Photo Friday!

Happy Friday, friends and fam!!

Here's me on a FishTime call with the Jaceman! lol  He got his new tank 180-gallon tank last weekend, and he literally had his recliner set up in front of it as if it were a TV screen... super cute and funny to me!  He's a little obsessed, but I kinda love this hyperfocus aspect of ADHD!

I think this is always true - the ripple effect of our lives and decisions is bigger than we can comprehend right now.

Adore them - so happy they're doing monthly recap episodes now! =) #AnnieandEddie #AEkeeptalking

Miss K and her volleyball team!

Megan Elizabeth had me over to her new house for a healthy, home-cooked dinner last night... fun to see her and catch up on life!!

The Easter stuff is out, and the Peeps are still cute to me! =)

1) Identify limiting beliefs

2) Uproot them and plant seeds of truth

3) Lean into my newer, truer identity

4) Behave like the person I hope to become

5) Lean on God for daily grace/strength

Today concludes my favorite month.
I'm grateful this has been a pretty good February!  

I interview for the doctoral program a week from today - eek!  The season of Lent, Saint Patrick's Day, Easter Sunday, my first full marathon, and CCU graduation lie ahead!!  I have health goals, dating goals, and finding-a-job goals for March... taking life one step at a time, and trusting that God will continue the good things He has started in me and for me and through me!

Names of God art at Megan's house...

I love you and believe in you, and I believe God will be faithful to complete the good things He has begun in you and for you and through you! ❤

Marathon Monday #11

"Self pity is poison, but movement is medicine!" 

~Robin Arzon, Peloton ❤

"You are better equipped to deal with stress when you are moving.  When you feel tense or frustrated or worried, it is difficult to think your way into feeling better.  The more you think about the situation, the larger it becomes in your mind.  Trying to think your way out of it often leads to a spiral of overthinking and rumination.  The first step is not to think something different, but to DO something different.  It doesn’t matter what.  Stretch on the floor, go for a walk, work on a project.  Get out of your mind and move your body."

~James Clear

YES to that advice!!

Kate, Kirsten, and Becs are three women who inspire me today!!  Kate is a real-life friend who is fighting MS this year and has been busy fully reshaping her diet and lifestyle to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible - her attitude is faith-filled, determined, and inspiring!  Kirsten Ferguson is a feisty Peloton NYC coach who shines the light of Christ in her classes, and she ran her first Full Marathon last year!  Becs Gentry is a London Peloton Coach and a frequent marathon runner - love her spirit and love her 60-minute NYC Marathon simulation class (complete with music and her sharing race memories from all 5 boroughs).  I love it!

Happy Marathon Monday - starting week 11, officially in the second half of this training season!  I'm going to start throwing in 3 people who inspire me on Mondays - fun!  Here's to the power of movement and physical exercise to help us move forward in all of life with more mental clarity and emotional stability!! ❤

"I want to face the day as the version of myself who takes over by the time I'm done with my workout: braver, more optimistic, and ready to face whatever challenges await me!  Movement brings out the best in us by making us happy... the happiness that comes from having a sense of purpose and belonging, the happiness of feeling connected to something bigger than yourself, the happiness that is best described as hope...  If you're looking for a guideline, it's this: MOVE! Any kind, any amount, in any way that makes you happy.  Move whatever parts of your body still move, with gratitude.  Move by yourself and in community.  Move in your home.  Move outdoors.  Move to music or in silence.  Set goals that are personally meaningful.  Take baby steps, then conquer a big stretch.  Seek out new experiences and explore new identities.  Pay attention to how activities make you feel and how they change you.  Listen to your body; give yourself permission to do what feels good.  Revel in metaphor and meaning.  Look for places, people, and communities that inspire you and make you feel welcomed.  Keep following the thread of joy as long as you can!" ❤
~Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement

Weekend Update

It's been a good weekend... here's a quick recap.  Yesterday was a Tulsa trip for the Mini Miss K's volleyball tournament (The Kaizen Invitational at the Cox Business Center downtown).  Dad and I drove separately and met Rach and Kyndal there (they stayed Friday to Sunday).  

High fives with the club coaches and parents! =)

She aced 7 jump-serves in a row in two of the afternoon games I watched - go Kyndal Faith!!

Without getting into all the details, they shifted some things around and changed up her position, which was a big disappointment initially... but she's showing a lot of resilience and heart and determination, and I'm super proud of her for that!!

LOVE her and always enjoy cheering for her team! ❤

Grandpa and Kyndal + the awesome hair ribbons Rach made for the team!

Front and center in the Tulsa sign pic after winning two games in a row!

Just Jace being Jace and making himself a snow beard on one of the below-freezing days last week! lol

YAY for my new diploma frame - get excited! =)

Parker E. hid to be funny when she saw that I was taking a pic... then I said, "Oh, Tate's smiling back there..." and she popped right up to do what Tate was doing! lol #siblingrivalry #alwaysfunnytome

After the volleyball tournament, I had a 2.5-hour tea time chat with Kristin Renee at Parea Coffee... then we met the Wilsons and the rest of the Foster fam for an early dinner at the Broken Arrow Chick-Fil-A!!

The kids table was the cutest and reminded me of me, Rach, Clint, and Ty back in the day!!

My fav quote from our convo:

Me (explaining my 75-Soft plan):  "Yeah, I'm throwing myself into online dating in this season.  Sooo the men of the world have 75 days, and then..." (I was pausing trying to think how to phrase adoption/embryo adoption/focusing on motherhood)

Chettles:  "Nunnery!!" lolol

I randomly thought about that and laughed out loud a couple times today!!

Group pic before we left - love this group!!  And yay for a kind CFA worker offering to take the pic!

I walked 12 miles tonight... both before and after, my feet are in rough shape, and I just didn't feel up to running, but I'm proud that I got the miles in anyway!  I listened to Harry Potter book 3 (and laughed and cried along the way - gracious, those books bring out all the emotions for me - so freaking good).  I enjoyed the sunshine -- it was t-shirt weather for 90% of the walk, but the top layer of the lake was still mostly frozen and the geese were just standing on the ice. lol  In other news, check out my cute new Sketchers shoes!!  Fun!

Mmkay that's all for today.

Hope you've had a lovely weekend and hope it's a great week ahead for you!

❤ ❤ ❤

Catalyst

I've been working on articulating my theoretical orientation and professional identity.... forming a mission statement or a one-sentence way to phrase what I do and what I care about as a counselor.  What I've come up with for now:  I want to serve as a catalyst, empowering people who feel stuck to move forward with hope and purpose.

A catalyst can be any conversation or event that provokes significant change or action.  For me, reading Hero on a Mission, the move to OKC, the May 18 conversation, speaking at Babah's funeral, Launch with Mel Robbins, some of my therapy work with Emily, and other talks with Chet Lee have all been great catalysts for positive change.  The right words at the right time matter deeply.

When people come to therapy, they are typically feeling stuck in some area, but they're also ready for change and feeling hopeful and more receptive to new ideas - good soil, as the parables might phrase it.  I want to speak words of life and hope that encourage and strengthen people to see and step into their God-given power/agency and to create a more compelling vision for their future.  I want to help and empower people who feel stuck --- (in depression, in grief, in bad jobs, in bad relationships, in bad habits or cycles) --- to believe in themselves, to reframe their story, and to take action toward significant change, setting meaningful goals and moving forward with renewed hope!

#goals

Women in abusive relationships who feel stuck there based on toxic theology or bad spiritual counsel are especially high on my list of people I would love to work with and help... I've been reading about how couples counseling is often counterproductive and sometimes puts abused women in more danger, and with all that is in me, I want to protect their hearts and help them GET OUT and BE FREE.  So we'll see where that leads or whether that's part of God's future purpose for me.

I also love to focus on holistic healing -- ie the brilliant way God designed our minds, bodies, souls, and spirits to work together, so focusing on healing and making progress in all four areas.  And I want to heavily emphasize grace -- for ourselves and for others, not expecting too much or letting perfectionism paralyze us, trusting that there will always be enough grace when we take life one day at a time.  But all of that doesn't fit neatly into one sentence.  So when I need to really boil it down and clearly articulate my calling and work as a counselor, I'm going with "My passion is empowering people who feel stuck to move forward with hope and purpose!!" ❤

Wandering Wednesday

This post holds some rambling thoughts - just go with it. lol

What a gift this week has been.  Having a holiday fall on my birthday, then two unexpected days off thanks to the icy roads and below-freezing temps.  I actually got ready for work both days... started the drive yesterday morning and my car spun a bit in my neighborhood, then I texted Judge that I was taking the day off since nothing needed a record.  They ended up closing the courthouse at 11am.  Today, they opened at noon for reasons unknown, but our afternoon hearing was continued, so Judge told me not to worry about coming in.  Gift!!  I'm very grateful for a little extra downtime and rest, along with the brownies I baked yesterday, because snow days just call for baking! lol

Currently blogging and watching About Time -- so many poignant lines that make you think about what matters most in life -- a total treasure ever since I sobbed my way through the ending in theaters in November 2013. ❤

Anyway, here's a few pics from my birthday dinner with the fam on Monday -- we went to Ted's and had bundtinis for dessert to celebrate our February birthdays (me, Jace Michael, and Rach)!

Rachael made me this heartfelt card - makes me laugh that this is a real verse! lol

The fam. ❤

Jaceman making me laugh with the eyebrow action! lol

Miss K finally updated her FB profile pic to this one from a volleyball tournament.  Still not a face-forward smiling pic, but better than the shadowy one she had before. lol

Making some major progress in my own therapy lately -- really taking the time to do the homework matters.  And yes to being gentle with ourselves.

I kinda feel this one right now. lol

Tate Haywood after losing two teeth last week... he apparently lost the remaining top front tooth today! =)

Three of my favorite men in the world.  And baby Henry, who I'm confident will grow to be a great man in his time! ❤

Melanie's new book released yesterday.  I'm about 75% of the way through the audiobook already, and it's been excellent -- it's her story of growing up with an abusive, narcissistic mother and eventually finding healing and setting difficult boundaries as an adult, then raising a wonderful, strong daughter -- I love her and her whole family more than you would think I could having never met them in person!  Yay, Caroline and Melanie and Perry!!

Well, this is 41.  It's off to a slightly painful and slow beginning, but I am getting back up, and I'm believing it will be a beautiful year ahead!  Do I have loads of unresolved questions about what the future holds?  Yes, but that is not unique to me.  And what I do know is that God is good and He sees me and cares about me, AND although life has knocked me down sometimes, I'm resilient, I am not alone, I am loved, God is never giving up on me, and I am not giving up on myself or on God and His good plan for me.  I will keep adapting and learning and growing and moving forward.  From my birthday to today, I have had a few important conversations with friends, I've accepted an invitation to interview for CCU's doctoral program on March 7th, I've interviewed for a therapist job and accepted a second interview for Friday, I've done several at-home workouts to stay on track with my training, I've given online dating another shot, and I've worked out a few mini-goals for the coming months....

Tomorrow will be 78 days away from my CCU graduation ceremony, and I will be starting "75 Soft" - with 3 days off thrown in there.  It obviously won't all be perfect, but I want to feel proud of this chart when I hit graduation day. For the sake of accountability, my five areas of focus will be: 

• Healthy eating and tracking (2 protein shakes + veggies daily and staying in my weekly points range - focusing on building consistent patterns)
• Drinking more water (6 bottles a day - doable, but it requires more intentionality and focus post-surgery)
• Continuing the marathon training workout schedule (which definitely ramps up here in the second half)
• Averaging 10 pages a day of a real live actual book (I have two that don't come in audiobook format that I would love to finish)
• Online dating - either messaging with someone (hopefully) or liking 2 new profiles daily, any online dating site -- (sticking with that for 75 days may feel like the biggest challenge here, but I'm doing my very best not to personalize things too early and perceive rejection that isn't there AND to lean into the worthy-of-love identity I want to build up rather than the unchosen/potentially unworthy identity I've become too familiar with)

In all of life, honestly, I want to focus on the new identity I desire to build rather than the old story I want to release... allowing God to bring more healing and trusting Him to do something brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17)!  I feel this deeply, and I'll probably write more on it later, but I want to get serious about abiding in Christ and becoming more whole and holy through God's love (Ephesians 1:4).  ❤

Okay, shifting gears, today's 3-mile Wednesday walk was not quite as fun as walking with Kristin at The Station!  I used my lovely walking pad along with an actual walker for handrails (with weights in front of it to keep it from moving). lol  I so feel like I'm going to fall if there's nothing to hold on to - this was a random makeshift fix idea from a Peloton FB group, but it worked, so that's a Wednesday win!

This post is full of randomness!!  Conclusion:  This 2-day work week feels like a lovely birth-week blessing! =)  I am getting back up and doing my best to press into the abundant life God designed for me.  I'm determined to show up and do the work that needs to be done, confident that God has good things in store!  I love and value you, and I believe God also has good things in store for you as you show up and do the work that needs to be done!! ❤

Know your worth.  Show up.  Do the work.
❤❤❤

Life in All its Fullness (41)

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I have come that they may have LIFE,

and have it in all its fullness."

~Jesus, John 10:10

Happy 41st Birthday to Me! ❤

This = my wonderful Tulsa friend group celebrating with me at Los Cabos last night!! ❤

An awesome, sparkly new mug from JEM and Kelly!!  (And a "Birthday Girl" tiara Chet bought for Mom's 70th bday but forgot, so I claimed it for my party!)  =)

Jeffrey and Henry Edward! =)

My mini-BFF, Parker Elizabeth!! ❤

Harvey Lane and Tate Haywood! =)

So much cuteness!!

❤❤❤

Hey, Wilson fam.... for real for real, THANK YOU.  For the key role you've played in my life, obviously, but more specifically today, for the role you've played in making my birthdays special over the past decade+.  Hosting a few of my parties, planning two surprise parties in OKC, baking or buying the cake repeatedly, making fun birthday banners, Cricut cake toppers, great gifts and cards, Swiftie-themed party decor, a surprise snow-day visit, video songs from the kids, a random birthday bonfire (at my request), and more... really just coming through every year in big and small ways - it is much appreciated!!  (The second-from-right pic on the bottom row = Chet adding peanut butter chips to the Ludger's cake for extra decoration, and it brings me joy that that even occurred to him. lol)

I made this for my friend, Kristen, in January.  And today, I am believing for myself that the best is yet to come in my story... God has a better idea of what that means than I do, but I AM TRUSTING HIM.

Hooray for this well-timed holiday!!  

(I would very much welcome a courthouse closing tomorrow, as well.)

I slept in this morning, then Kristin and the boys treated me to lunch!  Our original plan was Neighborhood Jam, but that was everyone else's plan too. lol  To avoid the 45-minute wait, we went to BJ's, where we all enjoyed lunch and mini-pizookies!! ❤

The boys also brought me flowers and candy and a sparkly pink card they picked out for me themselves with a set of stick-on nails! lol  Could not love it more - thanks again, Whitakers!! ❤

* * * * * * *

We have a spiritual enemy whose actual stated goal is to steal, kill, and destroy the good things God is doing in our lives -- I have sensed that more than usual lately.  We also have a caring and powerful God who wants to give us LIFE in all its beauty and fullness -- so I am leaning into that abundant energy and hope today!  There is life and hope and healing in Jesus, and His goodness and mercy and wisdom and love are with me today.

“Christianity is not a promise to enjoy a life without pain, nor to be given a shortcut through it. It is a promise that pain, sorrow, sin – ours and others – will not swallow us, destroy us, define us, or have the final word. Jesus has won the victory. And in Him, so have we!” 

~Stasi Eldredge

So in spite of this dreadfully cold weather and feeling a little blue and off-kilter last week, February remains my favorite month, and this has been a really fantastic birthday weekend!!  And now I'm off to meet the fam for a late birthday dinner at Ted's (after Kyndal's vball practice). ❤

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I love you and believe in you, friends and fam,

and I hope you've had a great day on my 41st birthday!!

❤ ❤ ❤