DWTS : Duck Dynasty Edition! | ESPN @ Hahana

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[Sadly often-needed-these-days disclaimer: NO, this is not my material: the music, choreography, costumes, lighting, feathers and duck calls did not come from my own imaginative creation. NO, I'm not attempting to credit myself for any of this, so please don't bother crying wolf on attempted plagiarism. Just so we're clear.]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - way to go, Sadie Robertson! I don't follow DWTS, nor do I really watch that much Duck Dynasty anymore, but I love seeing such positive influences in the headlines.

And hey, let's be honest - this was a fun number. Especially with Mark Ballas looking like another secret, miniature Robertson brother! Insert flashback to meeting Mark here in Cincinnati? Sure, why not :D

kalyn. cori. mark! 2011
montgomery inn | cincinnati,oh

Aaaanyway, congrats from across the states to Miss Sadie and her family on her run so far on the show - it's crazy awesome to see what she stands for represented on a stage like that.

After work, I made my way home to unwind for the short breath between the day and night, and then layered on the gear for some chilly sand before hopping back in the car for volleyball.

hahaha, thanks rob ;) 

It was indeed brisk to say the least out there tonight. The sand is starting to take on a winter feel, leaving that familiar icy, itchy feeling once you leave it. That didn't stop us from having a blast, and posting another win to the board.

♥ 'em.
cori. chad. jessica. becky.
hahana beach | cincinnati, oh

Also, here's the before shot that in truth, captures a much more accurate candid:

hahah. yeah. 

On our way out, we noticed this little home, a beautiful little tribute to October and Halloween: 

beautiful! 

We apologetically devoured some Village Tavern before calling it a night and parting ways. It's up and early for 6am yoga tomorrow, so that's a wrap for now!

xo | cmd

Christmas & Junior's Birthday @ The Drenn Lodge

Day 2 of waking up to this little pile of love (:

slumber party girls

We left early this morning with a car full of myself, Rob, Sydni and whatever Christmas gear we needed for the quick weekend getaway at the Drenn Lodge. We made it there in no time, and it wasn't long before the Christmas festivities were well underway.

here we go!!

Our first item of importance on the agenda was getting Sydni's little Christmas tree decorated in her room, and assembling her very own gingerbread house!

Christmas tree decorating

gingerbread house

her mickey mouse gingerbread clubhouse!

I'll stand by my word that this is my favorite place still, on planet Earth; holidays especially, make this place come alive and I most love that. We started out small, with just the five of us and some of our small gifts [Sydni's stocking stuffers included, of course].

duck dynasty, hahaha..

my succulents!!!!

stocking stuffers from nana & pappy

There was just enough time for us all to squeeze in a nap before my cousins arrived for the evening; once they did, it was a Saturday night filled with my laughing family gathered around the table in the living room. 

rob. ty. markie

my two goofballs ♥♥

my, how i love them.

probably my favorite picture from today... hahaha.. love love love her.

my gorgeous, age-defying, gravity-defying mother...

best. friend.

And of COURSE, my little cousin Markie, aka Junior's birthday! The kid turned 22 today, and for what that's worth, I feel older than ever before. Haha. Jokes aside, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my not-so-little-but-still-baby cousin, Mark (:

happy 22nd birthday, little cuz!!

The night finally started to wind down, but it didn't stop when the family headed out the door. Mom & Dad of course had prepared the annual bag of reindeer food to be sprinkled outside for Santa's diligent antlered team. Sydni very strategically dumped the bag across the front porch, and helped put out the cookie and milk on the counter before she headed to bed.

reindeer food!!

dad. me. syd. mom ♥ my family!

f a m i l y !

 Tomorrow we'll see what Santa brought us ;)

For now, we'll go dream of sugar plums and dancing fairies..... or whatever that poem said goes on while you're asleep through Santa's visit (:

xo | cmd

Some Light On a Sick Day

I knew it. Sydni got me sick. It's rare that I ever fall ill, but when I do, it's usually because Sydni's passed along some new strain I've never had before. Go figure.

Today started off by me missing my alarm all together. I got to work at 8:30, as opposed to my usual arrival time nearly an hour earlier than that. I spent all morning and the first part of the afternoon in a cloud of bland haze, with my head pounding and my sinuses threatening to black everything out. My bosses finally beckoned me to call it a day, an hour and a half early, and I was in no shape to argue.

i barely recognized my own eyes today for how exhausted they looked...

homemade soup. win.

Within 15 minutes of being home, I was curled up with my favorite blanket in a heap on the couch, fast asleep. I woke up a few hours later and threw together some homemade chicken noodle soup [delicious, despite the irritating head-throbs from standing up at all]. Then it was back to sleep for another couple of hours. It's nearly 10pm and I just woke up. I still feel awful.

The good news today: I came across the video blog links for Sadie Robertson [Duck Dynasty] and her best friend, who have started a series of video devotionals. If you haven't seen Duck Dynasty, well, I won't get into explaining it aside from saying that it's hilarious and if you're anything like me with a dry sense of humor and affinity for downhome country things, you'll love it.

Oh, and if you're a Christian, or really even a parent of children you hope will model their lives after something with more substance and class than the recent meanderings of Miley Cyrus and other followed starlets, then I would certainly recommend you and your family look into Sadie's videos. I know I will be doing the same; I truly admire Sadie and her friend for the courage it takes to stand up for this, for the God we love, and for their beliefs in a world that will, without blinking, do everything it can to bash them and destroy what they're creating. Amen, girls. And thank you.

Thanks, girls. (:
We'll be following TheNewDifferent and its positive message! The world could use more encouragement like this, especially to our youth, who now face more trial and decision that even my generation did when we were teenagers.

*sigh. Now if I could only shake this sinus bug I've got, this would be a perfect evening. I'm on my way to my fail-proof method of the poor man's remedy [aka, sleep]. See ya'll in the morning...

xo | cmd

Opposites: National Donut Day & A Farm Outing

1. National Donut Day!

I'm being honest, and just a little sad, too, that I did not eat a donut today. The way I had it figured, someone out there would compensate for me. Haha. I borrowed an Instagram shot from my dear friend Ali M., and a capture of Willie & Phil from Duck Dynasty in honor of this minute yet sugar-filled holiday.

ig cred: @indiechick [miss ali m!]

donuts with duck dynasty?

Friday, other than being Nat'l Donut Day, didn't have much else to offer outside of that. Most of the things we'd had scheduled for the day didn't stick, which is as much a relief as it is a bad thing, since the numbers won't build if they don't happen. I took the opportunity to get caught up on the rest of the things I had scheduled for next week, so hopefully Monday will take flight without much hassle.

And then....
Farm time!
Mike & Becky took me out to Jen & Jordan's farm to pick up the trailer we'll use to officially move me tomorrow. It's been so long since I've been to a local farm; it was a breath of fresh air [literally, but also mentally] that I'd so badly needed. Everything I loved seeing on some of the farms back home was here, plus an adorable dog....

[I didn't take any pictures while we were there, but I went digging and found some that almost do justice to what I actually saw..]


gardens in full beauty... pretty much what i saw,
only j&j's was definitely better ;)

And their dog! Again, I didn't take either of these pictures, but it's the same type of pup, with the same gorgeous heterochromia iridum as this one. I wish I'd had my camera to capture his amazing features, but for what it's worth, this aussie shepherd again almost meets what I saw.  

aussie shep! | photog cred: karen moe photography

Ah. So adorable! On top of the multiple plots of blooming plants, a garden by the house itself and acres of plain old serenity if you ask me... there were goats, baby chickens and some sheep. We didn't have to travel to the end of the earth to find this escape either; I have to say I could've stayed all evening, just for the ambience.

... But we didn't. Haha. We hitched up the trailer to Mike's truck and headed back to Northside, where we ordered in from NYPD Pizza in Northside and finished the day just relaxing.

Tomorrow is the official moving day.
See ya there.

xo | cmd