#EndItMovement : End Human Slavery.

The world in which we live is a beautiful, enjoyable place if you look at it through the eyes of someone who's in a place they can enjoy. For others, life is an ugly, unforgiving monster with a battery of unending pain, hardships, failures and even torture.

I am fortunate enough to find myself among those who can look at [my] life and realize that while it hasn't been perfect, it is by far more than I deserve. I have what every person needs: a family, friends, a stable home life, a job, a car, etc., etc. The list goes on and on of the things and people that and whom have blessed me in a million different ways.

But beyond being a person, born abroad but raised and still living in the United States, I am a human.

And I have what every human needs:

LOVE.
FREEDOM.
EMOTIONAL SECURITY.
DIGNITY.
DISTINCTION.
LOVE. REAL LOVE.

Between the core fundamental components we need to survive - food, water, bodily nutrients - and the list of things we are wired as social creatures to desire - companions, a purpose, possessions - well, that's where I believe these things are found.

And I have all of those.
And a lot of people DON'T.

Today is February 27, 2014.
Today is the day we SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY.



www.enditmovement.com

Yes, human slavery. As in, the buying, selling, owning, trading and abusing of human beings. In other words, human trafficking. It makes me ill to even think about the strife suffered by various people groups over the course of history at the hands of others who were so disillusioned that they actively treated other humans as even less than goods on a barter system. YEARS later, we as a general population [at least here in the United States] are ingraining equality as a building block to societal progression.

 

We are BLIND.

For the most part, when the term human trafficking is heard, minds automatically divert to some off-trodden third world country, where basic amenities are scarce and the quality of life in general is sub-par to what we would ever accept here. Or perhaps, we've seen movies like Taken, which shed light that human trafficking operations can be [AND ARE.] buried right beneath the nose of even the most economically-sound hubs. Opportunistic criminals are lurking in places we may not have ever imagined.

 

Like, for instance... here. We call it a homefront, because this is where we live. The U.S.A. Ohio, Alabama, California, New York.. the other 46. You know, the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Land of the free, home of the brave? Yes, here. There are men, women and children here, in the shadows of every day American life, who are not living, but simply existing.

 

And that pisses me off.
It should piss you off, too.

 

Not sure that you believe human trafficking exists here in the U.S.? Google a survivor, like Clemmie Greenlee, and listen to her explain to you how she was abducted at age 12, raped by the men who took her, and then shuttled around to major cities with the expectation to sleep with anywhere between 20-40 men daily during major tourist events like the Superbowl. Federal law dictates that the prostitution of a minor is considered sex trafficking. Any parent of a child will tell you that they would lay down their own life if it meant erasing that permanent, irreversible physical and psychological damage to their son or daughter.

 

Slavery doesn't always mean sex trafficking, either. It could mean what I know I understood it to be when I was being taught about it in school: literally forcing another person to obey your commands, regardless of how frivolous or extreme they are. Read up Quita Puchalla's story and tell me that I shouldn't be counting my blessings every single night that as an adopted child myself, this never happened to me. Adopted children, especially those from other countries, sometimes become decidedly "bad calls" by their adoptive families and basically listed online as Free to a Good Home, right between the litter of unwanted puppies and a ferret. REALLY?! These children are traded in underground "markets," if you will, then forced to do things that NO. HUMAN. EVER., let alone a CHILD should have to do. One girl was forced to dig her own grave. She wasn't even 15.

 

This is not right.

This is not okay.

THIS IS NOT LIFE. 

 

So yes, today I pledged the skin on my hands - a SMALL, unutilized surface of my body to be covered with a large red X. It's not much, I know, but it is a statement that I will make today, along with thousands of other people around the world [hopefully] that human slavery MUST end. I wanted to convey this message on two hands, put together to signify the full symbol; no one of us could conquer much on our own, but together we can create movements. And wings. I have always believed birds, owls, even bats.. really anything that can and does fly - they have a liberated vantage point on this world that we could only hope to have. They are nearly without limits if they are allowed to reach their potential, and I know that we as humans should have the same right to find ours. It starts with something as simple as just.. loving someone else.

You are the people who are shaping a better world.
One of the secrets of inner peace is the practice of compassion.
- Dalai Lama 

My heart broke today reading some of the stories from survivors of human trafficking, slavery and torture. It is 2014, which in most minds signifies another year of achieving things we never thought possible. I would hope & feverishly pray that in 2014, the efforts to disband and destroy trafficking operations is a mighty one.

I believe in the power of unity, and in the strength of love over evil.
I believe that every human being not only needs, but deserves:

LOVE.

FREEDOM.

EMOTIONAL SECURITY.

DIGNITY.

DISTINCTION.

LOVE. REAL LOVE.

 

The men, women and children existing in the dark world of human trafficking don't have any of those things. The self-worth they are told they have is the opposite of what they really are. The "love" they know is nothing more than the loyalty forced by fear, not by real love. They are not free. They have no emotional security. Dignity is a word they do not know. Distinction of the reality versus what they've been conditioned to believe is probably more terrifying to weigh than the torture that comes with disobedience or failure.

 

As a parent, I of course have hesitations and concerns with raising children in this - in our - world. I can't keep my children in a bubble. I can't hold them back. And I won't. But, I will show them what love - real, purposed love means. I will teach them that while they may make mistakes, they are not mistakes. They have a purpose. I will not hide the realities of this world and the corruption that comes along with it, but I will shade them as best I can from trading their childlike innocence for hard-fought life lessons before the time is right. I pray that I can show them the beautiful things in this world, and guide them through the ugly parts in ways that teach them to exercise due caution, but above that compassion, love and selflessness.

 

And I pray that these children.. these men.. these women who are at the hands of tyrants.. can find peace. I pray for healing. For justice. For reunion with family, or separation if need be. I pray for the organizations around the world and here locally that tirelessly crusade against modern day human slavery, and for the individual advocates who rescue and council victims from that monster every day.  

We are not called to go where it is easy,
and love already exists.
We are called to go where we are sent,
and bring love with us.
- Anon.
 

Stand up & speak out, friends. It's the least we can do.

xo | cmd

I'm a Gaiam Girl.

I told ya'll I'd have an udpate on the balance ball chair thing.

Welp... today I went for it and traded my office chair for a Gaiam balance chair. I was a little skeptical at first, but I'm pretty much in love with this thing now and I wonder why I waited so long.

Last week I switched my primary seating to an exercise ball, which I swapped with my regular chair only for interviews.

[i posted this last week]

Today I did my first couple of interviews atop this thing, and after throwing a sherpa blanket across the whole thing, only one person really even noticed it was that different from a standard chair.


yessssss

You can't really see it there, but this thing has a wheeled base and detachable balance ball. I don't feel like I'm sitting on the floor, either, which is great. Now all I need is a cover, and I've got my eye on a couple.. including this one: 

love. this.

My only problem is that I can't justify spending almost $45 on the cover for the ball that, along with the chair base didn't even cost half of that. There are other options.. so I'll keep ya posted ;)

I'm at home now, feeling pretty good about this new little perch I've got. Rob, Sydni and I just finished eating dinner and it's time now to watch Frozen for the umpteenth time for family movie night and get ready for tomorrow. The weekend is in sight... almost.. almost!

xo | cmd

Kalyn's Birthday Bash

One of my best friends celebrated another awesome year young today, and that of course meant a celebration!

First, I will forever owe tribute to Kalyn's 25th birthday, when this iconic photo was taken. I'm still amazed at how many people on Pinterest have added us to their collection of want-to-do's for 80's themed parties. Love love love.

25th birthday ;)

Fast forward 3 years later to a much calmer version of a birthday celebration:

happy birthday, 2014! ♥ you, best.

^ Ok, so maybe I shouldn't say 'calmer' on all levels; I'll just suffice to say that our wardrobe tonight was a bit more on the tame side. We're still a rowdy bunch.. no mistaking that ;)

Tonight proved to be one of those nights more consumed with quality time than quality photography, so excuse the lack of gallery material here.. I snagged a couple good shots, and some that would've been good had the flash been in use. That's what we get for trading the D90 for a cell phone.. haha. Anyway... 

i took my best friend to my other best friend's party ;)

And then Becky showed up, and it all went downhill from there ;) 

just kidding. it was awesome!

I told ya'll around SuperBowl time that whenever I get together with this particular set of friends, it seems that there is an inevitable stage of working out that ensues at some point in the evening. It's weird, since most normal people get more uncoordinated as they drink; we on the otherhand, want to exercise. Go figure. Superbowl brought out the pyramids and group planks; tonight brought out stacked piggybacking, which doesn't sound that hard until you're trying to create a human totem pole...

ta-da!

^ Attempt #4032742084. This was as close as we were getting before we blew out Becky's knees from having to support us. Haha. Thankfully we had spotters, as you can see there. And that poof on my head is in fact not my hair, but the plant in the background. I was photobombed by a ficus. Meh.

us. to a T.

I thought it'd be all kinds of cuteish if Rob and I took a picture together. I need to remember in instances like this that it will take at least six to seven shots before that happens. Here we included a wet willie and my show of disdain afterwards. I'm pretty sure he got my eardrum with that one.

But we DID get one that I would probably call "normal," if that actually does exist with him and me.

love. this. man.

Yeah. (:

So... to my best friend.. I LOVE YOU MAMA! HAAAAPPY BIR--- well, I'll let this speak for itself ;)

yeahhhhh!!!!

Boom (:

.. Til tomorrow!

xo | cmd

The MYSTERY Home T

I am left trying to solve a MYSTERY after today.
Here's why:

I'm a huge proponent of local food, clothing, product, music and culture. My philosophy has always been "Wherever local is for you, be a part of it." That doesn't mean drastically alter your slate of beliefs or standards to fit in anywhere, but rather to become engaged in the clockwork of your community. My friends and anyone who's seen a picture of me in the past 12 months would undoubtedly recognize my Ohio Roots hoodie, that I may be wearing down to the threads by this point. [thanks to Mica!]

ohio roots ♥

Anyway, today at work, Elisa announced that I had a package delivered. She and I are so easily-excited by the delivery of things we know are coming; I couldn't remember for the life of me what would be coming, because I didn't order anything.

This....

uhhh, hello, shirt??

  ^ I opened it, thinking maybe I'd forgotten ordering something [my bank account would later tell me no... no, I did not]. In case you don't know what a Home T is, here's what Ohio's looks like:

home (:

^ No, that's not me, just in case you for some reason thought I was a super skinny white girl. If you live in the U.S., you'll probably find yours, too. I always laughed whenever I'd see these and wonder if my family still lived in Colorado like we did originally, if I'd be interested in sporting my state's silhouette everywhere [...a box]. I wonder if Wyoming kids have the same concern... Haha.

So I am... trying to figure out who sent this to me. It's my size. I haven't tried it on yet but I will. I've ruled out the original suspects, so who knows. THANK YOU to the person out there responsible for this... you are a MYSTERY!

Anyway, surprise shirts aside, Sydni and I made our first trip to the gym together tonight. I was completely oblivious to the fact that there was a Fitworks on Beechmont Avenue until I opened my eyes and saw the thing over the weekend. So... instead of skipping a full week of circuits because of the logistics of Sydni's daycare and work, we can now go in the evenings.

She loved it.
So much so, that as soon as we got home, showered and ate dinner, she was done.

my sweet, sweet girl ♥♥

It took everything for me to move her out of our bed to her own room, but almost as sweet as her sleepy little self was her favorite buddy Stella, patiently waiting for her snuggler to climb in bed with her.

I wouldn't have started this week any differently. (:
Life is good.

xo | cmd

Sunday Shelfies ;)

In preparation for our pre-meditated Ikea trip, we voted a big yes to church first. Haha. That of course is not the reason we went; church is always first on the list for Sunday mornings, including an excellent message from Pastor Jeff, as always.

And then, post-church meant the trip north to West Chester. We primed ourselves for the adventure with a pitstop at Panera before that last deep breath you take when you consciously decide to enter the Ikea parking lot on a weekend.

[insert episodic music here...**]

Yes, the parking lot itself is a jungle. To compound the frustration of parking Rob's truck [which we brought just in case] amongst the crammed rows of other cars, we were really there for one thing:

shelf. little... black... shelf.

I dragged Rob to Ikea today because I wanted shelves. Just add this to the list of awesome-boyfriend moments: he agreed to navigate through the crowds in one of the biggest superstores in Cincinnati because I had my eye on an 11x10" slab of particle&fiber board. He's awesome.

To the surprise of both of us, it was a relatively painless experience. Aside from the usual bottleneck at the check-out, this may have been the easiest trip to Ikea I've had yet. It of course helps when you know exactly why you're there, put on your blinders and ignore the other 343,500 sq.ft of stuff you want to take home. We were in and out in an hour, which included a quick peruse over the dining room chair section. Again, at least we need those.

So with six shelves and two wall-mounted lights, we escaped Ikea and headed home. In the 40ish minute drive back, we encountered rain, sleet, snow and warm sunshine. A quick reminder that the midwest is just as confused as we are with this weather thing.

I lent whatever assistance I could to be useful in hanging the shelves and lights in the bedroom. After he figured out a good system to do it, I dismissed myself to get dinner ready while he finished up in the bedroom.

His final product?


before & after

yay, bedstand shelves!
no curtain yet, but that's coming as well!

And... my finished product:

garlic lime chicken, pierogies, zucchini

I'll say that his was way better than mine. We may have over-marinated the chicken, which came out much too sour for my liking, at least. He didn't seem to mind, or he is just great at pretending I'm not trying to poison us both. Less lime, more cilantro next time. Noted (:

Anyway, I think that's a wrap on the weekend. Monday's gonna be here before we know it, whether we want it or not... and we're spent.

G'Nite (:

xo | cmd

Taking Advantage of Beautiful Weather

Today... was... BEAUTIFUL.

But before I was allowed [dictated by me, just so nobody thinks Rob's a monster, hah] to go outside and enjoy it, there was a small price to be paid:

a small price to pay to spend the day outside!

I'm also saying that because it's a pretty big accomplishment for me to want to do laundry on a Saturday. I don't know what got into me... haha.

ANYWAY, the first really nice day in a few months very obviously warranted a day on two wheels. Rob brought the Harley out and we built our agenda one item at a time around wherever the bike took us. Our first stop: Eastgate. I've been procrastinating on a couple of things, but we finished up there in no time. AND, because I am spoiled out of my mind sometimes by this guy, we came home with this in the bag: 

his & hers.
hers... was not cheap.
she... is a lucky, lucky girl. ♥

 ^ Yeah. I'm the lucky girl who landed a guy she doesn't deserve. I've been out of this stuff for months now, primarily because my last one was 'stolen by a stalker' [not my words, but it was needed comedic relief at the time, and a story for another day....] and I couldn't justify buying a new one. Thank you, boyfriend! ♥

sunshine & flames [that will be gone, soooon]

We were in love with this day. Our list of errands carried on at a pace decided by the breaks in our leisure cruising. I think the entire midwest population was in need of a day like this, and I hope everyone was able to take advantage of it the way we did!

pilot & co-ri. heh ;)

And, what makes us even happier than being out on the bike all day?
... How about adding Eli's to that mix?
Yes. Yes, that's a sure favorite.

happy little wind-bristled folk (:

 And Eli's.

as sloppy as it is delicious.. and worth every single napkin!

We finally made our last stop to get a couple of new walking harnesses for the dogs; I've spied several of our neighbors and other random dog-walkers in the past few weeks using step-in harness systems, so I figured it would be worth a try for the meatballs. Stella, being as stocky as she is, can somehow still wriggle her way out of the standard buckle harness, so I was prettyyyyy excited when we completed a half mile circle with no escapees!

success!

For dinner, we found ourselves at The Varsity B&G down the road, a spot introduced to me by Brittany & Co. We originally thought we'd be out on the town tonight, but after all the fresh air and constant running of the day, we're ready to curl up and call it a day.

We're old... we know. ;)
Haha. G'Nite!

xo | cmd

Balance Balls & Super Sushi

Call me over-the-top this year, but I'm bent on getting back in shape for 2014. I didn't make it a resolution or anything for the new year, but I'm finding that with every day, I'm becoming more and more interested again in the things I've always loved. This goes alllll the way back to the healing process that is still happening to me, from the inside out. Where I used to just feel defeated and dull, I now feel excited and determined. Whole-body fitness is on the list of things I'm controlling this year (:

And that means integrating little things into my daily life. I work in an office, which very easily becomes a gateway to a sedentary 8-to-5 for a lot of people, myself included some days. Sure, I'm up and down enough throughout the day that it doesn't always seem that way, but every once in a while, I'll catch myself with both feet tucked up under me on my chair, hunched over whatever email or proposal I'm absorbing.

Yesterday I paused for a moment and realized that I was essentially a circle with my desk. 

this will not be me!

.... No good. My spine probably hates me.

Wellll... in a spontaneous decision while out to get Sydni a pair of shoes, I wound up at the check-out with a balance ball in hand as well. I plan to mount this on a base, but I don't have that yet, so for now, the ball it is. 

ball replaces chair.. hmm..

It's definitely an interesting seat to have; I've decided I definitely need the base as well, since the ball itself isn't really tall enough to accomodate the rest of my desk. Either way, I sat perched on this thing for the last half of today and I can already feel the difference.

As I was bouncing through the latter half of my work day, Rob texted me to see if I had interest in trying out a sushi place down the road from us. Sushi is pretty much a rhetorical question for the two of us, so after work, off to Beechmont it was for some edamame, sushi, pad thai and fried rice. 


great date. super sushi.
winnnniiinnnngggggg.... (:

We're stuffed. We have leftovers, even, which is way unusual for us at a Thai place.

And heyyyyyy, it's the WEEKEND!
Sleeping in tomorrow.... I cannot wait..
... it's the small things (:

xo | cmd

Gritty Grills = Pearly Whites

I brushed my teeth with charcoal today.

 

... yeah. I did.

The abbreviated history of my nutritional life growing up:
I was adopted and raised by a homeopathic mother. My sister is now a vegan and a dula. I drank unpasteurized goat milk as a baby and teaspoons of flaxseed oil as a teenager. The word Organic in my house simply meant food, because rarely do you need to distinguish raw, natural product from something that isn't even in your house. My halloween candy disappeared as soon as I got it, and I knew the fundamentals of muscle connectivity as it pertained to reflexology pressure points before I graduated high school. The gap between taking so much as a Tylenol [aside from major surgery] ended this year when I took an Aleve and thus broke that dry spell of 16 years. I know the value of balancing nutrition, the dangers of crash dieting and several quirky natural tips & tricks that often outdo commercialized solutions to every day problems.

Charcoal is one of those. First, no, I'm not talking about the stuff you put in a barbeque. There will be at least one person out there who thinks that is interchangeable. I would not suggest that. Second, I'm still somewhat of an average human being, in that I am a] NOT a licensed physician, so if you're tuning into this rantish blog for the first time, please know this is my personal diatribe and reflects only my own experiences & insight. If you need medical advice, find someone who's probably still paying off a student loan for the accreditation they've earned...... and b] I still cheat on the strictly-organic lifestyle. There will always be someone out there who's more earthy than myself, and I'm okay with that. I'm still part of the minority in our population, believing that holistic lifestyles carry an absolute benefit.

thank you, amazon

A lot of people use charcoal tablets to help digest food and cleanse their systems after eating. In emergency situations, charcoal is used to help counteract drug overdose victims. Like I said, I'm not a doctor and I've never ingested even the recommended dosage of charcoal for that whole post-meal thing.

So yes, today I brushed my teeth with activated charcoal.
Here's where those quirky natural tricks come in. Activated charcoal has a natural property that can help whiten teeth. Didja know that? It of course takes a bit longer than bleaching or strips or even baking soda soaks, but it does work and ultimately does the job without reducing tooth enamel or density. Oh, and it's not a pretty process. You basically brush your teeth with activated charcoal powder and a toothbrush. It's black. It's gross looking [although entirely tasteless!] and will serve to show you how much you actually do splatter if you're one of those who denies getting toothpasted on the mirror.

If you're interested in doing this, there are a few things I would recommend, after my first go at this this evening.

empty capsules

First, the capsules I chose are the tubular gelatin ones that split in the middle. They're clear; the activated charcoal is a powder contained inside the capsules. I obviously over-estimated the adhesive properties of this powder with water - it does not gel up or become pasty with water. It just.. gets wet. Basically, don't split the capsule and attempt to dump or sprinkle it onto your tootbrush. You'll just create a huge mess. I would suggest either a toilet paper square or paper towel: open [also, I suggest scissors] the capsule and empty half of it, then dab your toothbrush on it. It's way easier to clean up and you won't have black powder everywhere.

Notes on the toothbrush: I used a new [cheap] firm-bristle brush for this, thinking that I would stain my regular toothbrush. After brushing for the recommended 5 minutes, I would strongly advise that you use whatever toothbrush you're comfortable using on a regular basis, because my gums... are sore. Hopefully your everyday brush has softer bristles. I was all about scrubbing, which I know even with regular brushing, really isn't recommended.... especially for 5 straight minutes.

Other FAQ's I knew I'd probably just answer by doing it myself:
- No, this stuff will not stain your lips, face or toothbrush.
- I don't have any artificial caps, teeth, veneers or braces, so I don't know how this would work on any of those things.
- Yes, I'd do this again and recommend it to someone else. (:

scrub-a-dub.... yuck.

^ Shmexy, right?
No... no... I spent the last few seconds before I plunged a charcoal-covered brush into my mouth wondering if in fact this would be the tasteless experience other users promised. Good news, IT IS. Seriously. I can't possibly be alone in knowing that whenever I focus specifically on NOT swallowing, my mouth inevitably produces an exorbitant amount of drool to irritate me [how's that for clinical reasoning?]. I was cautious not to swallow this mess, even though I know such a small amount really wouldn't do any harm. It just didn't look or sound like the best choice. So.... brush, brush... drool... spit... brush.. brushhhhh... repeat... for 5 minutes.

And yes, this is what I envisioned the entire time I was doing this:

[clip is from Bridesmaids... for all the copyright wolves out there: NO, I did NOT contribute to that scene and it's not my original material in any way shape or form... so don't go saying I said otherwise, eeerkay?]

The difference I saw between the pre and post wasn't dramatic like that after a white strip or a bleach or something, but, my teeth felt exponentially cleaner all the way around and I did notice a small adjustment in the hue. I compared against a piece of white cardstock..

top: before
bottom: after

Like I said, not a drastic change of shades, but for what it's worth, my mouth feels cleaner and my teeth definitely look a little brighter. I'll do this a couple more times over the next few weeks and see where I am then.[And you may not have noticed it, but it makes me crazy that my bottom teeth became crowded after braces corrected them in my elementary years... wisdom teeth are mean! These puppies are on the list of things that will be corrected soon.. very soon.]

Don't believe me that this works? That's fine. Don't do it. I don't get paid for this stuff; this is my personal blog and I would've posted this whether it did or didn't work. I'm all about trying something at least once, and if it works, I'll do it again. A couple folks I know have tried this as well: One of them saw no results until somewhere around the third or fourth time she tried it, and another one swore she noticed it immediately. I'm kind of right in the middle there, but I'll keep to it and see what happens.

So yeah. What little trepidation I did have about doing this was leveled first by the core understanding of charcoal's benefit to the human body [again, thanks Mom & sister for the early lessons] and tested by just doing it for myself. Everybody's body reacts differently to stuff like this, so who knows - it may or may not work for you right away. Give a shot though, if you don't mind looking like you've just eaten a block of coal for a few minutes.

Here's to dental health in 2014! (:

xo | cmd

Growlers & Beanies & Friends, Oh My! [Rhinegeist Wednesdays]

There's really no better way to celebrate a mid-week than a breather from the routine.

Tonight, that took the form of a trip to Rhinegeist with some of my favorites. I needed my fix of hilarious antics, spontaneous decisions and even some souvenirs.

It's a photo-kinda-story.

holy hipsters, i love this girl... haha

my best friend.

'don't you dare ruin my cougar [ale]!'

photogenically-deficient society (:

Oh, and there was the arrival of Becky!

two of the greatest friends ever.

Aaaaand, timeout.
In the midst of all our silliness, I didn't notice when Rob slipped away.. until he came back with a fresh drink and something else tucked in his back pocket for me....

this. just.... this!!

^ I've had my eye on a shirt from here for a while now... and Rob bought it for me tonight. He. Is. The BEST, ever. How I landed this guy is beyond me, but I'm keeping him, keeping the shirt and keeping my word to always stay grateful for having my best friend here in Ohio with me. Thank you, thank you, lumberjack!! ♥♥

 more spoils...

^ I wasn't the only one who walked tonight with some charms of RG; we snagged a growler, too. Chad chose the medicine jar size and Rob of course bought my amazing shirt (: When we go to RG, we go ... to RG. Haha.

beckyyyyy

We snagged one final shot of us all at RG before the night wound down. This... is how I wanted my Wednesday to go.

love 'em.



We're home now, after a diesel dance party on the way back and some light unwinding at the house. Kalyn lives about one whole mile from here, so I'm guessing she'll be home before this is even finished. Haha.

Good night, friends - have a wonderful rest of the week!

xo | cmd

Thundersnow & Icenadoes .. What?!

C'mon, Midwest...

..... calm down?!

We all knew, if we'd heeded at all to the predictions of the Farmer's Almanac, that this winter would be pretty brutal. At least we were warned.

Today I heard a new term: thundersnow. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, although it's pretty self-explanatory in all of its unofficial existence as a real thing. Sadly enough, it's a preeeetty accurate description of exactly what's going on in the Midwest this week. At least it is in Ohio.

We woke up today to roads that looked wet, at most.
Nope. Wet-looking roads this week are actually panels of ice disguised as drivable surfaces. Traffic everywhere was a jumbled mess of brake lights and dormant speedometers, dotted with flashing police lights to mark all of the fender benders. You win, winter.

icy roads. everywhere.

To compound the slick roadways, Cincinnati is presently suffering a plague of potholes. Between the ice and the giant tire-hating gaps, the traffic map I found of just our area alone looks... awful.


looks legit, right?

Need a street view of that?
No problem:

potholes, aka road acne

It's like a game of Frogger out there trying to navigate any local streets without bouncing in and out of these stupid things. Our poor cars :(.

Fortunately, I spent most of my day indoors with the office staff, away from the debachle that is driving around here. Lizzy even bought us lunch, because she's super sweet and generous that way.

perfecto!

^ So maybe that wasn't the best choice considering my fitness goals, but in my defense, I think I managed to at least neutralize the threat at the gym tonight. I'm feeling it for sure today, but in that satisfying way that reminds me this will all be worth it.

Staying off the roads is my mantra today, so tonight it's just relaxing with Rob & the pups.

Be safe out there, drivers!

xo | cmd

Happy Birthday, Elisa!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELISA!!!!

happy birthday!!

Elisa's birthday is TODAY! I have the pleasure of working with this girl, and I must say she's pretty awesome. Coincidentally, I knew her brother from college, long before I ever met her, and then when I did finally meet her, we realized both of us are part of adoptive families. Pretty cool. (:

Anyway, birthdays are great excuses to indulge on things that otherwise have no permissable justification. Erego, meet the box of cupcakes from The Sweeterie that Nancy brought to help us celebrate Elisa's birthday and our blatant disregard for healthy eating.

hello, ya gorgeous thing, you!

I assumed that, since it's also Michael Jordan's birthday today, that anyone sharing such a momentus birthday would be watching this gem to celebrate:

boom.

^ We discussed this movie here at the office today and how, when we were kids watching it, it was one of the classics of that time. However, to watch it now means realizing that MJ really just... isn't a good actor, nor is this movie nearly as entertaining as it was when I was what, 10... 11? If anything else, it's almost more creepy than anything else, but even then I still relish this as one of those staple movies from my middle childhood years.

That being said, happy birthday to both MJ and Elisa!

I still feel behind from the weekend; tonight's supposed to be producing some nasty weather again, so instead of heading to the gym like I was supposed to, I'm here at home working out in my living room and avoiding any extra time on the roads. It's nuts out there.

Happy week, blogbots!

xo | cmd