Eve of America's Birthday

Today had something of a late start; we had no work today and planned to take full advantage of it! 

these two... 

I couldn't help it; check out this little sassy-pants... 

hahaha.. love you, grumpo.. 

After breakfast, Syd headed off to her dad's, and the day took a turn into a list of miniature errands, chores and some shopping, while Rob spent the bulk of the day off working on his bike. My first order of business was to take on a small section of the backyard. 

just a little bit of the work.. 

PHEW! If there's one thing I was reminded of today, it's that vine doesn't go down without a fight, and that stuff back there is stubborn! PLUS, we accidentally unearthed a patch of brand new little cottontails, which I'll be guarding for the next several days from our dogs' romping and whatever else I can, until Mama Bunny returns or they reach the point where they can scamper along on their own..

itty bitty buns!! 

I'd told Jessica earlier in the week that I was ready to hit OTR for a night back on the scene; I don't know the last time I was actually down there, so it was high time for us to have a rompus! 

We even ran into Chad's sister Paige at Neon's, after we joked that it'd be funny if we saw either her or Chad on the one night we decide to venture on down to OTR. We wound up at Japp's, dancing the night away and hanging out with a few of Jessica's friends.

As of this afternoon, our confirmed game plan for tomorrow includes some version of us on the boat on water.. somewhere. That being said, I'm OUT!

Happy weekend, loves!

xo | cmd

City Flea & Cincinnati Meanderings

Rob and Dillon resolved early on to head out to the river. I voted to go my own way for the early morning, and took advantage of the semi-dreary day to check out this year's showing of The 513 City Flea. I made it down to Washington Park just as a downpour had made its way out, and was greeted by puddles, a drizzling remnant of the storm and handfuls of Cincinnati-enthusiasts who didn't seem to mind the sloshy condition.

Sunny or not, it was wonderful!

rain or shine! 

Becky rendezvoused with me a short time later, and after another few rounds of the City Flea vendors.

peruvian mochilas and kombucha

scavengers! 

It wasn't long before we took off northbound for REI, where Rob and Dillon met up with us. As it turned out, they'd not even made it off the boat ramp as the rain set in. They U-turned back to the house before joining us. The REI sales is still happening; Rob bought his hammock today!

uh oh... the hammock epidemic continues! 

and some yoga... ;) 

We parted ways with Becky and headed down to Findlay Market, where we grabbed Eli's and showed Dillon around the market grounds. There was a pitstop as well at Rhinegeist, where to our surprise, there was some major renovation well underway!

i'm sorry... say whaaaaaaaat?! 

I can't wait to see this when it's finished.

After Rhinegeist, we made our way back home, where the split decision was made to give the river a second chance. We dropped in and took off towards Ludlow. One of Rob's bosses and his fiance joined us for a couple hours, and then it was back up the river to the ramp.

The skies may not have afforded us the sunshine we were hoping, but it was still a beautiful night to be on the water!

beautiful! 

dillon & rob

We pulled off the river just as the rain started to threaten its return for the night, dried the boat off and made the trip back to the house. The boys wanted to venture back out to OTR, for the usual touring that occurs whenever we have visitors. I opted out of that excursion, and set myself up for a night of absolutely nothing on the couch - which I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed ;).

The boys will be back sometime in the early hours, but with any luck, I'll be out cold by that time.

Happy Saturday, folks!

xo | cmd

FRIIIDAY!

Phewwwwww, Friday!

So, here's a throwback that has resurfaced from years back. Remember this girl?

nancy. meagan. cori. courtney
express edwardsville - 2012

^^ [Original photo from  THIS May 8, 2012 entry] This was from Meagan's going away party, during my time back at the Edwardsville Express office. It's been about 3 years since I worked with Courtney, but she just recently paired up [such a small world!] with one of Rob's good friends.

Happy Birthday, Courtney! 

lol.. happy birthday, girl! 

At work, we were [still] celebrating Elisa's birthday; she chose The Eagle for her lunch out, and with it being our standard Friday office lunch, it worked out perfectly.

the eagle | otr - cincinnati, oh 

^^ YOU GUYS. If you've not been to this place yet, you need to go. :) This is the first time I've been there for lunch, but it's just as good if not slightly better than dinner. Haha. YUM!

We endulged ourselves with chicken, spoonbread, mac&cheese, grits, fries and succotash before wrapping up and heading out. Well, almost heading out. Despite the bitter sting in the air, we braved the walk down a few blocks to 1215 for some mid-afternoon pick-me-ups:

elisa & i spotted a fun selfie wall...
1215 wine & coffee bar | otr - cincinnati, oh

peppermint mocha = per.....fect! 

Peppermint mochas on Fridays are an incredibly encouraging touch. What's even better though, is when you receive a little something you've been anxiously awaiting for a few weeks. 

That was today, too! It was a random day perusing Etsy when I ran across The Copper Fox, specifically a Latitude & Longitude bracelet stamped with a line I will forever love: The House That Built Me. Anyone who knows me knows the gratitude and love I have for the house my parents built, in which I did grow up: physically and emotionally. That place built me, just as much as my parents built it. So when I saw this item listing, it wasn't a tough decision to fill and empty the little shopping cart icon. 

IT ARRIVED TODAY: 

i am... in love. 

And I... I can't. It's beyond perfect. This girl Sarah who creates these pieces and runs the little Etsy shop will never know how much I truly treasure this little cuff and what it represents to me. Love, love. LOVE. 

I took off at the day's end, en route to get Sydni and thankful for it being Friday. Rob called as I was heading back to the house, and let me know that Jesse had made it town and was at the house with Zeppelin! Syd and I pulled into the driveway at the same time, and spent the next hour or so catching up with our friend... and furry friend :)

yay, weeknd visitors! hi zepplin! 

And then there was the question of dinner: Jesse wanted to try out something local, so we voted again for Buca Di Beppo, where we wound up with enough leftovers to last us probably through the middle of next week. #PIZZA. Haha. 

buca with mini! 

So that's not a bad way to start the weekend!

We're supposed to get some heavy snow overnight tonight folks - be CAREFUL out there if that applies to you, too!

TGIF!
xo | cmd

Friday FUN :)

I spent some money today.... but I think it's justified, right?

it's... warm! 

I've needed a new coat for a while now, and it didn't hurt that they were all on sale. Because, let's face it.. Full-priced retail & I have never really been friends. ;)

Oh, and I picked up one of these as an early bday treat for Elisa:

happy early birthday, elisa!! :) 

Rob and I took advantage of it being Friday night, and went to see this:

two thumbs up! 

^^ Oh, and let's all talk about how REBEL WILSON is in this?! She.. is.. always.. hilarious. #DateNightSuccess!

No complaints here! AND...

♥

^ Right you ARE, little dog! TGIF!

xo | cmd

Oot & Aboot, Eh?

So today marked my first time in this office interviewing a true Canadian, and I must say it was a fun experience. It's the small things that intrigue me so, and this gent was nothing short of exactly what most people envision in conversing with a true northerner:

"Yeh kin tale me aboot thee hours, eh?" 

^ No, he didn't have a speech impediment or poor spelling skills; phonetically though, that's exactly what I heard when we sat down, and I thoroughly enjoyed just listening to him talk.

And so launched the rest of my day in which my brain translated everything in and out into what my brain imagined I would sound like if I were in fact a true Canadian. Fun fact for ya there.. haha..

Anywho, since Elisa's still out, Carri and I held down the fort for the final day of week and decided on a Christmas gift for our boss. We put our heads together and in a matter of minutes had selected, personalized and ordered our group gift. I volunteered for pickup, which I'm blaming as some out-of-body decision, given that I would be going to Kenwood Mall, on the Friday night before Christmas.

Here's a few movie clips that fairly encapsulate not my view of Christmas itself, but of the very concept of Christmas SHOPPING: 

Usually, I'm prompted by someone else to go with them. It's like employing the buddy system, because there is no telling what kind of crazy has materialized in the form of crazed, maniacal shopaholics.


So to all my friends who've ever said, "Yeah, it'll be fun to go shopping together!":

And then when I get within a 2-mile radius of just the mall parking lot [not even the actual mall]: 

When [today] I walked up to the counter with my online order receipt, and the poor underpaid gal at the desk couldn't find it anywhere in the mountain of completed orders, and turned back to me as though I would be able to sniff out the white stapled bag that was mine: [You know, that awkward moment when you second guess yourself on whether or not you should  know the answer to a question like that, so instead of audible words, you respond with a weird smile that makes it even more awkward...] 

feeling's mutual, girlfriend.

And then, that feeling after I'd been there for two and a half hours waiting for the product that I was there to retrieve [which by the time it was handed over was three hours past the pick-up time on the receipt]:

i'm doooooooooone!!!!!

Yeah. I and many of my friends/family have held retail positions in our past lives, and if there is one thing that bands everyone together like the dysfunctional little store family that you are, it's holiday shoppers. It's easy as the consumer to lose patience, become irritated, huff & puff over whatever-it-is-that's-really-not-as-big-of-a-deal-as-you're-making-it, and whatever other irrational behaviors that feel appropriate at the time, but as a general PSA [& reminder] to myself and all of you out there this year, please don't take it out on the store personnel, unless they have somehow deliberately and obviously taken strides to personally offend or inconvenience you. They're working the hours we don't want to, for pennies when you think about the chaos of Christmas shopping. So be aware, and even if you want to rip your hair out as you battle a crowd like a fish swimming upstream, just remember... Be Nice :) 

Ok, so mini rant aside, I did realize that I've apparently been gone from Kenwood long enough for them to install THIS without my noticing. This is dangerous for me: 

i'll be back for you, after Christmas shopping is over..... 

I'm not a fan of shopping in general, but I am a beanie fanatic, and this place knows my heart all too well when it comes to that. So yeah... (: 

I finally made it home to Rob, who was ready for some dinner, and suggested The Eagle in OTR without a second thought. GOOD CALL ♥

We made it down to OTR, found a parking spot directly in front of The Eagle, put in our name on the hour wait list and headed off to The Lackmann for a drink in the meantime. 

FYI, there's this at The Lackmann: 

kcco brew?? ok then! 

And finally, at The Eagle to wind down the night: 

nom nom nom!!

My man sure does deliver on a date night - we had a blast out with just each other and I'm so thankful for the fact that we can do that on any given night. 

Oh aaaaaaaaaand... it's the WEEKEND!

WooOO! :D

xo | cmd 

Next Time, OTR.

Regardless of how long you've known someone, there will always be opportunities for learning new things. One thing that my poor Rob learned [the hard way] tonight, is to never let Becky and I consult together on makeshift plans for dinner.

[Remember the last time that happened?]

Anyway, we laugh about it to keep from snarling, because in this case, OTR proved to be a waste of time, which is rarely what it is on a typical basis.

kaze | otr

Because this an after-the-fact moment, and because I've had time to cool off, I'll share our experience there this evening more diplomatically than we all felt earlier this evening:

1. The service was awful.
2. The server was frumpy, quite unpleasant, and unapologetic for forgetting half our order.
3. The food wasn't really worth the dime we paid.

That being said, redemption both before & after our visit to Kaze came in the form of stops by Quan Hapa, The Eagle and Bakersfield, places with which we'd assumed Kaze would compete in terms of overall quality. It certainly has a more pretentious vibe about it, but we'll just have to split our differences on this one and agree that we're just not... that.... pretentious enough to frequent a place like that and actually tip on services that... shabby. Disappointing, but eh.. ya live, ya dine, ya learn.

P.S. - Rob, yes, we will wait the hour next time for Eagle. #worththewait

Anyway, disruptive as the Kaze experience was to an otherwise enjoyable evening, the company was entirely worth the trip out, and for that I'm thankful :).

We'll start over again tomorrow, yeah?
.. Can't win 'em all...

xo | cmd

An OTR Saturday

A weekend morning just isn't the same without a Lumberjack-appropriate breakfast.
That being said:

nom nom nommmmmmmm

One of my biggest shortcomings is the fact that I am not a morning person. Becky, one of my greatest friends, is one of those early-risers not only embraces but celebrates the chance to hit the ground running while the moon is still watching. I'm the person who wishes that the moon would just stay.PUT. for another 15 minutes, at least... every day. That's why the weekends are the perfect mornings-at-my-leisure, and that is something I like to commemorate with elaborate breakfasts.

'Cuz let's face it: nobody is getting that^^ on a Monday morning. At least not until I graduate into that phase of life my grandmothers both seemed to accept, that included crosswords and coffee at 5am. Maybe then. ;)

With our mid-morning bellies full, Rob set out to write an estimate for work, followed by a mission to finally finish winterizing the boat. I joined forces with Becky to go explore the new Homage store that opened in OTR a few days ago.

homage cincinnati!
1232 vine st
cinci, oh 45202

It's a cute little dive - very college bookstore-esque, which is great if that's the type of shopping experience that works best for you. I did enjoy the inventory, but must admit that I'm much more of a Mica 12/v kinda girl when it comes to buying local. That's not to say that I won't be back, because I have a feeling I most definitely will be.

It'd been several hours since my Lumberjack breakfast experience; Becky hadn't eaten either, so we popped in for a quick lunch at Taste of Belgium. 

at the bar.. yum! 

^ You can't really go wrong with mid-day TOB. 

To round out our little OTR excursion, we topped off the afternoon by making an appearance at Park + Vine. Mark my words, for as many times as I go there and don't buy anything, you all just wait for the day I make it big. I'll be there nonstop... and I WILL buy one of everything off the homemade soap wall. And probably a[nother] Eno hammock. And a[nother] Be Ohio Proud shirt. 

because... yes. 

And that's how you maximize just three short hours in OTR; of course there was plenty that we didn't get to, but we've both seen many of the other digs already, and there's no reason not to re-visit at a later date, either. I'll happily say that this is one of the few aspects of city living that I love: local shopping! 

We headed back to the house, somehow finding ourselves in a discussion on The Hunger Games trilogy all the way home [yes, we watched the whole first movie as soon as we got there]. We pulled up to the answer of why our larger carved pumpkins looked like big empty bowls instead of the creative masterpieces they once were: 

ah.. ha! caughtcha. 

Oh well. Kids gotta carve, squirrels gotta eat. That pumpkin came straight from the earth, so I'm really not mad that this little guy snagged a snack. At least now I know I'm not crazy, and that the pumpkins are not actually self-dissolving. :)

It's only mid-evening now; Becky's gone off to a family costume party, and Rob and I are here looking forward to a night of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING planned.

Did I mention I love weekends? ♥

xo | cmd

Friends & Kids & Pumpkins & Apples & OTR

Today was a full throttle day from the time we woke up. Sydni was up at 3am to remind me that, "kids are coming over today!!!," and from there on out it was non-stop until our heads hit the pillow again. 

"honey, it's 3am. we still have a few hours."
- [skeptical response...]

First things first: Why pay a gutter service when you can just do it yourself?

do it yourself.

:). I was wrapping up the gutters just as Trish and the kiddos rolled up, jackets and snacks in hand, for an early afternoon of pumpkin painting and carving.

the girls (: 

mamas & kiddos

 Sarah made it out after work, with her daughter in tow. There were then 5 kids attacking one pumpkin..

paint, paint... and more paint! 

the aftermath? beautiful! 

 

Once the pumpkins had been thoroughly - and I mean thoroughly painted, the kids migrated to the front yard for some cardio and leaf-mud sandwiches [made, not eaten.. as a sidenote ;).. ]

gosh... love them ;) 

Soon enough, the kids departed, and we took a deep breath in preparation for round two: Jessica and Andrew soon arrived with their pumpkins. Sydni was off to her dad's for her father-daughter dance, so the grown-ups were left to their own devices.

great action shot of bumper & sasha! 

caramel apples!! nomnomnom

lol.. pumpkins ;) 

Round 2 of the day complete [carved pumpkins & caramel apples], we parted ways again to rest up and prepare for the evening, which was decidedly going to be spent in the bows of OTR.

We started our venture at 1215 Wine Bar, if you count our standing in one spot for 20 minutes deciding where the rest of the night would be spent. If that doesn't qualify, then we technically started with a pitstop at The Drinkery before they somehow coerced me into going to - and staying at - Japp's for more than a half hour.

yeah, so i guess when i'm photographed mid-laugh,
i look... super asian. ^_^

this folks, is what otr had to work with tonight...
oh i'm proud of this one.. hahaha.. 

that fan. we're music video superstars.... ;) 

We soon retired from the heat of Japp's and found our final grounds for the night: The Famous Neon's Unplugged!  

oh, lovely neons! 

runnin' the town.. into the ground [laaa dee daaaa... ]

we found chad!
ps - can't even be mad at the chick who bombed this...
.... she nailed it. #thanksdoodydood

nobody knows. 

that time jessica's hand was 2 feet in front of my face
& managed to still look insanely inappropriate.

i'm a cat. rob's an angry ghost.
#notsure...

some more of this.. 

... and consequently this, too. 

And it's Neon's, so there's Jenga...

we lost.

Along with a few hundred of our closest friends, we closed down Neon's and made one last pitstop for grub at Lucy Blue's before calling it a night.

pizza. because... yes. 

PHEW.
.. yes, this is backdated.. 

G'Nite!

xo | cmd