13 Years

Yesterday was Jace Michael's 13th birthday - so crazy that he's officially a TEENAGER now!!

In honor of that, here are a few throwback pics to celebrate the 13 years I've known and loved him, starting with this one from exactly 13 years ago today, the first time I held him in the hospital room and he wrapped his tiny hand around my finger! ❤

From the beginning, the Jaceman has had a lot of personality!!  He has the makings of a strong leader, and I believe God has great things in store for him!  He is adventurous and entertaining, a fun-loving outgoing extrovert who feels things passionately and cares about people deeply.  And he's a funny one, laughing here about "tricking" Rachael into sitting on a whoopie cushion, which he called "a fart machine!" lol

Much like his friend (and hopefully role model) Chettles, he loves his birthday!!  He's pretty comfortable being the center of attention, and this pic of his 5-year-old b-day makes me happy! =)

He loves his big brothers, Triston Michael and Carter Lee!

"Aww, I'm so handsome!" -his reaction at that age to seeing this picture =)

We all need an encourager like Jaceman in our lives!  This was him telling me I should write a book about eating pizza with lions. lolol  It was random enough that I remember it well!

He was the very cutest baby/toddler!

This = him sneaking up on this woman in his Hacker mask at Rick and Connie's wedding...  "She's gonna think I'm really actually the hacker!"  He laughed so hard at the big reveal taking off the mask. lol  He's the best!

Him disapproving of my prayer pic on Thanksgiving day. lol

Our first parking lot driving lesson! lol

Just wrapping a baby python around his neck, like you do!

Oooh, the hand signs phase. lol

Grinch mood under a festive Christmas hoodie! lol

After one of his early football games last year!

He loves Hawk from Kobra Cai and went all out with the red and purple look through the summer!

He also embraced the perm trend when it was all the rage. lol

High fiving his sister after she made her first goal!

So excited to get his first cast! lol

Our Spider-Man movie day... he was in this pose when the elevator doors opened, and it made me pretty happy!

"Hey, watch me do a backflip!!" (x10,000)  It is impressive, though - throwing yourself backwards takes extra courage!

Proudly befriending Triston's classmates at the high school games! lol

Posing it up with his favorite golf cart!

Making it rain! $$$$

The king of the world, obviously!

Not letting eye therapy get him down!

Hugging Grandad after his stroke - Jace is really great at connecting with older people and little kids... it's a gift of his, and I love seeing it!!

One of my fav summer pics of him doing a cannonball!

Fall photos at Woodward Park with his siblings!!

Looking extra mischievous when his coach was talking to him! lol

Laughing about how he was "SO MAGIC" because the cracker wrapper kept clinging to him. lolol

❤❤ A quiet Christmas Eve moment.

Summer swim for K-Faith's 4th birthday - love this pic of all of them!

Easter Sunday at Mama Roja's - piggyback ride with Grandpa!

And finally, this random cute pic of him happily playing in the grass in their old neighborhood!

Happy 13th Birthday, Jaceman!! ❤

May God bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars

And climb on every rung

May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth

And see the light surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

And may you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful

And may your song always be sung

May you stay forever young!

~Forever Young, Bob Dylan

(Parenthood theme song)

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!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Marathon Monday #7

"Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.  We should like to skip the intermediate stages.  We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.  And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability - and that it may take a very long time...

And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually - let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste.  Don't try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.  Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.  Give our Lord the benefit of believing that His hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete."

~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

❤❤❤
^ So encouraging and timely!

  

Let's move forward in our God-given power,
walking in steadfast love and clarity,
and trusting in the slow work of God!!

The Golden Years

Yesterday was the Retirement Party for Judge Golden, who served as the only District Judge for the Creek County Courthouse in Sapulpa from 2004 to January 2025.  I was his court reporter from 2007 to April of 2022.  In spite of some rough jury trials, boring pleas, crazy bailiffs, and often seeking work that would give me a greater sense of purpose, that job was easily my favorite and the cushiest and longest-running CR job I have had (and it will remain so, as my court reporting career will likely end for good this year).  Judge Golden was always kind to me, and I feel very grateful for my time working with him!!

Judge Golden's bailiffs through my time at that courthouse were Michelle Smith (who spoke with me when I called about the opening in December 2006), Marleen Long (who created the Bailiff Bible notebook), Kathleen and Debbie (both short-lived for good reason), and finally, Laura Allison (from 2016 to this present day)!  Lord willing, Laura will continue her Secretary-Bailiff career with the next District Judge appointed by Governor Stitt.  In October of 2017, Tiffany Joanne joined us as a Court Clerk in Creek County.  Exactly 7 years later (10-2-2024), she became the First Deputy, the highest ranking member of the clerk's office under Amanda, the actual Court Clerk!  I'm grateful for my time working with these ladies in Creek County, and I was happy they saved me a seat at this party!  I saw several judges and attorneys I hadn't seen since I left (including Judge Golden himself - that was the first time I've seen him since then)... that was mostly fun, but as a classic introvert, I was very happy to have a table spot with people I know well enough to skip the small talk... Cheers to that! ;-)

Judge's wife, Phyliss, and his sons (Zach and Jake) and their families hosted this party at the Kellyville Mountain Creek Lodge.  Not sure where they got the cake, but it was excellent, and I appreciate that they gave everyone a small piece of both chocolate and white! =)

LB and I at the entrance!

The party was 1-3pm.  We mingled around whilst they had some technical difficulties, then they started the judicial roast around 2:15.  Judge Serner, Judge Vassar, and Judge Woolery spoke, then Judge Golden gave what he called a "rebuttal." lol  Everyone's speeches were 90% kind with a little humor thrown in, which I appreciated.  The idea of being roasted at a party with my friends and family is an actual nightmare scenario for me... I would walk right out and promptly de-friend whoever hosted and planned that.  I will only accept complimentary-toasting speeches. lol

So anyway, partly in his honor and partly because it makes sense and I like the sound of it, I've decided to call Round 1 of my time in Tulsa "The Golden Years" (the 15-year time span from January 2007 to April 2022 when I worked as the Official Court Reporter alongside the Honorable District Judge Douglas W. Golden at the Creek County Courthouse, age 22 to 38 for me).  Obviously, life wasn't all golden and sparkly for 15+ years - six months into my time in Tulsa, my heart was shaaattered and I'd never felt more friendless and I wasn't sure I would ever recover or find a new reason to keep living... but looking back, I feel immensely grateful and honestly very proud of the way I rebuilt my young adult life and found new dreams with God's help.  I would go through the pain again to have the beautiful memories, the personal growth, and the core relationships that were forged in that season!!  ...The pics just happened to fit best this way, but it makes me happy that it's a sparkly gold background in that center photo! ;-) #GoldenYears

This pic is from my last day of work, April 14, 2022 (documented here).  It's on the "Tulsa wall" in my laundry room, and I love it!

Okay, moving on... I had lunch before the party with the wonderful Wilson fam at McAlister's Deli! ❤

Parker Elizabeth sat by me, and she was in a fun mood.  I adore her! ❤

P.S. I'm sad you can't see my new jeans in any of the photos from yesterday - they are extra sparkly and fabulous and go well with my diamond boots, which I was also wearing! I'll be sure to get a pic that shows them next time.

The night ended with a 3+ hour catch-up session with Tiffany and Laura over dinner and dessert at BJs - yum!!  This served as a belated bday dinner for Laura and an early bday dinner for Tiffany! lol  I'm grateful for their friendship and glad we all got to hang out!

Okay, this goes with nothing else in this post, but whatever.  Here's the Bullard fam 11 years apart... I just love them, and these pics make me happy!

Huzzah for brighter days ahead, literally and metaphorically!

This also has nothing to do with anything, but gracious, a few of the sunsets and sunrises I've seen lately have been really pretty and extra colorful! ❤

Tomorrow is Tiffany's birthday, so Happy Birthday-Eve to her!!  Thursday was Kristin Renee's birthday, so here's a fun through-the-years collage I made for that - kudos to her for being my longest-running Tulsa friendship, my only friend who included me in her wedding party, and one of my top 3 most-deeply-trusted people!! ❤  Praying God continues to bless her and the Foster fam as life moves forward!!

Peace out, friendo! lol

I'm off to conquer 10 miles and finish my CCU doctoral application essays and videos (keeping that door open, just in case).  I love you and believe in you, and I believe in your ability to set meaningful goals and establish positive momentum in life!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Fingerprints

No, this isn't some lovely, hyperspiritual metaphor about seeing God's fingerprints in everything.  It is, in fact, a mini-rant... or better framed, a short story of persistence and perseverance that will pay off tomorrow!!

Those memes reflect my feelings today. lol

I have psoriasis that mainly affects my scalp and my hands.  It gets worse during the winter or in seasons when I'm not eating healthy, which coincided over the holidays.

In order to receive board approval and be certified to begin working my 3000 supervised hours, I have to pass a state and federal background check, both of which require fingerprints.  Here's what that delightful journey has looked like for me:

• Call the Norman Police Department - they're no longer doing fingerprints
• Go to the Norman Post Office on Gray Street - learn it's the wrong location
• Go to the Norman Post Office on 36th - you don't need an appointment and I'm there in normal business hours, but the person who does fingerprints left at noon that day
• Go to the Moore Police Department - purchase 2 cards for them to do fingerprints, wait for 45 minutes and finally decide to come back the next day
• Next day - Moore PD - successful fingerprints - paid the OSBI fee and mailed them off for a background check - huzzah!
• The FBI requires digital fingerprints done through USPS.  Simple for most people.  Not so much for those with cracked/wrinkled fingers from psoriasis.
• I try again at the 36th Street Post Office - 2 employees spend 30-40 minutes trying to get my fingerprints to work, no success (the machine must successfully real all four left fingers at once, then both thumbs, then all four right fingers -- we never once got a quality read of more than 2 fingers at a time).
• Try the OKC Post Office - same machine, same issue - 5 different employees spend a long time, trying lotions, oils, friction, an awkward hand massage, etc.  No luck.
• Try the OKC Sheriff's Department - drive to the address on Google, learn that it's incorrectly listed.
• Call Mom incredibly frustrated/angry with the entire system!
• Email for permission to mail them fingerprint cards rather than the digital scan - they grant that.
• Back to Moore PD for round 2 - their computer cannot pull up the original set, but they agree to do another one (again having to use oil/lotion) - success - mail them in right after Christmas
• FBI takes every bit of 15 business days from the date of receipt to process them and do the background check.
• I get it back on 1-17 and send ALLLLL my required documents to the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health for approval.
• Get an email this morning that the OSBI background check was completed on December 16th, which is more than 30 days from the day I submitted my application, so it has to be redone.
• INTERNAL SCREEEEEEAM!!
• Call and email them to make sure they are rigidly sticking to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law there - indeed, yes, they are.
• Drive to both post offices in Norman during my lunch hour - the first doesn't do fingerprint cards at all, and the second had a long line of people getting passports, so I went back to work.
• Our afternoon cases went off, so I decided to try to knock this out today...
• I called the OKC Sheriff's Office to confirm that they do fingerprints - yes, and they're open until 3:30.
• Google directions and head that way - the directions take me to the same wrong location I'd been to last month.
• Find the correct address and drive another 15 minutes to get there.
• See this sign and want to cry...

• Call again to confirm that they are, in fact, in MWC now (WHY did no one mention that!?) and ask if they can definitely do fingerprints there - yes and yes, as long as I arrive by 3:30!!
• Say "I will persevere - I'm getting this DONE!" out loud in my car...
• Navigation takes me to the worst possible highway exit by a Tinker gate where tons of people are just getting off work - this mess adds over 10 minutes to my drive...
• I then miss the turn because of navigation issues (it told me to drive past it and make a u-turn when I could've easily just turned left into the parking lot)
• Arrive at their very locked door at 3:31, trying every door in the parking lot.
• Laugh out loud and wonder to myself, "What are we doing, God!?  Why is any of this happening???"
• (No clear answers thus far, although Chettles suggests God is setting up a date with the Moore police officer who remembered me when he was summoned to my house in December. lol)
• Take several deep breaths trying to regulate my emotions...
• Call Chet to vent and refocus and fully calm down.
• If there were any way around this, I truly would take it.  It is an actual necessity to become a licensed counselor in Oklahoma, and the OSBI background check that's 32 days old is 100% useless to me now...

So yeah, it's been absurd and ridiculous and expensive and frustrating (all very reminiscent of my RPR journey HERE in 2018)... but I am extra-determined to get this done tomorrow!!  (I need to get on it quickly so that the FBI one does not expire before they approve everything.  I would cry real actual tears if that happened.)

The long-awaited board approval will allow me to pay a fee and take the OLERE test (the Oklahoma jurisprudence exam about state laws regarding counseling)... passing that allows me to await the next board approval for being an LPCC... then I can start my 3000 supervised hours... then pay another fee, I'm sure... THEN become a freaking LPC.  I very sincerely hope and believe it will be worth all the hassle - but this is NOT a smooth or streamlined process, and I hope they fix that in the future!

Okay that's all for today!  

I'm off to Midwest City again now for family dinner - YAY (but for real this time)!! ❤

UPDATE - Got the fingerprints done and hand-delivered them to the OSBI - hopefully they'll complete the background check ASAP and we can move forward!  The lady at the Midwest City Police Station said, "Hey, that's the same last name as my insurance agent." And I said, "Yay, that's my dad!!"  =)