Happy Birthday, MOM!!!

You wouldn't believe how old this woman turned today even if I did tell you, so we'll skip all that and go straigh to the important thing: Today.. is her BIRTHDAY.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!! 

♥ mom.

Every year, it seems like I try to one-up my dedication from the previous year, especially when it comes to family birthdays. I sat for a while today trying to configure what I could share that hasn't already been stated about this woman, and decided there isn't much.

That means that she's constant. If anything, it means that she's improving me, while being that solid rock on which a lot of people in my family lean and rely. She's driven, charismatic, decisive, thorough and patient [well, most of the time she's patient]. She's generous; my mother is the epitome of a selfless woman. At the end of my life, I can only hope to look back and find that I've closely modeled hers; she is the type of anchor that could stand to be duplicated many times for the benefit of mankind as a whole. She's a God-fearing sister, mother, aunt, grandmother and friend, whose reliability and consistency proves her an easy source of sound council and input. I am, for lack of more descriptive clarity, blessed to call this woman my mother. Happy birthday to my mom, the lantern of our house and ever-encouraging personification of the characteristics I need the most. I love you; happy, happy birthday! ♥

---------------------*♥*---------------------

I wasn't able to spend today with my mother, but we've made plans to celebrate here in Cincinnati a little later on, once moving has been completed.

Oh, yeah, that. Here's an update. It looks more like a tornado, but progress is progress, even if it simply means getting everything into one place and staged for the sorting. I brought the dogs along to keep me company. This is what's happening. I promise, this is not an episode of Hoarders.


testaments of another step forward. into a mess. we stepped into a mess. :/ agh!

Just looking at these pictures gives me a near-insurmountable amount of anxiety. I've been here before, in this state of flux, in that moment when you wish... you just wish you could find that one, little    (insert tiny item, ie., nailclipper?! that's likely buried in the deepest corner of a box somewhere)     . Good luck, right? Yeah. That was the sensation I had all this evening as I paddled upstream against a school of boxes and miscellaneous stuff. I don't believe I do, but this kinda crap makes me feel as though I have uncontrollable OCD issues. *Breathe, Cori. Haha.

.... earlier today...

^ Maybe eating like a rabbit will aid me in my quest of tranquility in the midst of moving. Haha. Or, maybe that part will just help me continue into this new year as that rejuvinated-from-the-inside-out person we all promised we would be once we were done shoving Christmas dinner(s) down our throats. Haha. One thing at a time. And while the salad was delicious, I'm presently in a ravenous state of hunger that will be dealt with here shortly [and likely in an embarrassing, gluttonous fashion].

Anyway,

"are we done yet?"

These two along with the other furball, were ready to call it a night; I obliged and that brings us to now, back in our old digs, with what little we toted over here for the keeping. There certainly is nothing quite like vagabond status. Haha...

Atsa' Wrap!

xo | cmd

Moving-Stuff-Mondays

There's going to be a theme carrying on for the next few weeks: Moving.
If it gets old to hear, trust me, I'm with ya.

I headed out for work around the same time that Rob headed in the opposite direction to meet with a prospective employer [yep, still plugging away at that task, too]. My drive was far less scenic than his, apparently, but he made sure to share the jaunt out 32 with me:

hello, world! ♥

Nothing like a small reminder of the beauty that our God creates, every single day. It's been chaotic around here; a tiny glimpse of a much bigger - and gorgeous, at that! - picture, is always welcome.

There was another nice little break in the mayhem today, when the last part of the order we placed on NoMoreRack with SANTA... arrived at my office today, as part of Sydni and my Christmas present. (: To say that she was equally excited is probably a gross understatement. 

tablet! (:

After work, I picked Sydni up and we made our way to the destination of the new house. I was bound and determined to get the dining room table in from the screened-in porch to the dining room. I had no idea how I was going to do that alone, and if you ask me now how I did it, I honestly couldn't give you a straight answer, other than I am lucky to have accomplished it with all my fingers & toes in tact.

"raaaaawr!," exclaimed the ninja......
hello, dining room (:

Sydni helped me babysit the pups while I was creating and navigating through pathways of boxes and furniture. This place looks like a household goods bomb detonated right in the middle of every room; it's a familiar, overwhelming sight that I'm determined to change by the end of this week.

........ Challenge accepted.

xo | cmd

Who Needs Professional Movers?!

Anna and I were feeling generous today, so we left the privelage of the bulky stuff to the boys: 

booom. bring on the heavy lifting.

^^ & yes, that's a total load of hogwash. While Anna and I did somehow manage to hoist some pieces that may've appeared to outweigh our abilities, by no means did we do the majority of the moving. Haha. No way. We'll take credit where it's due, but I'll definitely give it to the guys for practically clearing this thing out within a couple of hours. I have no idea how they managed to get those three big ticket items [toolbox, air compressor, pool table slates] up into the truck in the first place, but I'm thankful nobody was injured loading or unloading.

With the exception of a small portion of things still back in Rob's Illinois house, he's moved. The truck, 4-wheeler and Harley come later (:

To celebrate, we said to heck with healthy and made a beeline to Newport for some Bar Louie. Nobody complained.

lumberjack invasion...

Rob has a few things to wrap up tomorrow morning before he and the others head back to Illinois. For now, we're relaxing and not doing much of anything, save for resting up. It's back to the real world tomorrow, whatever that means (:

G'Nite!

xo | cmd

Let The REAL Moving BEGIN!

Itty bitty backdated... it's whatevs.

It's gettin' real here at the new digs, folks.

saturday warm up!

The first thing I have to do is acknowledge Rob, Jesse & Anna as being saints for enduring the trip out here. I say that because apparently, in the midst of trekking out here, the boat trailor suffered a flat tire, which meant an extra goose chase to replace it. By the time they conquered slow speeds, hilly climbs in Cincinnati, road construction and general traffic, Jesse & Anna had named the apparent face on the boat from following it for so long. They were all ready to get out of the car. I don't blame them one bit.

With their unfortunate delay, I opted for a quick visit to the gym to get the muscles warmed up for the day. Plus, the UA's are still in the process of being properly broken in; we're getting there!

After some brief leg stretching, there was the matter of planting a boat in the driveway. It might've been a 15-minute ordeal, but eventually Rob managed to settle the Stingray into its home for the cold months. I would've had the thing halfway in the yard, so no complaints here.

boat & truck: parked like a pro!

Nobody had any real expectations of anything being unloaded today, so with that being said, we took a few minutes to all collect ourselves before readying for a night out in Cinci. I learned earlier this week that Magnolia Sons [the super-talented collection of artists from Nashville] was scheduled back to The Drinkery tonight, so we sculpted evening plans around that.

We attempted to visit Bakersfield for dinner; they were at occupancy capacity, so for the first time ever, I visited Taste of Belgium outside of standard brunch hours. Of course, that didn't stop us from ordering the usual chicken & waffles, appropriately replacing orange juice with some Belgium house brews. Nader & Keith joined us for the experience, and it wasn't long before we were finished there and en route to heart of OTR.

Drinkery it was. Magnolia Sons it was. Awesome set list, it was [again]. We were not disappointed.

... after finally managing this around nader's head haha.. magnolia sons!

'Twas a good night all around, definitely :). It's great to have some of Rob's friends visiting, even if everything right now is up in the air and all over the place as far as sleeping arrangements and whatnot. We're taking comfort in the fact that it will not always be like this, haha.

For now, we're back with the pups, who were proud today to sport their new collars and tags to the bunch. They're ready for some snuggling, and we're all ready to call it a night.

xo | cmd

OHIO HOME {Literally! ;) }

A whiiiiiiiile back, I ordered some window decals from a grassroots company here in Cincinnati. Hometown pride is a big thing around here; I'm admittedly on the bandwagon, because I tend to think I should be proud of where I am. And I am. It's not sheer perfection, but it's home nonetheless and undeniably a part of my identity. Now that the Subie's here, I thought it better late than never to get this puppy on display!

yes, subie.. and yes, us... we're home! ♥

My next matter on the Ohio pride agenda is a Home-T. Updates on that later, hah...

For today, it was the standard schedule of work, lunch {Naked Pizza, with the pleasure of Lizzy joining us!}, and back again to continue trodding through this whole moving thing. The poor Subie's getting a workout between the two houses.

A quick update on all that [aka, status check on the new mess I'm building out of things from the "old house"]:

♥♥♥

^ I couldn't help it. I stacked those up just to get the rack started, and didn't catch the aesthetic cuteness of it until a couple of coats were on their way in later. Adore. Adore. Adore.

But seriously, I've started outlining the rooms with boxes and piles of things; I hate that this whole moving thing is practically a science to me by now, but it still doesn't make it any less agitating:


this is how grown-ups make messes....

The mess is temporary, Cori. Haha.

Anyway, that's the most exhilirating update out of this neck of the woods. I've done all I can do for now. Tomorrow = Rob, Jesse & Anna arriving with truck, boat and lots of stuffffff.

Here. We. GO!

xo | cmd

We're Almost Out......

It's no secret: this whole moving thing is a... process.

big or small, it's true for them all.

I realized this today as I was moving yet more boxes of what things could squeeze into the Subie. We've been graciously given early access to the new digs by our new landlord, and are taking full advantage of being able to space this whole thing out over the next few weeks.

I looked around me at my current house today and it dawned on me that what I have left here is actually a very small amount compared to what I've already accomplished with just my trusty little Subie. As much as I've been obsessing over getting the most out of the last few days before Rob & Co. arrive with the moving truck, I guess I failed to notice that I've made a rather large dent. WOO. HOO!

literally all that's left to move [plus the bed.. haha]

T-Minus 2 days until the contents of house no. 2 arrive via box truck, along with a boat and three more people to help unload it all :). I'm pretty excited.

For now, it's shower time and some recuperation of these sore legs [I'm still busting tail at the gym, too... and let me tell you.......... ow. haha].

G'Nite!

xo | cmd

What a PITTIEful Day ♥

As I woke up halfway late and rushed around my house, I was met with these adorable, pleading little faces. I couldn't help but pause and take a picture before I left them for the day:


"hiya mom.. so about this whole... you-leaving-for-work-AGAIN thing..."
♥ #sashapittie & #stellapittie ♥

I managed today to make it out to the BMV [always a knot in the gut whenever that has to be done] to stand in line and transfer my plates to the Subie. It's official; little Subes is now a legal beagle on the streets! I'll get some new pics up of the little thing as soon as this weather clears up and I can get the BeOhioProud sticker on the back, too ;)

After work, it was leg day at the gym; I feel like a noodle from the waist down right now, so that means soreness tomorrow but above all a successful workout! Dinner = something quick, because honestly I was a little whipped after today. That didn't stop it from being delicious [chicken, red potatoes & zucchini!] Yummmm!

dinnner tiiiiime (:

And then... because it only seemed natural to end the day where it started, I caught the pups showing off their personalities right before bedtime. Stella, the stoic, talkative one on the floor, and Sasha, the forever kid up on the bed. In the absence of Rob & Sydni, these two definitely put a goodnight smile on my face.
I'll leave today at that!

Gooooodnight!

xo | cmd