As I sit on my couch here in Myrtle Beach, I find myself reflecting on our recent holiday trip to Spokane. We returned to South Carolina late last night after another memorable visit with my family. This time around, we didn’t have a lot of time out west. However, we made the absolute best out of the five days we did have to spend with our west coast loved ones.

I felt that perhaps the best way to organize this particular post would be to just briefly convey the best part about each of those special five days we spent in my hometown. So, here goes nothing…

Tuesday, Dec. 27 – My three aunts from Walla Walla drove through the snowy roads to see Sidney and I. My cousin, Abby, and her boyfriend also came. They all “oohed and aahed” over Sidney’s belly and threw the two of us a baby shower. We also played the popular game Speak Up and watched the Holiday Bowl. My Aunt Nancy and Abby came to Myrtle Beach for the wedding but I had not seen Aunt Debbie or Aunt Judy for over a year and a half.

Sidney and I with (from left to right) my Aunt Debbie, Aunt Nancy, and Aunt Judy.

Wednesday, Dec. 28 – We celebrated our Reser Family Christmas on this day! My parents, my sister’s family, my brother and his girlfriend, and of course Sidney and I turned up the holiday spirit for most of the day. We started by playing games. We then enjoyed a delicious prime rib meal. We then opened up gifts. After the presents, my mom banished all of us to the basement so she could hide the pickle in the tree. For the second year in a row, my sister found it. We then ate the dessert. Although a few days after December 25, you never would have been able to tell that we were celebrating Christmas late.

All of us “kids” playing Phase 10 on Wednesday, the day we celebrated our Reser Family Christmas.

Thursday, Dec. 29 – This was the day I got to hang with my siblings the most. Sidney and I went with my brother and sister to the mall where we looked all around and used some of our Christmas money. The four of us then went to my dad’s work and surprised him! He took us around his whole office introducing us to everyone. We then headed to Selkirk, the restaurant/bar that Sidney and I always make sure to frequent while in Spokane. We enjoyed appetizers and drinks while laughing about my dad’s lame jokes.

We visited my dad at work (above). While at the mall, I posed for a photo with my brother and sister (bottom left). Sidney and I shared our favorite item to eat while in Spokane…snow capped fries from Selkirk (bottom right).

Friday, Dec. 30 – Whenever all of us are together, my mom always likes to take us out for a nice meal. However, instead of going out to dinner, we decided it would be a nice change to go out to breakfast. We went to Old European, a Spokane breakfast institution. Although it took a long time for a party of our size to get seated, the wait was worth it. We chowed down on the delicious food and left absolutely stuffed.

We played games on Friday too! A few photos from the fun day.

Saturday, Dec. 31 – We marked our last day in Spokane pretty much how we spent the previous four: with family. We went with my parents to mass at the church I grew up in, St. Thomas More, and then we returned home to spend the New Year’s Eve with the exact same group we celebrated our Reser Family Christmas with. We ate pizza, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, and Sidney’s homemade queso sausage dip while enjoying each other’s company. I made sure to savor every single moment as I knew that in just a few short hours we would be heading back to the airport.

The three of us Reser kids with our significant others on Saturday night.

I kept myself honest in this post. I made sure to list just one main highlight per day. But of course there was so much more that went into our trip out west. I went to bars with my brother and dad, stayed up late talking to my mom, and spent every minute possible playing with my niece. Sidney continued to bond with my sister, allowed my mom to touch her belly all she wanted, and enjoyed winning money at the casino. 

Of course, we can’t thank my parents enough. They showed us tremendous hospitality, love, and generosity. They did all they could to make our trip special. They picked us up and dropped us off at the airport at late hours when the snow was falling and the roads were awful. Besides just our parents, we thank everyone else for making our Spokane trip amazing. We can’t wait to return. Don’t Blink.