Buon Compleanno, Mamma!

IT'S MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY! 

look at that hair! ;) 

I'm not the kid that can say she and her mom have always been best friends. We fought a lot in my formative years, but here's the deal: she didn't then, hasn't since and I'm fairly certain never will not have my back. She's fought for me every day of my life, even before I was born (because yenno, adoption). She made sacrifices I can't imagine making, to be sure that the child she chose - not birthed - would have a well-rounded life. She invested in me with everything she had, and even though we can agree now that the good intentions didn't always hit their mark, they were there. Even when I felt most alone growing up, she was there. She is always, always there.

I wanted to say some things about her - my mom. 

The first of those things is this: My mom is  not the perfect mom. She never has been. She won't ever be. HOWEVER, the fact remains that she started that journey almost an entire year after her child was born. If you're anything other than blind, you've understood that I'm adopted; by definition alone that means that I am not her biological-born, and so the choices she made on my behalf were, in my eyes, just that much more intentional. She had none of it figured out when I got here. She didn't have to. My mom is the type of person who shines even brighter after moments of failure or mistake. I've never met anyone who so thoroughly uses a setback as an opportunity to do and be better on the next chance. That's been a hallmark of her personality for as long as I've known her, and from what I hear from my family, long before that. 

Another thing: My mom is the epitomy of the finite balance between endless positivity and an almost annoying air caution. I don't know how she achieves both so fully. She chooses to find the light in everything, even if that light is a buried underdog in the battle. In the same breath, she's warning me to check my fruits and vegetables for pesticides and not to use toxic chemicals when I clean the areas my pets and family might use. She has an unwavering smile through it all, as though the sun being out in the sky is the best thing since the sun existing in the first place. 

And then.. she's been the logistics coordinator and structural brain of our family for years, and is still somehow hilariously and adorably aloof. 2017 was the year she and my dad finally emerged from the leashes of FLIP PHONES, and went straight to smart phones. I now get to hear her say things like, "Oh, I just love the Google." 

Us too, Mom. Us too. 

If ever there was a non-celebrity human being who invested herself into the well-being of others around her before herself, it's my mom. She's a professional samaritan, which by proxy is likely one of the biggest contributors to her endless supply of joy. Oh, and if you've known my mom for more than 5 minutes, you'll know that that compassion is distributed in this order: Animals, Family, Food (aka, for everyone else). Those legends you hear about animal activists in the 70's with clipboard petitions to save caged pigeons are not just tall tales. That was her, in all her Farrah hair and bell-bottom prime. She channeled that into 20+years as the president of our hometown humane society, and has every ounce of credit for surrounding me with vets, trainers and breed advocates who taught me the fundamentals of animal well-being. I assisted in my first hands-on feline spaying surgery when I was 9, and was pulling rounds of deer ticks off stray dogs for multiple-hour sessions in my garage by the age of 11. I could recite the foster-to-adopt program by heart before I finished middle school, and it's because my mom was (is!) so passionate about any creature - 2 or 4+ legged, who don't have their own voice. 

Lastly (for purposes of this blog, but certainly not lastly in general), my mom is HAPPY. She is happy with the life she's built, with what she's lost and what she's gained. The joy that is in her eyes isn't fake. It's not forced. It's there because she obliged her passion for adventure and loving others. For being a part of a community, a family, a business, or an excursion. She's happy because the things she's poured herself into were not always rewarding, but then when they were, it was tenfold. She is happy because she has surrounded herself with people who share her beliefs and her passions, and who continue to encourage and keep her accountable to her goals. And she's happy because she still has goals. My mom is genuinely happy with her life and what it has given and continues to give her. Our running joke is that she'll be the one still riding her bike 13 miles a day at 212 years old, when we're long gone. I mean, it's unlikely, but we'll see ;). 

Mom, you deserve every bit of love and light today. I love you to the moon & back.

Happy Birthday ♥

xo  | cms

T H E L A S T M O V I N G D A Y

God willing, that is.

We spent the first half of today at the mercy of a 26-foot box truck:

loaded up! 

on the roaaaad again... 

I cannot express the appreciation I have today especially for good friends: Mike, Andrew & Jessica, ya'll are life savers. This would have been a very different day if the three of you hadn't made an appearance and donated your time, brute strength and encouragement. Haha.

At the new house, the boys took to unloading the big stuff, while Jessica and I committed to building furniture. This wouldn't have been a priority, except that Rob's parents were due in town in the evening and otherwise would've been shacked up on the couch... which... no. So bed-building it was! Ikea certainly doesn't operate on any shortage of screws, bolts, washers, nails and HOLES DRILLED THE WRONG SIZE.. haha. The hammer ran a marathon today, but we made it happen. 

go go ikea go!

The frame was built and the mattresses were laid. The guys showed up at the last minute before the mattress pads and bedding were added, to test it out:

exhausted movers approved.

mattress topped! 

It was nothing more than a blink it seemed between the time that Andrew, Jessica and Mike left, and Rob's parents arrived. When they did, this little blur came tumbling out of the car. Meet the newest addition to his dad's house: Duke the pomsky! 

duke

stop it, ya cutie.. 

I'm obsessed. Seriously. This dog is so freakin' adorable, it's disgusting. 

dog selfies. dogfies. 

^ I mean... c'mon. Look at this guy! I'm excited to head back to Illinois in a couple months or so to visit and see how much he's grown. 

In the meantime, we've just inhaled dinner out of styrofoam boxes with plastic utensils, because the dishers and real flatware are hiding in some unmarked box somewhere in this place still. That's all part of the adventure though, right? Hah. 

We're all spent. See ya in the mornin!

xo | cmd

And Home Again

It's been a loaded weekend, to say the least. We're home now, but not without a day full of activity under the belt.

We started off with breakfast at Rob's dad's house; yesterday's visit there brought us back together for the morning there with them, this time complete with a visit from Rob's younger niece Ella, who is Sydni's age. We were greeted first by the little furry reminder of joy in the face of an otherwise tense situation: Ginger!

good morning, beautiful girl! 

hi, ella! ♥

We ate breakfast and spent the morning in the company of family, which was exactly what everyone in the house needed.

kate with the pups & ginger 

We soon said our goodbyes [for now; we'll be back asap!] and headed back to Dillon's to scoop up our dogs and be on our way.

Oh, I can't forget to mention the other pitstop before we hit the highway:

ohhhhhh brother.. 

Remember this girl? Yes, she's still in operable condition and has spent the last couple of weeks shacked up in Matt's shed. We made a detour through Collinsville on our way out to say our thanks to him and load her up. The guys took to that task, while I hung back and marveled over Apollo, Matt's dane:

apollo! 

The process went a lot smoother than I'd expected, and within a matter of minutes, the bike was hauled up, strapped in and ready to go!

ready to go!

Despite the roller-coaster of emotions, we seemed to stay in decent spirits for the ride home. We know the next couple of months are going to be a bit strenuous, regardless of how the course of events fall, but we know we're stronger together and when you add God to the mix, joy in the midst of it all is an undeniable fact.

road trippin' it! ♥

We're home now, exhausted and ready to call it a night.
Happy week, loves.

xo | cmd 

Christmas & Supercross

Christmas 2014 has crossed over into 2015, continuing on with each of the family stops we're making on this trip back to Illinois. It's not going to be completely done until Syd's back and has torn into all of the gifts she'll have waiting after this trip, but we had our time today with Rob's dad and stepmom. We took the gift that Santa brought us for Ella, and had fun watching her tear into that... I wish Sydni had been here to share in the fun of it all, but we'll be coming back and those two can have their time together ;)

ella! 

We also had the chance to celebrate Kate's birthday, which was the first time up to now that I've been able to share in that with them as a family [many more years of this to come!]. I'm so grateful for her as part of his family, and from here [soon!] on out, part of my extended family as well. Happy birthday, Kate!! ♥

happy birthday, mama kate! 

After the Christmas and birthday celebrations were had, we parted ways until tomorrow morning; our next and final stop for the night was Gilliganz for the Supercross race. Dillon, Matt & Courtney were already there, so we joined in for some dinner & the 450's. Jay and Cindy even made an appearance to say hello!

snapchatting it to ali!

And that's a wrap, folks! Tomorrow, we'll head back to Ohio and wake up on Monday to the grind of work and all the other stuff that marks our lives. And really, I'm kind of looking forward to it!

For now, good night from Illinois!

xo | cmd

There & Back Again.

We're getting good at keeping to a general outline of a routine whenever we make these trips to Illinois now. It usually starts with visiting Rob's mom and stepdad in some fashion, and ends with us visiting his dad and stepmom. In between is the time we spend with friends, usually maximizing the weekend for all it's worth and then some by the time we've gone.

Today found perfect cadence with that routine, when we packed up our time at Dillon's and headed over to Rob's dad for a few hours before we jumped on the road back home.

travis! :) 

It was some time very well spent; I got to help Kate out on a project that otherwise may have taken a few days to complete, and Rob got a special hand-me-down heirloom from his dad:

vintage blues gear! 

The Halloween spirit is striking early this year, I've noticed; even Kate's little kitten was in a test run of one of her little outfits. She's the cutest pumpkin I've seen so far:

darlins! 

Soon enough, we picked up once again and talked ourselves into the drive home. Both the pups were content this time around being in the backseat, after a weekend of confusion in unfamiliar territory. Stella eventually took advantage of the road trip and resigned herself to a 4-hour nap, while Sasha kept on as the ever-watchful [and pesky] backseat sentinel.

and a very intimidating one, clearly... ♥

We made it home in four separate but whole pieces, and that's about all that's left to report.

Monday'll be here before I'm ready to greet it, so for now... good night!

xo | cmd

Illinois & In Betweens

We're home. In Ohio.

Earlier today, we were still in Illinois. It was a much warmer day than yesterday, which made for a perfect time relaxing outside for a bit before we climbed back in the car for the 5-hour homeward trek.

sweet. bitter. bittersweet.
illinois to ohio, ohio to illinois...

After breakfast, we dropped by Rob's dad's house. They've made some major headway in some home renovation projects they're doing, including the outline for a pool. We spent a couple hours there visiting and chatting with them.

Most of that time was spent with a happy Travis parked on my lap. Sure, he's all of 75 pounds, but hey, who's counting? 


travis!

sunshine & a happy pup!

 Then of course there was Toby:

he didn't want in the chair ;)

And when Travis finally decided he wanted some shade, too..  

happy boys

The "see you soon"'s came before we wanted them to, but we managed through it, and headed onward to say the same to Rob's mom. We spent a little time there of course, too, admiring the blossoms and checking out her screen room projects. She's got some monster blooms in her yard, and gave us a few little ones to take back to Sydni.

beautiful blossoms!

She recently did a furniture upgrade on her patio and now has some chairs that I decided today were exactly what we need for our dining room table. We looked at several chairs of the same structural style, but of course either upholstered, leather or just plain frame with seat cushions. Nothing so far has seemed to really sway me, until I saw these. Our table's a finicky thing to try and match, but I know that these will work just fine.

dark wicker highbacks.
#want.

I'll keep you posted on when we acquire some of these for our dining room ;)

Speaking of our dining room, fast forward through the road trip itself to the fact that we're back in it now, laughing at the note Mike & Becky left for us on the back of a small shipping envelope they'd found somewhere in the house:

hahaha

If you can't read it, it says:

BECKY KILLED YOUR SCREEN DOOR HANDLE (SHE'S BLAMING THE DOGS.. BUT THAT'S JUST TOO COMPLICATED. & I JUST FOUND OUT, TOO LATE TO FIX... HMMM). HOPE IT WAS A GOOD TRIP. - MIKE

Hahaha. I thought about rubbing this in Becky's face out of good fun, but since the latch on the back screen door has been jamming for the past few weeks, I decided I'd just wait and give her grief about something else ;)

 

Plus, I decided at the last minute to do lunches for us for tomorrow. Here's to healthy living, both at home and at work!

hers & his ♥

Phew. What a day. I'm outta here.

See ya, tomorrow!

 

xo | cmd

To Chop or Not to Chop?!

Oh, hello...  

july 2013

Dilemma: I've been at war with myself for the past two months [at least] now, over whether or not to make the leap of cutting my hair. Honestly, I've never had this much trepidation over having short hair.. and I had to stop and wonder why that was...

Oh yeah, that's right. Two things!
1] The last time, I donated 13 inches of my hair. I shattered my collarbone into 10 pieces the following weekend and had to deal with the task of managing short hair.. with one arm.
& 2] When I did donate it then, I went to one of Cincinnati's best-known salons and came out with a bob that looked more like the shoulder-length-with-bangs do I had when I was 7. Not quite the edge I was hoping for... yeesh.

yeeeeup. short hair + newly-installed metal plate + 10 screws. awe-some. >:|

MMkay, bad timing. Since then, I've been overly-cautious about losing massive lengths at one time, which is an absolutely stupid thing to fear, I know.

That being said, the collarbone incident was over three years ago now, so I think I'm finally in the market for a new haircut.. and if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it.

Thanks to the input from a few folks, here are some of the top contender styles [as of now.. I'm fickle, so for all I know, next week I'll be shopping for extensions. Who. Knows.].  Anyway... here:

For a much shorter, slightly conservative look:

If I'm thinking more bob-ish, but not too drastic [& the gal on the left has texture very similar to mine, if not a little straighter, naturally].. I almost picture the straightened version of the left picture as something like that on the right [two different people]:

Slightly more daring, I can't deny considering singer Kina Grannis.. because I love her, with long or short hair. She also has hair texture not unlike mine if I don't touch it with a straightener or a dryer...:  

Of course if I was really feeling like going polar opposites, I could always do one of those and throw in an undercut [not undershaved, sorry] side, just for kicks [something I could still conceal, if need be] .. Of course, this fascination could also be that I just think Rosario Dawson is classically-gorgeous, as well. Who knows:

Lastly, I'm looking to my cousin for some encouragement; she just chopped her hair a few weeks back and while she.. looks... stunning in that particular cut, my hair would never agree with that so I'll be adding my own twist, of course. It is inspiring, motivating and encouraging though. Haha.

my too-beautiful cousin & her new do

*Sigh. I still wish I didn't feel so apprehensive about it, but I now know a few gals who I'd actually trust to the task and so that will be where I start, if I'm brave enough. The issues I have with my Spanipino [dad was Spanish {Madrid!} & Mom was Filipino {Cebuana}]

First world problems, I know.
#spanipinoproblems, more like it.

For now, I'm taking this to the streets of facebook; We'll see if I can find some solid advice from any of my friends who do this, yenno, for a living. (:

xo | cmd