It's a mere 3 hour drive from Granite to Loz, which flew by in the company of the three amigos I accompanied for the trip [Rob+Matt+Dillon]. We arrived at the winery, checked into our rooms and settled in for the afternoon until Mike & Esther arrived.
shawnee bluff!
The guys went off to do the rehearsal, Esther and I hung back to do the wine tasting, which took us eventually out to the deck by the pool, with a setting sun and 2 glasses of Centorri for the early part of the evening.
the pool & the view out over the lake
centorri.. x2
The rehearsal wrapped up, and we headed then to the Redhead Yacht Club for the rehearsal dinner. This place has been added to our bucket list of places to revisit when the season is in full swing. NOTED!
swim up bar & pool area!
We hung out, watched the Blues game and of course did what we all do best:
nom nom nom
^ Gracefully shoved our faces, that is. jk jk. Do you see the four of us, and Matt there in the corner? That food stood no chance ;).
TOMORROW is the big day! I can't wait to see Taryn's dress and to be a part of this day with them. I love weddings!
We've been back to Illinois quite a few times over the last several months, but I still had yet to meet Mike & Kelly's baby Elaina. I was super excited when we decided to do breakfast at Apple Tree with the three of them before we headed out.
I mean c'mon, she.. is.. adorable!!
you are so stinkin' cute!!
i love those toothy grins :D
We wrapped up breakfast, said farewell to Mike & Kelly, and started the process of stopping by both Rob's mom & dad's before getting on the road. We had prepared Jamaican photo albums for both, and it was a blast going through some of the photos we included to detail our vacation. We started with Rob's mom, and had a chance to spend some time with them.
From there, it was on to his dad & Kate's place, where the new above-ground pool & deck have been fully assembled and were in full use by Ella, Rob's niece.
pool time!
We can gladly fast forward the rest of the day, since most of it included driving.. and more driving..
We're home now and getting back into our routine here; it's back to work tomorrow!
Today and tomorrow, no matter what year, are always awesome: TODAY is my cousin Maricor's birthday, and tomorrow is my dad's birthday.
So, first things first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, beautiful COUSIN!!!
gorgeous. ♥you! happy birthday!!
As is customary in my blogworld, here are a few highlights of this girl over the years. I probably could not have imagined a better human being to be my cousin.. one of my best friends, ridiculous confidante, fellow first-time-mom, and a multitude of other things. Mar, I love you and I hope you had the best birthday yet. ♥
sad day [for me].. 2007 when maricor moved to hawaii
happy day [for me] .. 2009 when she came back to visit!
her wedding - 2010
our cousin jeremy's bmw.. haha
of course, fun with the little girls syd & madison
who are exactly 1 week apart ♥
this famous one... from jamie's graduation!
Happy birthday, love.. I can't wait to see you and the family at Madison's birthday!
So yeah... back at the Drenn Lodge, we certainly didn't waste the day, either. First it was church, then we made the call to do some swimming before Sydni and I took back to the Cincinnati-bound road. Good. Calls.
church girls! ♥
just some story time to relax (:
... but not for long.. it's pool time!!!
she's a fish!
We couldn't do a family visit to the pool without some video footage (: Just a little...
not a huge fan of the swim breaks..
And of course, Rob sent me some love in the form of kisses from Sasha to Stella. (: I miss them both, and him, and reaaaally want to see him.. and them.. s.o.o.N.
the girls.. pibbles (: (:
We're home now... back in Cincinnati, getting ready for another week.
I'm getting a nice little tan here. Just sayin'. :)
Since today was Kalyn's first day completely off work, and our last full one before we fly back tomorrow, we took full advantage of it and got right into the day. We started off with a hike up from the apartment to the resort on the neighboring mountain. Being everything except conditioned to traversing inclines of any type right now [IL is essentially like treading across a sheet of paper], it was admittedly a winded experience, but absolutely worth it.
Back at the apartment, we showered up and made our way into a different part of Phoenix to Aunt Chelada's, a quaint little Mexican dive that they seem to like. We snagged a table outside on the nearly empty patio and devoured some tasty grub before heading back.
besties @ aunt chelada's
dos amigos
dos mas amigos ;)
It was easy for us to spend the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball at the resort before resigning to a few hours of basking by the pool. The boys took to the water, a section marked with a waterfall centerpiece, which afforded me some time to really catch up with Kalyn on the happenings of our lives over the last year since I last visited there. I realized today just how much I really do miss my best friend, but likewise how fortunate I am to have one like her in my life. :) Good times, good times.
We called homemade dinner tonight, complete with more grilling out and simple relaxing before getting everything packed up and ready to go first thing in the morning. This trip has been oh-so-relaxing and really a huge blessing for Joe and me.
We started off the last full day of my parents' visit by taking them to visit Towerview for church. I did my part with the praise band during the service, which was an awesome experience that I look forward to doing again.
<< Check it out, we even got a photo in which everyone (*ahem, Miss Sydni) is smiling. Go us. :)
After church, we came back to the house and did a picnic lunch by the pool. Dad and Joe went swimming with Sydni beforehand, and we all joined afterwards. It's funny to think that I have a daughter that is learning to jump, run, swim.
Pretty sweet :) It was definitely a good day of fun in the sun.
Until.....
Miss Sydni did such a good job of heeding our warnings to walk, not run by the pool. We spent nearly half the day playing without mishap, and it wasn't until we were preparing to leave that we had a little accident. The poor thing turned around and tripped on the sidewalk and face-planted on the concrete. That resulted in a scraped lip, nose, and a tiny ding on the forehead. As parents, we of course over-reacted, but within three minutes, she was having just as much fun with the "cold" icepack as I think it's possible to have.
To cheer us all up, Mom and I hit the kitchen to create some stir-fry for dinner. I have to say, it wasn't half bad. In fact, it was delicious.
[[ I love color in my food! ]]
Tomorrow, it's back to work for Joe & me, and it's back to Ohio for my parents.
There are a handful of televised sports that can hold my attention, but nothing quite like soccer. Especially if it’s an important game. By important, I mean, World Cup finals important.
So this morning was fairly relaxed: nobody wanted to wake up early, not even Sydni. She was zonked on the fold-out couch when I woke up around . Mom & Dad came over from next door and we did the hotel breakfast thing. After breakfast, we decided to take a quick swim in the hotel pool. Syd is still hesitant of deep water, but is coming around faster and faster each time. She’s brave! Her first order of business was jumping into the pool from the ledge with one of us there to catch. I’d say that’s a good step for a 22-month-old!
Around 1, we loaded up the cars and headed back north to Indianapolis. We drove past the old location of Glass Master’s (Joe’s professional alma mater), which is now nothing more than a pile of excavated sand. He showed me the new building which he and his team had basically transformed from the ground up with their own hands. Our stop landed us at the B-Dub’s, where we settled in to eat and watch the USA v. JAPAN women’s World Cup.
I had high hopes. I think we all did. There was a part of me that kept saying I wouldn’t be horribly offended if Japan won; after the tragedies that have forcibly taken the country’s attention captive, that victory would be a welcomed encouragement. I’m glad I had that thought inkling in the back of my mind, because when it was all said and done, we basically handed Japan the game and they came out victorious. It’s depressing, yeah, but I’m not going to speculate here.
abby wombach | hope solo
Let me just say though: Hope Solo and Abby Wombach may be tied for my athletic girl crushes. Don’t judge. Haha.
After 120+ minutes of soccer, Joe, Sydni and I hit the road for the 4-hour trip back to IL.
That lands us here, now, home in the house which has not experienced A/C since we left. My word, it’s muggy in here. Haha. Good news is: we made it home safely. My parents made it back to Ohio safely, and we’ve finally got Sydni home. We sure did miss her.
I’m sleepin’ on the downstairs floor tonight, folks. True story.
Sam finally had to face reality and go back to work, so Kalyn and I decided to hit the pool. But no, not just any pool. This pool is part of a gorgeous resort lodged into the hillside above Sam’s apartment complex.
falls resort | phoenix
We set up camp just after 9:30AM, and it was already 94 degrees. We took advantage of the resort’s waterfall, waterslide, and even attempted some water volleyball. I honestly wouldn’t have any qualms going there every day for even just a few hours. It’s serene!
pools | waterslide exit
waterfall!
Once we decided we had baked for long enough, we grabbed some Chinese and headed back to the apartment to cool down and eat.
I packed my bag, and, in true Cori fashion, did not include the D90. Of course I would leave behind my camera; fortunately, it’s in good hands until I get it back, and for what it’s worth, I didn’t lose it anywhere. *Whew. Kalyn and I set out to venture into Phoenix for a bit before I had to head to the airport, and stumbled upon an adorable little row of stores with all the handmade, Indie, and vintage stuff we could want. I snagged another string doll at Frances for my collection before we headed off to the airport.
frances boutique | stinkweeds record shop
frances'
cute kids tables | toms inventory
Flying standby can always create a little apprehension, but luckily for me, the flights weren’t nearly filled and I got seat for a direct flight back to St. Louis. Joe met me at the airport and we drove home.
string dolls
Tomorrow, I’ll tell him all about the trip. Right now, I’m spent.
One of the benefits of our particular townhome is that we have a pool that literally replaces a backyard. We were fearful that it would become too noisy with all the kids in the neighborhood, but so far it’s hardly been noticeable, even when the place is at full capacity.
While Joe was at work, Sydni and I decided to step outside and see what it was like. I learned today that she’s quite the little fish, and I have no doubts that with a few lessons down the road, she’ll be a pro.
lil' sunbather
fishy!
Joe & I watched Dinner for Schumcks tonight; it was interesting, if nothing else. I don’t think we’ll buy this one, but it wasn’t the worst thing we’ve ever seen.
Looks like tomorrow, we’re having a dinner guest: Kyle’s coming since Amy and Tessa are still out of town in Minnesota. We’re praying for safe travel mercies when they come back on Sunday!
