Attack of the PSL

'Tis the Season [or so I hear]?

It's that time of the year again; bring on the hoodies, bonfires, messy buns and pumpkin everything. 

yes, iliza.. yes

 ^^ Here's where I make a confession to the universe of all my dear friends who've waited the year for this time:

I don't like Pumpkin Spice Lattes. 

There, I said it. I'm sorry guys. I tried, I did. This morning, we discovered that our office supply of coffee grounds was empty, so in a flash decision, Nick sprinted off to Starbucks. I let the team talk me into getting a PSL, which is the official call sign for Pumpkin Spice Latte, in case anyone else out there had to ask what that meant...

... No? Just me? Okay.

Anyway, off he went and returned with said PSL.

Here's an overview of how this went: 

before & after

I wanted to like this thing, you guys. I promise, I did. It was a fun experience though, getting a sugar high off a drink that tasted like melted pumpkin pie mixed with equal parts sand. I admire all of you daily PSL drinkers out there - I really don't know how you do this.  

It led us into a conversation on Contrived Scarcity though, which was a much more entertaining dialogue than the drink itself. If you're not sure what CS means [-wait, we're still doing the initials-slash-acronym thing, right?], the short Econ-class definition will tell us that it's the intentional limiting of a popular item to create a perceived shortage of said item.

In this case, "Limited Availability" and "Get it before it's gone!" are phrases that make me laugh whenever I hear them. We all have that natural trigger to do a double check on whether or not we want or need whatever this limited thing happens to be.. and lemme tell you what, this PSL fandom is taking it very, very seriously.

Anyway, I really wanted this to be more of a momentous bookmark in the book of my mundane life, but uhh... I'm good. 

In other news, and on a very serious note, Jaclyn's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and if you're reading this, it would mean the world to her and to her support network if you could say a quick prayer, send a good vibe, whatever it is you do when the going gets tough.. for her as she goes into cancer removal surgery tomorrow. Love you, Jax - you've got this!

As for the rest of us, it's been another whirlwind week here, and I'm ready for Friday to come and go! Have a wonderful day tomorrow, blogbots!

xo | cms

E C L I P S E

lololol

To Nick's sure credit, he totally nailed it with the pinhole box. AND, we officially have an unofficial Science Division. Because... science. 

"express science division"

A few of us almost went blind. 

jk. we didn't. 

It's always an adventure with this crew. Watch this through to the end! My cousin Jamie got some really sweet cell phone video of this out in South Carolina.. pretty awesome stuff! 

tis the day for filters and pinhole boxes! 

We didn't do too badly! For a crew that didn't get glasses, we made the best of it and managed to still capture some pictures of the little crescents shining down into the pinhole boxes. 

*insert bonnie tyler lyrics .... now * 

I hope that wherever you were today, that you were able to get a glimpse of this! The next one's coming around in 2024, so not quite the 38 year gap like last time, but it won't be for a little while. 

Not a bad start for Monday! 

xo | cms 

A BRONZE FRIYAY!

TGIF!

Today I walked into my office and was greeted by all of this, because my office collectively hit a new milestone of Bronze Circle. In my world (Express), that's a big deal, and is indicative of a team that puts in the dirty work. I am surrounded by some incredibly talented people, and we are blessed to have leaders who will go the distance just to say thank you.

happy friday!

And yes, we did. 

fruit and fizzy.. 

Really not a bad way to end the week, at all! I'm so proud to be a part of my team, and thankful every day lately that I'm back in a place where I can fully function, with a team that is right there with me. 

TGIF, ya'll. It's time for me to rest up; tomorrow is going to be a long day ;) 

xo | cms

Celebrating Mama Julie!

So this is a thing, just in case you were concerned... I dunno.. that it wasn't.. ? 

i mean.... 

^It's funny because I drive past that thing at least 3 times weekly, and I've always wanted to stop and at least look at it. Cincinnati has a thing with posting various flying pig statues around the city, and this one has always seemed like one of the more elaborate among them. If you're ever in Milford, you'll probably spot it ;) 

I arrived at small group expecting to delve into adult conversation right away. Instead, I built a house. 

and i am not sorry. 

The REAL story tonight is that we celebrated Mama Julie's fast-approaching retirement! This upcoming Saturday will be her last 'official' day as a nurse, but I am always in awe whenever she shares stories from her career. I've determined that she, along with people like my dad and a few other mentors I've had along the way, are models for where I want to ultimately find myself. I so admire her for having such a full and rewarding career, raising a family in the midst of it and all the while actively and intentionally pursuing her faith for herself and all those around her. 

mama julie!

You've earned it, Mama J! 

we love you mama j! 

Jaclyn and I also thought we'd share with you the truth behind our small group study. If you're in the market for notes on how to study, well.. we've got you covered ;). In style. And fringes ;).

♥ you jax!

Whew. Happy almost Friday, blogbots!

xo | cms

School Days & Segways

Today was a long, long day.
Today was also an absolutely amazing day :).

First things first: Sydni's first day of 3rd grade. I am not an emotional wreck. *Rinse & repeat*
---------In my defense, I was entirely fine with the entire thing until she said to me,

"Mommy. I am walking fast because I am excited. Not like, because I'm trying to leave you behind or anything. I really wish you could come in here with me." 

... I swear. That kid can ruin me... haha.

my 3rd grader!

my ♥.

♥♥♥♥

We joke that Sydni has an entourage everywhere she goes; it's the truth.  

sisters! 

aw :) 

Parents & teachers everywhere: I'm praying for you. I'm praying that every. single. one of our kiddos finds joy and progress while they're at school. I pray that they find classmates that will encourage them, accept them and challenge them in the way that helps them realize their best self. I pray that they'll be safe. That they'll feel welcomed and protected. That we as parents can do our parts to encourage them and reinforce what they've learned at school. That we'll be involved. I pray for Syd's and all the other teachers - that you'll be able to stay healthy these first couple weeks especially [germs, x infinity ;)], and that your classrooms will be safe, cultivating environments for your students but also for you, too. I pray that you continue to have the passion and patience that I. [most often, if I'm being honest] Do. Not.. for the swarms of our kiddos that you'll see every day over this next year. That we as parents will help you when you need it, and in ways that set positive examples for our kids. I pray for all the kids going back, from preschool to grad school: You've got this, and you'll move mountains! Amen! 

That brought us to the second half of today: work, of course, but immediately followed by a group outing to Cincinnati Segway! Nobody on my team has ever done this before, so we went into it a little apprehensive of our own balancing abilities.

You guys.. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. We were so close to a couple serious spills, but fortunately they didn't happen. 

.. and it began.

We did the welcome video, met our guides and donned the standard and quite flattering tour attire:

stef modeling the getup

we've got this :)

practice makes perfect... or something close enough to it ;) 

and we're off .. haha

Some footage to go along with it..

express takes on segway

eden park lookout

team! 

i really think i've got it now? 

your cinci east staffing consultants! ♥

rami :) 

And last but certainly not least.. this hilarious Hawaiian tour guide.. 

aloha lilly! 

I'm wiped. I couldn't have imagined a funnier night to end a great day. Hopefully nobody's too sore in the morning ;). 

Good night! 

xo | cms

#FCCvNYRB

That Cincinnati has such a huge futbol following right now is something that I love. There's nothing really like the energy at futbol games, and although the majority of Cinci has likely never truly experienced that in its fanatic European format, I'm still amped that soccer is at least on the map now in this city. Even in our infancy USL stages, I'm proud to be here and watch them grow.

photo cred: instagram @fccincinnati

Tonight was sold OUT!

photo cred: instagram @fccincinnati

It was a muggy day outside all throughout the actual daylight hours, and it wasn't about to stop at 8pm, either. Rob and I met up with Brandon for dinner before the game, which gave us the chance to see the parade through the stadium for the first time. Cinci, I applaud your spirit!

Brandon left us shortly after we found our seats; his work had one of the suites up at the top, but we were at least able to text our string of play-triggered emotions back and forth the entire time in a group text.

In case you weren't there, or didn't watch it, or really didn't and probably still don't care, here's an overview of this evening, as seen through the lens of... well, yours truly. 

Better luck next time, boys. We came out of the gate roaring but lost a lot of it in the 2nd half. I'm sure the tides will eventually turn when the growth cycle is complete, but with record attendance of 33,250, it's clear that your fanbase is ready to back you up, win or lose. After all, this is Cincinnati ;)... 
Whew. Tomorrow is a big day for a certain kiddo.. time for some serious ZzZ's! 
xo | cms 

Meet the Teacher!

I found this little guy off Chibird, and had to share it, because ya'll...

June and July were literally 5 seconds long, I'm sure of it. What happened?!

*Le sigh... No sense obviously in wondering where it all went, although I'm not really complaining because that just stands to reason that the summer was packed full enough to make time seem fleeting. We were fortunate to travel most of this summer, catch up with the regular faces, reconnect with some old familiar ones, and even meet some new ones. Birthdays, weddings, baby showers, bridal showers and following Sydni around for whatever it is she's doing = my summer.

Speaking of Sydni.. and speaking of Summer..

The latter is coming to a close, and the former just went to check out her third grade classroom tonight. And guys, lemme tell you what.. unless her teacher turns out to be some heinously bipolar train wreck, I can tell you right now that I already love her. I've heard nothing but positive things from other parent friends whose kids went through her class, and meeting her tonight was pretty much all the confirmation I needed to feel confident that Sydni's going to have a great year.

I walked into a room filled with THESE CHAIRS.

gaiams!!!!

Literally, I geeked. I guessed Sydni's reaction before she came through the door, and I wasn't wrong. She's on cloud 9 right now - she got the homeroom teacher she wanted, and she gets to be just like mom while she's "working."

like mama like mini! 

I don't know who's more excited about her 3rd grade experience - me, or her. Whew..

Seriously though. This kid hit the jackpot.

And I did, too! I came home to find this waiting on the front porch for me:

botm! 

The August Book of the Month is HERE! I had a friend randomly pick this out of the August lineup, and read the overview later. It looks legit, so once I find the spare time [hahahahhhahahahahahaha] to read it, maybe I'll post a book review. We'll see. Don't hold your breath ;).

Monday.. check.
This week is stacked already.. time for some rest!

xo | cms

It's NOT Too Soon...

So this is what our 4:45-5:00pm window looked like today. 

I'm just gonna leave this here..... 

ideas! 

It is never too early to start brainstorming group Halloween costume ideas.
Feel free to leave your favorites. :)

xo | cms

PENTATONIX & US THE DUO!!!

This is definitely back dated, and I am definitely still geeked out. #notsorry

& 

When I found out that PTX was coming to Cincinnati, I lost all impulse control and immediately knew I was going to this show. I didn't care if I went alone; I WAS GOING. Fortunately, I didn't have to go alone, because Rob is awesome and knows full-well that they've been on my bucket list for years now. 

And then I found out that Us the Duo was opening for them... and if there'd been any doubt before [let's be clear, there wasn't], this was the surefire confirmation that I would be in that crowd. 

And so we bought tickets. And so we went... and this is the totally amateur photo+video [because no I will not be that person out there with an L lens resting on your-head-in-the-row-in-front-of-me's head to get the picture. 

I wrote an instructional, if you need it. Lalallaalalala, GO: 

First things first, you obviously go out and buy an item of clothing that you didn't see yourself ever wearing before. You do that impulsively, because you're impulsive, but in your defense just staying consistent. ;) And then, you take a bathroom selfie because you've also curled your hair, donned the fancy septum ring and in your head you've absofreakinlutely nailed the cut-in on that smirky right eyebrow [but did you? nobody knows, or cares]: 

ready! :) 

^ For the record, it's the floral jacket that I never thought I'd like, let alone own. But hey.. when in Rome Cincinnati... sure, whatever.

STEP TWO:
Get there, and get a head-to-toe capture of this outfit that still has you questioning which VH1 commercial dropped you off into it. You don't care, because you're at the PTX show. 

and the empty corbett pavilion.. whoa! 

♥ embrace that front facing camera... embrace it ♥

Drink boxed wine. You've never done that before, so do it at the show you've waited 9 years to see.
And eat the weird chip things, too. They're actually.. not bad? 

try. the. new. things.

See how long it takes you to run into someone you know. It didn't take me long at all this time around; Tim & Chris were just a couple rows behind us! 

hey guys! ♥

Next: After you're done with the preliminary formalities of concert-going [see aforementioned 'boxed wine' & 'friends,' also merch table perusing and consumption of overpriced event food], you get to take a bajillion photos and videos of the actual show. It'll look like you're having legitimate seizures through all the shaky video footage, because maybe you are or are not happy crying and barely keeping that phone focused. It's a steep price to both enjoy the show and capture your own footage to review later. 

PICTURES: 

us the duo!
michael & carissa 

ptx!
avi. kirstin. scott. mitch. kevin

♥♥♥♥♥

I realized mid-way through PTX opening that my regular camera has a lighting adjustment that worked far better than the IG camera.. womp womp. Better late than never, yeah?

pentatonix & us the duo | jolene

avi is leaving ptx and we literally all hate it. 

Recap: It's been a long, awesome day. 

a thorough progression of this day:
am, pre-show, showtime, post-show

Back to work tomorrow! I hope it's a wonderful week for all of you! 

xo | cms