[SUPER] #TBT

This entire entry? Odes to Throwback Thursdays. Haha.

Here we go. I narrowed it down to the top 8 [like the original myspace, pahaha super throwback reference...].
I'll do my best to keep them chronologically listed.

1 | Hellooooo, baby Cori! This dusted-off jewel comes from the archives of Boulder, Colorado. What my mom didn't know, was that in just a few years, I wouldn't need those curlers. I would however, need pants. I don't think there was any confusion later on, but still. Hello, scared Cori with old lady curlers in her hair. You're.... a miniature granny. Thanks, mom ;)

1986 | meet 2-yr-old me.

2 | Fast forward a few years. This is vacation with Mom & Dad. This picture is awesome. Dad, along with his decade-appropriate short shorts, and me sporting what I am fairly certain to be a Paul Bunyon "Reading is Power" [or something] shirt from PSES. And we're on a boat. They started me early. :)

1994 | fourth grade me & dad

3 | I've gotta dedicate this one to Chelsea & Brandon, back in my hometown of Mt. Vernon. It's throwback Thursday, and I couldn't help but get this one posted. This is from our childhood in the sticks, aka MV, being kids and enjoying every bit of it. Love these two. Talk about neighborhood kids!

1998 | 8th grade me, probably 1st & 3rd grade brandon & chelsea?

4 | High School! I remember this pretty clearly, but I still think it's hilarious to look back and see how much we've changed. This was forum show, I think junior year. This was in the green room with the youngest of the Culbertson clan, Hilari [she's grown up now, and just as beautiful as her sisters!]. Yes, I had cornrows. Yes, I sang Killing Me Softly that night, and YES, I had cornrows. Hahah. Ohhhh... yeah... 

mvhs forum show 2000 | with hilari

5 | College. "Ohhhh, Ohhhhh.. OHHHHH... *clap clap clap,* U-C!" yeah. I went there. I loved it, and I'm glad I was able to have that experience. Among the many things I did there, one of the first things I found myself roped into was DPSA [Discover Philippines Student Association]. By the time I graduated, I was voted in as president for a year and a half, and had the opportunity as part of that group to travel across the midwest to a series of different colleges, conferences and shows. Naturally that meant delving into hip hop, cultural dance and more importantly tribal stuff. That's where Kawayanero came into play, and I have to include that I will always have a soft spot in my heart for being voted in as the first female kawayanero in what was previously an all-guy project. We brought on two more gals to complete the tribe and had a blast for a few years performing at whatever conference we were. The archives are limited for this one, but I found a half-decent shot of the clan at U of I in Urbana Champagne, this one from the FACT [Filipino Americans Coming Together] conference. Here ya go,  kaibigan! ;) 

kawayaneros 2003 | univ. of illinois @ urbana champagne | fact conference '03
back: loc, david, ronnie, brandon, alex | front: paris, cori, maika

6 | Post-College Cincinnati life. This was right after I finished up at UC. I'd supported myself with a retail job [senior assistant manager at Journey's... c'mon, shoe obsession!] through the tail end of college, and before the grueling tenure I had at Clearchannel, I nailed down a store manager position at PacSun. This is probably still one of my favorite random shoots. Whitney and I met each other here and have been friends ever since. Like I said, this is still one of my favorite moments with her at the store. This is what you get for leaving us to close together on a dead weekday night! 

2007 | pac sun
whitney, manny the mannequin & myself ;)

7 | Finding my adult life... haha. Kalyn and I quickly became best friends after meeting through... well, it doesn't really matter how we met. All that matters is that this girl is, to this day, one of my best friends, and I would move just about anything to be there for her the way she's been there for me. A few summers back [this one... is from..... 2010?], we jumped on the bikes for pretty much the entire summer and that's really all I remember from it. There was a lot of swimming involved, lots of river time, sand volleyball, soccer, cooking, and a lot of laughing. This was probably one of my favorite summers, with one of my favorite friends. Love this girl. 

2010 | river gear... with helmets. mehhhh.

8 | I figured I'd close this post by bringing it full circle with another baby pic... but not of me. This one's a throwback to early 2011, from my one.. and only... little love of my life. I can look at this picture a million times and still be in disbelief of how quickly the time has passed. She is getting so big now and it's still hard to believe she's almost FOUR. These baby pictures will never get old. I remember this one like it was this morning. These are the moments that make me realize how blessed I am to be a mama to such an incredible little girl. It may not be a perfect world that her and I are in, but she is perfect for me. ♥.

2011 | baby sydni | love of my life!!

So yeah, how's that for a story-esque TBT?
Haha. It's almost the weekend! I can't wait!

xo | cmd

Mount Vernon - Remembering Carl & Jena

Today was kind of a hard day to digest.

It's easier now, if you want to put a level of intensity on it all, but definitely not by much. A couple different reasons....

I grew up in a small town. It had every bit of a small town feel to it, especially when it came down to everyone knowing everyone else and nobody having any real sense of privacy. Haha. It wasn't all bad though. We had the chance to grow closer to a smaller group of people and be plugged into things that are oftentimes foreign to the big cities.

clockwise from top left:
martina. emily. courtney. greg. carl. hilari.

A small town can be a blessing and a curse, all wrapped up into one small per capita headcount. By the time I graduated high school, my peers and I had said premature and bitter goodbyes to a handful of our classmates. I know that happens [unfortunately] everywhere, but it doesn't dull the pain when it's your friend, your sibling, classmate.

As it relates specifically to today, I'll just say that 2009 was a rough year.

I'll start with Carl. He was the oldest of six kids in a family everyone in our town knows. The Culbertsons are a staple family back home, and what happened in February rocked all of Mt. Vernon. I graduated with Carl's sister Courtney, and while I didn't know Carl all that well, I knew that his loss would fuel something intense. Carl passed away in February 2009 from an accidental heroin overdose. My mom and sister both worked with their dad, Dave, and so through them and through frequent fb updates, I was able to follow the creation and explosive reach of the Arms of An Angel Foundation, the tribute to Carl's life and educational outreach program.

Today was Carl's birthday. From here back to Ohio, to the Culbertson family: My heart goes out to you as you celebrate his life and everything it meant to you & now means to others (:

*****

As it happens, today will always be a haunting one for the Fogle family back home. This one, for me personally, is severely hard to digest and accept. It's both been "already" and "only" three years all at once and I still fight back that overwhelming emotion every time I think about it.

tribute from 2009

I met Jena in 6th grade, and we made quick with the whole becoming close friends right away. I don't think I need to tell you all the stuff we went through together as friends as we battled the regular teenage angst that comes along with conquering adolescence. Everyone can identify with the fact the each of our friends has something unique that characterizes them; Jena's was her laugh. Her laugh was a stark contrast to her typically quiet demeanor, but good grief was it contagious.

oh, the days | mvhs 1999 | corin. allison. amy. jena

^^ Yeah, I know... I've had issues dressing like a real girl for a long time now.. haha. [Jena used to give me grief about it, too.. well.... at least I'm consistent?] (:

I can't say what the tipping straw was to push Jena to the final breaking point, but it grips me to this day. I talked to Jena on November 12, and had made plans to see her the following weekend. I remember very clearly getting the phone call the very next day that she had been found in her parents' basement after she'd taken her own life. I was at Kim's house when Hilary called and told me it was over. There was no arguing, no negotiating, no begging that could change it. That desperate, paralyzing feeling that hits you in the knees and brings you straight to the floor came over me and I went numb. It was nearly an hour before I could cry, but when I did, I didn't stop for nearly two days. Jena was five months pregnant with little Braylon; my heart still breaks for both of them.

We aren't meant to know the reasons behind why certain things happen. It's heartbreaking to thinking about it sometimes, but I do still find comfort in the absolute rallying power of a small town when things like this happen. I've seen them do it before this and since this, too. 

Jena was fuel for me to join the AFSP: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I began as a field advocate rep for the Greater Cincinnati Area, and still serve remotely in that capacity even from Illinois.  Check it out - it's worth a second, especially if you've been impacted....

Today is for the Culbertson & Fogle families. You have my thoughts, my prayers, and my honest hope that you found PEACE and GOOD memories in today and every day moving forward. 

Carl Culbertson 13Nov1981 - 15Feb2009
Jena Fogle 19Jun1984 - 13Nov2009

:: Gone, but NEVER forgotten. ::

xo | cmd