PENTATONIX & US THE DUO!!!

This is definitely back dated, and I am definitely still geeked out. #notsorry

& 

When I found out that PTX was coming to Cincinnati, I lost all impulse control and immediately knew I was going to this show. I didn't care if I went alone; I WAS GOING. Fortunately, I didn't have to go alone, because Rob is awesome and knows full-well that they've been on my bucket list for years now. 

And then I found out that Us the Duo was opening for them... and if there'd been any doubt before [let's be clear, there wasn't], this was the surefire confirmation that I would be in that crowd. 

And so we bought tickets. And so we went... and this is the totally amateur photo+video [because no I will not be that person out there with an L lens resting on your-head-in-the-row-in-front-of-me's head to get the picture. 

I wrote an instructional, if you need it. Lalallaalalala, GO: 

First things first, you obviously go out and buy an item of clothing that you didn't see yourself ever wearing before. You do that impulsively, because you're impulsive, but in your defense just staying consistent. ;) And then, you take a bathroom selfie because you've also curled your hair, donned the fancy septum ring and in your head you've absofreakinlutely nailed the cut-in on that smirky right eyebrow [but did you? nobody knows, or cares]: 

ready! :) 

^ For the record, it's the floral jacket that I never thought I'd like, let alone own. But hey.. when in Rome Cincinnati... sure, whatever.

STEP TWO:
Get there, and get a head-to-toe capture of this outfit that still has you questioning which VH1 commercial dropped you off into it. You don't care, because you're at the PTX show. 

and the empty corbett pavilion.. whoa! 

♥ embrace that front facing camera... embrace it ♥

Drink boxed wine. You've never done that before, so do it at the show you've waited 9 years to see.
And eat the weird chip things, too. They're actually.. not bad? 

try. the. new. things.

See how long it takes you to run into someone you know. It didn't take me long at all this time around; Tim & Chris were just a couple rows behind us! 

hey guys! ♥

Next: After you're done with the preliminary formalities of concert-going [see aforementioned 'boxed wine' & 'friends,' also merch table perusing and consumption of overpriced event food], you get to take a bajillion photos and videos of the actual show. It'll look like you're having legitimate seizures through all the shaky video footage, because maybe you are or are not happy crying and barely keeping that phone focused. It's a steep price to both enjoy the show and capture your own footage to review later. 

PICTURES: 

us the duo!
michael & carissa 

ptx!
avi. kirstin. scott. mitch. kevin

♥♥♥♥♥

I realized mid-way through PTX opening that my regular camera has a lighting adjustment that worked far better than the IG camera.. womp womp. Better late than never, yeah?

pentatonix & us the duo | jolene

avi is leaving ptx and we literally all hate it. 

Recap: It's been a long, awesome day. 

a thorough progression of this day:
am, pre-show, showtime, post-show

Back to work tomorrow! I hope it's a wonderful week for all of you! 

xo | cms

Canoeing, Kayaking & Tim McGraw!

Today started with a few quick errands, then it was back to rendezvous with Rob and Jesse to head out to Harrison for a day on the water! We met up with Jessica, Bumper, Andrew and his brother Will, then continued on to find a couple of Jessica's other friends Phil, Liz and Alicia. The lot of us loaded up on the bus and made our way down to the livery, where we stocked our canoes and kayaks with goods for the day and launched out onto the river!

perfect day for a new hat debut! 

Off to the water!! 

jesse

my favorite guy ♥  

andrew, jessica, will & bumper in the water swimmin' 

bumper & will 

go bumper, go!

hangin' out with panama jack :) haha

slow down and enjoy life! 

bumper! 

one of many beaches

jess, bumper & andrew 

jesse

captain bumper!!

cute little paddler!! 

so freakin' cute! 

he hopped up with us for a bit - heya! 

diggin' these guys! 

in love with that guy! 

love love love. 

liz & bumper

more fun on the beach

Eight miles after drop in, we pulled off the river and dragged ourselves back to the car. It was a quicker-than-expected 45-minute drive back to the homestead, with a quick stop off at Eli's BBQ first. We opted not to stay and eat due to the wait time, but did get to smell the flowers & soak up some of the simple stuff :) 

We headed up to storage, grabbed the boat and headed back down to the boat ramp. Jessica and Andrew were waiting, and in no time, we were all geared up and en route to Riverbend for Tim McGraw.

the persian cat because the glasses don't fit my face... face. 

riverbend!! 

jesse and me.. after about 20 attempts between
3 of us to get the "right lighting" with the flash.. haha

concert time! 

perfect ending for the perfect saturday night! 

Jessica and I finally wore out, and took advantage of the warmth from the cuddy; so we wound up falling asleep there and apparently snoozing through the rest of the night until we pulled off the river..

welp... haha.. there's that. 

PERFECT. SATURDAY. IN THE BAG!

That's a wrap, folks!

xo | cmd

Luke Bryan.. From the Water!

Trish and I rendezvoused this morning for an attempt to find a church that spoke to us.

I wouldn't call it a successful mission, but we finally landed at Crossroads in Oakley that, despite its massive size, provided a much-needed refresher on life, our purpose in it as it related specifically to work, and just some quiet time between the music to reflect on it all.

You'll never know until you try it. It's a beautiful facility, just a little too much for me.

Back at home, Rob was up and ready to go, so we opted for a run out on the river. A week or so back, Rob and one of his work buddies had taken the new boat out for a spin, which was perfect, considering his friend is a seasoned traveler of the Ohio. It was our turn today, so we loaded up and dropped in just past Eli's and opened up the Baja for an afternoon on the water.

little river cruise

Jessica & Andrew joined in soon enough, and we were off down the water for a quick bite at Ludlow Bromley. Then it was back on the water; we decided last minute to anchor down on the waterside of Riverbend, where Luke Bryan was playing night 2 of sold out shows. I've never attended a Riverbend show from the river side before, but I loved it and will definitely consider doing it this way again.

hey girl, hey! 

the back side of riverbend

captain! 

The sunset on the water is amazing in and of itself:

love. 

We'll be back, yes we will.

river panoramic! 

I'm looking forward to waking up refreshed tomorrow for work, not drained from sun exposure and swimming. I could get used to this!

xo | cmd