Showing posts with label boyfriend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boyfriend. Show all posts

Saturday, November 22, 2014

BIRTHDAY SURPRISES, PART I

say whaaaaaaat!?
You see THAT?
I'm still at something of a COMPLETE loss of words over what's unfolding so far this weekend.

My guess is that everyone except me was savvy to the underlying plans for tonight, but as keen as I usually am to people being sneaky [the good way & the bad way... :| .. ], I was not expecting nor prepared for my friends to walk through the door.

My friends FROM ILLINOIS.

Before I had any idea what was happening, this was already happening:
... to ohio they were going.... 
Rob had managed to coordinate a birthday weekend for me that included two of my best friends of Illinois, Becky, Brandon.. AND.... 
ahhhh!!!
I'm FLOORED.
My friends are here. I'm apparently supposed to pack a bag for tomorrow, because we're heading somewhere.. that they won't disclose.

THESE. SNEAKY. PEOPLE.
[how I love them SO!]

♥♥♥♥♥

xo | cmd 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Aurorae Me!

Guysguysguys....

I am a LUCKY girl.

I realized yesterday that I was so wrapped up last week laughing at Sydni fitting in a box that we didn't take a picture of what actually came in that box.
yiieee!! 
 ^ As an early birthday present, Rob got me a new yoga mat, mat towel, micro towel, cross-body bag and straps, along with a mat cleaner and a few other things.

I was itching to put all of this to studio use, and my chance came today as I entered Modo with new gear in hand, ready to sweat it out and see what Aurorae's really made of. To say the least, it was a huge step out of what I'd been previously using, proving that my man is no stranger to online research before he buys. To say I'm grateful for this doesn't etch into half of what I'm really feeling; joining this new studio has been a pivotal point in strengthening my practice, and I am positively amped to look back in a few months to see how far I've come from where I am today. ♥

I arrived home a sticky, sweaty mess; somehow I managed time to run through the shower before it was back out the door, on the bike and off to a sushi dinner date with my love.
mango tree | cincinnati, oh 
YUM. Mango Tree's become our favorite local sushi dig around here, and tonight as always did not disappoint. Now that I'm stretched out, filled up and as content as I could imagine on a night like this, I'll leave it at that and bid you e-loves goodnight!

xo | cmd

Monday, August 11, 2014

[The Baja's] Maiden Voyage!

The moment of truth was upon us! [Will she sink or will she purr?]

Before the day got started, Rob and I set out on our separate tasks to prepare for the day: He readied the boat and I headed out to grocery shop for the cooler. Our timing was perfect; Jessica & her friend Andrew arrived right on time and we were on the road by 11.

Eastfork, we have to admit, is not necessarily a place of any sort of splendor. It is however, very convenient for us, and the perfect place for Rob and his new toy to really get to know each other. Norris Lake & Cumberland are on the list and we'll get to those as soon as we can plan the weekend out.

We were so excited to get going that I skipped taking any pictures right away. You know it's intense when my camera isn't out ;). We held our breath as Rob throttled out for the first time and we were off into the day. We cruised around for a bit to feel out the ride [which was pretty. daggone. awesome] before settling into a cove for a bit of swim time.

It wasn't long before Brittany and Wayne joined the party; the rest of the day passed by without a care in the world, and I'm pretty sure we were a bunch of happy little campers by the time it was over :)
happy people, happy day!
There's nothing better in this world than enjoying life in the moment, whatever that moment may be. Today we did just that.. in the company of some awesome friends and a day that was at our disposal.

We. Are. SPENT.
Rob's burnt, too.. and it's time for us to call this one another awesome day for the books.

G'Nite (:

xo | cmd  

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Journey | Steve Miller Band

On Sunday, Rob told me to check my email. I'd assumed it was information for our upcoming vaca, but I was wrong.

It's been a while since I've been so happy... to be wrong.
Instead of itinerary notes, it was a ticket confirmation to see these guys:
journey
steve miller band
STAAAHHHP.... My poor heart!
I LOVE the SMB, and Journey is, well.. they're Journey! C'Mon!
I have the best boyfriend imaginable. While the fastest and most direct route to my heart is through my stomach [aka, food], a very closely-contending route would be through live concerts for some of the bands I adore.

So I spent the entire day with SMB & Journey on my Pandora, singing "wheel in the sky keeps on tuuuuurnin'... don't know where I'll be tomoooorrooow...." over and over in my head in anticipation that they'd play that song [*spoiler alert: they did.].

Work passed quickly enough and it was home-bound to get ready. The sky threatened rain for a mere 20 minutes until it passed through and we voted on taking the bike down to Riverbend. Good call, too, since there's a Harley Row literally just outside of the entrance to Riverbend [tiny things = big wins!]
harley parking!
Kalyn, Brittany and their dad Papa Todd were on a separate trip to the concert, but we rendezvoused with them and parked ourselves on the lawn for a good night.
rob. me. brittany. todd. kalyn
And that's exactly what it was.
brittany! [& rob filming the concert.. haha]
love. this. guy.
and someone brought.. watermelon?
because sharing.. is caring... ;)
he loves me ♥
some smb!
A little [shaky, sorry] video footage of us and a thousand of our fellow folk enjoying perfect weather for the show!

happy people!

Last one for the night before the sun went down...

& so i love these people.
What an awesome night.
I told Rob next time, I'll drive, too ;)
whatcha think?? ;)
We're all home safe & sound. That's a wrap here, folks!
Good night!

xo | cmd

Sunday, May 4, 2014

LET'S.. GO... BOATING! [&CAMPING, TOO!]

Before the weekend could really begin, I had to make a very rare pitstop back at work for an hour or so. It felt so weird being there on a Saturday, but I counted my blessings of not having a job that required me to report in every weekend.
saturdays at the office?
rare. :p
The short office visit was worth it; I got to run a couple of other errands while I was out, too, in preparation for our mini getaway out to East Fork.

I headed back to meet up with Rob; he'd spent the morning at his shop cleaning up the interior of the boat, and together, we tied up all the loose ends and headed East.
campsite - check!
Our first priority -  find a campsite. That was as easy as a quick tour through the grounds; we pitched our tent and turned right back around to hit the water. After all, that's the real reason we're here this weekend (:
hello, 2014!
it. begins. yiiieee!
She did it! Her [the boat] 2014 debut went as smoothly as we planned. For that we have Rob to thank: I don't know that I'll ever get over how thankful I am for a hands-on guy who can spend a couple hours in the guts of a boat and get the thing running like a champ on his own. I love this guy.

Today was a bit chillier than what we would've ideally wanted, but it didn't sway us off the water until the early evening rolled around. We squeezed in a mini hike before settling into the campsite for the evening..
into the sunset.. haha (:
i love. this man.
It was back to the campsite to start a fire and cook after that.
marinated skewers?
.... yes. yes, please.
nom nom nom nom....
The last item on the agenda for the evening: NOTHING.

We sat by the campfire and watched the sun disappear, followed by the brighter shades of the sky fading into one smooth black canvas. The stars were bright and the campfire was sparkly.
beautiful ending to an awesome, awesome day.
I count myself among the luckiest out there. Life gets so busy sometimes that we forget to pause and extract ourselves from the tornado of routine activity, even just for a day. We are fortunate to have that ability, and were reminded tonight to take advantage of it whenever possible.

Here's to another awesome day tomorrow ♥.

xo | cmd

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

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

Friday, March 21, 2014

Workin' Out Together ♥

So today marked a first for Rob and me - working out [at a gym] together!

I decided to get back into a gym groove during the winter, mainly because I thought it was never going to end.... actually, I'm still not convinced that it will, but that's another rant....

Anyway, this is where we both found ourselves after work today...
yeahhhhh (:
It looks like we're on a good track, even though I think we'll both be sore for a couple of days. Nothing like a solid work out to keep the week in motion!

Oh, and yes, we're going to Alison Krauss in May! I just dropped money off at Kalyn's for tickets and I... can't... wait.

All signs are pointing to SUMMMMMERRRRR!

xo | cmd

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Balance Balls & Super Sushi

Call me over-the-top this year, but I'm bent on getting back in shape for 2014. I didn't make it a resolution or anything for the new year, but I'm finding that with every day, I'm becoming more and more interested again in the things I've always loved. This goes alllll the way back to the healing process that is still happening to me, from the inside out. Where I used to just feel defeated and dull, I now feel excited and determined. Whole-body fitness is on the list of things I'm controlling this year (:

And that means integrating little things into my daily life. I work in an office, which very easily becomes a gateway to a sedentary 8-to-5 for a lot of people, myself included some days. Sure, I'm up and down enough throughout the day that it doesn't always seem that way, but every once in a while, I'll catch myself with both feet tucked up under me on my chair, hunched over whatever email or proposal I'm absorbing.

Yesterday I paused for a moment and realized that I was essentially a circle with my desk. 
this will not be me!
.... No good. My spine probably hates me.

Wellll... in a spontaneous decision while out to get Sydni a pair of shoes, I wound up at the check-out with a balance ball in hand as well. I plan to mount this on a base, but I don't have that yet, so for now, the ball it is. 
ball replaces chair.. hmm..
It's definitely an interesting seat to have; I've decided I definitely need the base as well, since the ball itself isn't really tall enough to accomodate the rest of my desk. Either way, I sat perched on this thing for the last half of today and I can already feel the difference.

As I was bouncing through the latter half of my work day, Rob texted me to see if I had interest in trying out a sushi place down the road from us. Sushi is pretty much a rhetorical question for the two of us, so after work, off to Beechmont it was for some edamame, sushi, pad thai and fried rice. 

great date. super sushi.
winnnniiinnnngggggg.... (:
We're stuffed. We have leftovers, even, which is way unusual for us at a Thai place.

And heyyyyyy, it's the WEEKEND!
Sleeping in tomorrow.... I cannot wait..
... it's the small things (:

xo | cmd

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Snowy Sushi Run

This weather has been something. The Farmer's Almanac this year didn't lie in predicting harsh conditions this winter. We had planned yesterday to go out for a sushi night with Becky, but after watching the sleet come down in waves and settle over everything, we all voted it an unsafe venture and rescheduled. She wasn't available tonight, either, so Rob & I hopped up into the diesel and made a break for Fuji over in Eastgate. 
goooood call!
Yyyyum. It's been ages it seems since the last time I ate there, but it was a good decision tonight and I think we've found a hibachi home here. Win!

And yes, the snow is still coming down. It's everywhere.

Be safe out there, friends!

xo | cmd

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

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

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Trading '13 for '14

*backdated, durr!*
First things first : HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!!!
Today of course was the last day of 2013; I'm once again floored by how quickly it went, and again I'm looking very much forward to what 2014 is going to bring us.

The daylight of December 31st really wasn't anything super magical; I made us all breakfast before we continued our mission of packing and cleaning Rob's house. Sydni was here this time, so of course she did her due diligence of unpacking every other box and playing with whatever was in it, but in spite of it all, we still made some pretty massive progress.

As the evening rolled around, we made our way down to Fairview to Dawne's....
coco playtime
2013 has been a rocky road [nothing like 2012, I'll say that much... but still.... ], but I'm looking back at it and making sure to identify some key individuals who made life a little better for us during our various transitions. Dawne is one of them, and tonight I was so grateful to spend a little time with her before the year ended. I probably would've collapsed into myself early on in '13 if it hadn't been for her helping hand and generosity to Syd & me. We sure do love her!
dawne: love. her.
From Dawne's, we headed back to Granite to Mike & Kelly's, where we started our New Year's Eve journey. Soon enough we had Jesse & Anna in tow, and the six of us rustled up some dinner plans. Before we left Jesse's, I made sure to capture Zepplin's New Years salutes; he. is. adorable.
zepplin says happy new year, too!
After dinner, it was off in search of a New Year's crowd. Nobody put an ounce of planning into the night, so it was essentially us flying by the seats of our pants for the evening. That meant a pit stop [a bust, really] at a local dive downtown STL before we pretty much crash landed at Lumiere a half hour before midnight.


None of us are prolific gamblers [which is probably a good thing], so we had to laugh at our BIG WINNINGS after feeding $5 to a slot machine and pocketing a buck-46 [which went right back in, haha].
yeah.. we party hard, ya dig... hahaha
Most importantly, we managed to get out of the car & the parking garage before the ball dropped, and in the company of some great friends, we welcomed the new year. I'm feeling pretty good about this one, and I certainly didn't mind bidding '13 a farewell in the midst of some pretty awesome people.
hello, 2014!!
♥ kelly. mike. cori. rob. jesse. anna ♥
last couple selfie of '13..
.. with the best thing this place has to offer ♥
Happy 2014, to you & yours!
Let's make this a great one!

xo | cmd