Tag Archives: Traveler's Insurance

Disney World Magic and Memories

Posted on by
Reply

Over the span of three full days, we jumped headfirst into all Disney World has to offer.

Hanging with these three at Disney World was a magical adventure! We jumped right in.

If that opening sentence seems a little abrupt or random to you, please read this past post that explains how we found ourselves at WDW in the first place.

Sloan poses for a photo with Sid’s parents and her cousin, Henry. It was awesome to see all of Sidney’s family again.

But for this post I want to jump right to the chase. As I am fond of doing, I wanted to highlight 10 themes/observations from our time at Disney World.

Beau, Sloan, and their cousin, Jack, wait at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – The four nights we spent at Disney World were under the roof of the Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. After most recently staying in a cruise ship cabin that the four of us could hardly move in, we enjoyed our more spacious quarters. I especially liked our balcony that overlooked the hotel grounds, the distinctive hotel scent that hit you the moment you walked in, and the adjoining door that connected us to Sid’s parents’ room.

Sloan hangs out on the balcony of our hotel room at the Disney Yacht Resort Club. We had a great stay!

Family – Speaking of my wife’s parents, this trip was special because we had the blessing of vacationing with my in-laws and Sid’s sisters (plus their families). Because they live in South Carolina, making the hour flight from Myrtle Beach to Orlando was manageable. It was awesome to catch up with everyone but perhaps nothing was better than watching all the cousins engage and play with each other.

Our Mathis group takes a couple moments to rest inside of Epcot. It was great to see everyone!

Packed Days – We tried to make the best use of our days with the limited time (three full days) that we had. Our crew hit up Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. Disney lines are long so you must prioritize what you want to ride. It was interesting to observe the distinct vibes and unique characteristics of the parks! I liked each one for different reasons.

I liked all the parks for different reasons but it is tough to beat Magic Kingdom.

Character Breakfast – One of my favorite moments from our time at Disney was the character breakfast at Animal Kingdom. However, this isn’t near the top of my list solely because we got to meet Mickey but rather because of the food! The breakfast buffet was delicious and by far the best park food I ate. The French toast was delightful (perhaps the ample whipped cream had something to do with it?) and I loved that they randomly offered chicken curry as well.

All the cousins pose for a photo with Mickey at the character breakfast at Animal Kingdom. Best food all trip!

Sloan’s Fearlessness – I felt proud as I observed Sloan’s bravery. She rode all the coasters and thrill rides without thinking twice. She definitely doesn’t get her fearlessness from her dad—I don’t usually ride roller coasters—so it was neat to see her exhibit more guts than me.

Sloan was up for anything in Disney World and was a lot of fun to be around.

Favorite Rides – Even though I wasn’t usually with the group hopping on the big coasters, I still rode some rides that were fun and very well-done. Ratatouille (Epcot) was cute and incorporated aroma effects, DINOSAUR (Animal Kingdom) was intense and mission-based, Mickey’s Runaway Railway (Hollywood Studios) was an adventure, and racking up the high score of our group on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom) provided me some bragging rights. However, I have a soft spot for the Magic Kingdom classics like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and the Winnie the Pooh ride.

Hanging out with Beau and Sloan on the Ratatouille ride at Epcot.

Bonding With Beau – While Sloan was out being brave with the other thrill-seekers in our group, I spent a lot of time with Beau. I had so much fun with him! We hit up the tea cups, carousel, Dumbo ride, and many more. While not on rides, we tried pulling a sword out of a stone, ate Mickey ice cream bars, and played in splash pads. I am always touched by what a sweet boy Beau is and I feel thankful for the memories we made together.

I had a blast with Beau at Disney. Such a sweet boy!

Fireworks – Each park offers nightly fireworks and we took full advantage. Sid and I received front row seats for the Epcot show on Friday compliments of Traveler’s Insurance and our whole family group watched the Magic Kingdom display on Thursday. But the most magical experience came the first evening we were at Disney. While in our hotel room late at night, we heard fireworks exploding outside the building. Sloan rushed to the balcony and got to watch that evening’s 11 p.m. Epcot show. The view we had from our balcony was superb and provided the perfect way to close out that first evening.

Sloan and Sidney stroll as the fireworks fill the sky at Magic Kingdom.

Character Encounters – Beyond the character breakfast I mentioned earlier, the kids had an awesome time engaging with Disney heroes at other moments during our trip. They met Elsa and Anna in the duo’s summer home, randomly encountered Asha from “Wish” at Epcot, ran into Chip and Dale in our hotel lobby, and crossed paths with Daisy. Each time, Sloan and Beau pulled out their autograph books for signatures. These Disney cast members who portray the characters are expertly trained and undoubtedly talented!

The kids met a lot of Disney characters. This photo shows some of them.

Mass At St. Mary, Queen of the Universe – On Sunday morning, we attended mass at Mary, Queen of the Universe Basilica. It was built to serve the large population of Catholics who visit Disney each year. Seating approximately 2,000 people, the church is beautiful and the services are reverent. What a blessing it was to spend the third Sunday of Easter there.

Beau and Sloan stand in front of Mary, Queen of the Universe Basilica in Orlando.

—————-

I am grateful our children experienced Disney World at an age of reason. Although Beau’s memories might be a little fuzzy 10 years from now, I know Sloan will forever remember this trip. I have never declared myself a Disney freak but I can at least admit that a palpable sense of magic does float through the parks. I hope Sloan and Beau saved some of that pixie dust to pair with their beloved Stitch stuffy souvenirs they brought home.

It was such a joy to spend time at Disney with these two little monkeys.

Thanks again to Sidney for helping us get to Disney via her Traveler’s Insurance professional prowess. I also owe additional gratitude to my wife for the enthusiasm and planning she exhibited in preparation for this very special trip.

Thanks to Sidney for making our Disney World trip possible.

Hats off to the Mouse himself for a great time—we sure enjoyed ourselves, Mickey! Don’t Blink.

Why We Went to Disney World

Posted on by
1

Although we try our hardest to go on an annual vacation every 12 months, very rarely do we go on TWO vacations in a single calendar year. But, as you probably gleaned from my blog post last week, not only have we now embarked on a couple different vacations in 2025, we did them within a couple weeks of each other.

Let me quickly explain…

The cruise we recently returned from was more than a year in the making. My sister rallied the troops in early 2024 and organized a Reser family vacation on the Freedom of the Seas for April 2025.

The Disney World vacation we just returned from was a little more spontaneous and it was 100% because of my talented wife…

Our family in Magic Kingdom during our visit to Disney World.

Earlier this year, Sidney was named an In-Synch award winner for Travelers Insurance. Basically, out of 30,000 employees, she was one of the approximately 100 professionals honored for going above and beyond on an everyday basis. One of the perks she received for her inclusion in this prestigious .3% grouping of the Travelers workforce?

An all expenses paid trip for two to Disney World!

Thanks to Sidney’s work performance with Travelers Insurance, we were given an all-expenses paid visit to Disney World. This is us at the beach welcome party on Thursday, May 1.

Although I thought she would choose my sister to hop on that plane with her, my wife decided to choose me! And, it kind of goes without saying, but if “mom and dad” are going on a trip to Disney World, the two kids better be going as well.

And they did. 😊

What a gift it was to bring Sloan and Beau to Disney World!

But it wasn’t just the four of us who spent time in Orlando this past week. When Sidney called her parents to tell them about her honor and prize, they said they would meet us there! Then one of Sid’s sisters (and her family) also committed to the trip and shortly thereafter her other sister also booked tickets for her family.

Sid’s family hanging out during a day at the Disney parks.

After a family vacation with my parents and siblings, we were doing the same with Sid’s family!

This is how the Travelers vacation package worked: Sid’s company made all travel arrangements, set us up with lodging at the Disney Yacht Club Resort, provided three full days of park tickets, organized different recognition events, and much more.

There was a lot going on during the five days we spent in Florida…

– Sidney got to spend time at her most favorite place on earth.

– Our children had the thrill of experiencing Disney for the first time at an age they will remember.

– We had the pleasure of spending time with Sidney’s family who we don’t see enough.

– Sid received a truly memorable Travelers experience where she received tremendous recognition, enjoyed the red carpet treatment, and networked with other high performing colleagues plus top-level executive management.

We enjoyed a nice time at Disney with some beautiful weather.

During the day we spent time at the parks and at night we attended the Travelers events. I will follow this blog post with another one that chronicles our family experience in more detail, but I did want to use this post to very briefly touch on what made the time “under the Travelers umbrella” so eye-opening.

I could write a lot but for the sake of brevity, let me highlight three things that really stood out…

1. Meeting Sid’s colleagues – I had the honor of meeting many of the people Sidney works with. A few of them were from the Spokane office but many of them were from all over the country. It was really cool to see the respect they have for each other and how happy they were to spend time together.

Sidney with her Traveler’s Insurance colleagues at the beach welcome welcome.

2. Understanding the Travelers Work Culture – I learned a lot about how highly Travelers Insurance values its employees and the company’s “WHY” for doing business. Travelers CEO Alan Schnitzer spoke at length during the award recognition dinner and I appreciated his leadership philosophies. I also really appreciated the special shout out he gave to Sidney during his remarks and it was an honor to meet him during the after party.

Sidney with Traveler’s CEO Alan Schnitzer.

3. So Much Fun! – From a welcome dinner on the beach to the awards banquet to the Epcot dessert/fireworks event, I felt lucky to enjoy the fruits of Sid’s success. The best perk though was the after hours access we received to go on the Ratatouille ride as many times as we wanted!

Sid and I pose for a photo before going on the Ratatouille ride.

I am adjusting back to West Coast time and still have a lot of positive thoughts and experiences to process from the whirlwind five day trip, but this is a good start. I know my wife is thankful that she took a big leap of faith 2.5 years ago by totally switching careers and accepting a position with Travelers. I am so proud to see how far she has come in such a short period of time. Don’t Blink.

Eggo-Flavored Thursday Rundown

Posted on by
Reply

And we meet again! Thanks for returning to Don’t Blink for another Thursday Rundown. Let’s get started right away with tonight’s five topics.

Sid’s New Work Location – Earlier this year, Traveler’s Insurance moved from its Spokane downtown location to a spot in the Spokane Valley. This new arrangement has cut down on Sid’s commute time and eliminated the need for my wife to pay for parking. On Tuesday, I took the kids to visit the new digs. After picking Sid up for lunch at the nearby Arby’s, we returned to her office building and rode the elevator up to the fourth floor Traveler’s headquarters. It was really nice to visit and see where my wife goes three days per week.

Sidney poses for a photo with the kids at the new Traveler’s Insurance Spokane Valley location.

Dessert Table – After Lent, our family is always excited to eat some sweets. Can you tell by our Easter Sunday dessert table? Delicacies on the table include chocolate/butterscotch hay stacks, ice cream pie, a cream cheese/pudding dessert, chocolate cookies, and Costco cookies.

Sloan contemplates what she is going to take from the Easter dessert table.

Eggo Pop-Tarts – I went against my better judgment from back in March 2023 and decided to buy Eggo Pop-Tarts. News flash: don’t expect to find them on my top 10 favorite Pop-Tart flavor list. I was hoping to experience a taste that incorporated maple and an actual Eggo. What I got was something I don’t even know how to explain. My best advice is to just stay away.

Stay away from Eggo Pop-Tarts.

Latest Movies – This week I have watched two films on Netflix. The first is “Feel the Beat” which is basically your dance team version of the “Mighty Ducks” or “Bad News Bears.” Although it had a very cliché story line, I chose it for Sloan to watch during her Spring Break and because she liked it I must say I liked it too. I also watched “The Miracle Club” on Tuesday night and enjoyed it. This particular film tells the story of a group of women who travel on a pilgrimage together to Lourdes in hope that they will receive miracles of healing from the Blessed Mother. Although they don’t receive the physical ailment healing they were after, they return home with even greater graces.

I watched both “Feel the Beat” and “The Miracle Club” this week.

National Hug A Newsperson Day – I want to start off by giving a huge shout out to our news team here at Washington State University. What a pleasure it is to work with these talented and committed professionals on a daily basis! Next, I want to give a general “thank you” to all people working in news. On this National Hug A Newsperson Day, I offer up this ode I wrote to on-air journalists approximately 11 years ago. You are appreciated!

I appreciate all journalists. This is me with Mandy Noell (then at WMBF) in 2014.

———————–

On that note, let’s wrap things up for tonight. I wish you a pleasant first weekend of April and I look forward to writing a blog post or two next week. Don’t Blink.

Cheers to 31, Sid!

Posted on by
Reply

Well, it isn’t the milestone birthday from last year, but 31 isn’t something to scoff at, right? After a whole year to contemplate that she is now old, I don’t think today’s birthday is as jarring as when Sidney turned the big 3-0. 😊

But my light ribbing aside, I do hope Sidney takes advantage of the opportunities to celebrate today while also taking a moment to reflect on that optimism that this latest birth year brings.

Happy 31st birthday, Sidney! (photo credit: Nicole Lynn Photography)

In my opinion, I think the biggest highlight from her time as a 30-year-old was successfully transitioning careers. After her more than half decade as a teacher and a couple fulfilling years as a stay-at-home mom, Sidney was hired by Traveler’s Insurance in October and reported to work in November. She jumped right in and has really found something she enjoys. Now that she has really settled in over the first three months, I know she is going to have a really successful trip around the sun from a professional perspective.

However, there is so much more to life than the work grind. I know this year will be a continuation of my wife doing whatever it takes to be an incredible mom, understanding/patient wife, and devoted servant of God. She has projects on the docket that she will complete over the next 12 months and I can’t wait to see the outcomes that will abound.

How are we celebrating today? Well, the four of us will enjoy a birthday lunch at noon complete with cake and ice cream. Then later tonight my parents are taking care of the kids so Sid and I can go out for dinner. Next weekend we will hold a joint birthday party for Sid and Beau with my parents, siblings, and their families in attendance.

Happy birthday to my fearless, risk-taking, kind wife. Cheers to 31 and I can’t wait to see what is in store. Don’t Blink.