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

Tunes & Blooms @ The Cincinnati Zoo

The fact that it was an absolutely GORGEOUS day outside today made it severely difficult to sit still at my desk. That's a good thing. I love the phase between Winter and Spring when the temperatures start to soar; the contrast to snow and slush make the days just that much more desirable.

Becky asked us earlier this week if we'd be interested in joining them for Tunes & Blooms at the zoo tonight, and we had tentatively agreed to attend. I hadn't been to one of these before, and frankly couldn't tell you the last time I'd been to the Cinci zoo. We joined Becky, Mike and some of their friends for a couple hours of great music, even greater company and an all around awesome, relaxing evening outdoors at the zoo.
 
Sydni of course wanted to get her face painted, so I caved and spent the rest of the night on the arm of the most beautifully-decorated little girl in the place. Between our little sidewalk spot and the bathroom, she must've received no less than fifteen compliments on her pretty face, which put a smile on it for the better part of the time we were there (: !

welcome to the zoo for tunes & blooms!

face painting!

my pretty little butterfly

best date in the place

& becky!

syd loves miss becky (:

she wanted to get down and listen to music.. haha

shiny & the spoon

little family jam time ♥♥♥

underneath the kid pile is becky.. somewhere.. haha

dancing with my mini

good night!

This is why I love my city. (:
There is always something to do, be it an expo, community event, concert, market or whatever else that pops up on the schedule. I even got Rob to admit that tonight was awesome, in spite of early hesitations that it'd be more hassle than it was worth. Cincinnati is definitely a place to explore!

Plus, tomorrow's FRIDAY! That can make any Thursday a good time ;)
G'Nite!

xo | cmd

'Twas a HAPPY Friday!

[backdated!]
My boyfriend is visiting from out of town.
He brought me Eli's BBQ at work today and hung out with me over lunch.
Have I mentioned I love this guy?!

eli's on the go. at work. this is winning at its finest. hahaha..

I finished the day at work, and headed home for the weeeeeekend! My staff and some of the other Express offices got together tonight to go to the Red's game; I wanted to go but I figured I should be a good hostess and spend time with Rob while he's here. So we headed out to Oakley to see Keith Stall's band King's Ransom play. I do not regret that decision. (:

oak tavern with my loves!

big brother nader!

he looks scared.. haha. [you should be... grrawr!]

& catie's friend bombing. perfect, all the way around ;)

ladd!

so easily my favorite picture from the entire evening. ♥♥♥.
this defines how i feel about him, in one picture.  

myself. irene. catie. this is a funny one:
we all used to work together at clearchannel.
now irene works with ladd.. & i work in the building irene's last employer vacated.
... & then we all hung out tonight (: small world.

he's mine, and i'm his. and together, we're just.... this. (:

one of my best friends in this city. no lie.

yeah, i drink bud heavy. don't judge ;)

We finally pulled ourselves together and headed out of Oakley and down into OTR. Our initial destination was Neon's or Japp's, but we made a stop at Rheinheist to find Andy, Adam & the rest of that crowd before we did so. Once we finally did get to Neon's, I found Beth!

heya, beth! [volleyball teammate & kp's bestie]

patio jenga. welcome to neon's.

a couple of my favorite guys. that one in the center, particularly ;)

he makes me happy.

So yeah... it definitely made more sense to share that in pictures. I love my friends, and I am so grateful for time we get to spend together. I'm really blessed, in so many ways. Rob has to leave sometime early tomorrow..... [sad face], but I'm not complaining at all about the time we spent together this week.

See ya in the morning!

xo | cmd

Nashvegas!

First things first: Our lovely boss is at it again with her festive sales call gear. With St. Patrick's Day approaching, she is taking full advantage of a costume into which none of us could fit; she wears that sucker well.....

our little leprechaun!

She's hilarious.

Anywho, so last week, we went to see one of Ali's friends [Kali] in a theater production over at McKendree. Well, she's also an artisan. She made a couple of rings for Ali and Marianne; it was for this reason specifically that we made a trip down to Nashville [IL; don't get too excited ya'll...] tonight.

Check out these wire rings!

borrowed from fb ;) | "A" & "M" .. by Kali

Pretty awesome.. and they looked even cooler in person. So... Marianne & Ali met me at my house and the three of us headed off in the direction of Nashville, IL. I'd never been, and neither had Marianne. It was instant hilarity as soon as we hit the exit and started heading into the heart of Nashville. Well... first you have to pass through Little Nashville, which is essentially just a cover page to the actual Nashville: an adorable little town that embodies that podunk feel that I personally just...love.

Not to mention, there is a KROGER there. For all you Ohioans who thought I may've been totally jipped moving to IL, nope... there's a Kroger in Nashville, IL. Sure, it's the size of a Dollar General here, but it's a Kroger no less, and that alone made me happy. 

wahhhh!!! illinois kroger??! .... score.

Oh, and there are enough yachts for sale on one strip of highway to fill up the empty parking spots in the field dealership lot of the neigboring tractor dealership. Marianne was convinced that every silo we passed was filled with poop, as opposed to grain, feed or really anything else, and I quickly decided that if there were to ever be a fabulous yacht club, Nashville IL would...... probably not be... that place. Heheh. I'm really not poking fun, because I grew up in the country and I didn't hate anything about that place. Plus, it produced Ali, and this world would be a bit more dim without her. Everyone wins.

We ate at this place called Girolamo's, which is pronounced something like Gironamo, if for some reason you thought it was like Gyro - Lame-o, like we did when we saw the sign. Luckily, Ali had mentioned the name beforehand, but all I can do is laugh now at the fact that my mind is only recalling the name when I think Gyro-Lame-o. Sorry Nashville. haha.

clover marianne drew | heated conversation
yachts of nashville | girolamo wall art, aka marianne's new home | map of italy 

Oh, and Girolamo's is an Italian joint. It's a really good Italian joint.
I don't have many words for the conversation[s] that ensued over dinner, but what I will say is that it's been a while since I laughed that hard.

A few gems that materialized out of our visit to GIROLAMO'S [and shortly thereafter]... in NASHVILLE, ILLINOIS:

- Marianne self-enrolled herself into an arranged marriage. FRANK, aka SIR to those of us who are not from Nashville, kindly agreed to keep his eyes peeled for a legit Italian boy, in Italy, to whom Marianne will probably be married and live a long and prosperous Sicilian life.
- I recognized the danger of trying to execute a genuine laugh with a mouthful of 7-UP and an ice cube. It WILL end up in your nasal passages and it takes an exorbitant amount of self-control to keep it from coming out of your nose.
- Ali knows everyone... in Nashville, IL.
- Dairy Queen delivers ... in Nashville, IL.
- Marianne's hair can be transformed into the doppleganger styles of: Jimmy Neutron, Carson Dailey, Cogsworth [the clock from Beauty & the Beast], Tim Curry from the original 1985 production of Annie, Goku, Ace Ventura, Wolverine, Steve Carrel, and the much more unfortunate Hitler. It's... amazing.

angry opossum... possum... blech

- We are officially forming a band. Since Rebel Wilson already thwarted the name Fat Amy & the Chubb Chubbs, we may very well go with Ginger & the Re-Re's or something equally-babblish. Oh, and I'm slated as the interpretive dancer for this project. Our first album's going to be a re-make of Lion King. Haha....

- Opossums and possums really are not the same exact thing [thanks, Google], but we'll go with opossum, because it seems trickier, and because we almost hit one tonight. Apparently, Marianne has a pre-conceived vision of these things, and folks, it ain't pretty.

- One of these two things happened in real life: [Setting the scene: A woman came in, clad in a nylon jacket, on the back of which was embroidered the very large, very colorful banner of the 2004 FOOSBALL CHAMPIONSHIP] - Either A) There really was a national championship tournament somewhere in Missouri in 2004 and she earned that jacket.... or B) she bought that somewhere and was just giving us false hope that she may be some sort of local celebrity..... haha.. either way, WICKED cool jacket, but it definitely begged the questions [& prompted further hilarious conversation] in the rules and bylaws of said foosball championships.

these things really exist; i checked ... lol...

Yeah.. that's something I'll have to research later......
.... anyway, we stopped by Ali's mom's house [hi, Mom!] to see her for a bit and visit with her before we made a drive-thru run at DQ... and headed back to Shiloh.

All in all... a.... great.... night. These two girls are a wicked good time (:

Time to go stare at the back of my eyelids and choreograph my routine for the opening scene in Lion King.

;) ... See ya'll in the morning.

xo | cmd

Pumpkin Chuckin'. OWLS!. Bluegrass | Asian x2!

Today was something of a random day. I know that's surprising. Haha.

It started off with my trekking down to Catie's place and heading out together to one of Cincinnati's park areas for a Pumpkin Chucking festival. It wasn't a huge production, but everything you could possibly need on a chilly Saturday was all in one spot: Hot chocolate, apple cider, grilled cheese, burgers, midieval trebuchets for pumpkin launching, an owl, a falcon, a goat & a sheep, and most importantly, one of my best friends playing some mean fiddle for a live bluegrass rundown.

+ I hugged the sheep. Let's be real, he looked warm.
Like I said, slightly random. But awesome.


owl! i almost stole him. | cincinnati

catie & her band! loved loved loved it | cincinnati

trebuchet for pumpkin launching | cincinnati


Once we were cleaned up from the perpetual dew that still hadn't burned off by the time the morning was over, we tailed it to Eli's BBQ [recommend!!] for some true pit BBQ, before we all split off on our separate ways for a bit. 

not even a hard decision. this place is amazing. | eli's bbq | cincinnati

>> Insert Nap. 
+ in a hammock. (:

Becky and I decided it would be a good idea once she was off work to head up to Kenwood to grab some coffee and then to Norwood for a window-shopping visit to REI [who does that?! Oh wait, we do..]. It was a successful mission until we started digging in to our personal lives and spilling onto each other all of the things that move us to the core. As Becky happens to be one of my closest friends, it wasn't hard to give her the raw, unaltered version of my life in real time, but not without the consequence of a few tears. We drove all over Hyde Park, O'Bryonville, Madisonville, Norwood and Kenwood in search of food that sounded good, but landed ultimately right back at The Comet in Northside. Go fig. We managed to pull ourselves together, grab some food, and head back to her apartment. She left to go have a slumber party with her aunt and uncle's dogs [sitting, yeah!] while they're out of town, and I managed somehow to put myself into a presentable shape for dinner at Sung Korean [another recommendation] with Catie & Jen.

jen & me! | otr.cincinnati

^^ Would you look at that? There's another Asian girl around these parts! Haha. I joke, I joke. I only say that because of the circle in which I typically ran the last time I lived here, it was myself and my two dingo brother bears and that was the extent of the Asian presence. I always thought it would be nice to have some mocha estrogen around, so as it stands now I'm pretty stoked to have JEN, who, in a streak of awesome coincidence, is Pinay, too. Bah-riiiiing it. Haha. I'm joking. (:

I love these folks.
Blessed, yeah.

xo | cmd

Back In The 'Nati : DAY ONE :)

QUESTION: Would I bleed for a friend?
ANSWER: YES! 

congratulations, eric & becky!

Here's the scoop on that one: I got a mass LinkedIn email from an old colleague of mine back in Cincinnati requesting the presence of all friends and family at a blood drive. Well, not just any blood drive; this particular friend, Eric, is part of the marketing team for Hoxworth Blood Centers in Cinci, and is slated to get married[!!!!!] not this, but next weekend. [[CON-GRAT-ULATIONSSSSS!!!!!!!]] They got creative and arranged a blood drive challenge in honor of their wedding, and as it so happened, I was both eligible and available to donate today, so that.. is.. what I did. Congrats, again to my friend Eric and his bride-to-be! xo!

******************

QUESTION: Who suggested lunch at Ban Thai today?
ANSWER: Ladd :).

ladd.

I've known this kid for ages now, and while that is sometimes both a bad and a good thing [usually dependent upon the day and/or topic of conversation, lol], he is a friend for whom I am deeply grateful on many levels. It was a great day to catch up; Becky and I stopped for lunch in Eastgate, and the three of us chowed down on some thai food before heading out our separate ways. I truly do revel  in catching up with old friends, and sometimes there are none better than the best.

******************

QUESTION: How on EARTH did I fail to get a picture of Becky [and not the above-mentioned Becky - just to clarify] & me?! My favorite [and only] college RA, with whom I'm still very close, hung out for a larger part of today and I didn't get one single stinkin' picture of us - HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!
ANSWER: Oh, that's right, because we were too consumed with squealing and rummaging like wild coyotes through the new REI in Rookwood.


hello, new rei!

Becky and I decided to take a jaunt out to Rookwood [neighboring the old stomping grounds of Norwood, aka NorHOOD, aka the Village of the Fantastic Fifteen-or-so of us that ran that place like the playground it was...hah]. The brand new REI is among a handful of business that have ventured into regions I used to call home, after I left there. Naturally. Haha. There's now a Jungle Jim's over in Eastgate, too, and that both excites and infuriates me for that very reason. Haha. So anyway, I witnessed my dear friend Becky audibly squeal in a way that made her resemble the girly-girl that she so clearly is NOT, for just a split second or so. She cracks me up. We spent plenty of time browsing, even trying on some potential wish-list items, but left empty-handed. Oh well. Probably better that way, for the sake of my closet. Anyway, it was amazing, and mark my words, I'll be back.

******************

QUESTION: What's the best way to combine watching one friend's band play while celebrating another's going-away?

ANSWER: Silverton Cafe. Duh. (:



brother bear!
[good luck, nader, on your next adventures...
... in jordan ... with grueter! we'll miss you!!]

Nader is packing his bags and heading to Jordan [as in, the country] to work alongside our other friend Jamie. Hard to believe, but super-cool opportunity, and even cooler that I was able to see him on his last weekend in the states for a while. Nader & Jamie comprise half of what we affectionately coined as The Twigs [Jamie, Nader, Matt, & Nalom], so it is with some sadness that I watch them disband and pursue this whole life thing. Love those fellers.

singin' the niiiiiiight away...
[ladd & keith]

Keith's band was slated to play tonight at Silverton Cafe, so I agreed to rendezvous with Nader, Matt, Melissa, Keith, Laura and some others for an evening of unwinding and celebrating some next steps and some downright fun music. I opted out of Midpoint tonight, but perhaps I'll head that-a-way at some juncture tomorrow. We'll see.

Major, major thanks to my amazing mother-in-law for keeping Syd for the day - it is so good to be home to see you, too. We've MISSED you, Mamaw.... ♥

[Backdated entry]. Oh, dear Cincinnati.
It's still home.

xo | cmd