Gratitudes 2013

Yeah, so it's safe to say we got something of a delayed start today after being out for most of last night. It was entirely worth every minute [great show, great company, great time!], but it came with limited activity for the early part of today.

In the spirit of things belated, I figured I would share something I actually saw a few days ago, at the actual beginning of the month. Excuse me for being five days behind on posting, but I think it's an awesome idea and I very well just may go get a mason jar solely for this purpose. It'll have to be a big one, I've already decided, because 2013 is gonna be a loooong, event-riddled year, I can already tell you that.

Really, anything in a mason jar is generally a winning idea, and I like focusing on the things for which I'm grateful, so yeah.. great concept all around.

I'll start: I am... intensely thankful for my job. I work in a position that's faced every single day with honest, driven people who've endured oftentimes more than their fair share of bad luck, who are unemployed. I have the chance every day to directly impact those people, so not only do I have a job, but my job has a specific purpose and a very tangible payback. I am BLESSED.

Anyway, I suppose I'll start doing normal human things today, like moving, eating... that sorta stuff.

Happy January 6th!

xo | cmd

Last Minute Planners!

Well this was a Saturday! [++backdated, yessir]

I specifically waited a few days for the NYE Resolution crowd to dissipate at the gym [that's a fun crowd every year... not so much] before making my way there, and I figured today would be just as good a day as any to see if they were in it for the win or not.

...[not]. Gym was moderately busy, but it felt good to get back in there and do some damage to my body which, before today, had been on a 2-week hiatus from any sort of real work.

Good news: Mama's still got it.
Bad news: Mama apparently can't pay enough attention to the little sideweights on the machine to realize she just maxed out. On accident. Womp womp womp [in other words, I'm sore.]

I spent the rest of the day nursing my legs back into a state of function. Rob had to put in some weekend hours, and by the time he was done with that we had almost resigned ourselves to a set list of .... nothing for the night. Luckily, he tracked down some plans that included a trip over to the Old Rock House in St. Louis [never been, loved it!] to see Dirt Nasty [youtube it ++lmfao]. We rendezvoused with some of his friends beforehand and spent the rest of the evening with them... laughing most of the night. Good stuff.


old rock house | stl, mo

We finished the night off at Jacobsmeyers... and I've gotta say... spent. Great night though; needed one of these. Not too shabby for last minute planners, yeah? I didn't think so ... (: 



........ oh hey (:

Happy weekend!

xo | cmd

Date Night.... With Ali!

What's the best way to spend a Friday night when you have no other plans?

Well, after you've had a Friday like we did.....

t....g.....i....... f. amen. 

Hang out with one of your best friends and make your own plans. That's exactly what Ali and I did tonight, and it was definitely an outing of which you should be jealous. Haha. 

kid-sized chair? mmmkay. 

It started with dinner. We've not had any success yet with going to Olive Garden unplanned on a Friday. For starters, I always happen to look like the vagabond between the two of us, which could had likely has misled at least one or two bystanders into thinking Ali and I are a couple or something. Haha. OH WELL! Anyway, we had no success with an attempted OG stop tonight; we opted not to wait over an hour, so we journied across the street to Houlihan's. Much better. We wined, we dined, and we were in and out before we knew it. Good stuff.

From there, it was off to start the preliminary shopping for the decor that will be comprise Ali's new room at her new house. I'm pretty excited to help her out. We started at Hobby Lobby & Big Lots checking out pieces of furniture and wall art.

From there it was off to a few other stops to check out some different aesthetic options. She's going with a travel theme, so we managed to pick out a clock and take some other pictures of "ideas" to be considered for final use.

And yeah, I just realized we took pictures of everything we did [and ate], but not with each other to document this evening. Oh, fail. We'll have to fix that the next time we get together. Haha.

Happy weekend, blogbots!

xo | cmd

Goodbye & Hello: A Statement

This is so true it's not even funny...

.... & that's really all I have to say for today (:

xo | cmd

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!

mom & dad | i love you.

Today is my parents' anniversary.

I do and I don't have words to say about them. I could sit here for days and tell you all of the little ways they've impacted me, as well as the bigger, more obvious footprints that only they could claim having in my life.... but I would still have more to tell and feel less like I'm accurately conveying the point in spite of my own efforts.

They are amazing. Role models, support team and of course, my fallbacks through thick and thin. We've had our ups and downs, as just about every family does, but through it all, especially most recently, they have been there for me in ways I couldn't have expected, imagined or hoped.

I'm so indebted to two people who chose to adopt me, chose to raise me as their own, love unconditionally, keep me safe when I needed it, let me fall when I needed that too, but above all gave me examples of what I needed to become in this world.

Thank you, Mom & Dad. Happy Anniversary.

For the rest of you, my lovely blogbots: Make it a great day!!

xo | cmd

Resolve VS. Resolution: Hello, 2013.

"What happened in your past is not nearly as important as what is in your future. Don't let "good enough" be good enough" - Joel Osteen

... truth.

 I'm not exaggerating when I say that I am BENT on making 2013 a great year.

Forget about the fact that it's January 1st, and that everyone around me is hunkering down on an unrealistic list of resolutions [yeah, how'd that first and only day at the gym go? heh...]


bahahaha... so true.

 Anyway, to be quite honest with you, I really put just shy of ZERO thought into laying down any hardcore resolutions for the new year. I've done that in the past, and while I stuck to my guns with some of them, the majority of those over-zealous claims ended up withering away by May at the latest.

That being said, this year I'm entering into January with more general resolve than any specific resolution. Sounds goofy, I know, but after the dramatic turn of events that could've easily driven me straight into a downward spiral in 2012, I'm still standing, better than ever actually, and for that I'm more thankful than anything else.

If you asked me how 2012 started off, I really couldn't tell you. I remember I had a really shiny to-do list that to which I was going to adhere in a direct effort to better myself and the world around me. I held my ground on a couple of those things, but I'm not bragging since most of those things were just the exaggerated versions of stuff I already did [working out, reading, writing, hanging out with Sydni... etc].*sigh. The year flew by, and, like I said in my post yesterday, proved to be quite the pivotal thing. There were transitions at my work; we lost and added staff and expanded the building itself. I undertook a leadership role as a team captain for an entire Relay for Life team for the ACS, one of the most poopular charity events in the country. New car, new friends and new insights. My daughter turned three. And of course, I made the decision to step back from the one and the biggest relationship in my life that was crippling both people involved.

It's been a year.

HOWEVER....
I don't know that I've ever felt more rejuvenated than I do right now. I feel confident. I feel blessed, and I feel extremely zealous, but not in the way that would incline me to tackle a list.

I'm content, for the first time in years. It's a bizarre feeling to have, and while it's starting to feel familiar, like an old friend I haven't seen in a long time, it still feels a little foreign considering the state of blah in which I'd been floating around for the last ohhh, 915ish+ days or so... Nobody's counting. Haha.

I have my sights set on big things for this next year. I can feel an evolution coming on, not necessarily to completely reinvent myself, but moreso to rediscover that genuine happiness that I know I have. There are people [a few specifically] who are helping me get there, and a few more that have enabled me define what I want and don't want out of life, relationships and the pursuit of my goals. I'm so thankful.

Oh, and top of that, today was the epitomy of a lazy day. I spent the bulk of it doing all of absolutely nothing with Rob, followed by some laundry, house cleaning, and meeting back up with Rob for dinner.. which leads up to now, watching The Hunger Games and fighting off sleep. I think sleep's gonna get this one. Sorry, Woody Harrelson. Another day (:

Happy 2013, my friends. I hope it's fruitful, however that is defined for you.
Be safe. Love wisely. Live fully.

xo | cmd

Eve Of a New Year

I'm getting old. So are my friends.

You know how I know that... besides the fact that this may be backdated? Haha...

.... Just about everyone I've talked to this year had formulated plans for New Year that included more "No idea" and "Mehh... I dunno..." than actual plans. Haha. Personally, I don't hate it. I really had no desire to go anywhere and find myself watching a ball drop surrounded by loud, drunk strangers. It didn't help that the weather started a nose dive into that wet, sticky snow that isn't fun even for play; as soon as you touch it, it turns to slush and soaks through all your clothes at what seems to be double the pace of regular water.

So.... as we finished up our half day at work [right???], Rob came up to meet us at work; Ali joined us and we trekked over to STL Bread Company for lunch before heading our separate ways. Rob & I kept it super exciting with some errands and miscellaneous things before I headed home to do more fun things like laundry, cleaning my house and washing dishes. Haha. Oh, and I managed to get another gorilla bread assembled in that time. I still need to pinch Nancy for giving me that recipe... haha.

Dinner? Red Lobster. We didn't take any pictures, but ironically my other Ali friend posted one just moments afterwards of the exact same dish one of the girls at our table ordered. Nobody's complaining; RL is a good choice if for no other reason than cheddar bay biscuits. Let's just be honest. (:



Festivities pertaining to the actual ringing in of 2013 boiled down to us relaxing with a group of Rob's friends at their house, around a table filled with more food [nooooooooo, lol] and some perfectly sober laughing to move us all from 2012 to 2013. I was a big fan.

We ended the night with Kelly and I watching Rob & Mike set off some fireworks from the yard... haha.. rowdy, I know. It was a competition with the neighbors across the street for a few minutes before we all called it a night. We're party rockers... for sure [pshhh.. haha].


2012 is over. Holy cow.
I'm excited for 2013.
I hope you are, too!

xo | cmd