Christmas Cheer!

Hey, friends!  What a weekend it's been... including trick-or-treating with Rach and the kids, Christmas decorating with Mom and the Wilsons, celebrating Jon's birthday, driving home in a torrential downpour, taking shelter through a random 2am November tornado warning, buying a new Apple watch, submitting a video reflection for CCU, and catching up with my oldest nephew!!  Stephanie's caption about "the changing of all seasons at once" still feels very on point.

Fun fact:  One week from today, I'll be in Disney World!!

Anyway, here are a few photos from this weekend's Christmas decorating festivities! =)  Starting with our fun Christmas shirts!

The many faces of Parker Elizabeth! lol  She's started asking me to take her picture occasionally, and I'm hoping that mood strikes her during the Disney trip. lol

Mom has been planning and preparing for this since Chet first mentioned it last fall.  We brought six car loads of boxes containing fragile ornament jars, wreaths, garlands, ribbon, glittery reindeer, trees, styrofoam lifts, etc. from MWC to Tulsa, and we finally got to put it all together this weekend!  Here are a few pics of the process and the finished product...

Parker Elizabeth spreading the glittery red Christmas balls everywhere and thinking it was a hilarious joke! lol

Melissa made potato soup + ham and cheese sliders + Christmas cookies for us Friday night, then she made blueberry muffins, breakfast casserole, and fruit salad for breakfast, and Karli made an impressive sourdough cinnamon bread... all delicious!!  And it was fun to sit by Miss Parker and eat at their dining room table!

Parker introducing her new polar bear friend to the nutcracker. ❤  She was all cuddly and cute and cozy while we watched the Muppets Christmas movie together as Mom and Chet finished up some things on Friday night!

An afternoon break on Saturday for Jonathan Matthew's 42nd birthday party at the new Elam Park in Broken Arrow (it had a pretty cool playground and nice safety features for parents).

Group pic! =)

So it's been a busy weekend with loads of glitter and styrofoam snow and the relief of finishing a long-awaited project.  It had some intense weather drama, some pre-election anxiety, some good conversations, some quality framily time, feeling the changing of all seasons in a very tangible and a very metaphorical sense, and a tiny bit of extra rest.  There was a weird haze in the air tonight along with these pretty-but-ominous clouds.  And it's all making me think about the previous time change weekend in March of this year, which also held some extra emotion for me.

I'm grateful for what I'm learning.  Grateful for God's faithfulness through every season.  Trusting Him with all the unknowns (trying to).  And praying for wisdom, grace, and peace through the week ahead!

Happy Sunday.
❤ ❤ ❤

Photo Friday: Halloween at Gaillardia!

Happy November and Happy Christmas season and Happy Friday, my friends!! =)  Last night, I joined the Parrishes for trick-or-treating at Gaillardia...fun times!  (We're starting off at Nick and Reece's house here, JoBug's good family friends' home where Blake and Wendy got married three years ago!)

A couple pics with JB, who comes over to hang out with the guys on Halloween... they hand out Apple Tree Chocolate's caramel apples (like $8 apiece) and have a margarita machine for the adults!

Miss K was initially upset that she forgot her Wolverine mask, but they had tons of fun anyway, and their willingness to pose it up for photos made me very happy!  Jace did the Deadpool heart-hands a few times without ever being asked. lol

Lolol

The homes of Gaillardia did not disappoint!!  My only wish was that JEM and Chettles could join us just to hear their play-by-play commentary on it all. lol

I just needed a pic by this giant pumpkin display! =)

A house already decorated for Christmas and a driveway I thought was cool

This neighborhood has everything... a magical overhead tree bridge for me, and an ugly Cybertruck for Jace! lol

He was so excited - and the owner was awesome and friendly and let him look inside and chatted with him about it for a while. =)

I Googled the bottom one... a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom home estimated at $2,574,000.   They had a massive entryway chandelier I knew Mom would adore!

Lots of full-size and king-size candy bars along with the usual Halloween fun-size candies... they both got an absurd amount (and gifted me a few things they didn't care for). lol  

Rach and I drove around some and walked with them some - a fun mix, really - and hearing J&K's stories and commentary was definitely entertaining, as was J struggling to see with the mask and Kyndal struggling to grab candy with her claws!! lol

P.S.  I'll try to plan ahead better and spring for something new next year, but that hippie dress has served me well for 23 freaking years.  Babah made it for me waaaay back in the summer of 2001 for Jenny Womble's birthday... then I wore it for the 2008 CLS party (the day Malori learned Lindsey doesn't share food - lol)...

And never forget "Malori's Monster Mash" party of 2009. lol

Everything about that group pic is funny to me now!

Okay, back to present day.  Here's Brandon and Whitney as Bob Ross and a Happy Little Tree. =)  And the Shoemaker fam as Captain Hook, Wendy, Peter, and Tinkerbell... cuteness!

And the Wilson fam as NASA employees, an adventurous astronaut, and the cutest little shooting star!!

The monthly recap episode with Annie and Eddie made yesterday that much better for me!  I LOVE their friendship and hope they continue to share it with us! =)

That's all for today's Photo Friday post.  I'm off to take a lovely morning walk before my afternoon Tulsa trip + hair appointment with Janelle + part one of Christmas decorating at Melissa's!!  I sincerely hope you have a beautiful weekend and a refreshing month of November ahead!

❤❤❤

OKC vs. Tulsa

Making this comparison chart just for fun because I was thinking about how these cities and their surrounding areas and suburbs line up and compare during my afternoon walk today. lol  Obviously all very subjective, and this is totally based on my own perspective and memories.  Love them both for loads of reasons, and lots of things (most notably God's will) will factor into the timing, but I do see myself moving back to Tulsa eventually. =)

And here's a neutral pic from a city I will be visiting wherever I live... Stillwater!!  

(From Halloween day of 2020 - it's one of my favorite memories because it felt so hopeful to be in that fun crowd atmosphere toward the end of the lonely pandemic year).

OKC ----- Tulsa

Scissortail Park < The Gathering Place

Quail Springs Mall > Woodland Hills Mall

The Collective = Mother Road Market

Chesapeake Arena < BOK Center

OKC Memorial Marathon = Route 66 Marathon

Riversport Rapids, Frontier City, White Water Bay - (No Tulsa equivalent)

Nichols Hills - (No Tulsa equivalent)

Tinker Air Force Base - (No Tulsa equivalent)

(No OKC equivalent) - Midtown and Cherry Street

Mustang < Broken Arrow

Edmond < Jenks

Moore > Sapulpa

Del City < Sand Springs

Classen Curve = Utica Square

The Station > Crescent Park

(No OKC equivalent) - Jenks Riverwalk

Norman = Bixby

Midwest City > North Tulsa

Yukon < Owasso

Bricktown > Brookside

Choctaw = Glenpool

Shawnee > Bartlesville

Final Verdict:

Oklahoma City < Tulsa

Happy Halloween, friends and fam - hope it's a safe and fun-filled night - and happy November tomorrow!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Thankful Thursday #212!

"Plant your roots in Christ and let Him

be the foundation for your life.

Then your faith will grow strong in the truth

you were taught, and you will

overflow with thankfulness."

~Colossians 2:7

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  A delicious Cheesecake Factory brunch and good talk then fantastic, breezy, fall weather for the 2-hour+ Lake Hefner trail walk with Kristin last Saturday!

2.  This reminder... and the way God is able to use every hard thing we go through to grow us, help others, and glorify His name.

3.  Mom's love of Amber Marie... it's entertaining to me!  She had enough points stacked up to get this fun bow for 1/3 of their normal price during our Sunday trip to Tulsa (round #3 of 4 in taking stuff to Melissa's house). lol

4.  Learning that Asher Kenneth has a baby sister on the way! ❤

5.  Pre-ordering my copy of Ashley Ann Campbell's first book (HERE)... so excited for this!!  (I've followed her family via her blog and Instagram over the past 14 years, and this is major news!)

6.  Lizzy inspiring me to "get my colors done" ...might be my Christmas gift to myself this year.  Or Birthday. lol  Just sometime before graduation.

7.  This cheesy-but-true FB post that felt like a good reminder before election week.

That's all for now.  October flew by quickly.  Happy Halloween, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!  Wish Mom and I luck as we travel to Tulsa one last time to decorate Melissa's house for Christmas this weekend! =)

❤ ❤ ❤

Humility and Hope

John Eldredge sends a video by email every Friday morning.  Today, he talked about the coming elections - how they are consequential and contentious - and how God's people would do well to center our hearts in His care and pray the following verse...

I appreciated that reminder, so I wanted to share it with you.

I recently updated my FB cover photo to this verse where God encourages us to be still and remember that He is in control, and He will be honored and exalted.  No matter what happens next month, our ultimate HOPE is secure in Christ.  It's the safest place for our hearts.

As far as the coming election goes, I voted via absentee ballot a couple weeks ago.  I won't get into specific opinions here, but I am grateful for important conversations with wise friends, growing insight, a VP candidate I believe in, and feeling more peace and hope than I have in the past few election cycles.  (Ironically, trusting God is often easier for me in massive, globally-important matters than it is in personal matters.)

Praying for God's people to take sin seriously and repent and seek Him wholeheartedly, which is what He very clearly asks us to do in order to receive His healing in our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14).  God knows all hearts, and He will not be blaming those who are lost or holding them accountable for national corruption and failure.  Also praying for the personal wisdom not to engage in foolish arguments that go nowhere, and that I would feel more resilient and supported and heard and less isolated and defensive and dismissed than I have in past years.

Another good reminder:

I fully understand how exhausting, divisive, and triggering political conversations can be... often getting into vitriol, belittling, bullying, and dehumanizing the opposing side.  It's never okay.  As Christians, let's strive to remember that people spanning the wide range of the political spectrum matter to God, are created in His image with inherent dignity, worth, and value, and have valid concerns and a personal background that informs their unique political views and opinions.  Word choices matter.  Character matters - (in our leaders, but also in our personal lives).  And respect and humility go a verrry long way.

So wherever you may stand on that spectrum, I love you and believe in you, and God does too.  Praying for His will to be done here on earth as it is in Heaven!

❤ ❤ ❤

Thankful Thursday #211!

"...For He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
~Luke 6:35-36

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  God's kindness and love toward us, and His kindness and love flowing through us!

2.  Mel's joy in book launch week... I'm grateful to follow so many podcasters, teachers, and authors who inspire me!

3.  Family fun at TopGolf last weekend!

4.  Memories and photos that remind me you can grow apart and sincerely wish people well... some friendships are meant for a specific season, and "God makes everything beautiful in its time."  (Including my future path, which still holds a lot of mystery for me).

5.  Jace Michael's football pics... I'm sure he prefers the fierce one on the left, while I strongly prefer the smiling one. lol

6.  My tenth session with Emily this week... I'm grateful to have a strong connection and a safe place to process some things, and hopeful that I'll walk away with deeper healing and more resilience!

(An Aundi Kolber quote that feels fitting - What's happened in your life matters.  That's one of the overarching messages of therapy.  I may expound on that more later.)

7.  Fun times with the Wilsons and Melissa last weekend!  And a fun week reminiscing about MJ music and memories since then.

Bonus:  Speaking of reminiscing, gracious, I LOVED this movie and was happy to see it again this weekend!!  When I saw that it first came out in 2005, that made sense - so many of these songs feel like the soundtrack to the JMM era for me, and I love Ashton and Amanda (and basically any longitudinal storyline where dysfunctional people find themselves and find healing and strength in each other).  So I'm thankful for A Lot Like Love, for the memories and the music, and for being a healthier person who sees it in a different light now but still appreciates it.  *I adore this Say-Anything-inspired move with the loud music to get the girl's attention - although this movie is better since he actually sings - 2025 Lindsey would melt just as quickly for that as 2005 Lindsey lol - and it doesn't hurt that I still find Ashton circa 2005 very adorable and fun and attractive! ❤

Okay that's all for today.  Happy Thursday and have a sparkling, spectacular weekend ahead!