Bullies... All Grown Up... But Not Really.

... and no, unfortunately I'm not talking about adorable pitbullies.
I'm talking about adult humans, who have both the capacity and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, up from down, and cruel from compassionate.

You'll have to excuse my rant, especially if you're the one(s) responsible for this, because you crossed a line that I've never had to face, but know plenty who have... and the saddest part of it is that YOU have too.

Here's the scoop:

In one of those arbitrary moments of Facebook newsfeed scrolling, I came across THIS picture: 

this makes me sick

Let me explain this:
1. I blocked out faces because really, that's unecessary.
2. This was originally of a girl and a guy standing together. The person who edited this picture did a hack photoshop job of another girl's face and hair onto the girl's body and posted it online for the rest of us to see. The girl whose face was put on here is a girl we all know; she's a sweet girl who, in high school, had something of a slight social disability. In any case, the picture was posted and immediately hit with a range of comments from people thinking it was hilarious to people asking for it to be removed.

It makes me sick. Yeah, I know... Cori, this type of thing happens all the time; your little rant isn't going to stop or change people. Bro, I know. I'm not trying to change the world, but I was honestly just left in a state of simple sadness and pity for the people who did this to her.... but not only just for her.

I think after brooding over it, I may actually feel more pity for the people who actually think this is funny. It's crazy to me, too, since in the slew of comments that had made it there by the time I first saw it, there were only 2 or 3 out of 10-15 that I didn't recognize as people who I knew had met her, likely had classes with her, or crosssed her path at some point in high school. REALLY?

.... No, it wouldn't be any less of an offense if it were a total stranger, but it certainly speaks even more volume to your character for the fact that you are that callous to do that to someone with whom you've had actual contact.

Folks, I know we live in a world that is breaking and fraying at the seams a little more each day. I'm fearful at times that Sydni and any other children I should have will face in their adult lives a society with absolutely no moral compass, value system, or filter of any kind. I force myself to shut out the inkling that boundaries will be completely non-existent by the time they are grown, and that a basic respect for LIFE in general will be something of an obsolete, historical theory as opposed to something tangible taught by and fought for on the behalf of parents to their kids.

A little known factoid about me, while we're at it [this will make sense, bear with me]: I'm an advocate representative still for the AFSP. If you haven't thought about the impact that these kinds of things have on people, you should take a second to read through a handful of those stories. It sounds like a far, dramatic cry, but it's not. I've seen that, firsthand, and it's real.

I'm encouraged, though. In the moments of anger I had after seeing that, I was met by several classmates who took a personal stand as well against the posting and expressed the same disgust. It isn't even a scratch in the grand scheme of things, but it helped to know I wasn't completely alone in the disappointment I was feeling.

For any of you out there who have a relative or friend who battles every day with a disability or handicap of any kind, this is for you... I pray that you're free from this kind of idiocracy and that you have a peace in the face of what you're handling. I'm encouraged by this to re-dedicate nothing short of my best efforts as a parent to raising my daughter the right way: knowing and believing that human life is valuable no matter what it looks, acts or sounds like. I pray that if I fail at teaching, that at least I can succeed at instilling in her a compassion and the courage to stand up for those around her who can't do it themselves... even if that means she's standing alone.

I suppose I'll stop ranting now... but I hope that if you've found yourself in the position of going along with the crowd just be cool..... it's not worth it. I hope maybe you heard something here, if that is you... and if it's not.. welp, thanks for hangin' in there with me (: 

Tomorrow's FRIDAY!

Let's make it count (:

xo | cmd 

Happy BIRTHDAY Arthur Twins!

I've not yet found any electronically-documented oldschool pictures of Kacey with which I could embarrass her for today, but at least I was able to dig up some for Jasmine. haha...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
THE ARTHUR TWINS!

jasmine!
left circa 1999 | right circa 2012

I have older shots; I've known the Arthur girls since we were itty bitties, but those photos are in safe storage [probably a good thing all around, ha] at my parents' house in good old Mt. Vernon, miles away from here and any scanning that could possibly be done. Congrats, girls, you lucked out this time. Haha.

Anyway, today went by as most Wednesdays should at my work: busy, busy and a little more busy. It's not a bad thing - it actually helps the day fly right on by. I made it home and intended on making dinner until Rob suggested a trip to Se7en [ssssssssold]. We even started branching out into new things, including tuna tatacos.... while not a fan, it was fun trying out a different path. We ultimately ended our string of piece by piece orders with the traditional California roll, which is... always a winner. Haha. 

mexicana & crunch rolls | tuna tatacos
se7en! | belleville, il

We made it back to the house and got Stella [aka, The Meatball] out for some play before we settled in to relax and call it a night.....

Here's to the homestretch of the week (:
See you tomorrow!

xo | cmd

TOMS Tuesday

As far as work is concerned, this week has been an absolute whirlwind, and it's only Tuesday. *WHEW. I'm not sad to see this day laid to rest, but at the same time I'm reminded of how thankful I am to even have a job over which I can whine sometimes. I'm blessed, and not by my own earning, either.. I know that (:

The TOMS Spring catalog was in my mailbox when I got home. It took me about 30 seconds to dive right in; I'm pretty certain I won't be ordering much out of the actual catalog, but that only means that I'll soon be making a run to Peace by Piece over in Belleville [love.that.place]. I know it's so "trendy" now, but I really don't care, I'm still a huge fan of TOMS and since they're comfortable too, I'm still gonna wear them... haha.

It reminded me of this past summer; Sydni and I went all over the place clad with the famous little blue and white flag. She loved them just as much as I did, and I would be lying if I said she won't have another pair for this summer. Plus, when it comes to TOMS, the smaller they are, the cuter they seem to be. Go figure.

toms toms toms toms!

When I finally came to my senses after closing the last page of the TOMS book, I took care of some miscellaneous things, played with Stella, and got started on dinner. I was in the mood for chicken, so I made with it on some spiced orange marmelade drumsticks and pan-fried zucchini & squash. I realized tonight how therapeutic cooking can be for me, especially after a day like today. Plus, it's really not that hard once you get into it, and I've always preferred eating at home as opposed to eating out. 

yum (:

No complaints so far on the food; we're settling in for the night and relaxing. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be an early one since we've both had a long start to the week. I really miss Sydni today.... I can't wait to see her.

Maybe... I'll be surprising her with some new TOMS the next time I do.. ;)

xo | cmd

Spoiled Girl. Handy Boy. Crazy Pup.

This whole Monday thing needs to stop repeating itself. I'm not opposed to the actual day itself, but I'm definitely not a fan of all that it brings with it off of the weekend lapse. Tonya was out sick today [feel better!!], so we ran a man short for the day. Thankfully, Marc & Diana are back from ILC [with greetings from 1663, aw ♥], so that at least eased the regular ache of Monday. 

*Unrelated note to self: Remind Ali that we planned on getting massages two Mondays ago, which has yet to happen. Let's make that happen, soonish... yeah?*

  

Anyway, today was day one of leaving Stella at home for the entire day. I quarantined her in my room like I've done for shorter periods over the last couple of days, and thankfully she did just fine. She's a champ (: As a reward, we took the early part of the evening to play in the backyard. I may or may not have put the D90 to work for a few minutes as she romped around the yard. 

stella the pit... aka #stellapittie

She ran and ran, and ran around some more, before we finally brought it in for the evening. Rob came by after work and much to my surprise practically made a beeline to the kitchen and started right in on DINNER. Gosh, I'm a spoiled girl. (: Excuse the cornball mash-up, but I found these two completely separate shots and figured I'd create an applicable blend of sorts.

yep. true story ♥

Not saying that guys are typically bad chefs, because really they aren't, but if I'm being honest I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by my boyfriend's culinary skill. Seriously! I think I was more surprised by the impromptu delving into my kitchen than anything else; it occurred to me tonight that this is the first time he's done dinner.. solo. Haha. We just hit a new level.... and soooomeone else wanted to be a part of it....

"can i have just one little bite???"

Aw. (: 

Oh, and let me just say she's been barking a bit over the past few days; I'm sure it's a huge adjustment to her coming out cramped quarters with a family including a couple small kids and another dog to my house: unnecessarily spacious and quiet for the most part, especially when it's completely void of Sydni or other rare company. We're getting better, though, and tonight Rob laid down the law with a rolled up newspaper. Not only did I snag a good chef, I found a dog whisperer. Haha. I feel spoiled! :p Seriously, though... lucky me (:

Well, he's nerdin' away at COD and I'm nerdin' away at some other edits and ... this blog.. and Stella's finally settled down some. It's proved to be a pretty good day and not an awful start to the week, either. 

Let's try this again tomorrow... 

xo | cmd

..And on EVERY Great Sunday....

Today consisted of a whole bunch of.... not much at all. 

It was tahhh-riffic. 

episodes of the office + stella girl + home cooked breakfast
= amazing pre-church regimen! 

Ali and I both woke up much earlier than necessary, so I went ahead and started breakfast while she set up a season of The Office. Stella spent the morning patiently waiting for food to jump off the table, and I may or may not have obliged with one or two little potatoes. Sorry pup, human food isn't your diet anymore. 

We headed out to church, where we met up with Marianne, along with Ali's dad and sisters. It was a great sermon, after which we made a beeline straight back to my house for.. you guessed it.. an afternoon of Sunday nothing. 

marianne & ali .. & no, her hair doesn't always look like that.

Well, almost nothing. I tied Stella up on the back deck and gave her the bath I'd promised before [she threw a hissy fit when I even suggested she get in the bathtub, but I was determined to win the argument of to bathe or not to bathe today]. It was something of a hillbilly-lookin' ordeal, but it got the job done and I now have a dog that smells better than a lot of people do most days ;). 

Dog washed? - check. 

Lunch? - check. [thanks, Ali!]

Watch Pitch Perfect for our 84031240th time, but Marianne's first?? - CHECK. 

... so there was that, then some Netflix, and before too long, Rob made his way down and the rest of the clan headed out for their small group at Cornerstone. 

I ended up making some fried rice [go figure], and now I'm calling it a night. It's gonna be Monday morning before I know it and I have a feeling it's gonna be a busy one. 

Definitely not a bad weekend though... I will say that much (: 

xo | cmd

Pittie | Parking Job | Play!

I've been back and forth over the last four months now on whether or not to get a dog.

Welp... 

... Got a dog. 

Meet Stella. (:

'ello, pretty girl! 

Not only have I been back and forth about whether or not to get a pup, but I definitely grew up knowing better than to set foot within touchable range of a puppy mill. [Dear Mom, I was listening.] I found this little girl through a random string of connection, and met up with her owners this afternoon to see the little porkchop. I fell in love. Long story short, I now have a beautiful little snow & caramel pittie, and I am excited for us to get to know each other. Sydni's gonna love her....

Rob went to Supercross over in St. Louis today, which looked like an amazing time. In the interest of sparing everyone from the bajillion pictures of actual supercross action [though I'm definitely not discounting any of them!], I'll give you one most of ya'll probably didn't see unless you happened across the parking lot today. Hahaha. 

parking job by the boyfriend.... haha...

Meanwhile, back here at the house, we were full swing in getting miss Stella acclimated. I think we're doing great so far; the only thing we need to conquer in the immediate future would be a bath [tomorrow]. Otherwise, we're off to a great start! Thanks to the Radcliff family for making the trek out here with her.

Ali made her way over early evening, with DeShawn not far behind - we made dinner and tidied up before heading out to McKendree University to see one of Ali's childhood friends in a theater production. We stopped to grab their friend Joey and made our way down to Lebanon to The Hett Center for the Arts, where we settled in for "Somewhere In Between."

"somewhere in between" @ the hett | lebanon, il 
deshawn. joey. cori. ali

It's been a while since I last went to an actual stage play; it catapulted me back to my short tenure in the world of theater. I won't venture to say that I was a theater pro by any means, but it was definitely a blast, all the way from the rigorous practices, dry runs, dress rehearsals and shows. Here's just one flashback, circa 199.....9?

"south pacific" | 1999 | mt. vernon players, mt. vernon ohio
mrs. kahrl & yours truly... backstage in full gear for bali hai ;) 

*Sigh... hilarious.

Anyway, after the play, the four of us made a pitstop at good old DQ before we rolled back to my house. We made several attempts to get my NES [if ya don't know, take video gaming back to the original NINTENDO, my friend.. haha] working so we could do some Duck Hunt damage, but to no avail. It looks like I need to do a cleaning on that system and try it again. We were so close a couple of times, but still needs a little work. Not bad for a gaming system that's older than I am. ;) 

The fellas have gone and Ali and I are calling it a night. We've got church in the morning, so we'll see ya then! 

xo | cmd

Eeeeeeeet's FRIDAY!

Happy MARCH FIRST, in the MIDWEST:

Happy friday happy FRIDAY!! 

Marc & Diana are still in Utah until Monday, so when I say we legitimately earned our casual day today, I'm talkin' major adherence to the honor system and some downright hard work, all week. They keep making this weird decision to leave me in charge of running the ship when they're gone; all I can say is that I am so proud of my team and everything we did this week to get everything done.

the team [minus andi] - circa december 2013 @ edison's :)
[linda. diana. marc. cori. ali. tonya]

They.... are ... teriffic. 

And then there's Rob. It's been a loooong week; I knew that I was in need of some serious unwinding. He's been a stable source for me for a while now when it comes to putting the work week to rest and just enjoying life a little bit. Like any jaded person, I've been through the ringer so to speak... I'm re-discovering how to slow down and just enjoy the moment every so often. He's been a huge part of that; he's been a friend before anything else and for that I am so thankful. I'm not an outwardly-emotional person, so let's revel in this little thought before I shut my mouth.. haha.. and don't tell Rob; we don't want him getting a big head ;).  [#endSappyMoment].



oh hey ♥

We made it out of the house and up to Granite for dinner, and ended up at Bindy's with some of his friends, doing what we do best when there's no agenda: goofing off & remembering that the small laughs in life are sometimes some of the best.

*Yawn... It's been a good night.

Tomorrow = Major house cleaning, errands, and maaaaaybe picking up another member to the household... Weeeeee'll see.. I'll keep ya posted. ;)

xo | cmd