Sunday (Oy).

Fact: We were out late last night.
Fact: We were out way too late last night, according to my body....which has apparently become unaccustomed to a) being out late and b) going to places like OTR.... late.
Fact: I feel much older than I am in this precise, physical moment.

Yesterday had its highlights, followed by the unfortunate mishap last night. We came home, crash landed in our beds and let the exhaustion take the wheel. Rob and I awoke this morning to an empty guest room and a farewell note from Taryn & Kenny, who'd left sometime earlier than 10am.

Since our guests headed out before breakfast, we took liberties with any real plans for the day. Rob took to the laptop to research his phone replacement options, and I took to the recliner to watch some Olympic coverage, drink my morning lemon water and snuggle with 145 lbs of dog:

Uh-huh.

Eventually we made it out of the house, got breakfast, did some grocery shopping and retrieved the boat from storage, where we'd left it yesterday. Rob was able to identify the parts that needed repair, and spent the afternoon reconstructing the damaged pumps. As one last public service announcement to any and all of you boaters out there: USE YOUR HEADS out there! We are so indebted to each other when we're all out on the water, for trusting each other to understand and demonstrate basic common sense on the water. Gahhhhh.. haha. I'll stop ranting, but I really hope that you'll go back and read yesterday's entry... especially if you're one of us who loves the water and sharing that fun with others on a boat.

Anyway, it turned into a relaxing day, with plenty of leg room for smaller household chores and miscellaneous things we both wanted to accomplish. We'll cap it off with some more Olympic coverage and call this one a wrap. The work week resumes tomorrow and I'm sure we'll need a good boost of energy to get us both started.

Ciao, blogbots!

xo | cmd

Hometurf Touristin'

Today was our day in Granite, before we head out for LoZ tomorrow. We spent it doing truly touristy things, which made me happy :)

First stop: Breakfast!

d'awwwww ♥

^ Let's talk about how Dillon is actually a really good photographer? I don't know why that surprises me, but I really, really like this one - thanks Dillon!

Breakfast at Weezy's: good, simple, inexpensive food.. and cool stuff on the walls:

pretty cool! 

After breakfast, we found ourselves back at Dillon's; I left the boys to their own devices for a couple hours and set off in search of a dress for the wedding. I mean, I brought one, but let's not pretend I'm the first or only one who's ever done that and then decided to go out and find a different one, if for no other reason than out of sheer curiosity of what inventory the local stores have.

Fact: It's the SAME inventory, because they're the same stores that we have in Cincinnati. But just maaaaybe, it'll be something different!? 

Anywho, I found not one, not two, but FOUR dresses, all of which will be donned at sometime in the next year, I'm sure. I finished up my shopping excursion and made my way north to Alton, where the boys were already a couple hours into the afternoon at Fast Eddie's.

colorful chairs! :) 

Matt, Chad & Karrie eventually met us there, and we continued on to Chubby's down the street..

friends! 

 And then it was the Pub House..

charging my phone from the ceiling? sure. 

The night continued on into the late hours when we finally arrived at our last stop; Kenny & Taryn joined us there, along with Mike & Esther and a collection of other friends. It wasn't a bad way to end the night; this time tomorrow, we'll be in Lake of the Ozarks, and in 2 days, Kenny & Taryn will be a Mr. & Mrs.!

It's gonna be a good weekend, I just know it :)

Cheers!

xo | cmd

Until Next Time, LC

The sun was out and beautiful before we were even stirring today. It didn't surprise us that the day we would be departing would of course be the most beautiful of those we've seen so far this weekend, but it is what it is, and at least it made the offloading process a prettier experience than doing it in the rain.

even the ducks were out and about! 

We rallied together to clean up the boat, collect trash and personal items, and sailed away from our cove back to the marina. It was nearly a 2-hour trip on the houseboat, but a great opportunity to dry off towels and other miscellaneous things that had managed to become waterlogged from yesterday's storms.

sunny day for a slow ride out :) 

We hit the marina and began offloading everything.

we actually had more than this when we showed up.. haha

There had been talks of possibly taking the guys' boats for a final cruise around the lake once we got the houseboat back to the marina, but by the time that happened and we started counting the drive times that lay ahead, we all agreed to take a rain check on it, and promised to get back together for round 2 as soon as possible.

kenny loading up 

It is rare that our leg of the trip is the shortest, but we lucked out this time with a trip home just shy of 3 hours, compared to the 7/8ish hour trip for the Illinois folks, and the 12+ hour jaunt for Mike and Esther back to Florida. We prayed for safe travels (done & done, amen!!) and hopped on the road for Ohio.

We drove... and drove.
And drove.
And arrived at home!
And then I went to WORK. For 2 hours.

uh huh... *sigh. 

It's scary how adult-ish I've become, going in to work on a Sunday evening so that I'm not insanely overwhelmed tomorrow when I hit the floor after missing two full days last week. Haha.

At least tomorrow is the Colombia v. USA USWNT match-up. LET'S GO, USWNT!

xo | cmd

Not All Was Lost

So it stormed last night like I haven't heard it storm for a long time, and this morning we awoke to the leftovers of the storm. Tables, chairs, plastic bins and grill trays were all brimming with freshly poured water, and the mist hung around for a better part of the morning. Despite the early hours, there was already plenty of activity onboard:

that time the boat ran out of WATER... [in the tank]

And this...

old hot dog fishing.. 

It was barely drizzling when we collectively decided to go ahead move the boat to another cove, closer to 76 Falls. Rob and Kenny took off in their boats, while the rest of us enjoyed the view from the patio as Ryan captained us to the new destination.

boys running circles around us

From there, it was a late breakfast and then off again towards 76 Falls where we tied off to a couple of other Bajas and took in the experience of a full-blown boat party.

here we come! 

My Way, the catamaran that took the LOTO shootout title, came coasting through at one point too, which was a sight for all of us!

my way

boat party! :) 

The clouds started to gather again, so we decided to make it an early afternoon and head back to the houseboat for lunch and determining our next moves. With no hiccups in direction today, we all made it back at the same time, fixed up lunch and then spent the afternoon lounging and fishing. The guys and Esther took off on a mini fishing excursion around the cove, which ended just as they ushered in the sunset.

**Fishing pix - others **

I caught an IG capture of it that the Lake Cumberland page regrammed! Small things, I know, but I thought it was pretty cool ;)

thank you, lc!! ♥

The evening hours rolled in, and I found myself parked on top of the houseboat with my book in one chair, and Taryn in the adjacent seat. The gang was preparing to head out to a club for the night, but Taryn and I opted to hang back, a decision I still don't regret.

The stars were out in full force, with a perfectly clear viewing of the Venus & Jupiter Conjunction! It was GORGEOUS!

Taryn and I covered a lot of ground getting to know each other a little better tonight; I've always liked her and while we've spent a good amount of time together in casual outings, we've never really had the chance to dig in and get to know the other. It was refreshing, and I'm really thankful for that time. Thanks, Taryn! :)

The gang eventually came cruising back in, with some fun stories of other bar-goers and lake regulars from the stops they made. We all convened downstairs for a couple more hours of fun, including several hilarious rounds of Heads Up. My apologies in advanced for the video quality. Our double-wide-on-pontoons looks extra classy here too, I know ;).


With that being said, I think we've had enough action for one day.
Good night, beautiful Cumberland!

xo | cmd

NOT NOW, RAIN.

Today's agenda: 76 Falls!

good morning, cumberland! 

We all awoke to Tawny and Ryan on board; the post midnight journey back across unfamiliar waters went off without a hitch, thanks to GPS! We woke up today to a sky threatening rain, but decided to spend it outside regardless of the weather.

good morning, beautiful cumberland :) 

We started out with a little early morning fishing. Well, Rob did. I was mid-page reading through Phenomenal when my Paul and Elisa called, while simultaneously Rob managed to catch a fish with another fish. It was a really strange short series of events.

morning fishing... with fish! crazyyy... haha

By mid morning, we were on the boats and cruising towards 76 Falls. We made a stop off at the marina to fuel up and grab a few essentials, before continuing on to the Falls.

marina 

We finally arrived at the opening of the falls, and carefully navigated our way through strings of other boats already anchored down for the morning. It wasn't a huge cove, but it sure was beautiful!

76 falls! 

We anchored down and spent the early afternoon doing what we came here to do - kick back and relax!

The skies started to cloud over, so we loaded back up and started heading back to the houseboat. We thought we were on the right track, until we realized that Kenny had peeled off and we found ourselves soaring through the lake in the wrong direction, while the sky opened up and rained on us as though it'd never rained ever. Haha. 

We were a little miserable, but once it ended and we were back at the houseboat - and dry, it was nothing but a laugh. We spent the evening grilling out and admiring the local visitors; they came in droves and it made me wonder how Ali would be handling this situation.. haha. :) Turtles everywhere! 

We opted to wait and relocate the houseboat tomorrow morning, once we have some light to navigate our way to a new spot closer to the Falls.

see ya there, rob! :) 

For now, we're wrapping up the day here, listening to the fish flop around out there and hoping it stays dry tomorrow. The radar keeps telling us it's going to be raining all day, but we're hoping for the best and relaxing for now.

Crossing fingers! Goodnight for now, Cumberland!

xo | cmd

Hello, Lake Cumberland!

It's been a while since we woke up super early and were actually excited to be awake before the sun. We had a very important destination to reach today, so it was not only totally warranted, but highly anticipated!

We loaded up, climbed in, and took off..... TO CUMBERLAND! :D

loaded up and car ride crazy! yeeeeshhh haha 

We rolled into the parking lot at the bottom of the switchback hill, where it wasn't long before Mike and Esther pulled up next to us. The four of us got a head start on dropping in and drifting over to the main office to get introduced to the houseboat on which we'll be spending the next three and a half days!

hello houseboat! 

What a fun little hideaway! I mean, it's basically a double wide on pontoons, but there's a hot tub and a waterslide on the top deck, so... yeah..

seven year old cori is extremely excited about this... 

We just started getting settled in when Kenny and Taryn appeared up on the bank, and before long, they'd loaded their boat and weekend gear into the houseboat as well.

snack corner assembly.. haha

on board with this guy! ♥  

We each staked claim to cubbies for sleeping, setting one aside for Tawny and Ryan. The Cumberland staff eventually came to escort us out of the cove into the open waters.

our escort with mike & "captain kenny" 

We cruised for about 20 minutes before we found a spot to anchor up to a shore and took advantage of the time to unwind and settle in..

here we go, cumberland! :) 

mike atop the houseboat
rob's boat on the left, kenny's on the right

We've all been driving all day, so as the sun starts setting, we'll be unwinding and probably calling it an early night. Tawny and Ryan will be here somewhere around midnight-1am tonight, but with any luck, some of us will be asleep by then ;). 

For now, we're here in Cumberland, and ready to go! 

Seeeee ya tomorrow! 

xo | cmd

Friends & Family on Friday

Breakfast out of town is usually a far cry from whatever dietary regimen I'm trying to follow, but I can't say I was upset about some turkey bacon and eggs to get the day started. To top it, we stopped by my old stomping grounds to say hi to a few familiar faces, and the new ones I'd not yet met.

Man, I miss these guys!

oh, how i miss these two! [& the rest of that team!]

We didn't plan it, but it turned out we'd see Marc twice today; we ran into him several hours later at Bindy's. We were set for the afternoon to celebrate Christmas with Rob's mom and stepdad, which provided the final item on Rob's Christmas wish list. We've now got a new acoustic for the house, and I have to say, it's beautiful.

he's in love! 

A couple hours later, we wrapped everything up at Rob's mom's and headed back to Dillon's to decide how to allocate the remaining hours of the night.

Bindy's it was. The crowd started pouring in as it does every time I've seen the place, and with it came Marc, who we just saw earlier this morning, and even Taryn, who was at a birthday party just before stopping through to see us. There were plenty of other familiar faces, which made for a fun [long, but fun] night!

hi jesse, hi taryn! :) 

taryn :) 

random snapchat? 

I'm not even sure who that SnapChat ended up going to, but if I had to guess, it was probably Ali & Damanji. Either way, it's been a night with these folks and I'm happy to have spent it the way we did. I'm also happy to be home for the night.... ;)

That being said, G'Nite!

xo | cmd

Sweetest Day..... And Fried Green Beans

It's a tell-tale sign that I'm in Illinois whenever I review my photographs from the day/evening and undoubtedly come across a capture of fried green beans. I can thank Bindy's for introducing me to these; I'm now an addict and make it a priority to get them each and every time I come back.

yep. 

 ^ I for the life of me can't remember the name of the place we go near Holiday Shores with Dillon where these are served, but that's what happened today when we met up with his dad for some lunch. The rest of the night was spent watching the SuperCross race with Kenny, Taryn, Dillon and Matt, followed by some more exploring and an full circle back to our weekend couch bunks at Dillon's.

Oh, and of course, today is sweetest day, so in lieu of going over-the-top and indulging the card and candy companies of the world on this made-up holiday, I'll suffice to say this:

THIS GUY:

One of my strengths may be writing, but when it comes to adequately describing my

.. appreciation
.. respect
.. love 

for someone, I will fall short of justice even in my most lucid moments of creativity or penmanship. Rob has defied all of my expectations sour expectations, and pulled me out of an emotional gravel-pit that was eating me alive. Through no forced momentum, he managed to earn himself the accolade of my saving grace - in human form. We've so far faced trials we weren't sure we'd conquer, and are now building upon what has been, is now and can be if we stay committed to loving each other in spite of what the world throws at us. We have the same expectations of each other, and for the first time in I-couldn't-tell-you-how-long, I realized that I am an equal in a relationship, not an employee. His heart is bigger than his truck is tall; I don't know if there's a thing he wouldn't do for the sake of our little family, his family or a friend in need - without expecting fame in return. He's empowered me to realize my own strength again, something for which I'll forever be indebted. 

Thank You, my favorite lumberjack, for all the ways you probably don't even notice that make me feel loved, respected and deserving of stability, time and effort. I still sometimes can't believe you moved from Illinois to stand by me, but you'd better believe it means the world and then some that you would - and did. Happy sweetest day! 

*****

I'm gonna get beat up if I keep on with my little e-soliloquy, so I'll leave it at that and wish you and yours out there both a very happy Hallmark-generated holiday [Sweetest Da- well, you get it..]! 

xo | cmd

River Rats

For a split second there, I was sure it would be raining today. We didn't really check the weather for the weekend, but had faith in the elements holding out just long enough for us to be on the water for the majority of this Labor Day Weekend.

We may have wondered what the clouds would hold for the day, but by late morning, this was the starting view:

rob, kenny & the bajas

We departed from Dillon's house, met up with Kenny and Taryn, and loaded the Bajas into the water for a day that would be spent with awesome friends cruising the river.

Dillon & Matt hauled Dillon's jet ski's up to the drop-in in Grafton, so we made our way up river to get them, after picking up Kyle & Jesse. It wasn't long before Rob's mom & stepdad joined in, and from there, the day was at our disposal.

relaxing! 

^^ Jesse took this shot; that's Taryn over there on the right laying out, and I... am pretty sure I was asleep lying on the front of Rob's boat. Womp womp. ;)

After we'd lounged on the shore for a few hours, we voted it was time for food, and found ourselves heading to the Big Kahuna. Oh, and the poor little jetter had to be towed; it looks like an update on some wiring is in order!

poor lil jetter.. 

Finally..... 

front row parking & the bk

I have no complaints on how the afternoon panned out. We eventually all parted ways, and Rob and I headed back to Dillon's, where the three of us parked ourselves on the couch to watch part of the American Ninja Warrior marathon that's been on for what seems like weeks now. It was a toss-up on whether or not we'd actually get out and do something, but we eventually pulled ourselves together and found our fail-proof destination: Bindy's. 

and then there's this.. 

^^ Hahahah.. "It's a satchel. Indiana Jones had one!" - I love this guy. 

And that, folks, is how we're kicking off this Labor Day. See ya back on the water tomorrow! 

xo | cmd