And so it begins…

We’re now 968 miles from home. We’ve traveled more than that, however. We made a pit stop in Oklahoma to visit my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew and their kids. I hadn’t seen their houses or community at all since they all moved “up north” at he beginning of the pandemic. (I obviously haven’t blogged about the pandemic, but that’s another story for another day.) (Trying to come up with topics here.) We had so much fun exploring the community and seeing all of the sites. I introduced my sister to Geocaching (Geocaching.com). I made it to my 300th find and Sister made it to 25 as a newb. Good job sister!

After that we left, drove past Some state lines and finally made it to our Airbnb in the Queen City last night. Today we’re looking at exploring the city and treating Oda Mae to some authentic Cincinnati Chili from Skyline. I’m hoping they don’t disappoint. I’ve been making my one for more than 20 years. Yes, for those of you who know I’m whole food, plant based (WFPB) now, I’m making an exception this week. (That’s another blog post right there!)

Time to get busy, more updates later.

The Beginning...

And so it begins. The end of the school year has come upon us. Alli is officially a senior in high school. Brenda will be moving to Cincinnati in less than a month and we begin our adventures.

Adventure #1: Finding a place to live. 

A few years ago, I moved to Cincinnati. Yep...lived in Cincinnati for about 6 months all by my lonesome. I actually started a masters degree in music at the University of Cincinnati: Collage-Conservatory of Music. I distinctly remember my first day, sitting in a lecture hall, listening to someone say that many of us would not graduate. I also remember thinking, "not me". Six months later I was back in Texas. Life has a way of messing with you. I wasn't happy in The Queen City for many reasons. Hind site being 20/20 and all, I was already burned out. I was done practicing and living for a career in music. That actually happened prior to moving to Ohio, but that's another story. What I did learn from moving temporarily up north was that I love Cincinnati Chili! I learned how to make it, and I've been making it for my family for 24 years.

Yes, it's mostly cheese and you can't really see the chili and it's on a pile of spaghetti, but don't knock it 'til you've tried it. I'm looking forward to sampling some of the real thing once again. So much so that our 1st Airbnb is just a few steps from Skyline.

We'll spend our first few days in Ohio staying in a small loft a few blocks away from Music Hall. It's a nice little place that has been decorated in a trendy fashion and is centrally located. 20-some-odd years ago the first place I stayed in Cincinnati was in a sketchy hotel right off the highway, but it was cheap. College students need cheap. I have to admit, it's nice not having to worry about paying for a place to stay this time around. Our first experience with the CSO/CPO will be the Red, White and Boom concert on July 4th. I can't think of a better way to start an adventure. After that, Brenda will move into a more permanent location just a short walk from Music Hall. Safety was one of our biggest concerns. You know what they say..."location, location, location". While of course I won't disclose her location online I'll say it exceeds our expectations for what we had hoped. We are all set up to rent for the next year and a bit longer if needed. Brenda will be moving out of our 1st Airbnb on her birthday. Technically, she'll be homeless for a couple of days then she'll move here...

It's a small price to pay.

Don't worry, she has a quilt to cover up with and it's still summer time. No worries...

On to adventure #2.

Attention!!!

Dear Friends and Family, Many of you have not noticed that just a couple of days ago, I started blogging again. My resurgence comes at a time of change for my family. I mentioned in my previous blog post that I had some big news. Here it is...

Brenda has accepted the position of Director of Orchestra Personnel for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra! I cannot even begin to express how proud I am. Brenda has always been a very humble and content person in regards to her work position, but I'll say it how it is. Brenda is the most organized, hardworking, caring and detail oriented person in her field. She has been able to manage the day-to-day operations of orchestra musicians for 20 years with incredible grace, compassion and professionalism. I truly believe that the CSO/CPO is happy to have Brenda join their team as evidenced by their announcement to musicians and staff as well as conversations Brenda has had with them in recent days. However...they really have no idea what they have gotten. I believe that Brenda is at the top of her profession not only in the U.S., but in the world. Cincinnati, I have one request of you. Take care of her; you do not want to lose her! Brenda will be an employee that you will want to fight tooth and nail to keep should another orchestra ever try to snag her away.

With this announcement comes something very bittersweet for me and Oda Mae (Alli). We are so happy for Brenda's new position that will begin at the end of June, though very sad at the thought that we will be separated for the next year until Alli graduates from high school here in Texas. Alli is currently planning on attending college in Texas after graduation. At that point, if all goes as planned, I'll join Brenda in Ohio. Of course, we'll be visiting often, but it will be difficult at times. I have no doubt her choice to advance in her career is the best for our family so a temporary situation like this will be well worth it in the end.

Much more to come...

11 Years

So, here we are; eleven years later. What has become of Oda Daddy, Oda Momma and of course Oda Mae? I'm not sure why I stopped blogging 11 years ago. Things seemed to be going well. Oda Mae had a field day, last you all heard. I look at the pics I posted and I think how cute she was. Good lord...she was in kindergarten back then. Well, today, Oda Mae is about to finish her junior year of high school. Yep, she'll be a senior in just a few short days. A lot of things go through my mind when I think of that...but mostly, where did all the time go. I restart the blog today because it somehow seems appropriate. Oda Mae will be finishing her last year of high school. Our lives are different now and we have new stories to tell. I'm not sure if I'll continue to blog after this next year, but we'll see. It is a pretty cool hobby. In the meantime we have some catching up to do with a lot of excitement to come. In the next couple of days or so, I'll have a big announcement for my readers. ...Wait.....do I still have readers? Comment below if you are still following! I'd love to know. Either way, I'll chronicle Oda Mae's last year in high school and our upcoming big adventures. Until next time. -Oda Daddy