The Sunnydaze Diaries

PIVOT! So… I’m not sure if Kansas was a tornado or a non-event. Due to some issues with the site and with the calendar/scheduling, Barry never even went to the job site here. Instead, after just over a week, they decided to send us to Ohio. We had a few complications with timing due to the holidays and some vacation time for a wedding, so Barry had to travel out there first and I stayed behind in Wichita. Fortunately, we have been able to rent a little 2-bedroom duplex in Columbus and after a week in Chattanooga for Christmas, the plan now is to pack up our little house in Kansas and make the 12-hour drive to Ohio. Confused yet? Me too!

My main takeaway from Kansas is that it is windy! Currently as I write this, we are experiencing gusts up to 35 mph. I wish I had some insightful observations or fun adventures to share with you, but we were only here for 6 weeks, and with the holidays and the wedding we were out of town for 3 of those weeks. We didn’t have the opportunity to explore, or go to church, or even visit some of the restaurants we saw around town. Our time here feels so random, and slightly pointless, and I’m still trying to process all that.

But now, Ohio! It looks like we will be there for about 2 months, but obviously that is uncertain. Hopefully we will get a chance to settle in for a minute and enjoy our new town of Columbus. We might even get a visitor or two while we’re there. In the meantime, here are your fun facts about Ohio:

• The Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, and Stephen Spielberg were all from Ohio.
• Ohio gave America its first hot dog in 1900.
• Akron is known as the rubber capital of the world.
• Cleveland boasts America’s first traffic light
• The state ranks number one in the country’s production of Swiss cheese.
• Ohio is home to the world’s largest cuckoo clock! The giant, fully functional clock is located in the town of Sugarcreek, known as the “Little Switzerland of Ohio.”
• If someone loses their pet tiger, they must notify the authorities within one hour. (thank goodness!)
• In 1852, Ohio became the first state to enact laws to protect working women.

Ok, so I probably have to quit procrastinating, and go pack up the kitchen. It’s New Year’s Eve, so we’ll spend tonight at home with some charcuterie and wine, watching a movie, and maybe the ball drop in NYC. We’ll talk through all the changes 2024 brought us, and our hopes for 2025. Maybe a little less mandatory traveling, and a little more recreational traveling?
Ohio state’s motto is “With God, all things are possible.” What a great thought to ring in the new year with!

“and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! ” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

This summer, I was talking to our daughter about our plans to become nomads. She understood, of course, like everyone else did. Barry and I had done long distance for several years, and my traveling with him would allow us to be together. She did have a few questions, and one of them hit me the hardest. “Ok, so Mom,” she said, “what about Christmas? You love the holidays. That’s your time of year. Are you going to be ok not doing Christmas?”
Honestly, nobody else brought that up, and I love that she knows me so well. It was something I had contemplated, but my only possible response at the time was that I didn’t know, and I would figure something out.
Because she was right. I do love the entire Christmas season. The day after Thanksgiving always kicked off the festivities for our family. Traditions morphed over the years as the kids grew and circumstances changed, but the heart of the holidays always stayed true. Some years we went Black Friday shopping, some years I was working in retail so the family would visit me at work. When we lived in the Northwest we went to a tree farm to cut our own tree and drink hot cider; after we moved to the South, Lowe’s or Home Depot became our tree shopping destination followed by a trip to Starbucks. Once the kids moved out and Barry was traveling, I had to switch to an artificial one, because buying an 8-foot tree by myself and bringing it home on top of my Mini Cooper seemed a little unrealistic. Putting up the lights and decorations on the tree and around the house feeds my creative side. Each new house brought its own challenges and opportunities. One year when the kids were small, we didn’t have money for decorations, and I took some of their Christmas artwork and crafts, bought some dollar store frames, and hung them on the wall. They loved it, and I’ve hung them every year since. And then let’s talk about food. I’m a baker, and since nobody is on a diet in December, it is my time to shine! I make my grandma’s fudge recipe, and the kids’ favorite cookies. We’ve continued a tradition I had growing up – “birthday cake for Jesus” for Christmas breakfast – in the early days it was pineapple upside down cake – now that everyone is of legal age, it’s pineapple upside down rum cake. There’s concerts and Nutcracker performances, parties, the midnight Christmas Eve service, and watching Home Alone together. On a quiet evening I’ll sit with a glass of wine and read Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”. Every year.

Well, our destination for the next few months has been determined. Not the Arctic, and not the beach. (for reference, see my post “ok God, so what’s the plan?”) And now the packing has begun. One day we were told we’d have a little break between locations, and the next day we were asked how soon we could get to Kansas. Once a friend and I were talking about being flexible, and they told me sometimes being flexible is still too rigid – you have to be fluid. That really fits how we’re living right now. I keep hearing Ross from Friends shouting “PIVOT!” 😂

We’re traveling with a bit more than just clothes. In an effort to make each temporary place feel like we live there, we have some books, boardgames, framed photos. We’ve got the record player and some vinyls, just for fun. And of course a few kitchen things we couldn’t live without, you know, like the espresso machine and my cheesecake pan 😉.

So now we pack for a few days, and say a prayer that everything will fit in the truck and the jeep. We do some research, make some calls, submit some requests, and hope we can find a place to live for the winter. And then we’ll drive for a few days, until we get where we’re going.

Some fun facts about Kansas:

• It’s known as the Sunflower State 🌻
• It was the first state to ratify the 15th Amendment, giving African American men the right to vote
• It is home to the largest ball of twine
• It is illegal to hunt whales (That one should be pretty easy!)
• It is also illegal to shoot rabbits from a motorboat (I’d really like to know the backstory on why this law is necessary)
• It is one of two sources of helium in the U.S.
• The Icee was invented in Kansas, and the first Pizza Hut opened there.

Honestly, I wasn’t too excited to hear about this next move. The thought of having a month or two off during the holidays did this thanksgiving-loving-Christmas-loving mama’s heart good. Still, we know that to be nomads means to be fluid – we adjust, we pivot, we move forward, we look for the silver linings, for joy and laughter and all good things. After all, Kansas’ motto is “Ad Astra per Aspera” which means “To the Stars through Hardships”.
That seems appropriate.