Old School Photo Friday!

Happy Friday, friends!!  So I clicked the wrong button a few days back (importing from Blogger photo albums instead of Google Photos)... which led me to a plethora of pics from yesteryear that I was happy to see again, so that's the inspiration for today's trip down memory lane. YAY!!  =)

At their fancy 2016 Christmas dinner parties, Mom put J&K in charge of giving people their parting gifts as they left... this = them being adorable and very excited and impatient for people to get up and leave! lol

Preshface Mini Miss K with a side ponytail at the CHA Patriotic Program

Jace, T-man, and K surprising me in the back of my car ready to head back to Tulsa with me! ;-)

Random sister pic since Rach had made this sign for the LifeChurch event!

Lunch at Teresa's after hearing Michael preach! =)

Aww, the Bitmoji days! lol

Thankful for Creek County memories with these two! =)

Ashley Campbell for the win with this advice!!

Jace's baseball game!

Our Egg-mazing Easter fun!

JEM and baby Tate six years ago!

Great reminder for me back then and today!

So much cuteness!

❤❤❤❤

Neal Caffrey!  This makes me wanna watch White Collar again - such a good show!!

Another reminder from Mr. Eldredge!

One of my fav pics - everyone trying to get Tate to smile after dinner at Sarah's old apartment!

My original Christmas colors! =)

Mosses... love these Ring doorbell pics from 522! =)

Retirement party for "JSV!!"

A presh gif of my presh niece!  Side note - I want one of those rolls with cinnamon butter! lol

Aww, a classic Vegas "Glamour Shots" collage! lol

And a classic Point of Grace remake! 

Miss K ready for Emily and Chas's wedding!

Billy Bob's Dairyland in Branson!

Beauty and the Beast movie night

Aww, memories at 7734 Doris Drive

NYE at Russo's (not sure what we were laughing at, but it makes me happy either way)

JEM making sopapilla cheesecake for us when he invited our group over very early in the friendship! I remember it being a running joke for a bit that he was stealing Jay's friends, which ironically turned out to be kinda true. lol

The 9121 Friends wall!

Swimming with Kristin and baby Diesel!

From my Liar Liar post! lol

The Little Boo Puppy in a little bike basket - gah, I love it! ❤

Airport shot from my 30th bday Vegas trip ten years back!

My sparkly pink violin... I'd definitely forgotten about this short-lived hobby! lol

Bella-Bellsy being understandably scared of the moustache version of Evan! lol

Chips & queso at an LG party at Blake's... I had just gotten my new camera, so I was practicing with it regularly! lol

LB in the pink tree (joining our Women's DDLG road trip for the Azalea Festival)

Tahlequah park across from Sam n' Ella's!!

Berry best girlfran puppies with me in a video for one of JEM's birthdays!

Baby Miss K in her Christmas onesie PJs - CUTENESS. ❤

#thefourhorsemen or #horsebros at Jeff's 33rd bday at The Phoenix - lol

Very blonde 2007 me with Bobbi and Angie shopping for a LG mission project =)

My header and sidebar verse for my original Heart of the Matter blog (that verse still means a lot to me today)!

In the Raw sushi for Bobbi's bday - you'll notice I'm not eating anything. lol

2010... Chettles kindly talked the group into postponing the planned Sam n' Ella's road trip bc I had to wait on a late jury verdict that day... then we all met for Starbucks instead!  Nater-tot avoiding the camera but doing the peace sign cracks me up here! =)

2007 me using the tan-skin feature on my camera to make myself look less pale, and it made Pastor Craig look *very* tan! lol

"The Chad Bear" - only Bachelorette season I've watched in years - my gosh, he was absurd and hilarious to me!

9121 Christmas living room! ❤

Our Ice Storm 2007 Bourne Trilogy Night LG Christmas Card! lol

On our way to my first hiking experience just outside of Vegas... the Wilsons were in the back... JEM turning around while driving makes me laugh! =)

And last but not least, here's one of my fav pics of Kyndal Faith! lol #messyhairdontcare

HAPPY FRIDAY!
❤ ❤ ❤

Thankful Thursday #207!

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself
give you His peace at all times
and in every situation.
The Lord be with you all."
~2 Thessalonians 3:16

Today, I am grateful for...

1.  The Fall season, which officially began last Sunday!  This cooler weather is delightful, not to mention the football games, the autumn scents, and the delicious fall flavors at Nothing Bundt Cakes!!

2.  Feeling better and more like myself here at the end of a rough month. ❤

3.  Navigating the hormonal shifts that accompany rapid weight loss is no joke, but overall, I'm super-grateful for the physical improvements... including being at my listed driver's license weight for the first time in all my 24 years of driving!! lol

4.  Extra margin and down-time to study (four mock tests and lots of shorter practice sessions) since we don't have any trials going, and a kind comment from Mel Robbins on my #WednesdayWins Launch post this week!

5.  A good walk-and-talk with Kristin (along with fun food trucks and a huge Wednesday worship night crowd), and meeting her later for lunch today!! =)

6.  This timely reminder that our lives have an impact NOW, even before we decide on our next major step forward!

7.  The ways God is continuously challenging me and changing my perception... here's to courageous conversations, dissolving limiting beliefs, upgrading my faith, and expanding my identity!!

❤ ❤ ❤

The Solid Rock

The OSU vs. Utah game yesterday... the Cowboys lost in spite of a strong 4th quarter comeback, but it was still a fantastic time!  (Mom and Kyndal had a last-minute change of heart this week, and unfortunately, no one else was able to rally and join us on such short notice.)

I feel happy and at home in this crowd, and I'm thankful for loads of great memories in Stillwater!

Once again, the north side sun and heat were intense... yay for this fan from my fav realtor! lol

Dad and I had a good talk on the drive there... then we got there early enough to grab some food and still be outside in time to see the band, Bullet, the National Anthem, and the Kurt speech as the players came in... all fun!!  We went back in through the second quarter, but spent most of our time outside!  We also ran into Lisa and Andy, CHA parents from Rachael's class, so that was fun!

This morning was my first Catholic Mass experience... really interesting.  I Googled large Catholic church near me and found "The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine."  (I wanted to sit in the back and not feel obligated to converse, and that worked out well).  The building and the sanctuary are very pretty and ornate!

Lots of things about this experience were interesting for me.  When someone got up to use the restroom or to take their kids out or to leave the service, they would take a knee or bow or curtsey toward the altar at the front as a sign of respect for Christ - I love that.  I wanted a program or bulletin to fill me in on all the things they said in unison - I was never sure and the building was large enough that it all became a muffled echo.  Anyway, this is for a paper in my Spiritual Formation class where we were supposed to visit a church in the Protestant/Catholic spectrum that was culturally different than what we grew up in.  Then write a paper about the experience and how we might tailor our counseling for someone from that religious tradition.

In lighter news, here's J&K in their 2024 Halloween costumes - they were so excited to FaceTime and show me - I was pretty excited too!! lol  

Diving deeper, I deactivated my social media on Friday and felt a sharp wave of emptiness and ambiguous grief that night.  I've been surrounded by distractions like scrolling, audiobooks, podcasts, and music - but now, I'm choosing to embrace more solitude, confront newly-discovered blind spots, and take full responsibility for my energy, my relational impact on others, and my sincere obedience to God. Praying to hear from Him and walk with Him in new ways in the 4th quarter of this year!  In the meantime, I’ve been redirecting my habitual phone-checking toward practicing for the NCE exam. =)

September has been deeply challenging... but I trust that God is at work, even if I don't fully understand it yet.  On this restful and rainy Sunday, I’m reminded of my 2013 conversation with Jeffrey Edward - that Jesus is my solid foundation, and all other ground is sinking sand.  For now, I'm staying close to Him as other things continue to shift, fade, and/or settle into a new place.  With major decisions ahead, I sense that God is shaking everything that can be shaken, so that only the unshakable remains (Heb. 12:27). ❤

And as always, He is not going anywhere.
On Christ the solid Rock, we stand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

❤ ❤ ❤