Panama Panama Panama!

Tonight I had the honor of meeting again with the #SonRisePanama2015 team; we are plowing right ahead into our preparations for Panama. I gathered with Chris, Quinn, Marissa and Aaron around the TV that would transmit nearly an hour's worth of Skype communication with Talsy Vega and her son Chris, who are our Panamanian counterparts, preparing for and awaiting our arrival there as well.

I am pacing myself with this preparation, but can't seem to contain the excitement [and really, why should I?! Haha] A huge thank you to the Vegas for their time tonight speaking with us.

As we continue inching closer and closer to our departure, I ask that you continue [please!] to pray, pray, PRAY for us! This is a mission to continue the work of those before us, and pave progress for those who will revisit after us. Bottom line, folks - we're going there to teach, encourage and share. We are going to be challenged, used and changed as a result. I can't wait (:

I left the meeting with some added understanding of our purpose and itinerary while in Panama, and when I arrived home, there was THIS:

yay!!!

^ It's here! I had to finally renew it, but it's HERE! One less thing to check off the list [& it feels... awesome!]

Panama, we'll see you soon! ♥

xo | cmd

Italian Skypes!

I had a Skype date with [The REAL] Slim Shady tonight! 

marianne!!!! 

Hey, she said it, not me. haha. Seriously though, if you didn't know, that's MARIANNE! And she's in Italy! And..... it's like 4am her time, and we just finished up talking.

For a Wednesday, I didn't have any extravagant things to report, but to say that I'm grateful for the conversation with Marianne today is a fair - and more than adequate - thing to be celebrating today.

If you've any interest in checking out her journey right now in Italy [and if you like being inspired!], check it out HERE. I really recommend that you do.

Oh, and while you're at it, maybe add in a prayer or two for that girl, for the mission she's on and for her safe return home in just a few short weeks. Love you, Mare!

xo | cmd 

OK, I Lied [About Being DONE]

It's true. I think I may have overstated myself yesterday when I said that we'd finished all things Christmas. This has now become a nearly 3-week affair for us, but I'm not complaining! ;)

First came the work day: The girls and I came in full force at the office today, and seemed to all have the same idea: NEW YEAR, NEW EVERYTHING. Our first order of business was cleaning and rearranging each of our spaces, something that kind of speaks for itself in ushering in the aura of new. It's refreshing to switch things up, de-clutter and in a way just re-calibrate the zen for the space we occupy for 45+ hours each week.

So there's that... and to round it off, we ordered a supply trip to Office Depot & lunch at Fresh Thyme.

fun times at fresh thyme! |  cincinnati, oh

^^ You know you're an adult when office & market itineraries can actually excite you. Hah :p.

Anyway, today was a progressive lineup of awesomeness; once work was finished, I picked up Sydni and we headed home to get started on dinner. More specifically, Sydni's mission statement for dinner:

"Mommy, I wanna surprise Mister Rob with dinner
because he is always doing stuff for us." 

Say what, little heartstring?! Of course we will.
I gave Sydni reign of the recipe book, and she decided on chili. Have I mentioned how much I love this girl?

Chili it was!

chili! ♥

Sydni's chili recipe hit the nail on the head, and with bellies full, we dialed in for the highlight of the night: MORE Christmas presents!

That's right, Santa made a stop over Christmas to Rob's mom's house, specifically for Sydni. Now that she and the presents were both here, we wanted to share that with his mom.

it continues..... 

Here are the spoils of that adventure:

skype! 

fuzzy coats!! 

the coats not being hugged ;) 

dresses

and of course, shoes! 

All presents aside, I am so grateful for Rob's family. His mom & stepdad are continuously thoughtful and have a blast thinking of things and places that Sydni would enjoy. His dad & stepmom are the same, and his step-niece Ella now has a new friend with Sydni. There are a lot of families that clash against the choices of their son or daughter, but I'm fortunate not to have that problem. My parents love Rob, and vice versa, and that alone is enough for me :)

And NOW.. I think Christmas is complete. I'll keep ya posted if I'm wrong... again. ;)

xo | cmd

"Woot WOOOOT!"

Because I had to...
["Mik-Mik-Mik-Mik-MIKE!!"]


... & because Rob sent me this earlier this morning:

[Love him. The camel, too, but I meant Rob. Love him more ♥]

Today was in fact hump day... the good ol' mid-week that took its sweet little time passing by. On the bright side, tomorrow is Thursday and then it's Friday and then I head to Columbus with Sydni to celebrate her cousin Madison's 4th birthday! I'm not complaining, at all. It even rained some during the day; I never really know if it's raining or not out where I live, but... I thought perhaps volleyball would've somehow been spoiled.

Not even!

Kalyn & Keif were at the Reds game tonight off tickets that KP's dad bought, not realizing we had vollyball on Wednesdays, but it's okay. Beth recruited her friend Meg, and I somehow guilted Ladd to stand in as well, and our half-sub team did some WORK! We put up a couple WINS, so that's always a plus, too [Thanks, Ladd & Meg for standing in!].

OH.. and while all of that is just.. champion stuff, the most critical thing I wanted to post today was that Ryan & Octavian's surgery, aka that "Creccianu" [dubbed from a combination of their last names] yesterday was a success, and at this point the recovery is looking fantastic.

loveloveloveLOVE this!! [check out ryan's shirt!]

carrie & molly
happy birthday!

Amen? AMEN.

Also, happy birthday to the cutest pair of twins I've ever known.. and fellow adoptees, Molly & Carrie! I hope today's been fantastic for you girls! [& Congrats again Molly, on your engagement!!]

Today's pretty much been an awesome day. I topped it off with a Skype date with Rob, which has been a saving grace lately; I have no idea why we didn't think of this a couple of months ago, but it's been a recent thing and it's working out great. We're down to eight days until he comes to visit!!

We are all so blessed, all the way around.
I'll dream on that note, tonight (:

xo | cmd

What Would YOU Give.. For Your Best Friend?

At 8:40 AM this morning, Octavian's surgery started, and Ryan was sent back for final prep.

ryan & octavian *

What's happening?

I grew up with a family from my home church in Mt. Vernon. Our families have grown even closer over the years, our parents have been best friends for at least the past six or seven.

Jenni, one of the daughters, is a few years older than me, married to Octavian with two beautiful children. Their best friends Haylee and Ryan, another couple from my home church, have been very familiar names and faces since as long as I can recall. When my mom told me last year that Ryan's kidneys were failing quickly and that a transplant was mandatory, all I could do was pray. And then, via Mom & of course the breaking newsfronts of Facebook, I found out that after rounds and rounds of tests, Octavian was evaluated as a match for Ryan.

ryan, in dialysis :( *

Octavian and Ryan are best friends.
Octavian gave Ryan one of his kidneys today.

It chills me in both an inspirational and terrifying way to see the lengths we will go to for the people we love. I am humbled by Ryan's journey through all of this, and floored by the sacrifice that Octavian is making. I think about this and wonder what I would do if I were called by design to give such a delicate and functional part of myself for my best friend. Would I do it? I want to say yes, but the very thought of it is frightening.

Or at least it was.

Haylee and Ryan keep a blog, detailing this journey through Ryan's dialysis treatments, the struggles they've faced along the way, but more and most importantly the unwavering faith that has fueled them through every single trying day. Talk about motivated. If you have time, read some of it.
Along with their blog, Footsteps Photography captured moments from the bond and incredible story of these two families that moved me to tears when I first saw them.

Jenni posted some shots this morning from surgery prep.

octavian. jenni. ryan. haylee. *

I don't know about you, but while I saw hospital gowns and monitors, I can clearly saw the hope and confidence on their faces. I know they were scared.. who wouldn't be?!

I trolled FB a lot today, to see the updates that both Jenni and Haylee were posting. Finally, just before 3pm, I caught the first post-surgery updates from both, and just about cried:

aaaaaamen!!!

This isn't even my family but I can't help to be floored, yet again, by the miracle that happened today. What an amazing gift, and what a committment of trust and understanding that the there is no risk that can outweigh love when it comes down to the wire.

The last post I saw from Jenni tonight was a picture of her and Haylee, post-op, gearing to head home to rest up and return tomorrow to the hospital. They look exhausted, but gorgeous!

jenni & haylee .. gorgeous! *

Thank you, Haylee, Jenni, Octavian & Ryan for sharing this day with us and keeping us all posted. [My mom is in tears right now!] God is good, ALL. THE. TIME!

With that being said, Sydni and I are going to spend the rest of tonight cuddled up into a our movie and a Skype date with Rob before we hit the hay.

See you tomorrow (:

xo | cmd

*all photos borrowed from Jenni & Haylee!

That One Day, Sunday

I was still half asleep this morning when I headed in to church with my parents. I really didn't even have a late night last night, but I'm fairly certain the week is just catching up to me. I was tired and grouchy for a while this morning, but that started to subside around lunchtime when we found ourselves at a very familiar place: R&M Southside Diner. Call me simple, but their shredded chicken sandwich, while nothing fabulous, has been my single favorite thing from this place since I was about... eight or so. I was pleasantly surprised that as far as I can tell, they're still using the same recipe, and I was not disappointed. (:

hello, old friend (:

On my way out of town, I decided to stop by a place that I haven't actually visited in years, but is a staple memory from my childhood. My mom was the president of the Knox County Humane Society from as early as I can honestly remember, up until somewhere in my early college years. She poured her heart into that place, the operation, the mission and the animals, and I had the privelege of being a very participating part of that experience. I stood next to a veterinarian as he spayed and neutured anesthetized cats when I was only 8 or so. I spent a half day plucking off deer ticks from a rescued stray dog in my garage when I was 10. I could read behavioral signs from both cats and dogs by the time I was a teenager, and I can't even begin to tell you how many small rodent leftovers I cleaned up from having 4 cats of our own. Needless to say, this place pruned me to have the compassion for animals I do, along with the working knowledge of how they behave.

humane society & dog kennels/run

^ Oh, and see that building & the dog kennel? I helped build those. I was about 7 when the construction on the building was completed, but I was in my early teens when the kennels went up, and I very clearly remember my crash course in concrete finishing and "entry level" framing work from the construction. I stopped by today if for no other reason than to pay homage to what really was my second home as a kid. THANK YOU, Mom, for making this a part of my life!

And then, in the spirit of follow-up to the reunion last night, I made a quick round down Yellow Jacket Drive, over those rickety speed bumps and into the loop between the high school and middle school where I spent a combined 7 years of my life. My class was the first to go a full 3 years in the new middle school after it was built. I was almost overwhelmed by the memories that came flooding back when I circled through the parking lots.

mvhs & mvms

It was a little funny, too, seeing those buildings now. They almost looked small compared to the way I perceived them when I actually went there. I very clearly remember the floorplans of both of these buildings, and how much time was spent standing outside the middle school (bottom pic) waiting on the busses... for both the middle and high schoolers. At the risk of sounding stoic, I'll just say that it was, for me, a very humbling and nostalgic experience that I appreciate so much more now that I no longer actually live in Mt. Vernon.

Fast forward to my trip back to Cincinnati, which was followed by an immediate session of editing pictures and unwinding. I don't think I shared either of these pics from a few days back, but I wanted to make sure I did now, since I spent a lot of the evening talking to Rob and hearing these two in the background. He sent me these, of the pups being their goofy selves.

so typical.. stella carrying her food bowl around when she's hungry..
.... & sasha trying to steal it..

Gosh, I miss those two. I wish Rob could bring them with him when he comes up for Labor Day, but I'll be a patient mama, I suppose, and see them both the next time I'm there to visit. For now, it's a Skype date with Rob, and so far I've seen the dogs migrate from couch to couch and curl up next to each other.. and the whole thing just makes me want to be there. [Sad face.]

Anyway, it's getting super late and tomorrow is Monday.....
The GOOD news is:
Sydni comes home to me tomorrooooowwwwwww & we'll spend the entire week together.. and then, this weekend is Madison's princess birthday party.... and thennnn, next weekend is Sydni's 4th birthday party at my parents' house.. + Rob + Cirque show ...

.. I am.. beyond! excited (: (:

For now, SLEEP.

xo | cmd