Tag Archives: St. Mary Catholic School Spokane Valley

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.

Holiday Cheer Thursday Rundown

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We are mere single digit days away from Christmas! How are you doing with your holiday shopping? If you are anything like me, your time might be better spent on Amazon as opposed to Don’t Blink. Well, at least I can make it quick for you. Let’s get started with our five topics…

Christmas Cheer – Another holiday tradition our parents introduced to us was something they called “Christmas Cheer.” On a couple different random nights close to Christmas, my mom and dad would gather us around the tree in the living room and serve us hot chocolate. They would dim the lights and play Christmas carols from the boom box. It was always a relaxing, festive, and slightly magical experience. Sidney and I have introduced the tradition to Sloan and she is hooked. For the past several days since we first did it last Thursday night, she will come up to us and ask, “Can we have Christmas cheer again?”

My cup of hot chocolate from last Thursday’s Christmas Cheer session.

Favorite Christmas Movies – I know you are curious so I suppose I will give you what you want. I have five favorite Christmas movies and this is how I rank them…#5 – “A Christmas Vacation” (Clark is hilarious), #4 – “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” (first Christmas movie I ever remember watching), #3 – “A Christmas Carol” (I love all versions), #2 – “Home Alone” (very underrated musical score), #1 – “Miracle on 34th List” (the old one). If you really want to pick my brain on these choices, I gave full analysis two years ago. Hope you watch a some of your favorite Christmas favorites this weekend!

Pull up your Santa chair and let’s watch some Christmas movies!

While on the Subject – A Twitter account I follow posted this rather intriguing question: Which movie’s version of The North Pole do you want to visit the most? (“Elf,” “Polar Express, “Fred Claus,” “The Santa Claus).  Although I thought it was a creative question, I didn’t think twice about my choice. THE POLAR EXPRESS! In my humble opinion, “The Polar Express” nailed it with both its depiction of the North Pole and Santa Claus. The movie really captures the magic of Christmas that many of us had as kids. 

Interesting but easy question.

Holiday Winner – Last week we had our WSU University Marketing and Communications virtual holiday party. The staff members in charge of the party did a superb job as they put together a Zoom gathering that was about as good as you can get. A scavenger hunt, holiday trivia, a recipe book, and a discussion about Christmas traditions all made the party engaging and fun. Another component of the morning was a costume contest. Yours truly pulled out the elf costume and won the award for “Most Festive.” The social media people always have the most fun!

I won “Most Festive” at our office virtual holiday party.

A New Special Ornament – You won’t find a school that does better arts and crafts than St. Mary. Sloan has brought home some really awesome projects over the past few months. On Tuesday she surprised us with our new favorite ornament. The two candy canes on the bulb form a heart and the card that came with it was beyond precious.

If you look closely you can see the reflection of Sloan and Sid!

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Okay, get back to Amazon now. If you need my address, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Have a great rest of your week. Don’t Blink.

Sloan’s First Day of Preschool

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After seven months away from school, Sloan returned to the classroom today. She is the newest student in the Pre K-3 class at St. Mary Catholic School in Spokane Valley.

This was Sloan this morning prior to Sid driving her to school.

For more than half a year, we had the pleasure of keeping Sloan home with us. After I worked my last day at CCU in February, I took Sloan out of daycare and spent the next three weeks doing fun stuff with her non-stop. I then left to work at WSU and Sid watched both kids fulltime as they prepared to make the move west themselves. Two months later in early May they joined me in Spokane. For the past five months, Sloan has spent every minute of every day with us. It has been incredibly nice—and I suppose a little challenging at times too.

But no matter how sweet it has been having our little girl at home with us, we know it is best to give her a little bit of structure with kids her own age. So, Sid dropped her off at St. Mary for her first day of preschool this morning. The primary reason why we decided to enroll her as opposed to keeping her at our house until she turns 18 is because we are extremely comfortable with the school. St. Mary School is the parochial school of our new church, St. Mary Parish (shocker, right?). This connection and the desire of both Sidney and I to have our kids receive a Catholic education made St. Mary a no-brainer for us. Sloan is in great hands…and she also looks really cute in her uniform!

Sloan is attending St. Mary Catholic School in Spokane Valley (photo courtesy of the St. Mary Facebook page)

It was still just a little sad watching Sid and Sloan drive off today. Saying goodbye to her after getting so used to having her around at all times was a bit hard for this sappy dad, even if she is going to school for just three hours per day…two days per week 😊

Sloan had a great first day at school.

Let me tell you this: If you ever have the means and opportunity to keep your child at home for an extended period of time during their toddler years, do it. I am not saying never send them to daycare or preschool, but if they are going through a major change (like we were), easing the transition by keeping them close by is good for the child and rewarding for you.

We are proud to send Sloan to St. Mary (photo courtesy of the St. Mary Facebook page).

I am excited to see how Sloan grows intellectually, socially, and spiritually at St. Mary. Thanks be to God. Don’t Blink.