Today my dad celebrates his 69th birthday. As I said in my blog post I wrote for his 68th birthday, I value every second I have with him. This appreciation was established after living out-of-state for 15 years. After going several of those years only seeing him a couple times, I told myself I would never take our moments together for granted.

Thankfully, I saw my dad A LOT during his latest trip around the sun. In fact, I saw him so much that I can easily pull together a double-digit list of my favorite times with him over the past 365 days.

In chronological order, here are my 10 best moments with my incredible dad during his time as a 68-year-old.

Concerts Under the Pines – Nothing beats live music in a park on a summer evening. Shortly after my dad turned 68, I took the kids to Audubon Park where we met my parents and my sister’s family. We ate KFC and listened to a band during the latest “Concerts Under the Pines” event. My dad was in his element.

Hanging with my dad at the “Concerts Under the Pines” series at Audubon Park.

Mariners Trip – It was a special trip for the Reser boys as my dad, brother, and I ventured to Seattle for a Mariners game. We arrived in Bellevue on Saturday and attended mass and then went out to dinner. The next day we went to T-Mobile Park where we watched the Mariners defeat the Rangers. The weekend reminded us of the magical trips we took to Seattle decades prior.

A selfie with my dad and brother shortly after we found our seats behind home plate during our Mariners trip to Seattle in August 2025.

Birthday Fun – For my birthday, all I wanted was to hang at home and eat pizza. My dad made my wish come true as he brought over a couple of large pies from my favorite pizzeria after I arrived home from work. Although hanging with my wife, kids, and parents at home was pretty low-key, it was one of the best birthdays I could remember.

Just hanging with my dad and eating pizza during my 39th birthday party.

High School Football – On a cold November evening, I met my dad at University High School to watch the Titans play Walla Walla High School in a playoff game. We sipped hot chocolate and enjoyed watching my dad’s alma mater (Walla Walla) in our own little corner of the bleachers. We walked out of the stadium together talking about how happy we were that we went together.

My dad and I at University High School on a cold November evening to watch playoff high school football.

Turkey Bingo – There is nothing better than turkey bingo and it is even sweeter when you get to play it with those important to you. My dad (and mom) traveled all the way from north Spokane to spend time with us at the 2025 St. Mary turkey bingo event. My dad played a couple cards but of course his sole purpose for doing so was to pass his card off to either Sloan or Beau if he ever won.

My dad eating some popcorn and playing his cards at the 2025 St. Mary (Spokane Valley) turkey bingo event.

EWU vs. WSU Basketball – For the second straight year, my dad and I attended the 509 Classic together. During this latest time, I pulled my dad into the EWU Alumni pre-game rally. As an EWU alumnus himself (and also a WSU alumnus), he felt right at home. I had the opportunity to introduce him to President Shari McMahan and Athletics Director Tim Collins. After the rally we watched the game together as the Cougs beat the Eagles.

My dad and I pose with Swoop at an EWU Alumni rally prior to the 509 Classic basketball game between WSU and EWU.

Christmas Eve – Much in the same way that my 2025 birthday really stood out, our 2025 Christmas Eve did as well. My parents joined us for a beautiful Christmas Eve mass at St. Mary and then afterwards they come over to our house where I cooked a ham dinner. Everything that night was perfect and I felt grateful for the special time we had with my parents.

On Christmas Eve 2025, my parents came over and I cooked a ham dinner.

Pizza Parlor Feast – In January, the adult girls in the Reser family (Sid, mom, sister, niece) went to Las Vegas. That weekend they were gone, my dad invited all the guys and children to Market Street Pizza for dinner. While the kids played the arcade games, my dad held court as we ate pizza and drank beer. Although we missed them dearly, we managed just fine that evening without the ladies.

My dad holding down our table at Market Street Pizza in Jan. 2026.

Super Bowl Victory – My parents hosted a Super Bowl LX party and it was pretty epic as the Seattle Seahawks hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the night. But what made the evening even more interesting was the Super Bowl square board that everyone in our families (and beyond) participated in. With the fourth quarter winding down, there was a possibility that my dad could win the big bucks. We were all cheering for him as his luck held out and he won $200.

My dad is surrounded by my mom and his grandchildren after the Super Bowl. My dad is holding the poster board that contained our various numbers on the board of squares. My dad won the top prize.

Hoopfest Tip-Off Party – In April, I asked my dad to be “my date” at the Hoopfest tip-off party. He gladly accepted. I met him after work as we had a relaxing time at the event. We had some drinks, ate a really nice dinner, watched the NCAA men’s basketball championship game, and witnessed the reveal of the Hoopfest 2026 poster and game ball.

My dad was my date at the 2026 Hoopfest tip-off party.

Ron White – My dad was so excited to see his favorite comedian with his two sons! Not only did he pay for our Ron White tickets, he also bought us dinner at one of the Northern Quest restaurants before we moved to the resort’s outside venue to watch the show. How great it was to hear my dad laugh again and again. I hope he laughs like that during his time as a 69-year-old as well.

My dad and I inside Northern Quest shortly before hitting up the outdoor venue for the Ron White show.

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Happy birthday, dad! You lived it up as a 68-year-old and my expectation is that you don’t slow down one bit during your final year in your sixties. I couldn’t ask for a better father. Don’t Blink.