Express Awards!

CONGRATULATIONS!!
(*I'm so proud!*)

Major Kudos to Chris & Deb for their hard work getting our office recognized as

Clermont County's Small Business of the Year!

We're pretty proud of this award, and all the fancy hype it brought about at the chamber luncheon.

Believe it or not folks, it is still possible to love your job.. you just have to find the right one ;)
(& ok, I know.. please excuse the photo quality.. stole this from the Clermont Chamber's website & it was just a dinky thumbnail. Booooo.)

Here's to many more years of success for E.E.P.!!

Humbled.

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." --  Luke 6:27-35

Last night I had the privelege of joining some members of my church at one our local homeless shelters. We held a short session of praise and worship, followed by a lesson prepared by one of our men. I was moved.

I've visited a few homeless shelters before, whether it was volunteering, dropping things off, driving by. Some are decently maintained facilities, others are just scraping through building standard inspections. I didn't know what to expect last night; I hadn't been to this one yet.

The building is a neat, well-kept structure nestled behind a fire department. I was greeted by a large "community" living space. There were a few people eating at the tables, a father and his toddler daughter watching a cartoon on the TV in the toy area, another father and his two small sons, a young guy rolling cigarettes on a lunch tray, and a few people seated on the rubber two-seaters arranged like a set of miniature church pews. I scanned the room; for some reason it hit me that if I saw any of the people in that room on the sidewalk, I wouldn't be able to peg that they were living in a homeless shelter...... I was disappointed that I had fallen to the stigma associated with shelters and the people inhabiting them. I know that all shelters are not as neatly organized, and I thought, "Would I still be here if this were sheerly nothing but a roof and four walls in an inner city? Would I still care enough if the people hadn't showered? If they were disabled? Would I be comfortable enough to drive here, park here, walk in the door?" 

How dare I.

Seriously. 

"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered."  - Prov. 21:13

There was a guy there, a 20-something. We sat for a bit after the study was over and I listened to him as he shared his Bible version preference with me. Do you know the origins of the NIV? He did. I checked. He's right. He's done his homework. He knows his Bible. He knows why He trusts in it. His testimony moved me. There was a woman, slightly older. She had years of hardship on her face written on her face, but her eyes told a completely separate story. She'd trusted God to deliver her and He had. She'd never heard the song "Temporary Home" (Carrie Underwood) before last night; she was in tears.

Our lives are nothing but just a flash in the the grand schema of time.

We're supposed to savor that brief moment and put it to good use.

A quote I LOVE:

"I have a three-step process: 

1: Wake up. 2: Ask God where He'll be that day. 3: Join Him."  -- anon.

I don't ever want to forget how I felt last night. Humbled. Grateful, yet mindful for and of the slew of material that sometimes overcasts the important stuff in my life. Saved by grace. Blessed by mercy. Empowered with truth. Responsible for sharing it.

xoxo.

.: CMD 

Photography, Meet Cori.

As of today, I own that.

Get ready.

*snap!*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

.: Two thousand thanks to my parents, my sister Heidi, my husband Joe, and especially to my sister's wonderful beau, the (renowned Christian recording artist) Paul Clark for putting in the leg work to make this happen. This is a beautiful camera, perfect for what I need. My gratitude is yours!!

xo,

.: CMD

I Have To Ask.....

A few weeks back, I posted a tribute to a Michigan man whose story inspired me in a very peculiar way.

We unfortunately catch wind of tragic stories more frequently than anyone would like. Soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice. Families being forced onto the streets. Children being helplessly juggled between broken households. These are the poignant stories that wallpaper the front pages across the country. We shake our heads. We comment on how "tragic, heartwrenching, and preventable" those situations were. Rarely do we proactively take it upon ourselves to apply the constant reminder of the brevity of "life" to our day-to-day.

Chad Cole is that man I referenced. I've never met him, and I probably never will. He is friends with the husband of a friend with whom I grew up. That's a fair degree of separation. Chad's wife Sarah and their newborn daughter Miranda were taken from him separately but within a span of less than a week. He had just lost his world, his best friend, his child. I have never experienced the pain Chad will endure for a long time to come.

This story has been imbedded on my brain; I think of it daily. I pray that Chad's unwavering faith will continue to be just that. I pray that he won't give in to the temptation to render his heart to bitterness, resentment, hate. I pray for the family and friends that will continue surrounding him, that they will have the courage, strength, and words to support him. I pray that I never let go of the feelings I experience when I replay this in my mind. I've been impacted. 

It made me think. 

It made me wonder, to a capacity that almost scared me.

No, I'm not afraid of [earthly] death. As wild as that seems, it's fact. Do I want to die? No, absolutely not. I have a family. A husband and daughter whose faces alone melt the core of my heart. My friends. My job. My church. My lifestyle. BUT, am I fearful of the day God calls me home? No. No, I'm not.

But...
I do still wonder, out of sheer curiousity.

If today is that day that I'm beckoned home, and my funeral begins:
- Will people come because they want to, or out of obligation?
- Will my life be celebrated, or will it have been a span of wasted potential?
- Will the generous words spoken be heartfelt, or stoic and expected?
- Will my enemies re-evaluate our circumstance, or just feign regret to appear appropriate?
>>> Did I at least make any proactive effort to rectify the situation[s] that caused our rift in the first place?
- Did I treat you with kindness, or was I snide, disrespectful, and cold?
- Did the love I have in my heart for the God I serve match the actions you saw while I was still one of "us?"
- Will you mourn my husband and daughter losing a wonderful, loving wife and mother, or just that now they are simply without one at all?
- Did I appreciate life and endulge in it, or was I too "busy" to even acknowledge it passing by around me?
- Would you be there, at all?

-------------------------

Now, looking back at that list, I should pause to say that I don't pose these questions with purpose to elicit compliments, or any brand of sympathy. I don't ask them to substantiate my self-esteem. I'm not conceited. This is not an advance open invite to my funeral. I ask those questions to myself because, after reading a story like that of Chad Cole, my daily frustrations are interrupted by the fact that calamity exists, and I am never exempt. I am not guaranteed the next 30 seconds, let alone the next 30 years. How many times do I find myself planning,

"I should call so-and-so, and I'll absolutely do it tomorrow."

Tomorrow comes and goes, and I'm still saying the same thing.

"I screwed up and I know I need to apologize. I'm busy today; they can wait."

Meanwhile, I justify that my sin wasn't that bad; they aren't perfect either!

"My husband is gone in the Air Force, my daughter is crying, I've brought work home with me, the house is a mess, the laundry is waiting, and this list of errands is growing, not shrinking. I'm definitely taking a break tomorrow."

Am I serious?! - That I have a husband, daughter, and job are blessings enough. My husband is serving our country. I have enough clothes to call them laundry. I have the means to make and fulfill a to-do list. Why do I think I deserve a day off from my life?

"I should reach out to someone I don't know, because I am to be an example of Christian love... But I've only got an hour for my lunch break and I'm hungry with errands to run."

The week ends and I've barely even catered to the people close to me.

-------------------------

Life is short. That's no secret. Decades fly by, usually marked only the major headlines of societal components: politics, fashion, Hollywood, health, and a slew of random anthropological morsels. Rarely do "normal" people like myself make the who's-who of anyone's list. The way I live my life defines the manner in which my memory will sustain with those closest to me. It's my duty as a Christian, as a mother, wife, daughter, and a human being to make sure there's still a little light in a broken world.

If Chad Cole can do it, I can. 

.. Just something to think on.. 

With love and... more love,

.: CMD :.

=====================
P.S. - Here is the original blurb I posted regarding the Cole Family.
P.P.S - This is the link of the initial news release for the Cole family accident. 
P.P.P.S - Even more crucial, this is the blog Chad keeps. 

Please view all with your utmost respect!

Happy 25th Birthday, Kalyn!



Kalyn | 25!



My best friend turned 25 yesterday!

What's the best way to celebrate a 25th birthday?

Don 80's gear on a Friday night to a Mexican restaurant in the middle of Cincinnati, and then to a bowling alley.

-- Duh. :)

Yeah, that's exactly what happened yesterday, and it was phenomenal.

[[ However, it became apparent that in the event I deck out in high-intensity eye makeup and crimped hair again, I will need a copy of everything from my birth certificate to my tax return.

Yes, the servers at the restaurant thought I was underage.

No, my ID wasn't enough.

Yes, they asked my best friend's mother to assume "liability" for me.

-- Nah, it's cool. I'm only 26. :) I'll take that as a compliment. ]]

********************************
Anyway, here's the abridged version of the neon debachle that was last night.

Enjoy!



Brittany | Kalyn | Cori
*aka* Charlie's Angels.. as we've been commonly renamed.

 

Linda | Kalyn | Cori | Brittany | Kara




:: Love ::



Best Friend :)





 





  



 

   



     



Neon Visors? Check.



  




Headbands? Check.




Gold Jackets? Check.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:: Needless to Say, I have some downright amazing people in my life, and I consider myself blessed to be able to say it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

xo,

.: CMD