Tag Archives: Seabrook

2023: WE HERE

Posted on by
Reply

In November, Sidney and I had the opportunity to go to Pullman to watch the Washington State University football team host Coach Prime and the University of Colorado. When we walked on campus, we couldn’t help but notice the Colorado equipment truck parked near the fieldhouse. The back of the vehicle featured an image of Deion Sanders with his arms crossed in his signature shades with the phrase “WE COMING” written boldly across it.

The Cougars pummeled the Buffaloes that night. WSU was confident, prepared, and protective of their home turf. As we passed the truck on the way out of the stadium, Sidney and I couldn’t help but say “WE HERE.”

Ironically enough, even though we quipped that phrase on behalf of Cougar Nation, there might not be two better words that explain the Resers in 2023.

—————-

The year 2023 will be remembered as the period in which we embraced our community, made a big commitment, and laid down roots. Surprisingly enough, for such a big year, things started out pretty quiet.

What a year it was for our family in 2023.

After such a tumultuous beginning to 2022, it was a smooth (and kind of boring) start to 2023. We threw my dad a retirement party in early January and then coasted through those first couple months. Probably the most exciting thing we did was upgrade from a queen bed to a king bed 😂. When spring arrived, the tempo started to pick up, beyond just my Bloomsday PR. We had our hearts set on a purchase even bigger than a new mattress. For the first time, we were seriously looking to buy a new house. So in between watching Sloan play t-ball and testing out the latest TikTok hacks, we were looking at homes. Thankfully we found something we liked.

My dad stands with the trophy that his employees presented to him at his retirement party.

Summer arrived and things heated up both figuratively and literally. While winter was laid back, summer was insanely busy. We attended multiple weddings, hosted Sidney’s parents, went on vacation, didn’t have a free weekend, and—oh yeah—closed on and moved into a new house. Autumn was also slammed. Both our children started at the same school, we traveled to Missoula for a Griz football weekend, Sloan played soccer, work was chaotic with the implosion of the PAC-12, I presented in Chicago at the AMAs, and we visited Myrtle Beach to spend Thanksgiving with Sidney’s family.

We had a ton of fun on our family vacation to Seabrook.

Of course there was much more to the year than that two paragraph rundown but I think that at least gives you an idea of the past 12 months, right?

When I truly reflect on 2023, I think of two unique themes. The first one is satisfaction. I know the popular adage is to never be satisfied, but I think we allowed ourselves in the second half of the year to be just that. With a home of our own, jobs we are fortunate to have, and both kids attending the same outstanding school, we permitted ourselves to be content. We have more goals and much to improve upon, but we took time to just be thankful.

We bought a house in 2023. During the second half of the year, we tried to be satisfied.

The second theme for us is unity. Sidney and I touch on this a lot with the engaged couples we mentor, but we specifically heeded it ourselves in 2023. The decision to purchase a home was part of other future plans that required Sid and I to be committed and united. We also had the blessing to take on some projects as a couple that required steadfast unity and teamwork. We are a force and so happy to be on the same team!

Unity was key for Sid and I in 2023.

In addition to those two unique themes of 2023, the same three values I highlight every year continued to be key for the Resers…

I start with family where it all begins with our Reser quartet. The four of us had a great collective year as we played, read, prayed, worshipped, ate, watched, and traveled together. A highlight was going on a vacation that necessitated we spend a lot of time in the car together. Driving to the other side of Washington and back gave us a lot of time to bond while the actual vacation on the beach was filled with memories. Speaking of driving, we made a road trip to Oregon for my cousin’s wedding that essentially doubled as an extended Reser family reunion. Before and after the nuptials, we stayed in a hotel where we shared a wing of rooms with my parents, my sister’s family, and my brother and his wife. When we weren’t spending time together in a random out-of-state hotel, you could usually find us all at my mom and dad’s house enjoying cookouts, celebrating holidays, and watching games. Hosting Sid’s parents in June was so nice and then flying to Myrtle Beach to spend time with Sid’s sisters and their families sure was a treat, especially after two years. Whether nuclear or extended family, we valued every moment we had together.

I thank my family for another great year.

Our journey to one day reach our heavenly home was hopefully bolstered by this past year. What a big role our faith played in 2023! Sidney and I mentored three engaged couples and continued our work with Engaged Encounter. Sidney organized a retreat for our Young Adult Catholic Group and I retained my involvement with the Knights of Columbus and our Catholic Men’s Group. We became godparents and explored a year-long theme of evangelization. I attended our diocese’s Eucharistic Revival event with Sloan and represented St. Mary at Hoopfest as our team of parishioners reached the championship game of our bracket. We had a blast at many family faith nights and enriched our prayer lives at home. I listened to the entirety of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism In A Year podcast. Through it all, St. Mary Catholic Church and School continue to be our epicenter for growing closer to God. We extend our gratitude to Fr. Jeff Lewis for his dispensing of the holy sacraments and his unwavering commitment to the St. Mary community.

Sloan and Beau stand outside St. Mary Catholic School on their first day of school on Sept. 5, 2023.

When it comes to career, Sidney definitely deserves to be mentioned first in 2023! She thrived in her first full year with Traveler’s Insurance as she continues to impress her bosses and receive high marks from her customers. She is used by the company as an example of “what to do” when it comes to training new employees. I had a very busy and somewhat tumultuous year. Our small but mighty marketing and communications team dealt with some major issues including the Idaho murder suspect, the implosion of the Pac-12, and college ranking messaging. But when I wasn’t arrow-focused on our comms efforts and was in my element doing marketing, it was another exhilarating 12 months. I ran point on our paid social media strategy for all nine installments of our #GoCougsMeans brand marketing campaign, oversaw an initiative that recognized WSU’s top senior grads, collaborated with the video team on some really cool projects, traveled to Chicago to present at a major higher ed conference, and managed to win our department’s personal trivia challenge at our holiday party this month 😂.

I presented at the American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed in Chicago in Nov. 2023.

But as I said last year, my job is so great because I am allowed to be a father, husband, and child of God before I am a WSU employee. I love being a Coug, but there is a reason why the career portion of this blog post always comes after the family and faith portions. I am extremely thankful to my boss for always making sure that this is the case.

I feel lucky that family and faith come before work (photo courtesy of Ocean Simpson).

Time to send 2023 out with a bang as we savor these last couple days. As I wrap up this blog post, I feel extremely blessed that everyone within our extended families are healthy and that everyone who started 2023 with us will join us in 2024 as well. From just about every vantage point—whether it be from a physical, mental, faith, or foundational standpoint—I feel it is appropriate to exclaim WE HERE!! Thanks be to God for the past 365 days. Don’t Blink.

Summer 2023

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sloan loves pickleball already!

——————————

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

Sand Dollar Thursday Rundown

Posted on by
Reply

The Thursday Rundown is back! You didn’t receive five topics from me last week because I was on vacation but this week is a different story. Let’s get right to it…

2023 Crop Mural – I worked on the WSU Pullman campus today so I had the opportunity to see this year’s crop mural. The 2023 design was recently completed on the hilly wheat field that is visible as you approach the entrance to Pullman. A feeling of Coug Pride always manifests inside of me when I pass the depiction. The latest design features Butch with a megaphone and a speech balloon that spells out “Win the Day.” Thanks to the talented artists for creating it and BECU for sponsoring it (to see the design in greater detail instead of from the window of my car, click here).

This is the 2023 WSU crop mural presented by BECU. I was able to take a photo before any traffic pulled up behind me.

Sand Dollars – I mentioned in our vacation recap that a highlight of my time in Seabrook was waking up early to hunt for sand dollars with Sloan. It was so rewarding to hit the jackpot after being unsuccessful at finding an intact one the previous three days. I thought I would share a photo of our loot—22 sand dollars! They aren’t all dazzling white but Sloan could care less; to her, they are treasure.

A look at the sand dollars we collected. This photo was taken on the porch of our cabin.

Happy 42nd – I want to congratulate my parents on celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary yesterday. On Sunday, August 16, 1981, my parents entered into the sacrament of holy matrimony inside St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Walla Walla, WA. Their marriage is something that my siblings and I try to emulate with our own spouses and it is something that I draw on when counseling engaged couples. Thanks for the example and inspiration, mom and dad!

My parents celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary yesterday.

Our Lady of the Olympics – One of the things I enjoy most about vacation is the chance to visit different Catholic churches. When we were in Seabrook, there was no parish in the town so we had to travel 40 minutes to a small community called Amanda Park. It was there that we attended mass at Our Lady of the Olympics. It probably grabbed the honor of the tiniest Catholic church (excluding college and hospital chapels) that I have worshipped in. A humble nave with 64 portable chairs is where we sat as we listened to Fr. Navy Kumar Thomas deliver the gospel about Jesus walking on water. He then preached a homily about the need to “just listen” during prayer. The church was probably 50% full but as is often the case with small parishes like that, the faith of those present was strong.

My family attended mass at Our Lady of the Olympics Catholic Church in Amanda Park. The church was small but the faith of the congregation was not.

Stream of Week – Sidney recently chose “Fatale” from Netflix’s Top 10 movies. It was just background noise for me at first but later that night I decided to give it more of my attention. I became engaged with the psychological chess match and the carnage that was being done to a hot shot sports agent by a corrupt cop (played by Hilary Swank). If you have 90 minutes to spend on a film that will keep your attention and deliver a pretty solid soundtrack, you might appreciate “Fatale.”

“Fatale” had some twists and turns.

——————–

Thanks for reading! If your area is experiencing oppressive heat, please make smart decisions and stay cool. Don’t Blink.

Family Seabrook Vacation

Posted on by
1

For the first true time as a family of four, we went on a vacation together. Last week, Sidney, Sloan, Beau, and I headed to the west side of Washington for several days of summer fun. In the past, I have commemorated trips by utilizing different writing methods for my Don’t Blink recaps. After giving it some thought, I figured I would write this summary by recounting the main events of each day while also reflecting on a special moment as well. To be honest, my biggest objective with this post is to have something for Sloan and Beau to look back on from this vacation. With that said, here is a glimpse at a very special week for the Resers…

Tuesday, August 8 – With excitement at record levels for the four of us, we departed Spokane early in the morning. We arrived in Seattle around 11 a.m. and played at a 100-year-old park called Wallingford Playfield. After stretching our legs at Wallingford we visited Woodland Park Zoo. The kids loved the otters but I was partial to the sloth bears. We checked into our hotel and then took the light rail to T-Mobile Park for the Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres game. On a gorgeous night we ate way too much ballpark food, enthusiastically participated in all the between innings video board games/cheers, and passionately cheered for the home team as the Mariners blanked the Padres 2-0.

The four of us at the Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres game on Aug. 8. 2023.

A Special Moment – Since it was the first-ever Mariners game for Sloan and Beau, they were both celebrated by the stadium staff as they were presented with certificates memorializing the event.

Some of the photos and moments from our first day of vacation.

Wednesday, August 9 – After eating breakfast as a family in the hotel lobby, we swam in the hotel’s pool. We checked out and drove 30 seconds to the family fun center located right next door. Called Bullwinkle’s, the kids played arcade games and exerted energy in the play structure before eating lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We then drove 2.5 hours to Seabrook where we checked into our cabin and walked down to the beach for a quick taste of what was to come.

When we arrived in Seabrook on Wednesday night we took the kids to the ocean. Didn’t take them long to warm up to it.

A Special Moment – We stopped in Aberdeen to shop at Walmart before entering Seabrook. While there, Sloan was adamant that I take her over to a homeless woman who was asking for money. I honored my daughter’s request and she gave the lady some of her own vacation allowance.

Some of the photos and moments from our Wednesday of vacation.

Thursday, August 10 – We hit our first full day in Seabrook hard. After baking cinnamon rolls for breakfast in our cabin we swam in the town’s indoor pool. By the time we finished there the sun had made its appearance so we ventured to the outdoor pool and luxurious hot tub. After lunch we would spend most of the afternoon at the beach. What fun it was to dig in the sand and make castles with the kids! We ate tacos for dinner and then made s’mores in the fire pit of our cabin’s back yard. We then headed back to the outdoor pool for a majestic round of night swimming.

Thursday was full of trips to the pools, ocean, and more.

A Special Moment – Sid and I set up beach chairs about 30 yards from where Sloan and Beau played on the shore. When I returned to our chairs after helping Beau with something, my wife had written “Sid ♥’s Brent” in the sand.

Some of the photos and moments from our Thursday at Seabrook.

Friday, August 11 – The morning started with the four of us walking over to the shuffleboard courts. Sid and I split two games against each other while Sloan and Beau played their own game on the neighboring court with new friends they made. We fit in a beach trip and pool visit before the morning was done. During lunch we watched “Big Brother” and put Beau down for a nap. Sloan and I then went to the arcade and candy store. A bit later on, we all went over to Seabrook’s green space where a fun cover band performed a free concert. I took Beau to the playground while Sid made dinner and by the time we returned a delicious pot of chicken bog was waiting to be served up. We capped the night by making s’mores again.

Making s’mores was one of our favorite activities while in Seabrook.

A Special Moment – Sloan had the guts to run up to the stage in-between songs during the concert and request a track. Sid put her up to it and encouraged her to ask for “Bad Moon Rising.” Even though the True Romans were a little caught off by the request they played it!

Some of the photos and moments from Friday of our vacation.

Saturday, August 12 – The alarm clock went off early as Sloan and I awoke at 5 a.m. to hunt for sand dollars. Except for a man and his dog, we were the only ones on the coast as we found 22 intact “sand bucks” (as Sloan calls them). Later that morning the four of us traveled 40 miles to a place called Amanda Park so we could attend mass at Our Lady of the Olympics. After eating brunch at the town’s local diner we traveled back to Seabrook and browsed the community’s farmer’s market. The afternoon was spent swimming in the indoor pool. We then had our “nice” out-to-eat dinner of the vacation as we dined at the Rising Tide Tavern. The four of us all had a really nice time at dinner and afterwards the kids played games on the downtown streets (i.e. Jenga, cornhole, sidewalk chalk). We then walked to the ice cream shop for dessert. The day ended with an encore trip to the outdoor pool and one final s’mores session.

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

A Special Moment – Watching Sloan’s face light up when we found whole sand dollars was pretty cool. We had looked for intact dollars the previous two days but couldn’t find any. Sloan was rewarded for getting up early and browsing the beach at the time in which sand dollars were plentiful.

Some of the photos and moments from our Saturday in Seabrook.

————————-

Sunday was spent making the nearly seven-hour drive back to Spokane. This time we didn’t have a Seattle excursion to break things up but the kids did awesome (all things considering). We sure had a lot to reminisce about from the vacation and we all agreed that we can’t wait to return to Seabrook again. Having six days to spend exclusively with my wife and kids was a blessing beyond words and I will always cherish the memories we made. Don’t Blink.