25 Days [Future Husband]

Today was a pretty busy day, not with anything particularly memorable, other than it marks exactly 25 days until my wedding!

Don't worry folks, I'll soon be done with wedding talk, but for now...

♥ him! 

He's my person, my better half and soon-to-be sharer of his last name ♥.
I.. can't... wait.

Cheers!

xo | cmd 

Pamper Time: Subie & Lexi

Okay, okay, okay, let's not pretend like I am the only one out there who's ever taken her car's ability to function despite an exactly-routine oil change for granted. Whether it's surprising or not, I am generally not that bad about preventative maintenance and ensuring repairs are done as needed. Oil changes though? I could do better.

I said all that to say that today's top priority was getting my dear little Subie a well-overdue oil change! Not just that, but she got 2 brand new tires, an alignment and a full internal/external wash & detailing. That girl got pampered today! She wasn't the only one; Lexi got her fair share of attention today, too. It was definitely a day dedicated to the cars we've been blessed to have. 

lexi getting a bath...

It was a beautiful day outside. We're in the last couple days of January, and as we adventured out for a day of local tourism, we couldn't help but laugh at the masses of like-minded folks, clad in tshirts, shorts and even a few sandals were sighted! 

It would've been easy to commit today to a marathon of TV shows, lounging, perhaps packing for this upcoming move, or any number of other things, but it felt good to get out and about, contrary to what I'd originally thought I wanted to do today. Haha. Our city, Cincinnati, was wholly appreciated today, as we journeyed across 275, 52, 50, 28 and 125, and drank in everything from downtown to the east end. We didn't make it north, but the quality time I got to spend with Rob will supercede the fact that we spent the afternoon tucked in the car ;). 

We're home now, after a dinner of hibachi, sushi and edamame. 

Tomorrow is the first official meeting for June's SonRise Panama trip, aka Panama, Part II!!! I am beyond excited for this, and am praying there will be a healthy turnout of folks who are interested and able to join in. From what I've heard, it sounds like this trip may be a bit more mild than last year, with less physically-demanding hikes and seclusion; hopefully that provides a more conducive opportunity for a diverse collection of our church family to join in. 

See you bright & early tomorrow! 

xo | cmd

Patio Date Night

Today started off with a downpour. Not a metaphoric one, but a literal, very angry lashing of the clouds above. A few thunder claps made us wonder if the power would hold out - we were lucky that it did, and within a couple hours, the rain had stopped all together.

It didn't take long at all for us to settle into a rhythm for the evening: Food, quality time together, and a flower-lined patio as a backdrop.

our perfect date nights: low key! 

because nom nom nom nommmm..

We really did plan on Jurassic Park for a post-dinner outing, but because we're us and also because we decided to eat dinner just down the street from our house, we agreed that Netflix as a backup plan was more of a primary plan, and went with that.

.... This is why I love this guy. Get on our level... haha.
Netflix it is!

xo | cmd 

#BoatProblems

It was so beautiful out today.

I kickstarted the gorgeous day by sleeping in until 11am. I have no clue how that happened, but I woke up to Rob nudging my foot at the end of the bed, with a plateful of breakfast in hand.

on the water! :) 

Yeah that's right, my man made me breakfast in bed.
I know for a fact that I don't deserve this guy. He is seriously.. the best.

It was a split decision after that to head to the water, but that's about how it happens half the time anyway. We loaded up and took off in the direction of Ripley, to meet up with Reuben and his two boys for the day.

Ripley is well past the passages of water that freak us all out here in the good old Ohio River. It's a bit of a haul out there, but as always, once you get in the water, the commute melts away and it all becomes worth it!

Jessica decided to join the fun, so she took off to meet us, while we rendezvoused for a bit with Reuben. Soon enough, we took the short cruise back to our drop in to load Jessica, and then it was back up river to the sandbar!

I don't give enough credit to the guy who brought us out here, and for all the work he does before and after these trips, along with everything else he does that we don't recognize him for as often as we should..

love this crazy fool ♥  

Reuben and his boys visit this area frequently, so they're familiar with the layout. The boys took Jessica and I to the other side of the sandbar, where there was a rope swing that swooped out over the bank and into the river. Interested? Well, DUH..

weeee! 

jessica taking a go at it, too 

We eventually trekked back through the brush of the sandbar to the bank where Rob and Reuben were in no rush to wind down. The lot of us hung out a little while longer, until the sun began to phase into that golden, pre-setting shade. Reuben and his sons took off, and we weren't far behind. It was a cruise back to where we'd started, so Jessica and I took turns to give Rob a bit of a break.

girls will be girls.. 

All was going just fine until a small sputter interrupted the otherwise smooth ride, and then a bigger sputter. Rob took over at that point, but with no luck of righting the noises. In an instant, the power stopped all together, and we were left afloat with no engine turnover in the middle of the river.

That is not where you want to be.
There was a lot of barge activity today, and my initial fear was that we'd wind up in the path of a load and be unable to move. After much effort, time and fruitless brainstorming on our end, we managed to flag down a couple on a jetski, who were kind enough to assist us with some fuel..

thank. you!!

As it turned out, the kid working the pump at the dock didn't put the gas cap back on correctly when we fueled up. It was an error that we should've caught, but noticed it only after it was too late - the point after which I'm sure gas had been coming out and water had been going in - the gas tank [aka, not.... good.. at all...].

The fueling didn't work, but our second saving grace was a family on a houseboat that ended up tying off with us and towing us in to the dock. Rob hopped off to go and get his truck, while Jess and I held down the fort. I must say we did a good job.. haha

 and jessica with the dismount! haha

Okay, so here's the deal - it's been a LONG day, and Rob is officially very much through with all of tonight's debacle. I would expect the next few days to hold some long hours of tinkering, but I have zero doubt that he'll have it diagnosed, fixed and reassembled before the middle of the week. That's just how he rolls...

Womp womp. That's the life of having big toys like boats, bikes and trucks... *sigh.

We'll deal with this later. For now, this is how we'll go ahead and remember today - from the fun side..

G'Nite...

xo | cmd 

The "Last Lunch" [For NOW, That Is...]

Just.. in.. case you've found yourself here, on my blog for the first time, I'll catch you up to speed in just a few words:

I'm leaving TOMORROW for a week-long missions trip. To Panama. 

It's only one week, yes, but this is far from a little venture. There is a lot ahead of us over the next seven days, and while I'm excited, I'm still human, and have struggled on and off for the past couple of weeks with the anticipation, inklings of worry and doubt that I've deliberately had to focus to dismiss. Not suppress, but completely dismiss. With what we'll be doing, there is no room for the human hesitations to cloud the beautiful work that is in store. 

Today was a fair wrap-up to a week that's been rightfully challenging. There is more truth than imaginable that when we intentionally set out to pursue a course of sharing Christ with the world, the opposing forces retaliate in full force to try and derail us. To demotivate and discourage. To cripple, tarnish and destroy our work, and to strip us of our resolve. It has never been more clearly evident of that happening than the past two weeks. 

That being said, I am here after a day of winding down and last-minute preparation for my team at work, and at home, too. During the day, Elisa, Carri and I finally made it over to Elisa's stomping grounds for our traditional Friday lunch - J. Alexander's! A veggie burger with some orzo & rice certainly isn't a bad "last lunch" before a week of Cliff Bars and free-range mountain fare. :) 

yummmm! 

^ Nom nom nom NOM. Elisa, I really don't know how you work there and don't weigh 500 pounds. Honestly. Haha. :) 

I met my parents and Sydni back on the homefront, where Mom [sidenote: if you know my mom, you know she comes bearing food like.... everywhere. I mean... yeah, everywhere] had dinner plans in the works. We went through the usual formalities of our visits: Pictures, catching up on the past several weeks in which we haven't seen each other, and sharing the most recent news from both sides. I so under-express how much I truly appreciate my parents, and how I hope to model them more and more as I continue to mature into my own life. Syd is headed to spend her Spring Break next week with them; I'm jealous of that time, but know they'll both have a blast! 

So her I am: On my couch in a silent house. Rob's taken off with the pups to see his family and friends for a couple days; my parents and Sydni left a few hours ago and I've circled out and back to finish the last two errands on the list. 

If you came here, and you're reading this sometime while I'm away in Panama, please take a quick moment to pray for my team. Please pray that we'll be kept safe in our travels throughout the week, that our stomachs will agree with the sudden change in diets ;) and that the creatures and critters of the mountains understand we're there as friends.. haha. All of those things would be great, but more and most importantly, please pray that our audience is not only open ears, but open minds and receptive hearts. Please pray that we are able to contribute in tangible ways to the furthering of their church community, already in the making well before any of us committed to this trip. 

Please pray for us. In all arenas of this next week: physically, emotionally and of course spiritually. I know that I can confidently speak on behalf of myself and my entire team when I say that the amount of support we've received is overwhelming. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU all for the love, donations and prayer you've sent our way over the past several weeks. 

Rob & Sydni, this week will fly by & I'll see you both soon. My energy is devoted to this trip, but you are both my home and I already look forward to coming home to you two. ♥

This girl... is out. 

See ya in a week, tech world :).

Love, Honor & BLESSINGS!

xo | cmd

Headaches & Creampuffs

1. I'm getting old. Okay, maybe it's not so much that as it is the fact that I am not nearly conditioned as I ought to [still] be. My work as a Clydesdale yesterday, hauling Sydni back up the sledding hill on her sled about ten times caught up with me first thing this morning, in the form of a muscle migraine that wouldn't relent until about 8:30 tonight. [Awesome. :/ ]

notes to self.

So there's that. I spent the day curled up in a sedentary ball on the couch, absorbing a few hours of cartoons as Sydni patiently [bless this child, seriously] passed the time her mama was out of commission by coloring some gorgeous pictures as a healing offering. I have the sweetest girl, ever. At one point, she disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of Smart Water:

"I brought this for you Mommy, because sometimes when I have a headache, I just need water and then I feel all better.. so this can help you feel all better." 

Really? What I have done to deserve this girl's love?  I almost cried. I hugged her and told her that I promised to make up this lost weekend time as soon as my head would allow; she didn't seem phased at all, but rather tucked the blanket around me and told me she would color a pretty picture for me to feel better. I'm proud. Humbled. Amazed. Thankful. ♥♥♥

I am also thankful for my fiancé, who dealt with my lame existence today, and even took it upon himself to tend to the dishes, laundry, light house cleaning, dogs and Sydni while I was busy in my disoriented state of self-pity. He deserves accolades far more often than I openly acknowledge; he is my hero in more ways than one. [Thank you, Rob ♥]

I was awake but still belittled with a migraine when Becky made a last-minute appearance; she came bearing cream puffs from one of the newest potential Findlay vendors:

you serious, right now? 

Dangit, Becky! These things were delicious!
^^ Sometimes I want to loathe her for the things she subjects me to eating. Haha. She made up for the introduction of these decadent things by entertaining mini for part of the time she was there. As soon as she came through the door, she was greeted with, "MISS BECKYYYYY!!!!"

syd loves this lady! 

Miss Becky's a favorite character in this house, that's for sure :)
We made a trade: two creampuffs in exchange for the extra crockpot we had stowed away in a cabinet. Fair enough, right? Haha.. Becky left for the evening and it was time for us all to retire the weekend.

hello? 

^^ Jesse being here for the weekend warranted Sydni's bed fort being taken down so he could use the room without clothes-lining himself in the middle of the night. This was not a Sydni-approved move, so tonight, it was a mosh pit of stuffed animals that did the trick of warding off all the scary shadows and whatnot. My little bug sure does have an imagination [which will greatly benefit her later in life]; we're still working on debunking the kid-myths of bed monsters goblins ;).

#worksinprogress.

Good night, from us to you!

xo | cmd

Happy Birthday, Jessica! | Pre-Valentines Valentine

Ya'll know me; I LOVE birthdays.

We're heading south to Red River Gorge tomorrow to celebrate this gal's 30th, but today is her actual birthday, and I hope it was phenomenal! She's one of my "newer" friends [thanks, Cassie & Shayne!], and I'm so grateful we connected.. because she's a flippin' blast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA!!! 

jessica! happy birthday!!

At work, we had our own mini version of Galentine's Day: Elisa, Carri and I ventured out of the office for lunch and found ourselves at Wild Ginger. We tagged this as Elisa's early birthday lunch as well, and that was that!

sushi lunch with the ladies - early birthday lunch for elisa! ;) 

Back at the office, I rounded out the week by completing a project that's been on my plate for... since we opened, pretty much. It's amazing how difficult climbing up and down a ladder can be when you're wearing heeled boots. I made it through with no crashes, but I absolutely do not recommend this.

workers comp in the making ;)
[jk. jk. JK.] 

So TGIF! With Valentine's Day approaching tomorrow, Rob & I were planning to celebrate everything tomorrow when we are in the Gorge for Jessica's birthday. What I didn't expect to see when I returned home was this!

he knows i'm not a flower kinda girl...
... unless i can eat them. he's a keeper!! 

We also opted to head out for dinner, and settled on Buca Di Beppo. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, like many of our choices are, but the food was delicious and for his first time being there, he really enjoyed it.

garlic bread... just the tip of the iceberg..... nom nom nom!

Happy birthday again to you, Jessica.. and happy early Valentine's to the rest of you!

TGIF!

xo | cmd

Sunrises & Subies & Some Food, YAY!

gorgeous! 

Rob sent me that panoramic shot this morning from his work, just as the sun was making its appearance over his shop. It's not the Grand Canyon, but it is a nice solid reminder that even the ordinary doesn't have to be mundane. Not an awful view to start Monday, right?

So, yesterday as we were running errands with Syd, we rode past a dealership that happened to have a used Crosstrek sitting in the front lot. Anyone who's ever had a Subie knows that it is not often that you find a decent used Subie up for sale. People don't really part with Subarus, because well.. Subaru.

They're pretty awesome.
Yes, I'm partial.

love. ♥

For the record, all those things you hear about Subaru owners are probably true.  I believe there to be generally two types of Subie owners: The ones who have Subies to race, add functional and aesthetic modifications, and the ones who use their vehicles as road-tripping, all-terrain vessels of adventure. Whichever camp, we bond together in a weird unspoken way [kinda like Jeep owners do]. We're AWD, so yes, we do love trying to drive through snow, mud and other things that get our cars dirty. We have an affinity for roof racks and will use them. We generally enjoy doing things that include hauling other things that are necessary: canoes, kayaks, snowboards, skis, tents, backpacks, etc. [thus the need usually for a roof rack..]. A lot of us own Chacos, which we wear in and out of our Subies. We have an unwavering faith that our cars will remain reliable and persevere through whatever we ask of them.

I could literally be that "everyday average person" Subaru spokeswoman. Bring it on.
So all of that being said, we stopped yesterday to test drive the Crosstrek we saw in the lot; Kalyn has one now so I was vaguely familiar with them when they came out a year or so back. I liked hers, and am at a point with my Impreza now that it's realistic to weigh out the options of an upgrade... so after our test drive yesterday, Rob did some digging and found another couple to check out at the Subie dealership close by.

If you're not sure what a Crosstrek is:

lol.

^^ Okay, I'll admit that's a hilarious picture of a car.. any car. It looks like Heaven literally just sent that to become some sort of wonder-of-the-world and inhabit the Earth. I don't value my car that much, but I still love them. :)

My fiancé is the best for mapping out these things for me. [[♥Thank You!♥]]

Stay tuned; I didn't commit to any changes today, but it may not be far off ;)

Oh, here's a free plug for The Anderson Pub:

go there. goooo there :)
cincinnati | oh

It's amazing how many places are a hop skip & a jump from me that I've still never visited. We ventured across the street from the Subaru dealership tonight and had our first experience at the newly-reinvented Anderson Pub.. and it was delicious. If you're a quesadilla lover like I am, this is your place!

nailed it.

Their wings are apparently pretty good, too. Ask Rob ;).

Nothing like a good solid Monday to get the week going. Here's to the next four days! ♥

xo | cmd

I. SAID. YES!

Today was.... LOADED.

Holy friggin' COW, ya'll... I'M ENGAGED!!!!

Nononono....

WE .. are ENGAGED!!!!!!

WHAT?! YES... I SAID YES!!

Let me slow down for a moment and start at the beginning of what is now officially one of the greatest days of my life:

First things first, Santa - bless his jolly soul and all the overtime he's putting in this year ;) - well, he made another stop as expected last night here to the Dren Lodge, and what Sydni found under the tree this morning was a stockpile of wrapped goodies!

santa was here!!!! :D 

As is customary with Christmas presents, very little time was wasted before it was all hands on deck for the mass demolitions of paper, bows and packaging. Fortunately, Sydni's got a firm understanding of the "take turns" concept, which is very difficult to follow when it comes to spoils from Santa - I was very proud of her patience this morning!

nana & pappy took their turns :) 

sydni's biggest gift - a 4.5 ft tall dollhouse! O.o 

To say that Sydni was beside herself is a HUGE understatement; even we were impressed with the elaborate design - and size! - of this dollhouse that my sister and parents found asked Santa to get Sydni :) :).

Here's the part I did NOT see coming. I usually have a pretty good intuition about these things, and it is very difficult to surprise me [it's a curse more than a blessing, most of the time], but my man delivered and managed to blast my expectations of the day completely out of the park.

Guys Guys Guyssssss.....

♥WE ARE ENGAGED!!♥

How it happened [an entirely "us" story, too]:
I stood with Rob's arm around my shoulder as we watched my mom & Sydni tear into the dollhouse box. Dad, off to the side, had purposefully removed himself from the pit of the action, a move I of course didn't find peculiar. Rob kissed the side of my unceremoniously bunned up head and said, "I love you," as we often tell each other. I thought nothing of it, even when he repeated the phrase and hugged me tighter. I smiled at noone in particular, engrossed in the bliss of being with my family, in my parents' home, celebrating Christmas.

And then came out the box. He pulled it casually out of his pocket and held it in front of my face, to which I did what every movie-perfect recipient of a diamond ring does:

I cupped my perfectly-manicured hands over my pristinely-madeup face and nodded an emphatic Yes, YES! while tears welled up against my life-proof mascara, backed by the frizz-free, symmetrical waves of my red carpet hair. 

Uh.... yeah.

So what happens in real life in situations like this looked a lot more like what actually went down here this morning:

He held out the ring. I immediately started crying, but not the type of crying that makes you wish you looked like Rachel McAdams from The Notebook. Nope. The kind of crying I did was more like the ugly crying that Fat Amy does in Pitch Perfect when Bumper hits her with a flying burrito.

yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes &....... yes. 

That's not an exaggeration. I buried my makeup-free [thank HEAVENS] face into Rob's shirt and sobbed. Snot and all. This is life, guys. This is real life. I bawled, for lack of a more sane response, because I could not process the idea that this man wanted to commit everything in him to one person for as long as he walks this planet.. and that that one person is somehow... me.

xbox one controller | dollhouse piano | engagement ring
looks like we all got the best for this year! ♥♥♥

I cried. Mom, who is more the emotional basket-case in the feely situations, stopped what she was doing and started crying. That's now two of us ugly crying. Sydni, who's now been left to her own devices to destroy the dollhouse packaging, slips and cuts [the.tiniest.cut.ever,btw..] her finger on a stray cardboard edge, and starts her crying, for the obvious & entirely unrelated reason. Dad, who by this point doesn't know if he's tearing up because of the engagement or because of Sydni, just stands there in between the two decisions.

Rob,
This is our life... welcome to it ♥♥
Hahaha... This was exactly how everything transpired, and in hindsight several hours later, I can honestly say that I would not have changed it. I'm one heck of a lucky girl, and when it actually hits me that I'm marrying this insanely amazing guy, I'll really start freaking out :).

For now, it was a morning to be envied here at The Dren Lodge: Mom's breakfast, followed by the sun pouring in through the gable windows to illuminate a Christmas morning marked by the sounds of my happy family.

dad & sydni : card games! 

Thanks to Rob's dedication to the cause for three hours, the dollhouse was finally erected and moved to its home in Sydni's room. The addition of nearly four boxes of my Barbie stuff from my younger years completed the furnishing of the new house, which was complete with a campground, thanks to the tents, grills and miscellaneous outdoor accessories. 

the house. + side garage. +campground. 

^ Oh, and the cards were moved outside to of course accomodate the horses, which obviously took precedence in residing in the garage stable. She's my mother's grandchild, I can say that much ;).

Mom & Dad took a short trip out together to complete a few errands and one of Mom's petsitting stops; we stayed back to hold down the fort, which added to the perfectly made-up agenda for today.

tickle. giggle. belly laugh.
repeat. 

[just] hangin' out @ the dren lodge! ♥

I'm still not over today. I won't be for a very long time.
I'm here in the house that [literally] built me, in which another irreplaceable memory was made today. I wouldn't have chosen any other place on planet earth for that to happen, but I didn't know that until it happened today. I'm here now, nestled in a bundle of blankets and tiny toes, surrounded by my family. This is perfect.

Good night from here, and from the proud-to-be future Mrs. Stokes! ;)
[it'll set in, eventually!]

xo | cmd