Worship & Winter Walks

First things first, WELCOME BACK, Josh!!

We've been waiting anxiously for weeks for Josh to be well enough to return and take up his spot on the praise team. While we'd adjusted to his absence, having him back today was the best way we could've started the service. Oh, and we brought out the instruments to celebrate :)

we're all here! ♥

rehearsal time :) 

We headed home after church, where I threw in a load of laundry, made a couple eggs and did a quick change to head out for a quick hike with Jess & Bumper.

stella didn't feel like going.. 

i was hungry?

let's go, bumper! 

East Fork was pleasantly quiet today, with the exception of a few mountain bikers and one couple hiking with their dog. Jess, Bump and I took to the Harsha Lake circuit - today was the perfect day for it.

hi jess!

william harsha lake | east fork state park | ohio

(and the masses ((and I)) said yes.)

all the while knowing full well i wasn't going anywhere..

cold but happy ♥

Earlier this morning at church, Chad emphasized the idea that in walking with someone, we have the opportunity to find true transparency. He referenced the amount of time Jesus spent walking - physically - with His disciples. With strangers. With the outcast. With everyone. They walked and talked with each other. Some of the Bible's most iconic characters became such as a result of the relationships they developed while literally walking.

I was reminded today how thankful I was to be present in that moment, with one of my close friends. I'm thankful for her insight, conversation and what she has already given me as a friend. We talked at length about what 2018 looks like for us individually, and agreed that we've both put self-love on the list of things we intend to pursue this year. Self-love. Self-care. Self-inspection. More investing into the things that really fuel us, rather than the things that deplete us.

It's something I'll build on as the year gets underway, but today was a secluded eye-opener as we marched through the woods alongside the frozen stream bed and sunlight. Today though, I'm grateful for the praise team and church family who continue to walk through life with each other, and for my beautiful friend Jess, who walked with me today and obliged real, life talk. I really do have much more than I've earned.

Oh, and I made some banana bread that's Whole30 APPROVED, so if y'all would like the recipe, well.. it's the easiest thing you'll make this week, so just ask :)

It's back to work tomorrow, and I think I'm ready.
January, you're lookin' okay so far. :)

xo | cms

Level UP : Knitting GOALS ;)

#trueeeeeeeeeeeeestory.

Okay okay okay... so I've been knitting a whole bunch so far this year. I spent a few hours tonight working away on the current project for Jessica's grandma, but I discovered THIS somewhere in the middle of my own work and breaks spent perusing social media.

The link has the full deets, but long story short, it's THIS:

want. need. want. need. want. need. 

The lengths to which this gal went to create this blanket seem pretty grueling, and I'll be the first to tell you I don't have my own personal collection of wool [........... yet? haha] to move on this. It looks.... fantastic, though. Add this one to my bucket list of other Pinterestesque ideas that may or may not ever find fruition.

That being said, I'll stick to my individual projects here, pale as they may be in comparison to that behemoth of a creation. If you want in on one, let me know! ;)

#6 & 7 so far this season!
$20/each - i will customize if you're interested! 

Yay, DIY-ers!
G'Nite, blogbots ♥

xo | cmd

Say Something..

 Welcome to the first day of a[nother] blustery winter day here in the midwest..

that's about right.

I believe I'm speaking on behalf of at least three quarters of Cincinnati when I say that I'm over this whole driving-in-snow-in-MARCH-now thing. Don't get me wrong, I love powdery snow, but I like to keep it under my board and not under my tires. //rant.... Be SAFE out there today, friends.

Good news, though - PTX has impressed again with this number. I missed them when they were on their first US tour, but I will see them. Eventually. (: And a sidenote, Avi has got to stop singing like that.. I'm developing a celebrity crush. Haha.

^ While I wish Kirsti would've done less grimacing and more smiling in the video, I am still a loyal lover of all things PTX.

What I also love is the generosity of my bosses; the day was moving at molasses speed, so they cut us loose an hour early. What I don't love is the sinus infection/head cold that's taking over my ... well.. head. I headed straight home and crawled in bed, where I have basically stayed all night. I do not handle being sick very well.

Blah. At least the sun was out today, and from what I hear, it's supposed to be on the up-and-up from here on out. Maybe we'll see some Spring after all (:

xo | cmd

Thundersnow & Icenadoes .. What?!

C'mon, Midwest...

..... calm down?!

We all knew, if we'd heeded at all to the predictions of the Farmer's Almanac, that this winter would be pretty brutal. At least we were warned.

Today I heard a new term: thundersnow. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, although it's pretty self-explanatory in all of its unofficial existence as a real thing. Sadly enough, it's a preeeetty accurate description of exactly what's going on in the Midwest this week. At least it is in Ohio.

We woke up today to roads that looked wet, at most.
Nope. Wet-looking roads this week are actually panels of ice disguised as drivable surfaces. Traffic everywhere was a jumbled mess of brake lights and dormant speedometers, dotted with flashing police lights to mark all of the fender benders. You win, winter.

icy roads. everywhere.

To compound the slick roadways, Cincinnati is presently suffering a plague of potholes. Between the ice and the giant tire-hating gaps, the traffic map I found of just our area alone looks... awful.


looks legit, right?

Need a street view of that?
No problem:

potholes, aka road acne

It's like a game of Frogger out there trying to navigate any local streets without bouncing in and out of these stupid things. Our poor cars :(.

Fortunately, I spent most of my day indoors with the office staff, away from the debachle that is driving around here. Lizzy even bought us lunch, because she's super sweet and generous that way.

perfecto!

^ So maybe that wasn't the best choice considering my fitness goals, but in my defense, I think I managed to at least neutralize the threat at the gym tonight. I'm feeling it for sure today, but in that satisfying way that reminds me this will all be worth it.

Staying off the roads is my mantra today, so tonight it's just relaxing with Rob & the pups.

Be safe out there, drivers!

xo | cmd

Snow Day Saturday

Saturday morning met us with tons.. and tons.. of snow. FINALLY!
- What? How is she excited about this snow?!
Well, let me re-phrase that. I'm not particularly excited to have been hit with another knockout from Mother Nature, but, Sydni is here and today marked the first weekend that we've been able to get out and play together in the snow at our new house! We were suuuper pumped up about that.

But first.. breakfast, which ended with a last minute adventure to try and find sleds. We knew there was outdoor fun to be had today, but weren't exactly sure of what kind. When we couldn't find a sled, we settled on some plastic snow brick molds and headed home.

And the afternoon went like this: 

loved seeing her and her two helpers [not to be confused as any other way]

Sydni became a building contractor today. Who knew?


hands-on management approach
"mommy, stop taking pictures and work!"

The three adults busied ourselves with building the foundation for an igloo, only realizing halfway up the walls that we hadn't angled any of it, so putting on a roof likely wouldn't happen. Instead, we shoveld the yard up into piles around the outer base and turned it into a fort.


jesse & sydni - snow fort building!

Before long..

captain sydni! of the snow fort..
... & her "prisoners"

With our snow fort complete, we decided to build a guard for the property. Ya know, because you can never have too much home security, right?

i again appear to be doing nothing productive.. :/ haha

Rob's enthusiastic response to being drilled by Jesse with a snow block the size of a bucket...

yay, winter! ;)

We constructed our snowman using rubber tubs and buckets; today's snow was more powder than anything else and rolling a ball was just not happening. So we improvised, and then shaved them into spheres [sort of]. In the absence of the traditional carrot and coal, they entrusted me with spray paint to give our snow guy some features.

my job of decorating the snowman

Ok, so he looked a little creepy. That's what happens when you let me do things like this. Haha.

meet our 1-dimensionally-decorated snowman.. haha

Sydni agreed apparently, because within seconds of spotting him, she rubbed off all the spray paint that she could, leaving only the eyes and some grayish colored snow shavings. She named him Olaf [from Frozen]; we topped him off with a hat & scarf.. and he became our yard's new mascot.

jesse & me with syd & olaf!

We have no clue how much time we actually spent outside, but within 20 minutes of going back inside, Sydni and the dogs were both down for the count and napping away.

sweet dreams, meatball ♥

Fast forward through naptime to our second wind, which was visiting Kalyn at work down at Main Street.

main street!

Today's been one of the best Saturday's we've had in a while! It's great having Jesse in town; Sydni has a new best friend now [she's told me at least seven times now that he is her best friend and that she has more friends than me]. Jesse and Rob just left to go explore the town for the night; Syd & I are having some good old fashioned mama-Syd time with the pups.

 

This.. is.. perfect. (:

 

xo | cmd

Monday: Before & After

I've so far refrained from the infamous dashboard pictures that plague newsfeeds everywhere each time the temperatures hit high or low spikes. Today however, I just couldn't help it, as I realized that the longer I stayed out there, the colder it got.

yeah... it's cold.

From what I hear, it's supposed to hit a high today of something boisterous, like... 4? FOUR DEGREES. The midwest is having some serious identity issues this week.

On that note, I'm going to give a naggy PSA for all of you pet-owners out there...

It is ... COLD outside. Don't leave your dogs chained up in this crap outside. It's not safe, and you know it. There's NO excuse to leave our pets outside in this kind of weather. If you think there is a good excuse, then find someone who actually CARES for animals and give yours a better home. That, or you go spend the night outside with your animal and see how much fun it is. Negative something degrees overnights? BRING YOUR ANIMALS INSIDE. (:

We were fortunate enough to work indoors today, and when the day had passed and it was time to head out, I headed to Milford to get Sydni, and we were both greeted with this beautiful picture on our way home:

how great is our God?! ♥

In other good news, my headache and pinching sensation in my neck have significantly subsided. I am thankful for that, but beyond that, that I have a body that is still resilient and can recover itself. I am healthy. AMEN!

And also on that note, I can now officially say that we.. are ALL... in the same house together!!!! Sydni, Rob, myself & the pups - we're all here and we are having a blast. This is gonna be a good week! (:

xo | cmd

Without CAUSE, We Wouldn't Have EFFECT

hello, again, snowy cincinnati
... happy tuesday!

It's winter again in Cinci. To go along with the unexpected surprise of new snowfall, here's a gritty little rant I didn't expect to have today, either. In advance, if you're offended, well... I'm not sorry.

I admittedly lost some sleep last night, as I layed there mulling over some of the inevitable muddle of things happening, things to do, people, more to-do's, life, liberty and the pursuit of whatever it is in this short lifetime that we're all seeking.

I parted ways with my bed this morning with more thoughts than peace in my head [not really a desired balance] and was determined to get it all out, somehow.

It started as a brief thought [birthed and developed during my 9-mile, 48-minute morning snow commute ;)], which I shared as a note of encouragement online. This was the original blurb:

Without our failures, we wouldn't know success.
Without limitations, we wouldn't recognize authenticity.
Without hypocrites, we wouldn't appreciate candor.
Without boastfulness, we wouldn't understand true humility.
Without the valleys, we wouldn't achieve personal growth.
Without conditional behavior, we wouldn't respect consistency.
And without INTEGRITY, we WON'T trust anyone.. even ourselves.

From there, the principle of the whole thing took root in my mind and augmented itself as the day wore on. By the time I found myself back at home, I had a more than ample additions to the initial thought [and no, there is no official literary structure to this one; my apologies in advance to my fellow bookies]:

Without abrasion, we wouldn't become polished.
Without destruction, we wouldn't develop tenacity for fresh starts.
Without dissention, we wouldn't hold individual values.
Without division, we wouldn't promote unity.
Without hate, we wouldn't know to pursue love.
Without experience, we wouldn't exercise discernment.
Without faith, we wouldn't have hope.
Without INTEGRITY, we ARE NOT worth our own word.

I could literally go on... for days, on this topic. I've been struggling the most in the recent weeks with a few select situations in my life, things... and people that I wish would just become transparent, for the sake of not themselves but for the things and people around them that are very directly affected by this. In a world where a professed-Christian business owner puts an icthus on his business card between his name and the company's, but has to lie when unknown numbers call him to hide from his previous company's contact...... the deception expands both internally and externally. The image of Christians as a whole is thwarted by the darkness of selective deception, while on the outside, the over-exertion of effort to create a picture of flawless, humble behavior and lifestyle attracts the accolades of the crowds. It makes me sick, because 1] I've been in those shoes, wanting so desperately to believe I was being a good person, but having to do so by setting conditions to which rules I would follow, and 2] because these actions proactively DESTROY the exact thing we're trying to create if we do them.

Without the full story, we will not see the truth.
Without sheep, a wolf has no wool coat.
Without INTEGRITY, we WILL NOT experience freedom.

Am I being passive aggressive today? Yes.
Do I care? No.

I'm reading over the things I've just written and yes, I know it has a rather choppy flow, certainly not the most connected thing I've ever transferred from my mind to writing................ but here's the thing:

This is real. This is a REAL problem. I don't know if it's because of what I heard yesterday at church [regarding the fine line of destructive pride and genuine humility, thank you, Adam..], or because it's the Christmas season and naturally this is the time when we as a whole water down the meaning of it all in our pursuit of things.... but I have this to say to us, as Christians, non-Christians, HUMANS, during Christmas or ANY other time of the year...... [and I am NOT exempt from this advice..]

ouch...

I hope I am not alone in believing that regardless of who we are or what we do, that it is NOT okay to label ourselves into a category that is defined by the exact principles we are only selectively choosing to follow. That being said, I realize it's a double-edged sword in LIFE, because without the unfavorable alternative(s), we really... honestly... would not know the contrast on which would should focus.

Call this a tired tirade if you want, but my heart is heavy today with the weight of certain people - small people - who are being directly influenced and affected by the examples set forth by these kinds of decisions. Again, I am not exempt from making bad calls. I have, however, learned the freedom of honesty and most of all transparency; I no longer feel the need to please everyone around me, let alone inventory separate personalities for separate people. I'm becoming an open book, for better or for worse, but I know this: I'll own my regrets and NOT repeat them.

Without provocation, we have no motivation.
Without problems, we won't become catalysts.
Without INTEGRITY, well... we ARE the problem.

I am so wholly thankful for the people in my life, especially those that I've hurt... because they were courageous and loving enough to bring it to my attention. Was it painful to hear? Duh... but they were right to do so and I am grateful for it.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
- Prov 27:17

//rant. If this convicted you, the way it did me today, then commit it to your memory. If it compelled you, share it. If it offended you, then you should probably re-read it. And if you find that I am in a position to be reminded of the need for my own transparency, please tell me. I promise I will do the same.

Have a wonderful week, blogbots.
xo | cmd 

It's WINTER.

Ok, ok, ok. It's officially here.
I found this little cartoon online that usually sums up conversations about snow between people who have ever lived through a snowfall of any magnitude.


I work for some very generous people, who decided that in lieu of the worsening weather today, would let us head home early. I managed to snap some momentos of the Christmas tree in our office before we left; Nancy has worked fairly hard on it the past few days and even purchased three owl ornaments, signfying as she stated, the three wise owls of the office [Nikki, Elisa & myself]. We chuckled at how thoughtful it was..

merry {early} Christmas!

We were gone before the 1:00 hour hit; I'm glad, because the roads only slickened [word? who cares...] up as every hour passed into the afternoon.

By the time I got home, the snow was coming down in full force, and naturally that meant that all the people who probably shouldn't be out driving in less-than-favorable road conditions, were.


wonderful wonderland!

Rob and I made what was probably considered a brash, stupid decision to head out into the falling snow to do some Christmas shopping. Why? Because I'm making many if not all of my Christmas gifts this year, and I wanted to start on them... today. I'm an impulse person like that, and luckily for me, so is Rob. We waged war against the slick roads, navigated around fender benders and made our way safely into Hyde Park, where we hit Michael's, Walgreens, the hardware store and the Mexican restaurant all in one swipe.

[& that folks, is how it's done in the midwest...]

So now we're back, and as muuuuuuch as I would love to show you some spoilers of what I've already accomplished, I .. just... can't [because giftee eyes just might see...]! Believe me, it hurts. I love.love.LOVE.. DIY Christmas things, so of course I want to share [not because mine are that awesome, but because I took stabs at several Pinterest-inspired projects and they did not come out resembling distorted lab creations, woo!]... but I suppose that time will come.

We're cozying up with the pups now and ready to relax for the night!

xo | cmd

SNOW DAY!

.... Ok, so it's a Sunday, sure, but you know what... it can still be a snow day. We didn't hate it.

We definitely gave ourselves some good old fashioned cabin fever today. Sydni woke up earlier than all of us.. she was ready to go as soon as she saw the snow coming down in sheets. We all stood around for a few minutes just staring out at the snow covered neighborhood before making the executive decision not to attempt heading out in it for church. It worked for Syd, since her plan for the first half of the day was to stay in PJ's and roll around on the floor with Stella. Haha.

lazy cuddle buddies

I made the signature weekend breakfast for these two yesterday, so today we opted for cereal and toast... and coffee... it worked out just fine. We settled in for a few hours of mindlessness: Rob got on COD mode, Marianne continued in her quest to scour the perfect dyed pixie cut photo off the internet, and Stella found out that she has been granted permission to gnaw on all of NONE of the plush animals in this house. I decided at one point that I couldn't stand it any longer. I wanted to make a snow angel.

So I did.

.. on the deck. Don't judge.

snow angel time

You thought I was kidding, huh. NNNope. Nobody else had any snow gear with them, so while Sydni took a nap, I dug the Spyder suit out of the closet, and once donned from head to toe in snowboard attire, took to the yard and all 7-ish inches of pristine snow with Stella. I found out that when it's Cori vs. Stella in a yard full of snow, Cori is a bowling pin and Stella is a renegade wrecking ball. Stella 1. Cori 0. Oh well. We still managed to have the perfect time romping around for a little while before retreating back into the house.

And then there's [more] photobooth! This time, we captured Marianne in a moment of intensity, the result of some chirpy, pitchy soundtrack on one of the Netflix kiddo movies. I had to agree with her that the arrangement was offensive to pretty much every available sense, but the look of borderline terror mixed with disgust was still funny ;) 

hilarious. love that girl. 

Stella eventually started to go stir crazy, especially after hours on end of being scolded for carrying off some random stuffed animal. She started to fall apart, barking at thin air, when Marianne threw a blanket on her head and stopped her dead in her tracks. My dog may as well have gone temporarily blind. Hahaha..

invisibility cloak?? ..nope... you're doing it wrong.. haha

Hello.... cabin fever.

Hello...... Wal-Mart Run. 

... Yeah, it got bad. We finally decided on a mini-road trip, which was an adventure in and of itself [Rob's truck to tackle the snow + carseat  + beanie nation + standard other walmart clientele? = winnnnning if you're bored on a snow day.. haha]. We made it safely to, and back with some fruit, a few bones for Stella and some other random things. We even managed to get Marianne's car freed from its snowbank and into the garage, while Rob took to the cul-de-sac for some diesel donuts before we all headed back inside. Success. 

Sydni's down for the count finally, and I'm about to call it a night. That stupid thing called Monday is gonna hit me before I'm ready... I already know it. 

Boo. 

xo | cmd

Bowling, Bring IT

Sometimes I like to pretend I'm halfway decent at bowling.

@the bottom..

I think I'm going to take up bowling as a winter endeavor [when the slopes are unavailable]. It's a good way to unwind, and easy to manage during inclement weather. Everyone wins. Except me, after the first game. I dunno what it is about bowling, but I get progressively worse the more I bowl.. not better. Go figure.

That was the scoreboard after an outing with Mo, Jimmy & Becky. Regardless of scores, it was a good time and much-needed at that.

I need to get out more. (:

xo | cmd

First Snow | Eric Visiting

our backyard this morning = first snow

Well we survived the bustle of Christmas visitors, and spent the day yesterday in full-on recovery mode. Today, it was back to work, and quite the malicious first day back, just as a note. This was my Monday, and boy, am I glad that the 8-5 portion of it is loooong gone :).

I am happy and simultaneously a bit bummed that we saw our first snow today. I don't care much for driving in snow, but I do love to play in it; seeing as how it would seem seasonally appropriate, I felt like this delayed first snowfall should've been more than an inch of dust. Plahhhh. :P.

Anyway, sometime earlier this afternoon, Joe texted to let me know that Eric would be en route to our house later in the day for a few days visiting. It was short notice, but definitely good news. Eric is Joe's best friend, and was one of his best men in both our original marriage ceremony and our big, fancy vow renewal. He made it in early evening just in time for dinner, and then it was off to the Joe & Eric races.


eric & joe | earlier this year @ the slopes



By that, for anyone who doesn't know them well enough to assume what would inevitably transpire, I'll fill you in. My husband and his best friend are probably in the top 2% of people in the world when it comes to a spirit of competition. These two have a naturally inborn acceleration that forces them to accomplish a goal no matter what. And I do mean, no. matter. what. I've never seen two people so bent on succeeding at any one thing before in my life. If a goal gets planted, watch out. That being said, the two of them together transforms scenarios of everyday living into a marathon of mini-races.

For example: Following dinner tonight, I left them to their own devices in our still-spacious basement, only to be called down an hour later to find every available object arranged into part of an obstacle course. They'd planned out an instructed course of jumping, rolling, football-catching, hopping, and darting around the basement, and were timing each other through it. Hilarious.

So yeah. Eric's here, and so the visiting company continues. Good times, good times!

See ya, tomorrow....

xo | cmd