Hangin' Out With the Mini! (:

It's obviously not unusual for Sydni and I to have plenty of mama-mini time whenever Joe is out of town. Our solo weekends vary from the tame nothin'-at-all days to the more adventurous days. Today fell into the category of spur-of-the-moment outing, which might seem, at face value, ridiculous considering it's still 110+ degrees out. Wellllll.. when the AC in your house is just blowing air, not cold air, it almost seems like a better avenue to get outta there for a bit. Check.

We started off with some errands, some long-overdue [grocery shopping], some just plain overlooked. We knocked out all of the more monotonous pitstops on the list and geared ourselves into downtown Belleville. My original thought was to stop and see our new friend Bulent and get some gelato, but I'd forgotten he was closed Saturdays.. this one at least. *Sigh. We spotted another digs right down the block and decided to check it out - I'm so glad we did! YAY, for local businesses!!

Welcome to Peachy! It's a frozen yogurt bar, surely no stranger to the locals, but a new discovery for us, and a perfect reprieve from the heat.

peachy | goofin' around.. biodegradable spoons, duh  ;)

i. let's see what this is all about | ii. tryyyyy it....
iii. love it, mama | iv. approval!
= a+ from the foodie critic!

Good stuff. Of course, since we were down in the heart of the Belleville local adorably unique shop district [that's obviously not official, but that's how I feel whenever I'm there!], I took Sydni in with me to check out the latest happenings at Peace by Piece. She was the smash hit of the staff, especially the owner's dog, with whom she immediately bonded and even kissed on the head before we left. I ended up ceding to a mega TOMS sale [shocking, I know], and left with some ballet flats. < First time with these; I'll have to see how they fare compared to the classics. Of course, TOMS are TOMS, and I support the core mission there, too, so I have less reservation about spending less than msrp on them today. Bwah bwah bwah.....

Oh! Almost forgot. I met Heather today, who both works at Peace by Piece and is a local artisan. Her jewelry [kindred spirit!] sells at PxP, and in an effort to continue supporting local folk, I ordered a little something that she'll be crafting. I won't say or show what just yet; I'll share that whenever she's finished :).

park baby

Anyway, from the time we got up this morning, Syd had been asking: "pretty please, can i, caaaaaan iiiiii???" to go to the park. I ultimately obliged, but not without trying to redirect her desire in another - any - other direction. It was her afternoon, but I certainly was thinking, sure kid. The park. It's as cool out as the sun's surface, but let's go to the park. ;) 

Like I said, I caved, so for a full 45 minutes, we were the only people outside I'm sure, within a 10 mile radius. Haha.

I realized I must've been asleep or somehow otherwise not paying enough attention to her all the other times we'd been to the park recently, because it seemed so sudden when she turned on some avid climbing skills. Yeah, I'm sure it's probably a standard developmental landmark, but I was prepared to aide her somehow. Not the case.

She's a regular little monkey! I'm so proud :).

mini monkey mode - she's fearless!

To my surprise, I was met with absolutely zero protest when I finally decided it was time to head home. Every surface of the play equipment at the park was "too hot, mommy, it's too hot," so after about 12 times up and down the spiral climby thing, we brought our day out and about to an end. She was asleep by the time I had the car started. Hah.

oh hey, sweat..

Now, I'd heard on the radio a day or so back that it's been clinically proven that prolonged extreme heat affects mental functioning. I think I knew that before I heard it, but it certainly made sense and I'm certainly blaming my random afternoon decision on it, too. I for some odd reason thought it would be smart to go running. Any other day, absolutely, but I'm declaring it official that the heat warped my logic so much that I actually forgot.. about.. the heat. Sad, sick irony.

Anyhow, 3 miles later, I was back home, more thankful than ever that I'm headed to Heaven when my time here is through. This weather made me think of a preview of the other neighborhood, and my sentiment on it is that that rat Satan can take and keep this weather ;).

110+ degrees. Running. Outside. I need to suck it up, I know... I just wasn't quite prepared for it today. Haha. Ohhhh well. Three miles is three miles no matter which way you spin it, even if it meant sweating my weight before I was halfway done. Mehhhh...

We are done runnin' around for the day. We're about to head down to camp out in the basement and watch The Little Mermaid for the umpteenth time. Speaking of which, as a sidenote: I was emptying out our dishwasher earlier and Sydni exclaimed, quite articulately:

"Mommy! Look at aaaaall those dinglehoppers!"
[[ credit: Mo.... haha ]]

Whoa. Moments in the life of a toddler girl's mama. Unscripted!

Haha. It's gonna be an early day tomorrow. The VBS kickoff is less than 24 hours out at this point; say a prayer for us!!

'Nite, beloved blogbots.

xo | cmd

TWLOHA [The Reprise] | HBD, JIMMY!

twloha.com | [go]check.it.out.

It's been a little while since I last sported this one. I found it tucked in a pile of short sleeve shirts in my closet, its turquoise lettering peeking at the visible edge and reminding me that it's spent long enough on the shelf without being worn.

I always get asked, expectantly so, first the question, "What's your shirt say?" The second question once I either recite it or stand up straight and still enough for it to be completely visible: "What's it mean?"

mercy ministries/barlow girl '08
♥ ali | good times, love this girl!

Bear with me, because this one strikes me on a personal level a little deeper than some of the other equally-respectable causes. TWLOHA is a non-profit movement purposed to extend real hope, encouragement, wisdom, and help to those struggling and/or suffering from depression, abuse, addiction, self-injury/suicide. The initial project launched over 6 years ago; my first exposure to it came about 4 years ago when my darling friend Ali [*miss you, far-away-friend!!] and I were on a mission assignment for Mercy Ministries. It opened to the door for me to TWLOHA [not affiliated w/ MM], and it moved me.

For the people who inspired me to join and continue supporting TWLOHA over the past few years [in absolutely no particular order]: Mili, Jena, Ben, Mike, Robbie, Asia, Daniel, Dustin, Nick, Skye, Ashley, Hannah, and the rest of what is a very long list: I loved or do love each of you in a unique way, and I support missions like TWLOHA either in honoring memory of you or in a token of my utmost support and pride for each day that you continue to choose life - real life - over the alternatives of this broken world.

If you've not yet explored opportunities to advocate a cause like this that moves you in its own way, TWLOHA's not a shabby place to start. Mercy Ministries is another one. Invisible Children. Bloodwater Mission. The list is seemingly endless. One thing I can count on is that life is too short not to be the arms and legs of Christ in some way and reach out, unconditionally and unbiased, to the suffering and the broken. It's the least I can do in my little flash of a journey here. xx.

****
Speaking of really stellar people:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY!!! 

woooo! happy birthday jimbo!!!

Jimmy celebrates another year young today; happy birthday to one of our great friends here in Belleville!! This is one truly stand-up guy, and very proud daddy-to-be, might I add. We love these two [Mo & Jimmy]. They've proven to be two of the kindest, selfless and flat out fun couples we could've asked for when we made Illinois our new home. We are so very thankful for both Jimmy & Mo, and wish him the very best birthday yet!

*****

Oh, on a sidenote - it's still a tad bit warm around these parts. I shouldn't very well complain about the blanket of everywhere heat that has settled over the midewest. What I can say is hooooly hot one! I stay thankful to have the amenities to avoid overheating, but not-so-secretly even more thankful for the 90 degree cold front that will be passing through this weekend. Haha.

Notice the 7am temp [top] and the 1pm temp [bottom]. I didn't grab a shot of the 111 temp at 5pm, but I figured by that point hot was hot and it reaaaally didn't matter. Hah.

OHHHH YEAH! And..... after almost a full week of unrelenting asking.. and asking.. and s'more asking, my boss finally ceded to myself and the other staffing consultant to move out of our Green Acres post-up to the other side of the "fence" to where our old desks now sit. Good news, we'll now have our old spaces back [sorta], and with a wealth of added privacy. Yay, little victories!! (:

Lastly, but certainly not of a lesser priority:

IT'S THE DAGGONE WEEKEND!!!! Two days of relaxing before the workweek picks back up. Next week's gonna be an especially eventful time as VBS kicks off on Monday. Exhaustion, here we come ;)

I can't wait.

Time to kick it with the mini - Umizoomi style. Yenno. ;)

xo | cmd

Expressaversary | KONY2012

Oh my word.

Happy Expressaversary to meeee..... again! Haha.

celebrate ;)

My track record with my company goes back a couple years now, but today was the 1-year mark of my tenure at this office. I was met this morning with a cute little cake and a white board decorated in my honor. It wasn't elaborate, but it certainly started the day off right. (:

What I was even less prepared to get was a handwritten note of gratitude from my owners, containing kind words and a little something extra. They really, really shouldn't have; I'm grateful and very blessed.

oh my word. unexpected. | many many thanks.

It's already felt like such a discombobulated day; it's Thursday but feels like Monday to those of us who had yesterday off only to return to work for two days. Joe departed again today for another short round of store visiting. We'll see him shortly, but it's going to be one heckuva jampacked week in the meantime. VBS starts on Monday, and that'll last until he gets back. I'm sure I'll be exhausted by that point, but that's the joy in being part of any good VBS.

kony2012 | liberty triangle | invisible children

Oh! And I almost forgot! This little guy came and surprised me today as well. I'd forgotten all about it, so it was a great little perk when it showed up in the mailbox. This is part of my effort to support the KONY2012 campaign initiative for Invisible Children. I would highly suggest you check it out. It's easier to turn a blind eye in the swamp of "noteworthy causes," but this is one I've chosen to follow. It really is the least I can do. 

Today's winding down; time to go hang with the mini before bedtime.... TG[Tomorrow's]Friday!

xo | cmd

Happy Birthday, America!

Celebrating another one, eh ole' girl? Well.. I'll celebrate right along with you (: 

amen? amen.

I thought I would start the holiday off in the most high-octane way I could manage:

sleeping in until 8:45am. 

ok fine, i'll go.....

That's RIGHT. You wanna talk about liberating? Welp, sleeping in until almost 9am in the smack dab center of an otherwise work-filled week is probably one of the sweetest little things around. Agree or disagree, I'm all for it. Now, before you start guilting me, I'll go ahead and admit that I leveraged the canceled alarm clock with an immediate trip to the gym. I thought it would be wise to kickstart the holiday by kicking myself into top gear. Oy. 

I left feeling like a soggy noodle, but it was totally worth it. I got home and managed something of a shower before stepping into a swimsuit for the first time in quite some time [errrrr... :/ well...]. Mo & Jimmy were at our place within the hour, and the four of us plus Syd piled into the car and set a course for Splash City in Collinsville. 

splash city!

I'd never been; Mo worked there for a couple weeks once when she was in high school, so it was something of a novel experience for everyone. It was a blast either way, and by the time we were ready to head home, Sydni was all but passed out before we even got to the car. Thanks, energy-sapping kiddie water park! Heh. 

this car.......

Back at home, we all parted ways for a short bit to recoup, shower, and gear back up for fireworks. Becky joined in for the adventure and we made with it - soccer family style [in Mo's van, woot woot!]. By the way, did you know there are built-in carseats in mini-vans nowadays?? I'm way behind on the times, because I had noooo clue this existed. Haha. I told ya, it doesn't take much to impress me. 

Anyway, the fireworks were quite the escapade. We had planned to make it over to one of the bridges connecting MO to IL and posting up there to view the fireworks. What we ran into instead was bumper-to-bumper traffic in East St. Louis. Our first attraction for the evening was a little red honda that decided it would neither proceed nor backup when the metro link warning gate started to fall into place. Instead, it just sat there, idling beneath the caution gate rested on its roof. Some people. Whoa. Notice the full metro car of photographers. There were just as many on the sidewalk and obviously in the cars behind. Hah. 

the dills!

Soooo.. After a futile attempt to illegally park, we finally found a still area by the Ameren facility to watch the dazzling lights pepper the sky. Sydni had herself a grand old time trying to name each burst of color before it dissipated back into the night. 

Oh, and I didn't snag any decent shots of what was transpiring at our post-up for the fireworks. I mentioned that we finally found some solid parking behind the Ameren plant. That much is true. It's also apparently true that in East St. Louis, it's "ok" to let your children [by children, I mean 12 and under] to set of bottle rockets and roman candles right up against the fences that house backup generators and power lines. I think I failed to catch any pictures simply because we were warding off the thought that we would ourselves become a firework while we were watching. Oyyyy vey. 

cori. mo. becky.

We decided to take more pictures of us, instead. Good times with good people!

Back to work in the AM. Awwww. Blech.. 

xo | cmd

Mustachemelon.

Dear Everyone,

Meet Mario.

Mario le Mustache Melon.

He's a dear little thing.

Yeah so we're fully moved into our "new" office space, with today being the first full day operating in what we've coined the servant quarters, for lack of any other half-way PC nickname. Really, it's a steep contrast from where we were before the expansion project, but it's whatev'. I came back from lunch to find this dude parked in my chair [we all got one, thanks M&D]. Christine in all her exact artistic ability [and affinity for the mustache] took to mine with a marker. Courtney contributed the name, and together we collectively created what is now Mario le Mustache Melon. He is the unfortunate child of a peace-offering-gone-awry, but I won't hold that against him. I wish him all the very best in his travels, which are pretty much over, unless we decide to tote him off to some TBD'd BBQ tomorrow.

Poor Mario.

*Sight. That's a wrap folks.
We're OFF tomorrow [yay, midweek holidays!].

xo | cmd

Bad, Good, Good.

Bad:

We've "finished" the office expansion. It's nice having the extra inches between everyone's chairs that weren't there before, but in the grand scheme of things, we really did get a slightly lopsided deal. I'll digress to an extent and let that be that..

Here is our new digs. Notice the quite-callcenter-esque cubes. Notice they're a bit shoddy. Notice Christine and I taking up new positions where we feel we may be best suited. True story.

Now notice the other side of the office's new digs.

the white house. just kidding. sorta.

QUITE. THE. CONTRAST. Eh?

Whatev'. We act surprised, but we're not, really. Totally perplexing transition: complete. :p

****

GOOD:

Softball was tonight! We didn't walk away with victories, but we had fun either way. It was a fairly close score on both games, but for the sideline [yours truly], it was well worth it hanging with Mo & Tonya. Plus, the kiddies had plenty of time and room to run around and wear themselves ragged. Good stuff, good stuff.

jimmy takin' a swing at it | joe rounding 2nd base | sydni watchin' the fun

****

GOOD:

Jimmy John's, and its infinite, random flair: I liked it, so I'm sharing it. :) Enjoy.

get those brainwheels a-turnin'

Happy Monday! :)

xo | cmd

Twin Bdays | Deacon Meetings | Volleyball

It has been a DAY!

First off, it's the first day of JULY [holy cow, already??]. More importantly, it's the birthday of a dear friend of mine, who happens to be my old roommate, who also happens to be a twin. Yay, double birthdays! I still remember when she couldn't quite cooerce her duo partner to get a tattoo on their 25th birthday [heh], but I know they are celebrating in style today.

roomies ♥

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to my former roomie TRISHA & her twinnie LAURA!!

These two are ADORABLE. HBD!! ♥



i told you they were adorable, didn't i??
trisha & laura

Here in IL, the Dills did Sunday in our own style: church and a deacon's meeting afterwards. We got an early start and stopped by for a special breakfast out with little miss; she just insisted on dancing with Daddy in the parking lot before we drove over to church. She's been on a Disney kick lately [parents, nod your heads... you know], so she made it clear that Daddy was Beast and she was Belle for their little sache out on the pavement.

beast & belle.... & beauty brands outside bread co. ;)

Like I mentioned, we had a deacon's meeting immediately after church; Joe is being considered as the next potential staff member, perhaps at a limited capacity for now, but ultimately with the goal of Associate/Assistant Pastor. We met at Bandana's [because if we're gonna eat, we're gonna EAT] to discuss things, and left with the decision resting in the hands of the current board of deacons. We'll hear the final verdict here soon, but we are okay with whatever timing God's gonna lay on this one. (:



syd @ bandana's

The kids had fun, too. Very funny ;)



loralye's rendition of the dills fam ;) hehehe.. notice joe!

After quite an eventful morning, we took advantage of some down time with family-wide naps and lounging around before Joe took off with Sydni to Jarod's to help Alex & his dad move the bathtub out of the house. I'm telling you, that place will be whipped into shape before we know it; they're doing a great job! I got ready to head to volleyball, and made my way over to Clayton without a hitch. It was great seeing the SM folks again and laughing myself stupid by the end of the evening. Good times.



SMMU volleyball time!

these people... haha.. love 'em. post vball @ bw3

Yeeeeeks, it's late. I've gotta be up bright and early for work tomorrow, so I'm gonna bid this one adieu.

Hasta mañana (:

xo | cmd