Welcome, Clarissa!

We welcomed a brand new member to the Express team today!! Elisa is leaving at the end of this week to prepare for her launch off to grad school, and after several unfruitful weeks of searching, we found Clarissa, who is going to be taking her place. I'm super excited to see our next chapter with her! :D 

welcome aboard!!

I was also pretty excited about lunch.... not just the salmon & green beans, but the fact that I actually remembered to bring it to work. I mean, that's half the battle, right? Haha.. 

Elisa and I took a breather [our first of the day, really] around 3:30, and opted for ice cream... because we were both embracing our inner fat kids today and it sounded awesome. 

and it was awesome!

How'd we never know about this place before?! Not cool...

It's awesome. Cute, small, locally-owned and operated... and delicious. :) 

Time Warner Cable on the other hand, has some absolutely ground to make up, and will stay in the doghouse until the end of time. While I understand it's a luxury, and this will certainly sound like a first-world rant... we signed up for this because we are blessed with the means to support it, and because we enjoy watching it occasionally. So given those two things, the fact that we spend more time speaking with customer service about our lack of service than actually having service is irritating. 

We're almost on board with whoever else has ever though and/or done this... 

last straws.. 

And I suppose if that's the worst thing that's happened to me today, we're okay :). 

It's Monday, and it's sunny. This is gonna be a good week! 

xo | cmd

Office Workouts | Solo Floating

Well this one was inspired by the fact that it rained off and on for a large part of today.

tried this today.. loved it

So here's the thing about me: I'm not naturally a sedentary person. I just happen to have what can, on some days be clearly defined as a sedentary job. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my work, but it does have an undeniable habit of parking my tail in a chair more often than not.

And so, it rained a lot today. If I hadn't been working, I'm not entirely sure that I would have been outside, or really doing anything other than meddling around the house. That being said, I decided to put together a little in-office workout to serve a few different functions:

➊ Every little bit helps. LL = Leg Lifts, PU = Push Ups, and SQ = Squats. Increments don't mean much alone, but if you add them together, it's not an ugly number by the time Friday's finished.
➋ Supplement! I have my regular routine outside of work, but if I'm being honest, there isn't such a thing as too much exercise, as long as you're healthy about it.
➌ Guilt trips! There will always be exceptions to this, but honestly if I've just spent tiny increments of time here and there doing 120 squats, 90 push ups and 60 leg lifts, there's no way I'm gonna go out and purge on something gross that I shouldn't be eating anyway. Like I said, that won't be the case every single day, but I've done these reps a few times already today and I can definitely say it's helped steer me clear of the body-debilitating food. WOO!
➍ This gives me an often-WELCOME break from something frustrating or adversely menial work.
➎ I'm competitive. Seeing this on paper tells me I can't make time to do it all in one day. It also challenges me to prove that I can.. and will do this every day.

So uhhh yeah! Day 1 [excuse the beautifully flabby way my shirt's hanging? Whoa.].. Yes, this is how we do it here on our lunch breaks nowadays. We're gettin' it.. gettin' it.. hahaha.

5x each arm.. it isn't much but it's a start!

And in the spirit of physical activity... last but not least, the best part of my day:

^ I am one PROUD mama!

my proud little swimmer!

I took one of the big cameras to her practice tonight, so once I get those pictures loaded and tweaked, I'll get some of those posted, too (:

For now.. goooood night ;)

xo | cmd

& I Did NOTHING Today

and it was amazing.

Okay, I might be lying a little. I didn't compleeeetely waste the day; I got some cleaning done and started scouting for a pub-style kitchen table. I didn't have much success in that regard today, but I've got some ideas.

In the interest of continuing the transformation of my little home, I made a trip to Marshall's and picked up two storage bins for a decorative yet functional project I've been doing at the house.

my mission for the day.... haha

I succeeded in getting everything done that I'd planned for the day, what little there really was, at my own leisure. It was fantastic. I had so much extra time at my disposal that I got myself wrapped up into laughing over some first world problems with practical solutions that a friend shared via the fabuloso world-a wide-a webbbbb....

What do you think about those? I don't know that I'd go so far as to line my toilet seat with tube socks, but hey, to each his own.. haha. I do think some of the other ideas are pretty practical, and might even try them one of these days. [Sure... reality says I'll probably add that to a wish-list of actions along withy my bajillion Pinterest ideas, but whatev...]

Anywho, I'm not doin' a single thing tonight and uhhh, that's the way, UH HUH, UH HUH... I liiiike it!

Who says these weekends always have to be chaotic?? ;)

xo | cmd

Here We Go, AGAIN....

DagGONNIT!! This has got to stop.


boooo :(. i don't like that empty chair....



My counter-coworker and co-staffing consultant, Nancy, tendered her 2-week resignation today. I knew it was coming and was completely prepared for it last week even, but that's not the point. The point is, there were, at one point, FIVE of us: Meagan, Christine, Nancy, Courtney and myself. Meagan moved to Missouri [which, by the way, kudos for transferring to that Express office :)..]. Courtney, well.. that's another story for another day.. about which I will only say that it was unfairly handled and executed. Christine left exactly one week ago today, and two weeks from now I will bid adieu to Nancy. She, aside from the owners, is the only one here who's been hanging around here longer than me, by about 2ish months. I am literally the last man standing.

I am not a happy camper as work is concerned. I would call this a valley, for sure. A week ago today, Christine parted ways with us; consequently, Nancy and I ended up going rounds with upper management for a large portion of the day until we all fizzled into what I could only describe as still-disagreement, just sans dissension. What a place to be, eh. Haha. In the defense of the office though, it seems to have been on a mild upswing, but with Nancy now heading off to pursue another avenue, I can only brace myself and say my little prayers that we will all sustain, maintain, and, in some cases, restrain... for the next couple of weeks. :) I know, I know - first world problems of an employed person... I'll stop. I really do count it a blessing to have a job in a nation littered with job-hunters, so make no mistake that I am grateful for that. It's just taxing sometimes. Not impossible, just taxing :).

Aaaaaaaaanyway,
My mood [and my entire day, really] was lightened substantially when I received an unexpected invite to the Gobles' for dinner. I don't really think Jackie had expected it either, which made it that much more fun. I gathered up Sydni and stopped at the house to change and we were off to the Gobles for the evening. In that little whispering way - well, in this case, not so much of a whisper, more of a bold proclamation dressed up as pulled chicken and salad ;) - I was reminded of the simple daily graces I am so often afforded but unfortunately don't always appreciate like I should. My pastor had joked on Sunday that God probably has a good laugh many times at the way we overreact to frivelous speedbumps in our lives before sending us a post-it reminder that He is still in control and that all.... is... OKAY.

So thank you, Lord, for THIS day, for yesterday, and for the ones to come. Thank you for the trials - large and small, and thank you for the courage and endurance to see them through. :)

The week is still young; I'm bent on making the most of it! With a visit to Miss Debbie tomorrow for some bead working [yiieeee!!], a slumber party with Mo on Thursday, and Koinonia on Friday? I thiiiiiink that's a pretty good lineup so far ;)

xo | cmd

First World Problem #2: Flimsy Hair Pins

Okay, so this is admittedly a big, fat, genuine First World problem if I've ever had one, but I figured I'd share it anyway. Here goes.

[Unrelated, today really was a great day. My husband joined us for church for the first time in weeks! He's back in town and back with us in the pew. We even had a special little lunch date with the Sleemans and Sandvens afterwards. Good day? GOOD DAY! xo.]

K, so back to it:

I have thick hair. I'm not the only person on this planet with this challenge, but either way: I do, and sometimes it's a drag managing the mop on my head. It was by chance early last year that I came in contact with the hairpin that has now revolutionized the styling process of what is often a belligerently tangled mess. As part of the 'bridal party' for Kalyn's mom before her wedding last May, we all gathered at the Regency Salon in Eastgate and had the students exact their up-do skills on our hair. Mine was completed with the help of three different students and a battery of little black hair pins. Not bobby pins; hair pins. Excuse my frankness, but I'd never really put much thought into delineating between the two.



i didnt' realize they'd send me a 1 pound box, but okay. i'm supplied.

Since those gals loaded my hair down with over 45 hair pins [yeah, for one up-do], I had a pretty solid supply up until just a few weeks back when I realized I was running low. The mystical labyrinth to which those suckers wandered, filled with important store receipts, dental retainers and mismatched socks, must be a booming metropolis, for all the stuff I've contributed to it alone. Good grief. Anyway, I was running low, so I didn't think much of it when I ventured out to a local corporate retailer and snagged up some seemingly-okay hair pins. On not one, but two separate occasions over the past 2 weeks, I've been severely disappointed at the flimsy, pithy nature of my new purchases. Enough was enough, so I finally put a call in to Regency, way back in Ohio, and asked them where they got theirs. I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place; it would've saved me a boatload of time and approximately $9.00. Haha.

Anyway, these little guys arrived a day or two back, and I. Love. Them.

Just thought I'd share that pointless tale of all things ponytail, if for no other reason than to deviate from the regularly scheduled ramblings of my day.

Oh, yeah, and as a PSA for our 2012 Towerview Relay for Life: If you didn't get your $$ in to Gordon or Diana today for the Cards tickets, you'd better call someone; today was the last day! :) [My phone is literally ringing; is it you??]

... It wasn't you. :)
See you tomorrow!

xo | cmd

First World Problems

A few weekends ago, I went to the Towerview retreat with a group of people at the MEBA building over in Fairview Heights. Our pastor’s son Scott had come in to act as lead speaker for the event, and during part of it, used the concept of First World Problems as an example of our common issues with perspective. As I sat with a freshly popped bag of popcorn at my desk, I found that an unusual amount of the kernels hadn’t been transformed. A sense of [very] mild disappointment/frustration started to creep up on me, but immediately I thought back to our discussion on first world problems. My half-empty bag of popped corn became a half-empty bag more than half the world would ever see. I thought I’d take the opportunity to share just a few Third World Problems I ran across between the retreat and now. WARNING: Depending on your individual level of sensitivity to the less-fortunate, and far less-fortunate, some of these might infuriate you. There were some that I wouldn’t even re-post.
Like I said, just a few:

- I took two showers today, but my towel hadn’t dried fully in time for the second shower.
- I’m currently staying with my grandfather, who refuses to buy pre-sliced bread. I now have to slice it myself like some sort of farmer.

- The diamond on my ring scratched the screen on my iPhone.
- We’re all out of liquid soap so I was forced to use an actual bar of soap. I didn’t know they still made those.
- The guy at the register at the store told me they don’t take credit cards. Now I have to withdraw cash. What is this, 1990?
- I broke my smartphone, so now I have to use printed directions like some sort of medieval barbarian.
- The drive-thru people put tomato and onion on my burger after I specifically asked them not to. I might as well forget eating this thing now.
- All of my socks have lost their elasticity.
- My friend invited me to a party on Facebook, but the guest list is hidden.
- The automatic doors at the grocery store don’t open fast enough.
- I needed a pack of gum, but I didn’t have anything smaller than a $20 to pay for it. Now I have a bunch of extra bills and coins that are just taking up space in my wallet.
- My blu-ray player and my dvd player won’t both hook up to my T.V. at the same time. Now I have to change the cables every time. Didn’t they plan for this??
- The motion-sensor lights in the grocery store freezer aisle are broken. I had to open each door like some sort of 17^th century explorer.

And, last but not least, the first world problem that was shared by all the women at the retreat itself:

“The toilet paper dispenser in the big stall doesn’t rotate fully, so I had to turn it myself to avoid the paper from tearing.”

Kinda makes you feel ridiculous, yeah? I know I certainly did this morning, glooming over my pile of unpopped popcorn. Sure, some of those are a little funny to think about, but some of them [and ones I read but aren’t mentioned here] really make me want to slap sense into some people….

Anywho – these kinds of things always give me some fresh perspective. You can never have too much of that. J

Enjoy the Thursday!

xo | cmd