Happy Workaversary To Me!

Once upon a time, I started a job with this company called Express: 

my first express family : cincinnati east, oh
photo circa 2010

I'll never forget it - March 15, 2010: It was a Monday, and it was my first day on this new job I'd found on Craigslist, at a place I'd never heard of a month before that. I jumped in with both feet and remember very clearly my first full week at Express Employment Professionals: computer training [yay!]. It was an overload of information, a time I look back at and laugh at how many pages of notes I took, on things I wouldn't need to know, really. I had no idea where that job would take me, or if it would lead to anything at all that would be stable, or permanent.

When the news came down that I'd be moving to Illinois, I lost a lot of tears grasping the idea of leaving behind one of the best teams on which I'd ever been. And then, I met Marc & Diana, and became part of their team as a transfer. As part of that team, I would go on to experience almost 3 years of team restructuring, process adjustment and even an office expansion. I became a staffing consulant, and eventually grew into a sr. staffing consultant role. I met Ali, who is now one of my best friends, as a product of working together there, and still to this day have lasting communication and friendships with that team. 

my 2nd express family: glen carbon, il
photo circa 2012

The decision to move back to Ohio wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but out of that came the opportunity for me to work alongside Dave and Elisa [& some other endearing characters: Nancy, Lizzy & Nikki.. and then some other more questionable thankfully short-lived cast members, but I digress >_<...] 

my 3rd express family: cinci central [part 1]
photo circa 2014

It wouldn't become the longterm Cinci Central family unit, but the time I spent working with each of them is invaluable.

Then came the revolution; Dave sold the business to Paul, Elisa went to grad school in Chicago and the last toxic cell was cut from the team all in the span of a couple months. From there was born the new and battle-ready Cinci Central team. It's a world of difference in dynamic, but we're steadying the foundation together and it's amazing to see how far we've come!

my [technically] 4th express family: cinci central [part 2!]
+ our significant others, along with chris & deb!
photo circa 2016

It's been a crazy ride: 3 different offices, 4 franchise owners, a multitude of different co-workers, events, seminars and the like. I wouldn't trade it for anything; this place is just as much a part of me as the 8+hours we invest into it daily throughout the week. I never would've envisioned myself working for a company like this, but now that I do, I'm grateful for every chaotic minute and wouldn't have it any other way. 

Six years later, here I am - still in one piece and ready to see what's next. 

Let's go, year 7! 

xo | cmd

Going Away Party : Part 2

Today, step 1: Stop at the gas station and get coffee.

I ran into Ali as soon as I got there, which wasn't that surprising. What brought me to my senses was the group gift from the crew working at the gas station. See, I've gotten my coffee from the same place nearly every day for the past two years, and in the course of doing so gotten to know each of them a little here and there.

Long story short, they paid for my coffee, gave me an extra muffin and a styrofoam cup filled with beautiful orchids. How many people get that from their gas station staff? How much am I going to miss all of these sweet people???

I walked into work covered with things that I've received as gifts over the past couple of days and weeks here. It was not a horrible way to start my last day here at this place....

scarf: deshawn | flowers: gas station crew
camera lens coffee mug: ali

I had no idea my coworkers had all decided on their own version of a going-away token for me, either.

this, from kyle, of course.. haha.. thanks...

More amazingly, the owl-themed battery of things by which I will remember these people, and enough hugs to last me for a few weeks at least, without them. :/ Haha. Seriously though, I was floored, and walked around for the rest of today covered with owls. I tried to take pictures of everything, but realized I missed the picture of the 1.5-foot tall garden owl that Marc & Diana gave me... to perch in the garden I'll one day have and fend off any intruders....

owl earrings: andi | owl necklace: linda
random turtle earring? - well, it's ali's, from andi, but looked cute with an owl.
owl ornament: marybeth | paper owl: andi | owl scarf: deshawn

Oh, and I cried some. A lot, actually. Like the sissy that I am when it comes to saying goodbyes to people I love. The good news is, we managed to take some great pictures in between the tear fits.

besties | linda.cori.kyle

DRUM ROLL....................

................. CAKE!!
- It's okay, you can get excited. I did. I really did. Andi, our resident baker extraordinaire, came to work today bearing a SMORES CAKE in honor of our potluck. Add that to the fried chicken, pasta salad, Linda's signature [lettuce+] salad, fruit & veggie trays, asiago cheese breads from Bread Co., and drinks, I'd say lunch went well.

Cake. Amazing. I might still be drooling, hours later as I write this. Oh well.


you can totally be jealous. it's okay.
... hello, andi's smores cake. y-u-m.

Oh, and as promised, here's what that frame that Ali got me... looks like with pictures of people we actually know.

frame!! ♥ ♥

*sigh. Lots of crying was done at work today. It's all right though. I'm not actually losing any of these people, just moving on to different places. It could always be worse. ;)

Dinner tonight was at Chubby's in Alton with Rob's mom and stepdad. It was great to see them both and forget to take pictures.... -__- ........... way to go, Cori.... I know, I've been doing a lot of that lately. No worries, though; I'll see them next weekend when I'm back to visit.

chubby's | alton, il

I'm... tired. We leave tomorrow morning for my final move to Ohio. We get to rent a car in the morning, too, so that Rob can get back to Illinois. I just decided I need to turn my brain OFF for now and just go to sleep.

Love & more love to you.. happy weekend, friends!

xo | cmd

Going Away Party : Part 1

My going-away "festivities" began today. As I sit here at the end of the day, all I can is that I feel incredibly blessed and thankful for these people.

I thought I'd share just a couple of highlights from today.

For this week, I've been booted out of my old desk so that MB could move into the "neighborhood," and have been shacking up temporarily at Matt's desk on the other side of the divider. With this arrangement, I can no longer see anyone on the other side, but I sure as Sam can hear them. The conversations haven't changed, but I realized today how funny it is when you can only hear people that you're used to seeing as well. In NO way poking fun at the visually impaired, I made the comment that this is how it must be sometimes to be blind. I looked over at Ali, who was trying to absorb what it would be like.......... with her eyes shut ;). We got a giggle out of it, because obviously if you can't see with your eyes open, you don't need to them shut to get the same effect.. haha.


"how blind people listen???"

We agreed earlier last week that the destination for all things going-away would be Edison's, down the street from our office in Edwardsville. We toted ourselves there after work, sans Linda or MB due to family stuff [you.were.MISSED!], but added Jay & Rob to balance it out. Edison's, as always, didn't disappoint.

mmmm.. edison's! | edwardsville, il

My FOC-slash-best friend..... was there, of course.... (: Jay came along, too, but of course we didn't think to grab a picture. I have no good excuse. Sorry :( :( :(

love her, to the moon & back!!

And the boyfriend... who made the trip straight from work in O'Fallon... because he is amazing like that...

adore.

Once we thoroughly exhausted our welcome at Edison's, the party disbanded and went our separate ways; Rob and I headed over to Ali's house for about an hour so that I could say a farewell to Padre Lackey, DeShawn and Tim. DeShawn, with whom I also failed to get a picture, got me the first of my favorite going-away gifts, ever..... and I love it, and I'm wearing it tomorrow, and the END! ;) 

whooooooo has terrific friends! [me. that's who. me.]
thank you, damanji!!!

Ali also got me a picture frame... that I love love & love.... I'll show you that tomorrow, because the happy stock family in it now, despite their joyous marketing-appropriate smiles, are nothing that will stick around ;)

*Sigh. Tomorrow's the potluck at the office, which will include everyone who couldn't make the dinner tonight. It'll be a bittersweet day, that's for sure.... but I'm going to be thankful this entire journey happened, rather than be mad that it's over. How ... bout... that.

See you in the mornin'!

xo | cmd

We Get to Hula Hoop at Work..

Ohhhh boy... it's FRIDAY. [Hallelujah!] It was my last "official" day at my desk before I hand over the reigns and all of my clients to MaryBeth on Monday and become.... officespace homeless. Hmmm. 

It rained pretty much all day, but Linda and Ali made sure to clear out any early disappointment with donuts and milk from Farm Fresh.. Nope, we didn't hate it ... at all. 

Oh, and Diana came out of her office brandishing hula hoops of all things.... another perk of this group that I'm definitely going to miss. These are some of my favorite people.... 

hula hooped with my boss today.. haha.. 

And of course, there's that certain best friend, too ... 

*Sigh. It's Friday...and for that I'm grateful. I will, however, be a little sad when this time comes around next week and I don't come back again. 

Here's to the weekend (: 

xo | cmd

Business of the Month

It's raining again. It's pretty dreary and drab out there, which proved to be a good motivator to keep me in the house packing instead of playing outside in the sunshine. Silver lining!

In other great news, CONGRATULATIONS to my office for receiving this award ... we've all worked incredibly hard to get here, and I definitely think we earned it. 

woo!!

I'm so proud of this team; I've seen in just a few short years the growth we've had and I'm personally proud alone to be a part of it all!

express employment professionals!
marc & diana | our team!

Not bad news for an otherwise dreary looking day, huh?

I should get back to packing. This house isn't going to box itself up, right?

.... Right? :)

xo | cmd

HAPPY BIIIIIIIRTHDAY ALI!!!!

*SQUEAL!*
It's Ali's birthday.... sooooo....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love love love love... her!

Here's how today at work went, in between actual work: Decorations, cake & our office staff all hanging out together. Oh, and I invited Jay to come up and be a surprise guest. (: 

decorations? duh. turtles, everywhere!!

I have to give major kudos to Andi, who has not only fulfilled the much-needed role of competent staffing consultant for the office, but also brings the talent of cake baking. She's pretty stinkin' amazing, and when we approached her for a second office birthday cake in the form of a turtle, this is what she brought today. And yes, it was even more delicious than it was cute. Belieeeeve it!

andi's creation: another amazing cake!

surprise guest! well, not really a guest so much as that one neighborhood
kid who just randomly shows up at your house to eat all your food and watch
your tv..... lol... hi jay! :p

This may be the first time I've gotten a picture of the entire office, too - at least the most current crew ;) I've gotta say, we're a pretty decent lookin' bunch! I love this work family of mine, and I'm excited to see it growing even though I'll be parting ways here soon. They will always have a special place in my heart and I'll miss them more than you'll ever know..... 

kyle. matt. linda. ali. cori. andi. diana. marc | 2013
express employment professionals | edwardsville/glen carbon il

celebrating my best friend & beautiful coworker.
happy birthday, ali. ♥

Oh, the JOYS of Express office birthdays. I've already promised myself back here for the summer and fall birthdays when they come around; I love this team & I will miss them. It didn't hurt to round out my employed-here birthday participation with that of my best friend.... & that was only the start of the birthday fun (:

We continued the birthday bash after work, with our first stop for sushi at Se7en in Belleville. Duh. I rendezvoused with Ali, Ashley & Scott, Tim and DeShawn, soon followed by Jay & Cindy, and finally Rob. It was a feat, but we somehow managed to go through not one, but TWO boats of sushi, drinks AND mochi. Hey. If you're gonna go, go big. :p What's that, another photo montage, you say? Well, I never thought you'd ask! ...... aaaaaaaand..... GO:

sushi boat... the first of two ... haha

The server thought it'd be wise to let us split the bill.
.... ummmm, sure?

easy, right? : / 

Dinner aside, we tailed over to The Edge in Belleville, with just enough time to catch the last round of laser tag. We pretty much closed the place. Ali, aka "TANK" came out on top, with the rest of us trailing behind. Let the record stand that I definitely did beat Rob. That probably won't ever happen again, so yeah... ;)

love. him. a lot.
...& uhh, check out the photobomb.. haha 

And of course, a semi-socially unawkward group shot.. so rare, I tell you (:

rob. cori. tim. ali. deshawn. jay. cindy

MARIANNE: We missed you, you poor surgery-stricken butterlover. We will have some GOOD fun once your nose is healed up and you're ready to smile again (: Hope you feel better SOOOON!!!

poor marianne. we missed [& love!] youuuu!!

LOVE YOU, ALI. HAPPY, HAAAAAAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

dear friend, happy birthday  ♥

xo | cmd

The Express Circus



training mode! ;)

Today I made the announcement to my office that I’ll be leaving.

I hate these kinds of things. I want to be sure to recognize the silver lining in spite of my leaving; the fact that Linda and Ali were both crying reminded me of just how much it means to me , to have them as coworkers and friends. We’ve been through a lot at this office, and I’ll never forget the ways we leaned on each other.

That being said, WELCOME KYLE! The newest addition to the team, and the first male staffing consultant in quite some time to be added to this staff. Kyle’s great, and I have absolutely no doubt even after just a few days of working with him that he’ll become a great mesh to this place and will become a force to be reckoned with on the job. I can safely say I feel confident in leaving behind some of my favorite, valued clients in his care.

Andi made this, in his honor … haha..

Meanwhile, there were other sweet perks involved in the day:
Diana made cupcakes, for starters. Nobody hates cupcakes. (:



sweet treat from a sweet boss!

Rob & I finished off the day with a late dinner at Olive Garden. We've been on a good stretch of balancing eating in and eating out; tomorrow it's stuffed peppers at the house [I promised Rob], so stay tuned to see if those actually turn out the way they were supposed to... haha..

For tonight though, it was SALAD.. and some pasta. (:

Not a bad day.. not a bad day.

xo | cmd

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!!

I must say, this was another VERY successful run at birthday surprises for our office. They got me first, last year in November for mine, and today was the final production of Linda's birthday surprise! We were armed with cameras, perched on top of the desks and chairs opposite hers, to capture these moments (:

Linda, we LOVE you - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

And another one! Quick backstory on this one: "Bob" is a client of ours, who we contacted yesterday, asking him to set an appointment with Linda this morning. We did that because she has been making it to work anywhere between 6am and 7:15am. Since we wanted to capture her shock and awe, we needed to be here before her, but we definitely weren't gonna do that at 6am. So thank you, Bob!!

 

Definitely not bad for a birthday celebration. Andi made an amaaaaaazing cake, Tonya made some salsa - probably the best home made salsa I've ever had [don't worry Rob, I got the recipe!], Ali brought in some colorful martini glasses for lemonade, and the bosses treated us all to Taco Bell, to keep in the festive spirit.

Yeah, and it helps to work in an office filled with creative women... 


birthday floor runner by cori | cake by andi |
lemonade margaritas by ali | salsa by tonya

workspace!

WE LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIIIIIIRTHDAY!!!

 Last video, I promise (:

Gosh, I love birthdays (:

Anyway, I'm about to meet up with Rob & Mike, and from here we'll get the ball rolling on getting my tires and alignment on my car fixed tomorrow. IT'S THE WEEKEND!!! [YAY!]

xo | cmd

Lá sona naomh Pádraig! [Almost]

Well, it's not the real St. Patrick's Day yet, but that didn't stop us from celebrating here at the office since we really won't be together as an office family on Sunday. Soooo... [sans Linda :( ... ], HAPPY DAY O' GREEN!

the express family [minus linda :( ... ]
tonya. andi. marc. cori. ali. diana

Potluck mode? Yes. Complete with corned beef & cabbage, potato salad, cheese & broccoli and an angel food cake topped with green sprinkles. Yeah, we know how to do it up around here when it comes to small office potlucks ;)

Oh, and no, I'm not Irish (clearly), but I do have a pure affinity for the color green; I found this on the Color Run page today and wanted to share, because I love... green... that.. much. 

color green (:

Love love love.

*Phew. The work day was something closer to absolutely neurotic than calm and peaceful like we'd hoped, but that's what makes our job what it is, and we do what we can to keep the ball rolling when one of us is MIA. Linda deserved a day off, so we were happy to pick up where she'd left off, even on a last-minute job order for double digit crew numbers. Oh, we brought it... haha.

Work aside, [HELLO WEEKEND!!!!]

We're headed out tomorrow for the weekend in Indy... here we goo..... (:

xo | cmd


Nashvegas!

First things first: Our lovely boss is at it again with her festive sales call gear. With St. Patrick's Day approaching, she is taking full advantage of a costume into which none of us could fit; she wears that sucker well.....

our little leprechaun!

She's hilarious.

Anywho, so last week, we went to see one of Ali's friends [Kali] in a theater production over at McKendree. Well, she's also an artisan. She made a couple of rings for Ali and Marianne; it was for this reason specifically that we made a trip down to Nashville [IL; don't get too excited ya'll...] tonight.

Check out these wire rings!

borrowed from fb ;) | "A" & "M" .. by Kali

Pretty awesome.. and they looked even cooler in person. So... Marianne & Ali met me at my house and the three of us headed off in the direction of Nashville, IL. I'd never been, and neither had Marianne. It was instant hilarity as soon as we hit the exit and started heading into the heart of Nashville. Well... first you have to pass through Little Nashville, which is essentially just a cover page to the actual Nashville: an adorable little town that embodies that podunk feel that I personally just...love.

Not to mention, there is a KROGER there. For all you Ohioans who thought I may've been totally jipped moving to IL, nope... there's a Kroger in Nashville, IL. Sure, it's the size of a Dollar General here, but it's a Kroger no less, and that alone made me happy. 

wahhhh!!! illinois kroger??! .... score.

Oh, and there are enough yachts for sale on one strip of highway to fill up the empty parking spots in the field dealership lot of the neigboring tractor dealership. Marianne was convinced that every silo we passed was filled with poop, as opposed to grain, feed or really anything else, and I quickly decided that if there were to ever be a fabulous yacht club, Nashville IL would...... probably not be... that place. Heheh. I'm really not poking fun, because I grew up in the country and I didn't hate anything about that place. Plus, it produced Ali, and this world would be a bit more dim without her. Everyone wins.

We ate at this place called Girolamo's, which is pronounced something like Gironamo, if for some reason you thought it was like Gyro - Lame-o, like we did when we saw the sign. Luckily, Ali had mentioned the name beforehand, but all I can do is laugh now at the fact that my mind is only recalling the name when I think Gyro-Lame-o. Sorry Nashville. haha.

clover marianne drew | heated conversation
yachts of nashville | girolamo wall art, aka marianne's new home | map of italy 

Oh, and Girolamo's is an Italian joint. It's a really good Italian joint.
I don't have many words for the conversation[s] that ensued over dinner, but what I will say is that it's been a while since I laughed that hard.

A few gems that materialized out of our visit to GIROLAMO'S [and shortly thereafter]... in NASHVILLE, ILLINOIS:

- Marianne self-enrolled herself into an arranged marriage. FRANK, aka SIR to those of us who are not from Nashville, kindly agreed to keep his eyes peeled for a legit Italian boy, in Italy, to whom Marianne will probably be married and live a long and prosperous Sicilian life.
- I recognized the danger of trying to execute a genuine laugh with a mouthful of 7-UP and an ice cube. It WILL end up in your nasal passages and it takes an exorbitant amount of self-control to keep it from coming out of your nose.
- Ali knows everyone... in Nashville, IL.
- Dairy Queen delivers ... in Nashville, IL.
- Marianne's hair can be transformed into the doppleganger styles of: Jimmy Neutron, Carson Dailey, Cogsworth [the clock from Beauty & the Beast], Tim Curry from the original 1985 production of Annie, Goku, Ace Ventura, Wolverine, Steve Carrel, and the much more unfortunate Hitler. It's... amazing.

angry opossum... possum... blech

- We are officially forming a band. Since Rebel Wilson already thwarted the name Fat Amy & the Chubb Chubbs, we may very well go with Ginger & the Re-Re's or something equally-babblish. Oh, and I'm slated as the interpretive dancer for this project. Our first album's going to be a re-make of Lion King. Haha....

- Opossums and possums really are not the same exact thing [thanks, Google], but we'll go with opossum, because it seems trickier, and because we almost hit one tonight. Apparently, Marianne has a pre-conceived vision of these things, and folks, it ain't pretty.

- One of these two things happened in real life: [Setting the scene: A woman came in, clad in a nylon jacket, on the back of which was embroidered the very large, very colorful banner of the 2004 FOOSBALL CHAMPIONSHIP] - Either A) There really was a national championship tournament somewhere in Missouri in 2004 and she earned that jacket.... or B) she bought that somewhere and was just giving us false hope that she may be some sort of local celebrity..... haha.. either way, WICKED cool jacket, but it definitely begged the questions [& prompted further hilarious conversation] in the rules and bylaws of said foosball championships.

these things really exist; i checked ... lol...

Yeah.. that's something I'll have to research later......
.... anyway, we stopped by Ali's mom's house [hi, Mom!] to see her for a bit and visit with her before we made a drive-thru run at DQ... and headed back to Shiloh.

All in all... a.... great.... night. These two girls are a wicked good time (:

Time to go stare at the back of my eyelids and choreograph my routine for the opening scene in Lion King.

;) ... See ya'll in the morning.

xo | cmd

Eeeeeeeet's FRIDAY!

Happy MARCH FIRST, in the MIDWEST:

Happy friday happy FRIDAY!! 

Marc & Diana are still in Utah until Monday, so when I say we legitimately earned our casual day today, I'm talkin' major adherence to the honor system and some downright hard work, all week. They keep making this weird decision to leave me in charge of running the ship when they're gone; all I can say is that I am so proud of my team and everything we did this week to get everything done.

the team [minus andi] - circa december 2013 @ edison's :)
[linda. diana. marc. cori. ali. tonya]

They.... are ... teriffic. 

And then there's Rob. It's been a loooong week; I knew that I was in need of some serious unwinding. He's been a stable source for me for a while now when it comes to putting the work week to rest and just enjoying life a little bit. Like any jaded person, I've been through the ringer so to speak... I'm re-discovering how to slow down and just enjoy the moment every so often. He's been a huge part of that; he's been a friend before anything else and for that I am so thankful. I'm not an outwardly-emotional person, so let's revel in this little thought before I shut my mouth.. haha.. and don't tell Rob; we don't want him getting a big head ;).  [#endSappyMoment].



oh hey ♥

We made it out of the house and up to Granite for dinner, and ended up at Bindy's with some of his friends, doing what we do best when there's no agenda: goofing off & remembering that the small laughs in life are sometimes some of the best.

*Yawn... It's been a good night.

Tomorrow = Major house cleaning, errands, and maaaaaybe picking up another member to the household... Weeeeee'll see.. I'll keep ya posted. ;)

xo | cmd

Valentine's Day 2013

Yeah, so as a reminder:

I am not a true advocate of all things Valentines Day. I don't necessarily hate it, as I know some do, but I don't proactively pursue any specific path of celebraton.

HOWEVER, even with all of that being said, it is admittedly fun to do a little something for that handful of people who deserve a little something extra.

For starters, my boss Diana went out on client visits dressed as the Queen of Hearts. She's an outta-the-box thinker like that ;)

my boss... lol

Sydni and I did some little trinkets for a few people, based off another crafty blog [2littlehooligans]. The pictures of ours didn't come out nearly as well as these, but for the sake of repetition, just imagine these, but with yarn hanging loops and a bit more orange in the variegated yard. ;)


easy diy projects? yes, and yes.

Sydni and I finished up our Valentines early last night, so she went on to kiddie movie [& sing-a-long... lovelovelove that!] mode, and I went on to one last DIY for the night... because I love owls, neutral colors, mason jars and Rob .. just that much. Incorporating those 4 elements into one simple little project was well worth it, even if it is for the ominous Valentines Daaaaaaaaay [muahaha...].

DIY window/shaker card? Sure!
[♥ rob!]

Back at the office this morning, I was greeted by this on my desk:

q: "hoooooooo loves you?"
a: "OWLi does!"
.... adore.

Don't you think for a second that I forgot them, either! It was little tiny mailbox time for me; I made sure each of them had a personalized mailbox with some Valentines Day love, too.

you've... got... [cori]mail!!!

Work ended late today, but we made it home and eventually ended up on the computer doing a mini shoot... I have the best Valentine ever ♥

my mini valentine....

Not a bad day, folks. Not bad at all (:
Happy Hallmark Holiday to you and yours!!

xo | cmd