Don't Cry for Us, Argentina....

Instead of focusing on the fact that we handed the game to Messi & Co. tonight, let's take a moment to giggle at this: 

[In case that means nothing to you, one word.. "WONDO."]

Anyway, before this disheartening event that was the USAvARG game, it was a sweltering little pre-evening that included a detour to get froyo.. because we could. 

favorite little detour! 

Sydni always gets super nostalgic when she eats cold things, which I still don't understand, but it has been habit lately that whenever there is froyo involved, so also there is the review of all things little Sydni. On today's trip down the highlight reel, we spotted a shot of baldish baby Syd giving me a crinkly-face grin, with all four of her teeth bared for the world to see. 

Naturally, this followed: 

then & now... haha

What can ya do? 

With froyo under our belts before dinner [if you tell my mom, I will fight you!.. haha], we headed home, where Sydni split off like a lightning bolt on her bike. She and a couple of the neighbor kids have wasted no time in their descent upon the newest neighbors, whose open garage stacked with small, colorful bikes and toys are a dead giveaway as to whether or not kids live there. I watched them running circles around the yard for a little while before retiring to my own tasks of wedding schhhtuff. 

And then Becky came over.
And then the USMT kicked off against Messi & Co. 

And then in like, the 8th minute or something like that, we started our slow but steady trip-and-fall off the cliff to a 4-0 loss against the Argentinians. 

Ouch. 

Well, it was a good run boys. Copa just wasn't meant to be ours this time around. 

It's late, and there's a lot to do tomorrow, or so I think.. haha. 

G'Nite, loves. 

xo | cmd

The Biggest Hearts Live in the Smallest Spaces

We woke up to this today:

We've recently remodeled Sydni's bedroom, a process which included wall-painting, furniture building, hammock hanging and the general reorganizing of everything else she owns. We'll soon be adding decorations, a desk/workspace, reading nook and whatever else we can dream up to make that space truly hers. 

The only thing we didn't really take into full account with this was that our dogs - Stella especially - can limber up the stairs of her new loft bed, but cannot make the final jump up onto the bed itself. The horizontal space on the landing platform between the wall and the bed doesn't allow for any dog-conducive ramp addition, which has left poor Stella stranded like a castaway from joining Sydni at night. 

I've caught her the past few days lying on the carpet floor directly under the loft; if I were viewing from the ceiling and had overlapping images of Sydni on the bed and Stella on the floor, I'm certain they would align exactly as if they were sleeping side by side. 

This is something I didn't realize until today, when I woke up to find Sydni in our room, having toted a pillow and blanket from hers, asleep on the dog bed, with Stella splayed out beside her. Something in my heart broke this morning, for this aging dog of ours who wants nothing more than to be with her little human 24 hours a day, and for Sydni, whose heart is made of pure gold when it comes to loving animals. It hit me also in that moment that the biggest hearts often live in the smallest spaces. 

I don't know how this managed to grab ahold of my senses in the way that it did today, but I am suddenly acutely aware of the fact that my dogs can't sleep with their smallest commander - which in itself is fine, but it's a stark note that they are in fact aging, losing agility and no longer bouncing hairballs of puppy energy [ok, well maybe Sasha's an exception on most days, but still]... 

Really, I don't know where I'm going with this, other than it looks like we'll be working out something to make the co-sleeping arrangements in Sydni's room both kid and pet-friendly, and go from there. I just.... I really wanted to pen out my thoughts for a later day, for whenever I start to feel frustrated with my pets for something they've done, that they're just hopelessly, unconditionally devoted to us and want nothing more than to have that same love returned. 

Love your pets today, bloggers. We forget often just how much they love us.
[[Yes, even cats. That's a diatribe for another day, I know; they're fickle, brooding & moody little mysteries, but they do love us just the same, in their twisted little ways.. haha. #ButIDigress]]

The rest of today wasn't so awful, either :).

after work.. happy little bits of the universe

Small group was tonight, and it goes without saying that these are often my favorite evenings.  We're working our way through the Old Testament, and tonight we processed through Ezra and all that it has to offer. Some challenging - and very much eye-opening - material! I would highly recommend reviewing Ezra if it's been a while. If you can get through the lineage of chapter 2, you'll be great! :)  

small group: ezra!

Post small group, we made a pit stop at Orange Leaf, because we pass the daggone place on the way home and WHY NOT?! Haha. Also, BOBA. That's right, BOBA.

boba for daaaays... 

I hope the rest of you've had a wonderful week so far, and that it only gets better from here. 

Happy Hump Day! 

xo | cmd

Family Visits & Pad Thai!

My parents dropped Sydni off in Cincinnati today, after their mini getaway over the weekend. Sydni got to go see Shrek: The Musical, as produced by the Mt. Vernon Theatre organization. She had a blast.

I decided to take the gang to Piada, since they'd never been there. We followed up with froyo at Orange Leaf, which made for some very satisfied bellies.

mom & syd @ piada ♥

I love that they had a blast, and was super happy to have been able to spend my lunch with them!

After work, the food obsession continued, but in my own little quest of things homemade & fresh. I found a new recipe for pad thai, which was given a thumbs up by both Rob and me tonight; I'll share it for all you Thai food-loving blogbots.

Super Easy Pad Thai **

so. good.
[& yes, ali - that's an express edwardsville cup in the back :p ]

need:

::for the pad thai sauce::
- 3 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs sriracha
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 2 tbs canola oil
- 2 tbs brown sugar

::for the pad thai::
- pad thai noodles [8 or 16 oz; I would definitely say at least 16 if this is for more than 2 mouths]
- 2 eggs
- cooked chicken [The original recipe calls for 3 full breasts; I used 2 and it was fine]
- 1 cup bean sprouts [we skipped, but only bc we forgot to get them....]
- 1 cup cilantro
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

do:

::1. Prepare [aka, SOAK] pad thai noodles - I did it by pouring HOT water into a bowl, covering the noodles, and soaking for 30 minutes. I don't recommend boiling pad thai noodles on the stove as you traditionally would with Italian noodles.
::2. Cook your chicken. I just did this on the stovetop, pan-seared. Set aside.

::3. While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Do that by mwhisking together everything for the sauce except brown sugar, in a small bowl. Add the brown sugar at the end, and whisk into the sauce.
::4. While noodles are soaking, scramble eggs for 2-3 minutes or until done, and set aside.
::5. Once noodles are done & chicken is cooked, combine the noodles, chicken, egg and sauce in a large skillet over med-low heat. Stir for a few minutes until everything is at the desired blend. Top off with bean sprouts, cilantro, green onion & peanuts!
** recipe credit : rachel schultz **
Yeah... this absolutely beats ordering pad thai at a restaurant, save for the whole bean sprouts thing, which I will NOT forget next time. I hope you're willing to try that out, if you're a pad thai person!

Haaaaappy Tuesday!

xo | cmd

Cinci Part 2: Catie, Choco Rocks & Michelle's Wedding!

Meanwhile, in
CINCINNATI ....  



"dren & cegg" | a classic

Meet Catie: I'm sure you've already met her before, but just in case... meet Catie. I love this girl because she is one of the most candid, hilarious people I think I've ever met. I love to laugh, but hangin' with this lady will put me in tears. Or peeing my pants, depending on the severity of our laughing bouts. It's totally true, and I'm fine to admit that. Haha.

where it all started.. that blasted clearchannel job....

Anyway, Catie and I took an afternoon stroll downtown; she took me over to The Banks, a new development that has replaced the previously useless plot of dirt situated between the two stadiums. It's beautiful! There's a park, a string of restaurants, some shops, and even a Christian Moerlein brewery/taphouse. Oh, and if you didn't notice, there were plent of randomly-strewn Kiss107 signs, everywhere. That's significant only because that's where I met Catie in the first place, a debachle of a job that only those who've survived escape will ever truly understand. Trust me, that much is unanimous. Haha.


froyo @ orange leaf!

They've got an Orange Leaf downtown now, too! I'm a huge fan of froyo, and so is Cegg, so we made a stop off to test out the pumpkin spice froyo [REC-O-MMEND!!!]. At the self-serve toppings line, we were faced with a pit of choco rocks. Neither of us knew what they were, so naturally one lone little rock made its way into my yogurt to hang out with the cherries, almonds and boba. FACT: I'm not a fan of choco rocks. Just sayin'.


blues blues blues | michelle's wedding reception!

The culminating reason I came over here in the first place this weekend was to see Michelle get married! The time was finally heeeeere :). Joe and I trekked over to a beautiful Catholic church in Cincinnati to be witness to Michelle and Mark tying the knot, then on to The Newport Syndicate in the heart of Newport, KY for an absolutely GORGEOUS reception. We had to leave a few minutes early, but it was a dazzling affair, complete with a live band, delicious food, and a table full of ex-Clearchannel employees with whom I was able to re-connect. Hilarious.


me with the drop-dead-gorgeous bride, my amazing friend, michelle

I'm so excited we were able to be a part of Michelle & Mark's beautiful day. I can't wait to see honeymoon pictures!

Tomorrow = church at New Harmony, lunch & a maternity [photo]shoot with the Prescotts, and then the solo drive back to IL. *Yawn.

G'Nite!

xo | cmd