Weekends Should Start Happy

Typical Friday: busy, crazy and completely stripping of all that I had left in the tank for workplace energy [& etiquette, if I'm being real]. This week was due for a trade-in. My receptionist was out today, which added a bit of additional delegated work to the two of us who were in, so when we suggested skipping lunch and just leaving an hour early, it was received surprisingly well, and that was that: Kristin & I out the door at four. Thanks, Paul! 

home at 4:30, out to run at 4:45.
yep, i'll take it! 

Rob and I had this crazy idea that we'd go on a dinner date [okay that's not the crazy part], but that we'd additionally go to a movie afterwards. 

It's like we don't know ourselves sometimes, haha. Dinner it was, and instead of a theater, we opted for a stroll through the park to check out the Memorials, some late evening tennis matches and this gorgeous sunset:

milford, oh

Much better than a theater, any day. 

And this: 

*tears.

I am. SO. Ready for the weekend. I don't care what we do, when we do it, or why we do it, as long as we DON'T do it before 8:30am. 

I'm sleeping in tomorrow if I have to shut myself in the closet to make it happen.. haha. 

G'Nite, loves & TGIF! 

xo | cmd

Sunshine, Bicycles & Good Books

Ohhh, sunny DAYS!
Even though I was working today, I did have an altered schedule that I didn't hate. It was mostly due to a hiring event I hosted in partnership with one of the Northern Kentucky career placement services; she set me up in a conference room for the afternoon and I knew then that the day would be all right:

i'll just swim on in there... hardy har har... 

The event ending gave way to a commute back across the river, which was packed full of commuters until I neared the river line on 275, and I couldn't help but snag a shot of the state line welcoming me back across the water.

and i'm cooomin' on back.. 

I hurried so that I could catch Sydni's bus; it's the first time this year that I've been able to see her off the bus after school, and while I snagged a shot of her coming off the bus, I wish I could've captured her face when she realized she was going straight to the car, with me. Be still, my heart... seriously.

so little, but so grown up.. how's that possible?!

We ran a couple of errands, went grocery shopping and had a mini mommy-daughter date for a snack before we headed home. Today's been gorgeous, and this evening didn't disappoint. Sydni and I cleaned up some around the house, and then I joined her outside for a couple hours of bike riding.

my toothless little darling! ♥

I had to remind her today that there was a time not long ago that she believed she would never learn how to ride her bike, and now.. this.  For hours, if I'd let her. I love everything about it.

I sat outside sprawled across one of the patio chairs, with Sydni blurring across my left and right peripherals as she rode in a circle up and down our street. Eventually, the bike retired to the garage, and for a moment, I became audience to an impromptu 1 person gymnastics meet:

She tumbled on and on, rolled around the yard several times and chased a teasing blue jay until it finally got bored of her being bound to the land. I drank it in, and managed to squeeze in the final few chapters, epilogue and bonus short story at the end of the latest book. I've been afraid of finishing Lady Midnight, because if I'm honest, I've read all 6 of the The Mortal Instruments, all 3 of The Infernal Devices and now this, the first in The Dark Artifices series that Cassandra Clare has released.. all within the span of less than 2 months.

lady midnight - done! 

NOW WHAT DO I READ?! 

Just kidding. I'll hunt down the Bane Chronicles or the Shadowhunter Academy books next and indulge myself in Simon's quest for ascendance. Do I sound like a nerdy maniac? Only if you've never read any of these, I suppose.. haha. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be the one hooked on a book series like this, but yeah.. let's go with it! 

Anywho, it's late, and we're all spent. Happy Tuesday to you, blogbots! 

xo | cmd

Frankie's [Final] Farewell

Today was a beautiful day outside.

Marianne was still at the house when Rob & I headed out to work this morning.

yep. those are mare's keys.
.... it's tuesday.

Five and a half hours later, she and I were walking from my office to Chipotle for lunch. Haha. That's right, she was still here up until about 2pm, when she and I said goodbye for the 400th time. If I'm right, her last stop before she departed from Cinci was back down at the Coffee Emporium in East Hyde Park. We went there on Sunday before our great tattoo venture, and she went there on her own yesterday. Apparently, she ran into another Marianne, so they wrote Frankie on her cup and told her that was her name from here on out. I don't know if she had the heart to tell them today that she won't be back for... a while :(, but I do love that she's been in Cincinnati for about three days now and has already established herself at a coffee shop.

That being said,

GO HOME, FRANKIE!

 

And yes, I'm very much kidding; I wish she, along with Ali, Tim & Damanji, were residents of somewhere-right-around-the-corner, instead of other-places-around-the-U.S.-and-soon-to-be-Korea,-Tim... [*sad.face.]. I am in need of some recuperation still after the weekend rumpus with them all, but there is nothing more direct and satisfying than face-to-face time with your favorite people.

the quote is mare's original thought.
.. i'm blessed to be this part of her journey!

Like I said, today was beautiful. I had decided on my way to pick up Sydni that if she wanted, we'd take full advantage of the pretty weather before it relapses tomorrow into this wintery wackjob that it's been lately.

Since asking a 4-year-old if she wants to go play in the park is like asking me if I like... food, I really wasn't expecting anything other than a couple of hours at Stanbery to soak up the rest of the daylight.


"look mommy, i'm not touching the ground,
i'm not!"

my walking stick carrying, smizing super model tour guide :p

We even had a surprise guest, too. I thought Rob would be tied up at work for most of the evening, but his arrival was announced by the [beautiful] growl of his bike; looks like we were all trying to squeeze something out of the weather today!  

meet my world.

Quick Proud Parent Moment: I was reminded tonight that while Sydni is just 4, she is a fiercely loyal force with which not to be reckoned. Another little girl, seemingly around the same age, maybe a year older, unabashedly approached me and asked flatly, "What happened to your chest?!" She was of course referring to my keyloids, which is neither embarrassing nor aggravating to me anymore. Coming from a child, the question always amuses me more than anything else [especially as opposed to grown adults with no sense of personal space who feel it appropriate to just reach out and touch them while asking - that's a whooole different story, mis amigos..]. I opened my mouth to respond, but Sydni was quick to interject: tiny hands on her hips and all, "Those are my mommy's scars because her boy brothers threw a firework at her." She meant cousins, but it was so quickly delivered and direct that I stood there for a split second in silence, and, if I'm honest, a little bit of pride. My little girl can stand up for things. She also has a vault-like memory, as a side-and-cautionary note to myself. Hah.

Sydni tuckered herself out eventually, so we made our way back to the car to head home. The sun was setting, which gave me the perfect opportunity to capture Sydni carrying that big globe of light.

sunny girl (:

^ She thought that was the coolest thing; now I'll get to explain to other people why she's telling everyone she touched the sun ;)

It's unusually quiet around the house tonight; even though our company was only here for a few days, I'm a little... sad, if you will, that they're all gone now. Mare cleaned the place up before she left [thank you, even though you did not need to do that, haha], so we got to skip that part and go straight to dinner and some unwinding time.

We are some imperfect but blessed, happy people, around here. G'Nite ♥.

xo | cmd

Monday: Before & After

I've so far refrained from the infamous dashboard pictures that plague newsfeeds everywhere each time the temperatures hit high or low spikes. Today however, I just couldn't help it, as I realized that the longer I stayed out there, the colder it got.

yeah... it's cold.

From what I hear, it's supposed to hit a high today of something boisterous, like... 4? FOUR DEGREES. The midwest is having some serious identity issues this week.

On that note, I'm going to give a naggy PSA for all of you pet-owners out there...

It is ... COLD outside. Don't leave your dogs chained up in this crap outside. It's not safe, and you know it. There's NO excuse to leave our pets outside in this kind of weather. If you think there is a good excuse, then find someone who actually CARES for animals and give yours a better home. That, or you go spend the night outside with your animal and see how much fun it is. Negative something degrees overnights? BRING YOUR ANIMALS INSIDE. (:

We were fortunate enough to work indoors today, and when the day had passed and it was time to head out, I headed to Milford to get Sydni, and we were both greeted with this beautiful picture on our way home:

how great is our God?! ♥

In other good news, my headache and pinching sensation in my neck have significantly subsided. I am thankful for that, but beyond that, that I have a body that is still resilient and can recover itself. I am healthy. AMEN!

And also on that note, I can now officially say that we.. are ALL... in the same house together!!!! Sydni, Rob, myself & the pups - we're all here and we are having a blast. This is gonna be a good week! (:

xo | cmd

Wednesday Reminder : BE THANKFUL [The Coles]

Hey friends....

Well.. I showed up to the day with a huge smile on my face. It's been an interesting few weeks, specifically the weekend, but today just felt refreshing, new and I was ready to face it full force with a smile. I got a note from Trish early on regarding a note I'd posted back in February 2011, about a man whose family was ripped away from him with no notice. It dealt with the amount of faith he had in the midst of sheer tragedy, and how that steadfast determination makes my daily strife seem pale in comparison. It served to justify the smile I had today and I'm readier than ever to take on the rest of this week.

HERE'S THE NOTE [circa february 2011]:
 

“There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free.
Don't miss so many of them.” - Jo Walton

  ****
Today is Wednesday. It doesn't feel that special to most people, unless it's a birthday, anniversary, or some other notable personal landmark. Unless a significant, life-altering event occurs before it's over, the majority of us won't bookmark today once it's gone. That's usually the case for most people; don't feel guilty.

BUT.. Today is Wednesday. Today is going to be another one of MANY of the hardest days in Chad's life.

I'll pause there.

For ANY of you (us) that are mothers, fathers, expectant parents, or close ties to families or friends with children:
>>> WE ARE BLESSED, BEYOND WHAT WE COULD EVER IMAGINE.

[[My daughter wasn't planned. It was NEVER that she wasn't wanted, but we hadn't been proactively planning for our first child. We've never experienced the frustration of having our faith and hope challenged repeatedly in efforts to become parents. For the mothers and couples who have: don't give up. We're praying for you.]]

Chad Cole and his wife Sara were that couple: praying, trying, praying, and trying again for a long time to have a child. Finally their prayers were answered, and Sara was due February 23, 2011.  Over this past weekend, Chad and Sara were driving through one of the snowstorms that's been plaguing Michigan all winter. They stopped on the side of the road momentarily, and were hit full force by a semi-truck. Sara died as a result of her injuries. Their baby, little Miranda, was "delivered" with no heartbeat and no brain activity. Doctors were able to recover her heartbeat, but there is, as of now, no sign of brain activity. If there was no activity by Tuesday (yesterday), Miranda was expected to be disconnected from life support.

Today is Wednesday. Little Miranda was welcomed into heaven late last night. She's with her mother, in the safety of God's grace.

This broke my heart.
I don't know Chad and Sara personally; they are friends of someone I know. That doesn't matter to me. This happened.
What I found almost unbelievable is the amount of humble faith and courage Chad has at this point in his life. I read his blog, and in it he wrote,

As I prepared to hold my darling daughter to my chest this evening, I was terrified that I would break...literally break...into pieces.  My fears were unjustified.  The hand of God so reached down and touched me, that I was able to sing my sweet angel into heaven.  That peace stayed with my while I bathed her.  It covered me like a deep blanket of snow while I dressed her for the first time.  It kept a smile on my face while we took pictures and I was able to introduce her to her extended families without all those wires and tubes sticking out of her.  You are all responsible for that peace....
God's miracle to me was giving me strength beyond my own.  Endurance that I could never have mustered.  Helping me carry my daughter proudly down long, silent corridors as we approached the gathered family and friends who were singing upon our arrival..

Wow.
That needs to digest for just a few minutes out of our hectic schedules this morning. Look at your life, like I'm looking at mine, and count every single blessing for what it is today.
I know for a FACT that I lack the emotional and spiritual tenacity that Chad has. The incredible thing is, he knows he lacks it, too. Our God is not a God of sorrow. Yes, what happened to the Cole family is beyond normal comprehension. The imprint of the last week is carved in stone. The hurt and deep-seeded emptiness will never be erased. BUT- if Chad of all people is REJOICING today, then WHAT HAVE WE TO FEAR?

Today is Wednesday. Chad Cole is without his wife and his newborn daughter today. I've never met Chad. All I know is that because of him, because of a faith that wasn't shaken an inch when his life was shaken to pieces- we can all rest knowing that the God we serve is REAL. The healing will start, and it will be a long, enduring road for the Cole family. There is a world of believers praying, if for nothing else, just comfort.. minute by minute. I heard from a great friend of mine recently of an email she received during a struggling time in her life, wishing her:

Just enough, for today.

Just enough. Leave the "enough" an open blank for whatever is needed. For the Cole family, I'm praying for just enough soul-quenching peace, and comfort, if even only for today. For their friends and immediate support network, just enough courage and calming words to aid them.

I hope you will, too.

Love & .. More Love :)

-Cori

****

That's about all I needed for today. My life is speckled, sure, but it's beautiful in its own rite and I wouldn't trade the experience, the emotion -- especially not the people in it now -- for anything. I hope you can feel the same for yours today.

xo | cmd