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.

23

23

I was born in Cleveland, OH and lived there the first 7 years of my life.  From 2^nd to 4^th grade my family lived in Dallas, TX.  I have very emotional connections to both places.  When I was just a few weeks shy of turning 10, my parents told us we were moving to Columbus, OH (we almost moved to Des Moines, IA instead, yikes!).  My entire family was pretty devastated by the news but Columbus has really treated me (and everyone in my family) extremely well.  It really is an under-acclaimed gem in the heart of the Midwest/Rust Belt.  Among others, one point of pride in Columbus is its diverse economy.  Being the capital city of Ohio, there is a lot of government work here.  Given the size of it (in and out of the top spot in the country) Ohio State University drives a big part of this city.  Columbus is also strong in the financial sector with strong representation from Nationwide Insurance (my sister Maureen’s employer) and JPMorgan Chase (JPMC has the largest single-tenant office building in the U.S.A. right here in Columbus!).  Distribution is another major industry, being a strategic transportation hub to all parts of the country for tires, healthcare supplies, apparel, raw materials, you name it.  Additionally, retail (including restaurant retail) is big with headquarters including Limited (my old employer), Victoria’s Secret (my current employer), Bath & Body Works, EXPRESS (my sister Carolyn’s employer), PINK, Abercrombie & Fitch, Justice, Lane Bryant, 31 Gifts, Bob Evans, Big Lots, Wendy’s (my Dad’s former employer), White Castle, DSW (Anissa’s favorite store EVER), and Bravo/Brio Group.  I won’t get into the other details now, but with a burgeoning arts scene, healthy foodie scene, and young demographic, Columbus is a fun place to be.  So what I am getting at here is that Columbus has a lot to offer, and that’s why, sans a 1 year hiatus to Charlotte, NC, I have spent every year in Columbus since I was 10. 

On to 23.  I honestly cannot remember ever “learning” to love the Ohio State Buckeyes.  It was pure indoctrination and it is a way of life in Columbus.  Football season is year-round.  Home-game Saturdays mean that the almost 2 million people in the area are either down on campus or at home glued to the TV.  It’s actually a great time to get anything done – the roads are EMPTY.  Any shopping venue is a ghost town.  But don’t count on getting a seat at any place that serves alcohol unless you get there 2 hours before kickoff.  So 23 is the number of games in a row that the Ohio State football team has won.  I don’t care how weak a team’s schedule is; this is a big accomplishment.  I wanted to jump on this opportunity to publicly proclaim my allegiance to Ohio State football.  Aside from total brain-washing from a very young age, my maniacal support was sealed when my Dad took me to Tempe, AZ where Ohio State ended Miami’s (FL) 34-game winning streak to take the 2003 national championship.  To this date it is the best vacation I ever had.  And I have been a totally obsessed fan ever since.  The reason I mention my early background in Cleveland and Dallas is that it played a part in my Ohio State fanaticism.  We probably all know the story with Cleveland sports.  It’s mostly sad with some highlights from my Indians here and there.  I needed something to believe in.  When I lived in Dallas the Cowboys were AMAZING (Super Bowl champs in 1992, 1993, and 1995).  They taught me how exciting it was to root for winners.  Then I moved to Columbus and fell in love.  While I hold allegiances to Cleveland and Dallas sports on the professional level, I definitely follow collegiate football much more closely.  Go Browns.  Go Cowboys.  AND GO BUCKEYES!

 

Now you know one of my dark secrets.  You may love me for it.  You probably hate me for it.  But either way I don’t care.  I love my Buckeyes.

Side note:  I am currently getting my MBA at Ohio State but my undergraduate degree is from Miami (OH).  While I support Miami athletics, they are only competitive in hockey and that is the one sport for which I root for Miami over Ohio State.  #Loveandhonor to Miami!

2015

2015

In late 2012 I made a decision I had been mulling over for quite some time.  Yes, I proposed to Anissa and she said yes, but that story is for another time J  With a lot of encouragement from Anissa and my family I decided to apply to the Working Professional MBA (WPMBA) program at Ohio State. 

 

 

I got in and started classes in January 2013.  It seemed to all happen so fast.  And since January I just cannot seem to keep track of time.  Life is whizzing by and I’m pretty sure school has something to do with it.  I mean, how many of us got our undergraduate degree only to lament how fast those few years flew by?!  So I started trying to figure out why time was flying by so quickly.  When you’re busy, the clock always seems to be ticking away twice as fast.  So I wanted to quantify just how busy I’ve been with school and here’s what I came up with.

1.       As of December 9^th I will have earned 20.5 credit hours this year, or 43% of the required 48 for my degree.

2.       Ohio State ruffled the feathers of the WPMBA students when it switched from quarters to semesters recently.  With a shortened summer offering, Ohio State offered “sprint” courses in May (during the 4-week “time off” for students to recharge) to supplement the offerings in the June/July timeframe.  Why am I telling you this?  Because I have not had more than 2 weeks off of school since I started classes over 10 months ago.  And the 1 2-week period I had in August was full of preparing for the start of Fall semester including early assignments, readings, etc. (keep in mind this is a working professional program – I am still working full time while getting this degree).

3.       Since I began, I have taken 12 exams, given 6 formal presentations, written 1 comprehensive marketing plan for a not-for-profit start-up organization, written 4 formal negotiations and 1 formal debate, and met with my project groups outside of class about 30 times.

4.       I have been to class 2 times per week for 40 weeks this year except for 7 weeks this summer when I went 3 times per week.  In total I have spent 262 hours in class, excluding any out-of-class presentations, exams, groups meetings, etc.  It is estimated that students spent 3 hours out of class for each hour in class.  I think I spend more like 2 hours, which means I’ve spent somewhere around 525 additional hours on schoolwork, whether it was reading, writing, doing practice problems, or researching.

5.       Including in-class and out-of-class hours, and all those exams and group meetings I think I’ve spent 20-25 hours/week on school since I started.   Assuming I work 40 hours per week (ha, I wish!) that would be a 60-65-hour week every week without a break.  I’m ready for the month off between the end of Fall semester and start of Spring semester!

So now that I have some numerical context for what I’ve done in school this year, I feel much more accomplished and quite proud.  In all my futility, I do actually have something to show for my efforts even if I don’t have my degree yet.  So when will I graduate?  My plan is to graduate in May, 2015.  Our wedding is in July 2014 so I have planned to take off the Summer 2014 semester.  I will have 3 more semesters once I finish out this semester on December 9^th (Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015).  This will not be an easy path (I actually need to increase the number of classes I take each semester to hit my goal), but I know I can do it.  With great support, superior organization skills, and determination I am REALLY looking forward to commencement in May, 2015!

 

1

I work in the retail industry in the Finance Department of Victoria’s Secret.  In the retail world, each week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday.  Therefore Sunday is day 1.  Over the past couple years I have come to adopt Sunday as my personal day #1.  With a full-time job, taking evening courses for my MBA, planning a wedding, and settling into a new house I have a lot on my “to-do” list.  I use Sunday to reset my priorities each week.  I always try to do whatever I can Sunday to clear my mind and set myself up for success the rest of the week.  This includes a lot of mundane things like doing laundry, stocking the refrigerator and pantry for the week, cleaning around the house, and taking care of our yard.  It also includes getting to the gym (mostly so I don’t feel guilty when I can’t make it most days during the week) and wrapping up any leftover homework I didn’t finish Saturday.  It includes getting to church as well.  Anissa and I go either first thing at 7:30am or last thing at 5:00pm.  I find that my days are super productive when I get to 7:30am mass, and I love going out to breakfast afterward with bottomless coffee and reading the newspaper.  But sometimes my body needs more rest than this allows, which is why I love an evening mass.  It is a great capstone after all my crazy errands and chores and just gets my mind right for the week.  After evening mass Anissa and I generally go out for a quick dinner and that leaves a couple hours left in the day to relax and watch some TV or read a book.  This might sound like a manic Sunday, especially on a day that is known for lying on the couch and watching football, or putting on the golf channel to lull me into a long catnap.  While most people probably think of Sunday as the end of the weekend, I like to think of it as the start of my week.  I set my mind, body, and spirit for the week and have found that I am a happier person throughout the week as result.

True story!

 

This made me laugh - debilitating self-pity no more!

∞

∞

This is the mathematical symbol for infinity.  But today I am going to use it in a metaphorical context.  Today is October 30, 2013, and we are now 5 days from the 1-year anniversary of the passing of my grandfather, Grandpa Tink.  This was probably the toughest personal loss I had had to deal with in my life at that point in time (I have been a very lucky guy, to say the least).  It was pretty sudden and hit my family very hard.  Almost everyone in my family, including all my sisters and my parents, were going through chaotic times personally when this happened.  Growing up my family saw my Grandpa Tink and Grandma Phyllis all the time.  They have lived in Alliance, OH (outside Canton) for my entire life and since Alliance was just about 2 hours from Columbus, we saw them for most holidays, graduations, and other family events.  When they started spending winters down in The Villages, FL we had a big party to celebrate their 50^th anniversary.  It was so much fun and great to see all our relatives.  So to get back to the math symbol - I thought of this metaphor today as I was reflecting on my grandfather’s passing, knowing the anniversary is next week.  I always remind people who need consoling that being raised a Christian makes it so much easier to cope and understand the loss of life because it is only a loss for those still on Earth.  As Christians we are granted eternal life in heaven.  And knowing that life goes on beyond our physical world (hence, infinity) provides comfort in a time of grief.

Me, Gma Phyllis and Gpa Tink - Christmas 1987

 

 

Me and Gpa Tink - Christmas 1987

 

Some of you may be familiar with the phrase “when it rains, it pours,” and the past year has definitely proven this a valid claim.  At the beginning of this year my other grandfather, Grandpa Pete, was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer.  Given how developed it was, the treatment was just not enough and he also passed quite suddenly, in July.  It was almost four months ago now and then just as before I kept reminding myself that I am so glad I was raised in a family of Christian faith.  Yes, there were tears and sadness.  But for anyone who knew Grandpa Pete, they know that a life like his should be celebrated, if not documented as a classic case of living the American dream.  The numbers are now fuzzy, but I can say pretty assuredly that he was a PROUD grandfather of over 30, and great grandfather of over 20.  As with Grandpa Tink’s passing, having a large family made this difficult time a bit more bearable. 

Gma Shirley and Gpa Pete - Christmas 1990

 

As I look back and reflect on two of the most difficult times in my life – watching both of my parents lose their father – I remind myself that life does not end.  Sure, our bodies are laid to rest.  But we live on in a spiritual, heavenly existence. 

The best family a guy could ask for! - Christmas 2007