May .. Day... 1!

Ahhhh.. good morning LOZ! 

It's a bummer that we had to leave this beautiful place behind today, but I'm pretty sure we'll be back, so it's not a forever farewell. Plus, next time I'm sure we'll have some aquatic horsepower in tow, and a couple coolers to go along with it, so.. that'll work. 

see you next time, loz ♥

The ride home was a mixture of fitfully uncomfortable car napping, shoeless feet, a Fifth Harmony song playing at least 15 times [work work work work work.. you ain't gotta work work work work work...] and finally the arrival back at Dillon's. We literally spared enough time for a bathroom break and some quick farewells, and then Rob and I were back on the road for the 5-hour trip back to Cinci.

3 hours home. 

Back at the homestead, there was a 45-minute gap between our arrival and my parents, along with Sydni. I couldn't imagine a better homecoming after a long weekend, and as we spent the evening together catching up on our respective weekends away, it dawned on me yet again that we have blessings in this world that money will never buy. 

From our family to yours, and from this pit-iful [har har!] behind, good night and cheers to another week of productivity! 

Ahhh... to be home ♥!

xo | cmd 

♥ Mr. & Mrs. Pilic! ♥

There are a lot of pictures from today... so I won't waste time:

BREAKFAST:

we were hungry. 

^^ We had mixed reviews from the group on the quality of this breakfast, and although we all agreed that the service wasn't much to brag about, I'm happy to say I was in the camp that didn't find my food totally detestable.

After breakfast, the gang decided it would be fun to head off to the kart tracks. I was on the fence about the whole idea until I walked into the bathroom and was confronted with this:

"screw you, short people!" - this mirror 

That solidified my decision to accompany Esther to the other end of the plaza, and go to a nail salon. I haven't been in a nail salon in probably 10 years, and according to the nail tech, that's FAR TOO LONG AND [MY] CUTICLES ARE PROOF OF THAT! How dare I. How. Dare. I.

It took me 15 minutes just to tell the guy I didn't want my nails podged onto my hand [acrylics], but that I really just wanted them painted. We compromised, and he did this gel french tip manicure, which is better I suppose than having fingernails 5 inches thick with gunk. I like my natural nails, so I'm okay with this. I think. At least there was a double sunroof in the car to distract me from whatever self-doubting concerns I may have had about my nails, which was a superfluous concern to have in the first place, but whatever. I'm not the type to go to a nail salon, so do I at least get points for doing a girly thing?!

umm.. 

We finally headed back to the cabins to help the boys get dressed for pre-wedding pictures; it was cute seeing them all dressed to impress, for one of their best friend's weddings. Seriously, they looked good!

friends help friends with bowties.. 

mike. rob. dillon

work it, boys.

the groom & all the groomsmen!
rob. dillon. kenny. mike. chad 

They wouldn't be our guys if this didn't happen:

that's better.. almost didn't recognize ya'll.. haha 

off they went! 

Esther and I were back on the pool deck watching the boats cruise by when the boys headed off for pictures, and couldn't help but laugh when we turned back around 15 minutes later to find them huddled together on the back porch of the cabin: 

hideout? 

Soon enough, it was time to head over. The ceremony was on the bluffs, and there couldn't have been a better day for it! 

so pretty! 

Esther and I finally got ready, and I don't think we did too bad, either!

pretty esther! 

We took our seats and watched with the crowd as the ceremony unfolded:

the preacher, the groom & his men! 

here comes the gorgeous bride! 

It was a beautiful ceremony, complete with some funny moments, serious vows & lots of love all around. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Pilic!!!! ♥♥

mr. & mrs. pilcic ♥

AND THEN COMES THE PARTY!

my handsome date! 

this hilarious moment when matt was voted in as an employee...
red or white, sir? 

this unnervingly close-to-the-edge-of-a-200-ft-cliff picture of matt... :/ 

dillon on the bluff.. that looks like a riverbank. 

these two dapper
pinterest models
bluegrass bandmates
groomsmen.

my bra strap making an appearance... jerk.. haha

future facebook cover photo for dillon.. 

with the stunning bride!! 

matt thought this was a stranger's phone.. but that's okay. 

we both look a little creepy here.. haha 

rob & ryan

congratulations, mrs. pilcic!

In the midst of the evening fun, I admittedly didn't get a ton of pictures, but I'm sure they'll surface over the next few weeks, especially when the official wedding pictures come back.

I feel quite blessed to have been included on such a beautiful day with such an awesome group of people!

Congratulations a thousand times over to the new couple.. cheers to a lifetime of love, laughter & learning.. together! ♥

Did I mention I love weddings?
#wearenext ;)

Cheers!!

xo | cmd 

The Pre-Pilcic-Wedding Party: LOZ

We're HERE!

welcome :) 

It's a mere 3 hour drive from Granite to Loz, which flew by in the company of the three amigos I accompanied for the trip [Rob+Matt+Dillon]. We arrived at the winery, checked into our rooms and settled in for the afternoon until Mike & Esther arrived.

shawnee bluff!

The guys went off to do the rehearsal, Esther and I hung back to do the wine tasting, which took us eventually out to the deck by the pool, with a setting sun and 2 glasses of Centorri for the early part of the evening.

the pool & the view out over the lake

centorri.. x2

The rehearsal wrapped up, and we headed then to the Redhead Yacht Club for the rehearsal dinner. This place has been added to our bucket list of places to revisit when the season is in full swing. NOTED! 

swim up bar & pool area! 

We hung out, watched the Blues game and of course did what we all do best: 

nom nom nom 

^ Gracefully shoved our faces, that is. jk jk. Do you see the four of us, and Matt there in the corner? That food stood no chance ;). 

TOMORROW is the big day! I can't wait to see Taryn's dress and to be a part of this day with them. I love weddings! 

Gooood night, from LOZ! 

xo | cmd 

Hometurf Touristin'

Today was our day in Granite, before we head out for LoZ tomorrow. We spent it doing truly touristy things, which made me happy :)

First stop: Breakfast!

d'awwwww ♥

^ Let's talk about how Dillon is actually a really good photographer? I don't know why that surprises me, but I really, really like this one - thanks Dillon!

Breakfast at Weezy's: good, simple, inexpensive food.. and cool stuff on the walls:

pretty cool! 

After breakfast, we found ourselves back at Dillon's; I left the boys to their own devices for a couple hours and set off in search of a dress for the wedding. I mean, I brought one, but let's not pretend I'm the first or only one who's ever done that and then decided to go out and find a different one, if for no other reason than out of sheer curiosity of what inventory the local stores have.

Fact: It's the SAME inventory, because they're the same stores that we have in Cincinnati. But just maaaaybe, it'll be something different!? 

Anywho, I found not one, not two, but FOUR dresses, all of which will be donned at sometime in the next year, I'm sure. I finished up my shopping excursion and made my way north to Alton, where the boys were already a couple hours into the afternoon at Fast Eddie's.

colorful chairs! :) 

Matt, Chad & Karrie eventually met us there, and we continued on to Chubby's down the street..

friends! 

 And then it was the Pub House..

charging my phone from the ceiling? sure. 

The night continued on into the late hours when we finally arrived at our last stop; Kenny & Taryn joined us there, along with Mike & Esther and a collection of other friends. It wasn't a bad way to end the night; this time tomorrow, we'll be in Lake of the Ozarks, and in 2 days, Kenny & Taryn will be a Mr. & Mrs.!

It's gonna be a good weekend, I just know it :)

Cheers!

xo | cmd

And Home Again

It's been a loaded weekend, to say the least. We're home now, but not without a day full of activity under the belt.

We started off with breakfast at Rob's dad's house; yesterday's visit there brought us back together for the morning there with them, this time complete with a visit from Rob's younger niece Ella, who is Sydni's age. We were greeted first by the little furry reminder of joy in the face of an otherwise tense situation: Ginger!

good morning, beautiful girl! 

hi, ella! ♥

We ate breakfast and spent the morning in the company of family, which was exactly what everyone in the house needed.

kate with the pups & ginger 

We soon said our goodbyes [for now; we'll be back asap!] and headed back to Dillon's to scoop up our dogs and be on our way.

Oh, I can't forget to mention the other pitstop before we hit the highway:

ohhhhhh brother.. 

Remember this girl? Yes, she's still in operable condition and has spent the last couple of weeks shacked up in Matt's shed. We made a detour through Collinsville on our way out to say our thanks to him and load her up. The guys took to that task, while I hung back and marveled over Apollo, Matt's dane:

apollo! 

The process went a lot smoother than I'd expected, and within a matter of minutes, the bike was hauled up, strapped in and ready to go!

ready to go!

Despite the roller-coaster of emotions, we seemed to stay in decent spirits for the ride home. We know the next couple of months are going to be a bit strenuous, regardless of how the course of events fall, but we know we're stronger together and when you add God to the mix, joy in the midst of it all is an undeniable fact.

road trippin' it! ♥

We're home now, exhausted and ready to call it a night.
Happy week, loves.

xo | cmd 

In The Midst of It All

I took a walk this morning. The first thing I thought when I woke up was that I needed, desperately, to get outside, touch my feet to the earth and reconnect myself to it, to the circle and to the Creator. I stopped and sat for a minute, just outside the cabin, and prayed. There isn't enough gratitude in my body to fully express the way I feel today. 

Rob slept through the night just fine, with minimal pain. He went to bed with arms and legs fully in tact and functioning. He has no back injuries. Aside from the visible damage on his face, his head is fine. He is damaged, but he will be okay. Most importantly, he is still himself, but now with a heightened sense of awareness to his own vulnerability. 

But he is still here. He is alive, by the grace of a God that I will never fully understand, but praise and thank daily for the blessings - both big and small - that somehow find me, despite my (our) undeserving state. 

I called off work today. Our first task as a group was recovery of all the bikes; we visited two separate places to get Rob's, then Dillon's. 

there she goes... 

TO THE OFFICER WHO TOLD ME YESTERDAY, AT AROUND 2AM ON THE PHONE THAT ROB AND HIS BIKE WERE ESSENTIALLY TOTALED, YOU OUGHT TO BE CAREFULLY RECONSIDERING YOUR OATH TO HONESTY. You do NOT tell someone's family member a course of events that did not happen, your certainty in the matter stamped only by the status of your badge. We were told that Rob's bike was a complete lost cause, and that upon impact, he had flipped off the bike and into the unknown at that point. 

Does this look like the aftermath of a bike abandoned by flight?! 

bikes going to illinois

 No, it doesn't. 

No.... it... doesn't. Urgghhhh

The guys managed to get her up and onto the trailer, with the help of the backyardigans's flatbed. Sidenote: Here in TN, it's very lucrative to own and operate a tow business out of your house. These guys are pros at it, and if I should ever find myself living in this region, you can go ahead and know now what business I'll be pursuing.

We headed back to the cabin to do the final pack-up of our things and get all 3 bikes situated on the truck and trailer, before saying our farewell-for-now's. Dillon, Matt, Courtney & Cadence took off back to Illinois, while Rob and I made our way back here to Knoxville. We stopped at Panera for lunch, and started formulating a plan on what to do for the next couple of days. As it turns out, we'll be stuck here, since on such short notice, we aren't able to get in to any Cincinnati facilities for the surgery he'll need on Wednesday. Womp womp.

Rob found a hotel on Expedia, and long story short, we're here now, checked in and planted here for the next two nights.

The consultation appointment is tomorrow. I'll put this prayer out in the blog world for tonight: for confidence, easy nerves and painless completion of the whole ordeal.

See you in the morning!

xo | cmd