14.5 On A Sunday

If you're as lucky as I am, then your morning starts out with rehearsals that are both productive.. and fun. And did I mention we are thrilled to have Holby back?! Seriously, it wasn't the same without him. Obviously: 

Speaking of Holby, we love that Chad also tasked him with announcements this morning. As you can see, Chad handled it rather well:

when chad starts second-guessing his recent decisions ;) 

I've said it before and I'll say it a hundred times more, this group is one of the best there is, and I'm so, so stoked that I get to share life with them.

I was also pretty pumped that today was so gorgeous! We did lunch with the Ricks after church and then headed home to veg out for a couple hours before strapping up the bikes for a quick ride at Lunken.

ready, set.... go!

done and done and my quads were so mad... ;) 

It's January and the path was full of people - I couldn't have asked for more! My poor legs might beg to differ, but it felt good to switch up the cardio and give my quads a little something to complain about later (aka tomorrow). 

We made it back just in time to grab dinner and rendezvous at the Ricks' house for the quarterly budget meeting, then back home to wrap up the night. Oh, and Jess - now that golden milk is a staple in my house, you're welcome to come by any time and steal some ;)

things of a sunday night

Kind of a hodge podge day, but that's what keeps it interesting, right? 

Tomorrow's a brand new work week, and I'm ready. Are you? 

xo | cms

Girls.. Just Wanna BIKE, EAT & REDBOX

I really thought it was 1pm and that we still had to stain a deck when I woke up today. 

nope. 

And don't get me wrong, I was all the way down and ready to do some staining, but the sun was so bright at 9am that I thought it was well into early afternoon. Fortunately, it was early, and with the rain yesterday, there was no way we'd be doing any type of stain work today. 

INSTEAD, we opted to go for a bike ride! 

I didn't bring my bike, but fortunately, Jenn's parents have a few spares, so Nikki and I took up the offer and we were on our way in no time. I did end up with the taller bike, but major kudos to Nikki for wanting to try it! 

^ Nik, we weren't laughing at you... I mean.... ok, yeah, we were, but it was hilarious and you are a trooper for even wanting to do that! 

The ride in was beautiful, and although it was 16 miles each way, the ride itself was mild.

covered bridges :) 

We arrived in Yellow Springs, in the middle of a street vendor Saturday - these are my favorite, and I had to admit I didn't know YS had weekends & shoppes like it does! 

yellow springs, oh

merch & shoppes... & nikki! 

We ordered food, stopped at the brewery and then got ice cream.

And we justified each of these things with having ridden the 16 miles to get there, and the fact that each of us had done some version of a workout circuit in the past 24 hours. Haha..

pizza. brew. ice cream. #saturdaynotsorry

And Yellow Springs is especially dog-filled.

... and obviously i will. pet. all. the dogs. 

We finished up in YS and made our way back to Beavercreek - a slightly different but still beautiful little ride.

Jenn and I met up with Mikey for dinner and then decided that we were absolutely not doing a daggone thing after that. 

yes.

Well, maybe something, if an impulse trip to the store to buy snacks immediately following dinner.. counts. It counts. It totally counts. 

snacks, wine, redbox.
.... i mean.... 

Because we thought it'd be a good idea to sob ourselves into Saturday night... 

the shack

^ Holy crap, Sam Worthington... so many feels. 

Whew. Happy Saturday, loves!

xo | cms

Sunshine, Bicycles & Good Books

Ohhh, sunny DAYS!
Even though I was working today, I did have an altered schedule that I didn't hate. It was mostly due to a hiring event I hosted in partnership with one of the Northern Kentucky career placement services; she set me up in a conference room for the afternoon and I knew then that the day would be all right:

i'll just swim on in there... hardy har har... 

The event ending gave way to a commute back across the river, which was packed full of commuters until I neared the river line on 275, and I couldn't help but snag a shot of the state line welcoming me back across the water.

and i'm cooomin' on back.. 

I hurried so that I could catch Sydni's bus; it's the first time this year that I've been able to see her off the bus after school, and while I snagged a shot of her coming off the bus, I wish I could've captured her face when she realized she was going straight to the car, with me. Be still, my heart... seriously.

so little, but so grown up.. how's that possible?!

We ran a couple of errands, went grocery shopping and had a mini mommy-daughter date for a snack before we headed home. Today's been gorgeous, and this evening didn't disappoint. Sydni and I cleaned up some around the house, and then I joined her outside for a couple hours of bike riding.

my toothless little darling! ♥

I had to remind her today that there was a time not long ago that she believed she would never learn how to ride her bike, and now.. this.  For hours, if I'd let her. I love everything about it.

I sat outside sprawled across one of the patio chairs, with Sydni blurring across my left and right peripherals as she rode in a circle up and down our street. Eventually, the bike retired to the garage, and for a moment, I became audience to an impromptu 1 person gymnastics meet:

She tumbled on and on, rolled around the yard several times and chased a teasing blue jay until it finally got bored of her being bound to the land. I drank it in, and managed to squeeze in the final few chapters, epilogue and bonus short story at the end of the latest book. I've been afraid of finishing Lady Midnight, because if I'm honest, I've read all 6 of the The Mortal Instruments, all 3 of The Infernal Devices and now this, the first in The Dark Artifices series that Cassandra Clare has released.. all within the span of less than 2 months.

lady midnight - done! 

NOW WHAT DO I READ?! 

Just kidding. I'll hunt down the Bane Chronicles or the Shadowhunter Academy books next and indulge myself in Simon's quest for ascendance. Do I sound like a nerdy maniac? Only if you've never read any of these, I suppose.. haha. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be the one hooked on a book series like this, but yeah.. let's go with it! 

Anywho, it's late, and we're all spent. Happy Tuesday to you, blogbots! 

xo | cmd

Callie the Diamondback

Rob was still in Illinois this morning, so Sydni and I did church on our own. We started a new series this week on relationships, and as Pastor Jeff's messages usually are, I'm pretty sure the rest of the series will be excellent.

The Panama meeting was after church, although it wasn't much of a meeting. Chris, Tana, Beth and I gathered after the service, but we're hoping the next time we get together will have a better turnout. There were several other meetings happening at the same time, which detracted some from our informational meeting. I'll have the opportunity to go with Chris and Betsy next weekend to Cleveland, to see Talsy and David while they're here visiting; hopefully then we'l be able to determine exactly what our trip will look like.

Rob surprised us by showing up several hours earlier than expected, with his newly-tuned truck and a bed full of auction stuff.

He'd purchased this a couple weeks ago without my knowing [at a price tag far less than MSRP, wooo!], and picked it up at the auction warehouse on his way out to Illinois last week.

I shared this little gem on Facebook, and in no time realized that I'll have to tote her to Arizona sometime this summer, whenever we visit Jesse & Liz; it turns out she just got a new Diamondback too! I'm ready, Summer... the trails are calling... 

OH, and it's Superbowl Sunday, a minor detail for me. Sorry, not sorry, but if I'm being honest with myself and the rest of the world, the truth is that I had absolutely no interest in watching the game, but the invite to spend the evening with the Costanzas far outweighed my indifference for the game itself. We are truly fortunate to be able to get to know this family more and more, and tonight was the perfect way to relax and somehow still enjoy the game. 

Congrats though, to the Broncos! I know my parents and just about everyone else I know seemed to have their fingers crossed that Peyton Manning & Co. would come out on top, and they weren't disappointed. 

Tomorrow's a new week, but with plenty in store! Becky's back from Trinidad & Tobago, so we'll see her, I think there's a dinner with Jess in that mix somewhere, small group and then I'm off to Cleveland with the Costanzas this weekend. 

I'm pretty pumped, but yeah, I agree... let's get through Monday, first ;) 

xo | cmd

Mondays (:

As it happened, I actually didn't have a frumpy feeling when I got up and headed in to work to start the week. Usually there's at least some bit of residual weekend vibe that makes Monday a tough pill to swallow, but today was good. I'm pretty sure I'm still on a high from yesterday's USWNT victory, but hey... who's to really say?? ;) 

So with an amount of pep that both baffled and annoyed even me, I pranced into Monday with a heart and mind ready for the week. I found this uncredited thing floating around the web, and thought it was a perfect reflection of how I felt this morning:

I bounded into work to find an egg mcmuffin and $12 sitting on my desk, which confirmed that today was in fact going to be one that would prove to be terrific. [The $12 was my change from money I'd given Elisa last week to pick up food, but still... who doesn't love finding money on their desk, even if it is yours to begin with?? ;)]

So there was that, followed by a day stuffed to the gills with activity, and topped off with the salad I'd prepared for myself during meal prep last night. Nom Nom NOM!

After work, it was off to get Sydni, and then home to get some homemade chicken noodle soup rolling. There were some visitors in the neighborhood that naturally put Sydni on high alert, and I must admit it was a pretty cute little band of critters.

surprise neighbors! 

We made and ate dinner, before Rob hit the garage for night one this week of bike assembly; he's got a trip coming up this weekend, so he's racing the clock. To say I'm impressed yet again by what this guy can do, well.. that's an understatement of course.

newly painted parts... wooo! 

Syd and I let him have the garage to himself, but not after Sydni made sure to inventory all the parts taking temporary refuge across my dining room floor.. haha. It's about time for teethbrushing & bedtime stories, so I'm outta here for now! 

G'Nite! 

xo | cmd

Beating the Monday Bear

There's nothing like a Monday to crush some of whatever residual joy I have from the weekend. That's a little dramatic, but it's true and I needed something to kick-start my week.

This did the trick:

Watch it a few times if you need a smile like I did this morning ;)

To say that the rest of the day floated by like a cotton candy cloud is a blasphemous statement of trash, so I was more than ready to sacrifice my body for the sake of yoga when the work clock wound down.

[before] .. because the after... is just gross. 

I sweat like I've never sweat before; if I'm being honest with myself, I may have had a little more than I could handle on Saturday, and am clearly still paying for it two days later.

That little theory of mine was proved by the time I showered, got home and headed right back out with Rob to Mainstreet Cafe. Thankfully, Chad was working, and in a greatly-appreciated act of empathy, I survived dinner without the need to ask for a refill:

thaaaaaank you, chad! 

So yeah. The Monday bear has been tackled, and I think I can handle tomorrow without as much fuss or cloud as today ;)

xo | cmd

HAPPY [surprise party for your] BIRTHDAY, ALI!!

We started the day off with a visit from Mike over to Jesse's. I have yet to meet Elaina, but hopefully that will happen on our next trip out here (:

We headed to Alton with Rob's mom & Don for lunch, and Jesse met us there.

chubby's | alton, il

It is obviously getting gorgeous outside:

... for blocks! (:

After lunch, Rob & Jesse stayed back to do a few things, and I set out on a mission of my own, to complete some last minute errands for Ali's surprise party. I would've been done I'm sure nearly 2 hours sooner had it not been for the trains. I'd forgotten how many of these stinkin' things they have in constant circulation out here.. haha.

choo.. chooo... choooooose a better route next time, cori.

Aaaaanyway,
The culmination of so many people's efforts this week happened around 6:30 this evening, when DeShawn brought Ali back to her apartment to us, a clan of surprisers, ready to pounce on her as soon as she walked through the door.

Picture Time!

presents

cookie cake

A series of pictures with Tim & balloons...

because... balloons.

the birthday girl!
.. & tim.. with an orbiting balloon.. ;)

turtle piñata, post candy spill!

one of the many similarly-themed and
absolutely age-appropriate presents (:

tim got balloons...
damanji got bubbles

the ringleader of the surprise party plans
& the birthday girl!

This adorable picture of Ali & her roommate:

a&d

.... that came right after this other picture of Ali and her roommate... and some others: 

this.

My date:


my best friend (:

Here's a fun fact: If you rub balloons on the carpet, your shirt, or pretty much any other static-enhancing surface, you can stick them to Ali's ceiling and they will stay.

Here's us exploiting that fact:

anti-gravity balloons

creeeeeeeepy damanji & the anti-gravity balloons

Eeeeeverybody now!

this weird, posed picture...

... and this completely normal one (: (: (:

In closing,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to one of the most incredible gals I know. Ali, I hope you loved your party tonight almost as much you're loved by the people who planned it for you and who could and couldn't make it out tonight. You're another fabulous year young, my friend. LOVE YOU!!!!!

love. this. girl.
happy 23!

Love you, Ali! Haaaaappy Birthday!!!

xo | cmd

Redemption

I won't say I feel perfectly normal, but in comparison to yesterday, I'm not complaining on the stark contrast. I survived work with no major issues, only a slight headache, which is nothing now.

Luckily, it was another gorgeous day out; Rob and I took advantage of the mild weather and took off after work to run some errands and get ourselves lost for a bit on the bike.

harley sunsets ♥

Like I said, no complaints.

Here's to the rest of this week (:

xo | cmd

Card-Making With Sydni: Night 1

First things first: Norwood is IN the Valentine's Day card-giving spirit:

.........you're* >:(

... It was sweet though. Haha.

So perhaps I'm into the mushy gushy [< is that a word?] part of Valentine's Day, but I will use it as the perfect excuse to do some extra crafting. I have the world's best assistant to help me, so it's always a no-brainer.

Tonight's mission: [The start] of Valentine's Day cards. This meant busting out everything from scotch tape to paintbrushes. It's not uncommon in our house, but it always seems just a little more fancy when it's for a special project.

mama & minime paper cutting table ♥

mama only cutting board.

[sydni] holding scissors to help me photograph ;)

my painter!

She was.. dying to get into the painting part of our little project. I gladly obliged, and soon a palet of pinks, red and purple all came together into a blended masterpiece.
^ See? She's awesome! ;)
Sure, we only got a little paint on the actual project, but there is nothing wrong with a little extra painting by small hands. I love it (:

She of course got distracted by beads. It's not like we have many of those in this house [that's a lie..], so while I finished up the assembly of our painted pieces, she made a necklace. Apparently for a giant. A giant.. necklace. It was beautiful.

crafter in the making!

Finally, we finished up our first round of Valentine's Day gift-making. This little box will be sent off to a special set of grandpar--- shhhh, it's a secret, I'm told. So here's our finished Valentine's Day owl box. We'll decide what kind of candy to stash inside it a little later, since the pieces in the picture have somehow... mysteriously ... disappeared. Hmmmm... :p 

done!

Craft night #1 = Success! Tomorrow we'll continue our card-making with the more standard cards: cutesy little sayings and all that.

*Insert shower here... *
And post-shower, we finally checked in with Mr. Rob, who had been down in the basement for most of the latter crafting doing some work of his own to the proclaimed mancave we have.

shelf hung... model cars displayed ... facing our helmet rack..

^ Yeah, we have a helmet rack. That's because we have more helmets [clearly] than we need, and no alternative home for that bookshelf as of now. Erego, helmet rack. Or shelf. Helmet shelf. Either way, it's a 3-3 his/hers display and we'll leave it at that.

basement things!!!

^ More importantly, his dart board has now found its home on the wall, and the pool table is ready to be felted! I have no clue how he got those slates up there without killing himself; those suckers are heavy, and he did it without destroying the actual table, either. He's a beast!

And to finish the night, Sydni and the dogs got to unwind all their extra energies at the same time. Good. Stuff (:

Sx3! [Sydni. Sasha. Stella]

They are hilarious. And adorable. Toddler giggles and wagging puppy tailes are the best way to end a night! ♥♥♥

It's safe to say it's bedtime here.
Goooooodnight!

xo | cmd