"A 6-Die Farkle is a Bad, Bad Day...."

It's almost Friiiiiday! 

Today was a good one. I've been buried up to my eyeballs in work for the past couple weeks, but after a refreshing break to grab dinner with Becky & Mike last night, and after the good news today that we'll be adding a new girl to our staffing team to absorb the other half of what I'm currently doing, well... it's all been a blur, but it just made today really... interesting. In a good way, I think.

I left work per the usual schedule to get Sydni; for over half the trip, I trailed a car that kept asking me the question of the ages [or at least of the past few weeks, seemingly so whenever I look up for a split second..]

i mean........ 

^ It's a valid question, and I know I'm not the only one who feels like I'm asking my own brain this and expecting some third party answer half the time. Like, I busted into Milford today with no idea what my name was after following that guy, who also probably thought I was stalking him after I snapped this picture at the red light. Meh. 

Sydni told me all about her school's Valentine's Day party as we cruised back home, until Nana called and we got to coordinating plans for the clan to come down and visit [aka help us clean the current digs once we pack it up next month and head to the new place!]

It was a short U-turn at home, where we squeezed in homework, a snack, a potty break and costume change from work to street clothes before rushing right back out the door for small group. Tonight was especially hilarious, as we took a 1-week break from our usual studies to indulge in a time of fellowship of games and snacks. I am beyond grateful for this crew, for the fellowship, and above all, for the fact that a game of Farkle has never before been so much daggone FUN! 

farkle! 

I think as I finish this week and head into next week, I'm not going to be able to unhear Jen's exclamation, "A 6-die Farkle is just a Bad, Bad Day!" How a cup, 6 die and a group of awesome people can lighten up an evening and get those happy little endorphins movin' :). 

Yeahhhhh... 

Seriously, this week's been a blur. Last week, too. Tomorrow's Friday, and I'm pretty certain it's going to be the perfect start to a weekend of fun :). We've got a celebratory work dinner planned with Chris & Deb as a reward for winning the quarterly sales contest, followed by the weekend I'll spend in Cleveland with these two [+Q&E!] - 

heading to cleveland on saturday with this lovely fam! 

Happy, happy, HAPPY almost Friday, blogbots! 

xo | cmd

Small Group :)

I haven't talked much about this lately, but I feel like tonight would be a good one to express how much I appreciate our small group. Woops - they're called small groups at Sonrise, but same thing. I'm especially appreciative for the study Chris is currently walking us through: A study of the Old Testament. We had a packed table tonight, as we continued the journey through the foundation of the OT and how it shapes the rest of the Bible. 

old testament study

And no, this isn't a Baptist church [shout out to the Tower, alllll the way back in Illinois; I love & miss you guys!], but that doesn't stop us from getting our snack on during studies. I'm very much accustomed to small groups that are casual and warm all the way around, only incorporating serious focus when it comes to the studying at hand. It's funny how the presence of good food can and will always aid in the cultivation of a group or team atmosphere. 

Blogbots, I hope your Thursday was a wonderful day, and that Friday ushers in an even better weekend! TGI[almost]F!

xo | cmd

My Favorite Character

In the continued spirit of my post-dated blogs, I decided to venture into my phone for any gems that may have been sitting dormant;

These aren't "old," but they're awesome and for my own amusement, thought I would share some fun with the blog world.

This one, from probably 2 weeks ago:

what happens when your kid finds your 80's glasses ;) 

And this one, from around the same week probably. We'd taken Sydni to Build-A-Bear, which was a far less chaotic experience than we'd envisioned it to be, thankfully. Frankly though, chaotic or not, it won't be forever that we'll get to go on these silly ventures with her - making teddy bears and preparing their birth certificates with absolute, unfiltered joy. She's already growing into her own, and I'm relishing every bit of it. Most days, I don't want it to go so quickly, but I remember as I took this picture that I'd realized in that instant that she is becoming more than I ever imagined. In my heart, in my eyes, she is a little mess of wiggly teeth, bedhead, scuffed shoes and knees from playing and a heart of gold. She's hilarious, inquisitive, generous, sassy, rambunctious, bold and kind-hearted.

build-a-bear! ♥

Just another reason that I'm determined to continue in my commitment to the regular maintenance of this little e-journal of mine :). These are the things I can't afford to forget. Ever.

Happy midweek, darlins!

xo | cmd

Sleep Deprived Blogging....

I am usually all about finding the dry side of a rock in a thunderstorm, but today was one of those days that just started off as a mud puddle and try as I did, it didn't really change until it was nearly over.

 

Downside? Elisa was out sick today. I remained the only one onsite all day. 
Upside? It's a short week. WOO!

Downside? I got next to NO sleep last night.
Upside? It's not always like that, and I know I'm gonna cah-RASH tonight. 

Downside? Sydni didn't get the best version of me tonight. 
Upside? There is tomorrow for me to redeem myself. 

Okay, so I guess there is still silver lining. In fact, yes. Yes there is, and there's plenty of it.

amen.

Wheeeew. I need sleep.
We'll try this again tomorrow.

xo | cmd

BRAKE For Tuesday ♥

Today was one of those days that flew by at mach speed, but when it ended, I could barely put its contents in the right order.

And it hit me like a brick:

[Thank you, stock photos... haha]

But seriously. Today was the blur of a blur, and my head started spinning without my consent. It was a bad day by any stretch, but I found myself leaning into that natural tendency to feel as though I should start planning and preparing for tomorrow, before today even ended. In some cases, that's needed, but today, no. Today I needed to step back for a moment and recognize the fact that I've got it pretty good. My life's a far cry from perfect, but it's not lacking anything that debilitates me by its absence. I have less than many, yet more than most. There are things I still want, places I want to go, people I long to meet and experiences I dream to have, but if I just..

.... slow...
.... down...
... & just...
........ BE... for a moment or two, I realize that those things are dreams, yes, but the reality is just as beautiful and not worth missing out on.

I can only assume that this is God's way of tugging on my soul to put the brakes on my mind for a moment so that I can realign with every big and small blessing that sits right in my lap as we speak.

So it's Tuesday and I'm... happy. Relaxed, confident and able. :)
I hope you are, too.

xo | cmd

Thank You, J.K. Simmons :)

This is the benefit of waking up early in my house:

the gang's all there.... passed out.. but there.. ♥♥♥♥

^ My oh my, how I love them.

Folks, today wasn't a monumental day by any stretch, but it was perfect. I have these four, and that's all I need.

A little something I'm absorbing today:

Call your mom. Call your dad. If you're lucky enough to have a parent on this earth, call them. Don't text them. Call them." - J.K. Simmons

I'm outta here for now.
Have a blessed remainder of the week, loves!

xo | cmd

Timehop.

Well I don't know if this is motivating, depressing, or somewhere in between: 

7 years ago today.. my first "big girl" job! 

^ Yeah. So this is just a quick reminder of 4 things:

1. This was post-college: my first real job in the corporate sector. I took the job in radio not quite knowing what to expect, and frankly, it was the worst job I've ever had. THERE, I said it. I was inexperienced, poorly-trained and above all, in way over my head in a nightmare work environment that would ultimately drive me and several others.. out.
2. This was post-college,which also serves to point out that I said actually in college between 11 & 7 years ago. That puts my HS class now 11 years out from our '03 graduation.
3. I, at the point when this picture was taken, actually believed that this was likely the epitome of the working class, and that, based on the..... fun?... we were having at that job, that I was screwed. I probably considered joining the Peace Corps & leaving the country on several occasions, if I remember correctly.
4. My professional life was far from over. I grew out of that job [thankful for that, can't say it enough], and eventually into the career I'm building now, doing something I love and helping people, rather than shoving cookie-cutter services down the throats of people who can't afford them. Call it a win. 

I also couldn't help but notice how young I look! Granted, I do have that whole forever-young Asian thing going for me, but I guess even I don't recognize the progression of time until I look back at shots like this, which may as well be baby pictures.

A couple years later, I posted this:

feeling determined! 

This was two months, two days after Sydni was born; I couldn't tell you if I posted this in a moment of actual clarity, or out of exasperated new-mommy desperation, but either way, it's a cold-hard truth and worth re-sharing for today. It's Monday, too, so it certainly applies to the tenacity we all have to muster at the beginning of each week.

I'm still feeling a rush from yesterday's session, where the doors opened for an opportunity to undertake a missions project. I'm still praying through that, piece by piece, as openly as I can. Today was a good day, to boot, and my family just ate the dinner I didn't burn ;), without complaint.

That's another win for the books. Now it's bathtime & bedtime stories. Goodnight!

xo | cmd

Happy NOVEMBER!

I'm a day late on ushering in November, but today seemed far more fitting a day to do so than yesterday anyway. 

yes! 

I woke up today with two immediate options: 1 - Early church service and then yoga at Rhingeist, and 2 - Regular church service and no morning yoga.

It's Sunday. I wanted to sleep in a few more minutes before five full days of up-at-its before 6am, so 11am church it was. Anyway, we walked into today's message not knowing what to really expect, and walked back out with a commitment to return in the evening for an informational session.

You see, November is National Adoption Month! Here's the little blurb I posted along with that collage earlier this afternoon:

#November isn't just my #birthday month; it's #NationalAdoptionMonth! I'll bid adieu to my 20's in a few weeks, but my love of and appreciation for my own #adoption will never age. 

My biological mother's choice to surrender me reflected courage & selfless sacrifice in hope for her child to prosper beyond her resources - the type of selfless love I can only hope to exercise in my own life. Her last declare of maternal rights was that I be placed in a practicing Christian home. I was an #orphan. A couple who valued family over biology were called to choose, #adopt and love me as their own. And with that, I was placed by grace into a home half a world away.

My life would have been exponentially different if not for adoption. I am among the SMALL fraction of orphaned children who are #blessed enough with a second chance to find life and #giveback.

I'm #HONORED to #CELEBRATE #family this month. Cheers, all my fellow #adoptees & #adoptive families! Happy November!

It's something that I often take for granted, when I'm flying at lightspeed through a day in the life that I live, in this culture of ours that is all hustle & bustle, with deadlines and consequences for missing them. I don't always think to count the opportunity to participate in this life as a blessing rather than a burden, because the alternative is a rather stark contrast.

Amen? Amen.

So after a morning message about our purpose in life to reach out to people... to love and honor people.. to give of ourselves to people, we decided to come back in the evening to gather information on the church's planned mission trips for Spring 2015.

I'm happy to share more in detail about these upcoming trips when the time is right, but for now, I'm going to only ask that anyone reading along today, for whatever reason you're here reading - just... pray. The two trip options as they stand now are either Haiti or Panama. Both have clear advantages, and drawbacks as well.

PLEASE PRAY! ... 

... For the leadership team at my church, whose planning well precedes the initial meeting they held today. 

... For the other people who sat there for an hour watching past footage and testimony of those who've been to these places and touched the mission with their own hands. 

... For those who are there, in the middle of unimaginable poverty, disease, famine and spiritual desolation, reaching into untouched groups of people with the purpose of enrichment & love. 

... For the orphans, who, like myself, are/were not responsible for their circumstance. Pray that they will find the peace, attention, love and adoration they both crave and deserve. Pray that they, like I as well, will by grace become a tenfold blessing to a family that's missing what will be completed by adding even just one, beautiful little spirit to its bind. 

... For Rob & me, as we pray together over this, to determine if.. and if so, which trip to commit ourselves. It will be a spiritual, physical & financial commitment that we won't make overnight. 

One of my truly beautiful friends Marianne leaves tomorrow for a 3-month Italy endeavor: a mission-bound trip on which I have no doubt she'll grow just as much as the kids she'll be reaching. We're called to step OUT of our comfort zones. We're called to do MORE than live in the safety of our own schedules. 

We're called to lead, to love and to LET GOD do the rest. 

Happy Sunday, to you & yours!! 

xo | cmd

Pocketfuel : My Instagram Inspiration

I'm a proud, prolific Instagrammer, and one of the many things I love about it are they endless ways in which I can find inspiration.

First, there's all the yogis: Laura Sykora, Rachel Brathen, Gabriella Dondero. The list goes on and on.

Then, there's all the nutritional boosters: healthy foodie pages, exercise guru's, fitness apparel lines offering up encouragement.

The list goes on and on and on. A lot of what I follow includes animals, health nuts and things that remind me of my country-strong roots.

My spiritual development is of course something that takes place outside of the interweb, but it definitely doesn't hurt to find niblets of encouragement in the posts of some Instasources.

Hello, Pocketfuel.
[Go, go now and follow them!]

I won't go into a lot of detail, but I will suffice to say that these are some of my favorite posts from Pocketfuel; there are so many more worth sharing, but it'd be easiest for you to go and find them on your own.

[[[[Mare, you'll recognize some of these! ;) ]]]]

I don't know if any of those will appeal to you in any specific way today, but I know there are plenty of days when I need to see something simple like that; even the smallest reminder that I am sent out for a purpose, from one who delegates me with a task, yet never with a burden I cannot carry. 

It's the small things. Who knew I'd ever be so grateful for an Instagram account? ;) 

BLESSINGS we have in this life... and BLESSINGS we should share.

xo | cmd 

Blessed Little Whirlwind

As if yesterday's outing to the Renaissance Festival wasn't enough activity for the weekend, we continued with the whirlwind today. After church, we had lunch and then went stir-crazy at the lack of planned adventure.

That equated eventually to a day of chores: Rob mowed the lawn and started working on the winterizing process for his boat, while I detailed my car and tackled laundry & room-by-room cleaning inside the house.

Sydni was such a trooper all day; she had a hand in just about everything mommy was doing, which was not only helpful, but made my heart a little happier each hour that she is still excited to lend herself voluntarily to the chores.

When evening rolled around, she was happily nestled in her chair with a Highlights book.

little miss professor! 

Not twenty minutes after she took a seat to read and circle all the hidden pictures, I came up from the basement with a basket of laundry to find this:

poor, sweet, exhausted little girl! ♥

I just... love her. I couldn't help but laugh a little: For starters, I am guilty of falling asleep in the most random positions, places and situations, so I can't be at all surprised that she may have inherited that feature as well. Above that, she so much resembled a little old lady with her crossword puzzle and pen [aka, my paternal grandmother, to a T!], that I couldn't help but smile before I carefully peeled the book and pen from her and took her to bed.

We're a blessed little bunch here, and I know it. There are so many things even in our quiet little evening here that we take for granted more often than not, but I'm a proud, happy little lady tonight, and I think that's a good a start as any to a brand new week.

Sweet dreams, blogbots!

xo | cmd

Lake Norris!

Today was excellent from top to bottom.

First, I of course was off work today, in lieu of our impending mini-getaway into the Tennessee Smokies. That lent me the chance to drop Sydni off at her bus stop, something I haven't been able to do since her first day of school exactly one month ago. We got an early start, so we made a pitstop at the gas station to get mama some coffee, and an extra cup for apple juice for Sydni. Then we were off to the bus stop, where we sat for a few moments alone together eating breakfast before the other kids started showing up.

"look mommy: i look like i'm drinking coffee!"
.... (she isn't... she isn't.)

Sydni boarded the bus and Mindi gave me some final tips on what to expect and what to avoid on our trip to Norris, then I was off to head home and get going.

I read this cover to cover on the way down:

:) 

^ It's a little romantic in nature, but every once in a while, it's nice to absorb something painted a little more brightly than some parts of the real world around us. I borrowed it from my first trip to the Oakley library earlier in the week, and finished the last page just as we were entering the foothills of pure mountain landscape.

I might not leave this place. ;)

I got the bright idea to do a mini video-tour of the cabin property, instead of try to piece together 25 pictures that would do a Picasso job of the same task. Here it is: our mountain-set, lakeside slice of Heaven that we'll be inhabiting for the next two days. You can find us at the bottom of the half-mile gravel driveway ;)

It is... sublime here.
Rob and I made it in first, surveyed the scene and then left the boat parked at the top of the gravel driveway that required 4WD to travel down to the cabin. We unloaded, set up our little camp for the weekend and awaited Jesse's arrival.

I was immediately drawn to the boat dock, where I headed with yoga mat in tow.

inversions. inversions... inversions.....
#scorpion.

more work. 

Jesse arrived an hour or so after we did, so the three of us set off in search of a boat ramp, loaded in and took off for our first cruise of Norris Lake.

here we go! 

floating houses! 

Within minutes, I fell in love with this place. The water is green, but not because it's toxic. You can see the bottom in many places, and the shoreline for this place extends for several hundred miles.

We cruised until eventually we found ourselves at Shanghai Marina, where we stopped for the evening to explore and eat. We snagged a map of Norris while we were at it, certain that it's going to be put to good use tomorrow.

shanghai marina | norris lake
lafollette, tennessee

Here we are now, back at the cabin. Tomorrow will be our day to play on Norris and see what this place is really about. We already decided that our next trip here will span over more than two nights, and with any luck, we'll plan it more than a week in advance ;) Hehe.

G'Night, Rocky Tops!

xo | cmd

Play With Play-Doh & Love Your Laundry

There's no baptism back into real life that's quite like a Monday. Seriously. We returned yesterday from our weekend camping/boating trip outing and basically crashed. That meant that the ruptured vessel of clothes, shoes, toys and other domestic innards that is our house would be sitting on my plate when I got home.

I nearly broke my neck dragging two full laundry baskets down the stairs with Sasha trying to wiggle down with me. I lost at least four socks on the trip there and wound up dumping half of one basket in the process of retrieving said socks. I finally hauled it all into the laundry room for sorting, and repeated the whole thing until I had about four full baskets lined up for washing.
In some cases, this is room to grumble. Tonight could've been one of those nights, but as I was sorting and filling the washer with the first load, it hit me. It was so subtle that I almost missed it, but a tiny thought dawned on me:

You're a blessed girl, Cori.

#realtalk

That itty bitty little inkling of a thought spidered out into a flood of reasons that started scrolling through my head like a reel of movie credits. I'm not the only person who suffers from the blight of first world problems, but tonight I had a beautiful little moment alone, in my basement, to absorb the truth behind not just this busy little Monday, but my life in general.

This is a lot of laundry.
... Which means that my family & I have clothes on our backs.Cooking dinner is gonna take a little while.
... Which means there is food to cook here, and that my family is actually here to enjoy it.The dishes are dirty, again...
... Which means that others have been here to eat and share that time with me.

There are toys everywhere in the living room.
... I have a healthy daughter who may still want for things she doesn't have,
but she'll never go without the things she needs.

My garage is a greasy, tool-cluttered space.
... Which means I have a man here who knows how to use his hands to fix
what's broken & improve what isn't.
The basement smells like dogs.
... We have two who are more loyal and loving than I could imagine.

The garage [sometimes] smells like dude (:
... Which means the dude who lives here is worth keeping around, is here more often than not,
and in turn values the idea of being present with his family.
My schedule is so busy.
... Which means I'm a functioning part of my own life and fractions of those around me.

My Bible is falling apart.
... Which means it's a working tool in our home.

There are things I didn't accomplish today.
... Which means I have a purpose, and a reason to face every day with a mission.

 

They were in no particular order, but those are just some of the things that made me pause from my human instinct to find all of those things [&more] as burdens, rather than the misleading appearances of the real blessings in my life.

 

This little lightbulb moment pacified my urging anxiety when I subdued the laundry and headed upstairs to start working on Mother's Day cards. I was met at the top of the stairs by Sydni and a bag of play-doh that had been given to her by the Easter Bunny.

 

Folks, spending time with your toddler is always more important than whatever you've got planned. She won't remember the birthday hat, cake and present we made out of play-doh tonight, but she'll remember that her mommy played with her, and even those short couple of hours are something that neither her nor I would ever get back if it hadn't happened.

crafty little miss... ♥

Plus, let's be honest: playing with play-doh is way more fun than making cards. We can do that tomorrow. (:

play-doh party!

 

My daughter didn't miss a beat of her decorating a purple and yellow play-doh cake to say,

"Mommy, thank you for playing with me."

Whoa.
Those 6 little words, delivered by no prompting from me, made me melt. We stopped everything and wrapped each other up in a bearhug for a few minutes. I have no idea if she'll remember saying that to me, but I will never forget it.

 

My little blended family and I ate, played and laughed together tonight. We're a frazzled bunch sometimes, but frankly, I wouldn't change a thing.

 

This is what life's all about, people.
Play-doh playbreaks and loving your laundry (:

 

What a life, I tell ya... what an unpredictable, impromptu, chaotically-fun, sometimes-smelly, laundry-filled, completely blessed life ♥.

 

xo | cmd

Ash Wednesday | Cyclones Game

Can I be an honorary Catholic for today?
... Or really, for the next 40?

Ok, so I guess I don't need to be a Catholic to participate in Lent, but it's that time and I've already read dozens of proclaimed Lent sacrifices from some of my friends. Chocolate, Facebook, smoking, wine... everyone's got their own vice they're planning to cut out for the next 40 days, and here I am trying to decide if I should or shouldn't get onboard. Again. Every year.

I decided I wanted to do something this year, but struggled with exactly what... until Marianne came up with a genius idea that I quickly and totally decided to borrow. It's really a brilliant idea, and when I asked her if she'd be offended if I did it, she just laughed and told me to share it!

It'll go something [well, exactly, really] like this:

and here.. we.. go!

Simple, right?
Actually, for the most part, yes, it looks like it will be.

Since I'm all about making everything as crafty [and sometimes consequently complicated] as possible, this is how I went about it:

1. Pick 40 names. This was probably the hardest part for me, for a few reasons. First, I got to about 29 or so and started drawing blanks. I managed to slow my brain down and add the rest, but I started to worry that maybe I didn't even have 40 peo-- well, nevermind. I have them. THEN, I struggled with the idea of accidental favoritism, like... how I would decide the order in which I did these. I decided to do this the old-fashioned way: write all 40 names on little paper strips and fold them in half...

40 names.... and... go.

... and stick them in a jar. Accidental favoritism problem solved.

names in a jar, for fun, easy picking.

To take this one step further, I thought that rather than take up space in each little note with the explanation of what it's all about, I took the corny route and put together a little card to throw in each one. I have no doubt some of my friends will laugh at this, but hey, I'm not mass-producing the notes themselves, so hopefully they'll at least appreciate that. (:

a bit corny, sure, but we'll go with it

Today was of course the first day of Lent, so that meant the first note went out today.

day 1 - done! (:

I feel good about this one. We shouldn't need a reason to occasionally reach out to the people who are sometimes obviously close to us to remind them that we appreciate them, but I'll take advantage of Lent and put my heart into it.

If you think this would be something you'd wanna do, well, it's only day 1, but I wrote & sent off the first note, and I'm so glad I did. There are going to be some tough notes written throughout this, which will probably speak to me just as much as I'm hoping they will to their recipients. This could be good... really, really good ♥.

I'll be excited to share, in 40 days, the order in which these names were drawn, and how this impacted me. Call it a mini social experiment, if you will. Day 1, done!

That was how the day started.
The day ended with dinner & a Cyclones game with some of my favorites: Rob, Becky & Paul.

these people ♥

Cincinnati hockey has never really peaked on my radar, but I've concluded that I love pretty much any type of visibly competitive sporting match, especially when it's a contact sport. As soccer players, Becky and I decided that that love comes by nature ;).

There are always the die-hard fans with clever shirts:

There are also the beeramid makers [which we all enjoy watching]:

beeramids!
=SUM[$1 beers + thirsty fans + window ledges]

And then.. there's us: 

the guys...

... & the gals

Caaaaah-lassssyyyy... we know. Haha.

We ended up losing the game in shoot-out, but for what it was, we had a great time with awesome people.

And Becky, my awesome friend that she is, gifted me with these little guys! These were carved out of a single piece of wood; she brought them back from her recent trip to Nepal. They aren't really functional, but I love them and will absolutely be putting them on display at home.

hand-carved wing-in-wing owls!

It's been a good night. Rob and I realized we had never been to a hockey game together, which is weird since STL is all about the Blues over there. Meh. The benefit of mediocre general interest here is that tickets in the 4th row back from center ice were still just $13 each. Awe-some.

first cyclones game with the best friend (:

It's almost Thursday, which means almost Friday, which means my friends from Illinois & Virginia will be here before I know it. YESSSSS.

On that note, g'nite (:

xo | cmd

NEWS, Part 2: New DIGS (:

Today started like this:

breathe it in!

^ I love ... winter at my parents' house.
I also love getting to see my little [well, not so little, I suppose] Maine Coon fuzzball Kobi (:

kobi cat!

There is a season for everything, as it's said:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time forpeace.
-Ecc 3:1-8

This has definitely been a year of many, many different seasons. The underlying themes have been a balance of challenges to overcome, accompanied by the grief and admittedly the stress that comes with it, and countered by the pure joy in realizing God's timing is never a millisecond too soon or too late in His answers - which, by the way are likewise never in anything but my best interest.

Rewind this year to May, when I completed the first phase of my transition back into Cincinnati. Becky became a saving grace to me, as I found myself living with her for nearly a month in between finding a place of my own. I lived off a small collection of my things and had a split life between her apartment and a storage unit. When I found the house I have now, I counted it a profoundly-timed answer to months of prayer. Sydni and I found a soft place to land, finally, in June of this year.

settling in

I cried the first night Sydni and I both slept in our little house; the first half of the year had been a roller coaster of anxiety, nerves, prayer, supportive friends & job transitioning as well, and somehow I managed to get us back to Ohio and back into a track of stability. We had a "new" place of our own, a new job and new starts on many other levels.

We have thoroughly enjoyed living in this little community, specifically our little dead end street neighborhood; it's teaming with small families and relatives who knit together to ensure it stays safe and that each other are provided for. I've been welcomed by many of them and while we've not necessarily grown close, it's absolutely been a massive encouragement, nonetheless. My closest friends are within a short drive of us, and Rob has had no problems finding us to visit.

And we started planning. Rob had intentions of moving here in July of next year, but an unexpected riff in his job security brought his employment to a premature halt, which accelerated the need for revised plans. My little house quickly became perfectly adequate to something of a primary element of consideration in weighing out our next steps.

With time not necessarily on our side, I was faced with the need for a new car & apparently a new house as well, within a very limited span of what I deemed ample time. I have never idolized or hungered for excess money, but time has always been something I value in the highest regard. You can't take it away once you've given it, and those you earnestly give it to usually don't thwart or dismiss it. In this case, we were faced with needs outweighing our financial limitations... or so it seemed. Time was ticking away loudly in my head, day and night. I set a deadline of December 31 to finalize vehicle plans. Those materialized from start to finish in about four days after nearly five months of searching; that was yesterday's celebrated blessing.

TODAY, I received the paperwork signifying a three-way commitment between a new landlord, Rob & myself that will begin in February. 

we... can't wait (:

February 1 will be the official date that we convene again as a unit. We have accepted and managed the task of a long-distance relationship since April, which has proven to me that I have never felt so dedicated and synced with a significant other, ever. I for the first time have felt appreciated for what and who I am and what I can give, not the measure of my professional success, size of my bank account or notariety of my friends' names. I am recognized as a competent individual playing a partnership role, not an employee or muted voice in joint decisions. I am held accountable by realistic standards, and trusted with transparency. I've never had that before... and now, finally, I will have him, the man who has catalzyed my distanced mind and heart, at my side to support, encourage and love me the way I will him. Like I said, time is the most important thing we can give in this world; it's also the most important thing we'll ever receive. We, along with our dogs & of course my incredible Sydni, will finally settle for the first leg of our time here in Ohio, alllll together.

*Squeal!!

More updates on the new digs as I have them.
I'm blessed, beyond measure & beyond what I deserve.
Amen!

xo | cmd