Bronze Medal Mindset

Happy Sunday, gang!  I got my final paper done around 2am Friday night/Saturday morning, and it's been a restful and refreshing weekend since then!  Actually, scratch that - today has been really good, but yesterday was rough with feeling emotionally disjointed and overwhelmed thinking about next steps.  I caught up on sleep and made healthier decisions and felt more peace about things today, thank God!

Here's a pic from our family dinner at Ted's tonight (missing the boys).

Yes to this... GET BACK UP.  #resilience #Godsnotdone

Mom, Dad, and the Miss K at dinner tonight... she has me in her phone as "#1 Aunt," and that makes me happy! ❤

Sister Pic!  My first hat purchase in years, but yay for a fun OSU cap in a cute script font!  (The shirt says Shoulda Been a Cowboy and has an orange and black undershirt - fun!!  Rach and I laughed about both wearing long sleeves on the hottest weekend of the year. lol)

Also got this t-shirt and the crystal pink headband that goes with it - YAY!

For the above OSU-gear, Mom and I went shopping at the Painted Tree, a new place in Moore with lots of cute little boutique shops.

Didn't buy this one, but had to get a pic... I gotta be honest, shopping feels infinitely more fun when things are fitting unexpectedly in some smaller sizes!

Saw this irreverently-entertaining gem again on Friday.  My new plan is to be Hugh's second wife so we can be fun couple friends with Ryan and Blake. lolol #mostlyjoking #andiwillalwayslovehugh

Jaceman had a football scrimmage at Moore High School on Saturday morning... didn't love the mass chaos crowd, but it was fun to see him play a bit and fun that there was a booth selling bundtinis! lol #strawberriesandcream #yum

Having said that, I'm reining in the food choices and upping my water intake for the remainder of August (doing a modified version of the pre-op diet and really working on maintaining proper hydration, which has been a challenge).  It's been pretty fun to try on new clothes lately, and I wanna keep that momentum going with healthy choices and regular workouts!  The rule of thumb in the Blossom support group is that you will typically lose half of the total weight you're going to lose by the 3-month mark post-op, which is September 7th for me - I'm so grateful to be in a good and hopeful place with all of that!  Without being fully conscious of it, I've moved from a 22 to a 16 and an XXL to an XL or Large, but I've gotta rein in my shopping ASAP since I'm still actively losing weight and reshaping my body.  Anyway, sorry for all the dressing room pics, but hooray for sizing down and feeling more confident there... And yay for my baby-food tupperware cups for meal prepping my taco soup! lol  

*On a related note, Mel Robbins talks about having a "bronze medal mindset" where you don't expect "gold" level perfection from yourself, and you choose to compare down rather than up - (or ideally, not comparing at all).  She says there are studies showing that bronze medalists are happier than silver medalists because they're aware they could've come in 4th and are thrilled to be on the podium getting a medal, while silver medalists are often comparing up and frustrated that they narrowly missed out on the gold.  The idea is to focus on how far you've come rather than how far you have to go - to choose JOY over jealousy or discontent.  And that resonates with me lately.  I'm not at my goal weight, and there are a million women I could compare myself to and walk away feeling insecure or not enough... but when I focus on my personal goals and how far I've come, I can celebrate this trajectory and feel excited and hopeful right here today (and I do)!

Aww, my future friends. lol  Ryan defines friendship as genuinely rooting for someone to live their best life, and I love that!  Also love that they have the #1 and 2 movies at the box office lately... the first power couple since Bruce and Demi to top the box office together! =)

❤

Okay, almost done.  My song of the week = my pick for Celine's most underrated song, Then You Looked at Me.  She brings all the passion and drama!!  So freaking great - love these lyrics from start to finish - belting it out as I listen tonight, especially the 2:40 mark forward! lol

Runner up = Mom's choice for her most underrated song, To Love You More -- also fantastic!

Have a delightful week ahead!  I love you and believe in you, and I believe that God has us covered even when we feel overwhelmed or uncertain about what is next - He will show us the path of life and open new doors one step at a time!!

❤❤❤

Changing the Narrative

"Communication is about what is received, not what is intended. If there is a gap between what you are saying and what they are hearing, you have to find a new way to say it."
~James Clear

Happy Saturday, friends and fam, and Happy Half-Birthday to me!! ❤ ;-)  Hard to believe it's already been six months since my 40th birthday (blog HERE).  

So I recently spoke with a friend from CCU, a mom of seven, answering a few questions about my dating life and my desire to be a mom.  As I shared the short version of my story, I realized it was filled with compounded pain and disappointment, and I could feel intense pity coming from her.  That response was unsettling for me, but if I'm being honest, I was probably seeing my own self-pity reflected back... rooted in some old beliefs and ungrounded feelings of inferiority due to my singleness and childlessness.  There are so many wonderful things God is doing in my life, but I wasn't focusing on that or voicing them clearly, so this reminded me to be more intentional about how I frame my identity and articulate my own story!

My experience this summer also reinforced this idea.  Initially, I was prepared to communicate my weight-loss surgery decision in a very defensive and guarded manner, anticipating a judgmental response.  That was a blind spot for me, but after a timely conversation with Chet Lee and hearing Mel Robbins' "Drop the Sword" lesson, my perspective changed!  When I confidently shared my decision with an expectation of support, I received genuine support and felt greater peace.  Conversely, had I publicly shared that original defensive post, I would have likely faced mixed feedback and growing insecurity.  Self-protection does us no favors.

God tells us that the power of life and death is in the tongue - and out of the heart, the mouth speaks.  Our core beliefs and our word choices matter deeply in how we perceive ourselves and in how we portray God to others.  The gap between what I say and what others hear highlights the need to find a better way to communicate.  This isn’t about controlling the narrative or protecting my image, but about clearly communicating God's work in my life in an honest way that glorifies Him!  *I'm never responsible for how others respond, but I AM very responsible for my beliefs and how I communicate them.  Self-pity and low self-worth do not honor God.  It's easier said than done, but I want to be so full of Christ's love and confident hope that I naturally view/frame my story as not lacking anything essential.  ("No good thing will He withhold from those who walk with integrity.")  I want to leave people who care for me feeling hopeful and joyful when I share my story, aligning my heart with Christ's heart for me and ensuring that His redemptive truth shines through, even in darker seasons.

2025 will likely be the year I write and publish my first book, so I'm thinking more deeply about the way I internally narrate my own life.  My goal is to write with courage and vulnerability... while emphasizing that any pain and challenges I have faced are the minor themes in my story, where the major themes are deep love, redemptive hope, and growing faith in God's power and abundant goodness!! ❤

Photo Friday!!

Thank God it's Friday! ❤

I'm covering the office while Judge is out this afternoon.  In case you'd like the full play by play, I had yesterday and this morning off, which was delightful!  I did my exit interview with Debra and completed all the paperwork for my files at Restore yesterday... then I signed up to mentor Abby, a CHA Senior, on her thesis project... then I saw It Ends With Us and had a short but fun walk with Kristin (bc of stupid lightning) last night!  I still have my final 2-3 page paper to write, but there's loads of time for that after work! lol

So here are some random photos, just because I feel like blogging right now...

I really love this classroom door (from a FB friend's photos)...

I always enjoy seeing first day of school pics... yay!

Speaking of, here's some cuteness from this very day 6 years ago... Kyndal Faith's first official day as a CHA student, and Rachael's first day on the CHA job!  (8-15-2018)

Mom went through some of Grandad and Babah's old stuff, which included some cards from us that they had saved... it made me happy to see these again! ❤

Definitely thought about Grandad on his birthday July 27th!

Speaking of birthdays, here are some through-the-years pics from Kyndal's bday... starting with her actual day of birth... her presh newborn baby fingers making the peace sign made me happy.

I've always loved this pic, and I also love the memory of her saying "It's me as Santa Claus." lolol

Preshfaces... this was the first time she requested a family spaghetti dinner for her birthday!

This pic of Jace enjoying the smell of the cake lid makes me happy! lol

Her party at Urban Air (I think)!

Dinner at Pelicans... she's the very cutest!

Facetime call from my house in Tulsa on the morning of her 7th birthday... still not sure exactly what she was doing here, but she was in such a happy, playful mood, and I loved it!!

Rach's hair getting caught on her glasses on her 8th birthday! lol

The Pinkitzel unicorn cake that almost didn't make it for her 10th birthday!  (It was crazy heavy, and it got knocked around as another driver caused a major serve to avoid a car accident on our drive home that day).

Their house ready for her 10th bday slumber party!

And now I'll conclude this with some entertaining memes!!

Hope you have a great weekend ahead!!

❤❤❤

Thankful Thursday #201!

"Continue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful and thankful."

~Colossians 4:2

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Yesterday being my final day of Internship!!  I have successfully terminated or transitioned all of my clients to new therapists... and I am so happy to be done with my internship hours and moving forward now!  (*Pic = Angel, Jeremy, Jacey, Hannah, and me).

2.  Being credited for helping compile this Parent Guide (yay for anything that goes on the resume - lol)!

3.  Misty (new intern, left) telling me I was the best therapist she had observed and that she's learned a lot from me - so encouraging!!  Top right is my office reservation for my final morning session (which was decidedly chaotic and humbling, as expected, but it made it feel that much sweeter to be done)... and bottom right is me and Hannah, my closest intern friend who specializes in working with kids, and I've learned a lot from her!!

 4.  Cute puppies - Angel brought her 3 new Shih-Tzu puppies to hang out with us on our last day of internship. lol

5.  For 11 years of great memories with Miss Kyndal Faith, who celebrated her birthday yesterday!!

6.  It was also the first day of school at CHA - Junior year for T-man, 6th grade for Jace, and 5th for Kyndal!  Mamaw and Grandpa brought them Chick-fil-A breakfast and came to take pictures on their first day! =)

7.  The Miss K requesting a spaghetti dinner with the fam at Mamaw and Grandpa's house!

8.  Family pic last night!

9.  Mom's creativity with the cookie-dough "cake," and Jace improvising on the makeshift candle! lolol 

10.  Love her!  It's been a busy couple weeks, and I failed to get a gift on time, but I ordered her some cute cowgirl boots on Amazon, so yay for that!

11.  Her gifts included some new jeans, a Lilly Pulitzer jacket, diamond art stuff, and random snacks!  She loves her birthday like Chet does... that top middle pic = her playfully saying, "Okay, it's present time - all eyes on me!  It's my time to shine!!" lol

12.  Mel Freaking Robbins, who continues to inspire me and bring me joy!  This week started her Morning Routine Bootcamp in the Launch course (encouraging better morning habits).  This is the ramp-up, and Project Sprint #3 will start just after Labor Day!!  Let's go, let's grow!!

13.  Meeting Annie F. Downs and getting these photos during my Nashville trip last weekend - definitely a 2024 highlight for me! ❤

14.  Seeing Eddie and Annie keep talking live and in person with loads of other fans who adore them like I do!!  What they created in 2020 will forever live on in my heart, a testament to the power of friendship, which is pretty high on my list of priorities! 

15.  Four of my former classmates who are now CHA Moms - seeing this pic made me happy!  (Sarah, Lyndsay, Jessica, and Kathleen). 

16.  And last but not least, the CCU Timeline assignment - this final week of the summer semester is intense and chaotic, particularly after a week of COVID and a long-weekend trip... but this video helped me slow down and reflect a little, and tangibly reminded me of all I have to be grateful for right now!!

*Bonus:  Grateful for laughter and friendship... still loving this friendship and most everything I'm seeing from this press tour - so much fun!!

Three days and one more paper to conquer, then a delightful and well-earned break week before my final semester!

Happy Thursday, friends and fam!  I love you and believe in you, and God is WITH you and FOR you today!!

❤❤❤