OLYMPIC SPOONS!

Here we aaaare, smack dab in the middle of another week of organized mayhem.. haha. Today was a bit on the taxing side; it's one of those seasons of life where we are challenged with difficult and immovable people, if for no other reason than to continue refining our own character and tenacity. It is a marathon in this particular season, and although today aired more on the brutal side, I've come to a realization of the light at the end of the tunnel, if you will. Soon. Very soon :)

So with that in my heart, it was easy to transition into my evening, complete with my small group and a night of games, snacks and open-hearted fellowship. I am so. wildly. grateful for this group of people, especially on a night when I really needed some encouragement. My small group is where it's at, when it comes to prayer warriors and real people living real lives, bringing practical application and wise advice in whatever subject is on the table.

Tonight though, we took a break from our regularly weekly studies and just... hung out.
It was so, so, SO very needed.

SO, in the spirit of the Olympics, we decided as a group to play something with medaling potential. That something was decidedly SPOONS. If you've never played before, you're missing out. If you have, you'll understand then that we issued each other preemptive apologies for any and everything that might be said during play ;).

It started with 8 of us.
And then there were 7.
And then 6.

The semi finals came down to Jen, Scott & Randy:
Randy missed the grab during the semi finals, which left Jen & Scott to battle it out for the gold. Scott, in what we determined to be reverence to his wife [and that happy life, har har], conceded the victory to Jen, who's spoon-grabbing reflexes are so far unrivaled.

Nice job, Jen!

From what I hear, there are actual Olympics happening somewhere else... or something like that. :p
I'm kidding, of course. These games have kept us all up well past our bedtimes. *Yawn.

Good night for now, all you blogbot champions.

xo | cmd 

Doodles, Birthdays, & Sunglasses 8-)

Click Me. 

I had fun with that today.

There's a whole bunch of these fun lil' Olympic-themed guys. Haha
Yeeesh. Haha.

*****
Do ya one better though on the daily highlights:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUSTIN!!!

russia & china! haha.. happy birthday!!

^^ Happy birthday, friend!! This is one of Joe's best friends from back home, and he's a riot. Hope today is the best birthday yet - we hope to see you soon, JB!! 

****

swag! LOL... 

Oh, and here's a silly thing from today that made us laugh at the office: Each of us staffing consultants have that handful of "favorite associates," the ones who will snag last minute assignments, grueling labor work, odd hours, and fill-ins. They're reliable, work with great urgency and ethic, and are predictable, in a good way. Today, I landed an interview for a long term position for one of my best associates, and he showed up with a token of gratitude [no fear, this wasn't a bribe, and it was clearly in a non-creepy context]. He lived in Hong Kong for quite some time, and had some knock off numbers - you can't tell by looking at them, and they're not typically in my range of style, but I thought it was pretty thoughtful.. and a reminder of the fact that my job is in fact affecting people's lives :). Pretty funny. 

P.S. - I'm on a whopping day 3 of INSANITY.
Slowly but surely... and sweaty, too. (: 

Happy midweek! 

xo | cmd

Olyyyyyympics & A Far-Off Birthday Wish :)

I.. Love.. The Olympics.

What I love even more than the Olympic games themselves are the stories behind so many of the athletes whose defining moments will come during the few short weeks there in London. There are so many to choose from, but one of the ones I was so fond of today was the 15-year-old American swimmer who just won the gold tonight in the womens 800m freestyle. This girl, like so many of the other athletes there, are teenagers, but I heard in an interview she did following the race that once the Olympics are done, she's headed back home to resume high school and participate on her school swim team. Haha. Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh at the prospect of competing as a high school sophomore against the world record holder and olympic gold medalist. Either way, congratulations, Katie Ledecky!! Way to grab gold and represent your country!!

katie ledecky | 2012 london olympic gold medalist | 800m freestyle

You know something else I love?
Birthdays :) :)
I love them especially when they belong to dear friends of mine!

Happy birthday, James!!!

grueter! hbd, old friend!!

This guy.. haha.. one of the funniest friends I've ever had, along with the most level-headed and loyal people around. He's in Amann, Jordan now - Jamie, I hope you're enjoying every single moment of your new journey! Happy birthday, from the states, to you, dear friend. Miss you tons, and hoping to see you again very soon!!

-- I'm still reeling that it's already August. Where has 2012 gone?! *Sigh. Guess time just flies when you're living in the moment :) Happy weekend!!

xo | cmd

One of THOSE Days.

Yeeeesh. :/

I am so ready for Nancy to return. I'm afraid to say it for fear of what tomorrow may yield, but I'm not quite sure what else could possibly fit into one single set of five days.

It's always when one of the core members of an office is in a meeting, on vacation, out sick, or otherwise out of commission that the fires start flaming a little bit higher and everything that seemed stable starts to unravel. It hasn't gotten entirely to that point this week, but Nancy being out on vacation this week has heralded in a whole bunch of hurdles for us to conquer.

Among the smaller ones, today was something of a crushing day. We are now another person short; Courtney, it was an absolute blast working with you and I wish you the very best on whatever your next endeavor may be. It's going to be a huge adjustment for us, and surely quite the shock for Nancy when she gets back... lots of catching up to be done.

silly times .. we'll miss you, courtney! :( :( 

I am absolutely spent. It was a long day spent covering not just two, but now three different roles and trying to keep track of it all. I have two more days of doing that before Nanc returns on Tuesday next week. Boy am I ready for the weekend :).

TGI[almost]F.. My goodness. I'm gonna finish this night on a positive note reveling in the sweetness of Olympic romance [Ricky Berens & Rebecca Soni]. I can't imagine being an Olympic gold medal couple. Haha. GO TEAM USA!!

ricky berens & rebecca soni | olympic gold medalists
... cutest olympic couple ever :p

One more day, then the weeeeeeeeekend!

xo | cmd

USA Olympic Hardware

fab 5! | olympics 2012

Olympic coverage post #8953479257803478105734021...

Who cares, CONGRATULATIONS to the Fab Five!!

I'm such a junkie for gymnastics! I grew up on the stuff, from the time I was about 3 until I traded in my spandex for shin guards and went full time with soccer. It was a weighted decision, but my fond memories of spending hours at the gym, bending toes into perfect points and having blisters on the inside of bar grips will always stay. I love gymnastics, and I love watching the pros go at it the way it was meant to be done.

These 5 girls (Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Kyla Ross & McKayla Maroney) did a stellar job holding their own in competition and keeping Russia at bay for the all-around team gold. There was mass amount of speculation from just about every website and news channel; word is that this calibur of performance hasn't been seen or achieved since the Magnificent Seven of 1996. [Pause - I just realized how the years are flying by; I remember very clearly those epic moments of Kerri Strug's vault injury, Domenique Moceanu's tenacious beam routine, and of course, Awesome Dawsome. I just realized I was only in sixth grade. Haha. Whoa.]

magnificent seven | olympics 1996

Speaking of gold medals for team USA, kudos to the swimmers, too! Jimmy & Mo came by tonight with a couch and a few tables they are going to store temporarily at our place, and once we settled for homing the couch in the living room due to its inability to fit through any of our doorways [long story....], we settled in to watch the finals of the men's 4x200m relay. We were talking tonight about how the records being set by Michael Phelps will not likely be broken for years to come, and that these historic moments are happening in our lifetime. Our kids won't know anything about this other than what they read in books or online. Crazy. 

michael phelps. conor dwyer. ryan lochte. ricky berens
2012 olympic gold medalists

And tribute to the women, too! Bronze medalists - still hardware!!

lia neal. allison schmitt. jessica hardy. missy franklin
2012 olympic bronze medalists

Yay, London Olympics! 

It's late. I'm outta here. 

xo | cmd

Is it Time for Olympics Yet??

It's just another manic Monday.Yuuuuuuuuup.

Oh, but yenno what? I'm gearing up for Olympic coverage .. it's a few days off but I'm pretty excited to watch these two go at it and [hopefully absolutely] kick some tail! I had the privilege of watching both of these gals play a loooooong time ago when they were guests up at AVP. Pretty amazing.

can't wait! let's get readyyyyyy!!
treanor & walsh

Forget Monday. I'm ready for the Olympics to get here..... :) 

xo | cmd