Twenty-Seven!!

Oh my word.
I made it!

I think I’ve decided that my next endeavor in this earthly life is to cure Deceptive Birthday Syndrome. Allow me to explain.

You see, each year, this thing comes around that seems to get people excited when it has their name on it. [Duh, birthday.] So today is mine, and when it was all said and done, the day was wonderful, save for the fact that I am indeed getting older. Call it a quarter-life crisis, call it ridiculous, call it whatever you please, but sooner or later, I think most people would argue that turning the clock back wouldn’t be such a horrible thing. So, to solve the dilemma of actually getting older, I think I’ll start working on a way to preserve the customary fête – small or large – just sans the whole … aging part. I don’t think the odds are in my favor on this one, but hey, 27-year-olds can still dream, yeah?

There’s a special something about birthdays that will never fail to elicit well-wishes from an enormous chunk of friends, family, and facebook connections. Don’t lie; I’m one of those, and so are you! J I compiled just some of the blessings and wishes I got throughout the day, and I realized I am truly one fortunate girl. Be it a week, a year or five years, I’m grateful for all of my friends and extended family who took the moment to send annual congratulatory wishes via text, web, and/or phone call. Thank you!!

My first surprise was a box of donuts from Meagan; they arrived on my desk as soon as she walked in the door, and, although I did share, I have to say it was tough to decline eating every single one, in their delicious-looking state. Thank goodness for co-workers, hah.

Anyway, the second surprise came in the form of a text message from Joe telling me he’d left a work-related document in the backseat of the Murano. I went out to retrieve it, only to find a beautiful wooden decoration painted with my namesake verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13. [Yeah, for those of you just tuning in: I've since shortened my AKA to Cori, but post-adoption, I was given the name Corin, derived in this case from that exact verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13. Yenno, FYI.] In any sense, it’ll harmonize beautifully with the [Goodwill] frame I’d re-done with a picture of Joe and me.

For lunch, Diana treated me to my first visit to Peel, a relatively new but phenomenally delicious pizza dig in Edwardsville. With enough salad and pizza to fill up both us and a few takeout boxes, we headed back to the office. I’m certainly taking Joe there when we have the chance!

After work, I headed home with just enough time to change clothes before I was whisked back out the door for a double dinner date with Ryan & Stephanie Lopez at the Sushi Bar off 159. I’ll say this: that place definitely looks a little sketchy from the outside, but it is well worth the trip if you’re ever in the area. After dinner, we came back home with plans to watch a movie; of course Joe left me in charge of film selection, and as always, my answer: “Surprise me!” Well, he surprised me all right. He flipped on the T.V. and suggested we watch… maybe… Sportscenter?! Yeah, we have channels now, too! It’s been a long time since we’ve had satellite, and I’ve gotta say that while we were just fine without, it is a nice perk to have it.

That being said, it’s about time I call it a day. I had an excellent birthday, and for the time being, I’ll leave it at that and forget I’m inching my way closer to completing my third decade. We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. Hah.

G’Nite!

xo | cmd

Let's Celebrate!

I've been at my new Express office for just about 2 months now, and so far so good. It's certainly been an adjustment, but I am finally in the phase where acclimating feels a bit more natural, and I'm no longer finding myself completely lost in trying to follow the flow of this office.


marc | nancy | karen | diana | meagan | cori

We are an office of Christians who believe that God gives, takes, and surprises on a daily basis. The first thing He did [since I came into the picture] was to open an avenue for Susie, my predecessor, that granted her a much better schedule, lighter commute, and better compensation. That created my opening here, and I'm so grateful for that. The next big adjustment came when Karen [an SC here] announced that, while she hadn't been looking, an impassible opportunity had presented itself to her as well. She would get the hours she needed, the flexibility to spend more time with her kids, and the chance to work with some close, familiar former co-workers. That announcement blossomed into our bringing Meagan on board, and my climbing up a couple rungs on the internal ladder. I love when I can recognize even just a glimpse of the plan God lays out for us.

So, that being said, we thought we should absolutely celebrate the concept of radical transition that's occurring here in our office. We seem to do well with Mexican restaurants, so we opted for another round a Mexican dig nearby. It definitely worked. :)

Congratulations, Karen, on this new opportunity..
Congratulations, Meagan, on joining the EEP Edwardsville family..

and THANK YOU, to the heads of our office for trusting me with this promotion. :)

xo | cmd