Mmmgghhh... Monderp Monday.

Workplace tattoo, day 1:

healing up! 

^ Today was one of those Mondays that, I imagine, in human form would resemble some form of rabid, multi-taloned bird skating down the side of a chalkboard, while blindfolded and covered in cheap, wet nail polish. Don't ask me why that's the image that I conjured, but it's an accurate read of what today felt like, but it feels right, so we're going with it. It's either that, or the space of sidewalk that was formerly occupied by a real human, presumably having been abducted by aliens. Today was a mix of chaos and all the people we needed being either unavailable, sick or just non-existent all together (i.e., tenured SharePoint Developer - are you a real thing?!).

So yeah. That was Monday.
Post-workday proved to have better ratings. For starters, there was an impromptu family dinner date:

goofballs.. love them to the moon & back! 

We ran an errand as a family after that: the start of our efforts to dispatch the swarms of dandelions that grow back seemingly overnight in our yard [wish us luck]..

pretty nights at home depot.. haha 

That dandelion problem I mentioned: 

the parking lot & the field...
... aka my driveway.. and my yard. :| 

Rob started yesterday by mowing "I ♥ U" in the yard, and Sydni turned it into a racetrack: 

I seriously love this girl.. haha. 

It seemed like all of us had our fill of this Monday; Syd was out cold immediately following the lawn-mowing, and Rob wasn't far behind her. My body was still in lag mode from this weekend, but I was bent on finishing the final book of The Mortal Instruments, which I did tonight, around 1am. 

And yes, this entry is backdated. 

done & done! 

i'll leave this here like the good fangirl i've evidently become.... 

 ^ Thanks, Tumblr for that last one. Seriously. I'm hooked. Now that I've finished all six of these books, I suppose I'm on now to the Infernal Devices, which is also a Cassandra Clare creation. 

Le sigh. 

Anyway, it's a short week this week [again], and then the Pilcic wedding. Woooo! 

Seeeeee yaaaa... 

xo | cmd 

Old Lady Fridays

I'll never get over how long the 4-day weeks seem sometimes. It was only Monday of this week when Rob left again for Illinois and Labor Day came and went. Maybe it was the fact that I was sick for half the week and honestly just exhausted and out of sorts. Actually, I know that's exactly what it was. It's Friday and I am spent.

However, it's been nearly three full weeks since I last mowed my lawn, and if I'm being honest, I felt like collapsing in a heap tonight and waiting another few days at least. I forced myself yesterday though to get it out of the way today.

oh, my amazing friends.

Becky and Mike showed up while I wasparked on the couch reading;  I didn't notice them until Becky had fired up the mower and grazed a path through the yard. Haha. This is why I love my friends. It may not be often, but when I need help, I know they'll be there (:

After we'd finished mowing and weed-eating both my yard & my neighbor's [in return for having borrowed their mower most times this summer], we loaded up and found ourselves at the Brew River Gastro Pub just past Eli's. Not a bad little dive!

brew river

Back at home, Becky and Mike headed home, and I made the call to resign myself to the couch for the evening, accompanied by my book and the best blanket I've ever had. I forfeited some tentative plans I had to stop by Elisa's brother & my old college friend Drew's birthday celebration tonight in OTR; the week's been exhausting and I'm nnnnot moving until I go to bed...

...I'm old. Haha.
We'll try OTR tomorrow.

xo | cmd

Killer Yardwork & Asian Volleyball

First things first, let's talk about yardwork.
... Let's talk about that time I completely forgot I had a backyard in the capacity of the jungle that had taken it over. I haven't bothered going back there in quite a few weeks due to the massive camps of mosquitos who I'm convinced are just patiently staking out until I'm in striking range, so honestly, it didn't occur to me that the yard might look more like a forest than an occupied property. Embarrassing blunder.. definitely won't happen again.

Good news, I took care of it, with minimal damage [only TWO mosquito bites.. take that, suckers..]. Note to self? - This sucked today. Don't forget about this again, self, don't... forget. Yeesh. 

massive overhaul. whoa.

Moving on to the rest of the night... it has been.... a while since the last time I was surrounded by this many of my Asian friends. Let's take a second to give a flashback just for the sake of a flashback...

uc dpsa 2004 (discover philippines student association)

Ohhhh yeah. That's a bomb right there, haha. Look at all those old faces.. and that's barely the half of it. There were definitely some great times with these guys and gals, and though I'm happy where I am now, I had some incredible experiences, road trips, conferences and performances with this group.

So tonight, for a miniature reprise, I opted in for some volleyball at Hahana Beach after B found out I played there. He and a crew of Asians catapulted me back in time to my college years when we stormed three full courts for a few hours tonight to play.

nothin' like late night sand volleyball (:

This was my favorite part... because I've become so used to now taking pictures and having no way of mistaking which one is me. I'd also like to say that yes, the obsession with taking pictures is absolutely an Asian thing, and I will embrace that to the bitter end ;)

asian overload!

Hilarious. Thanks again, B, for the invite! I'll be back here in the same spot tomorrow night for league with Kalyn, Keifer & Beth. I'm certainly getting my fix if nothing else!

On an unrelated note, I finally made it home after some debachle finding my keys post-game [it could be worse... I'm just glad I got back], and for what it's worth from the situation I must note that once again, I've been reminded that I am dating an incredible guy and even from 500ish miles away, he's there for me whenever I need him. I don't deserve it, and count myself one of an elite handful to have someone on whom I can rely and trust. //endrant (:

And that's the day, folks! Let's meet here same time tomorrow? ;)

xo | cmd

KIM!

Hello, Thursday (:

And hello, KIM!!

Earlier this week, Kim and I crossed chats and made tentative plans to get together today, if for no other reason than to catch up on the last two years and just make contact. (: We promised we'd have a sit down, and so after work I headed up to Kenwood and saw my friend that I hadn't seen since her wedding over a year ago! 

2007 & 2013 (:

I missed her! We had some definite laughs over the last six years or so, remembering some of the hilarious [and definitely not so hilarious] things, places and people that now seem to be such a distant, stark contrast to where we both are now in life. It was refreshing to look back on the days of unabashed malarky and know that your friends survived it along with you :) OH, plus.... Kim and her awesome husband Dan are expecting their first little one in October! Thanks A LOT for being an adorable prego; I've been trying to avoid the baby fever [still am.. nobody panic], but seeing cute prego's who make that part of it look good really doesn't help. Hah. I've already decided I eventually want more kids, but certainly not anytime in the next year. Just one of those things, I suppose. In time....

Anyway, Kim and I agreed not to let another two years lapse before we hung out again, and went our separate ways for the evening. I had every intention on meeting up with Becky for some bluegrass down in Washington Park, but knew that before I did anything else, I had to tackle the front lawn at my house.

It's small, yes, but it was getting out of control. Trish's grandparents were so kind to lend me their mower since I've yet to decide on getting one of my own, and in ten minutes the deed was done. It's a huge improvement, and aside from the grass still being damp from all the recent rain, it was cake.


it's the little things (:

Now, if I could just make a decision on the dryer plug adaption... we'll be all set.

TOMORROW.. IS... FRIDAY. Halle-stinkin'-lujah.

I don't think Rob's going to make it in town this weekend, and if I'm being honest, I'm so sorely disappointed that I can't go there to make up for it.. Yeah, I'm bummed that I won't see him. To dull that disappointment [in a completely separate way], Kalyn & Keifer are moving back this weekend and hopefully that will keep my mind off whatever else is missing.

Either way, life's good and I really have no room to complain.
.. I hope yours is too (:

xo | cmd