Well, friends, today is a monumental event... the birthday of one Ryan Reynolds!! =) Look how precious.
Happy Birthday, Ry-Ren! I've been a fan since The Proposal in 2009...
(Hmmm, okay.)
But I'm fangirling extra hard this year with Deadpool & Wolverine!
Love Shawn. Love Hugh. Love Ryan. Love their friendships!!
This = a quiz result that I took a screenshot of back in 2020, likely rolling my eyes at how off-base it was. Now that I've seen Deadpool 1-3, this juxtaposition actually feels pretty freaking on point! (I searched "Deadpool" on my Google Photos today, which is how I even found it again after all this time and immediately started laughing).
In other news, here's another cute pumpkin patch pic - Lindsay with Memphis, Phoenix, and Waverly! =)
Mamaw with J&K after the CHA Patriotic Program this morning!
Me with LB and Tiffany six years ago on this day (they're in jury term again right now, and I will be next week)!
Get it, Mel Robbins! I want good things for her, and it makes me happy to see her success! She starts every podcast with, "Hey... it's your friend, Mel!" and I've started to believe it. lol
She announced her new book this week! (Writing it was her Launch project sprint that I enjoyed hearing about a lot over the past six months) - already pre-ordered the Audible version, along with Jefferson Fisher's first book and Melanie Shankle's book coming next February. YAAAAAY, audiobooks! And yay, Mel Robbins!
Circling back to it one last time, yay Ryan Reynolds... he's genuine and smart and kind, a loyal friend and a great husband and dad, and he's hilarious and soooo quick-witted with comebacks and random ADHD trains-of-thought, and I love him for all of that!! Happy 48th B-day, Ryan... aka Andrew Paxton... aka Wade Wilson... aka Deadpool. Oh look, another chance for a fun heart-hands gif!! The spirit fingers kill me. lol ...I mean, you gotta believe this was an inside joke with T-Swift since they're good friends, so I'm just throwing myself right into that group and laughing with them! ;-)
Considering that I've never met most of these people in real life, I really couldn't love them more! lol
Everything about this picture makes me happy!! ❤ Tate took it for us, hence the low and slanted, artsy angle. The Betsy Johnson sparkly boots and pink crystal headband are actually mine... but Rach provided the sequin jackets Melissa and I are wearing, and the gold sequin skirt Karli has on! Just for the group photo, I wanted Chet to have some sequins too, so Karli mentioned that she had an old hat he could wear. Chet: "The leprechaun hat!?" lolol Anyway, it all brings me lots of joy!
Thanks to Victoria covering my last court hearing, I was able to be in Tulsa around 4:30. Tate and Parker were cute and entertaining, as usual, and we grabbed an early dinner at Mission BBQ (new to Tulsa). The smoked turkey, green beans, cheesy potatoes, mac n cheese, chicken, etc. did not disappoint. Everyone loved their food, and they gave us free samples of a few things - the caramel apple cobbler would be worth a second trip all by itself!
It probably helped that Chet and Teresa knew Justin, one of the guys working there. Yay for this group pic with the Disney crew... we'll be there in less than 3 weeks!
Presh Parker Elizabeth was in a fun mood! ❤
This was take #1 by Tate, and it also makes me happy... kids are the best! lol
Girls pic - photo by Chet! Thanks again to Rach for all the sequins!! They were flashy and fun, but too hazardous to wear often. lol The minute I got there, I hugged Parker and the sequins caught her hair and messed up her perfect braids... eek... they really do catch on everything!
The people in front of us let Chet borrow the sequin glove for this pic - hahaha, I love it!
The musical itself was great - Rach and I (along with our very entertaining friend and carpool buddy, Mark) listened to Michael Jackson's HISTORY (Greatest Hits) album through much of my sophomore and junior year at CHA. So many of our drives and from to school were spent with the freaking Earth Song, Tabloid Junkie, History, Black or White, Remember the Time, Billie Jean, This Time Around, They Don't Care About Us, etc. There are also cousin memories with the song from Free Willy, memories with Mom talking about his Off the Wall album, the fantastic Thriller dance scene from 13 Going on 30, and flashbacks to Undercover Brother whenever I hear the first notes of Beat It. lol Needless to say, this musical brought back tons of memories for me, and I ended up texting with Rach about it all for a while!
The young kid who played Jackson 5 Michael was very impressive, as was the man playing adult Michael -- he nailed the epic dance moves, singing, awkward mannerisms, and breathy voice! What they did with the beginning of Thriller was intense and made me see it differently (with kid Michael singing a slow version of that first verse as he's visibly afraid of their abusive dad who becomes the twitchy wolf from Thriller)... then there was a bright flash of light and they moved into the well-known version with full lights and costumes and dancing, but that beginning shook me up for a minute!
My personal favorite song was They Don't Care About Us... "But if Martin Luther was livin', he WOULDN'T LET THIS BE, no, noooo!" Clap, clap -- pause, pause -- clap, clap. lol
It's powerful and poignant - anyway, that was their final song just before the intermission, then Man in the Mirror was the actual final song - both very well done!
Sneaking in one picture at the end when it was too late for anyone to care or kick me out! lol
Top pic = the Wilsons with Paul and Stephanie - they all have season tickets for the Tulsa PAC shows! *Side note: Paul is a big OSU fan and has seen all my pics at the games, so he naturally assumed I'm a big fan and started talking to me about the coaching and certain players, and I was getting a little cracked up at how little I know about all that. Bottom pic = them cleaning after literally everyone but our group had left the theater! lol
We stayed back for a minute to get a group photo with Denist Gary and his daughter, Emma! (Melissa actually sat with them through the second half as they had closer seats that were better for her eyes.)
Anyway, I'm grateful Bill had zero interest in this, and thanks so much to the Wilson fam for letting me join them on this one - a really fun day all around!! And now it's time for me to buckle down and do some actual court reporter work.
In closing,
You are not alone;
I am here with you.
Though we're far apart,
You're always in my heart. And you are not alone.
Lol another fav MJ song that they didn't include in the musical! ❤
Happy Monday, friends and fam! I hope the week is off to a lovely start for you.
We had a delightful outdoor family dinner at Top Golf last night... it was my first time there, and I loved the atmosphere! (I'm guessing weather makes a huge difference, but it's been pretty perfect weather lately.) Our waitress took this group pic of us, and I definitely didn't realize I was blocking Dad... next time I'll join Rach in the sorority squat pose! lol *For future reference to everyone I regularly take photos with (aka everyone in my life), if you cannot see the camera, it cannot see you, so move or speak up!!
Some golfing gifs. =) I forgot about T being left-handed until he got up to play.
Girls pic (aka me checking the lighting before our group pic)... then Mom making me laugh getting to know the guys next to us (who were awesome golfers).
Aside from the fam dinner and the MJ musical on Friday (my next post), I wrote a 7-page paper and walked over 12 miles this weekend!! That hasn't happened in years, and I'm pretty proud of it. The weather was perfectly breezy and nice... this is me at the start of my 8.25 miles on Saturday afternoon... 2 hours and 45 minutes with Kirsten Ferguson's "Intention Setting" encouragement and Rebecca Kennedy's 80s movie songs - fun! #Peloton
And here I am with the stupid music-playing skeletons toward the end of mile #4 yesterday morning - huzzah! That walk was accompanied by Ed Sheeran and classical music - also really great! Yes, I have 3 blisters on my toes, which would've been much worse without BodyGlide (which I finally remembered to use, thanks to Kristin!) All things considered, the weather was beautiful and this made me feel more empowered and confident about our upcoming Half and me potentially doing the Full in April! If I ever find a sock/shoe combo that alleviates blisters, I'll be unstoppable. lol
Finally, today marks two years since I bought my house, so happy Taber anniversary to me! =)
In case no one else tells you today, here's a reminder that I love you and I believe in you, and God is with you and for you! Also, this gif is a delight to my soul, so I had to share the love! lol
Summer 2022 me in my hotel suite with my CCU water bottle swag at Residency 1 - I was new and fighting an altitude headache and feeling overwhelmed, but looking back, I'm really proud of my courage in that season... the solo flight, my first car rental and Denver traffic drive, first solo hotel stay, my first counseling role plays, reaching out and making new friends, and my first time on the CCU campus that I quickly grew to love!! ❤
SUMMER 2022
CCU Residency 1 -- (Dr. Gena Beth Robinson) FALL 2022
Counseling and Helping Relationships -- (Dr. Melissa E. Hall)
Theological Foundations -- (Dr. Cheryl A. Mark)
Theories of Personality -- (Dr. Frances Dailey/Dr. Robinson) SPRING 2023
Crisis and Trauma -- (Dr. Torrie Gilden)
Professional Ethics -- (Dr. Gena Beth Robinson)
Empathy Training -- (Dr. Crystal Brashear) SUMMER 2023
Theories of Groups and Group Counseling -- (Dr. Vincent Tompkins)
CCU Residency 2 -- (Dr. Vincent Tompkins)
Psychopathology and Diagnostic Practice -- (Dr. Vincent Tompkins)
Multicultural & Social Issues -- (Dr. Nicolle Ionascu, University of Phoenix transfer credit)
Eating Disorders -- (Dr. Rebecca Taylor) FALL 2023
Human Growth and Development -- (Dr. Robin Gibbs)
Appraisal -- (Dr. Andrea' D. Burden)
Counseling Practicum -- (Dr. Michelle Harrison) SPRING 2024
Research and Program Evaluation -- (Dr. Donald Russell Bishop)
CCU Residency 3 -- (Dr. Mark A. Mayfield)
Counseling Internship 2 -- (Dr. Andreas Bienert) FALL 2024
Ethical and Clinical Practice of Telemental Health -- (Ms. Gail Olson)
Spiritual Formation -- (Dr. Andrew R. Wichterman)
Clinical Supervision and Leadership -- (Dr. Michelle Harrison)
(I especially loved Dr. Robinson, Dr. Brashear, Dr. Gilden, Dr. Harrison, Dr. Mayfield, Dr. Wichterman, and the Residency experiences!) This post will help me remember these courses and professors that shaped my life in this season... I wish I'd made a list like this for my time at SNU.
Today, I begin my final 7-week class in the Colorado Christian University Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. I love that it stands alone for a lighter schedule whilst job searching, and I'm excited that it focuses on supervision and leadership (an elective for those interested in starting their own practice and/or supervising graduate interns and counselor candidates in the future).
Stepping into class #24 as 2024 comes to a close - yes, please. GET EXCITED!!! ❤
I'll start with a little inspiration from Mel in the final Live Training for Launch! Love her and believe in this - we have a lot of power to choose our direction and/or change course as needed! ❤
Thanks to all the football talk on the Big Boo Podcast, I totally understood this meme! lol
Keep going! ❤❤❤
Small changes; remarkable results!
Another good reminder.
Jace and Mom bringing a few more boxes for me to take to Melissa's tonight!
Dad at his State Farm desk with a card from his staff on Boss's Day this past Wednesday! ❤
Aww, look how young - 15 years ago is crazy! This was a fun Cheddar's dinner with the original Lifegroup "mini-group" of me, Malori, Chet, and Nathan... (Malori took this one, and I magic-erased the sideburns I know Chet doesn't like seeing. lol) Now I wanna know what under-his-breath comment Nater-tot made! lol
"The world offers only a craving..." I think about that line so often.
I'm headed to Tulsa soon to join Chet, Karli, and Melissa for MJ: The Musical -- get excited!! I asked Rach if she had anything sparkly I could wear, and she brought over half of her closet. lol JK but she had a lot of options for us! =)
I miss The Office! (Top right pic is Pam wondering whose relative Michael is dating. lol)
Just me and Parker E hanging out and coloring with sidewalk chalk on lemonade stand day... I tried to pull her hair out of her eyes but she liked it blowing free in the photo! lol
The fam... back in August. lol I was just scrolling through several pics on Google Photos and decided to throw this one in again. =)
In spite of the top photo being all inspiring and hopeful, I also feel this one pretty deeply. lol
What's next for me? Well, God knows, and that's enough for now! lol
