Character Breakfast

Good morning, friends and fam!  Here's a fun "Photo Friday" flashback to the Artist Mickey Character Breakfast (featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy) at Topolino's Terrace on the top floor of Disney's Riviera Hotel!!

This = a sunrise photo by Chet just before our Skyliner ride to the Riviera, me with my new Minnie-backpack at the start of my four-park adventure day, saving the best for last!

I love breakfast food more than the average person, and I would always try to book one of these for any Disney trip I take moving forward - excellent food, super fun atmosphere, and the best photo ops!!

The characters rotate around the room and come to you, stopping with every group for hugs and pictures.  There were Mickey hugs and Mickey waffles for the kids... so much cuteness!

Yay for my Disney Christmas t-shirt, rosegold magic band, leopard Minnie ears, and this classic Disney pic with "Artist Mickey!" ❤

My quiche gruyere and breakfast potatoes did not disappoint - nom nom for us, David!!  Melissa loved the POG juice (pineapple, orange, and pomegranate), and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed their food!

Group pic with Mickey, the first to come visit our table!

The kids looking ever so cute with Daisy Duck, who's doing a little curtsey move that makes me laugh!

This bread basket was chef's kiss perfection. lol  Mini croissants, chocolate chip muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, and more, with sides of butter, strawberry jam, and chocolate frosting!

Love this cuteness!!

Donald! ❤

We checked out their wrap-around patio balcony before leaving...

The weather was nice that day, and the balcony had a lovely view!

Then we were off on our next Skyliner ride, ready for our final day at the parks... this may be my fav Parker pic from the entire trip - so much spirit and joy!! ❤

❤❤❤

Happy Friday, and Happy Valentine's Day to my few but faithful readers!  I got cracked up at lunch yesterday when I realized I had on my fun Valentine's headband, and I was using one of my last 4th of July plates and a festive Christmas napkin... just really celebrating all the holidays at once, red being the vibrant (year-round) theme that binds them all together!!  =)

Anyway, I love you and believe in you, and I wish you rest and joy and peace, and I hope you feel truly seen and loved today!

❤❤❤

Rachael's Birthday!

Rach elected to have her birthday dinner at Mom and Dad's this year.  It also fell on our regular family dinner night, which worked out well for everyone! ❤

Sadly, T-man left before we got the above group pic, but he was there for our lasagna dinner and Rach's white b-day cake with whipped icing, and we all had fun playing Scattergories (an old favorite for me + Mom, Dad, and Rach, but new to all the kids)!

Rach made a comment about Kyndal not always understanding ironic humor.  She does understand sarcasm, though!  She dramatically pretended not to understand the very next time Jace made a joke: "But I don't get it - how is it funny? - Can someone explain it all to me?"  She's the best!! lol =)

Since we failed to get a cake pic, I thought it'd be cute to just hold up the birthday banner... happy to say I was not wrong! lol

Me during dinner, looking at Rach:  So what all have you done so far today?

Jace, fully assuming I was asking him, goes into a lengthy answer about school work and friends and his fish and more, whilst Kyndal chimes in a couple times "Stop talking - she doesn't care - she was asking Mom!!" and he 100% ignores her.

Eventually, we finish talking about Jace's day, and I turn to Rachael and say, "So what all have you done so far on your birthday!?"

Jace gasps - "Were you talking to her!?  My bad!" lolol

Me:  "Well, I'm so happy to hear about your day too!"

(For real, though!)

This = the collage from my bday post on Facebook, all holiday-themed pics that make me happy.  The final year of Rachael's 30s has now begun - I told her hopefully God is saving the best year of that decade for last! ❤

Here's the Miss K with her "Big Sis," Sabrina, at their volleyball practice.

They had the 11s pair up with girls from the Charge 15s team, and each of them dressed to match for practice that night - super cute and FUN!! ❤

Doing my best to be gentle and patient with myself...

...While also doing my part to create change!  This is another good reminder from Mel.  We all face painful things, and there's a time for grief and processing.  But we don't just get to wallow endlessly and live in victim mode and fail to transform - there's no beauty and redemption on that path.  We can move forward with grief and hope, honoring all that we've been through, acknowledging what IS in our control, and taking responsibility for building a purposeful life moving forward!

Another meme from Chettles. lol

I for sure overthought that one and decided that my inner light does get brighter and warmer as I discard and burn away the sinful trash polluting my mind and soul.  Externally, a LOT is shifting at once in the world around us, and that can feel scary, but hopefully some of it is shifting for the positive, getting rid of waste and pulling people out of apathy and paving way for better things ahead!

Okay, back on topic - I'm grateful for my one and only sister, Rachael LaJo, and the vast myriad of ways her life has impacted mine!  And I'm grateful for a fun dinner and game night celebrating with the fam!! ❤

Happy Wednesday, gang!

❤ ❤ ❤

Marathon Monday #9

I'm doing my best to remain calm and confident as I wait on God's direction in this season.  It's a delightful daily challenge in keeping a growth mindset.  This puzzle illustration helps me so much as I think about that now - the false safety in staying small and self-protective and walling out new ideas vs. the discomfort and beauty of feeling unfinished but willing to keep expanding your horizons on all sides.  Life is full of possibility, and we can view that as scary or exciting.  Doing my best to embrace growing and learning and changing!!

After Chet's open house on Saturday, I took a 4-mile walk around the 3-pond trail in the neighborhood across from the Weatherfords... another strong contender for when I eventually move back to the Tulsa area!

The brisk weather and that new trail were FANTASTIC - it's all open and feels very safe, and being near water is just good for my soul!!  Especially when paired with the Ed Sheeran 60-minute walk - his voice is so smooth, and his heart is precious, and I just love hearing him talk about his family and what he's lost and what he's learned from it - that whole Subtract album is incredible... current fav is The Hills of Aberfeldy (HERE).

Now that's officially all for today.

Leaning in and mentally preparing for 14 miles this weekend...

We can do hard things.  We conquer hills one step at a time. 

I love you and believe in you, and Jesus does too!

❤❤❤

February Fun!

Super Bowl Sunday did not disappoint!!  Mom and Dad hosted this year's party... lots of good food and fun conversations catching up with the Wallaces, Lemieuxs, Rick, and the Parrishes!  (I saw very little of the football game, commercials, or halftime show, but that's rarely what I show up for.)

Miss K made bracelets for the Chiefs and the Eagles... she thinks Jalen Hurts is "a hottie" so she cheered for the Eagles, and I'm a lukewarm-at-best fan of Travis Kelce for as long as T-Swift chooses him, so here's our pic being fierce rivals (who barely watched the game but had fun dressing in the team colors). lol

Rach is completing this masterpiece today, but Kyndal is going with a CFA-themed Valentine's box and handmade V-day cards for her volleyball girls - super cute! ❤

UPDATE:  She finished it - super cute!! ❤

I spent the first quarter enjoying some great snacks + talking with Rick about his upcoming medical procedure + looking through Jill's amazing pics from their 17-day cruise to Antarctica - they LOVED it!!  Then Rach and I talked with Bill and Debbie Wallace through the 2nd and 3rd quarter of the game - the Wallaces can always be counted on for entertaining travel stories, and it was nice to get an update on Clint and Ty and their children.  We got some group pics before the Lemieuxs left at halftime, then we spent the final quarter of the game helping Kyndal Faith brighten up her V-day cards - cathartic and fun!!  (Photos by Mamaw)

Kyndal took the group pic at the top of this post... it's all the adults + Triston (who will technically be an adult in less than 2 months).  He starts his new Starbucks barista job next week, and I'm excited for him!  Then I took this happy group pic of everyone there, obviously minus me. =)

There was chips & queso, little smokies, 3 kinds of cookies, mini cupcakes, fritos & bean dip, sausage balls, Domino's pizza, and I made my "famous" chocolate layer cake with buttercream icing (pictured below) for the first time in a while - yum!

Breaking up the different events with a meme... gracious, this one feels true for me right now.  I'm still a fan of winter, just not on days when I need to do longer runs and strongly prefer being outside to the treadmill!

This past weekend's "long run" was only 6 miles, which actually felt refreshing and energizing.  I did that yesterday afternoon before the Super Bowl party.  I know these temporary tattoos are cheesy, but every once in a while, I'm in the mood for them and they make me really happy!  The left pic = my reflection in the window at the Station, feeling strong and proud of myself at the end of my six mile jog!  This coming weekend, the schedule is 14, which would be my longest run in life to date, so that feels a bit more intimidating - wish me luck!

One more fun meme to transition into the next event!

Saturday morning was Tate Haywood's 7th Birthday Party!!

That astronaut balloon is the very cutest, and Karli went all out with this layer cake with sparkly outer-space frosting and surprise planets (colored vanilla cake balls) hidden inside - epic!!

A spaceship tent, present time, delightful brunch foods, cake time, and Parker and Kate building together!

7 for Tate Haywood, or L for "Auntie Lindsey!" lol

Tate wanted a fun birthday toast, so all the kids got some sparkling cider (and approximately 0% of them understood the concept of waiting for the toast moment to drink it. lol  Poor Chettles.)  Kate and Parker are the cutest little friends!  Parker's face in the top pic was her deciding to be funny and hide from my camera, but I got the pic just in time. lol

The party was great - I got to re-meet Chet's dad and got to catch up with Melissa (also back from a recent cruise where she was sick for over half of it), Teresa, Kristin Foster, Evan, Sarah, Chet, Karli, and more.  I got to give Melissa the lovely Christmas wreath Mom made for her - she loved it!!  And who doesn't adore brunch foods!?  (Looking at you with a tinge of judgment, Chet Lee.)

Chettles, talking about his open house:  "Yeah, it's just down the street and to the right.  You can't miss my sign in the yard!!"

Me, knowing I absolutely missed it on my way there:  Maaaaybe don't underestimate me. ;-)

Sarah and I stopped by the open house -- an updated 1800-sq ft home within my cash price range in the Country Crossing neighborhood a quick walk from the Wilson home... dream scenario for me if I were certain I was moving, but alas, God is still keeping my next step a fun mystery surprise from me and everyone else! lol

In other news, I watch a stupid amount of TV but rarely write about it here.  My main show thus far in 2025 has been The Equalizer, a gem with Queen Latifah, the girl from 21, Eddie from Friends, Awnt Vi (who can be a little much), and Delilah (love her) - as of tonight, I will be fully caught up, but Season 5 continues on 2-16, so that's exciting!  I'm always a sucker for crime-solving action + drama + the family dinner dynamic, and I enjoy that this is an unconventional family unit of a strong single mom and her sister and daughter!! ❤

Also watching season 2 of Severance (wow!), High Potential (pretty fun)... and recently finished The Diplomat (really good), the final season of Blue Bloods (farewell, Reagan fam!!), and season 2 of Shrinking (very well written).

Friendly reminder, and it feels notably true for me lately.  Our mind, body, soul, and spirit really do work together, for better or worse!

Happy Birthday Eve to Rachael LaJo!!  After over 4 years as a Tinker AFB employee (the last 1.5 working from home 4 days a week), she recently submitted her deferred resignation, deciding to take the Federal government up on their crazy generous and unprecedented offer to gift her full pay and benefits for the next 7.5 months whilst she finds another job and gets double pay for a little while!  (Oh, how I wish the State of Oklahoma could make me the very same offer in this season, but alas, the State has no money and there is a shortage rather than a surplus of court reporters. lol)

Anyway, looking forward to celebrating with the fam tomorrow, and to dinner with Kristin tonight!!  That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

❤ ❤ ❤

SNL Top 10

Inspired by a podcast I listened to on my way home tonight with Melanie and Sophie talking about their all-time favorite SNL moments since it's the 50th anniversary year, here are 10 of my favorites... at least the ones that come to mind right now! =)

10.  Seasons Greetings -- not really even an official SNL skit, but I loved these four guys and had this dumb song on a burned CD back in the day. lol Yay Christmas!!

9.  Mister Robinson's Neighborhood -- an update on Eddie Murphy's most popular politically-incorrect sketch from the 1980s. lol

8.  George Washington -- yay for Nate's clean comedy going over well at the SNL level!  This was great!!

7.  Sean Spicer Press Briefing -- Melissa McCarthy is a gem! lol

6.  The Barry Gibb Talk Show -- Jimmy & Justin making each other laugh is the best!  Rach and I quoted this one a lot back in the day. #crazycoolmedallions 
(Side note: I also loved JT's Omeletteville skit, but couldn't find a video.)

5.  Livin' in a Van Down by the River -- Dad mentioned this the other night at family dinner. lol David Spade breaking character with Chris Farley going all out = hilarious!

4.  Jeffrey's -- Jimmy (who regularly breaks and laughs because he finds all the world delightfully funny, and I relate to that) & the hilarious Sean Hayes fully losing it as Will Ferrell rides in then answers his tiny little phone. lol

3.  Debbie Downer at Disney World -- A quotable classic!  Clearly, I love it when the actors break character, and this one just gets funnier as it goes on - Horatio Sanz crying from laughing then wiping his tears with the Mickey waffle is top tier comedy! lol

2.  More Cowbell -- Between Christopher Walken's delivery and Will Ferrell being so extra, the others didn't have a chance of staying in character! lol

1.  Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton -- The all-time best SNL cold open for me!  Everything about it is funny and quotable, and I love Tina and Amy's friendship and how much they enjoyed this (according to both of their audiobooks)!  Tina's fun gun pose and Amy's eyes just before she says "I CANNOT" are probably my favorite parts. lol

Mmkay, that's all for today.  Happy Saturday, and hope you enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday ahead!  Best of luck to the Chiefs on winning a historic 3-in-a-row (something I didn't know was a possibility till Mom explained it last week)!  Hopefully third time's a charm!  

My real hope is that T-Swift will pop downstairs for a surprise short performance... just one song is all I'm asking for - she's RIGHT THERE!!!  Karli said not to hold my breath on that. lol

❤ ❤ ❤

Doorways, Part 2

There's a scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (my fav HP book) where Harry and his friends enter a circular room at the Ministry of Magic... they're surrounded by mysterious identical doors, and when they open and close one, the whole room spins, making it harder to remember which doors they've already tried.  They're on a time crunch with a vague idea of where they want to go, but no idea which door will lead them there.

Yeah, my life feels like that right now.

If my doors were labeled, they might include: Traditional Adoption, IVF, Embryo Adoption, Dating/Marriage, Ph.D., Teach Now/Later, Tulsa Now/Later, Find a Small Group, Write a Book, Reach Goal Weight, Run a Marathon, Private Practice, School Therapist, Intake Therapist, My Own Business.

In the past two months, I have:

• Earned my Master’s degree - yay!
• Started marathon training (so far, so good!)
• Accepted then declined a school counselor job with a $72K salary
• Planned to move to Tulsa, submitted my resignation, then reversed both decisions
• Had tough but supportive conversations around all of it
• Searched extensively for full-time Counselor Candidate jobs with salary/benefits in OKC - surprisingly few options
• Jumped through countless hoops for background checks (with CREOKS, counseling board, doctoral program, adoption home study)
• Submitted my CCU doctoral program application
• Updated my resume and applied to 2 private practices & 4 nonprofit mental health agencies
• Interviewed and got turned down for a virtual intake therapist role (I was unsure about it anyway)
• Met with Dr. Evans (fertility specialist), learned my pregnancy odds (35%), and got an IVF cost sheet - woof!
• Asked a Florida law firm to present my adoption profile book to two expectant mothers
• Updated my embryo adoption profile book
• Considered updating my home study, but held off due to job uncertainty
• Explored candidacy supervisors and clarified what I want/don’t want
• Identified what’s been holding me back in my church search
• Updated my dating app profile, reframed my perspective, and messaged with men from OK, TX, and MO -- more initial interest than usual; zero actual dates yet (#Christianmalepassivityforthewin)
• Attended a free 3-day Tony Robbins webinar; signed up for a paid one in March
• Committed to a 21-day WW health reset (day 12 - scale is stubborn, but I’m staying the course and focusing on taking better care of myself)
• Passed the OLERE exam today -- barely, but still a win!
• Outlined a memoir book with a strong theme and 77 essay-chapter titles
• Caught up on court transcripts while covering extra shifts due to staff shortages

It’s been a whirlwind, but I'm navigating the chaos one door at a time, learning and adjusting as I go!

Doing my best, Jay Shetty.  But I have felt stretched thin... like I'm trying to singlehandedly hold all  of these important doors to my goals open, wondering which one might be most valuable, not wanting to turn my back or close the door on anything that might be central to my purpose.

While thinking about that the other day, this meme popped up on FB:

It was a good and well-timed reminder that it's NOT all on me.  God has given me agency and free will to make decisions, but He also has a path marked out for me and will give me wisdom that will help me to walk in it.  My life will become fruitful and stay on the right course AS I SEEK HIM and ABIDE IN HIM.

God is not the author of fear.

I can walk in His power and love with a clear, sound mind.

Thinking about all of this also led me to re-read my original "Doorways" post (HERE) from 2022 - every word of that post is still encouraging for me today!  (It was written while waiting to take the pregnancy test after IUI #4 before I shared that journey on the blog HERE.)

So today, I am taking a breath and recharching, celebrating the progress I've made and the goals I've already achieved - huzzah!

And I'm leaning into prayer and time with God and sincerely seeking His wisdom.  Reminding myself:  I am not in this alone.  My overarching purpose is to love God wholeheartedly and love others well.  The details of day-to-day purpose and meaning will change and evolve throughout my life, but living with love for God and others will always be central!  And I can accomplish nothing of lasting value apart from Him!! ❤

That about sums it up.  Happy Friday, friends!!  In lighter news, the pic below = my new Simple Modern cup from Tracy Schumacher's firm - so much cuteness - an unexpected fun gift they brought for all the CRs and bailiffs today!  (And my raspberry creatine water and Marla's OLERE study notebook she let me borrow - super helpful!)

May we move forward without fear, trusting God's care and His ability to open the right doors and close the wrong ones in our lives.  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend ahead!

❤ ❤ ❤

Breakthrough Books

 Happy Thursday!  

It's been a great season for reading, so here are the latest book recaps/lessons:

Currently listening to this gem again... a beginning of the year tradition for me!

"The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.  But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger, roots entrench themselves, and branches grow.  The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us.  And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time."  

The metaphor there is SO ON POINT - I want to uproot the bad trees and cultivate the good until it grows and becomes a strong tree.  Working on all of the above.  Thanks to James Clear for the very practical tools and advice offered here!

Other audiobooks I've completed lately:

1.  The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Love "my friend, Mel" and so appreciate her practicality and ability to make an audiobook feel  as conversational and natural as a podcast!  "Let them" is my theme for 2025, and this book helped me to further wire in the empowering message of focusing on what is truly in my control and letting go of all that is not.

Fav Chapter Title:  “People Only Change When They Want To" 

2.  Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield

Recommended by Emily (my counselor).  Really enjoyed this one - the author strikes a great balance between the anarchy mindset of the Anti-Diet book I read last year and the hyper-detailed rules of the Good Energy approach.  The focus is on making decisions (with food, exercise, sleep, stress, and other habits) that allow you to feel more peace and take better care of yourself long-term.  Seems really obvious, but it's definitely helping me to approach health goals from that perspective!

Fav quote:  “You give yourself something to rebel against every time you lay down an inflexible, moral law... The power of choice is a freedom our minds don't give up easily.  Through body kindness, you will develop an internal compass for decision-making based on what's actually helpful (as opposed to 'good' or 'bad'), what you care about most, and the kind of life you want for yourself.  The universal body kindness question asks: Is this helping to create a better life for myself?"

3.  Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose by Martha Beck

Recommended by Amy S from CCU.  I was halfway through this book and 1/3 of the way through a Mel Robbins podcast with Martha Beck when I connected the dots that she was the author of the book I was listening to! lol  Anyway, this one was good and made me think more deeply about the power of leaning into what interests me and allowing myself to be creative (she argues that creativity is the antidote to anxiety).

Martha Beck Quote:  “My belief is that we can’t just erase anxiety and leave a blank slate; to make our relief permanent we have to replace anxiety with creativity, so the brain is working in a way that doesn’t allow us to fall into anxiety ruts...  As you spark the curiosity and connection that are designed to help you move through the world, you’ll find your anxiety shrinking."

4.  Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show While Also in an Actual Cult by Bethany Joy Lenz

A fascinating true story, and a book that sharply brought back memories from one cultish prayer group and one creepy small group I attended.  It also led me to question my own blind loyalty to certain Christian authors/leaders, realizing I need to be wise and cautious and remind myself that all humans are fallible, always taking the time to weigh things that feel off in my spirit against the Word of God.  The way some churches overlook and/or obliviously promote these groups is problematic, and the way cult leaders target those who are hungry for positive change and a sense of family love and safety is tragic/wicked.

Best Quote:  “There is one indisputable way to identify a cult, one characteristic they all share.  It is not a belief in alien spacecraft or a plentiful supply of Flavor Aid.  It is the notion that anyone who does not agree with the group's beliefs or choices, who expresses concerns, who simply dare to ask questions, is deemed "unsafe."  Every good thing about that person must be subsumed by the fact that they disagree with me, so I can boil down their character into something vilifiable.  For mind control to work, there has to be heroes and villains.  It has to be us versus them.  In a cult, it isn't good enough for you to say, "I love you, but I disagree with you."  You must affirm my choices and beliefs.  Only then can you be considered "safe."  In a cult, safety means agreement.  The irony of course, is that while you are not allowed to have your own opinions about my beliefs, I am allowed to have an opinion about yours.”

❤ ❤ ❤