Just.. Stuff...

SATURDAY: 

#puppylove

Our dogs woke up with Saturday on the brain - one wanting to sleep all day, and the other ready to get up and go do stuff ;)  

should we stay or should we go? ;) 

Rob and I took our time with the day, first snagging some breakfast and heading out to Ikea. I know, I know.. IKEA. On a SATURDAY. We must've been crazy committing to that, but really, it turned out just fine and we got what we needed and then some. We made a stop in the other direction for lunch before heading home: 

tom+chee! 

And that leads us right back to where we've been for the rest of the day: Planted here at home, enjoying the Saturday together. :)

Happy weekend to you & yours!

xo | cmd

Mama's Birthday | E&C Out & About

Today was a GREAT day! 

1. It's my mama's BIRTHDAY!

love you, mama!!

It goes without saying that my mom is my greatest inspiration as a matriarch, and to say she's also the most vibrant woman I've ever known is also a solid fact. She's the best, and for her today I wish the best! Happy BIRTHDAY, beautiful mama! Another year YOUNG! ;)

2. At work, our marketing team [aka, Dave & Carri] hit the road in full force, and I have to say I'm pretty proud to be translating some creativity across the board into work things. Carri & Dave went to town [literally!] with all of this while Elisa and I kicked it into high gear at the job fair. How's that for teamwork? ;)

express-style greetings! 

3. And let's be honest, Elisa and I grabbed some grub+bev after the job fair. Cincinnati, you've outdone yourself again :)

tom+chee! 

+ a pitstop at coffee emporium ♥

furry bike! 

fun fun & fun :)  

We headed back to the office, where the rest of the day flew on and found all of us hanging out [well, working, but you know] well after the 5:00 hour had passed us by. It's the price of progress, but very well worth it].

Whew! :)
We're halfway there, week!

xo | cmd 

#SONRISEPANAMA2015

Okay folks, here it is: My Panama Missions kick-off for April of next year!

Let me unpack this for you in the most condensed way possible:

Rob and I have committed ourselves to the missions field for just one week, next year at the beginning of April, for the simple purpose of loving on people and aiding in the establishment of a church system that they are in the process of forming. I am elated to head into this side by side with five other members of our church, who are also investing themselves into this wholly.

There is a beautiful native people group in Panama - the Ngobe Indians, who reside in the lush mountainsides of Panama, removed from the churn of the city life below them in the valleys. They are a self-sustaining tribe who live off the land and approach daily life with the unfiltered appreciation we so often forget. They have decided to begin exploring the love of Christ, adding to their already fruitful culture, and our purpose is simply to provide the resources, material and coaching they need to build onto this dream long after we're gone.

The first step on this side of the process is funding that mission. We are each pouring 100% into this; there are costs of all kinds involved - time, resources and of course financial costs. For the first time in my life, I set up a Fundly account in hopes of fundraising for this mission. If you have a moment to check it out, please do! I know that's it's a tricky time of the year to be seeking donations, so if you're unable to give at this time, I would ask for your prayers at this point - we will need them! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :)

See Cori's CampaignPowered by Fundly

Aside from my actual launch of my Panama fundraising efforts, I had the opportunity to scoot out of the office today with Elisa for a quick lunch break. We kept it simple, and it was perfect. Nothing speaks to my inner child quite like a good old fashioned grilled cheese.

Well, with a grown-up spin on it, of course ;)

tom+chee! 

love this little dig :) 

 And helloooooo pesto grilled cheese! 

pesto grilled cheese! ♥♥nommmm! 

Happy Tuesday, everyone! 

xo | cmd 

Workity Work Work Work....

Today was another bustling day of non-stop movement, but it was a productive one, no less.

I started off with a job fair downtown with Elisa, something Express does frequently. We had a great time! 

hello, from us!

We stopped afterwards for a quick bite to eat at Tom+Chee. If you're a Cincinnatian or visit here, I would definitely recommend this as another local must-haves. I took a stab at the Turkey Pesto grilled cheese today and wasn't sorry.

[borrowed image from google, because i inhaled mine before
a photograph was possible.. haha]

Oh, and then there was the mini blizzard that opened its nasty mouth out of the blue, covering downtown Cincinnati with a couple inches of sideways blowing snow in a matter of minutes. We walked out after lunch to find our cars covered, and dealt with slickening roads all the way back to the office.

c'mon weather... stopppppp!

Being gone from the office for as long as I was today created a gap in some of the work I had intended to complete, so for the first [& mark my words, last] time in a while, I parked myself on the couch after work on the laptop, in what became a long but successful effort to get caught up.

I will not be the type of person who constantly takes work home with her. That will never, ever be my priority over my family. I was nearly disgusted with myself tonight for having to do it, and made a commitment to find other ways to absorb work than to sidestep spending time with my family to do it. [//rant]

*Sigh. Go away, snow.

xo | cmd