Tag Archives: Palmetto Bays

Sporty Thursday Rundown

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My favorite day of the week that starts with “T” is here again (sorry, Tuesday). That means I get to write a blog post that quickly touches on five random topics. Let’s get started…

2025 Jack-O-Lanterns – Last week, I shared the pumpkins that Sloan and Beau selected from Safeway. I promised that I would follow up in my next Thursday Rundown with a photo of their carved finished products. Well, I am a man of my word. This year we used patterns. Beau went with a spooky face while Sloan opted for a witch upside down in her stew. Surprisingly, Beau was all about punching out the pattern while Sloan let Sidney do most of the work.

Beau and Sloan’s jack-o-lanterns.

Costumes Over the Years – I created photo montages that show the kids in every Halloween costume they ever wore. However, I took it a step further and edited a video that depicts Sloan and Beau transforming from everyday clothes into their costumes from the past six Halloweens. If you have 60 seconds, you can watch it here.

All of the Halloween costumes that Sloan has worn in her life (tap the first hyperlink to see the montage I created for Beau).

Sports Week – I had the opportunity to attend a couple of sporting events this week. On Monday, my friend Ryan Andrade invited me to be his guest at the Gonzaga basketball season-opener against Texas Southern. The following night, I went with my dad to University High School to watch the Titans host Walla Walla High School in an opening round football playoff game. My dad is a Walla Walla alumnus so I rooted against the high school that is just a few blocks from my house. It didn’t help—the home team won 18-13.

I attended the Gonzaga game on Monday and then I went with my dad to University High School for playoff football on Tuesday night. Thank goodness for hot chocolate!

Basketball for Beau – Speaking of sports, Beau’s basketball season tipped off last weekend. He is playing in a YMCA league on a team comprised of his St. Mary kindergarten classmates. Not only did his team win, but Beau scored three baskets. Watch out, Lebron!

Beau hooping it up (he is #33) this past weekend.

Harvest Hoedown – When I was looking back at past blog posts I have written on Nov. 7, I decided to highlight perhaps the simplest one I could find. Back on Nov. 7, 2017, I wrote about eating lunch with Sid at her work. This was when she was still a 2nd grade teacher and corralling a classroom of 7-year-olds. On this particular day, it happened to be the Harvest Hoedown at Palmettos Bays School. I won’t describe all that entailed but I will say this: I miss the days of eating lunch with Sid in a school gymnasium.

This photo of Sid and me was taken eight years ago on this date at Palmetto Bays School. Sid was dressed for the Harvest Hoedown.

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Another Thursday Rundown in the books! Thanks for reading, friends. Don’t Blink.

The Harvest Hoedown Lunch With Mrs. Reser

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One of my absolute favorite things to do is eat lunch with my wife during the work week. It always feels special because it is rare when both of our schedules align. Sid has her class she must watch over (no, she doesn’t get a lunch break…she eats with her students) and it isn’t always easy for me to ditch campus in the middle of the day. However, about twice each year, the opportunity presents itself for me to head out to Palmetto Bays School and eat lunch with Sidney and her 2nd graders.

Today was one of those days. But this time around, there was a fun twist.

The Timberwolves of Palmetto Bays celebrated their Harvest Hoedown. The  staff dressed in festive clothing and, lucky for me, I got a sneak peek of Mrs. Reser’s outfit before she left the house this morning. 

A look at Sid’s outfit before she left the house this morning.

A special lunch was served in conjunction with the Hoedown. The school cooks prepared a delicious BBQ meal for the Palmetto Bays community to enjoy. I had the distinct pleasure of partaking in the feast.

This was today’s Harvest Hoedown menu.

I arrived at the school at 12:30 p.m. and waited at the cafeteria entrance. After a couple minutes, I saw a line of 2nd graders heading right toward me with a teacher in pigtails leading the way. From that point on, I had the pleasure of spending the next half hour with my favorite educator.

I spent time looking at this banner while waiting for Sid and her class to arrive. Go Wolfpack!!

When you are so used to not seeing your significant other during the middle of the day, it is such a nice treat to enjoy each other’s company during the lunch hour. For someone who is married to a teacher, the pleasure is increased even more. You see, when we get together for lunch, there is never a dull moment. I get to walk through the cafeteria line, meet Sid’s students, and visit with her fellow teachers. I soak in the stares and giggles I get from the 2nd graders and I reminisce a bit about when I was in elementary school. It is great fun.

I had a very nice time with Sid this afternoon.

Thank you to Sidney for the Harvest Hoedown invite. I enjoyed myself while feeling so much pride for the amazing job you do. Don’t Blink.

Going on a Field Trip!

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This morning I had the opportunity to go on my first real field trip since probably the sixth grade. After the passing of so many years, I still felt the excitement I did back then of leaving school grounds (or in this case the campus I work on) and doing something special that went against the monotony of everyday life. My gateway to this nostalgic experience came way of my girlfriend who serves as a second grade teacher at Palmetto Bays School. Sidney was nice enough to offer me a spot on the trip as a chaperone.

Sidney invited me to help out on a field trip. This is her and I this morning at Wonderworks. All students and teachers wore their Palmetto Bays t-shirts.

Sidney invited me to help out on a field trip. This is her and I this morning at Wonderworks. All students and teachers wore their Palmetto Bays t-shirts.

I don’t think I ever went on a field trip to a place as cool as where we went today. An architectural gem, the five second grade classrooms at Palmetto Bays went to Wonderworks, an “amusement park for the mind.” Please, take a look at the photo below. Yes, that is a structure completely built upside-down. Legend has it that the facility was originally located in the Bermuda Triangle but a failed experiment caused it to uproot, take off, and land face down in Myrtle Beach. Thankfully all the exhibits and fun zones remained completely intact.

This is Wonderworks, the pretty sweet place I got to experience this morning. Supposedly it came from the Bermuda Triangle.

This is Wonderworks, the pretty sweet place I got to experience this morning. Supposedly it came from the Bermuda Triangle.

Wonderworks has 50,000 square feet of space, four floors, and 100 exhibits…more than enough room to accommodate around 100 second graders. Don’t think these exhibits are corny poster board presentations you would find at a junior high science fair though. We are talking interactive, quality-constructed stations such as a bubble lab, time machine, larger than life interactive games, and a giant piano keyboard. All exhibits encourage young children to flock to them while at the same time teaching a lesson.

Wonderworks is a really cool place. A look at the giant piano, the Bubble Lab, time machine, and one of the giant interactive games.

Wonderworks is a really cool place. A look at the giant piano, the Bubble Lab, time machine, and one of the giant interactive games.

Walking through the different floors I kept running into cool things such as a mini NASA station, a robot-serviced frozen yogurt stand, a bed of nails for kids to sprawl out on, several fun rides, and so much more. I admired exhibits devoted to sharks, the Titanic, every sport you could think of, and even lite-brite. I fondly observed the endless enthusiasm of the second graders. They were having a blast while also keeping the teachers and chaperones very busy.

Can you spot the student in the costume? If it wasn't the morning and I had cash on me, I would have ordered some frozen yogurt from the robot (bottom left hand corner).

Can you spot the student in the costume? If it wasn’t the morning and I had cash on me, I would have ordered some frozen yogurt from the robot (bottom left hand corner).

Sidney and I were assigned to the indoor ropes course. Yes, in addition to the laser tag arena and theater, they also had an extensive indoor ropes course. We climbed up to the fourth floor and let the seven and eight-year-olds tackle their fear of heights. Yeah, right. These kids were absolutely fearless. They didn’t think twice about throwing on the harness and navigating through the course. As the obstacles ascended higher and higher, the second graders didn’t bat an eye. I walked on solid ground and looked up at them. Sidney, however, looked down on me as she was going through the course right with them. I enjoyed myself watching both students and teacher have fun up in the sky.

In the top image you see two student navigating the course. In the bottom left hand image a Wonderworks employee makes sure a student's harness is safe. In the bottom right hand photo you can see Sidney ascending higher and higher.

In the top image you see two student navigating the course. In the bottom left hand image a Wonderworks employee makes sure a student’s harness is safe. In the bottom right hand photo you can see Sidney ascending higher and higher.

What I enjoyed most though was just watching Sidney do her job. She is so good at what she does. As I have written about in the past, a teaching gig is by no means easy but Sid makes it look that way. Although I had a wonderful time this morning, it just reinforced to me that I could never successfully do what these teachers are able to accomplish day in and day out.

Sidney and I right before she started the ropes course.

Sidney and I right before she started the ropes course.

Spending an hour outside of work to go on a fun activity such as this was exactly what I needed. It gave me a glimpse into the lives of very young youths, a segment of the population that I sometimes forget about. It also let me get inside of Sidney’s world. Finally, it was just a fun, wholesome way to spend the morning. I am thankful to the Palmetto Bays second grade community for letting me tag along. Don’t Blink.