Fifteen Thousand

The Queen of Random Information here, letting you all know today is my 15,000th day on earth, which just popped up on the calendar reminder I set for myself a few years ago. lol  Hooray for Day 15,000!! ❤

I actually wrote a post for Day 10,000 (HERE) back in 2011.  It fell right in between our OKC road trip to celebrate Malori's birthday and me being the Maid of Honor at Rachael's wedding.  Needless to say, a lot has changed over time, and every season God gives us is a gift!  I appreciate that this falls on a relatively ordinary day, and I like the reminder that our days are numbered and Every Second Counts.  I could go on and on about it, but I'll spare you that.  I am very grateful for the people who have stayed the course with me, and I'm grateful for the daily grace of God, and I'm praying for a renewed sense of God-given hope, clarity, and purpose as I continue to move forward!!

"I figure life's a gift,
and I don't intend on wasting it.
You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next.
You learn to take life as it comes at you,
to make each day count."
-Jack Dawson (Rest in Peace)

 

 Cheers! lol

45 days from now, I will run the OKC Memorial Marathon.  I'm pushing myself harder for these final 7 weeks of training - already feeling sore from that, but I'm excited about putting more heart into it!  I hope the same holds true for you in whatever goal you are pursuing in this season!!

Okay then, that's really all for this post.
I love you and believe in you, and Jesus does too!!

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Thankful Thursday #223!

"Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
~1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today, I am grateful for:

1.  Having friends who know me well enough to challenge me and hold me accountable and help me reframe things and get a healthier perspective... even if I feel like this at first. lol

*Rach had a spot on Michael-Scott-being-quietly-annoyed facial expression at K's volleyball scrimmage the other day, which is why I found this gif. lol

2.  Taking better care of myself... mind, body, soul, and spirit!  I'm grateful for my counselor, Emily's influence in helping me move toward a more balanced, holistic, truly caring for myself approach to health!  And I'm grateful for Mel Robbins' strong advice to make our goals visible, hence the new chart on my fridge that's helping me stay focused right now!  (For those who care, I'm doing a 21-Day Self-Care Reset, taking my birthday off, then starting my own version of "75 Soft" that will take me through the marathon to my Graduation date in May!  A couple weeks after that will be the anniversary of the initial convo with Chet and Karli last May, and my hope is to reach my goal weight range and be in maintenance mode at that point!)

3.  This book (about the author's experience in a religious cult and how she got out of it) and the way it made me rethink some of my past experiences and think critically about some of my present trusted sources.  More on that in a book-themed post soon.

4.  Our family dinners and convos and game nights - it always brings me joy!  We've played Clue the last couple times.  Jace being confused and annoyed by the rules and Kyndal paying close attention and winning it all feels about right! lol

5.  Getting to know and work with Abby over the last 6 months... we had our final required meeting on Monday, but I'm going to make an effort to stay in touch and be a source of support and encouragement for her!  (PS I'm grateful that she views me as 10 or 15 years older rather than 23! lol)

6.  This meme and the quote on my last blog post... seeing my fellow CCU classmates setting up their own counseling businesses and getting through the background check part faster can make me feel anxious and behind, but many of them are married and have a second source of income, and they are choosing the best path forward for themselves, while I need to work with God and focus on my own journey and finding what is right for me in this season!!  Without feeling rushed or impatient or less than.  Trust the slow work of God, allow myself to feel in suspense and incomplete, don't compare my race to others.  #workingonit

7.  MEL ROBBINS.  And the Launch course.  And the 9 months of group support and encouragement.  I signed up for that in April of 2023, and it went from May through October.  My access to the course closes tomorrow, so Mel posted one final video last night explaining that she won't be doing the Launch course again since she has the book tour coming up.  I feel proud and grateful that I was a part of what was likely the final Launch course... what a perspective-shifting gift it was to me in a transformative season that included my surgery, finishing my Master's degree, and applying for the doctoral program (submitted all of that early this week!!).  I am grateful for Mel's influence in my life and inspired by her impact on the world!

Happy Thursday, friends and fam!  In Mel's honor, and in case no one else says it today, let me remind you that I love you and believe in you, and I believe in your ability to create a life you love!!

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Full Circle

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"The current cultural messaging that tells women it's attractive to play dumb and fragile and hope that they're saved by their beauty is incredibly destructive... Let's set a new example for a generation of young women who are watching us closely.  Let's teach them by our example to be women who work hard, who pay attention to their dreams, who give themselves to making the world a better place."  -Shauna Niequist

Seeing my official diploma makes it all feel more real! ❤
Updated Edit:  I learned from Amy that "High Distinction" means I'm in the Top 10% of my class, which is pretty cool!!

Seeing the diploma, my mind quickly went back to the "Beauty for Ashes" post I wrote back in September 2013, the day I received my Bachelor's diploma from SNU... the gaping loss and despair I felt in that season, the sense of brokenness and unworthiness, the way the enemy was at work, the friends who continually showed up and built me back up, the lonnnng road to hope and healing, the strong hope for a redeemed friendship story, and ultimately getting redemption that looked very different from what I had pictured.  I feel ready to tell my story (or collection of stories) with as much grit and unpolished honesty as I can muster, to mine for new ways God will show up and speak to me as I write it all down with fresh perspective, to trust that He will use it all for good in ways I cannot see yet... wish me luck, and pray that I'll put in the work and see it all the way through!!  This is the year for finishing things I started long ago... including but not limited to the full marathon (in April), losing 100 pounds (potentially by my birthday), and writing a book (first full draft ready by September 1st and edits done by Christmas).

"We dilute the beauty of the gospel story when we divorce it from our lives, our worlds, the words and images that God is writing right now on our souls.  There's nothing small or inconsequential about our stories.  If you want your community to be marked by radical honesty, by risky, terrifying, ultimately redemptive truth-telling, you must start telling your truth first.  Don't allow the story of God, the sacred, transforming story of what God does in a human heart, to become flat and lifeless.  If you have been transformed by the grace of God, then you have within you all you need to write your manifesto, your poem, your song, your battle cry, your love letter to a beautiful and broken world.  Your story must be told."
-Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet

Thankful Thursday #222!!

"For everything God has created is good,

and nothing is to be rejected

if it is received with gratitude

because it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer."

~I Timothy 4:4-5

Today, I am thankful for:

1. A heartfelt and encouraging message from Annie about living an abundant life in Christ as we run our unique race with perseverance!  ...I'm always grateful for her leadership and example as a sincere Christian and a thriving single woman!

 

2.  Judge Brockman treating Doris and I to lunch at Rosa Mezcal (a new Mexican restaurant on Main Street in Norman) on our first day of work in this new year... we had a good talk about future plans and how God opens and closes the right doors for us in life!  This = my salad and the cool murals on their outside patio area. ❤

3.  Having a FB friendship with my former Compassion child now that she's a beautiful adult - I love being able to continue to encourage and support her in life and love seeing her thriving lately, and I was surprised/grateful to see myself in her story on people she is praying for today! ❤

4.  Starting my new year off with an awesome trip to one of my fav cities, and getting a grateful text from Triston this morning! ❤

5.  Playing an entertaining new game at our family dinner Tuesday night... thankful for quality time together and laughing with all the fam! ❤

6.  Earning my "Millennium Club" milestone with Peloton strength workouts!! #strongereveryday  (I got up for a 5:30am class hoping for a shoutout, but no such luck. lol)  Sadly I'm starting to get sick right now, but for the record, I'm very grateful to be fully caught up on my Marathon training workouts after completing a 30-minute ride, an hour of strength classes, and a 4-mile walk/jog yesterday!!

7.  A great talk with Kristin Michelle over a delicious lasagna dinner at Benvenuti's (an Italian place I've wanted to try on Main Street that opens at 5pm, so I can't have it for lunch).  Also grateful for being able to wear several of my cute coats from yesteryear again! =) 

Bonus:  Being off work for today!  Our courthouse was already going to be closed for President Carter's funeral, but it's also our first real snow day in a while and I'm feeling sick-ish, so I'm freaking delighted and thankful to watch the lovely snow from the safe-and-cozy indoors and have a sleeping-in + movie-watching and blogging kind of day!! ❤

Stay safe out there, friends, and Happy Thursday!!

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Thankful Thursday #221

"Don't worry about anything,
but pray about everything.
With thankful hearts
offer up your prayers and requests to God."
~Philippians 4:6

Today, I am thankful for...

1.  My New Year's Day 10k!!  I will be in NYC this weekend #surreal, so I made a solid last-minute decision to get up early on my day off and complete my long run for this week before Mom came over at 10:30... I did a 90-minute walk/jog for 6.4 miles featuring 3 Peloton classes: The Nutcracker ballet music, a New Year's Eve party mix, and Wicked: the movie soundtrack... genuinely FUN, and a solid way to start off the new year!  #thrivein25

2.  A wonderful final podcast with heartfelt thoughts on relationships + laughing about random stuff with Annie and Eddie on New Year's Eve, and learning they plan to continue the monthly episodes in 2025 - yes, please!!

(Their personalities are kinda reversed, but their friendship dynamic often reminds me of my friendship with Chet, and I always enjoy their random conversations!)

3.  Ringing in the New Year by the glow of twinkling Christmas lights with a quiet prayer to consecrate my year ahead to God + watching the 7 Fishes and Forks episodes of The Bear... my absolute favorite episodes in all their glorious chaos and dysfunction and growth and change!  (It was brand new to me a year ago, but I ended 2023 the same way, so maybe it's a new tradition. #everysecondcounts)

4.  The Wilson fam toasting in the new year (at 8pm) -- this pic is the absolute cutest!! ❤

5.  Mom and Kristin coming over and the three of us working hard to take down all my Christmas stuff yesterday and get my house ready for the meeting with Shane (my OKC realtor) on Monday!  The flocked tree and garland was a beautiful new look but a decidedly messier clean-up process, which all became funny to me as Kristin and I were wearing black!! #soflocked  I appreciated this relaxed timeline, thanks to my Christmas party being after Christmas this year.  I am grateful for the visual representation of transformation and creating a fresh start on New Year's Day, and I'm glad it's all done now, and I'm thankful for the extra help in getting there!!  (Next step - staging and listing my home!)

6.  The God-ordained ability to change and mature + God's mercy being new every morning + the hope of new beginnings and clean slates!! *

7.  God's redemptive power and grace + experiencing beauty for ashes!  I appreciate the sentiment of hope and agency in the meme below, but for what it's worth, I firmly believe that no season of our lives is ever "lost" to grief or darkness or wounds - God draws near to the brokenhearted and dependably renews our minds and restores our hope as He walks with us through painful seasons.  He brings beauty, restoration, hope, growth, healing, and redemption -- the ashes do not have the final word.  So press in and keep walking with Him, trusting that nothing is wasted and He knows how to bind your wounds and bring light into dark places!!

*I wrote about this song in December 2023, feeling sad and lonely and afraid, but hopeful for a 2024 comeback.  I'm extra grateful to feel more victory in some areas and more hope for continued growth and victory in others today!

 

 Happy Thursday, and Happy 2025!!

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Girls' Trip!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE, friends and fam!!  We're meeting Bill and Jill for dinner at Charleston's tonight, and I'm so looking forward to my potato soup and croissant.  I've been covering the office today, which has involved writing all these blogs, taking a longer lunchtime walk/jog workout, and answering the phone literally once. lol

I promise this is my final post for today, and arguably the most fun!  Yesterday, we took a girls' road trip to Tulsa - Mom wasn't feeling great, and Jace decided to opt out last minute, but this small group was lots of fun!! ❤  Here we are by all the colorful stuff at Amber Marie!

First things first - I was so surprised to see Dad on a billboard and made Rach turn around so we could get out and get a pic with it. lol YAY!!  Would be better if he were also smiling, but we had no control over that. lol

Kyndal wanted Starbucks for the drive... yay for their Christmas cups!

Me trying on hats for the NYC trip (got this crystaled one) + Rach with the Amber Marie nutcracker + Kyndal with the light-up wreath she stole from atop Rachael's head. lol  Her "sleigh girl sleigh" shirt makes me happy!

Rach was loving the nutcrackers this year - she wants to crystal one this size, which is not a desire I can relate to. lol

Kyndal telling Rach, "You are such a cringe capper right now" and cracking me right up!! 

The Brook is definitely a fam favorite when they come to Tulsa!  Between the 3 of us, we probably ate one of these full bowls of mac n' cheese.

We made a quick stop by Roosevelts to see the Christmas decor!

On the phone with Chettles as I entered the Christmas Chute, I saw this presh corgi puppy and had to hang up!  LOOK AT HIM!!  It may be the ka-thousand FB videos of corgis that I've watched over the past couple years, but I was so excited to see him - his name is Hogie, which is adorable too!  No, his owner did not offer to let me hold him and I didn't exactly ask, but he crawled into my arms as I was petting him, so it was meant to be. lol

Yay, Wilsons and Weatherfords!!

Yay, Muecke and Parrishes! lol

The girls...

The whole group...

A lovely nativity scene! ;-)

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So excited to be at the Chute with Uncle Trent!

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Pic outside Box Photography where the kids were befriending Bob the cat through the window!

Wilson fam!

My former workplace!!  Sapulpa has definitely done well for itself with the Christmas Chute!!

Classic sister pic!  Thanks to Rach for driving us!!

It was a very fun weekend with loads of quality time with my favorite people, so hooray for that!  I hope you're feeling the joy of Christmas this year and that Jesus feels close in the quiet moments!! #Godiswithus #Godisforus

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