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

Job Fairs & Coffee!

Well folks, it was gorgeous out today, which we determined would be the perfect setting to head south for a St. Patrick's Day hiring event at the Radisson in Covington! Thanks to Tana and Brad, we snagged ourselves a booth at the expo and spent the day shaking hands and people watching with some of our local competitors, schools and businesses. These things are a blast.

express onsite!
elisa & cori 

Another benefit of these things, aside from time away from the office, is that when they're in cool venues like the Covington Radisson, you get lunch in the 360 restaurant at the top, for free. Pretty awesome. Sidenote, I need to bring Rob down here sometime for a date night.. haha.

lunch, courtesy of the radisson!

panoramic :) 

isolated view of the city ♥

Once we'd wrapped up with the hiring event, we began our ascent north from Kentucky back into Ohio, en route to the office.

We got hung up for a minute once we hit Montgomery; there's this little coffee shop situated on a corner near the highway entrances, and while I've driven by it several times now, up until today I'd not stopped to check it out.

Elisa and I are pretty good at scouting out new digs, so we took a small advantage of the beautiful day and stopped in. I am SO glad we did!

1. This is a co-op. That in itself is pretty flippin' cool. They're about as local as it gets.
2. They have a mango smoothie there that is to die for. I know this because I got it, it was gone in a matter of minutes, and I already want another one.

community blend! 

coffeee... coffeeeeeee & more coffeeeeee!
& mango smoothies!!! #perfect

Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday! There was a lot of talent today at the hiring event, and although the first truly nice day of the year doubled with it being St. Pat's was likely the deterrence from what otherwise would've been a packed house, I'm still grateful for the opportunity and glad that we went!

And maaaaaaaaybe, if we're lucky, this means the weather's going to start staying beautiful.. Oh, I dunno... consistently???

Or maybe not. We do live in Ohio. Doesn't hurt to dream though, right? ;)

xo | cmd

Friday FUN :)

I spent some money today.... but I think it's justified, right?

it's... warm! 

I've needed a new coat for a while now, and it didn't hurt that they were all on sale. Because, let's face it.. Full-priced retail & I have never really been friends. ;)

Oh, and I picked up one of these as an early bday treat for Elisa:

happy early birthday, elisa!! :) 

Rob and I took advantage of it being Friday night, and went to see this:

two thumbs up! 

^^ Oh, and let's all talk about how REBEL WILSON is in this?! She.. is.. always.. hilarious. #DateNightSuccess!

No complaints here! AND...

♥

^ Right you ARE, little dog! TGIF!

xo | cmd

Photo Shoots & Cold Pressed Juices

One of my favorite things about Cincinnati is that, especially now, it's constantly evolving and adding new dots to the map. Ten years ago, OTR wouldn't have drawn any legitimate interest from many people, but now it's a hub for some of the most delicious and attractive places here in the city.

Today started off with all smiles anyway; it was our 2015 marketing kickoff today, which meant dolling up in Express gear and bringing our A-game smiles. I love these opportunities because for us, it's never just pictures - we have a blast doing this sort of thing and inevitably have some hilarious outtakes when we're done.

Here's a couple of the highlights that we chose for our New Year's greeting card!

i ♥ this team!

It's been said that your work family can definitely be your second family; I don't know about the rest of you, but that couldn't be more true for me and this group of people. These ladies [& one gent] are the people with whom I spend most of the weekday daylight with, and I am beyond grateful that they are who they are and that we can blend the way we do.

Oh, and of course: where there are photo opps, there is always yoga.... duh!

elisa & cori : office yogis! 

Goooo figure ;)

Aaaanyway, once we'd reorganized everything that had been displaced for the sake of photography, Elisa suggested we try out a new place in Hyde Park Square: The Weekly Juicery.

the weekly juicery | hyde park, cincinnati, oh

Now, before you jump to conclusions off whatever preconceived notion you have about juice bars, let me say this: You're probably both right and wrong.

the weekly juicery | hyde park, cincinnati, oh 

If you're in the camp of people who think these places are frilly, overpriced watering holes for the privileged yogis with a weird obsession for $10 shots of wheat grass, well.... you're 90% there. This place is placed strategically across the street from a Lulu Lemon shop, on a block of retailers that yes, cater to the more... refined shopper, if you will. If you are one of those folks who frequents that level of spending on the reg, well hey, good for you - I'm not knocking you, but let's all level up here: Juice bars are a luxury, and as such by default need luxury surroundings to survive.

So that's true. Now, if you happen to be one of those artsy, free-range folks fascinated with all things local ... and fun... and artsy-fartsy like you are, then this place-and those like it- will appeal to you at face value based on those things alone.

See?

i admit i do love that. :p 

Well anyway, I'm certainly not one of those people who would be at this place every day, but I'm never opposed to checking out new things and giving them a shot.

never take yourself too seriously ;) 

Long story short, $20 later, Elisa and I had two bottles of cold pressed, locally bottled goodness:

$10/ea.

I'm 50/50 on the experience. I'm glad that Cincinnati is joining the ranks of juicebar cities, but at the end of the day, I don't know that it's gonna become one of my things, if that makes sense. It'll be a while before I'm on that level.

I'd definitely recommend you at least check it out, whether you're into that kind of thing or not. Expensive or not, it's still yummy, & a refreshing break in the day!

Here's to a day well spent, & a week hopefully the same!

xo | cmd

Hattie B's | Frist | Corvettes

*YAWN..

I am.. spent. Whoa.

Today's agenda was just as packed as yesterdays, it seemed:

First on the itinerary was checking out of the hotel and finding our way to breakfast. Brunch, if you will, based on the time we finally got to eating, but most importantly was VENUE:

heya, hattie b's! 

Damanji did a killer job of hunting down a chicken+waffles spot, which made me feel much better about him being cheated of T.o.B. back in Cinci. Coincidentally, Hattie B's happens to be one of the top-rated C&W joints in the U.S., and it is of course in Nashville.

..... So Hattie B's it was!

so much deliciousness, hattie b's! 

After lunch & a couple spontaneous merch pick-ups, we made one final stop at the Frist Center for Visual Arts to explore and stretch the legs before our separate trips home.

♥ these people.. so ... stinkin' ... much. ♥

And then it was goodbye, at least for now. We'll be headed westwards in just a couple of weeks to kick off the holiday traveling, so I don't doubt that I'll see them soon :). LOVE YOU GUYS!

farewell for now, nashville! ♥

Rob and I loaded up and put on our game faces for the trek back to Cincinnati, which we thought would be a straight, uninterrupted shot.

It was, until Rob spotted the National Corvette Museum from the highway, and it goes without saying that this would probably be the only time we'd ever actually go there. It was a good choice for a pitstop, though!

national corvette museum! 

generations of corvettes everywhere :) 

one of the several destroyed by the 2014 sinkhole :( :( 

I'll give to these Corvette owners - they are a dedicated bunch!

coming together from all over! 

It was certainly an interesting piece of history to see, and I'm glad we stopped. Given that we probably wouldn't have dedicated a trip solely for the sake of a visit, it's one of those places you've got to go at least once, even if you're not really a Corvette kinda person.

And now.. we are finally home and ready to unwind. I feel like this weekend was a dream, and am counting one more time before I call it a night just how thankful -- and blessed -- I am for these 3 people who did so much work to ensure my birthday weekend was perfect.

You guys are incredible. Love you!!

xo | cmd 

Birthday Surprises, Part 2 : NASHVILLE!!

My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to Nashville. My friends brought me to
Nashville.
[& this entry is backdated..]

Have I mentioned lately how much these people ROCK?!

I woke up this morning, obediently packed a bag of stuff that I hoped would suffice whatever excursion was planned for the rest of the weekend, and loaded up for the drive to an undisclosed point B.

Well, undisclosed until the signs started adding up and eventually flat-out stated NASHVILLE, EXIT HERE.

My friends brought me to Nashville.

My friends brought me to Nashville.
My friends brought me to Nashville.
My friends brought me to Nashville!

It's photo overload time. I'll try to group this together as concisely as possible:

First things first: We landed in Nashville and voted for food before hotel check-in:
Hog Heaven was our stop: an off-the-path, dive BBQ place that I will see again.

this place. yesssssss!

After lunch, we started off again, en route to our hotel, which I didn't realize was THE Opryland Hotel, until we passed through the gates:

opryland! 

beautiful opryland!! ♥

We toured the inside of Opryland for almost 2 hours, and we still didn't see the entire thing; this place reminds me of The Alamo in Texas, with the cute water and restaurants. We've decided already that we'll be back:

best! ♥

favorites, in nashville!

We wouldn't have been taking full advantage of our tourist status without a trip to Opry Mills, so once we'd toured what we could of Opryland, we set off on a course for the mall:

opry mills!
rainforest cafe | aquarium restaurant

 We ate dinner at the Aquarium Restaurant to round out our shopping excursion [of which we all took full advantage, fyi ;).. ] and headed back to the hotel to ready up for the night, and take one last tour of the Christmas set up inside Opryland:

merry christmas, here at opryland!! 

The time finally came for us to hit the main drag in Nashville, and I felt privileged to be taking 3 of my closest friends, all of whom have never been to Nashville.

broadway! 

If you've never been to Nashville, I would highly recommend that it goes on your bucket list. Anywhere on your list will do, but if you live in the continental U.S., put it close to the top. The place is a blast. :D

a synopsis of my night with these incredible people!!
rob, ali, damanji: i love you guys. ♥

Here's a hilarious kicker for the night:

there is... no way.. hahaha... 

^ That guy? His name is Zach, and I haven't seen him in 11 years. I come to Nashville for ONE weekend, and run into him, 7 hours away from our small hometown and totally without warning. Chalk this up for MVHS, and our graduating class of 2003 - Zach it was GREAT seeing you - what a small frikkin' world, and an incredibly pleasant surprise!!

[I'm still not over running into a high school alum down here!]

It finally came time for us to bid adieu to downtown Nashville, #hashtagthepanda included:

hilarious :p 

Rob managed to get the four of us, achy feet and all, back to Opryland, where the gorgeous lights met us and reminded us one last time for the night that this place is just... perfect.

♥ opryland | nashville, tn

Goodnight, Nashville!

xo | cmd 

Vote | Hire | Eat | Be Merry!

Haaaaaaaappy Tuesday!

How'd you start your day?

vote, vote, vote! 

I did see someone post a note of caution to the uninformed voter, saying that the greatest service he/she could provide was to stay as far away from the polls as possible. I can't say I disagree; I think by now our nation should be fairly aware of what happens when ignorance shows up in hoards to cast a ballot. I did my best to exercise my due diligence today, but must admit that I had absolutely no business siding in/on certain matters, so for those I refrained. I felt a twinge of guilt that I wasn't more educated, since these issues clearly held enough weight to show up on the list, but that didn't excuse me enough to be a voice in a matter foreign to me.

For those of you who made informed votes that reflect your personal and religious beliefs today, THANK YOU!

On to work it was; today was a good day for a hiring event, which is exactly what Elisa and I scuttled out the door en route to SuperJobs.

fall hiring event 2014!

I love these things!

elisa & me..
... and of course our creepy corner-face-sign-guy... 

The job fair was a blast, as they always are, and, as tradition dictates for these things, was followed by a quick bite at Findlay Market just around the corner.

taste of belgium at findlay market. that's a win! 

I've been skeptical of the weather as we progress into the Autumn season; it's either tolerable or flat-out gloomy, which presents quite the Midwest-standard for dressing in the morning [hint: layers]. We were happy to be able to peel off our coats for this one, and enjoyed lunch on the sunny patio in front of Market. On our way out, we each grabbed a different vendor snack for back at the office, and caught a glimpse of some uplifting artwork on the way out:

♥this is otr! 

And yes, it's nearly 11pm and I'm just now finishing up the at-home work to which I committed in lieu of being gone for the majority of the morning. I had the privilege of helping Sydni with her homework earlier, and catching up with my better half on some upcoming transitions in his and my professional lives - I've got it made and I am thankful, tenfold for the day I've enjoyed.

Happy Tuesday!

xo | cmd

An OTR Saturday

A weekend morning just isn't the same without a Lumberjack-appropriate breakfast.
That being said:

nom nom nommmmmmmm

One of my biggest shortcomings is the fact that I am not a morning person. Becky, one of my greatest friends, is one of those early-risers not only embraces but celebrates the chance to hit the ground running while the moon is still watching. I'm the person who wishes that the moon would just stay.PUT. for another 15 minutes, at least... every day. That's why the weekends are the perfect mornings-at-my-leisure, and that is something I like to commemorate with elaborate breakfasts.

'Cuz let's face it: nobody is getting that^^ on a Monday morning. At least not until I graduate into that phase of life my grandmothers both seemed to accept, that included crosswords and coffee at 5am. Maybe then. ;)

With our mid-morning bellies full, Rob set out to write an estimate for work, followed by a mission to finally finish winterizing the boat. I joined forces with Becky to go explore the new Homage store that opened in OTR a few days ago.

homage cincinnati!
1232 vine st
cinci, oh 45202

It's a cute little dive - very college bookstore-esque, which is great if that's the type of shopping experience that works best for you. I did enjoy the inventory, but must admit that I'm much more of a Mica 12/v kinda girl when it comes to buying local. That's not to say that I won't be back, because I have a feeling I most definitely will be.

It'd been several hours since my Lumberjack breakfast experience; Becky hadn't eaten either, so we popped in for a quick lunch at Taste of Belgium. 

at the bar.. yum! 

^ You can't really go wrong with mid-day TOB. 

To round out our little OTR excursion, we topped off the afternoon by making an appearance at Park + Vine. Mark my words, for as many times as I go there and don't buy anything, you all just wait for the day I make it big. I'll be there nonstop... and I WILL buy one of everything off the homemade soap wall. And probably a[nother] Eno hammock. And a[nother] Be Ohio Proud shirt. 

because... yes. 

And that's how you maximize just three short hours in OTR; of course there was plenty that we didn't get to, but we've both seen many of the other digs already, and there's no reason not to re-visit at a later date, either. I'll happily say that this is one of the few aspects of city living that I love: local shopping! 

We headed back to the house, somehow finding ourselves in a discussion on The Hunger Games trilogy all the way home [yes, we watched the whole first movie as soon as we got there]. We pulled up to the answer of why our larger carved pumpkins looked like big empty bowls instead of the creative masterpieces they once were: 

ah.. ha! caughtcha. 

Oh well. Kids gotta carve, squirrels gotta eat. That pumpkin came straight from the earth, so I'm really not mad that this little guy snagged a snack. At least now I know I'm not crazy, and that the pumpkins are not actually self-dissolving. :)

It's only mid-evening now; Becky's gone off to a family costume party, and Rob and I are here looking forward to a night of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING planned.

Did I mention I love weekends? ♥

xo | cmd