Sunshine, BBQ & Boats [Well, Kinda ;)]

Perks of our centrally-located office [sometimes]:

yay, local swag & discounts! 

^ Rob will appreciate that :) :).

The downside of working in an office is that, when the weather is beautiful and beckoning, we're limited in the amount of time we can allocate in the sunshine.

i. need. [some.] sunshine! 

Elisa and I took full advantage today of the clear skies and traced a very familiar route through the outskirts of downtown to Findlay, where we of course had our free reign of lunch options.

.... I finally settled..

eli's bbq. bare feet. happy heart. 

We ran into Duy, as we often do since he works across the street, and managed a mini convo/catch-up before it was time for us to return to the Express homestead.

The day wrapped up in its usual fashion, and I made my way excitedly home to get Sydni and continue on to the house. Rob had promised Syd she could help, and made sure to follow through on that promise:

this girl 

Happy Tuesday, ya'll :) I hope the sunshine's been good to you today! 

xo | cmd

Findlay Yoga?!

It's not uncommon for Elisa and I to make Findlay Market our lunch destination, but today as we sat outside in the sun and enjoyed the day, we noticed a newly-painted window on the corner building adjacent to the front patio:

All I have to say is TELL ME WHEN, AND I'M THERE. 
I sent the picture to Becky for confirmation on this, and I'll be sure to share when I find out. :)

Ohhhhh... and guess what Rob and I did after work today?
We started wedding planning.... oooohhhhh...

#truth

Stay tuned for more on this; fortunately we've got plenty of time to nail our plans down. I know the time will fly by in that time, but I'm bent on walking into and out of that wedding with no debt or reason to freak out about the orchestration and execution.

Until then, have a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow, dear blogbots!

xo | cmd

The Overzealous Me...

So on March 5, long before I took off for a week to the mountains of Panama, I scheduled the monthly career fair for April. Good job, Cori.

It's amazing that even when I know I'm a ragged mess, I can push on when I have to. I don't know why I'm so baffled by my own ability to do that, but I really wasn't sure walking into that conference room today if I had it in me.

Good news, I did.. and Elisa was a sure and steady supporter through it. We celebrated a slow but semi-successful event [thanks to the rain] with lunch at Findlay. The pops of color there certainly appealed to the otherwise mopey feeling that's been lingering in my gut since I got back to planet USA, and I was quite thankful for the cheerful atmosphere.

colors on an otherwise drab day... ♥ - thank you, findlay!
findlay market | cincinnati, oh 

The day closed, and I headed off in search of something I've been hunting down in my head for the past 24 hours: A bilingual Bible. [I FOUND IT!] As I stood at Family Christian awaiting the completion of my Bible engraving, my sister was kind enough to send my phone into a seizure ;) -

... my sister vs. my facebook photo album... haha.. 

I've made it quite clear to her that she must find a way to come along on the next journey out of the country, specifically with me... which will hopefully be with the Vega team back in the mountains of Panama. Can you tell my heart is still aching to be there?!

Dinner.
More rain. 

I'm already over this week :p 

xo | cmd

Snowback Thursday

Ok, Ohio.. We get it.

it's.... march. 

This would've been way more fun if it were a weekend. Or, if we as adults had snow days like all the kids do [ahem, Sydniiiiiiiii...]. Instead, I fired up the Subie and joined what small crowd of commuters there was between home and work. It was a slow crawl, but I made it to the office with just enough time to gather up our gear for the job fair Elisa and I were set to attend.

perfect weather for a trek through the work day... haha

We arrived at the job fair without a hitch, despite the flurries!

there's no business like snow business.... 

It was understandably slower than usual, given the inclement weather conditions. Elisa's reaction to the entire experience was equally-understandable.

i feel ya. 

To warm ourselves up after a chilly morning at OHMJ, we took a short drive a few blocks down to Findlay. where the newest installment of Eli's BBQ was up and running. SCORE.

eli's bbq! 

Back at home, it was the standard drill of activity, especially during the cold days... ;)

the pups (: 

just.. typical night.. 

hers & mini hers ;) 

Another good one in the books. G'Nite for now!

xo | cmd

Headaches & Creampuffs

1. I'm getting old. Okay, maybe it's not so much that as it is the fact that I am not nearly conditioned as I ought to [still] be. My work as a Clydesdale yesterday, hauling Sydni back up the sledding hill on her sled about ten times caught up with me first thing this morning, in the form of a muscle migraine that wouldn't relent until about 8:30 tonight. [Awesome. :/ ]

notes to self.

So there's that. I spent the day curled up in a sedentary ball on the couch, absorbing a few hours of cartoons as Sydni patiently [bless this child, seriously] passed the time her mama was out of commission by coloring some gorgeous pictures as a healing offering. I have the sweetest girl, ever. At one point, she disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of Smart Water:

"I brought this for you Mommy, because sometimes when I have a headache, I just need water and then I feel all better.. so this can help you feel all better." 

Really? What I have done to deserve this girl's love?  I almost cried. I hugged her and told her that I promised to make up this lost weekend time as soon as my head would allow; she didn't seem phased at all, but rather tucked the blanket around me and told me she would color a pretty picture for me to feel better. I'm proud. Humbled. Amazed. Thankful. ♥♥♥

I am also thankful for my fiancé, who dealt with my lame existence today, and even took it upon himself to tend to the dishes, laundry, light house cleaning, dogs and Sydni while I was busy in my disoriented state of self-pity. He deserves accolades far more often than I openly acknowledge; he is my hero in more ways than one. [Thank you, Rob ♥]

I was awake but still belittled with a migraine when Becky made a last-minute appearance; she came bearing cream puffs from one of the newest potential Findlay vendors:

you serious, right now? 

Dangit, Becky! These things were delicious!
^^ Sometimes I want to loathe her for the things she subjects me to eating. Haha. She made up for the introduction of these decadent things by entertaining mini for part of the time she was there. As soon as she came through the door, she was greeted with, "MISS BECKYYYYY!!!!"

syd loves this lady! 

Miss Becky's a favorite character in this house, that's for sure :)
We made a trade: two creampuffs in exchange for the extra crockpot we had stowed away in a cabinet. Fair enough, right? Haha.. Becky left for the evening and it was time for us all to retire the weekend.

hello? 

^^ Jesse being here for the weekend warranted Sydni's bed fort being taken down so he could use the room without clothes-lining himself in the middle of the night. This was not a Sydni-approved move, so tonight, it was a mosh pit of stuffed animals that did the trick of warding off all the scary shadows and whatnot. My little bug sure does have an imagination [which will greatly benefit her later in life]; we're still working on debunking the kid-myths of bed monsters goblins ;).

#worksinprogress.

Good night, from us to you!

xo | cmd

What Year Is It?!

I had a very mixed response to a lot of what I saw today.. haha.

First things first, we are all aware of the recently-plummeted gas prices. I've seen post after post of my friends fueling up for pennies in comparison to what was nearly $4 per gallon just a month back. Per gallon prices of under $1 have been spotted in several places, and while I didn't manage that, I can't say I'll complain at all about the $1.57 I paid today. I'm in college all over again!

is it 2003? i'll take it! 

On to the rest of the day: Our business' subject matter is considerably slow at this point in the year; most of our key decision-makers are nowhere to be found within 2 days of the new year, which left us with a bit more flexibility with our lunch hour than is typically afforded. We took advantage of it as a unit; Carri, Elisa and I made our way down to Findlay Market, a short trip during which we learned Carri's never actually ever been [until today!] to Findlay.

We gladly cured that ;).
And while we were there eating, we spotted a rather spectacular doppelganger!

and now, it's 1950?
i'm wholly convinced mr. einstein was in the building.

I'm telling you, I don't believe I've ever seen such an uncanny resemblance..

amiright?!

So we ate lunch and chatted some with Becky; Carri got her first full experience of the awesomeness that is Findlay Market, and we headed back to the office to wrap everything up. Today was the last day that we'd all convene this year [wild thought!], so with an extra pep in our steps, we tied up the loose ends and bid our office adieu until 2015.

At home, Rob and I headed out to pick up some last minute things for our trip to Illinois, made a pitstop at Jungle Jim's and eventually landed at Fuji for dinner.

chicken katsu, sushi & rice
fuji steakhouse | cincinnati, oh

^ Dinner brought me full circle back to the present, here in 2014, which we'll leave behind in Cincinnati and return "next year." Tomorrow's going to be a jam-packed day, so for now it's off to get a head start on the sleep I won't be getting tomorrow night, haha :)

G'Nite!

xo | cmd

Vote | Hire | Eat | Be Merry!

Haaaaaaaappy Tuesday!

How'd you start your day?

vote, vote, vote! 

I did see someone post a note of caution to the uninformed voter, saying that the greatest service he/she could provide was to stay as far away from the polls as possible. I can't say I disagree; I think by now our nation should be fairly aware of what happens when ignorance shows up in hoards to cast a ballot. I did my best to exercise my due diligence today, but must admit that I had absolutely no business siding in/on certain matters, so for those I refrained. I felt a twinge of guilt that I wasn't more educated, since these issues clearly held enough weight to show up on the list, but that didn't excuse me enough to be a voice in a matter foreign to me.

For those of you who made informed votes that reflect your personal and religious beliefs today, THANK YOU!

On to work it was; today was a good day for a hiring event, which is exactly what Elisa and I scuttled out the door en route to SuperJobs.

fall hiring event 2014!

I love these things!

elisa & me..
... and of course our creepy corner-face-sign-guy... 

The job fair was a blast, as they always are, and, as tradition dictates for these things, was followed by a quick bite at Findlay Market just around the corner.

taste of belgium at findlay market. that's a win! 

I've been skeptical of the weather as we progress into the Autumn season; it's either tolerable or flat-out gloomy, which presents quite the Midwest-standard for dressing in the morning [hint: layers]. We were happy to be able to peel off our coats for this one, and enjoyed lunch on the sunny patio in front of Market. On our way out, we each grabbed a different vendor snack for back at the office, and caught a glimpse of some uplifting artwork on the way out:

♥this is otr! 

And yes, it's nearly 11pm and I'm just now finishing up the at-home work to which I committed in lieu of being gone for the majority of the morning. I had the privilege of helping Sydni with her homework earlier, and catching up with my better half on some upcoming transitions in his and my professional lives - I've got it made and I am thankful, tenfold for the day I've enjoyed.

Happy Tuesday!

xo | cmd

Kolokithopi.....ta?

It was a pretty gloomy looking day around these parts, but that didn't stop us from maximizing the time we had during the day. I took Elisa out to drop in on a few of the regular clients we have, which ended in a semi-unscripted lunch drop-in at Findlay Market [because DUH..].

Becky found us while we were eating; we got a chance to catch up with her as we finished our lunches. We set out on a path back through the indoor market and were stopped short at the Greek pastry vendor, because... well... pastry. Greek pastry. That's why.

With being Fall season, we jokingly must ask:

^^ "Does this make one technically a 'Basic Greek Girl'?" 

Heheh. [If you missed that allusion there, just Google "Basic White Girl Fall," or whichever variation of that suits your search criteria. Also, it's a joke... don't take it seriously.]

Anyway, there was also this charming little baklava:

yummmm

All is well whenever there's a trip to Findlay involved!

Work concluded as it does every day, and I headed home to find two shipped boxes sitting on the front porch. They were addressed to Rob, so I brought them in and left them alone until his arrival. What I didn't realize was that they were actually early birthday presents to me!

surprise! 

^ Ok no, Sydni didn't get shipped in a box, buuuuut the stuff that did will be put to use as soon as possible!

It's almost the weeeeekend (:

xo | cmd

Bring On the DOJO!

Elisa and I hosted a hiring event downtown today, and that always means a trip to Findlay Market immediately after.

Today was one of those days that I.. just.. needed.. gelato. 

yes, please.

Folks, if you're in or around downtown Cincinnati and happen to find yourself with a gelato craving, that's your spot.

Go now.
:)

Happy almost midweek!

xo | cmd

Succulents, Take 2 | Bluegrass Bandstand

Today was a good day!

Elisa and I started it off with a lunch hour trip to Findlay Market. We've decided this will be a standard practice now, at least once monthly, if we can swing it. We rarely get out of the office for a full hour, so we figured if we were gonna do it, we would do it.

Okay, so again our staged rebellion was actually driven moreso by my story about how Rob & I fed our venus fly trap a bug last night; she decided she wanted one for the office, and I thought it'd be fun to have one back here at my desk, too.


pretty lil babies!!

I couldn't decide between two of those little beauties, so I just bought both, thinking I'd keep one for the office and give one to Rob as a present since he was thoroughly entertained by mine yesterday.

Elisa got a couple succulents and a venus; we're obsessed. Hah.

elisa's succulents

tiny traps in their car seat ;)

We of course ate some food while we were there, before hopping back in the car right before the rain started pelting down again. We got lucky. Back at the office, Elisa managed to find an unfortunate bug clinging to a wall, and did what Rob and I did yesterday - fed them to her plant. Haha. It's going to be the office version of The Hunger Games for the little bugs that keep buzzing around our desks.

After work, it was home for a quick change, then right back out the door down to Washington Park for the Bluegrass Bandstand. Kalyn was working with the Mt. Carmel Brewery team, and it wasn't long before we had the whole group there.

bluegrass bandstand

brought this guy (:

love him!

Of course Eli's BBQ made an appearance, but StreetPops showed up and brought a little cool-down to the party, too.  

what before picture?

We brought our smiles... 

kalyn. kelsey. cori. brittany.

And this other super tall guy brought his super tall guy-ness..

thumbs up from kelsey

All in all not a bad night! Friends, bluegrass, BBQ and brew - No complaints here!  

 

G'Nite!

 

xo | cmd

Family at Findlay

Nana & Pappy came with us to church this morning; it was their first time coming to our church with us, and needless to say, they loved it. My mom spent time before and after the service sketching out some of the decor to take back as inspiration for their church at home; Dad took similiar notes on the message, the scripture quotes lining the walls in the foyer, and the welcome center, complete with coffee bar.

Also, I wanted to share today's message with everyone, because it hit home for me in a couple of ways. It's the second message in a series on which we're working. We missed last Sunday while we were out of town, so it was awesome to get back today, and even better to hear this message. I've had to ask for forgiveness more times than I'd like to admit, but I was strongly reminded today that how I react to an issued apology says just as much about me as it does about the person on the other end.

If you have a few minutes, I definitely encourage you to settle in and check it out!

After church, we decided to do lunch and a tour of Findlay Market. In all the times my parents have visited, there's always been some reason or interruption that's deterred us from making a stop by Market. Today, we were determined to enjoy the rest of the gorgeous weather in one of central Cincinnati's best spots.

Not that there was any doubt, but my parents loved it. I took them by Zincinnati, because I really, really wanted a Venus Fly Trap. I have always been fascinated by these things, and today I adopted a little one to bring home. Rob found himself a little cactus and a baby succulent to add to our terrarium.

spiky!

 Our little box of potted happiness :)

succulent. cactus. fly trap

It was a pretty tough call deciding what to eat, but eventually we all decided on separate vendors, and cozied up in a corner stall to eat, chat and people-watch.

tasty!

Outside, we wandered around some more, Mom snagging ideas left and right of things she wanted to do in and around the house. I got 4 out of 5 of us for the group selfie, but given that poor lil Syd was in desperate need of a nap, I'll let this one slide :)

i love these people!

Next time, we're making Heidi and Jonathan come along for the trip. We missed you this weekend, seeeester.

It wasn't long before Mom & Dad had to hit the road home; we all took power naps, and soon she, Rob and I were back outside in the yard moving stuff around and cleaning up. Sydni insisted on a jaunt around on the 4-wheeler, so there was that.... really, we made the best of every bit of sunlight until it was gone.

my mini!

Oh, and guess what.. we're not doin' a thing more today, other than sitting around relaxing until whatever time we want (: We'd originally planned on camping, but after last night's bonfire, poor Syd looks like a connect-the-dot with her little bug bites all over her legs. We're a little spent, too, but it was well-worth it, and tomorrow's the other fishing trip I promised Sydni after her bait line broke yesterday :( [it's Pappy's fault, btw.. haha..]. Poor girl. We'll give it another whirl tomorrow.

For now, I hope you & yours are enjoying the beautiful weather. Let's not forget what tomorrow really means.

xo | cmd

Ali's [Actual] Birthday | Job Fairs & FOOOOOD!

Today is Ali's actual birthday.

So dear Ali,
Here's a giant picture of us:

love. her.

And also..

In all seriousness, you are a one-of-a-kind friend, and I frequently am reminded of how thankful I am to have you in my life and to be a part of yours. Who knew you and I would cross paths [thank you, work!] and become great friends? Thank you for being who you are, and for that person being such a genuine, Christ-loving, flat out awesome individual. You'd better have the best year yet!

 

LOVE YOU!

Since I couldn't make it to Illinois to celebrate Ali's birthday, I substituted it with an Express function, which really seems fitting anyway, since that's where we met. Haha.

express job fair!
... complete with creepy face sign... yes ;)

Elisa and I hosted a hiring event today, which meant free range of lunch options afterwards!
Findlay Market was the most obvious choice, so Findlay it was!

hello, findlay!

all of it. give. me. all of it.

yessss!!!

So. Much. DELICIOUS. I need to find a way to get to Findlay more than once every couple of weeks for lunch. It's just too good not to. Noms!!

After lunch, we headed back to the office, where somehow, I managed to complete 3 quick interviews before Lizzy and I turned on our heels and headed right back out for a meeting. Food seemed to be a very prominent theme for today; I walked out of our afternoon meeting holding a very decadent, tiny red velvet cupcake.

red velvet.

Back at the office, the day was nearly over by the time we were all back in one place. It was a nice shift in the routine to be out for most of the day, but I'm also ready to get back in and caught up on what I missed today.

At home, the food craze continued; Rob fired up the grill and I got the oven going. Together, we crafted a delicious dinner and sat around like 3 savages picking chicken off skewers and licking our fingers (: These are frankly my favorite kind of nights..

homemade potato chips?

love that man...

and loved dinner... ahh!

Thanks again, Pinterest, for nailing this one on the head. I put together a cannellini bean salad to pair with the chicken and potatoes; this was a perfect dinner, and I happily checked hungry family off my evening list.

Let's pray this weather stays this gorgeous for the week... yes? (:

xo | cmd