Tag Archives: St. Mary Catholic School Spokane Valley

Kindergarten In The Books!

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We now have a first grader in the house. Sloan’s last day of kindergarten was this past Friday as the St. Mary 2022-23 school year ended with mass. In his final homily of the academic year, Fr. Jeff Lewis challenged the students to “love like Jesus” throughout the summer. With that message and a farewell address from the principal, the students were dismissed.

We weren’t on top of it enough to update her board, but thanks to my mother-in-law we do have a photo of Sloan on her last day of Kindergarten to go with the photo we took on her first day of school. Sloan has definitely matured over the past year.

At the beginning of the school year, I wrote that I hoped Sloan would grow academically, socially, and spiritually. She has made progress. From an academic standpoint, she has developed into a proficient reader over the past nine months and has grasped mathematical concepts. When it comes to social growth, there is work to be done. Sloan is extremely outgoing and loves her friends but is learning to control jealousy, especially when it comes to accepting that everyone can play together. From a spiritual perspective, I have marveled at the strengthening of her faith. Whether it be feast days, the 10 Commandments, understanding of the mass, or important Biblical stories/concepts, she has learned so much and grown in her closeness to God.

Although Sloan wasn’t perfect, she did make strides.

Sloan poses for a photo with her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Jordan Roff, moments after mass concluded on the last day of school.

From a parental perspective, Sidney and I sure enjoyed getting to know the other families in this year’s kindergarten class. Sloan completed two years of pre-school at St. Mary but the opportunities to engage and work with other parents increased immensely this year. To develop relationships with people who share commonalities with us—both in familial makeup and faith—is fulfilling. And to think that these relationships will just continue to grow over the next several years is such a blessing.

Sloan and her friend, Aminah, pose for a celebratory photo on the last day of school (photo courtesy of Shauna Durrant).

Our family has a lot of optimism for the 2023-24 school year. Sloan’s first grade teacher will be Ms. Emily Lunsford, the same talented educator who taught her in Pre K-4. Also, we couldn’t be more pumped about the incoming principal. Stephen Hart will take the reins of St. Mary and will bring his years of experience teaching in public schools and his devout Catholic faith with him. We are excited to see what our good friend will do.

Sloan poses for a photo with Ms. Emily Lunsford in June 2022 after her preschool graduation. Ms. Lunsford will be Sloan’s first grade teacher during the 2023-24 school year.

Oh, one final thing. St. Mary will have another Reser enrolled next year. Beau will join the Pre K-3 class. We are looking forward to sending both our children to a central location and becoming even more ingrained in the St. Mary community.

I am looking forward to the 2023-24 school year at St. Mary.

But enough about next school year! Summer is here and it is time to let the good times roll. Personally, I will be just fine not making the drive to/from St. Mary twice per day over the next couple months. Live it up, everyone. Don’t Blink.

Happy 12th Ordination Anniversary, Fr. Jeff

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It is a date that Sidney and I now celebrate just like family birthdays and our wedding anniversary. When May 26 rolls around we immediately recognize it for one reason: The ordination anniversary of our pastor, Fr. Jeff Lewis.

Today, Friday, May 26, 2023, Fr. Jeff Lewis celebrates his 12th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Earlier this week we got a head start on the celebrating as we recognized his anniversary at our Engaged Encounter meeting.

Today marks the 12th anniversary of when Fr. Jeff was ordained to the priesthood. We are proud to say we have known “Papa J” for almost a quarter of those dozen years.

During the nearly three years we have known Fr. Jeff, he has helped get us involved in different ministries. One of those is St. Mary’s marriage prep Pre-Cana program where we get the opportunity to mentor engaged couples. This photo is of Sid, Fr. Jeff. and I with Sarah and Brendan–a couple we mentored who will get married in July.

The first time we walked through the doors of St. Mary Catholic Church, Fr. Jeff greeted us immediately. After some small talk he asked us where we lived in the Spokane Valley. We told him the area where we had recently settled and even though we were on the wrong side of Pines Road and thus outside the parish lines, Fr. Jeff laughed and said, “It’s okay, you’re welcome here anyway…just don’t tell Fr. Kevin” (Fr. Kevin Oiland is the pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, the Catholic community we technically should have attended based on geography).

Fr. Jeff and Fr. Kevin Oiland started a Young Adult Group for Spokane Valley Catholics. It launched 2.5 years ago and because of the time and energy that Fr. Jeff and Fr. Kevin devoted to it, our group continues to grow and thrive. This effort by the two priests really helped Sidney and I find friends and grow in our faith upon moving to Washington.

Fr. Jeff was exactly what we needed after our cross country move and Sidney’s recent conversion to Catholicism. We joined his Young Adult Group that he started with Fr. Kevin and from there he kept getting us more and more involved in other ministries—both at the parish and diocesan levels. Just a text message away, Fr. Jeff has always been there for us. Whether we have needed him for the sacraments, a house blessing, prayer support, his presence at retreats/events, a Hoopfest sponsorship, or a host of other things, he continues to be that constant rock in our daily drive to grow closer to God.

Fr. Jeff Lewis with us at our house blessing.

We admire Fr. Jeff for his faith, self-deprecating sense of humor, and the insane schedule he maintains. Sidney and I are grateful for how much he cares about St. Mary School and its mission to deliver the best Catholic education possible. Speaking of children, it warms our hearts how he always makes time for Sloan and Beau, effortlessly connecting with them no matter the situation. I am inspired by his ambitious goals for evangelization, his commitment to his parishioners, and his love/defense of the Catholic Church.

Fr. Jeff has a genuine love for children…and the relationship is reciprocal! You should see how excited Sloan and Beau get when they see Fr. Jeff.

In my life, I have never had a priest as invested in me as Fr. Jeff. Because of this, I can only say Thanks Be To God. Let us pray that impactful and holy priests like Fr. Jeff Lewis continue to be invigorated by their vocation. Happy anniversary to our very special pastor. Don’t Blink.

I Got Goosebumps Thursday Rundown

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Go Cougs! Okay, I just had to get that out of the way. Did you see our women’s basketball team storm through the Pac-12 tournament as a #7 seed to take the title and punch a ticket to the Big Dance? It was incredible. Okay, five topics are coming right at you…

Fish Fry Season – Oh my goodness, I love fish fry season. During the Lenten season when Catholics abstain from meat, it is very common for parishes to stage fish fry community events. At St. Mary, my Knights of Columbus council puts on what might be the best fish fry in the Spokane Diocese. Last Friday, my parents, sister, and her children came with the four of us to the St. Mary school gym to partake. The cod was fresh, the baked potatoes on point, and the conversation exquisite. What a fun evening!

Sidney and my sister at the St. Mary Knights of Columbus fish fry on March 3.

Getting Goosebumps – A name from my childhood became relevant again this week. R.L. Stine was accused of changing some words and phrases in his “Goosebumps” series. It turned out it was Stine’s publisher, Scholastic, who did the altering in an effort to offer more inclusive language. I am not getting into this messy debate because that’s not the point of this topic. Rather, the point is to say that I loved the “Goosebumps” series as a kid. When I was done with those books I moved on to Stine’s “more mature” line of horror books for teens—“Fear Street.” I wonder what a trip it would be to open a Goosebumps book today and read the whole thing?

I loved reading the Goosebumps books as a kid.

Broadway Diner – For Christmas, my parents always give us kids and our families a gift card to a restaurant. However, each of us receives a different gift card based on our particular tastes. My brother was given a gift card to Outlaw BBQ and my sister’s family was given a gift card to China Dragon. Us? We got a gift card to a truck stop…and we couldn’t have been happier. The Broadway Diner is a hidden gem in Spokane that caters to truck drivers but is welcome to anyone. The portions are large, the food is greasy, and the menu diverse. Since moving to Spokane, it has become one of our favorite spots Over the weekend we redeemed our gift card and loved every bite. Thanks, mom and dad!

A look at our Broadway Diner experience from last Saturday. The chili cheese burger belonged to me 🙂

Katie Sandwina – I have an historical interest in the circus and those who performed in it. I recently learned about Katie Sandwina, a strongwoman for Barnum & Bailey. She would wrestle men on stage and perform massive feats of strength, such as lifting a 300-pound weight over her head. Katie didn’t stop performing in the circus until she was 60 years old. I am always fascinated by the grit, talent, and endurance many of these circus performers possessed—they performed seven days a week on brutal travel schedules in many times less than ideal conditions.

Katie Sandwina was a circus strongwoman who could outwrestle and outlift most men.

Coasters – You will find our home absent of coasters. I think we simply forgot to put them on our wedding registry. But even though I am not a coaster connoisseur, I can still find the below “Off the Mark” comic strip to be humorous.

This “Off The Mark” comic strip was enough to bring a faint smile to my face.

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That will wrap things up for tonight. Take a moment right now to send a text message to someone you appreciate (it can even be your favorite blogger if you want 😊). Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Don’t Blink.

Dancing in the Dark Thursday Rundown

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Well, how is your February going? In less than two weeks it will already be March. I guess that means I better get writing if I want to finish this by the end of the month. Here are tonight’s five topics…

Father/Daughter Dance – A few weeks ago, Sloan slid into the car as I picked her up after school. She bashfully asked, “Daddy, will you go to the Father/Daughter Dance with me?” I told her “absolutely” and we eagerly awaited the big evening. It all took place last Friday night. After we took photos in the front of our house, we went to Red Robin for dinner where we met Sloan’s classmate and her dad. We had the best double date! We then went to St. Mary for the dance and had a blast dancing to all the classics (think “Don’t Stop Believing,” “YMCA,” “Sweet Caroline,” etc.) and having fun with the other dads and daughters. As we drove home, Sloan was already planning for next year’s date.

The St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance was such a fun experience!

Heart-Shaped Pancakes – I didn’t purchase a Papa Murphy’s heart-shaped pizza this year so we did the next best thing and made heart-shaped pancakes on Valentine’s Day (and by “we” I mean Sid). She used red food coloring and her special skills to make (near) symmetrical heart-shaped pancakes. Served with fresh fruit and sausage, we topped the pancakes with whipped cream. Chef’s kiss.

We got a little wild with the heart-shaped pancakes that Sid made.

Marco Rubio – On this date 8 years ago, Sid and I went to a Marco Rubio rally. It was 2015 and all serious presidential candidates—Republican and Democrat—were campaigning in South Carolina ahead of the 2016 presidential election. I took advantage of South Carolina’s coveted spot in the primary landscape and also attended rallies for Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. But on this particular night it was all about the fresh-faced senator from Florida. We watched him stump and then he graciously posed for a photo with us. He seemed like the real deal at the time and he has remained very relevant over the past several years but I don’t think another presidential run is in the cards for 2024.

On this date 8 years ago today, Sidney and I met Marco Rubio.

Welcome To Your Home – Oh man, I must go down memory lane for the second time tonight. On this date three years ago, we brought Beau home for the first time. His arrival was a little delayed due to his stay in the NICU, making it all the sweeter. The highlight was Sloan meeting him and holding him. As we helped keep Beau steady on her lap, she spontaneously started to sing to him. I was fortunate to record that precious moment.

This was the first ever meeting between Sloan and Beau. It went well.

What Would Be Your Pick? – Alright, I will bite on this. If I had to select just a single treat on this ice cream truck menu, I would opt for 11, 14, 15, 24, and 25. I loved the character ice cream pops, even the hard-as-rock bubble gum that made up either the eyes, nose, or other component of the pop. Those diehards of this blog might not be surprised by this. Nearly five years ago, I literally wrote about my favorite ice cream truck treats. With that said, my next choice after the character pops would be 27 followed by 8.

Here is the ice cream truck menu…what do you choose?

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Phew. I did manage to complete this rundown before the month slipped away. In fact, I made such good time I think I will be able to fit another Thursday Rundown in before February passes. Stay tuned for that. Don’t Blink.

First Day of Kindergarten

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Watch a short video of Sloan’s first day

Today, Sloan had a major milestone in her education career. She attended her first day of kindergarten. From here on out, it is full speed ahead to high school graduation. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves…

Sloan had her first day of Kindergarten today. This is her with her “first day” board.

It was a special day for Sloan and her parents alike. There is a lot of significance tied to the first day of kindergarten and we wanted to make sure she got off to a good start.

Sloan riding to St. Mary on her first day of school.

Not that we were too worried. I think a lot of kindergarteners and their parents face that “fear of the unknown” element but it wasn’t a factor for Sloan. You see, Sloan is a student at St. Mary Catholic School, the same school she has attended the past two years. She went through the Pre K-3 and Pre K-4 programs and learned with the same group of students that she stepped into a classroom with today.

St. Mary had a cool display for students to take their photos in front of on the first day.

But there is still plenty of adjustment. Sloan is now going to school Monday-Friday and her kindergarten program is full day. She has a new teacher and is in a new section of the building. It will take some getting used to but after her orientation event last week and her first day today, she seems to be easing right into it.

Once Sloan sat down at her desk, she was ready for us to go 🙂

Our family is excited for what the year will bring. St. Mary is a tight community and there are so many opportunities for academic, social, and spiritual growth. Please pray for Sloan, her classmates, and their teacher (Ms. Roff) as they embark on the 2022-23 school year. Don’t Blink.

Hustle Thursday Rundown

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The days continue to get longer as we approach the first day of summer on June 21. So guess what that means? This is the last Thursday Rundown of the spring. Dang, talk about pressure. Here are tonight’s five topics…

Resemblance – Earlier this week, my dad texted Sidney and I the photo on the left and wrote You know anybody who looks like this guy? Of course, the photo was of me, and my dad was implying that Beau and I looked alike when we were both at that age. To be completely honest, I don’t really see it. However, both my wife and dad think there is a striking resemblance. What do you think?

I honestly don’t think there is much of a resemblance, at least not a striking one. What do you think?

Hustle – I never thought I would use the word “inspiring” to describe an Adam Sandler movie but here I am in 2022 doing so. Critics are calling “Hustle” the best movie of Sandler’s career and I would be hard pressed to argue. I watched the film from start to finish on Friday night and really enjoyed it. Sandler plays a Philadelphia 76ers scout who discovers a foreign prodigy and coaches him to NBA readiness. The creative basketball scenes, the celebrity cameos, and the underdog story all make this movie enjoyable to watch. But Sandler truly does steal the show with his motivational performance. You can watch “Hustle” on Netflix.

“Hustle” with Adam Sandler was really good.

Sloan Graduation – Yesterday, Sloan graduated from preschool. After spending a year in the Pre K-3 class followed by this year in the Pre K-4 class, Sloan is ready for her next challenge: Kindergarten. Wednesday’s ceremony was joyful and cute as Sloan and her classmates were celebrated inside the church. We are excited to watch our daughter and her cohort grow together as they advance through St. Mary Catholic School. Although she graduated yesterday, Sloan will attend one final day tomorrow in Ms. Lunsford’s Pre K-4 class before beginning her summer vacation.

Sloan graduated preschool from St. Mary Catholic School in Spokane Valley on June 15, 2022. She is pictured in the top right corner with her teacher, Ms. Emily Lunsford.

That One Club Experience – Sidney and I are the last people you will find in a club but six years ago on this date we made an exception. While on our honeymoon, we found ourselves at Coco Bongo in Cancun. We were entertained all night with celebrity impersonator musicians, side acts, and confetti showers. It was such a fun and memorable experience! If you ever get the chance the go, even if you cringe when you think about clubbing, you won’t be disappointed.

I only took a couple photos when we were in Coco Bongo and they are all grainy. However, this is one of Sid and I. The club was insane.

National Sea Turtle Day – When Sidney and I visited Baltimore in 2014, we visited the renowned National Baltimore Aquarium. When you enter the aquarium you come face-to-face with a gigantic tank full of fish and sharks. But what really stood out when we visited eight years ago was the enormous 500-pound sea turtle that also inhabited the tank. Her name was Calypso and she swam in the National Baltimore Aquarium waters for 20 years before passing away in 2020. She was quite the site. Happy National Sea Turtle Day, my friends.

This was the main tank that the National Aquarium is designed around. You can see Calypso swimming front and center.

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Let us pray incessantly for the end of violence both in our country and the world. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you have a terrific weekend. Don’t Blink.

A Nice 2021

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As I sit here and reflect on 2021, I am thankful that it was a year to adjust. After an insane 2020 that included the birth of Beau, a move across the country, and the beginning of a new job all while a global pandemic shook our world, things slowed down a little bit in 2021. It was our first full year in Spokane and with the easing of COVID restrictions, we took the last 12 months to become familiar with our new home.

Fr. Jeff Lewis blessed our home in 2021 as we took the year to take it easy after an insane 2020.

We have no complaints. This year wasn’t about us. Instead, we had the opportunity to celebrate others. Like Sid’s sister who gave birth to a handsome little boy, Jack. Or my brother and sister-in-law who wed on July 4. Or my parents who marked their 40th anniversary in August.

I was the best man at Glen and Carrie’s wedding.

With our loved ones thriving in the spotlight, we stayed backstage and really started making Washington our home. We solidified relationships, found a couple trusty coffee shops, played at a few favorite parks, became regulars at our local library, purchased season passes at Chuck E. Cheese, joined local swimming lessons, exercised hard with our gym community, stumbled upon a couple neighborhood watering holes, and so much more.

We spent a lot of time at Spokane parks in 2021.

Like I said, we spent most of the year on Spokane soil. That’s not to say we were stationary. We spent a May weekend in Walla Walla and had a blast. We visited Sid’s family in Myrtle Beach in June and are lucky to finish 2021 right here in South Carolina as well. We went camping in the middle of nowhere with my sister’s family. We ventured to Missoula. Sid and I took our first real vacation together in five years when we flew to Las Vegas for several days in July. We found our way back to Walla Walla in August where my parents rented a VRBO for a relative’s wedding weekend. I made numerous drives back and forth to Pullman for work but also spent a Saturday there with my dad and brother for a Cougar football game.

In August, we spent a family weekend in Walla Walla as my cousin got married.

As you can tell, a lot of our travels centered around family. But most of our everyday living did as well. We had numerous Sunday dinners with my parents, siblings, and their families. Although the setting changed from my dad’s backyard deck to the dining room of our childhood home depending on the season, the good times never ceased. Nor did they stop when we celebrated holidays, marked birthdays, or attended sporting events/shows. Although we didn’t have the quantity of time with Sidney’s family that we had with mine, we definitely matched it with quality. Just a couple weeks ago, we had a Myrtle Beach “staycation.” Sid’s parents rented a condo on the beach for us and the families of her two sisters. It was a really nice five days that preceded the Christmas holiday we also got to spend with them.

We got to celebrate lots of birthdays this year!

The other “F” value that flourished this year was our family’s faith. Our first full year as parishioners at St. Mary Catholic Church was blessed. We got to know our parish priest better and made friends with other church families. The relationships we started developing with our young adult Catholic group at the end of 2020 flourished in 2021. Beyond our regular meetings, we now all hang out together regularly at our homes. Sloan’s love for Jesus continued to grow as a student at St. Mary Catholic School. I committed to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year Podcast and went through the entire book from Genesis through Revelation.

Photo we took of Sloan prior to her first day of school as a Pre-K 4 student at St. Mary Catholic School in Spokane Valley.

Professionally, 2021 was a solid year. The social media team became its own unit within University Marketing and Communications at Washington State University and I joined the department’s leadership team. My responsibilities increased and I had the privilege of taking on tasks for the first time in my career. I work for a terrific boss and collaborate with a talented and supportive team.

In March 2021, I celebrated my 1-year anniversary at WSU. So thankful to work for the Cougs!

Thanks be to God, it was a fortunate year for us. Despite a couple trips to the emergency room for our accident-prone Beau, everyone stayed healthy. We didn’t experience loss in our extended families. With a pandemic still very much impacting the world, the virus and its variants stayed away from us. Could we ask for much more?

This year was a blessing for our family.

As we close the book on 2021, I am thankful for what this year provided our family and our loved ones. I would be more than happy with another stable year in 2022 but I do know that even-numbered years usually bring our family more change and unpredictability than odd-numbered ones. We shall see. At the very least, let’s hope 2022 finally brings us some light at the end of the tunnel to the coronavirus. Amen to that, right? Don’t Blink.

Back to School for Sloan

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It’s back to school in the Reser household! After a successful Pre-K 3 year, Sloan returned to St. Mary Catholic School today for the beginning of her Pre-K 4 year.

Photo we took of Sloan prior to her first day of school as a Pre-K 4 student at St. Mary Catholic School in Spokane Valley.

It is bittersweet now that Sloan’s summer has come to an end. I enjoyed having her around the house five days per week. But this is a situation that is more sweet than bitter because I know Sloan was so excited to return to the classroom. St. Mary had its welcome back orientation last week and Sloan connected with her new teacher and couldn’t contain her enthusiasm seeing all of her classmates’ name tags.

Sloan cruising in the car to her first day of school.

So it goes without saying that Sloan was chomping at the bit this morning. We carefully put on her uniform and loaded her backpack. When it was time to head to school, she didn’t show the least bit of nerves as we helped her into the car.

Sloan confidently held her mommy’s hand as she skipped through the parking lot and into school.

Once at St. Mary, there was no hesitation. We walked her to the classroom and without hesitation she ventured into the big world…ummm…I mean ventured to her desk.

Sloan standing inside St. Mary Catholic School right after arriving. She was ready to go!

When she returned home, Sloan was still ecstatic about school and ready to return tomorrow.

Once Sloan sat down at her desk she was in the zone and ready to learn!

Please pray for a fruitful school year for not just Sloan and her classmates but all students returning to school. May everyone learn lots! Don’t Blink.

Prayerful Thursday Rundown

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Happy Thursday, friends. Thanks for your continued readership of Don’t Blink. Without any unnecessary delay, let’s jump into this week’s Rundown…

Praying For… – I always say that students who attend St. Mary School come home with some of the best crafts. Recently, Sloan made a figure that resembled her and attached a heart that contained the names of people (and…umm…things) that she is praying for. Her list included Jesus, Sid, myself, and…Muffin? Yep, that would be my parents’ cat. Sloan loves felines, especially the one belonging to her grandma and papa and felt the need to pray for it.

Sloan brought this home from school the other day.

We Remember – Speaking of people we pray for, a man named Dr. Robert Cina is always in our nightly prayers. He was the surgeon who performed corrective Pyloric Stenosis surgery on Sloan four years ago today. For those who don’t know, Pyloric Stenosis is a very rare condition in infants in which food is blocked from entering the small intestine, causing constant projectile vomiting and dangerous dehydration. Sid and I didn’t talk to anyone about the experience for a year after it happened but these days we are much more open about it. We promote Pyloric Stenosis awareness and try to support those parents and babies going through what we did. To commemorate the four year anniversary, I made this TikTok video.

During Sloan’s bout with Pyloric Stenosis and for over a year afterwards, we kept it between immediate family. Sidney and I are so thankful for the support of our parents. This photo shows our moms and dads with Sloan at MUSC.

Riverfront Park – We took advantage of the absolute gorgeous day last Saturday and met Miranda and her kids at Riverfront Park for a day of fun. We broke in the newly opened playground, admired the Spokane Falls, rode the carousel, and fed the garbage goat. Sloan and Beau absolutely loved it…and the adults did too.

It was a pefect day at Riverfront Park last Saturday.

Eating Outside – Spokane is pretty much the “Eating Outside Capital of the United States.” Pleasant temperatures and low humidity make it a great place eat dinner outside during the late spring/summer/early fall months. In fact, taking it outside for breakfast works too. This past weekend we were able to enjoy brunch and dinner out on our back deck as we ate waffles in the morning and then tried out our new grill in the evening. With a view like we have, there is plenty of incentive to eating outdoors.

It was nice to get an early start on “eating outside” season this past weekend. We ate waffles for brunch on Sunday.

National Jelly Bean Day – There is a day for everything, right? Today is National Jelly Bean Day and just like there is a day for everything, there is seemingly a Don’t Blink blog post for everything too. Back in 2017, I ranked my top 5 favorite Jelly Belly flavors. I won’t reveal my entire list in tonight’s post (you have to go here to read it) but buttered popcorn and Dr. Pepper are both on the list. If the subject of jelly beans seems redundant to you, I did write about sweeTARTS jelly beans just a couple weeks ago.

I wrote about my favorite Jelly Belly flavors four years ago.

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It is going to be tough to top last weekend but we will try. Have a great evening and we will catch up next week. Don’t Blink.

Easter 2021

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You can’t call it an Easter of redemption because every Easter is one of redemption. But I think I can say it was more of a “normal” Easter in 2021 compared to what we experienced in 2020. And, to be honest, I was glad. To celebrate Easter Sunday with my family after missing them so much last year was extremely sweet. Here is a look at our day…

Sid and I were up bright and early so we were ready when Sloan and Beau awoke. Once they were up we led them downstairs to their Easter surprises. Although Beau didn’t say much, Sloan sure was excited.

Sloan and Beau on Easter morning.

Next came the most significant part of the day. We went to St. Mary Catholic Church for 9 a.m. Easter Sunday mass. After not being able to gather last year for this most holy mass it sure meant a lot to celebrate in our sacred space once again. Fr. Jeff Lewis celebrated the beautiful service and delivered a homily about the strength of the Church throughout the past couple millenniums. We sat with my brother and his fiancée and truly found ourselves in the Easter spirit.

Dressed for Easter Sunday mass!

After mass we drove out north to my parents’ house. We ate a brunch of pastries that included muffins, breads, and donuts. Sloan and Beau also opened Easter baskets that grandma and papa got them.

A look at my brunch plate.

We then took a couple hours to just relax. As is a tradition, I played some Easter hymns and we just took it easy and chatted.

Soon enough my brother and his fiancée joined us at my parents’. They were followed shortly by my sister, brother-in-law, Mikayla, and Johnny. We all gathered in the living room and chatted. That is simply what us Resers do when we gather—we talk. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It wasn’t long before we were all sitting down for the Easter meal. This year we had ham, corn casserole, mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, salad, and more. The dinner marked the first time that my wife and kids got to spend Easter with my parents and siblings so I made sure not to take it for granted.

A look at our Easter meal.

After we let our food settle, it was time for the annual Glen and Carrie (brother and his fiancée) Easter egg hunt. They hid a whole bunch of eggs in my parents’ backyard and then Sloan, Mik, and Johnny went out and found them after a quick pep talk from Glen. Backyard egg hunts are the best hunts.

Glen and Carrie always do a great job of putting on this Easter egg hunt.

Finally, it was dessert time. My mom made ice cream cake in honor of Miranda’s birthday (which was on March 28) and my brother made peanut butter pie. Despite eating myself silly at dinner I still managed to eat a little bit of both.

Miranda, Glen, and Carrie enjoying dessert.

We all talked for a little bit longer and then we all departed to our respective houses. It was a special day after a meaningful Lenten season. But as a priest from my past used to say, we don’t look at this present time as the end of Lent but rather as the start of the Easter. So, happy Easter my friends, let’s joyfully celebrate the resurrection of our Lord over the next several weeks. Don’t Blink.