Ok Fine, Tomorrow It Is Then

I had every intention of us all leaving for Mt. Vernon tonight. Rob took a half day at work so he get moving earlier in the day, but got tied up a little more than he expected. Couple his lateevening arrival with the fact that Sydni and I weren't entirely packed up and ready to go, and we were left deciding we'll tackle the drive up first thing in the morning.

It's probably better that way anyhow.. now I can spend the rest of the night relaxing with these two and not have to think about driving anywhere. 

no makeup, whatever... happy (:

Winning (: Gosh I love them!!

The mayhem starts tomorrow (:

xo | cmd

Yeah, We're Doin' It

Elisa, Nikki and I decided today that we're doing the Run Like Hell this year. I did it a few years back with some folks and it was a blast. It's nothing huge but it's the company and the post-race party that are totally worth the hype.

Last time it was Pac Man. I talked to Kalyn, who said she's down for round 2 along with Keif, and I'm pretty sure we could guilt Anna and Erin into it if we really wanted to, likely with a few others.

Our initial idea... and the one I think will probably end up as the winning theme: none other than the original CareBears.  Haha, yep.

Whatcha think?

I'm pretty pumped. Looks like I should start running a little more too.. just for kicks.

Anyway, I'll get to that.  For now, I am literally beyond excited for tomorrow when Rob gets here and he, Sydni and I will be on our way north to my parents' place. This is going to be a buuuusy weekend, but I can't wait!

See you tomoroooow!

xo | cmd

Sandy Weenis: The Reunion!

Today was a blur. That's not a bad thing, and I know I was productive, but at the end of it I was left kind of wondering what I did all day. I know I'm not the only one this happens to; Elisa said the same thing when 4:45 rolled around. So TAKE THAT, Wednesday!

Of course Wednesdays = volleyball, which always gets us excited. Beth was out tonight, so our friend and former teammate Paul stepped in. So good to see an old face!

paul. cori. kalyn. keifer.

Paul, Kalyn & I played together on a team with Tim back at Grand Sands a few years back and wound up winning the league, as team Sandy Weenis. For those of you somehow unfamiliar with what a weenis is....  it's your outer elbow. I don't know why that was the first place we went with our team name then, but it worked and was kinda funny.

Now, as team Backseat Sets [it's customary to have strangely-insinuating team names in sand volleyball leagues], we've not had the best streak all season but I expect the next go-round to be a bit better.

Meh. Thanks again, Paul, for standing in with us tonight!

Tomorrow = Thursday = almost Friday = almost the weekend!
Also = finish the daggone edits tomorrow night and get them posted.
.... I will, I will. I promise.

Happy Hump Day!

xo | cmd

Doggie Love + Craft Time

Woops. In the midst of my frustrated rants and hazy post-disconcerting-blood-drive-performance yesterday, I forgot to mention it was National Dogs Day [yesterday, that is]! I didn't realize it until I caught a post early on from Tawny on IG, and realized my pups deserved some shouts.

So, in a backdated hoo-rah, happy National Dogs Day to our furry kids! [Rob was sweet enough to Skype them both in over the past few days, which makes me super happy ツ]

aug 26 : happy national dogs day to you & your furry loves!
#stellapittie #sashapittie #petbulls #dontbullymybreed!

I had every intention in the world last night of starting in on the project for Sydni's birthday party this upcoming weekend, but when I got home and opened my computer, my entire body refused to function and thus I was resigned to a night of doing absolutely nothing, on the couch. I was pretty much a zombie last night.

Tonight = entirely different story. I went straight to Michael's after work, grabbed what I needed and came straight home, where I've spent the last four hours of the evening putting together the pin-the-tail-on-RainbowDash board we'll be using for Syd's birthday this weekend. I can't wait until she sees it (:

Ready... set... go!

hoping for the best.. freehand is not my thing.

Process....

pencil outline & first colors painted on!

And fiiiinally... voilá!

finished! [minus the separate tail pieces]

.... & that's pretty much all I did tonight. Tomorrow = final edits on some pictures that have been on my list, volleyball and cleaning up some more around the house... maybe even some yard work if there's time. Gotta love busy summers!

xo | cmd

5 More Important Things Than Miley Cyrus @ The VMA's

There will always be two sides to every argument; I know that I personally have some friends who are defending the VMA performance from last night [which I didn't watch last night... but unfortunately made the horrible decision to investigate the hype today via YouTube. Dumb call]. Call it what you want, whether you think she's being a boundary-pushing pioneer of the entertainment industry, or if you think, like me, that she's a renegade tween star, gone completely rogue and in need of some very simple, very real downhome reality. Whatever you call it, I call it absolutely insane that literally the only thing I could find for pages this morning when I checked in on FB [& apparently every other online outlet] was post after post about her performance.

+ 100 points for her pulling off a successful publicity stunt.
- 479324082 points for us caring as much as we do.

In lieu of all the MC hype, I thought I'd enlighten us on some things that are happening outside the world of MTV... ya know, things that may actually impact us in a way that's healthy for our brain cells.

Here we go.

unicef, for syrian relief

1. Syria. The country is facing political warfare that has produced a still-climbing death toll now of over 100k people. Many of these people are children, who have been caught defenseless in the midst of something they didn't understand, and lost their lives by simply existing in the wrong place. That breaks my heart. I realized today that if I were to name a family or friend for every one MC post I saw today, that I would soon run out of names but wouldn't even scratch the surface of what too many people in Syria have lost. This has been going on for more than two years now, with no tangible end in sight, still. Children and families continue to die daily for this.  Unicef, one of the world's leading relief agencies, is reaching their available limits and dangerously close to being forced to withdraw support. It reminds me how blessed we are not to face this kind of horror, but saddens me that others do. I'm not sorry that I believe this is more legitimate than dear Miley.

my kony2012 shirt

2. KONY. Many people thought that was just a publicity stunt, a big bandwagon on which the flavor-of-the-week philanthropists could ride for a little while. Welp, hate to burst that bubble, but it's real. As a parent, I don't want to sit in fear of something like this happening to my child, but I look at the faces of stolen youth, the victims of this, and my heart breaks for them. The bright side of it? Sevenly has partnered now with InvisibleChildren to counsel and provide support to child-soldiers and their families traumatized by the war. These types of things sadly are becoming a fad to follow and then drop when something else starts trending, but that's far from meaning it's gone. This is real, and there IS hope.

christopher lane

3. Christopher Lane is dead. Don't know who that is? He was an Australian baseball player living in Oklahoma, who was gunned down by 3 kids who had nothing better to do than wait around for someone to kill. This begs the question... REALLY?! What are we doing as a collective group of people to engage our youth in things that will enhance them? Where are sports, or volunteer opportunities... or a community entertainment event... something.. anything... that we could encourage our kids to do? That makes me sad. I typically don't involve myself on a public level in voicing my political stances, but it is in fact disappointing to me that our national leadership [we'll leave it at that] has been far less showy about making appearances over this young man... but when it was Trayvon Martin....... I'm just saying. A life is a life, regardless of who it is; I can't help but wonder where our motives really lie though, when things like this happen so similarly but the coverage is so very different.

love!

4. Good news? Okay. [For you anti-Walmart folks, you'll doubly enjoy this] An abandoned Wal-Mart in Texas was recently renovated with the help of a grant [read it HERE!], and transformed into a library. A LIBRARY! I love that. I hate to think that places like this are slowly becoming an obsolete pasttime for the world; I know I loved going to the library as a kid and will take my children there, so this warmed my heart a little bit knowing that when one monopoly falls, there is something beautiful that can grow in its place. [C'mon, who doesn't remember those awesome, old school library cards with all the stamps?!] (:

hannah taylor

5. Good news, take 2! There is plenty of negative headline reel to last us for the rest of our lives, with more and more popping up every day. What keeps me going is the reminder that humanity does still exist, along with chivalry, compassion and the general ability for us as a species to not only amicably coexist, but to extend ourselves to help someone we don't know. For me, it's even better to hear about it from the least of these, meaning the youngest hearts around the world. I think it's fabulous when movie stars and famous athletes give their resources to charitable causes, but the real magic for me is when it's an average, every day person like you and me, paving the way as a pioneer of another kind to leave a mark on this world bigger than themselves. Remember Hannah Taylor? Probably not.. but when I was in 6th grade, she was in 1st grade in Manitoba. I don't know her; I've never met her, but she is the founder of the Ladybug Foundation, an organization built to aid the homeless and provide networks to get them back on their feet. She saw a homeless man digging in the trash for food, and just couldn't accept that being okay. She was 5. Hannah is 17 now and has taken her mission across the world to the eyes of over thousands of people. She's written books, and continues to fight against homelessness and for those who fall victim to it. Could you imagine this world if every nubile spirit with a human conviction had this type of determination?? I'm amazed.

 So yeah. Sorry for the rants, but honestly, I've had such a hard time wrapping my head around the insane amount of hype over Miley.. freaking.. Cyrus since last night. I think this post was more for myself than for any of you [no offense]; I need sometimes to be reminded that this life I live can be so much more than just myself and those close to me. I can make a difference if I put my mind to it, and I can teach Sydni and any future children I have to do the same. I may be standing alone in my opinion on how ridiculous this is, but at the same time, I'm a firm believer that standing firm for your beliefs, even if you are standing alone, is always the best road to take anyway.

In other, less-important news, I donated blood today at the Queen City Blood drive, and was pleased to notice that Filipinos have officially made the checklist of available options on the paperwork. I proudly checked it. Haha.

yep! that's me! (:

Unfortunately, I apparently didn't eat enough today, because I had to stop at 333 [halfway] while I was in the chair. Becky was originally scheduled to go with me, but her iron levels were too low and so it'll be a few weeks before she can go again. All around, just an off day for both of us.. haha. The silver lining though? My friend Eric from Hoxworth expressed to me that he'd like to do a blood drive at Findlay Market, so I'm setting him up with Becky to coordinate that, and to celebrate our double failures, Becky & I headed straight to Eli's BBQ afterwards before heading our separate ways.

not mad at eli's ... nope, not mad (:

*Phew. I'm whooped.
Skype date with the boyfriend and then an early night for this critter.

Mission for Tomorrow: Love someone you don't know, even if it's with just a smile in passing. (:

xo | cmd

Madison's Birthday Party!

Today, just like I figured, was a fuuull experience, from start to finish.

Maricor and I were up early and out to run last minute errands: balloons, cake, miscellaneous party supplies... breakfast [duh]. From there it was back to the house to wrap up the pre-party prep and load everyone up to head to the park.

Photo time [find the FULL collection HERE!]:

friendship park

pretty presents all around

birthday girl

baby sister

my girl

madison. sydni. lilly. sophie. | the little girl cousins, acting oh-so-ladylike! ;)

my cousin & her beautiful family

♥ you, cousin!!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL MADISON! WE LOVE YOU!!

 

We finally got on the road back to Cincinnati and are now settled in. I have one super tuckered-out girl already in bed and I am unwinding just a bit before I try to get some sleep. What an amazing weekend!

 

Oh, and before I go, I didn't forget my darlin' girl Whitney & her older sister Meg, who happen to share the same date for their birthday! (: Happy BIRTHDAY W&M!!! Hope to see you SOON!

whit & meg | me & whit

Gosh, birthdays are awesome.
Friends are awesome.
& my family is awesome.
... Does that mean life is awesome?
.... DUH.

AWESOME.

xo | cmd



The Return of SYDMAD

My favorite part of waking up on weekends with this girl:

ninja mornings!

Is it Saturday night already? Whoa.

Highlight reel from today: Ikea was our first stop on the way up to Columbus. Maricor needed some specific bowls, and so I agreed to get them. I was leary at first, since Saturday is probably the worst day to do an Ikea run if you only need one thing, but I was pleasantly surprised at the short 15 minutes between entrance and checkout. What took the longest was this [& I didn't mind, at all!]:

cinnamon rolls.. the first reason you go to ikea.. duhh..

Post-Ikea, it was off on the road to Maricor's, which I realized today is actually under two hours away. That.. is... awesome. I was beyond excited for this, since it was the first time Syd & Mad have seen each other since they were babies. I was amazed that they jumped right back in with each other, like they hadn't missed a single day. [L-o-v-e!!]

nov2009 | jun2010 | aug2013
... & many more to come!!

We relaxed for a little while before loading back up and heading over to Easton to eat and get some fresh air for the girls.  

cousins!

The girls [aka, SydMad] were quite rambunctious today, but aside from that, I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon. At least little Sophie provided some chill relief from her sister and cousin's exhausting conduct while we were out. Haha.

1. response to, "please don't play in the rocks."
2. response to, "please make nice faces at people passing by."
3. sophie, entirely unamused.

.... Ornery or not, they're still adorable.. I can't deny that.

holding hands like good little sidewalk buddies!

We had one final little meltdown on our way out, which was easily cured by Tita Corin agreeing to carry both girls. It took a couple attempts to find a feasible way to get from one side of Easton back to the garage on the other, but we figured it out and aside from the awkward glances, it was a fuss-free exit and for that, we were grateful.

attempt #1 ... and the successful re-arrangement that made it across the plaza!
... i am.. a human stroller. #dowhatchagottado

Back at home, the night continued on much like the day: Sydni and Madison tore the place apart, Sophie sat resigned to her movie with teddy bear in hand, and the mama's... well, we added some pleasantry of our own in the form of some pink moscato. How's that for a reward?

mad+syd. sophie. mama's

+ Dinner!

i'll pretend i'm not obsessed with cbay biscuits.. haha.. (:

+ FINALLY............... :

WIN!! haha.. two tuckered out little girls

Day 1 of Mad's birthday weekend has been a success so far. Tomorrow's the party, so until then, goodnight! (:

xo | cmd

Calm Before the Storm

Faaaaaa-RIIIIIIDAY!!!!!

= Sydni and I doing a whole lot of absolutely nothing tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll head up to Columbus for a weekend of birthday madness. Madison's 4th birthday party is Sunday, so we'll be running all weekend I'm sure. Tonight we opted for a night in, which meant for us drawing pictures, playing games and some much-needed snuggle time as tonight winds down. Goodness, I love this girl.

my goofy love .. this little girl (:
& coincidentally, my other love in the pic on the wall in the back!

Sorry for the brevity today, but I've got an important date with a sleepy munchkin.... ❣

xo | cmd

PRETEND YOU DIDN'T!

I've come to the conclusion that no matter who you are, if you've watched Toy Story 3 in its entirety, and if you have any sort of soul, you cried... at least once, if not more.

I cried. Twice that I counted. Sydni begged me to watch this with her tonight, so I did, under the condition that she eat her salad with dinner. I think that's fair, right? [Plus, it was a kale salad, so in the interest of not over-boasting, we'll just say I gave myself a mind-pat on the back and considered it a double-win.]

Anyway, I couldn't help but share, because like I said, let's face it, we all cried during this part of TS3:


don't lie. you did. you cried. {{ it's okay, i won't tell }}

And if that wasn't enough, once I was done blubbering over that, I pulled it together for a few minutes until the actual end of the movie:

"goodbye, old pal"

Yeahhhhh, call me a big wuss, that's fine, but I definitely sat with tissue in hand for the ending, when the toys all get passed on to the little neighbor girl. If I just completely spoiled this for any of you who haven't seen it yet, well, it's out on RedBox now, so do yourselves a favor and watch it.. because you just.. won't.. understand until you do. Haha. Seriously. Thanks, Pixar, for your massively effective appeal to humanity, and subtle but sure tug on the heartstrings!

Tomorrow's FRIIIIIDAY!!
= 1 more day until Columbus with my cousins.
= 2 more days until Madison's birthday party.
= 7 more days until Rob gets here.
= 8 more days until Sydni's birthday party + my family.
= 9 more days until Cirque Du Soleil's Totem show.
= 10 more days until Labor Day!

We have... lots to look forward to. We may not have everything, but we sure are blessed with what we DO have.

Early night for us here.

xo | cmd

"Woot WOOOOT!"

Because I had to...
["Mik-Mik-Mik-Mik-MIKE!!"]


... & because Rob sent me this earlier this morning:

[Love him. The camel, too, but I meant Rob. Love him more ♥]

Today was in fact hump day... the good ol' mid-week that took its sweet little time passing by. On the bright side, tomorrow is Thursday and then it's Friday and then I head to Columbus with Sydni to celebrate her cousin Madison's 4th birthday! I'm not complaining, at all. It even rained some during the day; I never really know if it's raining or not out where I live, but... I thought perhaps volleyball would've somehow been spoiled.

Not even!

Kalyn & Keif were at the Reds game tonight off tickets that KP's dad bought, not realizing we had vollyball on Wednesdays, but it's okay. Beth recruited her friend Meg, and I somehow guilted Ladd to stand in as well, and our half-sub team did some WORK! We put up a couple WINS, so that's always a plus, too [Thanks, Ladd & Meg for standing in!].

OH.. and while all of that is just.. champion stuff, the most critical thing I wanted to post today was that Ryan & Octavian's surgery, aka that "Creccianu" [dubbed from a combination of their last names] yesterday was a success, and at this point the recovery is looking fantastic.

loveloveloveLOVE this!! [check out ryan's shirt!]

carrie & molly
happy birthday!

Amen? AMEN.

Also, happy birthday to the cutest pair of twins I've ever known.. and fellow adoptees, Molly & Carrie! I hope today's been fantastic for you girls! [& Congrats again Molly, on your engagement!!]

Today's pretty much been an awesome day. I topped it off with a Skype date with Rob, which has been a saving grace lately; I have no idea why we didn't think of this a couple of months ago, but it's been a recent thing and it's working out great. We're down to eight days until he comes to visit!!

We are all so blessed, all the way around.
I'll dream on that note, tonight (:

xo | cmd

What Would YOU Give.. For Your Best Friend?

At 8:40 AM this morning, Octavian's surgery started, and Ryan was sent back for final prep.

ryan & octavian *

What's happening?

I grew up with a family from my home church in Mt. Vernon. Our families have grown even closer over the years, our parents have been best friends for at least the past six or seven.

Jenni, one of the daughters, is a few years older than me, married to Octavian with two beautiful children. Their best friends Haylee and Ryan, another couple from my home church, have been very familiar names and faces since as long as I can recall. When my mom told me last year that Ryan's kidneys were failing quickly and that a transplant was mandatory, all I could do was pray. And then, via Mom & of course the breaking newsfronts of Facebook, I found out that after rounds and rounds of tests, Octavian was evaluated as a match for Ryan.

ryan, in dialysis :( *

Octavian and Ryan are best friends.
Octavian gave Ryan one of his kidneys today.

It chills me in both an inspirational and terrifying way to see the lengths we will go to for the people we love. I am humbled by Ryan's journey through all of this, and floored by the sacrifice that Octavian is making. I think about this and wonder what I would do if I were called by design to give such a delicate and functional part of myself for my best friend. Would I do it? I want to say yes, but the very thought of it is frightening.

Or at least it was.

Haylee and Ryan keep a blog, detailing this journey through Ryan's dialysis treatments, the struggles they've faced along the way, but more and most importantly the unwavering faith that has fueled them through every single trying day. Talk about motivated. If you have time, read some of it.
Along with their blog, Footsteps Photography captured moments from the bond and incredible story of these two families that moved me to tears when I first saw them.

Jenni posted some shots this morning from surgery prep.

octavian. jenni. ryan. haylee. *

I don't know about you, but while I saw hospital gowns and monitors, I can clearly saw the hope and confidence on their faces. I know they were scared.. who wouldn't be?!

I trolled FB a lot today, to see the updates that both Jenni and Haylee were posting. Finally, just before 3pm, I caught the first post-surgery updates from both, and just about cried:

aaaaaamen!!!

This isn't even my family but I can't help to be floored, yet again, by the miracle that happened today. What an amazing gift, and what a committment of trust and understanding that the there is no risk that can outweigh love when it comes down to the wire.

The last post I saw from Jenni tonight was a picture of her and Haylee, post-op, gearing to head home to rest up and return tomorrow to the hospital. They look exhausted, but gorgeous!

jenni & haylee .. gorgeous! *

Thank you, Haylee, Jenni, Octavian & Ryan for sharing this day with us and keeping us all posted. [My mom is in tears right now!] God is good, ALL. THE. TIME!

With that being said, Sydni and I are going to spend the rest of tonight cuddled up into a our movie and a Skype date with Rob before we hit the hay.

See you tomorrow (:

xo | cmd

*all photos borrowed from Jenni & Haylee!

Marvels for Monday

Today itself was something of an ugly thing: Elisa was gone at a funeral, Dave was out sick, Nikki left mid-morning after she got sick, and I have just about tapped out my supply of self control not itching this mini sumac [or whatever it is] outbreak I've gotten. *Grahhh.

Anyway, I did come across a few things today that excited me because 1, I'm a sucker for exotic creatures, and 2, because I've never before seen half of them. So I thought I'd share.

^In case you can't see that video, or for some reason can't make out what it is, it's this: A transparent-headed fish.

Another fish, less anatomically-defying but equally beautiful: Mandarin Fish

And a picture, of course:

 

More colors? Okay, how about the fruit dove? 

The Blue Dragon Nudibranch:

And a still shot, since that video's kind of hard to read, haha..

Out of the water, but still pretty small... the Honey Pot Ant:

For you snake fans, the piebald python & the albino piebald:



Ali, this one's for you.. Bailey is awesome, too.. just thought this guy was mega cool.. the Matamata turtle:

 

And a drum rolllll... for possibly the scariest, absolutely non-mythical, marvelous monster out there.. I give you the rare, ridiculous, Rapunzel-loving..... Sydni.  

 

Since I'm not planning to hang out with the other creatures anytime in the near future, I figure I'll settle for what I've got here with me tonight. (: Syd and I have already made a trip to the store in preparation for Madison's birthday party this upcoming weekend.. this is gonna be a good week!

 

xo | cmd