I. Want. Holtman's... NOW.

I. AM. SO. CLOSE. 

via insta: @tessamaes

^ Boy, if that wasn't the cold hard truth today....

The coffee we made at work this morning was blacker than tar. Stronger too, I'm pretty sure. It's bad when I get a caffeine headache from being over-caffeinated. Holy cow. I was tired this morning, but then Nick rounded the corner with the press, planted it directly in front of me and simply said, "drink."

ya beaut! 

spilling it too, because i can't multi-task... 

^ I drank the coffee, and proceeded to do the things. And I was doing just fine until Nick again, came back for seconds:

holtman's. for real?! 

GAH! The universe knows that I am staring down the light at the end of this tunnel, and it wants me to fight a little harder for it. I mean, I didn't eat a donut today, if that's what you're wondering, but again - close, close call.

Things I've gained from this: Self-Control 

Things I've lost from this: Many a beautiful donut ;)

Oh, and of course we didn't go a full day, let alone a week, without having at least one installment of the "What IS she?" game:

I came back from having that conversation, and walked into both A) my coworkers having made me a sign for my office, and B) my friends mapping out the distance between point P and other point P:

lol.... 

*Sigh.

In other news, this chickadee finally lost another tooth today, which has been hanging on far past what we expected it to.

such a ham! 

All in all, not a bad Monday. Two more full days of W30 and it's over, and four more days until the weekend again. What's not to love about that?!

Happy Monday, blogbots! ♥

xo | cms

Attack of the PSL

'Tis the Season [or so I hear]?

It's that time of the year again; bring on the hoodies, bonfires, messy buns and pumpkin everything. 

yes, iliza.. yes

 ^^ Here's where I make a confession to the universe of all my dear friends who've waited the year for this time:

I don't like Pumpkin Spice Lattes. 

There, I said it. I'm sorry guys. I tried, I did. This morning, we discovered that our office supply of coffee grounds was empty, so in a flash decision, Nick sprinted off to Starbucks. I let the team talk me into getting a PSL, which is the official call sign for Pumpkin Spice Latte, in case anyone else out there had to ask what that meant...

... No? Just me? Okay.

Anyway, off he went and returned with said PSL.

Here's an overview of how this went: 

before & after

I wanted to like this thing, you guys. I promise, I did. It was a fun experience though, getting a sugar high off a drink that tasted like melted pumpkin pie mixed with equal parts sand. I admire all of you daily PSL drinkers out there - I really don't know how you do this.  

It led us into a conversation on Contrived Scarcity though, which was a much more entertaining dialogue than the drink itself. If you're not sure what CS means [-wait, we're still doing the initials-slash-acronym thing, right?], the short Econ-class definition will tell us that it's the intentional limiting of a popular item to create a perceived shortage of said item.

In this case, "Limited Availability" and "Get it before it's gone!" are phrases that make me laugh whenever I hear them. We all have that natural trigger to do a double check on whether or not we want or need whatever this limited thing happens to be.. and lemme tell you what, this PSL fandom is taking it very, very seriously.

Anyway, I really wanted this to be more of a momentous bookmark in the book of my mundane life, but uhh... I'm good. 

In other news, and on a very serious note, Jaclyn's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and if you're reading this, it would mean the world to her and to her support network if you could say a quick prayer, send a good vibe, whatever it is you do when the going gets tough.. for her as she goes into cancer removal surgery tomorrow. Love you, Jax - you've got this!

As for the rest of us, it's been another whirlwind week here, and I'm ready for Friday to come and go! Have a wonderful day tomorrow, blogbots!

xo | cms

Hello, August!

Where did this summer go? I saw a quote earlier today or yesterday somewhere on Instagram: 

June & July lasted 4 seconds.

(They're not wrong).

I feel like this Summer has flown straight past me; I gathered that much when June hit and I was in Panama, and then proceeded to spend the rest of June out of state on the weekends. July wasn't much different. Now we're here, it's August 1st, and today was a GOOD DAY to slow down and enjoy it.

I got drafted to head northward for my office's weekly interview round-up in Warren County. Ashley's on vacation this week, and I'm the next closest geographically, so off I went this morning to Lebanon. It was a standard morning of interviews, new employee orientations... all the fun stuff that comprises my day-in-day-out. 

AND THENNNN.. 

helloooooooo, gorgeous!

I'd never been to the heart of Lebanon, so I typed in 'coffee' and waited to see what happened. As it turns out, there are at least four coffee shops/houses in cute little Lebanon, so I picked the first one and saved the rest to explore another day. 

I picked right. 

This is exactly what I picture when I think of quirky little cafe/coffee joints: It was tucked into a row of street-side businesses, decorated like a parlour, and covered with chalkboards and coffee-themed things. The board inside the doorway reads, 'FUN FACT: We have a different flavored coffee EVERY DAY!' And obviously this was where I was supposed to come, because I have an irrational desire for this stuff. 

^^ lampshade ceiling ^^ 

Approaching the counter to order food is a serious affair for me, although not as serious as trying to find a place to order the food in the first place. So I asked what the most popular dishes were on the menu, and was told that both the chicken salad sandwich and cornbread salad were award-winning (literally) items. Let's DO IT, because I am in no way a fan of making my own decisions at a food counter. 

how your food is delivered at royce cafe & coffeehouse:
ADORABLY.

I've never had so much non-salady salad on one plate. Frankly, I never even knew that was an option.

And then I saw this, which will be promptly displayed in my office when I get back to the homefront. I made it a point to thank the owner after this entire lunch experience for doing this, because not only is it a step and statement of faith to add scripture to a lunch order, but it told me that they'd thought well enough about how to encourage people, even if just for a second.

love, love, love.

On my way out, I ordered a Red Velvet Mocha, after again having asked for the most popular vote. Sure, let's do it... and omg this was the right choice kthanksi'llbebackbye. 

wifi password, also my life motto. 

SO FOLKS, if you're ever in or around Lebanon (OH), GO HERE. :)

And if you're ever in or around Eastgate (or Fairfield, don't forget!), go to Jungle Jim's and definitely buy escargot shells five-foot long dog ropes and mochi and most definitely 3 giant buckets of pop boba.

the filipino food aisle... 

Say yes to dog toys. Especially those that are taller than you and can withstand the force of two 70 pound dingos at home.

Today was a beautiful day, and August is here.
Let's do it!

xo | cms 

Friday the 13th

On a scale of 1 to stereotypical, today was 5 paces past the latter for being a Friday the 13th. My team [at work] managed to make it through the day in tact, but it sure didn't come without a fight. 

Albeit a day of chaos that came in waves, I received my second installment from the Book of the Month club that I joined. The first book, The Sun is Also A Star from last month, introduced me to Nicola Yoon, and I read it as quickly as I could. I promptly wanted to either re-read it, or have a sequel materialize into my lap so I could continue being a fly on the wall to Natasha & Daniel. 

I haven't heard of either of these authors until now, but I am all about it and these two reads look like they'll be quick to finish but long to forget [here's hopin'!].

With the work day finally conquered, I made a beeline home and traded my office pants for lycra and met Rob at the gym. We squeezed in an evening of working out on separate sides of the building before reconvening for a jog side-by-side on the treadmills. 

I'm about to crack open the bigger of these two new books; I'll keep ya'll posted on how it goes. :)

Happy Friday the 13th! 

xo | cms

I've Been There.

This one's a little intense.

Little known fact that I'm about to share with you guys.. and a note that I'm just.. putting out in the universe, so to speak, for the girl who reminded me this morning of the places I've been and the places I won't be returning to.

Dear Sara*
*Yes, I changed her name.

You served me coffee earlier this morning, at a place I visit nearly every morning for the same reason: coffee. You were friendly, polite and you smiled. At face value, it was as mundane an interaction as could be for a morning in line for coffee. But here's the thing: Your smile looked tired. Beyond that, you had two very clear, very dark bruises beneath each of your eyes.

Sara, for all I know, those could very well have come from softball. You could've been in a bad car accident recently, and the glasses you wear could've been forced into your face. I have no idea, and while I hope to assume the best in other humans, the reality is often the opposite. So I say this to you: If those bruises came from the hands of another human, well.. know this:

I have been there. I have seen knuckles coming at my face, and I've felt them make contact. I've been shoved. I've been kicked. I've had my back against the railing of a 4th story fire escape, wondering if I'd be pushed over it.  Fortunately, that was the one and the only time that I ever actually thought it might be over. But it wasn't. I hit rock bottom that day, and realized that everything I'd dealt with: every hurtful word, every scratch and bruise, all the money I invested into makeup at the last minute to cover up those scratches. Every time I blamed myself for not being the right type of person to someone who, in the reality of it, really wasn't even worthy of me on my worst day.

Sara, if you feel like that's a self-righteous way to feel, or an entitled thing to say... you're right, it certainly does feel like that when you're living in that moment. It does feel like perhaps you're being selfish, or unappreciative. It feels uncertain, and therefore an even scarier prospect to explore than staying right where you are. 

But I can also say this: That doesn't mean it's wrong. 

In fact, it's very much the opposite. You've probably been told by people who know you far better than me that it's time to get out of that. He doesn't deserve you. You deserve better. You should walk away. A thousand other solicited and unsolicited bits of advice have likely been handed to you, but maybe nothing more than that, because that would take someone out of their safe zone. 

You should know something: My advice to you means nothing, because well, you don't know me. What I can tell you with absolute truth though, is that you are beautiful. You are alive (and should have a vested interest in keeping it that way!), and you are strong. You are stronger than any and all of this, and while you might not see it in this moment, you really are capable of all the things you've denied yourself for however long it's been. 

Sara, I'll be back to see you probably tomorrow sometime, both because coffee is part of my morning routine, but also because I want you to know that I am here (because I fought for it), and I want to help you. I won't push, but please know that in meantime, I'm praying for you - that if it's not me you choose to confide in, that at least it's someone who is truly willing to help you remember just how worth it you are. 

It's a beautiful day, blogbots - take time today to encourage someone around you - you never know - you could be changing someone's life! 

Peace, Love & Praise ♥

xo | cmd

A Life-Is-Great Wednesday

I'm a huge fan of variety, and breaking out of the monotony of what's typical every day. In the spirit of said variety, I happily obliged a client requesting me to come down on site today for a facility tour to start the day. While I knew my desk had undoubtedly been piling up over the course of the morning with memos, messages and files, it was quite a nice change of pace to be driving north into the city at a time that is very unusual for me.

hello, daytime city! 

It was only fitting to make a pitstop in for some fresh-ground encouragement before heading in to the office!

it was too beautiful a feeling not to stop and capture it

I did however realize why I'd been met with some semi-raised eyebrows between my client's facility and the office: I'd forgotten about and was still sporting earplugs. I mean.... it's not totally irrelevant, right?

these are just in case it gets too loud... or something..

The rest of the day passed without too much chaos, and I'm happy to say that there was a moderate amount activity completed after work as well, re: THE MOVE.

That's another day's worth of diatribe.. but we'll get to that later. For now, I hope ya'll were out and about today for at least part of this gorgeous day!

xo | cmd

The Worst.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII feel like I was hit by a MEGABUS today.
Let me lay this out for you in a super scientific visual:

See that sliver of hope in there, the yes part? That's the part that was in charge of getting me out of bed, dressed to a standard just a thread above vagabond and into work. That tiny yes line died of over-exertion at promptly 8:00 am, and the rest of the day was.. well... Monday.

I texted Kalyn something to the effect of, I'm dead.
She replied similarly, My throat and entire body, probably my soul too.. hurt.
I agreed with an emoji, the one that looks like it's seasick.
She replied,

rough monday. 

I replied,

double rough monday.

She responded, "I'm so sorry."
And that was Monday.

It's 7pm and I feel like I've been awake for the duration of history. I'm passed the yawning phase; right now I feel like I'm just observing myself somehow meditating, except instead of actual meditation, my body is shrugging and resigning itself from existence all together. Meh. 

How's that for melodramatic?
I'm tired. Bye.♥

xo | cmd

Uh Huh...

Marianne sent me this via Pinterest today:

Guys.. I can't. The truth in this is that I need this logo'd over everything I own. I need this. For sure.

Instead of wearing that around like I wanted to today, I took the expected route and went to work, then the gym, and then home... [rinse & repeat, amiright?]

Dinner was an easy selection, and part of what I love about workouts: less guilt on the carb side...

spaghetti carbonara

^ That's a stock photo; tonight we used veggie noodles and did not take a moment in the space between the stove and shoving it in our mouths to photograph. Noted, for next time though.

Phewwwwwwww.... yeah.
See ya tomorrow!

xo | cmd

Pre-Mother's Day

Every once in a while, my company offers us the opportunity to partner up with some of our greatest assets, in the form of training seminars that bring us all together for even just an hour. One of those was scheduled for today, so Elisa and I took advantage of the break from our daily grind. We headed over to the Eastgate office for an hour of refreshment training and actual refreshments [thanks, Chris & Co.!]

We are officially all set: We are... CareerBuilder Aficionados!
.... or something like that. Haha. Either way, it was an awesome refresher course and a nice breath away from the normal routine.

Afterwards, we had an actual lunch break built into the afternoon, so we took to my neck of the woods, given that we were already over that way. We were in search of coffee, so we made a stop by Luckman. Good call! :)

We gathered up our drinks, took in one last smell of the coffee shop brew and headed back to the office to finish up the week. We were within an hour of the ending another solid week when the door opened and in sauntered the delivery guy:

ahhhhhh!

^^ Happy EARLY Mother's Day to me!!! Look at these beauties!
Syd and Rob sent me these, with that adorable note, and I didn't even see it coming. These two... I mean seriously. They're the best. I have no idea what I would do without them and I am so grateful to have them.

Speaking of Mother's Day, we head north to The Dren Lodge tomorrow to celebrate with my parents and family. I'm pretty stinkin' excited!

For now, it's THIS and then bed.

because that's a no brainer. 

Seeeee ya on the flipside, blogbots!

xo | cmd

Sunshine, Coffee & Happy People!

Cincinnati, you're BEAUTIFULLLLL!!!

Today was just begging for exploration; the sun was out, the temperatures were tolerable, and the sky was as blue as I've seen it be :).

Lunch = Coffee Emporium, and I'm definitely not sorry.

coffee emporium! 

coffee emporium

We work in the city limits, yes, but I'll tell you one thing that I do love about Cincinnati is the plethora of ways to escape that, even if just for an hour or so.

iced coffee + sunny patio + green all around = love, love, love! 

"trying to figure out the selfie... hehe"

 And TOES! 

bare feet! ♥♥♥♥

To continue the beautiful day, I rendezvoused with CHRISTINE! This definitely took me back about four years to our days with the ACS, when I had the opportunity to work with her on one of the Relay for Life campaigns in Illinois:

relay for life - 2011?
belleville west hs | belleville, il 

the eagle otr, may 2015!
otr - cincinnati, oh 

I love catching up with old friends!! :) So great to see you Christine, and I hope the rest of your visit here in Cincinnati is awesome!

I made it home with dinner for Rob, and got to work on finishing up these, that are going in the mail first thing tomorrow: 

send 'em out! 

*WHEW. It's been a day! Tomorrow is finally Friday; here we go!

xo | cmd

Appalachian Trail, Ramsey Cascade Falls & A Smelly Ride Home!

Today was our last day of our mini getaway into the Smoky Mountains. That meant packing up and gearing Ernie for one more day of adventure and the drive home.

packed up... again

Off we set, in search of our day's adventure. We identified Ramsey Cascade Falls as our end goal, and after an hour jaunt in the car, we were winding down the gravel path towards the foot trail. We strapped on our day packs and were off on the 4ish mile ascent up the mountain to the falls.

more rivers! 

bright colors of the woods! 

hey, mare! 

subiendo, subiendo... subiendo y no bajando

orange spotted newt

We made it to the top, after a grueling network of rock steps, slippery tree roots and loose shale rock. 

nothing like this boost of confidence at the top.. :/

ramsey cascade falls - totally worth it. 

 Fortunately, we managed to get all of our photos done without any casualties.

friends :) :) 

just gracefully snacking..... yenno.. 

 

We breathed in our fill of God's gorgeous work at the top of this mountain. We sat with each other and did nothing but just listen and stare at the waterfall. We stayed there in that place together, yet silently still: isolated in our own internalized conversations with God. I wouldn't have traded that for the world.

And then the descent..

It couldn't have been a better day for a hike up to and down from the falls, and there's no two people I would've hand selected to spend that time with today, either.

We left the falls and captured a last reminder of the morning on the way out:

The laughable moments didn't end when we stepped off the trail for the last time this weekend; in fact, it continued from the moment we were back in our seats. Marianne and I traded spots for the trip into the city, and I decided it would be fitting to assume the role of my seat's previous occupant... and to own it.. haha.

i. am. marianne. 

We journied back into the commercial part of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, with a few stops before lunch. I suggested we stop off at NOC, which is the PF equivalent of REI. Always a good choice:

It was a fuel stop after that, during which we thought it fitting to capture Ernie in the aftermath of our excursion:

a successful day! 

Our last notable stop before the drive home was Starbucks - Let the fru fru drinks begin! My love-hate relationship with Starbucks continued; I can't drink their coffee because it's always so burnt, so I indulge in the fancier drinks on the rare occasions that I find myself there. I share a similar sentiment with both Becky & Mare, and today we learned that Mare's pseudo name is still a tricky one, even in its true classic nature:

"fankenstien" 

I'll let you decide what you think that should have been. Haha.

Fast forward through all the other stuff: Lunch at TR, then the 4ish remainder of a drive back to Cincinnati. We made it unscathed, and Becky's continued on to her place. Mare and I are both showered, which was desperately needed.. laundry is running and our bags are already unpacked for the most part. This is the super-accelerated version of an unwind.. hah.

We're spent. I'll be re-living this several times until the next outing, I'm sure.

Until then, good night blogbots - see you in the AM!

xo | cmd