Rockin and Rollin

 All is well in Huntersville NC!

I got two healthy kids (10,9) and healthy wife and I am doing pretty well myself!

We also have the two dogs (Maxwell and Zoey) and now a bird and a bunny (Tiki and Nacho).

We took this recent picture in the mountains near Boone, NC.

My business is great!

We just re-did the fireplace wall and mantle - looks awesome!

The girls are in the middle of soccer season, and next week we go visit Dollywood again.

I am realizing my time is limited, between work and family, and little time to blog. This one in particular was just randomly compiled because I knew it's been awhile.

Going to let the dogs out, and join the rest of the family catching some zzzzzz's/

Now that I am 52...

Been a minute. Now that I am 52 I figured I would check in with myself. On a plane to Park City for my annual snowboarding trip…and am catching up on my to-dos.

Earlier today – before my flight – we went to Viviana’s basketball game. She is 9 now (just turned 9 last month) and playing in the 9-11 girls league. I believe she is the only 3^rd grader, most of the girls are in grades 4-6.  She is hanging in there, and you can certainly tell who the older kids are. One day Viviana will be a star in this league – I am confident in that. Ella was there with us too, she likes to practice dribbling and shooting during the timeouts. She’s still grasping the game but loves it like I did at that age.

So life is mostly that these days…kids and kids activities. If not basketball, then it’s soccer or gymnastics or silks class. During the week, I do my best to manage and grow my business between the hours of 9 and 4pm. Being the boss comes with perks, like managing my schedule and being flexible to the family schedule. And once a year, I can get 2 days of snowboarding in. Hopefully my family will want to do snowboarding trips in the future.

I still manage to play basketball a couple times a week, including a local league. I am one of the older guys at age 52…but there are older men playing. Range of the guys is probably 25-55, although one guy last season had turned 60! I will play as long as I am able. I can still hold my own, and contribute on the floor. I average about 10 pts a game and 8-10 boards a game. I really like adding assists, provides me great satisfaction to draw attention from two defenders and pass to my teammate for the open shot!

Over the past 6-12 months, we’ve finished putting a pool in the backyard (and beautiful deck and outdoor shower!), traveled to Dollywood, Boca Raton, and had family visit us as well. We enjoy using the boat in the summer, and we’ll get back to pool use here soon. We did use the hottub a couple days over the winter…which is almost over now. We got 3 separate days of SNOW in Huntersville this season…only an inch here or there, but school was closed and we did some sledding! The girls love the snow!

Our dogs Maxwell and Zoey are still kicking it. Zoey just turned 5, Maxwell is about 11-12 now and his eyesight is not doing that great. He sometimes parks at me when I am more than 20 feet away, since he doesn’t recognize me at that distance. We’ve also had hamsters and birds (several) in the past few months. They come and go for various reasons. We miss our bunny Bun Jovi who passed away last summer…he was a cool bunny. We have a memorial for him in the backyard.

I am grateful for health, family, and my growing business. Plenty to be happy with, and plenty to keep me busy. So much more going on but will wrap it up on that note…I can go on for days if I had the time!

Opedogg

Birthday #51 from Banner Elk, NC

No excuses for not blogging in one year. Just none. Thought of it a dozen (or 3) times but never get around to doing it. As I type this, I am sitting in a nice leather chair in front of a fireplace in a rental condo in Banner Elk NC.

Today - my 51st trip around the sun - I went with the family snow tubing at Hawksnest in Seven Devils, NC...not too far from our Chetola condo. Chetola is a resort in close proximity to Boone, ski mountains, and other outdoor activities. I think it's a great place for families like ours. Although it was sub-32 degrees today, and VERY windy, we managed to have fun tubing. The kids braved through it, and didn't want to stop. We don't often get "snow time" so the overall excitement of that was in effect. Mom went down the hill once and headed back inside where it was warm. 

Tomorrow we'll attempt snowboarding for the second year in a row. Viviana seems to enjoy the sporting activities more than Ella, who tends to like dance/sing things better. We'll keep Ella in those kinds of classes (they both did "acro-dance" this past year) and Ella likes doing cheerleading. Even today, after we got back to the lodge - we went to the indoor pool. Both kids like being in the pool...but after, Viviana wanted to play ping pong while Ella wanted to paint/draw. So we each did those activities in the common play area. Viviana surprisingly picked up ping pong very quickly - it was awesome to see!

In general, life is great! My business is doing pretty well, and I do my best to spend my waking hours balancing life. I am able to get most of my work done while the kids are at school (2nd grade and K at Grand Oak Elementary), and spend time with them shortly after they get home. Recently it's been yoga classes, basketball practice (I coach Viviana), tennis after school, swim practice, etc. Other months it's soccer or some other activities like horseback riding. I love my girls and enjoy my time with them - as they say, the days are long but the years are short!

Christine has gotten more involved in lactation consulting and even picked up some shifts at the local hospital. She seems to enjoy it, and the added cash flow doesn't hurt either. Sometimes her shifts mean I take the kids to school in the morning, and pick them up afterward. If my work schedule allows, I don't mind - I love being there to help and spend time with my kids while they are young! It was Christine and my 11th anniversary today!

My health has been good - still working out 7 days a week (most weeks) - with two days of basketball serving as my main cardio. I've been invited to play in several different venues and leagues, so it's fun to mix it up while I still can! I am still holding my own. My only health concerns have been dermatologist related and dental-related. But a few hundred (or thousand) bucks later and they are all taken care of LOL.

We are getting an inground pool put in prior to summer. This is something Christine has wanted for awhile, but I kinda held back from. I finally caved...I do think we'll have many good memories out back and the kids will benefit from it the most. I hope to get alot of use out of the hottub, as well as the outdoor shower I am putting in. Also, we'll have a nicer grill area and small fire pit area. Looking forward to seeing it all play out.

We did purchase an older boat last year. We opted to stop with the boat club, and found an inexpensive boat for sale online. We like it, and the kids have good memories. We only get to use it from April to September but so far, we like having it as an option. Lake life near us is fun!

I am going to Park City next month with some of my guy friends, similar to last March. Sometimes it's just not feasible to have the whole family go out there, so an annual guys trip is still something I enjoy doing. A week after I get back, I am going with the family to Fort Lauderdale for a 5 day trip (kids Spring Break). That will be fun, the girls enjoy going back to see their family members.

And with that, I will wrap up. So much happens in a year and it's hard to summarize it all. But I try to do my best :o)

Brandon

Last Blog of my 40s

 This is nuts. I haven't thought to do my personal blog in 365 days...to the minute? Jeez, Louise.

Yes, I turn 50 in just a few hours. Where does the time go?

I've been preparing myself mentally, but it still feels surreal. 40 was not a big deal, but I am having a harder time with 50. I don't feel 50 (besides a few body aches in the morning). I am actually pretty healthy, perhaps as healthy as I have even been?

I still work out nearly 7 days a week. Five days of weights and two days of core and pretty intense basketball for 90-120 minutes. Still holding my own out on the court too! I took some videos of recent action - have to record it and play the game I love while I still can!

My mom flew in tonight for the celebratory weekend. Dad stayed in Florida - he is not as mobile as he used to be, and they just moved into a new house in Lake Mary. I had just asked mom about her and dad's celebrations when they turned 50 - they always had pretty good-sized parties and stuff. My birthday will be taking 5 yr old Ella to the daughter-dad dance! Then I take Viviana to hers the following weekend.

Of course, tomorrow is also our 10th wedding anniversary...so we're celebrating that too. Hopefully at some point this weekend I will get a little one-on-one time with my main lady!

So much happens on a daily basis, not to mention 365 days...I don't even know how to try and recap it here. Do I even try? Probably not...my "thing" these days is having hot tea before bed, then trying to get 8 hours of sleep. At least 7.5 hours. Come night time, I am exhausted from the days activities. I've promised I would shut down my computer by 10pm every night ...so I need to go soon.

Earlier this week the Eagles lost a Superbowl (that they should have won), so I am still a little bitter about how that played out. A few months prior, the Phillies lost in the World Series (they were a big underdog though).

All in all - it's been a good year. I love my family so much and am fortunate to be able to spend time with them all throughout the day, starting from when I drop them off at school in the morning. Working from home is challenging, but it has it's perks too!

Until the next time...40s, it's been real. 10 years of marriage and 2 kids later. And and of course the two dogs (Maxwell and Zoey) and bunny rabbit (Bun Jovi). All of this came in my 40s. Let's see what the 50s brings!

Recapping 2021 (for real, I can't post more frequent than this?)

 Jeez. Well, where do I start? This blog post has been on my to-do list for a long time.

Year 2021 will be remembered for continuously clawing back from COVID in the USA/World. Things kinda got back to normal, but people still remained nuts about it. Everyone still needed to be safe, extra clean, wear masks when required (planes, restaurants, doc offices, etc). But we tried to stay sane in an insane world!

As for the Opres, we had some exciting trips. We went to San Diego for two weeks in June, had a nice time there staying at the beach. We also went to Dollywood (TN) and a recent weekend trip to Boone NC to play in the snow. I think we went to FL a couple times, but we go there often. My brother and family came to visit us this summer also!

The girls are now 6 and 4, and growing like weeds. Healthy most importantly! I love spending time with them and try to break up my workday to check on them. I take them to school in the morning, then get my workout and back to the home/office. That's pretty much the M-F. They are learning to read, do math, and...push their boundaries!

I have been working with the girls on tennis - which Viviana really likes. THey both like arts/crafts and dacing/gymnastics, and also music! I also have them trying basketball, and soccer as well - as you can see in this picture above. We also joined the boat club and take that out almost weekly during the summer. The girls love it.

We got a bunny for them for Xmas, and now we have him (Bun Jovi), Maxwell who is 8-ish now, and 2-year-old Zoey. We had guinea pigs for a few months then handed them off to another family.

Christine is putting in hours (some paid, some not) for lactation consulting, and does that 1-2 days a week. She enjoys it and hopes to make it a full-time gig at some point. Now she just fits it in when she can.

I coached middle school boys basketball this season, the first program at Grace Covenant Academy. It was a learning experience! I continue to play hoops 2x a week and that is my primary cardio. I work out with weight the other 5 days, so keeping in shape as best as possible. I also went to my first Charlotte Hornets basketball game recently, and still play in monthly poker games with local friends.

Work is good - 2021 was strong year in the markets so everyone was happy. I enjoy what I do and help people work towards financial freedom!

I decided to wind down the charity (A Prom To Remember) and hand it off to Joe Dimaggio hospital, so they will continue proms there. I had been putting in alot of hours over the 12+ years and something had to give.

Let me PUBLISH THIS now before I forget to...and ideally I will update the blog more frequently. I turn 49 tomorrow BTW.

Recapping 2020

 It's been over a year since my last post. Alot happened in 2020, but at the same time not a lot happened. COVID-19 was a major disruption to the world, and also to us locally. The economy shut down and people were required to wear masks, if the places did eventually open. More people worked remotely (if they didn't lose their job) and all travel came to a grinding halt. This of course affected us as well.

It's pretty hard to have the kids live a normal life, if everything around is not "normal". Having to explain why they cannot see their friends, go to school, and where masks at the store is hard enough. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper was hard to obtain at certain points, and media made people panic. I haven't watched this little news as ever - not watching the depressing media headlines putting fear into the eyes of America.

Donald Trump wrapped up his 4th (volatile) year in office, with his random "tweets" and non-standard behavior. He is about to transition out as I type this - democrats won the Presidency and most other elections. Probably because people were tired of hearing from Trump and his ego.

More importantly, is the OPRE FAMILY. Ella is healthy as ever and turned 3 in August. Viviana is turning 5 this week. Dad built Ella a platform house bed, and ever since...they both sleep in it. They seem to like each others' company and sleep pretty well at night. Prior to that, Ella was climbing out of bed several times a night and needing to be tucked back in.

Ella loves "gummy bears" and Viviana loves "unicorns". They request these for presents and parties. For Xmas,

I bought them some tennis racquets, new soccer balls and net, and previously a set of junior golf clubs. I am trying to keep them active when most other organized and group sports are on hold.

Christine just turned the big FOUR-OH and we rented a limo bus. Our first limo ride for the kids and they loved it. Colleen came up from FL with her family, and Stephanie family and the Capone family joined us. We did a little stop at an outdoor brewery, en route to snowless tubing in Gastonia. It was fun, we had other friends meet us along the way and had a fire pit at the tubing place.

We added a member to the Opre family this year, our Pyra-doodle ZOEY. Born January 2019, we went to visit the kennel in March 2020 to give the kids something to do (during COVID) and boom - came home with a dog. She is quite an active dog (to put it mildly) and very much a handful. About 60 lbs now, needs constant exercise but overall is a good and smart pup. The kids get along with her - but sometimes she plays too rough - as do the kids! Zoey is lying next to me, as I watch NFL playoff football and the rest of the family is sleeping.

I haven't been doing as much travel, and mostly working from home. That too has its pros and cons. I almost have to force myself to get out and about, doing walks through the neighborhood and broke rides with Zoey. Thankfully the gym is back open (working out with a MASK on isn't very fun) and we've been playing basketball in Mooresville two days a week at the Talbert rec center. That's been my primary source of cardio.

We did travel to South Carolina with the Capones in August - their family has a nice house in the mountains/lake. That was a lot of fun, and a nice reprieve from the dormant social lives we have here in Huntersville. We also did make two road trips to FL in 2020. The First was January (Boca Raton) and the second was a drive to Melbourne Beach. We mostly spent time with the family on each trip. Good times had by all. We got to see Brian Opre and family as well too...it was short but fun. Our girls love following Alexandra around!

Separately, Grandma Opre and Pop-Pop came to visit us in October, and Grandma came again right before Xmas. Grandma Patty came in the fall as well. The kids love their grandparents, and they spoil and love them so much as well.

It's so hard to sum up a year with one blog post. But with the world upended, we did our best. And continue to try and do our best. It's stressful at times, more so than normal non-pandemic times. Thankfully the market marched higher and my business had its best year ever. More clients than ever needed help and planning advice, and the new clients coming onboard has been steady. For this, I am humbly grateful. Knock on wood that we get back to some sense of normalcy and our kids can get the most out of their childhood. Either way, we'll adapt and make it good for them.

For now, I will wrap this up. Hope to post again soon...

Xmas isa comin!

Just taking a few minutes to reflect on today. We had some overcast mid-50s type of weather, but most of the day we spent setting up the Christmas decorations. Viviana (almost 4) and Ella (2+) had fun with little ornaments on the tree (using hooks). They quickly learned that putting too many on one branch weighs it down, to the point some fall off it because it's too much weight.

In general, they know "Santa coming!" and they will get "lots of presents because I am a good girl". Haha...they crack me up!

So that was fun, setting up the tree and playing with the various decor items, including the little ceramic lighted village with the figurines (we ONLY broke two of them tonight).

Earlier in the day we took our annual holiday photos, this time down at Jetton Park. The leaves were yellow - if not fallen off the trees - and it was a nice fall scene at that park. We also took some near the lake...so, hopefully a few will turn out decent. Christine spent about 8 hours this week preparing for the photoshoot (hair appointments, makeup, outfit, etc) but looked great - as usual!

We stopped at the pizza place after, and the girls eat well - they love their pizza.

Everyone is sleeping now - I am going to go join them (12:30am). I have been putting Viviana to bed at night, which always ends with a "I love you daddy - you're my best friend".
Out.