The Overzealous Me...

So on March 5, long before I took off for a week to the mountains of Panama, I scheduled the monthly career fair for April. Good job, Cori.

It's amazing that even when I know I'm a ragged mess, I can push on when I have to. I don't know why I'm so baffled by my own ability to do that, but I really wasn't sure walking into that conference room today if I had it in me.

Good news, I did.. and Elisa was a sure and steady supporter through it. We celebrated a slow but semi-successful event [thanks to the rain] with lunch at Findlay. The pops of color there certainly appealed to the otherwise mopey feeling that's been lingering in my gut since I got back to planet USA, and I was quite thankful for the cheerful atmosphere.

colors on an otherwise drab day... ♥ - thank you, findlay!
findlay market | cincinnati, oh 

The day closed, and I headed off in search of something I've been hunting down in my head for the past 24 hours: A bilingual Bible. [I FOUND IT!] As I stood at Family Christian awaiting the completion of my Bible engraving, my sister was kind enough to send my phone into a seizure ;) -

... my sister vs. my facebook photo album... haha.. 

I've made it quite clear to her that she must find a way to come along on the next journey out of the country, specifically with me... which will hopefully be with the Vega team back in the mountains of Panama. Can you tell my heart is still aching to be there?!

Dinner.
More rain. 

I'm already over this week :p 

xo | cmd

Snowback Thursday

Ok, Ohio.. We get it.

it's.... march. 

This would've been way more fun if it were a weekend. Or, if we as adults had snow days like all the kids do [ahem, Sydniiiiiiiii...]. Instead, I fired up the Subie and joined what small crowd of commuters there was between home and work. It was a slow crawl, but I made it to the office with just enough time to gather up our gear for the job fair Elisa and I were set to attend.

perfect weather for a trek through the work day... haha

We arrived at the job fair without a hitch, despite the flurries!

there's no business like snow business.... 

It was understandably slower than usual, given the inclement weather conditions. Elisa's reaction to the entire experience was equally-understandable.

i feel ya. 

To warm ourselves up after a chilly morning at OHMJ, we took a short drive a few blocks down to Findlay. where the newest installment of Eli's BBQ was up and running. SCORE.

eli's bbq! 

Back at home, it was the standard drill of activity, especially during the cold days... ;)

the pups (: 

just.. typical night.. 

hers & mini hers ;) 

Another good one in the books. G'Nite for now!

xo | cmd

Hiring & Hummus

We were baaaaaaack at it today! Elisa and I wrote our day around the job fair we hosted with one of our partners downtown, and as usual, it was a great way to start the day. 

happy job hunting! 

Back at home, I got to digging through some recipes for a good, solid hummus. While I've occasionally experimented with different variations, what I would ideally like to have is a go-to that I can whip up without a second thought, and have it as it is, or add to it from there.

the struggle is oh. so. real.

Well thanks to Cincinnati Locavore's tips that I just discovered tonight on their blog, I think I may well be headed in the right direction.

Read 'Em HERE

There's also THIS: 

via THIS page

Give me a couple of days, folks. I'll report back once I've honed in on my new go-to. 

For now, have a beautiful rest of the week, blogbots! 

xo | cmd

Mama's Birthday | E&C Out & About

Today was a GREAT day! 

1. It's my mama's BIRTHDAY!

love you, mama!!

It goes without saying that my mom is my greatest inspiration as a matriarch, and to say she's also the most vibrant woman I've ever known is also a solid fact. She's the best, and for her today I wish the best! Happy BIRTHDAY, beautiful mama! Another year YOUNG! ;)

2. At work, our marketing team [aka, Dave & Carri] hit the road in full force, and I have to say I'm pretty proud to be translating some creativity across the board into work things. Carri & Dave went to town [literally!] with all of this while Elisa and I kicked it into high gear at the job fair. How's that for teamwork? ;)

express-style greetings! 

3. And let's be honest, Elisa and I grabbed some grub+bev after the job fair. Cincinnati, you've outdone yourself again :)

tom+chee! 

+ a pitstop at coffee emporium ♥

furry bike! 

fun fun & fun :)  

We headed back to the office, where the rest of the day flew on and found all of us hanging out [well, working, but you know] well after the 5:00 hour had passed us by. It's the price of progress, but very well worth it].

Whew! :)
We're halfway there, week!

xo | cmd 

Vote | Hire | Eat | Be Merry!

Haaaaaaaappy Tuesday!

How'd you start your day?

vote, vote, vote! 

I did see someone post a note of caution to the uninformed voter, saying that the greatest service he/she could provide was to stay as far away from the polls as possible. I can't say I disagree; I think by now our nation should be fairly aware of what happens when ignorance shows up in hoards to cast a ballot. I did my best to exercise my due diligence today, but must admit that I had absolutely no business siding in/on certain matters, so for those I refrained. I felt a twinge of guilt that I wasn't more educated, since these issues clearly held enough weight to show up on the list, but that didn't excuse me enough to be a voice in a matter foreign to me.

For those of you who made informed votes that reflect your personal and religious beliefs today, THANK YOU!

On to work it was; today was a good day for a hiring event, which is exactly what Elisa and I scuttled out the door en route to SuperJobs.

fall hiring event 2014!

I love these things!

elisa & me..
... and of course our creepy corner-face-sign-guy... 

The job fair was a blast, as they always are, and, as tradition dictates for these things, was followed by a quick bite at Findlay Market just around the corner.

taste of belgium at findlay market. that's a win! 

I've been skeptical of the weather as we progress into the Autumn season; it's either tolerable or flat-out gloomy, which presents quite the Midwest-standard for dressing in the morning [hint: layers]. We were happy to be able to peel off our coats for this one, and enjoyed lunch on the sunny patio in front of Market. On our way out, we each grabbed a different vendor snack for back at the office, and caught a glimpse of some uplifting artwork on the way out:

♥this is otr! 

And yes, it's nearly 11pm and I'm just now finishing up the at-home work to which I committed in lieu of being gone for the majority of the morning. I had the privilege of helping Sydni with her homework earlier, and catching up with my better half on some upcoming transitions in his and my professional lives - I've got it made and I am thankful, tenfold for the day I've enjoyed.

Happy Tuesday!

xo | cmd

Ali's [Actual] Birthday | Job Fairs & FOOOOOD!

Today is Ali's actual birthday.

So dear Ali,
Here's a giant picture of us:

love. her.

And also..

In all seriousness, you are a one-of-a-kind friend, and I frequently am reminded of how thankful I am to have you in my life and to be a part of yours. Who knew you and I would cross paths [thank you, work!] and become great friends? Thank you for being who you are, and for that person being such a genuine, Christ-loving, flat out awesome individual. You'd better have the best year yet!

 

LOVE YOU!

Since I couldn't make it to Illinois to celebrate Ali's birthday, I substituted it with an Express function, which really seems fitting anyway, since that's where we met. Haha.

express job fair!
... complete with creepy face sign... yes ;)

Elisa and I hosted a hiring event today, which meant free range of lunch options afterwards!
Findlay Market was the most obvious choice, so Findlay it was!

hello, findlay!

all of it. give. me. all of it.

yessss!!!

So. Much. DELICIOUS. I need to find a way to get to Findlay more than once every couple of weeks for lunch. It's just too good not to. Noms!!

After lunch, we headed back to the office, where somehow, I managed to complete 3 quick interviews before Lizzy and I turned on our heels and headed right back out for a meeting. Food seemed to be a very prominent theme for today; I walked out of our afternoon meeting holding a very decadent, tiny red velvet cupcake.

red velvet.

Back at the office, the day was nearly over by the time we were all back in one place. It was a nice shift in the routine to be out for most of the day, but I'm also ready to get back in and caught up on what I missed today.

At home, the food craze continued; Rob fired up the grill and I got the oven going. Together, we crafted a delicious dinner and sat around like 3 savages picking chicken off skewers and licking our fingers (: These are frankly my favorite kind of nights..

homemade potato chips?

love that man...

and loved dinner... ahh!

Thanks again, Pinterest, for nailing this one on the head. I put together a cannellini bean salad to pair with the chicken and potatoes; this was a perfect dinner, and I happily checked hungry family off my evening list.

Let's pray this weather stays this gorgeous for the week... yes? (:

xo | cmd

Job Fairs & WCW

It was that time again today : Job Fair Time!


hello, from the job fair!

Nancy & I spent the bulk of the day downtown at the hiring event, which was a huge success! It's nice every now and again to mix up the day and get out of the office. Today was the perfect opportunity for that, and we walked away having accomplished a lot more than we'd bargained.

Wednesday WIN!

Oh, and since it's Woman-Crush-Wednesday, in the spirit of honoring my woman crush... Becky bought us tickets to see HOPE SOLO in a couple weeks at the National game between US & New Zealand... and I... cannot wait.

hope solo. my woman crush. get over it.

Woo! USWNT! Anyway, it's off to volleyball before I'm late... hasta luego, amigos (:

xo | cmd

Ohhhh.. IT'S ON...

Today was my office's first real hiring event, held downtown at the local SuperJobs office. It was a new experience for both my boss and me, but we had a blast and met with some really great people. It's starting to feel like Express again, and I'm super excited to see where we go from here.

nancy & me | hiring event | @ superjobs | cinci, oh

minus beth.. say hello
to hahana's newest party crashers..
backseat sets :p

After work, I headed home to switch clothes, ran a few errands and then saw my best friend for the first time since I flew out to visit her in January.

KALYN'S HOME!!!!!!!!! && She brought Keifer!!

SO, we decided we'd grab some grub at Hahana and scope out the competition for the upcoming season of sand volleyballers. Tonight was 4's and 6's, so that didn't really offer much of an accurate portrait, but we did run into Rob Patterson & his team [totally random] on our way out.

Oh, and along with Beth, we'll be joining the rest of these people starting next week on Wednesday... Backseat Sets are comin' to get ya... hahahah..

I have a feeling this summer is going to be an improvement from last summer, for sure. It's wild to look back just one year and realize the level of contrast between the two. I was so.. unhappy... so not me then, and now? Now, my best friend is back in Ohio, she brought her awesome boyfriend...I have my boyfriend, who I'll see at the end of next week. My family and I have made huge strides in re-connecting.. my daughter is with me constantly, and I have more than I could have ever wanted [just about everything, actually] within reach, or at least sight.

It was dark for a very long time, but I've always believed that blessings come to the faithful.
Stay faithful, friends. It works. HE works.

xo | cmd