It's a New Week!

Yes, yes it was.

One of my favorite things is a collection of people who can suffer joyfully through something together. One of my not-so-favorite things is that the reason we're suffering is because midwest weather seems to be having a midlife crisis. As a result, I along with a bucket of my fellow Ohioans are feeling the glowing effects: sinus infections, colds, flu, bronchitis, strep and delightfully-disgusting things that are coughed up first thing in the morning.

Beautiful visual, eh?

What I do look forward to on Mondays, for now at least:

And no, I didn't mean jumping ship after the standard Monday [although fitting, yes!]; Mondays mean new episodes of Shadowhunters, and I think it goes without saying I'm a hooked fan. I'm still 110% surprised at how much I don't hate all the plot departures in the show (vs. the books). When we got hit with Lydia in season 1, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle these, but now that there's been a shift change with the writers, all the non-booky things seem to be weaving a course of their own that's still comprehensive, and dare I say it's kind nice? 

^ If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you really need to read the books. Honestly, I'd start with The Infernal Devices and work your way through those before The Mortal Instruments. It's all just... so good. So. Good.

SPEAAAAKING of TMI, this this THIS THIS THIS THISSSSS came today and I'm tripping over myself in excitement. I've been hunting this specific edition of Lady Midnight down since just before CHRISTMAS, when I spotted it on a couple of my favorite book instagrammers' feeds (bookstagrammers?). I learned it's a limited edition, and mostly specific to the UK. The Book Depository website told me it was out of stock, and the only available copy I could find in the U.S. via Ebay was going for over $200. I think not. THEN, just when I had a friend living in London who offered to procure this from a Waterstones and send it to me, Book Depository emailed me to let me know it was back in stock, and well.. the rest is history. This gem arrived today, from Australia, and it is even more beautiful than I'd imagined! ♥♥♥♥

i. am. swooooning.
#nerdstuff #goldenrunes

It's so.. beautiful. And it adds so nicely to the mantle shelf, which speaking of that.. is going away hopefully this weekend, if not very soon thereafter. The last thing I need is to replace a broken mantle and whatever book damage happens when gravity has had enough :p

So I'm outta here; it's time for the episode. One of these days I'll channel my inner Christine Riccio and do a book or episode review. We'll see. We'll see. 

xo | cms

It Is What I Make It!

I have a traditionally long-standing love-hate relationship with Monday. I know I'm not alone. 

One of my staff called off today, so the first thing that welcomed me was the unexpected re-arrangement of original plans, postponed until tomorrow. There's nothing quite like an 8AM surprise like that..

(Can we?) 

Since I know that answer is no, I do what the rest of us do: grin & choose to make the best of what is in front of me. And today, that was MONDAY. The good news though, is that in the middle of the madness, we were able to coordinate a FULL HOUR [saywhatomg?!] for lunch, for each of us today. That's saying a lot, because around here, that's not a real thing, so when we're able to indulge ourselves for the full hour, it's a nice change of pace. 

lunch break!

After work, I checked the work load at the door and headed out to pick up my favorite little shopper's assistant: 

notice the sign back there: they're real! :D

Monday evenings at our house are usually uneventful, and tonight thankfully followed suit. We spent the evening being present with each other, and I realized in our little living room that I have everything I need in this rocky little thing called life. My day was challenging, but at the end of it, I'm home, in our house, with my family. It's a side note, but I feel like a drop of gratitude doesn't hurt, especially on a Monday. I have not earned these things, and I do not deserve them.. and I am wholly thankful for them. 

And I am also thankful for the second season of Shadowhunters, which allots for an hour of my Monday evening each week for the next 11-12 weeks now. Tonight we finally got to see MAIA!

maia roberts | alisha wainwright

Yes, yes, YES GIRL.

Oh, and to top it off, after small fry went to bed, Mama got up and went to the gym. I have no idea what came over me, other than that I am fully determined to get back to my college soccer body. I'm not sure if I'll come out on the other side as exactly that, but I'm gonna be close. 

it's not much, but we're workin' on it... #shoulderday

Whew. It's late, I'm tired, and tomorrow is Tuesday. 

Ciao! 

xo | cms

Mmmgghhh... Monderp Monday.

Workplace tattoo, day 1:

healing up! 

^ Today was one of those Mondays that, I imagine, in human form would resemble some form of rabid, multi-taloned bird skating down the side of a chalkboard, while blindfolded and covered in cheap, wet nail polish. Don't ask me why that's the image that I conjured, but it's an accurate read of what today felt like, but it feels right, so we're going with it. It's either that, or the space of sidewalk that was formerly occupied by a real human, presumably having been abducted by aliens. Today was a mix of chaos and all the people we needed being either unavailable, sick or just non-existent all together (i.e., tenured SharePoint Developer - are you a real thing?!).

So yeah. That was Monday.
Post-workday proved to have better ratings. For starters, there was an impromptu family dinner date:

goofballs.. love them to the moon & back! 

We ran an errand as a family after that: the start of our efforts to dispatch the swarms of dandelions that grow back seemingly overnight in our yard [wish us luck]..

pretty nights at home depot.. haha 

That dandelion problem I mentioned: 

the parking lot & the field...
... aka my driveway.. and my yard. :| 

Rob started yesterday by mowing "I ♥ U" in the yard, and Sydni turned it into a racetrack: 

I seriously love this girl.. haha. 

It seemed like all of us had our fill of this Monday; Syd was out cold immediately following the lawn-mowing, and Rob wasn't far behind her. My body was still in lag mode from this weekend, but I was bent on finishing the final book of The Mortal Instruments, which I did tonight, around 1am. 

And yes, this entry is backdated. 

done & done! 

i'll leave this here like the good fangirl i've evidently become.... 

 ^ Thanks, Tumblr for that last one. Seriously. I'm hooked. Now that I've finished all six of these books, I suppose I'm on now to the Infernal Devices, which is also a Cassandra Clare creation. 

Le sigh. 

Anyway, it's a short week this week [again], and then the Pilcic wedding. Woooo! 

Seeeeee yaaaa... 

xo | cmd 

Mondays Are For SnapChats

Except today, that wasn't necessarily true! We walked into the office this morning to learn that Riss was out, and thought the day might carry a similarly petulant attitude. 

But alas, that wouldn't be the case..

It all started with this: 

hiiiiiii guyyyyyyyssssss... 

Can I HELP YA?! If there's one thing this weird gourd filter did, it game me alien eyebrows that are on point, man... Haha.. I sent that darling portrait off to a few close friends [and now am sharing it with the general public? #whatever #ImComfortableWithMyAlienNoggin]

From there, it blossomed into a morning and afternoon filled with work, but also littered with endearingly-awful portraits [.... kinda] of some lovely people I know:

ali. in all her snappy glory. 

i. am. sooooooo.... pretty. gosh. jealous? 

i seriously cannot.... ahhahahahaha
rob... kristin

Ya'll know Rob by now, but maybe not Kristin - she's one of the 2 incredible gals with whom I co-exist at the office, and I love the lady to pieces.

Except... when we try this. Now I'm just scared of her:

face swaps. maybe not our thing? 

^ She kinda looks like the lady version of Kim Jong Un (with a double set of teeth and a brute looking scar that's actually my hair?!), and I look like like a younger, female Asian Gary Busey. As funny as it is, it's definitely unsettling, and I'm thankful that in real life, our faces truly do much better suit our respective faces ;).

And of course, some filter fun:

wooo! 

Guys, this is the kind of mood that needs to come around every Monday. Can we vote to end the sullen, moody Mondays and exchange them for ones that are light, fun and productive?

Happy Monday, blogbots; have a terrific week!

xo | cmd

Monday Lunch Break!!

An excerpt from the list of things I love:

* Jesus
* Sushi
* Lunch breaks
* Sunshine
* Friends
* 70° weather in the 1st week of March
* A stellar deal off Craigslist
* Rob & Sydni

It's clearly not the entire list, but it felt appropriate today to highlight those specific things. 

First, and I cannot emphasize to all maybe-two of you readers out there just how liberating it was today to TAKE A FULL, 1-HOUR LUNCH BREAK. You call it dramatic... I call it... rare. 

I'd forgotten over the past 9 or 10 months just how fantastic it is to step away from the desk and everything that comes with it, and just.... exist in a space free of work, errands and anything else that qualifies as an obligation. 

[insert über happy emoji face here]

For starters, I donned a dress to work for the first time in months today. It just... felt right - the air felt promising this morning when I let the dogs out, so I went for it. My favorite boots went with it, and out the door I went to start the week. 

This was not a typical Monday, at all. From the time I woke up to now, it's been nothing but fun. Seriously! I'm going to blame this on Kristin, the new girl at work - she's just now starting her 2nd week, but even so, I'm already feeling layers of stress and pressure peeling off. The girl is seriously a God-send, I'll say that much. Now that she's here, the daily workload will be more evenly-distributed, and with that comes lunch breaks!

Monday lunch break = SUSHI! Extra ginger, pwede ba! [<that's 'please' in Tagalog]

People, listen. If you're going to pursue my heart, you have to start with my stomach. In fact, you really only need my stomach, if the timing is right. I wanted nothing more today than a seaweed roll, and once I got it, the rest of the day was a cakewalk. 

And then the work day ended, and it was on to the next thing: Retrieving an armoire I'd hunted down on Craigslist. The guy who posted it months ago has been experiencing relay issues with emails, and I just happened to swoop in at the right time, as he was near giving up on hearing back again from any of the previous inquiries. Cori, would you pay an 8th of the full price for an armoire in near perfect condition? 

hello, lovely! 

Yes. Yes I would. And I did. And I'm PUMPED. #newhousefurnituuuuuuure

We came, we retrieved, and somehow we [Rob & I, but mostly Rob] finagled that sucker up and over the banister and landing to the 2nd floor of the new house. He probably needs a chiropractor after it all, but hey, it's there, it's ready and as soon as the walls are painted, it'll be a functional fixture in the digs of yours truly.

And with that, folks.. we're good here. The week is young, but God's been good to us for a Monday. We're feeling inspired to get this place under wraps!

Have a beautiful week, blogbots!

xo | cmd

The Worst.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII feel like I was hit by a MEGABUS today.
Let me lay this out for you in a super scientific visual:

See that sliver of hope in there, the yes part? That's the part that was in charge of getting me out of bed, dressed to a standard just a thread above vagabond and into work. That tiny yes line died of over-exertion at promptly 8:00 am, and the rest of the day was.. well... Monday.

I texted Kalyn something to the effect of, I'm dead.
She replied similarly, My throat and entire body, probably my soul too.. hurt.
I agreed with an emoji, the one that looks like it's seasick.
She replied,

rough monday. 

I replied,

double rough monday.

She responded, "I'm so sorry."
And that was Monday.

It's 7pm and I feel like I've been awake for the duration of history. I'm passed the yawning phase; right now I feel like I'm just observing myself somehow meditating, except instead of actual meditation, my body is shrugging and resigning itself from existence all together. Meh. 

How's that for melodramatic?
I'm tired. Bye.♥

xo | cmd

That's What I Said....

This was Sydni after all of..... 7 minutes probably? once we got in the car this evening: 

Forty minutes later, this was Sydni as we pulled into the driveway:

I'm gonna let all that speak for itself. Monday... at its finest.

Good night, folks.
And happy Monday :). 

xo | cmd

Mondays (:

As it happened, I actually didn't have a frumpy feeling when I got up and headed in to work to start the week. Usually there's at least some bit of residual weekend vibe that makes Monday a tough pill to swallow, but today was good. I'm pretty sure I'm still on a high from yesterday's USWNT victory, but hey... who's to really say?? ;) 

So with an amount of pep that both baffled and annoyed even me, I pranced into Monday with a heart and mind ready for the week. I found this uncredited thing floating around the web, and thought it was a perfect reflection of how I felt this morning:

I bounded into work to find an egg mcmuffin and $12 sitting on my desk, which confirmed that today was in fact going to be one that would prove to be terrific. [The $12 was my change from money I'd given Elisa last week to pick up food, but still... who doesn't love finding money on their desk, even if it is yours to begin with?? ;)]

So there was that, followed by a day stuffed to the gills with activity, and topped off with the salad I'd prepared for myself during meal prep last night. Nom Nom NOM!

After work, it was off to get Sydni, and then home to get some homemade chicken noodle soup rolling. There were some visitors in the neighborhood that naturally put Sydni on high alert, and I must admit it was a pretty cute little band of critters.

surprise neighbors! 

We made and ate dinner, before Rob hit the garage for night one this week of bike assembly; he's got a trip coming up this weekend, so he's racing the clock. To say I'm impressed yet again by what this guy can do, well.. that's an understatement of course.

newly painted parts... wooo! 

Syd and I let him have the garage to himself, but not after Sydni made sure to inventory all the parts taking temporary refuge across my dining room floor.. haha. It's about time for teethbrushing & bedtime stories, so I'm outta here for now! 

G'Nite! 

xo | cmd

Short Work Week, WOO!

This happens tomorrow: 

As an update, Becky is not going to Montreal, which is probably a greater earfull for me than for her, given that I can't go [work, work, work... this grown up game is for the birds, I'm tellin' ya! ;).. ]. Instead, we'll be clad in gear in my living room, hopefully breathing and not screaming through the entire 90+ minutes of tomorrows match-up. 

In other news, I bought this today:

hellooo, new sleeping pad!

The first to use it? Probably Mike's daughter, this weekend for a family camping trip. No worries.. at least I'll know at that point whether it's worth keeping or not ;). My best guess is that it'll be fine. I'm pretty pumped!

I'm not kidding when I say that tomorrow will literally be consumed by daydreams of the US taking on Germany and bringing a win. I'll wear my Lloyd shirt either way and pretend like I know she's going to score a goal :).

Cheers, Monday!

xo | cmd

Pew Pew Pew!

I have a [very few] select words for you, Monday...

Uh-huh. Time for Tuesday. 

See ya then :). 

xo | cmd 

Namaste .... & Eat Pizza ;)

This came today!

squeeeeeee!! 

It really doesn't take much to excite this girl. Not only is this tank pretty awesome by design alone, it's the most comfortable thing I've ever worn, and when I become a billionaire, my closet will be filled with these things. Goals, amiright? Psshhh...

I spent the day enlightened by this little shirt and its message; the evening brought even more joy as we gathered in Oakley with Becky and Mike for dinner at Dewey's. We came home with full bellies and smiles. 

We're on day one; it's a good week so far! 

xo | cmd

That Familiar "Monday After"

With our hearts in the right place, Marianne and I originally planned to begin our weeks with a 6am bikram class.

Instead, we both slept in until about 7:15am, and parted ways within about 10 minutes of that.

This was what she posted from the airport late morning:

Gahhhh...
I saw this post as well, that she posted on Thursday [I didn't see it until today], with an off-hand comment I'd made about our impending jaunt into the wild. The comments happened today, and with any luck, there will be follow through to this and Mare will wind up in Cincinnati. Like... for good. :)

hahaha

I don't know what it is about the first night in a real bed after a camping outing, but I honestly am starting to believe that I sleep better in a bag on a floor than I do in an actual bed. Even my own bed last night did nothing to soothe me, but rather kept me awake all night tossing and turning. It made for an interesting point of consideration as I dragged my tired, groggy self out of it this morning to head in for work.

Fortunately, Rob was off a little early, which meant he was in line to pick up Sydni from Milford. I don't know what I've done to deserve a man like that, but I am not complaining. I'm in a trance still, from this weekend. Nature does this to me every time, and I come back to reality wondering if there isn't something more I'm meant to be seeing out of my every day life.

For now, it's late, and we're tired. I've got my best friend and my mini at my side again and for that I'm grateful and content.

Here's to the rest of the week!

xo | cmd

The Un-Extravagant But Extravagantly Excellent Monday

I don't lead an extravagant life. I do however, have reasons to feel extravagantly fortunate on all cylinders.

christmas spirit! 

^^ For starters, the Christmas spirit is taking over this year. I don't know if it's my newfound start of another decade, or just because Christmas is awesome [I vote the latter, because that's just a fact, c'mon!], but I am feeling the love from all angles and hope to reflect that into whoever's path might cross mine this season. Life's too short not to celebrate the big and small things, and although Thanksgiving's come and gone, the gratitude still remains.

And today, in a very extravagant way, I present the Monday that was extravagantly unextravagant to the untrained, outside eye:

My queen of the roost:

♥

.. and the roost itself: 

so. in love. 

No hefty price tags or glittery bows here, folks [yeah, definitely no glittery anythings.... sidenote]. We're the average bunch absorbing life the way we think it's meant to be: appreciated, experienced and remembered. Extravagant stuff will eventually break, rust, dust or disappear, but this stuff... is what we're made to love.

It's a new week, and we're edging [rapidly] towards Christmas; my prayer is that every single one of you out there remembers what it's all about. :)

Happy Monday! 

xo | cmd 

Movie Monday

hello, you ♥

 Yeah, it's already December. Holy smokes. 

Rob and I both had today scheduled off from our jobs, as a way to complete our Thanksgiving road tripping without exhausting ourselves. After the weekend we just had, it was an excellent decision to give ourselves a few extra hours of re-charge before heading back to work.

Sydni got the raw end of the deal; she had to be back for school, and I somehow managed to appease her requests by the compromise of iPad time in the car.

Today was a rather unceremonious entrance into December for us; Rob took advantage of the extra hours to sleep in, and I made myself busy catching up on some RedBox flicks I've wanted to see [specifically The Giver, but I threw X-Men into the cart as well, just for good measure]. I won't spoil the fun for any of you out there who've yet to see either of them, but if it matters, I'm glad I just... waited for The Giver to make its way to RB. Jus' sayin'.

Anyway, I'm proud to say that the house is clean, dinner's cookin', and these two are driving the dogs crazy with that stinkin' helicopter that found its way into our family when we were in Illinois. Sydni loves it, and I'm sure within no time, she'll be hovering that thing around this house like a pro.

♥ these two!!!

^^ That's my little world, folks. ♥

Happy December!

xo | cmd

Timehop.

Well I don't know if this is motivating, depressing, or somewhere in between: 

7 years ago today.. my first "big girl" job! 

^ Yeah. So this is just a quick reminder of 4 things:

1. This was post-college: my first real job in the corporate sector. I took the job in radio not quite knowing what to expect, and frankly, it was the worst job I've ever had. THERE, I said it. I was inexperienced, poorly-trained and above all, in way over my head in a nightmare work environment that would ultimately drive me and several others.. out.
2. This was post-college,which also serves to point out that I said actually in college between 11 & 7 years ago. That puts my HS class now 11 years out from our '03 graduation.
3. I, at the point when this picture was taken, actually believed that this was likely the epitome of the working class, and that, based on the..... fun?... we were having at that job, that I was screwed. I probably considered joining the Peace Corps & leaving the country on several occasions, if I remember correctly.
4. My professional life was far from over. I grew out of that job [thankful for that, can't say it enough], and eventually into the career I'm building now, doing something I love and helping people, rather than shoving cookie-cutter services down the throats of people who can't afford them. Call it a win. 

I also couldn't help but notice how young I look! Granted, I do have that whole forever-young Asian thing going for me, but I guess even I don't recognize the progression of time until I look back at shots like this, which may as well be baby pictures.

A couple years later, I posted this:

feeling determined! 

This was two months, two days after Sydni was born; I couldn't tell you if I posted this in a moment of actual clarity, or out of exasperated new-mommy desperation, but either way, it's a cold-hard truth and worth re-sharing for today. It's Monday, too, so it certainly applies to the tenacity we all have to muster at the beginning of each week.

I'm still feeling a rush from yesterday's session, where the doors opened for an opportunity to undertake a missions project. I'm still praying through that, piece by piece, as openly as I can. Today was a good day, to boot, and my family just ate the dinner I didn't burn ;), without complaint.

That's another win for the books. Now it's bathtime & bedtime stories. Goodnight!

xo | cmd

Take.. Me.. BACK

I woke up to this thought:

already?

Yeah. I dragged a little today.
By a little, I mean it felt like one of those days when the feet just don't quite ever make it under the body and I swear I was propelled by force rather than a steady type of energy. I know, that sounds way more complicated than was needed, but I'm still playing catch-up on the day and the brunt of it has already passed.

Long story short: Take me back HERE:

norris lake

OR here:

.. still norris lake, 2nd day. 

I think I should incorporate somewhere into my 10-year plan either a planned annual trip somewhere like this, or find a way to blend my current job that I love with a place like this, that I also equally love.

I think I just found my focus for daydreams this week.. haha.

Just kidding. Sydni's here and it's laundry time. *WHEW. Happy Monday!!

xo | cmd