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.