony Murder Mystery Dinner Show. The venue was beautifully decorated and the acting top notch as we watched an entertaining mystery unfold before our eyes. We truly brought our detective hats with us as Sidney cracked the case and was declared the overall winner of the evening!

We had such a fun time with Russell and Harrison at the Riga Tony Murder Mystery Dinner Show.

Mass At St. Andrew – What a special Sunday morning it was when we attended mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church. It happened to be the very last mass in the parish gym before the congregation moves back into the newly renovated church this upcoming weekend but we weren’t disappointed. You see, gym or not, it was still the same beautiful and reverent form of worship that we grew accustomed to when we were parishioners there. After mass we had the blessing of chatting with Fr. Morgan, the priest who baptized Beau and welcomed Sid into the Catholic Church.

What a blessing it was to attend mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church with Fr. Roger Morgan presiding. We took advantage of the opportunity to chat with him afterwards.

Afternoon With the McCormicks – After mass on that Sunday, we went over to the home of Tim and Kathy McCormick. I have mentioned them many times throughout Don’t Blink but just as a refresher they were our marriage mentor couple, they babysat Sloan when Sid went through RCIA, and they are Beau’s godparents. Aside from Sid’s family, when we come to Myrtle Beach they are the two people we desperately want to see. Kathy made a delightful lunch and we had so much fun catching up and swapping stories about our involvement in our respective parishes.

Beau and Sloan sit with Kathy and Tim McCormick during our most recent visit to Myrtle Beach. Kathy and Tim mean so much to our family.

Time At The Gym – While in Myrtle Beach I tried to slightly balance all the wonderful food I was eating with a little bit of exercise. I was able to return to Iron Legacy Gym, the place where I trained for 3-4 years before moving to Washington. When it comes to Iron Legacy, all I can say is this: If you know, you know. It truly is a one-of-a-kind old school spot with fabulous owners. It was pretty sweet to get in a sweat just like the old times and see some great people.

I got six workout in at Iron Legacy Gym during our visit to Myrtle Beach.

Cherry On Top – The last night of a family visit is always tough as the reality of departure starts to set in. On this particular trip, we tried to make the “eve of return” a little sweeter than what it usually is. The four of us and most of Sid’s family went to the Crazy Mason, one of those fancy milkshake bars. Sid and I shared the “Dashing Through the Dough” shake and the kids shared a “Crazy Pop of Color” shake. The treats were delicious and it was really nice to do one final thing with the Mathis family.

It was a real treat to drink milkshakes at the Crazy Mason.

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Our family returned to Spokane filled with joy after having such a special time in Myrtle Beach. We are already missing Sid’s family but so thankful for the memories made. Don’t Blink.

A Half Decade at CCU

Posted on May 1, 2019 by brent

On May 1, 2014, I started a new stage in my life. That morning I reported to work at a different college campus, thousands of miles from my previous one. A half decade later, that “different” college campus isn’t so different anymore – it is home.

I took this photo the morning of May 1, 2014 — my first day at Coastal Carolina University.

As I celebrate my fifth anniversary at Coastal Carolina University, I can’t help but feel fortunate that I found #TEALnation. Wanting to manage the social media program of a university at the flagship level, I graciously accepted the opportunity given to me by CCU and said goodbye to the athletic department at the University of Montana.

These are some of the kind bosses/co-workers who greeted me with such open arms when I arrived at CCU in 2014.

I couldn’t have asked for a better situation to come into. Working out of the Office of University Communication, my bosses gave me the freedom to build CCU’s social media program according to the vision I presented during the interview process. When I arrived, my main objective was to establish a social brand (#CCUSocialMedia) that told the stories of #CCU. Because of the support I received, social media at CCU flourished. #CCUSocialMedia has won over a dozen national awards, earned recognition as one of the top higher education social media programs in the country, enjoyed exponential growth, and generated extensive media coverage.

Because of the freedom to take chances and because of the talented co-workers around me, #CCUSocialMedia has won over a dozen national awards in five years.

But this blog post isn’t about individual accomplishments. In fact, the accolades above were only possible because of the people I work with (more on them soon). Rather, the purpose of this post is to recognize how proud I am to be associated with this institution. In the five years I have been here, I have seen our University open up multiple academic buildings, roll out doctoral programs, produce Fulbright Scholars, set records for fundraising, undergo a complete website redesign, grow at a strategic pace, make the major athletic move to the FBS, and win a baseball national championship…just to name a few. To have a front row seat for all these defining moments has been a pleasure.

The day CCU announced plans to join the Sun Belt Conference was a lot of fun!.

These CCU triumphs over the past five years paved the way for a constant stream of excitement that rushed through this entire campus. I tried to grab hold of this energy and make my own CCU moments. During my time as a CCU staffer I have appeared in a Darius Rucker music video, attended national conferences, traveled with the men’s basketball team to the NCAA tournament, hosted my own social media segment, wrote a cover story for our alumni magazine, followed our CCU-sponsored NASCAR driver to a few races, experienced an eclipse at complete totality, covered the baseball team’s national championship parade/stadium celebration, and much more.

I have had so many memorable times while working at CCU.

Again, just like with the industry accomplishments, I would have been deprived of the memorable moments without my bosses and co-workers. If not for Bill Plate, Martha Hunn, and Matt Hogue I would not be here at Coastal. Those three comprised the hiring committee that ended up granting me the opportunity of a lifetime. If not for my incredible supervisor, Lindsi Glass, I would not have been able to grow as a professional and feel so comfortable coming to work each day. If not for Kim Harper, the best administrative assistant to ever walk the planet, many of our fun social media promotions would be derailed by red tape. And, if not for my talented and selfless co-workers, the success of our #CCUSocialMedia program would be non-existent. Because of our graphic designers (Rob, Jeanne, Regis, Ron, Scoops, Jady), photographers (Judy, Scott, Tad), video wizards (David, Geoff, Richard, Dennis, Josh), web personnel (Brentley and Marty) and writers (Caroline, Mel, Doug, Mona), we have incredible content to share each day. They take our social media presence to the next level and make me look good. Even more importantly, they are all humble people and trusted friends.

I have had the pleasure of working with so many great people in the Office of University Communication at CCU.

Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the final joy of working on this campus: the students. In five years, I have had many motivated and savvy students work for me and I have met countless others who have participated in many of my wacky social media campaigns/promotions. It goes without saying that I am beyond appreciative – without students, I don’t have a job.

I have been blessed to be around some amazing students. This photo is of me with Eddie and Monica, two of my former student interns.

A lot has changed in five years. My title has changed, the name of our department has changed, and our top leader has changed. But one aspect has not: Coastal Carolina University is a great place to work. I am thankful to the CCU administration and the state of South Carolina for employing me. I look forward to the next five years. Don’t Blink.

Carty Crusade, Homegrown Honey, Easter Extravaganza

Posted on April 9, 2015 by brent

With the temperatures hovering all week in the mid-70’s and a high temperature of 82 in the forecast for tomorrow, life is pretty sweet in Myrtle Beach right now. With the days getting longer, I still have time to enjoy the sunshine before it gets dark so let’s get started with the Thursday Rundown.

Coach Carty Crusade – The momentum has started to shift at Mead High School. The shady attempt by a small group of parents to oust Sean Carty from the head coach football position has met resistance…a lot of resistance. In my original blog post testifying to how much Coach Carty shaped me as a man, I sadly stated that it would probably take a “Hail Mary” for the termination to be overturned. It might now just take a 30-yard pass.

The Mead community has stepped up to the plate for Coach Carty while the embarrassing actions of a handful of parents are being exposed. Here is what you need to know: Carty’s appeal will be heard first by the principal. It will then go to the superintendent. The final possible appeal would be to the school board. Keep in mind that with the time Carty has to file the initial appeal combined with the two five-day periods he will be allotted to take the appeal higher if needed, this whole process will most likely stretch over a month. Although the days might pass with little news, know that you can write Dr. Rockefeller at any time. He is a fair man who will personally read what you have to say. You can e-mail him by clicking here.

SnapchaNt – Last week I reported on the massive success of SnapchaNt. Although it is cool for our social media events to be covered by the local Myrtle Beach media it is always special when the student newspaper recognizes your efforts. SnapchaNt made the front page of The Chanticleer. To read the article, click here. For awkward entertainment, click here for my Social Circle segment that I used to recap SnapchaNt.

You can read the article (recommended) or watch me (not recommended).

One Final Turf Photo – Last night I devoted a whole blog post to our brand new teal turf. However, as of last evening the field did not have the yard markers and conference logos applied. In the past 24 hours, more progress has been made. I can now officially give you the completed product.

The completed teal turf inside Brooks Stadium at Coastal Carolina University.

Homegrown Honey – I work with the best people. Late last week I was beyond miserable. Although I grew up around pollen, I had never battled South Carolina pollen. With the yellow stuff covering the CCU campus I was in pretty bad shape. But our Director of News and Public Affairs Martha Hunn came to my rescue. She told me about an old remedy for allergies that consisted of consuming honey each morning. She didn’t just tell me about the remedy though, she brought it to me. In an extremely nice gesture, Martha brought me a jar of 9 Lakes Honey, the best stuff in Conway, South Carolina.

Of course I would be totally remiss if I didn’t thank my girlfriend for really nursing me back to health. In addition to the medications she provided me and the hot meals she cooked for me, she put up with a grumpy Brent. Thanks Sidney!

Martha presented me with this jar of 9 Lakes Honey.

Easter Experience – By the time Easter rolled around I was feeling much better. Although I didn’t get to spend the holiday with my family, I had a joyous time spending it with Sidney and her family. I went on an Easter egg hunt (no joke), attended Easter Sunday mass, created and sent out my holiday message, and enjoyed great Easter meals on both Saturday and Sunday. What a wonderful time of the year Easter is! I hope you all had a blessed holiday as well.

I had a very nice Easter!

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Thanks for sticking around for another rundown. Remember to write to Dr. Rockefeller, admire our teal turf, and always take honey for allergies. Don’t Blink.

How Social Media Got Our #TEALnation Sign Back

Posted on November 13, 2014 by brent

As a digital marketer, I love to share the success stories that this medium creates, especially when it deals specifically with social media. Very recently I had the pleasure of helping out with something pretty cool.

Yesterday at Coastal Carolina University we discovered that a welcome sign next to one of our entrances had turned up missing. This wasn’t just any sign though. It was a newly installed board that had one of our key marketing brands on it. The “Welcome to #TEALnation” sign added personality and flavor to one of our most heavily trafficked entrances. Our campus community identifies with #TEALnation and to have the new sign removed in such a savage nature was unsettling. We knew we had to get it back.

Our #TEALnation sign had been completely removed.

During the morning on Wednesday a brief meeting was held between our Vice President Bill Plate, Director of News and Public Affiars Martha Hunn, our Chief of Police David Roper, and myself. We wanted to decide how we would get word out about the jacking of the sign while asking for its return. After mulling over ideas such as a campus wide e-mail or an actual video we decided to go with a different approach: Social Media. The decision was made to do this outreach solely on a social level. All the other traditional avenues be damned, we were going to rely completely on social media to bring our sign home.

Chief Roper gave me some key words he wanted included in what we sent out but then I was free to compose the social media posts myself. After getting the “okay” from Bill I posted variations of the sign theft news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I then watched the Coastal Community go to work.

Our Facebook post generated lots of shares and fired up the community.

The tweet was retweeted like wild fire. The Facebook post was shared like crazy. The Instagram image was commented on and reposted. A local news station even picked up on the story. People were outraged by the theft and wanted to make sure that the sign was recovered. A distinguishing and prideful piece of University property was not going to be missing for long!

The tweet we sent out was rapidly retweeted.

And it wasn’t. By 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Chief Roper notified Martha and told her the sign had been recovered. An individual had called in and given the location of our stolen property. When she told me the great news my face lit up. We had rallied our community via social media and we had received the best result we could have possibly hoped for in a matter of hours. Because of the investigation and recovery effort we had to sit on the good news for the night. However, this afternoon we were able to inform Teal Nation that the sign was back in good hands. A heartfelt thank you was given to our social media audience for coming to the rescue. Our announcement was met with enthusiasm and joy.

It felt great to send out the good news tweet.

File this one under “Social Media Success Stories.” We knew that this conundrum would touch a nerve with our community. When people are urked by something, it goes viral. This was exactly the case with our #TEALnation sign disappearance. Instead of concentrating on methods that would require lots of resources and time, we utilized the absolute best weapon we could call on in the given situation. Social media and Teal Nation to the rescue again! Don’t Blink.

My Ode to Sportscenter

Posted on November 3, 2014 by brent

CLICK TO WATCH MY LATEST “SOCIAL CIRCLE WITH BRENT RESER” SEGMENT

I have watched Sportscenter my whole life. It is by far my favorite television show, a program that I have watched thousands of times. I have always looked up to the lucky men and women who have had the privilege of anchoring the world’s most popular sports program. Recently I gave a little nod to the show I love and the people who sit behind the desk.

I now have the great opportunity to write my own scripts for my social media segment on our University news program, “Coastal Now.” For the first two shows, legendary Myrtle Beach anchor and current CCU Director of News and Public Affairs Martha Hunn helped me compose my scripts. However, after I showed a tiny bit of promise in drafting those early scripts, Martha has given me the green light to write them entirely by myself. With this new freedom, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the third installment of the Social Circle with Brent Reser.

My third segment came out today for “Coastal Now.”

The best part of Sportscenter is the Top Ten Plays. Not only are the athletic feats you see incredible, but the way the ESPN anchors deliver it provides so much entertainment and enthusiasm. When you watch some of those guys go through the countdown you can just tell they are having a lot of fun. I wanted to try to create some of that fun for myself by writing my own top ten countdown for my segment.

I wanted to do a countdown revolving around our Instagram account.

Last Monday I went to our studio and shot shows three and four. For show three of my segment, I counted down the top ten @CCUchanticleers Instagram images. The countdown was formed using the top performing Instagram posts based on the total amount of likes the images received. With my script inserted into the teleprompter I let loose, doing my best Neil Everett imitation. Well, actually I didn’t try to do Neil Everett at all but while I was running down the top images I did feel like a Sportscenter anchor delivering the top plays. Perhaps the suits in Bristol would see me and offer a contract.

Chauncey holding Maddox was #3 on our countdown.

Of course I am totally kidding about ESPN liking anything done by an awkward social media coordinator. I saw my segment for the first time today and it became plainly obvious that I failed to capture even a quarter of the energy that Sportscenter anchors utilize during the show’s trademark two minutes. I made no sound effects, used no catch phrases, and most damning, I forgot to bring the passion.

So while I didn’t grade out too well in this particular installment of the Social Circle with Brent Reser I am going to learn a great deal from it. Next filming session I am going to bring it. I am going to take Martha’s advice and really “love the camera” while really packing the energy. Although not too pleased with how I delivered the content, I do think the script flowed well so at least I know I can write okay for news.

Even if I think I sounded like an idiot at least I had fun doing it. I can cross off “presenting a top ten list” from my bucket list. Stay tuned to see what I did with my fourth segment. Don’t Blink.

My Own Segment: The Social Circle with Brent Reser

Posted on October 6, 2014 by brent

To see my segment in Coastal Now, click here and go to the 26:22 mark

Today marked an important day at the Office of University Communication at Coastal Carolina as we released our brand new show titled Coastal Now. This program was the result of countless hours of brainstorming, debating, and collaborating. Intending to appeal more to our student population, we wanted to introduce a modernized version of our former show, Coastal Today. By modifying the show’s format, introducing hipper segments, and rolling out fresh graphics, we achieved our objective.

Here is the funny part: As part of the show’s revamp and the mission to grab the attention of our digitally obsessed students, it was decided that I would receive my own segment.

I was given my own segment. Let me introduce to you the Social Circle with Brent Reser.

Say what?! Like, seriously…I was going to be trusted with developing my own social media segment?…For the University’s news program?…And then actually present it on camera? Talk about an intimidating and humbling proposition! Although a little timid to come up with a package and then nervous to tape it on set, I went ahead and accepted the opportunity because of the amazing team I have around me.

The week before filming, I sat down with Martha Hunn, our Director of News and Public Affairs. A former hot-shot news anchor in the Myrtle Beach/Conway area, I knew I was in good hands as we started to plan my segments. Using an idea-sharing approach we talked out the beginning and end of my first two show packages. After our discussion, half my script was written in Martha’s iPad. She then gave me the freedom to write the meat of my segments myself. With the great start she gave me, I filled in the middle portions and my first two scripts for Coastal Now were complete.

The next week at the studio I felt a little nervous as I waited in the greenroom area. I watched our host of Coastal Now, Robin Russell, film her pieces and interview a couple guests. It was then time for me. I walked into the filming area and stood in front of the green screen. Our media services crew cued me and I hit it. I stumbled a couple times resulting in new takes. However, the whole time throughout the shoot I had Martha and Robin rooting me on and assuring me that I was doing a decent job. To have two veterans of the news business in your corner makes things so much easier. You know what else makes things easier? A teleprompter! It was so nice to read a script with no fear of your brain turning off and your voice disappearing.

Me on set of Coastal Now.

All the times in the past when I had gotten in front of a camera I always dreaded the end product. However, after filming my first segments for Coastal Now I actually felt good about what the outcome would be. To make it even better, I had a great time during the filming. This past Friday our office had a premiere party in the studio. We sat around a TV and munched on snacks while watching the historic first show of Coastal Now. The finished product was amazing. Our media services team did such a great job shooting and piecing the show together. Segments were fresh and fun. The 30 minute show seemed to fly by. They even managed to make me look somewhat respectable. It was cool to see a group work so hard on something and have their efforts pay off.

If you care to watch me, the Social Circle with Brent Reser starts at 26:22. I want to thank Martha Hunn, Robin Russell, David Russell, Bryan Stalvey, and Josh Chesson for the help with creating/filming/producing my segment and for all the encouragement. This so far has been a great experience and I can’t wait to help out with more shows. Don’t Blink.

Five Reasons Why My Work Week Rocked

Posted on August 7, 2014 by brent

The first 100 days of my new job have passed by quickly. However, the feeling of excitement and thankfulness that I had at the beginning has not passed quickly. It is as strong as ever. This week has been great. Staying true to my Thursday rapid-fire topic theme I will once again jump from subject to subject but it will all relate to this week at Coastal Carolina University.

Social Media Dream Team Meeting – One of my tasks in my position is to meet with my fellow social media leaders on campus. After sending out twice-a-month e-mail updates to this group we call the “Dream Team,” we finally had our first face-to-face meeting on Monday morning. I had the pleasure of sitting down with some of the major social media players at CCU including: our athletics marketing director, our dean of students, our celebrity dining services director, the leader of CCU’s student customer service program, and our assistant alumni director. We talked for almost 90 minutes about social media (and some other issues) at Coastal Carolina. Although I was running the meeting I probably spoke the least but learned the most. It was awesome.

CCUSA on WMBF – On Tuesday I was humbled when WMBF reporter Mandy Noell called me up and asked if she could do a story on our CCUSA campaign. Absolutely! It didn’t take long for Mandy to get to campus, take the footage she needed inside our offices, and then interview me outside of the Singleton Building. While I thought that my terrible news interviews ended in Montana they unfortunately carried over to South Carolina as well. No matter, Mandy was a true professional and pretty much washed away my awkwardness on camera with an awesome report, one that was praised by our own media legend, Martha Hunn. I was very thankful for the coverage that WMBF gave us. Click here to view the story.

Mandy Noell from WMBF interviews me about CCU Social Media (Thanks to Mona Prufer for the photo).

On Camera Again – On Wednesday, Kevin Olivett of Chanticleer Athletics invited me to go around and help cover a pretty cool deal. Athletic Director Matt Hogue and Chauncey were presenting Big South Conference football championship rings to staff members who were season ticket holders. Along with the video guy from athletics I would take video/photos when we would enter the offices. Well, I was given quite the surprise when the camera was turned in my direction. Before I knew it, Matt was presenting me with two rings. You see, I had recently become a Chant football season ticket holder. However, I thought the ring promotion was just for people who had season tickets during the actual 2013 championship season. Nope! Click here to see my reaction.

My surprised face as I stand between Coastal Carolina University Athletic Director Matt Hogue and Chauncey.

Board of Trustees Meeting – Today I was invited by my boss, Associate Vice President Bill Plate, to attend his presentation to the Board of Trustees. He told me that he wanted to introduce me to these extremely important individuals. Only he did a little more than just that. After he asked me to stand for the formal introduction he proceeded to build me up incredibly in front of the Board. He explained the whole CCUSA campaign, talked about some of the other things I am doing, and mentioned the increases our social media program has seen in the past few months. I felt so honored! It made my whole week and made me walk out of work with a huge smile on my face.

A photo from today’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Graduation on Saturday – This Saturday morning Coastal will hold its summer commencement. When I started working at CCU at the beginning of May I arrived just in time for spring commencement. I had such a fun time working that event and although the summer graduation is much smaller I am looking forward to the occasion. It will put an exclamation point on a magnificent week for me.

Myself at the CCU spring graduation in May.

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I hope many of you out there like your job as much as me. I am truly blessed. Have a great evening! Don’t Blink.

A Southern Lunch at Work

Posted on July 25, 2014 by brent

Today everyone in the University Communication office at CCU was treated to a wonderful treat for lunch. To coincide with our Vice President releasing the Communication and Marketing Strategic Plan, my co-workers and I were invited to pick up a copy of the report and then indulge in a truly Southern lunch.

Our Director of News and Public Affairs, Martha Hunn, completely outdid herself and prepared a feast consisting of chicken bog, sweet potatoes, collared greens, and cornbread. When I say feast I mean it in every sense of the word. Martha made enough food to feed probably the whole university rather than just a single department. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t have put “probably” in that last sentence because it is a fact. As the lunch started to wind down we had numerous people from different departments come in to fill up a plate with some warm food. By the time they had all dished up we still had leftovers!

Now I know the question on most of your minds right now is “What is chicken bog?” Great question! To tell you the truth, I had no idea in the world what it was until I went for my onsite interview at CCU in March. No other than Martha told me about the magical combination of ingredients while we ate lunch that day. When I was hired and arrived on campus I kept expressing to her how much I wanted to try chicken bog. She continually assured me that she would make some for me and today was the day.

This is the big batch of Chicken Bog that Martha made today.

Chicken bog is a rice dish mixed with chicken, sausage, and spices. It is not just a Southern dish but a South Carolina dish. If you talk to Martha she will tell you exactly how it should be prepared. The chicken needs to be cooked a certain way and for a certain time before you add your rice. Not all “bogs” are created equal…except for people like me. My eyes light up when I hear about a dish that combines chicken, sausage, and rice so you can bet I will scarf down any version that ends up in front of me.

Take a look at this amazing spread!

I enjoyed the cornbread and the collared greens (first time ever having them) but I was blown away by the sweet potatoes and chicken bog. The potatoes had a sweet pecan top layer that tasted like candy and gave new meaning to “sweet” potatoes. The smooth and flavorful potatoes would have tasted just splendidly without the pecan layer but the combination of those two things made for a dynamite dish.

This is the plate (or should I say plates?) that I dished up for myself.

The chicken bog proved to be everything and more that I had anticipated over the past several months. For such a seemingly simple dish it tasted so good. In the past I have had jambalaya and I would say that the taste was similar. But the jambalaya was nowhere near the quality of Martha’s chicken bog. It had such a perfect consistency and a taste that wasn’t overpowering yet pleasant in a way that you kept wanting to take bite after bite.

I am happy to say that I will be able to take bite after bite for a little while longer. I was fortunate enough to take home a plate. I am already looking forward to eating it. All I can say is that I hope we start releasing strategic plans more often than just once a year. Don’t Blink.

Snacking Southern Style

Posted on June 1, 2014 by brent

As I continue to experience southern living I am attempting to try many different pieces of the culture. In the five weeks I have lived in South Carolina I have tried to experience the activities, the restaurants, the dialect, the climate, and much more. Today I decided to take a break from my busy Sunday schedule (yeah right) and try the snacks of the south. To get totally equipped for this mission I went to a southern experience all in itself, Piggly Wiggly, to pick up my goods.

Piggly Wiggly is my neighborhood grocery store and where I went to purchase my southern snacks tonight.

Once inside the grocery store I picked up my items. They included a cheese cracker type snack, a soft drink, and a very different take on a type of nut I love. After shelling out the $7 for my “Sunday night taste of the south” I returned home and after conducting my own little mini photo shoot I went to work on taste testing the items. This evening I wish to share with you the fun time I had tasting cheese straws, Cheerwine, and boiled peanuts. Are these three items really representative of the snacking culture in the south? Not exactly, but they all do hold a rather big part. Furthermore, each item has a personal story relating to why I chose it which I will share right before I express my thoughts on how it tasted.

I had an interesting time trying Cheerwine, boiled peanuts, and cheese straws.

Cheese Straws
The Story: Our media relations and publications director at Coastal Carolina University was telling us at lunch a couple weeks ago about the simplicity of Baptists weddings in Conway and the even simpler receptions that followed. Who needs cake? He explained that at many of these receptions back in the day the only item served was a delicacy called cheese straws. I kind of looked at him funny but he wasn’t kidding. When we asked him to describe what a cheese straw was I knew I needed to try it for myself.

The Review: Cheese straws look exactly like crinkle cut French fries. Of course the consistency is much different. Not crunchy like a chip and not soft like a cheese stick, it is pretty much right in the middle. I would say the taste falls right about there too! To me it did taste kind of like a mix between a Cheez-It and a Goldfish cracker. I was a little sketched out before I put it in my mouth but it tasted way better than what it looked like and felt like. However, these things made me thirsty immediately, much more than any cheesy snack out on the market that I have tried. These snacks aren’t bad and I will probably finish the box over time but I probably won’t go out of my way to buy them again.

Cheese straws will make you very thirsty!

Cheerwine
The Story: This past Friday I was out with my new friend Seth who works in the athletic department at Coastal Carolina. While talking he asked me if I had ever tried Cheerwine before. I made him repeat. When he did I thought he was talking about an alcoholic beverage. Nope, Cheerwine is a very popular soda down south. He said I would need to give it a try and even mentioned that his family had a connection to the popular soft drink.

The Review: I don’t drink soda that much so I am not a worthy critic but I liked Cheerwine. As the name hints at, it is a cherry flavored drink. I found it very smooth and refreshing. You can definitely taste the cherry but it is not as bold as say the orange flavoring in orange soda or the grape flavoring in grape soda. To me it tasted kind of like a much more mellow Dr. Pepper. Every once in a while I do enjoy a soda and this hit the spot.

Cheerwine is smooth with a faint cherry taste.

Boiled Peanuts
The Story: When I rolled into South Carolina I started seeing signs on the side of the road advertising boiled peanuts. Boiled peanuts? I had no idea what such a thing was. I absolutely love peanuts so I thought that maybe it would be something that I like. The person I turn to whenever I need southern clarification on what certain things are/where I should eat at/what areas I should visit, Martha Hunn, gave me the lowdown on boiled peanuts and told me I need to try them but that they need to be fresh. She listed a few places that have good boiled peanuts…Piggly Wiggly was not one of them.

The Review: If you thought I was sketched out about trying the cheese sticks then you don’t even want to know what I thought when I opened the can of boiled peanuts. Sitting in a thick liquid I had to pour the contents into a bowl, microwave it for two minutes, drain the liquid, and then “enjoy.” However, like the cheese sticks, I didn’t find them as bad as I thought, although they taste nothing like a traditional peanut. You open up the shell and liquid oozes out. You then eat the boiled nut just as you would a regular peanut. What everyone will tell you is that the texture will throw you off if you are expecting it to resemble a peanut in any way. It is not the least bit hard or crunchy. It is soft and slightly chewy. It has a very salty taste. The smell reminded me of Sunday dinners at my parents house when they would cook green beans. I ate two of the boiled peanuts and then threw the rest out. I think I will stick with traditional peanuts but I will try fresh peanuts from one of the vendors Martha recommended if the opportunity ever presents itself.

Yep, this is what boiled peanuts look like (hungry?).

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What a great excuse to snack, huh? Honestly though, next time I think I rather do it with jalapeno chips and Hoody’s peanuts. But the Cheerwine can stay! Can’t wait to write about my next southern experience. Have a great week everyone. Don’t Blink.

Fear of Oversleeping

Posted on May 28, 2014 by brent

Last week I ate lunch in our conference room with Martha Hunn, our Director of News and Public Affairs. While chatting she brought up a challenge that she faced in her life that I battle with on a much smaller scale. Before accepting her position at Coastal Carolina, Martha worked at WBTW, a local news station here in Myrtle Beach. Throughout her time as a very popular news personality she spent a portion of her tenure anchoring the morning show. While she loved doing that newscast she had a constant worry in the back of her head.

Martha’s fear was oversleeping. As anyone remotely familiar with morning shows can attest to, the hours are obscure to say the least. Rising at 2:30 a.m. to get dressed, commute, and then prepare for a 5 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. show is not easy. Doing it on a consistent basis makes the possibility of oversleeping greater. Martha explained to me that despite going to bed early, she never really got a good night’s rest during those morning show years. The paranoia of somehow oversleeping and leaving the station without its morning anchor terrified her. Because of this her sleep was choppy and she would awake several times during the night.

I too struggle with not letting the thought of a possible alarm clock malfunction or a deep sleep mess with me. I definitely have a fear of oversleeping. I get up at 5 a.m. each morning to go to the gym. For me missing a session at the rec pretty much seals the deal that the day will be a complete disaster so I put a lot of stock in making my workout. But as 5 a.m. does come early and I have to really push myself to get to bed before midnight I do worry about oversleeping. It is on my mind constantly.

I pretty much have just accepted the same symptoms Martha dealt with. When I lay my head down on the pillow I am prepping myself to jump out of bed in five hours. Once I finally fall asleep I am back up again an hour later, then another hour later, then another hour later, etc. I check my clock to make sure it is not 5 a.m. yet and then check my phone just to confirm. I set my alarm for 4:50 a.m. to give me a ten minute window to fully wake up before jumping out of bed before the clock can read 5:01 a.m. I like to think I am Cal Ripken Jr. with a long streak of not missing an early morning session. With that type of pressure it makes me extra obsessive over not oversleeping.

Flights, early morning weekend activities, and 7:30 a.m. Sunday mass also strike fear in me about possibly sleeping too long and screwing everything up. Because of my nerves when it comes to oversleeping I go through the same routine of going to bed with a paranoid conscience and waking up throughout the night.

Here is my question: Is there a name for this? I am sure a lot of people besides Martha and myself have dealt with it. Although I would like to relax myself a little more I don’t necessarily think it is a 100% terrible trait. It just means that we are committed and serious about making our obligations. I am a perfectionist and I can’t have any wrinkles at all in my day, especially not right off the bat.

So it is almost 12:30 a.m. here in Myrtle Beach and as you all know I got a 5 a.m. (well, actually 4:50 a.m.) wakeup call coming my way. Time to hit the hay and get some rest before another great day tomorrow. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Tag Archives: Martha Hunn