Hide & Seek: The Silver Lining on a Monday

I was not overly impressed by how the work day ended. It's an ongoing plight, really; I struggle more than I'd like to admit on days like this, to convince myself that I'm not operating like someone who hasn't resigned herself to the path of someone who's blinding circling around in Einstein's definition of insanity. It just.. today was not the best day I've had recently. 

But it's okay, because ya know what? It wasn't the worst, either.

There's a silver lining in everything, I'm certain of it. Plus, I'm a firm believer that where there are valleys and unfruitful seasons, that they only exist because there are mountain tops and bountiful spans to contrast [and vice versa, obviously]. But seriously. Today was a wash; I'm letting it go.

my friends.... 

Tonight was different. I'm among the lucky to have my best friend by my side through thick, thin and days like this that otherwise make me question myself. As we continued on with the project in Sydni's room, we talked. We talked, and talked, and talked. We didn't have phones out. We just... worked and talked. It was relaxing, but above that, made me realize that I owe so much more for the gift of him and the rest of my mini clan of friends & family than I could give.

amazed by this guy!

Speaking of our quality time, this guy impresses me every day with his ability to do something he's never done before - in this case, building a loft bed fit for an almost-7-year-old and an adult or two if needed. He is patient, understanding and confident that if he doesn't know something, he will figure it out and make it work. #bragmoments♥

Tomorrow, we paint! Sydni's room is nearing completion, and I can't wait. In time.. in time. We're on a roll though and I see no signs of stopping, until it's done.

See ya next time, blogbots - it's gonna be a long day tomorrow, I'm sure.

xo | cmd

Happy Birthday, Kalyn!

I feel sometimes like my closest friends and I are more like a collection of puzzle pieces that happen to be settled all over... everywhere. From Illinois to Pennsylvania, South Carolina to Michigan, New York, California... seriously.  I love and hate how spread out we are, but that just means we're all pursuing what our hearts are telling us to do, and finding happiness that way. Plus, it just makes the reunions - sporadic as they may be - just that much better.

Today's Kalyn's birthday. This girl's one of those scattered pieces that comprises my core circle. We definitely don't see each other nearly as often as we should, but when it happens, it's like no time has lapsed at all. Happy birthday, lady... love you to the mountain and back, ya weirdo!

happy biiiiirthday! 

And for the sake of nostalgia, some of my other favorite memories that didn't fit into a pre-sized photo collage: 

antics in phoenix, az

the day we wore the same shorts and went the grand canyon

the time we thought the camera was way lower than it was.
there were probably 3 feet of dead space that i cropped off the top of this.. haha

kalyn's mom's wedding.. we sang that time, too.. haha

Kalyn, thanks for being a stone-cold odd bird; if you were any different, I just don't know how we'd swing being friends.. haha. Seriously, love you dear friend, and I am so thankful for all the times you were there and the memories that were made. Cheers to the next year of adventures! 

And cheers to the rest of ya'll - have a beautiful week! 

xo | cmd

My Friend Ali

It's Wednesdayyyy! For me it means that it's Thursday [or, if you were here reading yesterday, my Monday #4, haha]; I'll be outta here on Friday with Kara, en route to Lexington to meet Kalyn, and onward to Nashville to celebrate Britt's last few weeks as a single woman. It's gonna be an adventure, I'm sure of it.

In the meantime, my friend Ali messaged me earlier today asking for my weigh-in on her most recent blog post. Not for content, but for grammar, etc. We chatted over it, but I felt compelled to forward her message to the rest of whatever miniature population actually comes here to read this ol' blog of mine.

This is one of my best friends. Her name is Ali, and she's amazing:

circa nov 2015 || ali & cori

Ya'll, if you don't have a friend like Ali, don't stress. I'm pretty sure there are very few out there like her, and if you do have one like her, then count yourself among the few and understand what a blessing those die-hard friends really are in your life. Ali's the friend who is there when you're happy, when you're sad, irritated, elated, falling apart or celebrating something big, visiting town for just a few hours or having a birthday. She will drive hours to see a friend, make arrangements to be sure she has time to spend with those close to her, and is truly selfless in ways most of us can only pretend to be. She loves Jesus, her family & friends, her job, good food and laughing. I mean, what more could you ask for out of a best friend?

I'm saying all that to say that if and when you read her post, I'd love for you to see it from the lens of her friend - someone who doesn't see her as a plus size, or whatever other size she is now or ever will be. If you've ever been around someone for a while who doesn't fit whatever "normal" mold we've constructed, you'll know what I mean - it's not to say that Ali was ever in any category like that for me, but at some point, you stop seeing a physical stranger and start relating to people based on who they are and how they contribute to your life.

Back to the [her] point: It's so easy for us to get sucked into the weight debate, whether it's our own bodies, celebrity standards [photoshopped, OFTEN, keep in mind] or whatever other metric we use to graph ourselves in relation to body image.

READ THE FULL ENTRY HERE

I'll let her entry speak for itself; she's got a good point, for me and for anyone else out there who's been struggling with body image in any way, shape or form. Let me be the first to say that YOU, yes YOU out there, whoever you are, are in fact fearfully and WONDERFULLY made, so have faith in yourself.

You're enough. You're more than enough. You and I were created as complicated, imperfect and beautiful beings, put here for the purpose of bonding with each other and bringing glory to the God who put us here.

If you're the 11-year-old girl back home who's been damaging her body as an outlet to vent the hurt and emotional abuse that's being inflicted on you by your peers [you know who you are], I need and want you to hear this, especially. You might not be "plus size," so the specific argument of weight doesn't apply to you, BUT, I know you're hurting, and that much of that stems from the demonized image of your own body that's being constructed by those around you, NOT because that is what you are. 

Friends, foes, bloggers and anyone else who stumbles onto this today:

You are beautiful, and there's not other reason other than it's a perfectly good Wednesday to remind you of that. Stay true to yourself and share the love with someone else today. ♥

Ali, I love you, friend - thank you for sharing this part of yourself with me and with the world!
P.S. - Ashley Graham is gorgeous, but I'm thankful for you as my friend!!

xo | cmd 

Ali's Birthday & Marianne's Arrival! [& Other Things, Too!]

Guys. First things first today: It was pouring rain this morning, BUT.... that didn't deter my waking up in a stellar good mood.

Why?

WELL...

FIRST, it's ALI'S BIRTHDAY!

yiieieeee!!!! 24!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥

Downside: I am about 500 miles away from one of my best friends this year on her birthday, and won't get to see her this weekend, either. :(
Upside: Her 25th birthday is next year, and that will be a production if I've ever seen one. Also, I heard that she did in fact receive the package that I sent off to her on Monday, so kudos to the U.S. Postal service crew on delivering to that 2-day shipping promise! I am all about the silver linings.

Anyway, this girl deserves a million birthday salutes and then some. She's what I call an all-around incredible friend: She laughs with me, cries, gets real and above all, keeps me accountable when I get tangled up in life and lose my sense of footing... or just my sense in general. She's there in a heartbeat if I need her, and for the most part has a sane head on her shoulders ;) [haha, love you Ali]. She's a solid example of a woman after God's own heart, and is bold in her faith and commitments to serving Christ. She's hilarious, down to earth and just as aloof as I am sometimes.

Summary? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALI!

And THEN... the girl who woke up to [& posted] this: 

morning sun in nyc

.. flew into CVG today for a weekend vacation with Becky, Kalyn and me! 

BE STILL MY HEART. I AM.. SO EXCITED. 

mare!! 

 ^ No, that's not the picture of her from today's arrival. Yes, that's a picture I stole off her Facebook from her recent time spent in Italy. Yes, that's a Colosseum behind her. Yes, she looks like a brunette Dianna Agron here. YES, SHE'S HERE IN CINCINNATI! [Mare, that is.. not Dianna. Just to clarify that.. ahemmm..]

Mare's flight was delayed for about an hour, which equated to Becky and I driving from Market to the airport exit, getting off said exit, and then U-Turning right back onto 275 back to Cincinnati. Becky had a work event starting mid-evening, and I had volleyball in Loveland ad 7:15. Mare landed right at 7, and my every-day-impressing-me fiance Rob was kind enough to step in and serve as an airport shuttle. They came to Grand Sands for the tail end of my set with Paul and Martin, followed by a rendezvous with Jessica at El Rancho for dinnnnnaaaa [dinner]!

I think it's safe to say that this has been a long day for everyone. Tomorrow I'll be back at work, Mare will do whatever she can find to get into for the day, and then Syd will be here for the evening before Becky, Mare and I take off for North Carolina for the weekend.

PHEW.

OH YEAH! Before I forget, Ali's present made it to her, safe, sound and in tact. I think? she liked it. Haha. ;)

for my favorite turtle-loving ginger! 

Happy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Ali.

Oh, and it was Earth Day today if you missed that. Smoothie King stepped up with a BOGO on plant-based smoothies, so we clearly took advantage of that. Stay tuned for another couple days when we do a belated celebration of Earth Day with some more hiking, camping and nature-esque things for our getaway.

Good night for now!

xo | cmd

Happy Birthday, Mom [No, Not *That* One, Hah..]! ♥♥

I don't even know where to start.

kalyn. freakin'. powell. 

It's one of my best friends' birthdays today, and I can't begin to explain how much I love this girl and wish I could be there in the Gorge to celebrate with her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KALYN!!

This calls for a photo montage, and of course a corresponding, in-no-particular-order list of reasons [or moments in time] why this girl is one of my favs. Enjoy. ♥

1. She shares my love for music. Nevermind the time we together butchered a Laura Story song at church [we went on to NAIL it the second time around]. We sang together at her mom's wedding, and I'd say made up for it then :)

(Speaking of moms - here's one of my favorites of her & my favorite woman ever [[my mom]] dancing to some sort of music on a canal front in San Antonio.... hahaha) - 

hilarious. 

#25

2. We have no shame. Like, none. Like, the time Kalyn turned 25 and we went out in public dressed like this. On purpose. And her mom had to "assume liability" for ME, because the servers at the Mexican restaurant thought my ID was fake. I am 15 months older than Kalyn. Haha.

journey & steve miller band!

3. Concerts. Because concerts are awesome, and I don't know many people who don't enjoy them.. it's a matter of finding people who love the same music as you do. 

4. Traveling. Slash Moving. Slash Road tripping. Slash adventure. That one's from the time Kalyn up and moved from Ohio to Arizona; we're in Illinois in this picture, from when she stopped by to pick me up on the way. We ventured out over the next three days to Phoenix. 

border of colorado & new mexico

5. Nature. We love it. We embrace it. We explore it. We breathe it in and feel whole again. 

6. Action shots [& other miscellaneous photographs]. How many times have you tried to take a picture like this with multiple people, and it never seems to work out? Well... Kalyn & I never have that problem. We're mutually weird .. and apparently coordinated, as well.

winter.

summer!

7. Seasonal Schtuff: Whether it's snow or sun, we're ALL in. She's that friend that doesn't gripe about it being too cold, too hot, too humid, too whatever. We're spontaneous people, so it's rare that we ever "plan" these types of things out, but we charge a day headfirst and usually end up having a blast anyway. 

8. YOGA. We love yoga. Nobody said we were professionals at it [yet], but we'll try it anywhere at anytime.. even if it does mean we fall face first out of a canoe into the river. #crushedit.  

9. Animals - We love those, too! I'd actually forgotten about that ^^ until I dug through pictures for this blog entry - we found ourselves in San Antonio for a weekend a few years back and spent some time at SeaWorld... #DOLPHINS. That is all ;). 

before & after..

10. Good AND Bad: She's one of those friends who doesn't run away when there's a bad day. I don't know if by definition that would actually be a friend if he or she does do that when the storm hits, but over the past several years, she's been one of the few who runs to her friends when they're in need, not away. That particular day was a pretty awesome one gone pretty wrong in a matter of minutes [I am smiling like a delusional tard after totaling my bike into a tree...wearing that. Don't ask. #youngandWAYdumb].

11. Fitness, fitness, fiiiiitness! Or at least pretending to be. Haha. ^ That's the Run Like Hell a few years ago, in which we dressed up like ghosts from Pacman and joined a team of about 6 others to complete the entire game cast for 3 miles. Hilarious, if you'd been there to watch us run without the use of our arms :p 

hahahahaha

12. Our luck.. is usually spot on awful. Yep, that's right. This particular time was when we hopped into a friend's outdoor hammock and BROKE it. Nothing says, 'DIIIIIIIIET NOOOOW' quite like busting all but 2 strings on a 20-something string outdoor hammock made to support like, 4-500 pounds. Between the two of us, we've had some pretty solid moments where this type of luck has translated into real life, too... which...well, whatever. We plowed through and moved on. Haha. 

SO, BASICALLY.... 

This girl deserves all the BEST for today, and for the next year - Cheers to it being the BEST of the BEST yet.

best. :) 

Happy birthday, crazy lady. Love you!

compilation from facebook ;) 

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

Boyfriend of the Year

Okay, so I did not specify earlier this month [January 5th, to be exact] that Rob and I have been together officially now for a full year. It sounds so high-schoolesque to make a public declaration that way, but I'm all about giving thanks where it's due... and it.. is DUE.

It's never too late for a shoutout.
And today... it goes to the greatest man [second only to my own dad] in my life. Before this guy, I think I always pretended I could find a best friend and confidante in a significant other, but it never actually happened. Now that it has, I totally get why some people are so easily swooned into that hopeless romantic stuff. Hah.

Anyway, in the spirit of being thankful for Rob, I thought I'd share, in no particular order, 10 reasons why I count myself among the elite group of truly blessed.

1 | He just moved to Cincinnati, for me. I didn't have to pack my bags and trek across the country to follow some perhaps unrealistic or self-absorbed dream of his, and really, he didn't do that for me, either. My geographical position is dictated by my Sydni, and he made a choice to be here with us.

he's workin on rice skills!

2 | Tonight, he had dinner almost halfway completed by the time I walked in the door. We both know I usually take the reins for that, but I was pleasantly surprised by both his initiative and at how delicious it was for someone who claims he can't cook. Haha. ;) Don't worry, I'm not expecting this every night, but it was a big show of awesome on his part and hey, brownie points don't hurt ;)

3 | Before we started dating, and well into the first few months of it, I was a basket case of sorts. I was still reeling from some of the events that ended along with 2012, and needless to say, I was very reluctant to give an inch of leash to my innermost self, let alone wear my heart on my sleeve. He, in spite of my walls, was patient, understanding and above it all, accepting of me at even some of my finest moments. And by finest, I mean those days when I was crumpled in a heap of red, swollen eyes, messy hair and a tear-stained face.


love.love.

4 | We've been through a lot for just one year in. There have been a fair share of misunderstandings, irritating situations and forgiveness, on both of our parts, but we've managed to approach them with open ears and minds, and to express openly how we feel and how things are actually affecting us. Couples therapy, 101, I know.... but seriously, I've skipped this part in past relationships and I would not make that mistake again.


me for me, you for you.
thank you....

5 | Just this past Sunday, when I was at my wit's end from the migraine I had developed, he sat next to me as I fought through nausea and exhaustion all day. I'm not one to brag when I need attending to, but it happened.... :/ Haha. He made me soup, made a cold compress for me and was just... there when I needed him.

this is backdated...

6 | My daughter loves him. Sydni and Mr. Rob are like peas in a pod most of the time. When Mr. Rob is around, I'm pretty much sent to the back of the line. Haha. I'll say that it's because he has his own set of nieces, but for someone sans his own kiddos, he's extraordinarily patient, generous and protective of mine. On top of that, my family loves him. It's not easy to appease everyone in my family, but I haven't heard a single complaint yet. I have an outspoken family, so that... is pretty awesome.

my. favorites.

7 | He's got a beard. I love beards. Haha. However, it's not one of those I'm-a-trendy-but-helpless-hipster beards. It's a beard that translates into an actual ability to get work done. Nine times outta ten, this guy's gonna build it, fix it, move it or improve it without calling for help. He's not afraid of greasy hands or breaking a sweat. It's refreshing.. to have a handy guy around for those rare occasions when my own pint-sized braun can't handle it. I'm all about girl power, but I'm admittedly old-fashioned in that I find it attractive when a guy can handle his own in the arena of all things manly.

trimmed up, but still adorable (:

 8 | He understands that I'm something of an anomoly when it comes to my status as a girl. He doesn't pamper me [the exception would fall under days like #5 up there...], buy me a bunch of flowery fluff I don't need or try to convince me to wear stupid crap like pigtails or glitter. Instead, he figured out quickly that my girlish obsessions come in the form of crafts off Pinterest, wearing heels to work [sometimes] and using shower soap that doesn't smell like a Grecian athlete. I was raised and still am a tomboy at heart, and he not only embraces that, but encourages me to stay that way. He doesn't mind me for who I already am, and he's never tried to change me to fit what he thought I should be. We're equals in this. And that.. is awesome.  

this. this is wha the gets to deal with.. haha.. ;)



9 | He's a guy with toys. I've never been much of a big ticket item collector, but I know how hard he's worked for the things he has, so I appreciate everything that's currently parked in the garage, driveway... and street. Haha. Harley, boat, 4-wheeler and lifted truck comprise the list of ways we'll have some fun once this weather gets over itself..... (:

10 | He loves me.
It's more about the small things than the big showy stuff for me, and so far, I have to say he's done an excellent job of taking the time to make this work. We're both back in the same city now, which means that the 400 miles between us no longer exist. My best friend is here with me and I'm not complaining one bit about starting off 2014 like this.

Add caption

Thank you, thank you, thank you Rob, for reminding me that it's okay to trust someone, and for showing me that giving my all can in fact be worth it.

Happy Tuesday, to you and yours!

xo | cmd

♥ Happy Birthday, Boyfriend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO YOU ♥
[my best friend turns 27 today!]

♥.

Today's his birthday (: He's currently en route back from FL / LA with one of his friends, and if I'm right, I'll see him halfway through this week on Wednesday. To say I'm excited is an understatement.

Since I love posting photos and all that jazz, here are some of my favorites with this incredible guy of mine... Sure, it's not been that long so far, but we've been friends for far longer than photo history cares to document. The funny part is, that as obsessed as I am with pictures, we're usually having too good a time together to stop and take any. I'm thinking that's not a bad problem to have... but of the rare few we do have, they are ours, and I think that's pretty cool ღ

⑩ | Our first picture together, after what... 1+years of being friends? May sound dumb to most, but I usually have pictures of all my friends right away, in some fashion. This one was at The Old Rock House in St. Louis, for a concert we went to with some of his friends. Yes, I look scraggly. No, I didn't care....

old rock house | st. louis, mo

⑨ | Bindy's. You can't see any of that place behind us, but Rob introduced me to this place and now I make it a point to visit whenever I'm back. It's one of those local dives that everyone in town knows, and you always run into someone you know there, if you're a local yourself. In a weird way, it kinda makes me miss Mt. Vernon. In a weirder way, I just said ... that I miss Mt. Vernon. Whoa.

bindy's | granite city, il

⑧ | Rob finds Cincinnati! I finally persuaded Rob to come back to my stomping grounds with me for a weekend. This is the first time he accompanied me back; we found Catie and some others and made a night of it. Who really knows where we were here or what we were doing, but I know myself well enough to know that's a real smile on my face and it was there because of this guy.

rob in the 'nati.. uh oh.. haha

⑦ | Kyle's 30th birthday! In the spirit of birthdays, I thought I'd post this one, because 1) I love birthdays, and 2) I love this picture. Simple as that.


at kramden's for kyle's 30th

⑥ | Supercross in Indianapolis. This was back in March this year, St. Patrick's Day weekend to be exact. This night did not turn out the way we'd expected, but this is still a good picture. The weekend? Not so much, but hey... life happens, we all survived, and downtown Indy can bite it. Hrmmph!

lucas oil stadium | indianapolis, in

⑤ | Just us. We were lazing around one night and one of us pulled out a cell phone. There's nothing particularly special about this one other than it's just us, not being fancy [not that either of us really are in the first place, but still..]... but really just hanging out and being simple. Probably some of my favorite time.

couch potatoes. completely ok with that.

④ | Mudbash 2013. This was pretty much awesome... mainly because I was surrounded for an entire day with other people who enjoy sloppy mud, huge trucks and tailgating just as much I do. I'm not sure how I managed to get clean within 24 hours after this, but it was totally worth it.


mudbash 2013 | buchanan's mudpark, mo

③ | My going-away party. So this whole process still stings a little, but Rob made sure he came to the tiny shindig we had for my farewell back to Ohio. My office team set up a dinner at Edison's in Edwardsville and we spent the entire evening goofing off and telling some of our favorite stories about the people and events we encounter at work. As small as it all was, I was so thankful for my friends from work and for Rob coming to be a part of that.

edison's | edwardsville, il

② | Styx. Ted Nugent. REO Speedwagon. This was from just a couple of months back, at the VZW Amphitheater in STL. Rob's mom bought tickets for us for this show back in February, and held onto them all the way up until this show. We went with his mom and stepdad, and had an amazing night. I went back to IL for the weekend just for this, and I'm glad I did.


vzw amphitheater | st. louis, mo

① | And duh. Ya'll are probably sick of this picture, but I don't think I'll ever be tired of it. This is the most recent, from Rob's last visit here and our day trip down to Findlay Market & Washington Park. There's nothing to say about this that I haven't already said... other than, "girls it's okay if you're jealous... he's pretty awesome." - I'm joking, not about him being awesome, but about being catty over it. I just love the guy, and I can't... freakin'.. help it.

♥♥♥♥♥. | findlay market | cincinnati, oh

So happy birthday, lumberjack.
Love you, & can't wait to see you this week.

xo | cmd