Monday Lunch Break!!

An excerpt from the list of things I love:

* Jesus
* Sushi
* Lunch breaks
* Sunshine
* Friends
* 70° weather in the 1st week of March
* A stellar deal off Craigslist
* Rob & Sydni

It's clearly not the entire list, but it felt appropriate today to highlight those specific things. 

First, and I cannot emphasize to all maybe-two of you readers out there just how liberating it was today to TAKE A FULL, 1-HOUR LUNCH BREAK. You call it dramatic... I call it... rare. 

I'd forgotten over the past 9 or 10 months just how fantastic it is to step away from the desk and everything that comes with it, and just.... exist in a space free of work, errands and anything else that qualifies as an obligation. 

[insert über happy emoji face here]

For starters, I donned a dress to work for the first time in months today. It just... felt right - the air felt promising this morning when I let the dogs out, so I went for it. My favorite boots went with it, and out the door I went to start the week. 

This was not a typical Monday, at all. From the time I woke up to now, it's been nothing but fun. Seriously! I'm going to blame this on Kristin, the new girl at work - she's just now starting her 2nd week, but even so, I'm already feeling layers of stress and pressure peeling off. The girl is seriously a God-send, I'll say that much. Now that she's here, the daily workload will be more evenly-distributed, and with that comes lunch breaks!

Monday lunch break = SUSHI! Extra ginger, pwede ba! [<that's 'please' in Tagalog]

People, listen. If you're going to pursue my heart, you have to start with my stomach. In fact, you really only need my stomach, if the timing is right. I wanted nothing more today than a seaweed roll, and once I got it, the rest of the day was a cakewalk. 

And then the work day ended, and it was on to the next thing: Retrieving an armoire I'd hunted down on Craigslist. The guy who posted it months ago has been experiencing relay issues with emails, and I just happened to swoop in at the right time, as he was near giving up on hearing back again from any of the previous inquiries. Cori, would you pay an 8th of the full price for an armoire in near perfect condition? 

hello, lovely! 

Yes. Yes I would. And I did. And I'm PUMPED. #newhousefurnituuuuuuure

We came, we retrieved, and somehow we [Rob & I, but mostly Rob] finagled that sucker up and over the banister and landing to the 2nd floor of the new house. He probably needs a chiropractor after it all, but hey, it's there, it's ready and as soon as the walls are painted, it'll be a functional fixture in the digs of yours truly.

And with that, folks.. we're good here. The week is young, but God's been good to us for a Monday. We're feeling inspired to get this place under wraps!

Have a beautiful week, blogbots!

xo | cmd

Yenno.. Just... RAIN.

Here's how the beginning of the day looked: 

workday... and rain. 

Here's how midday looked:

lunch... and rain. 

Here's the drive to volleyball after work:

driving... and rain. 

Here's Grand Sands, in between sets:

volleyball.. and rain

The running theme of pure saturation was branded all the way through the day today. However, there's always a silver lining, and in our case today, that came in the form of winning the league after a round of tournament games! Not too shabby for rain-soaked sand, players and volleyballs. Yay, team!

league champs ;) 

Next session starts next week. Here's hoping for no rain in sight :D

xo | cmd

Dillon's HERE :)

Iiiiiiiit's FRIDAY!!!

womp womp womp

Sydni was thrilled as well that it is Friday, but not so much by the fact that there was still the day itself to complete. Such is life, mini... it'll be okay ;)

At lunch, I took Elisa to REI to take advantage of the REI sale that just started. It was my chance to figure out how I would be taking advantage of my membership, and also to assist her in buying her first hammock! [Eno's are on SALE through next weekend, folks.... FYI!!] While she was scouting out the Single Nest that spoke to her, I made notes to share with Becky:

yesssssss please 

We rounded out the lunch hour with lunch itself - sushi!

yummmmmmm! 

Syd's dad and I traded weekends, a switch prompted by Mother's Day that worked out perfectly given that Dillon arrived here in Cinci tonight! It was just in time to head north to Soccer City, where I'd obliged a last minute request to sub in for Becky's team.

This was Becky and me for the few hours we were there:

goalie / forward

This was the boys [Mike, Dillon, Rob]:

sidelining with popcorn... 

Again, this was Becky and me:

doin' work...

And THESE were the boys:

for the record, they got it. hahaha

All in all, a pretty solid night - there was even a PK that I was able to stick in the lower right - I have to admit it felt pretty good to get some laces exactly where they were meant to go :)

pre & post pk! 

The hilarity continued after the game:

you don't wanna know... hahaha

I'm so excited that Dillon made it here safely - it's about to be a great weekend!

xo | cmd

First. Day. Of. SPRING!

Dear Google,

You're right, this is what I would have liked to see on the first day of Spring: 

Instead, it's this:

8am in norwood.
lovely.

Swell, huh.

Fortunately, the day went by as not much more than a blur of ringing phones, interviews, shuffling papers and orders FILLED [because we're awesome like that]. It ended well after 6pm, and I decided after that it was time for a date with the Mister... because it's been one heck of a week and I feel like I haven't seen him at all.

Sushi it was! We wound up at the usual destination of Mango Tree in Mariemont, but not before I made a trip through Ace Hardware to pick up some hard hats and glasses for work. *Sigh. We do it all.. haha.

A couple of fun things happened during dinner.
First, my sister sent me these:

20s flapper party! 

My mom, sister and nephew are probably the cutest ever with this. Let's talk about how my mom for starters looks like she could by sisters with my sister.. She is gorgeous, amirite?! ♥ LOVE you guys.

Oh, and Becky invited us out to soccer after dinner. I debated over taking my gear, just in case, but with this sinus infection still rearing its head, I couldn't bring myself to do it, especially knowing I'm down to 1 week before departure to Panama. An awesome night of kicks isn't worth the irritation of having an extended sinus infection hiking through Panamanian mountainsides. Gahh. Choices.

soccer cityyyyy

I've officially become one of those spectators, who arrives in full civilian attire to an indoor soccer facility. I always said I'd never be that girlish sideliner, but there I was tonight. Talk about the opposite of what I'm usually doing there. Woops. Haha.

Anyway, it turned out to be a good night, but I'm tuckered out. I've already pre-emptively called off for a birthday outing I was set to attend tomorrow, because my body is still going through a fit of being 89 years old for some reason. Graahhhh.

Oh, and I'm due back at work at 8am tomorrow - Saturday - to take care of a couple of things, so yeah. There's that. We'll call it a night for now.

xo | cmd

Glass & Games

I'm in group-creativity heaven.. haha.

So a month or so back, I'd coordinated with Elisa to have a surprise outing for Carri's birthday; that was this past Thursday. Likewise, I did the same with Carri to plan out a little something for Elisa's birthday, and that was today!

* Sidenote, I am a terrible surprise-keeper. I cannot express how happy I am to not have to constantly monitor what I say between the two of them; keeping ONE secret hushed is a struggle for me.. don't ask me how I managed to keep TWO buttoned up for nearly a month now... haha.

I met Carri at our office, where we were originally going to meet Elisa... plans took a turn when Elisa called saying she'd lost track of time at her apartment [the poor thing was under the weather today and also trying to move out of her apartment this weekend..]. We traveled there to get her, which nearly didn't happen amidst the chaos & stress she had in a move-out deadline. We eventually coerced her into coming with us, and were all grateful that it worked out that way.

Off to Brazee Street Studios we went! For anyone who didn't know about this place - myself included before 4 weeks ago - it's a glass studio that offers material and finished product sale, classes and private events! It's tucked into a little corner on a side street in Oakley, which was clearly off my radar, but is very clearly there now.

We'll be able to pick these projects up next Saturday, once they're double-fired, cooled & whatever else happens to them between now and then. Stay tuned & I'll have the finished products up.. eventually. Hah :)

Glass plate making is taxing work [ok, well...] so afterwards it was a no-brainer that lunch was a priority. We decided to stay close, and settled on Blue Elephant for some Thai food. With our bellies full, we made one final stop at Coffee Emporium.

They day show ended with dropping Elisa back at her house and then stopping at the office to bid adieu to Carri until Monday. I headed back home to catch up with Rob. We lounged around for a bit before a last minute decision to head out to Jessica's for a few hours of winding-down time. I can't imagine if we'd tried to actually go and do anything tonight.

game night with these guys! 

Man, I'm getting old ;)
Oh well..

xo | cmd 

Happy Birthday, Jessica! | Pre-Valentines Valentine

Ya'll know me; I LOVE birthdays.

We're heading south to Red River Gorge tomorrow to celebrate this gal's 30th, but today is her actual birthday, and I hope it was phenomenal! She's one of my "newer" friends [thanks, Cassie & Shayne!], and I'm so grateful we connected.. because she's a flippin' blast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA!!! 

jessica! happy birthday!!

At work, we had our own mini version of Galentine's Day: Elisa, Carri and I ventured out of the office for lunch and found ourselves at Wild Ginger. We tagged this as Elisa's early birthday lunch as well, and that was that!

sushi lunch with the ladies - early birthday lunch for elisa! ;) 

Back at the office, I rounded out the week by completing a project that's been on my plate for... since we opened, pretty much. It's amazing how difficult climbing up and down a ladder can be when you're wearing heeled boots. I made it through with no crashes, but I absolutely do not recommend this.

workers comp in the making ;)
[jk. jk. JK.] 

So TGIF! With Valentine's Day approaching tomorrow, Rob & I were planning to celebrate everything tomorrow when we are in the Gorge for Jessica's birthday. What I didn't expect to see when I returned home was this!

he knows i'm not a flower kinda girl...
... unless i can eat them. he's a keeper!! 

We also opted to head out for dinner, and settled on Buca Di Beppo. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, like many of our choices are, but the food was delicious and for his first time being there, he really enjoyed it.

garlic bread... just the tip of the iceberg..... nom nom nom!

Happy birthday again to you, Jessica.. and happy early Valentine's to the rest of you!

TGIF!

xo | cmd

Treehouse Trekkers

It is safe to say that this weather is just... drab. It's gray everywhere, and on top of that, it's raining. It's just... meh.

Gee, thanks for the sunny opener, right?
Don't worry, the middle part was actually pretty daggone awesome.

This is Becky:

hi becky! 

In case you're stumbling on this for the first time, or probably the more realistic scenario of having your own life and not keeping constant tabs on me and mine, here's my relationship with Becky in a nutshell:

2003: Met her for the first time. She was my RA (resident advisor) for the 12th floor of good old Calhoun Hall on UC's campus.
2003-2007: Played soccer at UC, and then all over God's green earth (indoor, by that) with this girl.
2004: Specifically noted, she somehow talked me into running Nippert stadium. Every. Single. Step. Consecutively. DIE, STADIUM STAIRS. 

2009-2012: She & I stay in minimal contact as we travel all over the place in separate directions.
2012: We reconnect after we both crash & burn in totally unrelated but very similar ways.

2014: We fast-forward through the past couple years of personal re-building, healing & growth. She is .. and I see now has always been.. one of my best friends. 

*Tear! Yep. So that's Becky. On top of her grade-A friendship, she's one heck of a human being: from being an EMT, to fighting forest fires, traveling across the world several times, and managing the area's largest farmer's market, she's a force to be reckoned with, and I'm honored to call her a friend of mine. 

She's taking this personal growth thing to whole new levels. I introduced her to yoga at the end of 2014, and in turn, she introduced me to Earth Joy, which is a whole other world of awesome. I'm a hippie by default, so trees are kinda my thing. Climbing them, growing them, learning from them and of course being IN them... well, I'm all about it. 

So back in November when she said, 

Hey, wanna go on a retreat with me? It's in a treehouse built by Treehouse Masters, & we'll be meditating, journaling, hiking and just.. centering ourselves. You in? 

It took me a full .000034 seconds to oblige, and that came to fruition today.
She picked me up and we were off into the hills of Kentucky, pushing further and further away from the city, the business of life and all the obligations that are so good sometimes at redefining us right under our own noses. Shelly, the owner of Earth Joy, was there to meet us as we hiked from our car to the treehouse.

Yep. The treehouse:

so. flippin'. cool. ♥

That, ladies and gents, was completed in December 2014, and will air on the Feb 6, 2015 episode of TreeHouse Masters. That's right, Pete Nelson & Co. had their very hands on this project & turned at least 20 people today into believers of the work we previously only saw on the show.

We hiked down the hill and back up another to the treehouse.
Inside....

view from the main room up to the loft

balcony down.. hey girls! 

My favorite touches:

woodburning stove! 

& yes, that's an attached outhouse! ;) 

We joined a group of 18 women who were brought out today for their own reasons. We were together for a very short time today, but in that time were able to realize one very specific truth: Our concerns, fears, frustrations, expectations and goals are not that far off from the woman next to us. We are each entrenched in life at full speed, and whether it's a broken marriage, dissatisfying professional lives or just the general lack of spontaneity, we all came together today knowing that there's a better "us" buried beneath all the layers of life piled on top.

I couldn't unpack to you in this simple blog the bigger picture that I know could be achieved by consistently being serious about timeouts. Like.. treehouse serious. If I were to truly level up with my life and demand a breather to re-calibrate me, boy oh boy... watch out. :)

Except wait a second... that's exactly what we started scratching at today. Shelly led us on this journaling exercise that brought the past and present to parallel grounds, and provided a visual representation of the ground we've covered [or lost, in some cases] since that time. She challenged us to reckon with our goals for the future, and figure out why or why not we were holding them at an arm's length instead of pursuing them, wholly invested.

BOOM. Thanks again Becky, for inviting me to something that clearly was designed to speak to specifically me... haha. No really, though. After some journaling, small group encounters and open discussion, we embarked on a paired hike through the immediate terrain that completes nearly 200 acres of wooded property.

I felt like Katniss Freakin' Everdeen.
Minus the 'I'm-hunting-and-literally-being-hunted' part. 

bramble marries barn
deer rub tree
cicada shell.. gone for the winter 

We hiked, and we hiked a little bit more. It's amazing how much ground you can cover in just 30 minutes...

over the creekbed and through the woods... to the treehouse we go! ;) 

The process of maintaining myself for the entire year isn't something I could accomplish in just one day out there in the woods of Kentucky, but it's a surefire way to start. Where I want to be, verses what I want to be, versus what I am... those three things need to align with each other so we're moving forward together in the same direction and firing on all cylinders as we go.

My greatest gratitude today goes to Shelly & the EarthJoy operation. Thank you for having us out to that insanely beautiful treehouse, on property that in itself urges all the inner voices to silence. Thank you; I needed that!

we'll be back! ♥

Becky and I made it back to civilization, refreshed and encouraged to be committed to our goals. We just finished some sushi with Rob & Sydni, and have parted ways. I'm here with my little family now, thankful for their very existence, let alone what they contribute to my life. I think that's a pretty good way to wrap up a weekend!

Love & Honor from here!

xo | cmd

What Year Is It?!

I had a very mixed response to a lot of what I saw today.. haha.

First things first, we are all aware of the recently-plummeted gas prices. I've seen post after post of my friends fueling up for pennies in comparison to what was nearly $4 per gallon just a month back. Per gallon prices of under $1 have been spotted in several places, and while I didn't manage that, I can't say I'll complain at all about the $1.57 I paid today. I'm in college all over again!

is it 2003? i'll take it! 

On to the rest of the day: Our business' subject matter is considerably slow at this point in the year; most of our key decision-makers are nowhere to be found within 2 days of the new year, which left us with a bit more flexibility with our lunch hour than is typically afforded. We took advantage of it as a unit; Carri, Elisa and I made our way down to Findlay Market, a short trip during which we learned Carri's never actually ever been [until today!] to Findlay.

We gladly cured that ;).
And while we were there eating, we spotted a rather spectacular doppelganger!

and now, it's 1950?
i'm wholly convinced mr. einstein was in the building.

I'm telling you, I don't believe I've ever seen such an uncanny resemblance..

amiright?!

So we ate lunch and chatted some with Becky; Carri got her first full experience of the awesomeness that is Findlay Market, and we headed back to the office to wrap everything up. Today was the last day that we'd all convene this year [wild thought!], so with an extra pep in our steps, we tied up the loose ends and bid our office adieu until 2015.

At home, Rob and I headed out to pick up some last minute things for our trip to Illinois, made a pitstop at Jungle Jim's and eventually landed at Fuji for dinner.

chicken katsu, sushi & rice
fuji steakhouse | cincinnati, oh

^ Dinner brought me full circle back to the present, here in 2014, which we'll leave behind in Cincinnati and return "next year." Tomorrow's going to be a jam-packed day, so for now it's off to get a head start on the sleep I won't be getting tomorrow night, haha :)

G'Nite!

xo | cmd

Yoga + Sushi = Monday

First, THIS:

clinomaniac. raise on up, cori's hand.... 

^ On. The. DAILY. Haha ;)

So.. Rob and I determined today that we have something of a tradition in the making. It's so clichè, I know, but it's becoming one of our things to do now: 

Mondays when we don't have Sydni have seemingly consisted of work, yoga... and sushi. 

1.

modo.

2.

mango tree.

And that's a fact, Jack! ;)

I'm a lucky girl to have this guy. 

Date night > Blog Night. 

xo | cmd

Aaaand We're Home

First things first, a hotel arm selfie ;)

new midi ring!! 

 ^^ This little midi leaf is my new favorite accessory. Many thanks to the Jondie Boutique in Franklin for this perfect find. Add that to the stack of bracelets and the Marianne-matching tattoo, and my I've got a happy arm and hand going for me.

We loaded up for the ride home and off we were, destination: Cincinnati.

Fast forward back out of the mountains and across the plains back to Ohio, and we were finally here:

i spy..... 

Home sweet home. Phew.
Rob was ready when I got home to stuff me back in the car for a date night at Mango Tree; aside from being back inside the confines of a vehicle, I couldn't have asked for a better evening; two days felt like a lot, and I'm content that we missed each other rather than the opposite of that.

It's back to the conventional office tomorrow.
ZzZz.

xo | cmd

Volleyball & Sushi

I can't tell whether this week is moving quickly or slowly. Yesterday, it felt as though we'd never make it to Friday, and today was just kind of like floating around in a limbo of sorts. 

Here's how I described that today, even though the title is not appropriately timed for me [right now]: 

just all kinds of feels.

Yeah. 

'ello, there! 

Oh! I did join the network of Cincinnatians with library memberships today. Apparently if you had a membership like, eight years ago but can't find your card, you just get a new one. Meh. 

Luckily, it did not rain today, although the grey clouds and breezy conditions certainly threatened to drench us.

I wish I would've taken a picture of the four of us: This is only our second session playing together as a team and I have to say today may be the best blend of our chemistry that we've had so far. 

We chalked up our first season win and that.. is... awesome. Yay, volleyball! ;) 

To  celebrate, Becky, Rob & I treated ourselves to some post-game sushi just up the street at Mango Tree before parting ways. 

On second thought, I think this week is at a pace that's just right. We'll see how tomorrow goes. 

xo | cmd

Things of Tuesday

Here's an appropriate meme to describe both today and how I felt about today walking into it:

basically.

Of course, being the intentional optimist I wish I could effortlessly be, I've already considered the fact that this is a 4-day week, and that is awesome. It's going to be a loaded week, but hey, it's cool.

First, Carri starts tomorrow! She's our new sales gal, and I'm pretty pumped to get her on board. Dave set up her desk today with a gorgeous blue orchid, to greet her when she gets in in the morning.

re-positioned by yours truly; dave is great, but he's
still a guy with guy decoration skills ;) 

And then there was the lunch I brought: leftovers from last night's feast, and if I may say so, almost better the second time around.

sweet potatoes + parmesan crusted chicken + green beans

Aaaaand, I set out on a quest to find some last-minute items/gifts for Sydni's upcoming birthday celebration this weekend. Based on a web search, I was confident I would find what I needed at Bed Bath & Beyond.

I didn't, but what I did find was good enough, and although I didn't buy it, I'm glad to know this stuff exists... because yenno, some people are into that kinda thing ;)

i said some people. not this person. ;) 

Lastly, to cap off what felt-kinda-like-Monday-but-was-actually-one-day-closer-to-the-weekend,-yay!, a sushi date night with my main squeeze.

i am spoiled. 

Turns out this Tuesday wasn't so grimacing after all ;)

xo | cmd