The Sun'll Come Ouuuuuut... On Tuesday!

It's been raining a lot here. The midwest has proven again to show its fickle side with fluctuating weather..... but mostly rain for the past couple of weeks. We've been fortunate to grab a few sunny hours here and there, but even so, everything off pavement around here just seems to be perpetually damp. Hopefully it'll hold off for the holiday, if nothing else.

Sydni and I made a quick stop next door when we got home, to see Trish and the kiddos. Syd and Gianna wasted no time becoming quick friends, and I have a feeling it's going to be a fun summer with the two of them as neighbors.

Oh, and of course, we colored...


my miniature artist! ♥

We were well into some pretty artwork when Becky and Mike showed up. Mike took the dare of being left alone with Sydni for a few minutes while Becky and I ran down to pick up some tickets for a little concert thing going on in a couple weeks....


... no big deal... hah, just kidding... i'm pumped!

Tickets in hand! I picked up two extras for Kalyn & Keifer, who will be joining us...  I'm stiiiill working on convincing Rob & Jesse to join us on their way back from FL; who knows if that will actually happen, but that would make it a perfect night. We'll see. Either way, it's gonna be an amazing time (: And, much to our relief, Mike survived the solo mission with Sydni and wasn't tied and bound in a closet when we returned. Haha.

I'm totally okay that this was about as much as there was to the day today. Tomorrow is the last full day of work we have to do this week [half day Friday is better than a full day, haha]; I'm just ready for an extra day and a half or so to veg out, spend time with Syd, and see some friends.

xo | cmd

Happy 30, ROE Girls!

I always wondered what it would've been like to be a twin. Sometimes that thought scares me, because that would've meant the world would have two of me to handle. Haha. Other times, I think it would be hilarious and fun, since the majority of the twins I know prove twindom to be just that. Or, it could be just that the twins I know are all beautiful people, inside and out, so they make the whole shebang look that much better. Either way....

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

- to my former roommate Trisha, and her twin sister, Laura. Today they are the big 3-0, and I wish them both the best of the best for their birthday! (:

adorable, right??
l: i think it's laura, then trisha?... and on the r: trisha & laura (:

birthday memoirs!
b: trisha & catie
f: jacinda. laura. cori

I remember when Catie and I joined the Roe family for a birthday celebration for these two ladies a few years back; we decided we'd tell everyone we were also twins and see if they believed us. [I'm kidding; we didn't, and it wouldn't take more than a snail to recognize that clearly we aren't.] Anyway, happy birthday to these two beautiful girlies and wishes for many, many more!

The only thing about which I'm not sure I'm crazy when it comes to the Roe birthdays is the fact that it marks the first day of JULY, which means it's time for me to do my annual peek back at the first half of the year, and consequently wonder where in the heck it all went. I know I'm not alone. Haha. This year certainly has made its way without lag and while it seemed like it would be a daunting one at the beginning, there was a certain shine to it that I saw early on... I'm convinced the last half will be amazing.

Something else I found for the day that I thought was fitting for both a Monday, the first day of July, monumental birthdays, whatever.... [borrowed this from searchquotes...]


happy ________ ! [july! birthday! life!]

This is going to be a great week for a multitude of reasons... including [but most certainly not limited to:] Sydni being with me all week, Ali & Co. visiting this weekend, a holiday [=shortened work week!], possible camping trip with Becky, maaaaybe having a visit from Rob, fireworks, gosh.. list could go on. I am blessed, and you are too, whether you can see it now or not.

"Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -Ps 27:14

Here's the the second half of the year.. Happy JULY!

xo | cmd

2013 is Halfway Over?!

Firssssssssssst....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HILARY!!!

♥ you hillsy!

This girl.... haha. I love her and I hope she has a fantastic birthday. Hills, you've earned nothing but the best for your birthday and I hope you and little Julian [okay, so maybe he's not so little anymore] had an amazing time today. Say hello to another girl I've known since middle school, fought with like sisters in high school, and made up after that to get back to being friends (:


ouch. ouch. ouch. :(

And now we're all grown up. Happy birthday, beautiful friend! I promise I'll make it back to Mt.V and see you, soon soon soon.

As for me, well, this has been another day of rest and relaxation, and a few chores... and a bajillion mosquito bites. If I've learned anything around here, it's that this is a safe haven for those little critters and in the process of line-drying my laundry, they pulled a sneak ambush and got the best of me.

Mosquitos - 1. My poor legs - Zilch.

So.... that was fun...

I spent the rest of today tidying up the house, installing the rest of the shelves to the units in the living room, arranging all of my arts/crafts stuff into a manageable, searchable system, and just reveling in the beauty of the day. There was even a little visitor on my mailbox that I paused to photograph, since I don't see many of him around these days... 

hi!

Yep. A paced and relaxing yet productive Sunday. I even managed to squeeze in a short jog before the weather reared its mane for a thunderstorm. I'm settling in now on the couch with every intention on not lifting a finger for what's left of today. It's going to be a short week with a hectic weekend, so I'm absorbing this downtime while I can (:

See you tomorrow for the week!

xo | cmd

& I Did NOTHING Today

and it was amazing.

Okay, I might be lying a little. I didn't compleeeetely waste the day; I got some cleaning done and started scouting for a pub-style kitchen table. I didn't have much success in that regard today, but I've got some ideas.

In the interest of continuing the transformation of my little home, I made a trip to Marshall's and picked up two storage bins for a decorative yet functional project I've been doing at the house.

my mission for the day.... haha

I succeeded in getting everything done that I'd planned for the day, what little there really was, at my own leisure. It was fantastic. I had so much extra time at my disposal that I got myself wrapped up into laughing over some first world problems with practical solutions that a friend shared via the fabuloso world-a wide-a webbbbb....

What do you think about those? I don't know that I'd go so far as to line my toilet seat with tube socks, but hey, to each his own.. haha. I do think some of the other ideas are pretty practical, and might even try them one of these days. [Sure... reality says I'll probably add that to a wish-list of actions along withy my bajillion Pinterest ideas, but whatev...]

Anywho, I'm not doin' a single thing tonight and uhhh, that's the way, UH HUH, UH HUH... I liiiike it!

Who says these weekends always have to be chaotic?? ;)

xo | cmd

Re-Titled: A Backdated Ramble

Today was the first time in a long time that I woke up in a crabby mood.... on a FRIDAY.

I'm not sure if I'm alone in this matter [well, I know I'm not, but]; I wonder really how many other people out there have this happen to them, and if so, how frequently. Today... I woke up at 3am, in tears, over something Rob did in my dream. I managed to calm myself down enough to fall back asleep for another 45 minutes before I was again wide awake, and by that time could barely recall why I was so upset in the first place.

...... But I was still mad.
.... And grumpy.

So I headed in to work, fighting my own interest in the two pictures Rob sent early this morning: one of him and one of the pups... it was like I was a wronged 5-year-old trying to prove a point. In reality, all I really wanted from him was a huge hug after it all.... but I knew that wasn't going to happen with him two states away. Time to buck up, yeah? 

.. Yeah.

So anyway, the rest of the day unfolded itself without much stress; we started off with a developer meeting, some other meetings, and some other various business matters integrated into the regular flow of the day. Closing time rolled around and we all went our ways for the weekend. I had no plans for the night, until Catie and Andy invited me down to OTR. I rolled off the couch and out of my PJ's [I won't embarrass myself by telling you what time I was actually in my pj's to start... hahaha... we'll just say I'm old...], and made my way down to Neon's.

I'm so glad I did. It was a short evening with Catie, but I wound up in the company of Nader, Keith, Eli and a few others to end the night. I thought that was going to happen when the establishments started closing down for the night, but instead found myself diving into a really deep conversation with Nader & Keith for almost an hour and a half after the streets were quiet.

It's funny, not realizing how badly you need something until it just happens. Nader is like my brother; for years now we've looked out for each other, and I'll be honest that it broke me a little hearing some of the things that have gone unsaid for nearly three years now. I continue to see, every day, the damage that was done by the course I followed for that time. With every person with whom I've reconnected over the past six months, I find more and more peace, feel more of the healing taking hold of me, and most importantly, re-discover the ME that I put on a shelf in efforts to please everyone around me. Never again. I am again among people who knew me before all of this happened.. who know the real me, and while I shut them out for so long, they never left. I hurt them, yes, but they've forgiven me for walking away and are shedding even more light now on why they think that happened.

This transition back to Ohio has been a rocky endeavor. I have a boyfriend back in Illinois who I love, with my heart and my trust, and those two together invested into one person has never happened to me before. He's my best friend, a voice of reason, an open ear and most importantly, human, just like me. He's NOT fake, treats those around him as equals, not employees, and can admit his shortcomings and failures when they happen. I didn't know how much I would appreciate these things until I experienced NOT having them, and then having them 100%. I love him, and he loves me, equally. If there's anything I lost by leaving Illinois, it's him, and a few select people who guided and helped me along the way back here. I'm here now, in Ohio, and still a little unsure of the path I'll uncover. What I do know is that my support system is wider than I ever thought it would be; there are people I love here ready to pick up where we left off three years ago, without question. I don't deserve that, and I owe them.

Anyway, so I made it home in the wee hours of the morning, still reveling in the time and conversation with my friends. This is going to be a trying year for me from here on out, but with continued diligent prayer, the smiling face of my daughter, and the support of my friends and family, I know I've got this.

Happy weekend, blogbots (:

xo | cmd

KIM!

Hello, Thursday (:

And hello, KIM!!

Earlier this week, Kim and I crossed chats and made tentative plans to get together today, if for no other reason than to catch up on the last two years and just make contact. (: We promised we'd have a sit down, and so after work I headed up to Kenwood and saw my friend that I hadn't seen since her wedding over a year ago! 

2007 & 2013 (:

I missed her! We had some definite laughs over the last six years or so, remembering some of the hilarious [and definitely not so hilarious] things, places and people that now seem to be such a distant, stark contrast to where we both are now in life. It was refreshing to look back on the days of unabashed malarky and know that your friends survived it along with you :) OH, plus.... Kim and her awesome husband Dan are expecting their first little one in October! Thanks A LOT for being an adorable prego; I've been trying to avoid the baby fever [still am.. nobody panic], but seeing cute prego's who make that part of it look good really doesn't help. Hah. I've already decided I eventually want more kids, but certainly not anytime in the next year. Just one of those things, I suppose. In time....

Anyway, Kim and I agreed not to let another two years lapse before we hung out again, and went our separate ways for the evening. I had every intention on meeting up with Becky for some bluegrass down in Washington Park, but knew that before I did anything else, I had to tackle the front lawn at my house.

It's small, yes, but it was getting out of control. Trish's grandparents were so kind to lend me their mower since I've yet to decide on getting one of my own, and in ten minutes the deed was done. It's a huge improvement, and aside from the grass still being damp from all the recent rain, it was cake.


it's the little things (:

Now, if I could just make a decision on the dryer plug adaption... we'll be all set.

TOMORROW.. IS... FRIDAY. Halle-stinkin'-lujah.

I don't think Rob's going to make it in town this weekend, and if I'm being honest, I'm so sorely disappointed that I can't go there to make up for it.. Yeah, I'm bummed that I won't see him. To dull that disappointment [in a completely separate way], Kalyn & Keifer are moving back this weekend and hopefully that will keep my mind off whatever else is missing.

Either way, life's good and I really have no room to complain.
.. I hope yours is too (:

xo | cmd

Well Isn't That Somethin'

I discovered popcorn chips this week.

Let me repeat that:

I discovered POPCORN... CHIPS.... this week.


these things. hello, new addiction.

I partially blame this on Elisa for introducing me to these things late last week. I was on a mission to find some salad dressing just around the corner at Kroger, and I happened down the chip aisle. I snagged a box of these things, and while I liked the variety Elisa had better, these are still delicious and I thiiiiink... I'm hooked. Dangit! I already told Ali about these [we share an affinity for popcorn], and advised her not to judge me if she shows up next weekend and the house is full of these things. Haha.

Anyway, that was a tiny highlight of the day [it doesn't take much for me, seriously]. I'd prayed that the rain would hold off long enough to get a quick paddle in with Becky. That didn't happen; instead it stormed all afternoon and well into the evening. Since her and I are always so great at making actual plans [< that's a lie], we decided that I would just head her way and we would go from there.

who knew....

Insert also, that I finally broke down and made a pitstop at Home Depot to pick up some shelf supports. I've so desperately needed these tiny little things to get the rest of my shelves up; the original pegs are still packed away, I'm thinking likely in a box somewhere still at Rob's house. Either way, I never thought such a big part of what I had left to do would be contingent on something so small, but I reached another milestone in putting my place together with them.

Anyway, Becky and I did dinner at the Thai Cafe down in Ludlow, then retreated from the rain back to her place to hang out for a little while before I headed home.

pad thai (:

It. Is. ALMOST. Friday.

Tomorrow I'll see Kim for the first time in..... well, it's been a while. If it's not raining, I'll get this lawn mowed, too. Haha. We'll see.

xo | cmd