ALI's HERE!

It was too late last night when Ali arrived to do mich of anythddng other than a quick catch up before bed. Knowing we wanted to take full advantage of today made it that much easier to find sleep wirhout delay.

Today = bright and early start in the house, complete with homemade breakfast, compliments of Ali and me! We pulled out all the stops and produced a full spread, including pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and toast. I mean, we had a full day of fun planned out!

First stop: The 513 City Flea! One of my favorite Washington Park events to frequent at least once or twice each season, even if I walk away with nothing but the receipt for a Street Pop long-ago devoured. 

gosh you're pretty, washington park... 

The Summer City Fleas mean that the splash pad is in full operation, and if we're being honest, it was only because our parents taught us manners that prevented every adult in the park from joining their kids running through the course of water jets.

summer splash pad!

i mean.. she's thinking what we were all thinking today #95degrees

Ali and I managed to drag her out of the fun for a twenty-second selfie opportunity, a decision that was apparently eqivalent to asking for her to walk a lap around the planet [huffy puffy!].

the girls! 1st take, nailed it! 

We trekked over to Findlay Market for lunch, which afforded each of us the vendor to satisfy our cravings. Becky's newest initiative, Dirt: Modern Market, is in its soft opening stages, but we were able to check it out. Ali bought some custom jams, while Sydni had her own photo shoot outside.

my little mini market girl 

celebrating dirt! 

After Findlay, we headed home to drop Rob and Sydni, then continued on to REI, in search of Ali's first pair of Chaco's! It would've been a straight shot, but I took a scenic route and Coffee Emporium got in the way, like it does for me on many occasions.

We eventually made it to REI. It wasn't as fruitful as we'd hoped, but long story short, she's all set and Chaco'd up for a good while. 

We did so well on our venturing this afternoon that there was next to no rushing when we arrived back at the house to get Rob & Syd. We set off to the movie theater, where the Minions  3D experience awaited us.

minions 3D! 

We did a post-movie dinner at Logans nearby, and finally circled back tothe homefront to wind down.

Tomorrow it's church with Ali before she heads home, and then back to a brief bit of the reality that is the to-do list around here. 

What a beautiful day! Seeee you tomorrow!

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

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

Dillon's HERE :)

Iiiiiiiit's FRIDAY!!!

womp womp womp

Sydni was thrilled as well that it is Friday, but not so much by the fact that there was still the day itself to complete. Such is life, mini... it'll be okay ;)

At lunch, I took Elisa to REI to take advantage of the REI sale that just started. It was my chance to figure out how I would be taking advantage of my membership, and also to assist her in buying her first hammock! [Eno's are on SALE through next weekend, folks.... FYI!!] While she was scouting out the Single Nest that spoke to her, I made notes to share with Becky:

yesssssss please 

We rounded out the lunch hour with lunch itself - sushi!

yummmmmmm! 

Syd's dad and I traded weekends, a switch prompted by Mother's Day that worked out perfectly given that Dillon arrived here in Cinci tonight! It was just in time to head north to Soccer City, where I'd obliged a last minute request to sub in for Becky's team.

This was Becky and me for the few hours we were there:

goalie / forward

This was the boys [Mike, Dillon, Rob]:

sidelining with popcorn... 

Again, this was Becky and me:

doin' work...

And THESE were the boys:

for the record, they got it. hahaha

All in all, a pretty solid night - there was even a PK that I was able to stick in the lower right - I have to admit it felt pretty good to get some laces exactly where they were meant to go :)

pre & post pk! 

The hilarity continued after the game:

you don't wanna know... hahaha

I'm so excited that Dillon made it here safely - it's about to be a great weekend!

xo | cmd

CLIF. BARS.

Guys, I wasn't kidding yesterday when I said I was going to buy Clif Bars in bulk today:

that happened.. 

FOUR DAYS.
I leave in FOUR DAYS.

panama! 

See you in a few days, Panama!

xo | cmd

Coffee, Pills & Trail Mix.....

How's THAT for a semi-intriguing, far-misleading click-bait title?!

But seriously.

Today started off with coffee and breakfast from Community Blend, because a) I'm obsessed with that place, and b) I wanted something outside of our parking lot options [aka, Kroger or McDonald's]. Win? Win.

ten thousand villages @ community blend!
cincinnati, oh 

^ One other thing that I love about CB is their partnership with Ten Thousand Villages, an organization advocating for fair trade artisans and their work. Their shelves are always politely adorned with the work of a artists from a specific country.

Which reminds me..... I'M GOING TO PANAMA IN FIVE DAYS.

That brings me to the pills part of this: Don't let that tricky tagline get ya... Yes, I've been on a pill regimen for the past like, 12 days or something like that... but they are malaria pills and I am taking them so that I don't get malaria.

Today I celebrated the taking of the LAST pill in that set, and swallowed it down along with the fervent hope that these suckers will do their job and keep the virus at bay.

malaria pills.. done and done!! 

Lastly, I stopped at REI for a reason completely unrelated to Clif Bars, but walked out with two of them anyway because they are the featured bar of the month now at REI. That probably means nothing to most of you, but given that they're typically in the range of $1.35-$1.50 each nowadays, finding them for $.98/ea is a no-brainer. Say hello to what I'll be coming back tomorrow to buy in bulk:

clif bars.. subaru... guys, i am so rei right now..
... hahaha :p 

And there ya have it; I'm going to Panama in 5 days, and am tying up all the loose ends as I can each day.

Please, please please continue to pray for this, for me and for my team.

That's a wrap, folks!

xo | cmd

Wednesday Is Gear Day...

The best part about ordering things online is undoubtedly the day that you get them. It's even better when what you ordered is exactly what you wanted, the shippers got the order right, and even when you've guesstimated {<really? No autocorrect? Guesstimated is a word?..Huh...} the sizing of something, it turns out to be just right.

Today was a day of receiving many of the things I've recently ordered; things I've needed for a while now, but have pushed off until there was really a need to get them. That need of course: Panama.

timex :) 

So my WATCH is here! I was iffy about getting a white one, since I've traditionally always gone with black, or gray... or.... black or gray.. for those types of things.

I rendezvoused at REI [& didn't buy everything I saw!] with Becky after work for a quick browse through some of the smaller stuff I was going to need: a bowl, plastic ware and miscellaneous small things.

$15 say what? have we gone mad? 

^ Oh, and just a sidenote, NO.. I did not buy that bowl. I'm going into a mountain for like, 4 days. I don't need a $15 bowl. I found and purchased 2 non-flexy plastic bowls and two plastic sporks for under $7. There is no reason to buy one of these for what I need now. Just.. sayin'. Just because it's at REI does not mean you should pay REI prices, folks. REI, I still love you, but c'mon.... :)

We tested out  a two-person tent..

^ We vote sleeping pads if you're planning to sleep on the floor of a store.. haha :)

We finished there and headed out to the cars, where Becky surprised me with THIS!

sawyer!!

^YIIIEEE! Those little guys are lifesavers in filtration. Small & compact, easy to use and super effective when done correctly. It of course was on the list of things to get for not just Panama, but for other ventures into the woods that are starting to dot my Summer calendar already. THANK YOU, BECKY!!

After REI, we met up with Rob for dinner at El Rancho, and then parted ways before the winter storm that's been looming over us started to settle.

haha, love her.

At home, the socks I'd ordered were waiting. They're among the pricier things I've done so far, and honestly I probably didn't need to binge on them, but again, I was trying to think big picture and not have to do this later. Kinda solid logic, right? :/

I'm checking things off this Panama list like mad here lately. It's all coming together, and although my bank account is raising its eyebrow at me, I'm preparing for long-term things, too. I still need a new hammock and tent, but those are things that aren't necessary for Panama, so I suppose they'll wait. :)

I'm overwhelmed by the amount of support I [and we, my team!] have received over the last several months for this trip; Please, please, please continue to be in prayer for us! We're within a couple weeks of departure, and would greatly appreciate it!

xo | cmd

Open House & Painting!

So yesterday, I was too caught up in sharing my excitement over Kalyn's birthday to touch on the fact that Carri and I left the office around 2 am today, after an all-nighter preparing for our office open house. Yeah... that was today.

I have to extend a huge note of gratitude to Rob, for coming along as well to assist in the late-night set-up of our space for today. Between hanging streamer's from the ceiling, posting all necessary signage, cleaning the cabinets and ensuring that all the necessary amenities were in their rightful places, it was an effort we had underestimated, and therefore were left at the last minute to accomplish. 

So to say that Carri and I were dragging a bit today was pretty fair. I think we did pretty good up until the early afternoon, when the flow of traffic finally started to slow down, and the day showed signs of ending. There was a lag period of a couple hours between the meat of today and its end, but that wasn't all there would be to it. 

cori. carri. elisa. 

 

Whew! MANY thanks to all who attended today's open house and proved our hard work's worth! It was a huge undertaking, but it was a success in the books and we all had a great time. Thanks again!

A while back, Elisa and I had arranged a surprise for Carri's birthday. We weren't initially certain what to do, but an ad on Groupon caught my eye one day for a Paint Night, and there really wasn't a second thought to it. We signed up for it, and scheduled it for tonight [originally, our open house was scheduled for yesterday, but schedules have a way of challenging us, amiright?]

So we closed up our office and made our way just up the road to Rookwood, where the class was set up in the back room of the Rookwood Pub. 

Ummm... WHY haven't I done this with friends before?! I am no artist, at least not visually the way my mom, sister & several friends are [no, I am much more successful at expression via literary & needle-based crafts.. haha]. It didn't matter, because the class was purposed as a relaxing outlet, with plenty of room for individual interpretation. Love, love, love. 

Well, that being said, the day is actually over [entirely] now, and there is a bed calling my name.

It's more my body screaming to go to the bed, than the bed calling me, but either way, that'll do for tonight. Thank Heavens tomorrow is Friday!! 

xo | cmd

Gearing Up!

I got out of work early and must've blacked out... 

uhhhh..

Okay, so what really happened is that I got out of work a little early, and decided against my more rational judgment to make a quick stop at REI for a couple of things for the weekend.

Things that are wrong with that:
1. There is no such thing as a quick stop at REI.
2. Don't get me wrong, I love the REI co-op and wholly support its mission, but myyyyyylanta the inventory is heinously overpriced. THERE, I said it.
3. I dropped some decent dough and an hour of my time on what I told myself would be a quick stop.

Meh.
I got what I needed there and made a couple more pitstops before heading home. Rob stayed up later than usual doing final adjustments to the boat for the weekend, and we've voted on it being a low-key night. I have to stop in at work for a bit tomorrow before we head to East Fork Lake in the afternoon, so that's reall all we have to report from here for today.

IT'S THE WEEKEND!!!

xo | cmd 

Back In The 'Nati : DAY ONE :)

QUESTION: Would I bleed for a friend?
ANSWER: YES! 

congratulations, eric & becky!

Here's the scoop on that one: I got a mass LinkedIn email from an old colleague of mine back in Cincinnati requesting the presence of all friends and family at a blood drive. Well, not just any blood drive; this particular friend, Eric, is part of the marketing team for Hoxworth Blood Centers in Cinci, and is slated to get married[!!!!!] not this, but next weekend. [[CON-GRAT-ULATIONSSSSS!!!!!!!]] They got creative and arranged a blood drive challenge in honor of their wedding, and as it so happened, I was both eligible and available to donate today, so that.. is.. what I did. Congrats, again to my friend Eric and his bride-to-be! xo!

******************

QUESTION: Who suggested lunch at Ban Thai today?
ANSWER: Ladd :).

ladd.

I've known this kid for ages now, and while that is sometimes both a bad and a good thing [usually dependent upon the day and/or topic of conversation, lol], he is a friend for whom I am deeply grateful on many levels. It was a great day to catch up; Becky and I stopped for lunch in Eastgate, and the three of us chowed down on some thai food before heading out our separate ways. I truly do revel  in catching up with old friends, and sometimes there are none better than the best.

******************

QUESTION: How on EARTH did I fail to get a picture of Becky [and not the above-mentioned Becky - just to clarify] & me?! My favorite [and only] college RA, with whom I'm still very close, hung out for a larger part of today and I didn't get one single stinkin' picture of us - HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!
ANSWER: Oh, that's right, because we were too consumed with squealing and rummaging like wild coyotes through the new REI in Rookwood.


hello, new rei!

Becky and I decided to take a jaunt out to Rookwood [neighboring the old stomping grounds of Norwood, aka NorHOOD, aka the Village of the Fantastic Fifteen-or-so of us that ran that place like the playground it was...hah]. The brand new REI is among a handful of business that have ventured into regions I used to call home, after I left there. Naturally. Haha. There's now a Jungle Jim's over in Eastgate, too, and that both excites and infuriates me for that very reason. Haha. So anyway, I witnessed my dear friend Becky audibly squeal in a way that made her resemble the girly-girl that she so clearly is NOT, for just a split second or so. She cracks me up. We spent plenty of time browsing, even trying on some potential wish-list items, but left empty-handed. Oh well. Probably better that way, for the sake of my closet. Anyway, it was amazing, and mark my words, I'll be back.

******************

QUESTION: What's the best way to combine watching one friend's band play while celebrating another's going-away?

ANSWER: Silverton Cafe. Duh. (:



brother bear!
[good luck, nader, on your next adventures...
... in jordan ... with grueter! we'll miss you!!]

Nader is packing his bags and heading to Jordan [as in, the country] to work alongside our other friend Jamie. Hard to believe, but super-cool opportunity, and even cooler that I was able to see him on his last weekend in the states for a while. Nader & Jamie comprise half of what we affectionately coined as The Twigs [Jamie, Nader, Matt, & Nalom], so it is with some sadness that I watch them disband and pursue this whole life thing. Love those fellers.

singin' the niiiiiiight away...
[ladd & keith]

Keith's band was slated to play tonight at Silverton Cafe, so I agreed to rendezvous with Nader, Matt, Melissa, Keith, Laura and some others for an evening of unwinding and celebrating some next steps and some downright fun music. I opted out of Midpoint tonight, but perhaps I'll head that-a-way at some juncture tomorrow. We'll see.

Major, major thanks to my amazing mother-in-law for keeping Syd for the day - it is so good to be home to see you, too. We've MISSED you, Mamaw.... ♥

[Backdated entry]. Oh, dear Cincinnati.
It's still home.

xo | cmd