Lunch Breaks, Yoga & Oktoberfest

This happened on lunch today:

that's all you need to know. 

Hehehe. In other news:
I brought a friend to yoga today! ;)

yeahhhh, becky! 

For her first time ever taking a yoga class - and a hot yoga class at that - she did pretty well. Whether or not she fully believed that she'd actually sweat that much, we walked out of that room drenched to the core but stronger and with more clarity than when we started. That's a win in my book.

From there, we parted ways briefly to each head home, shower and snag up a plus-one for the evening's festivities at Oktoberfest.

donauschwaben! 

schoolbusses... duh (: 

my better half ♥♥♥.

Gotta love Oktoberfest, especially when you attend it with a German and it's raining sideways outside ;). Becky's birthday weekend is starting to form, and I'm pretty excited. Tomorrow it's the peddle wagon and Rhinegeist!

For now... TGIF! Stay warm out there, friends!!

xo | cmd 

Feelin' Like Autumn

It's crisp feeling outside, which was perfect to do a little throwback action. How about a double throwback? Yep, you're welcome, Dad:

left: dad & me in the everglades, 1980something
right: nature hiking with my backpack mini me in cinci, 2010ish?

^ Dad, you almost have it, as it appears ;)

Anyway, I'd certainly count today as a success: work went smoothly, which isn't always guaranteed of course, and after work it was home to hang with my two favorite people in the city. Yeah, I'm biased ;). 

These two..

my world, these two ♥!

We're cuddled up for the night, folks. Word is, there's a storm rolling in overnight, so we're hoping to get some solid ZzZ's in before that hits.. if it happens. G'nite!

xo | cmd 

HELLO, OCTOBER!

Yes, I realize that by loving these, I am, by certain standards branding myself as a 'basic White girl.'

Here's the thing: I'm all about Instagrammed Autumn-esque pictures. Bring on the filters, even though really, they're not always needed.. not when it comes to October.

Here's 3 of the 3bajillion that are floating around out there [thank you, Google!]

hello 

october

welcome! 

 YES, I am absoLUTELY excited that it's October! Am I anticipating the cold weather and crappy driving conditions that inevitably follow? No, of course not.. but for now.... we're here in the midst of changing leaves and pumpkin everything [I digress.....] and bonfires and BEANIES. 

[[[Be reminded.. it's BEANIE season.]]]

Anyway, happy October!

Here's how we celebrated: 

sand in our toes @ hahana beach! | cincinnati, oh 

It's starting to get a little chilly out there - this season will be drawing to a close soon and we'll be finding new ways to occupy our winter days.

Brrrr.. Get ready for Autumn!

xo | cmd

Modo, Day 2

Here is a Yogi:

laura sykora

Here's another:

rachel brathen 

Those are two of the most popular and beloved yoga gals on social media these days [at least from what I've seen]; I am among their loyal media followers, wholly entranced and jealous of their bendy, flexible beauty and strength. 

Heeeeeeeeeeere... is what the rest of the world looks like during a yoga workout [or more specifically, post hot yoga here in Cincinnati]: 

weeee bit of contrast? 

Hahahaha. It's okay, you can laugh. I totally did when I took this and looked at it. Here's a super cute visual for you: I don't look it, but everything I'm wearing is soaked to the core, kinda like I'd taken a shower in my clothes instead of breathing through various flows for the last hour and fifteen minutes. HAUTE, I KNOW. : /  haha. 

So yeah, here's that moment that I drop the big bomb of realist-style encouragement on ya'll non-yoga folks, or those of you who fret over yourselves for whatever reason but fear the risk of taking on the commitment to change:

It does NOT look like this:  

patricia aballay

Nope. In fact, if you're like me [with dogs], it looks a lot more like this, when you first get moving: 

^ That makes me laugh every time, so I had to share. ;)

Moral of the story, I love my yoga, and know that the only way to improve my practice is to find local instruction from those who've paved the road long before me and can report back.

Day 2 : Success.

xo | cmd

Yoga, Commence!

Remember that Groupon I bought back in the middle of the month?
Welp, I bought it not really considering that the two consecutive Fridays following purchase would be spent out of town - both coincidentally for Tennessee trips - so I pushed off my redemption date to today.

And off I was, after work to Modo, ready to rejuvenate my practice with new instructors, a new studio and new classmates.

tokens [all over the place!] @ modo yoga |  cincinnati, oh 

FUN FACT:
I didn't realize I was stepping into a hot yoga class. I didn't mind, but let's be honest, there is some intense amount of sweating done in a 75-minute HY class that you don't typically get out of the non-heated stuff. At least not that quickly.

studio! 

^ That picture does not depict the temperature of that room, a quite sensational 100 something degrees, enough to elicit some initial sweat before class even started.

This was the most invigorating 75 minutes I've had in a long time. To embrace the mantra of yogi's in their world: I feel centered. I feel rooted, renewed and a bit of hypersensitivity even after one day to my surroundings. How's that for some tree-hugging talk? ;)

But seriously. I'm going back asap tomorrow, and I wish I could take each and every person I know with me. This class is awesome. ♥

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

Nashville Sales Summit, Part II

So today was the second and final session for our time at Sales Summit. We all have pages of furiously-scribbled notes and anecdotes which we'll be applying to our daily practices once we touch back down in Cincinnati tomorrow, thanks again to the guys from Afterburner.

express 2712 & the afterburner reps!
dave. carri. "whiz". cori. "duff". elisa

sittin' pretty at the awards ceremony & children's miracle network raffle!
carri. cori. elisa.

my original express family [w/ the afterburner guys]: the cinci east office!
chris. brandi. "whiz". jess. "duff". deb.

The breakout session was also immensely helpful, and before we knew it, the formal Sales Summit had drawn to a close and we were all left with the rest of our time in Franklin/Nashville at our disposal.

Our little clan of four set out to do some local shopping in downtown Franklin, which I could best describe as quaint. I love it here.

downtown franklin

franklin theatre!

Shopping!

i couldn't resist buying this guy ♥

Some things I loved, but will not be taking home [don't panic, Rob... haha]:

coasters

this wooden board reflecting words written on a cellar wall
during the holocaust [also, listen to barlow girl sing this!!]

And a few shots of my Express family ♥:

elisa. cori. carri. dave. 

cori. elisa. carri. dave. 

Other than Dave, each of us left cute little Franklin with some small treasures as we traveled back to the hotel. There was a two-hour gap to fill, so I slipped into the leggings I bought today, before Elisa and I took to the hotel back patio and lawn space.

new leggings, yay! 

^^ Because what is any trip now, without a little yoga?!

FINALLY, it was time to get country dolled up for the evening, and head to dinner.
Dave chose The Tin Angel for dinner, which was a superb choice. The food was out of this world, with matching ambiance and promise of a good night ahead.

@ tin angel | nashville, tn

We said goodbye to the Tin Angel, and made our way finally into the heart of downtown Nashville. It has been years since I've been on Broadway, but the energy and the fun hasn't changed.

street performers | nashville, tn

second fiddle, one of many venues on broadway | nashville, tn

neon signs everywhere!

selfies. for dayssss.. hahaha :p 

greetings from downtown nashville!! 

Holy smokes... [this is backdated]... what a night!
Sunday means the trip home. Time. for. BED.

xo | cmd