13

13

As I was thinking about potential blog topics today I was preparing food for all my meals this week and it dawned on me:  I should figure out how much money I’m saving by packing breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day (I pack dinner on school nights) versus eating out.  Stick with me because you may be surprised.

So I started by breaking down “typical” meals I pack for myself including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I’m a creature of habit and generally stick with a simple approach for each meal so this was not very hard.  In many cases a single purchase lasts over several servings so I tried to break out the cost for 1 serving for the related meal.  For example, I am assuming I use 1 of 10 servings from my milk carton.  Since milk costs me $3.00/carton, each serving costs $0.30.  Okay, so let’s get to the details.  I will start with breakfast.

Breakfast			Total Cost		% of Total		Serving Cost
	Milk		$        3.00		10%		$0.30
	Cereal		$        2.50		13%		$0.31
	Banana		$        0.75		17%		$0.13
	Coffee		$        9.00		4%		$0.36
							$1.10		vs.		$4.00	Tim Horton's

If I didn’t pack breakfast (or eat at home), I would stop at Tim Horton’s (for those not familiar, think Dunkin Donuts).  When I pack, I usually include a glass of almond milk, a bag of cereal, a banana, and a 20oz thermos of black coffee.  If I stick with my usual brands, this costs me $1.10/day versus the $4.00 I would likely spend at Tim Horton’s.  Only 1 meal down and already big savings!  Keep in mind, I costed out my meal components assuming I paid full retail for everything, but I’m a coupon cutter and probably do even better than what I have in here.  On to lunch! 

Lunch
	Chicken		$        6.00		38%		$2.25
	Salad		$        6.00		7%		$0.40
	Clementines		$        4.00		13%		$0.50
	Mixed Veggies		$        7.50		13%		$0.94
	Chips		$        2.00		10%		$0.20
	Granola Bar		$        2.50		17%		$0.42
							$4.70		vs.		$7.00	Work Cafeteria

If I don’t pack a lunch, I’m usually stuck eating from our work cafeteria.  Don’t feel bad – it’s actually quite good, but we just don’t have good alternatives outside our building.  At the work cafeteria I would probably get a grilled chicken salad, a side of fruit, a bag of chips and a bottled beverage.  This would run me about $7.00 vs. the less than $5.00 from packing.   And as you can see I’ve got a pretty good, healthy line-up in my packed version!  And, more savings J  Now for the all-important third meal – the one that needs to carry me to my bedtime.

Dinner
	PB&J		$        8.00		5%		$0.41
	Grapes		$4.50		10%		$0.45
	Mixed Veggies		$        7.50		13%		$0.94
	Chips		$        2.00		10%		$0.20
	Cookies		$        3.00		7%		$0.20
							$2.20				$10.00	Panera

 

I calculated this as if I were going to class after work.  Class runs 6-9:15pm so I have to pack or grab something on my way from the car to my building.  The only close alternative is Panera which usually runs me $10.00 after I get a you-pick-two (extra charges for the “specialty” items I tend to pick, plus a drink).  If I pack a pretty standard lunch-style dinner, I can get to some totally huge savings on dinner!  Sometimes this meal doesn’t last me through the night, but it really should so I just need to be more cognizant of eating when I’m hungry vs. eating when I’m bored.

So there you have it – if I pack all 3 meals vs. not packing, I save myself $13.00.  That’s just for 1 single day!  Imagine extrapolating those savings over 50 5-day weeks – it would save you over $3,000 in 1 year.  That’s a vacation! 

Now let’s put some context around these calculations.  I tend to buy generic brands vs. name brands.  For example I buy Kroger brand cereal vs. Chex and Kroger brand chips vs. Lays.  Also, I snack from time to time, and that’s not included in this math.  If I pack my snacks, though, I am sure it would be cheaper than swinging through a fast food restaurant for a quick fix.  Also, keep in mind that being a “packer” involves some planning and preparation.  Anissa and I plan out our grocery list carefully each week and we spend a couple hours chopping veggies, cooking chicken/turkey for the whole week, and doing other food preparation to ensure we are set for the week.  One benefit besides the money savings is the wellness aspect.  Getting into the routine took me some time, but now that I have it down I am realizing some health benefits from making good choices when it’s easier (packing the meals) vs. making poor choices in the moment (eating out at Panera and getting chips and fountain pop instead of carrots and water). 

There you have it – all the evidence you need to start packing your meals.  Get to it people!

Cleaned and cut fruits and veggies

Individual servings of grilled chicken - ready to pack!

 

1809

1809

This entry will be spent reflecting on my four years at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  Miami was founded in 1809 and has come to be a very well-respected school, ranked among the best for business.  When I was deciding where to continue my education, it came down to Miami and Xavier University.  It was essentially a toss-up but I ultimately chose Miami for it’s reputation in business. 

Freshman year was a total blast.  The independence was liberating.  Classes were tough – I had to balance requirements for two different Honors programs which was not an easy task.  This was good though; it kept me in check when I needed it.  I was truly blessed to make incredible friends that year.  In fact we remained very close all four years and many of them are in our wedding this summer.  Some highlights from that year were learning to play disc golf (aka Frisbee golf, or frolf), watching Ben Roethlisberger destroy the competition, the worker’s union (food, cleaning) going on strike, and going on Spring break to Texas (we visited Dallas, San Antonio, the beaches near Corpus Christi).

We camped right on the beach on the Texas gulf coast.

Sophomore year brought a lot of the same.  Great friends, tons of studying.  I remember starting to really like school at this point because my classes started to become concentrated in business as I had finished a lot of general education requirements Freshman year.  I was also king of napping.  I usually napped from 2-4pm which left me with plenty of time to get some schoolwork done before hanging out with friends.  One highlight of Sophomore year was sledding.  We had a huge hill behind our dorm and with my extensive sled collection we were set!

Junior year was when things totally changed.  Thanks to some of my sister Mo’s friends referring us, we landed a killer off-campus residence that was 100 yards from the bars and less than a 10 minute walk to classes.  Score!  We spent a lot of time visiting our friends at their houses since that was the cool new thing for everyone (not being in dorms).  School remained tough as my focus in Accounting ramped up and classes got very technical.  Throughout college I always worked, so that also took a lot of free time.  Thanks again to Mo for a great reference, I landed a job at the bookstore (free books!).  I also kept working at the Columbus Zoo on school breaks. 

Senior year I stayed in the same residence with the same guys (1 of whom was my randomly assigned roommate Freshman year and now will be my best man).  I was loaded up on hours trying to get 150 credit hours to meet the requirement to sit for the CPA exam, but that didn’t stop me from living it up.  And senior year was the one year I let myself take a “real” Spring Break.  We went to Panama City.  Fortunately there were enough of us that we could afford to rent an entire house for the week and didn’t have to stay in a dingy hotel.  We had direct beach access, our own volleyball court, multiple patios/deck, grills, etc.  It was just a total blast on the cheap without the downsides of cramming 12 people into a single hotel room.  Graduation from Miami was definitely bittersweet.  I’ll never forget, my roommate and I ditched the big University graduation ceremony to get in another round of frolf.  I remember being underwhelmed by the Business School graduation (the one my parents came to).  I guess I just didn’t want to let go.

When I reflect on Miami and think about what makes it so special for me, I think about the hockey games, playing broomball (look it up) with the same guys and gals all 3 seasons of all 4 years, the amazing beauty of the campus, the best friends a guy could ask for, a stellar education that has propelled me into a successful career, and the best dining hall food any college student could ever want.  I’m very thankful for my parents who made a sacrifice to help me pay for school, and I remind myself of these fond memories every time I make a payment on my student loan. 

 

I dragged Anissa to Oxford so we could get some engagement pictures there.  It's a beautiful campus even when it rains!  And it's funny to see how some things change (new buildings) and some don't (the landscape, the feel of the campus).

P.s. One other big memory from my college years was studying in Luxembourg for six weeks in 2006.  This needs to be an entry unto itself so keep your eyes peeled.

8

8

 

This blog entry is not about the record-breaking cold, but it is inspired by it (remember, I’m a huge nerd when it comes to the weather!).  Well today is officially the start of Spring Semester for Ohio State (enter irony at “Spring”), and the temperature is so low that combined with the wind it is unsafe to be outside.  Therefore Ohio State cancelled classes for today and tomorrow.  I think it’s legitimate and smart of them to do this.  I still have to go to work and, having walked a good distance to/from my car to get in and out of the building, I can attest that it is indeed dangerously cold (I just checked and the actual temperature right now at 9:30pm is -9 and the wind chill is -35). 

For those of you who have attended a college or university, you understand what a rare occurrence it is to have classes cancelled.  Given the size of Ohio State including all the students and employees, it is definitely a very rare occurrence.  I have been very sick the past few days (I always seem to get these major sinus attacks around the turn of the new year) and I desperately needed a delay to the start of classes.  As I was chatting with Anissa today, she suggested I write about the hours I got back from not having 2 classes I otherwise would have had this week.  I could talk about how I am spending/intend to spend the actual time I would have been in class (watching the BCS National Championship, drinking wine, blogging, going to the gym), but instead I will talk about what I could do on any given day if I was given the gift of 8 extra hours. 

 

 

The 8 hours come from my 6 hours of actual class plus the time to/from campus.  Eight hours is a lot of time.  Allegedly it is a full work day, but I’m sure we all know that is more of a myth these days.  One thing that comes to mind when I think of big chunks of time is training for the marathons I’ve run.  Major runs usually took 2-4 hours each.  All of my marathons took me between 4 and 5 hours to complete.  With this gift from Ohio State I could run a marathon and still have 3 hours left to spend!

Another thought that comes to mind is how long it takes to do the menial tasks of a normal weekend.  I’m talking laundry, cleaning the house, taking care of the yard, etc.  With 8 hours I could clean the whole house, do 3-4 loads of laundry, mow the grass, weed the gardens, clean out my car, grab some groceries, and get to the gym.  If I slept in, that would be an entire Saturday of errands!

Okay, so moving onto another thought (you may notice my mind scatters erratically, so bear with me).  I love roller-coasters and thrill rides.  Having been to both Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH) and King’s Island (Mason, OH) more times than I could reasonabley count, I have become a veritable wizard when it comes to maximizing ride time at amusement parks.  If you need evidence, just ask my family how I am at Disney World (it’s a blessing and a curse).  At King’s Island you could probably hit up every major coaster in under 8 hours, including some non-coasters and lunch at 1 of the 3 La Rosa’s (yummm!).  At Cedar Point you could probably squeeze in 6-7 major coasters – more than enough for the first half of the day if you don’t want anyone to get sick.  That’s a whole lotta fun!  Thanks for the bonus time Ohio State!          

One year I went to King's Island on Memorial Day.  They had a paraglider fly in the flag as they sang the National Anthem before letting guests enter the park.  It was a very cool start to a great day!

 

Two quick asides to the previous paragraph.  One summer Cedar Point introduced a new coaster that set the world record for height (420 feet) and speed (120 mph).  Me and 2 friends waited in line (mostly waiting out maintenance delays) exactly 8 hours to ride this coaster.  And it was so worth it!  No regrets.  Especially because when it got up and running every other person in the park got in line and freed up lines at other rides.  Cedar Point has the policy of letting anybody in line for a ride at the park’s closing time the opportunity to get on the ride before they leave.  At 10pm the line for this coaster was 4.5 hours long.  Yes, Cedar Point had to operate the coaster until 2:30am that day.  The second aside is that one summer I got inspired to engage in a vigorous writing campaign with the executives at Cedar Fair (owners of Cedar Point).  This netted me (and my party) the right to skip the line for 2 rides of our choice during our next visit.  Moral of the story here – persistence pays off!

I digress.  So what else for 8 hours?  Let’s see …you could fly from Atlanta to Brussels (Belgium) – I did that in the summer of 2006 when I studied in Luxembourg.  I don’t recommend getting on a flight like that just for fun.  It’s not fun.  You could also drive from Columbus to Syracuse with a 1 hour stop for lunch along the way.  You could probably complete a jigsaw puzzle.  You could spend a day at the zoo.  You could go golfing (with time to spare!).  You could watch 2 football games (hello college football Saturdays!).  The possibilities are seemingly endless.

In the summer (2013) Anissa's family (siblings, parents, nephews) came up to Columbus and we spent the day at the zoo.  These are the boys getting to see a kangaroo up close!

I hope that with this post I’ve given you some food for thought about how you might spend a gift of 8 hours.  And remember what a precious gift time really is the next time you receive it.  Lastly, there’s a lot to be said for just chilling out, vegging out, or catching up on sleep!

5

5

I thought it was about time I did a blog about my sisters.  I am lucky enough to have 5 of them!  I will take you through them from oldest to youngest.  But along with my parents and Anissa, they are my rocks.  You will see I have different relationships with each of them.  But they are my best friends and life would be so boring and meaningless without them.

Carolyn is the oldest and she’s about 4 years older than me.  Carolyn had the unfortunate responsibility of figuring everything out for the first time whereas I always had my 3 older siblings to test the waters before I dove into anything.  I’ve always been in awe of Carolyn’s artistic abilities.  By that I mean her musical talent (which impresses me more every time I get to hear her sing), her creative process, and her uncanny ability to give the most thoughtful, beautiful gifts (she makes me look like a chump at Christmas).  I also really admire her persistence.  She’s always exploring, always trying to get better at what she does, and I’m pretty sure she never sleeps.  She juggles so many things like balancing her relationships with others, fostering a thriving career, finding personal growth in her hobbies, and giving back to the community.  Whenever I feel overwhelmed I think about what Carolyn is able to accomplish and in doing so I find the strength I need to forge ahead.

Aileen is the next oldest at 3 years older than me.  Aileen and I were pals from a very young age.  We had secret clubs and at the tender age of 6 she taught me how to find opportunities to profit in the marketplace.  Aileen, like Carolyn, has great drive.  When you dig deeper you also find a great amount of passion that fuels everything she does.  When Aileen is on your side, you cannot be stopped (and if she’s not, then watch out!).  One memory I have with Aileen that I will never forget is when I was in Scottsdale, AZ with her.  She was out there for an extended period of time on a personal trip and I went out for a long weekend to keep her company.  We wined and dined ourselves and just relaxed.  It was a great time for us to just have nice, long conversations.  In our adult lives Aileen and I have come to have more and more deep conversations covering topics like why are we here, what am I doing with my life, or how do I make sense of what is going on around me.  She’s a great sounding board and I can always count on her to give me the time of day.

Maureen is the next oldest and closest in age to me.  She is 1.5 years older, but she was always 2 grade level s above me (over-achiever!).  In our younger years, Maureen and I fought a lot.  Given our proximity in age we had a lot of similar friends and that always created tension.  But after high school I went to Miami University where Maureen also went.  Although she was abroad for 3 of the months, we did have 2 years together at Miami.  Let me tell you, that was a blast.  Maureen just took me under her wing.  As I mentioned above, it was always great to have siblings ahead of me to figure it all out so I could get it right.  This was definitely true at Miami, and even after graduation (we are both CPAs).  I actually lived with Maureen for a while after I graduated and this just brought us closer.  Given our educations and professional similarities Maureen and I have a lot to chat about.  Sometimes I feel bad when others are around us because we just go spinning on our own tangents!  Maureen is great at giving advice and her heart is always in the right place.

I am the fourth child in the family.  The next sibling is Amy who is 3.5 years younger than me.  Growing up there was always separation between “the four big kids” and the 2 younger siblings including Amy.  Amy and I were rarely in the same school at the same time and therefore had very few similar friends.  Amy is also incredibly talented musically (I lost count of how many instruments she played in high school, but she excelled at them all).  She teaches special education now and I just think it’s the perfect fit for her.  Amy has always been someone who thinks with her heart first.  While that can be dangerous at times, it’s a really admirable quality that I think we can all learn from.  Sometimes in the moment I criticize her for what she says or does, and then reflect on it later realizing I actually agree with her.  I am very excited to see what Amy will do in this world because her heart is so big.

The “baby” of the family is Laura who is 5 years younger than me.  It’s hilarious that she is the baby because she might actually be the most mature person in our family (maybe it’s the outcome of learning from the mistakes of 5 other siblings!).  In her youth we always teased her for being lazy and a complainer.  Sometimes we thought she was complacent and unorganized.  Then she went to school at Loyola in Chicago and she really seemed to pull herself together quickly while there.  She’s now started her career teaching just outside Chicago and she loves what she does.  Every time I talk to Laura I am impressed with her poise and pragmatism.  I often forget she’s not my age or older.  Whatever guy she ends up with will certainly be one lucky dude!

These descriptions really cannot do justice to who these ladies are, but it gives you some insight.  Of course I left out some rough moments but everything that has happened brought us to today, and that is a good thing.  I love when people ask if I have any siblings because I just can’t wait to tell people about my 5 sisters.  As the end of the year approaches and I reflect on my life I realize that I just might be the luckiest guy in the world.  People always have a reaction when I tell them I have 5 sisters and I often joke that they can have a couple if they don’t have any sisters.  But the truth is, I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything in this world.

 

Okay, enough gushing, Kent out.

1992 at Disney World

Left to Right:  Amy, Me, Carolyn, Laura, Aileen, Maureen

 

2011 at my cousin's wedding in Boston

Left to Right:  Me, Carolyn, Laura, Aileen, Maureen, Amy

 

 

100,000

100,000

Well it’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?  Three weeks since my last entry.  Shame on me.  Back in high school my track coach explained to us the difference between reasons and excuses.  In my case, I think I have some legitimate reasons for my tardiness on this latest entry.  I wrapped up Fall semester at Ohio State with some exams and final group work.  I got in a car accident (everyone was fine, and it was not my fault) and have been dealing with the insurance company on and off the last few weeks (still don’t have my car fixed).  Also, wedding planning has kicked into high gear.  We made some big strides the past few weeks and hopefully we are on to less time-sensitive and more enjoyable planning like the honeymoon, favors for our guests, and music for the reception.  Okay, so enough “reasons” – on to the latest number in my blogging journey.

A week or two ago I hit the 100,000 mile mark on my Honda Accord. 

 

There it is - big moment!

 

I got the car just over 6 years ago which means I’ve put almost 17,000 miles/year on my car.  Ouch.  If I drove 20 miles to work one way each work day for the last six years, that only accounts for 60,000 of my 100,000 miles.  So where did I rack up the other 40,000!?  And then my mind began to race and think back to all the long stretches of highway I’ve driven.  So I thought I’d take you along for this ride and fill you in on some of those “extra” 40,000 miles the last 6 years.

To start, I purchased my car back in September 2007.  My car at the time had failed me and the repair would have cost me more than the fair value of the entire vehicle (riddle me that).  So I traded it in and bought a Honda Accord knowing I needed something very practical and durable.  In hindsight, that was a great decision.  Well done 22-year-old Jeff.  My first two years with the car were in Columbus.  I can’t recall any major trips, but I definitely racked up some miles living far from work.  Also, I was an auditor and often traveled outside the metro area to various client sites.  Overall, though, I can’t really blame those 2 years for putting on all those miles.

In the Fall of 2009 I was offered a job transfer with my employer to our Charlotte office.  It turns out that office had won a bunch of new (and big) clients, requiring additional staff for the long run.  I didn’t have anything keeping me in Columbus at the time.  No lease (thanks to my sister Maureen!), and no girlfriend.  So, off to Charlotte I went. 

I loved my apartment - right in the thick of it!

 

The first few months were kind of crazy.  I had already planned a lot in Columbus for that Fall so I spent many weekends driving back to Columbus.  For the record, it’s about 425 miles from Columbus to Charlotte, or a 6.5 hour drive.  In my opinion, it’s just long enough to make a weekend trip doable.  Any further and I’d say fly.  One major trip I remember being excited to make back to Columbus was for Christmas.  My job was awesome because even as an entry-level staff I was given 5 weeks of paid vacation.  Yeah, 5!  I always saved 2 of those for Christmas/New Year’s.  After a rough start in Charlotte I was desperate to go home to some familiar faces and just relax.  Enter the weather.  A brutal winter storm literally paralyzed I-77 through West Virginia.  As in, it was not passable no matter how awesome you think your 4-wheel drive is.  Determined to get to Columbus I drove to Columbus through Atlanta, Knoxville, Lexington and Cincinnati.  What is normally a 6.5 hour trip took almost 12 hours (the weather in Tennessee and Kentucky was rough as well).  After the holidays passed and I was starting to set some roots in Charlotte, I was assigned to a major client in the Jacksonville, FL office.  I was pretty upset that I was forced to work there for 4 months after being asked recruited to work in Charlotte.  The Charlotte airport is pretty big and often my flights were delayed so I actually drove to Jacksonville many of those weeks (I also liked having my own car there).  That trip was about 375 miles each way, or 5.5 hours.  And it was dull and boring.  This is where I learned to like stand-up comedy.  I gained some favor with the audit teams in Jacksonville and therefore they retained me for a special engagement for one of their clients.  However, this required me to work in Pittsburgh for a month (go figure – why did I leave Columbus?!).  Again, flight complications and the desire to hit up Columbus “on the way” led me to drive to and from Pittsburgh.  More miles.  Many more miles.  All the while, working out of town forced me to miss some crucial training in my Charlotte office.  When I finally got back to Charlotte in the middle of Summer 2010, I had to drive to and from Raleigh, NC to make up those missed trainings.  Great, more time in the car.  By the time August 2010 hit, I knew I needed to find a new job.  So I did, and also decided to move back to Columbus.  At the time, there was also this girl I really liked and she lived in Cincinnati.  Charlotte to Cincinnati was not working for us very well so the 100 miles between Columbus and Cincinnati seemed really attractive.  (As it turns out, this girl’s name was Anissa and I am marrying her in July next year!). 

Okay, so clearly 2009/2010 was a big mileage period for my trusty Accord.  Also in 2010, my parents moved from Columbus to Syracuse, NY (almost 500 miles apart).  With holidays and other visits, my car continued to pile on the mileage the next few years.  But as you might remember from my first blog, I love snow.  So my parents being in Syracuse wasn’t all bad.

Four feet of snow made for some great sledding!

 

Also, Syracuse is situated near some awesome things.  I drove my car to the eastern part of NY to go zip-lining on North America’s tallest, fastest zip-line up in the Catskills.  I also drove my car across the border to do Niagara Falls with Anissa.  We got to see Cooperstown, something I have always wanted to do!  Additionally, we toured the Finger Lakes and enjoyed some of the best wines I’ve ever had.  In the end, all those Syracuse miles were totally worth it!

The base of one of the mountains we zip-lined to/from.

 

 

Looking back on what those 100,000 miles mean to me, I am a happy guy.  They mean I’ve had good, steady work my entire young career.  They mean I am committed to being where I need to be, whether that’s going home for the holidays, making my way up and down I-71 to see a special lady, or just taking some time to step away from my day-to-day routine and enjoy some of what life has to offer.  I’m looking forward to what my next 100,000 miles have in store.  And Lord knows my Honda Accord is ready for them!

27

It’s time for a confession.  Don’t get too excited.  Unless you like snow.  Because I have a problem.  You may think you love snow, but I promise you my love of snow is unparalleled more times than not.  My love of weather, in general, goes back to when I was either 3 or 4 years old.  I got a weather kit as a gift for a birthday or holiday.  I measured rainfall, snowfall, the barometric pressure, etc.  My love of weather has never left me.  In fact, for a long time I thought I might be a meteorologist.  It turns out it’s just a passionate hobby.  Growing up in Cleveland I was a pig in mud in the winter.  With average annual snowfall of around 70 inches, I could count on plenty of snow cover to keep me happy all 3 months of winter (ok, let’s be serious:  all 7 months).  When my family moved to Dallas I lamented the weather.  I didn’t mind the heat that Dallas offered (I’m talking, “it’s too hot to play outside today” kind of heat) and I was fascinate by tornado season, but I missed winter.  One Thanksgiving we were blessed with 6 inches of slushy snow.  Guess what family became very popular due to their extensive sled collection they brought with them from Cleveland!?  Unfortunately it melted by noon that day.  As I mentioned in an earlier post I’ve lived in Columbus for most of my life.  And guess what?  Columbus only gets a paltry 27 inches of snow per year.  A vast improvement from Dallas but nothing near Cleveland.  Then a few years ago my parents moved to Syracuse (they are now back in Dallas) and Syracuse averages 125 inches of snow per year.  We visited one Christmas (or was it Thanksgiving?) and they had 4 FEET of snow on the ground.  And it wasn’t more than that because they had significant melt ahead of our visit.  The original storm had brought something like 90 inches of snow over a 2 week time frame.  THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!  My parents could not open the back door.  When we got in for the holiday my siblings and I (well into our 20s at this point) wasted no time and went sledding almost every day. 

So while I live in Columbus now and we only get 27 inches per year, we are off to a strong start this year.  I think it has snowed 3 or 4 times already, with one “major” event (in Columbus “major” is loosely defined as >1-2 inches).  I have enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to some more over the next several months.  I’m hoping for the chance to get away and ski a bit this year (and to teach Anissa how to ski!). 

The first snow of the year (this may have been in October but I'm not totally certain of that)

The first snow that stuck to the ground this year.   I wish I had time to make a snowman.

 

I can’t really explain my fascination with weather, particularly snow.  But I just love being in it.  Driving scares me a bit, but it’s a fair price if you ask me!  I wish Columbus got more than 27 inches per year!  I don’t mind shoveling.  I love to build forts.  I love to ski. 

So there you have it.  My name is Jeff Kent.  I am 28 years old.  I am a snow-aholic.