Christmas 2024!

For the first and maybe the last time, I had the honor of hosting the fam for Christmas Eve this year!  Here's our happy group pic in front of my tree!! ❤

We started with lunch at Toby Keith's in Moore, then came to my place for Mom's brownies, Eileen's cookies, and opening presents!

Kyndal's new icemaker, Jace's new transformer, and me and Rach with no gifts. lol  (Dad remedied that yesterday, and we did get a chocolate orange from Wendy on the 24th. lol)

Mom with her kids then her grandkids (Triston left early and Carter didn't join us this year).

Favorites:

Blake, JoBug, Wendy, and Triston (he celebrated Christmas morning with them and got lots of great gifts!)

Rach seeing Dad off as he went to work (whaaaat!?) on Christmas Eve afternoon + Mom with Jace and JB!

Me struggling to pull off a serious face. lol

Cookies for the Whitaker fam (they stopped by and Kristin gave me the cutest Christmas PJs and sparkly pink headband!) + angelic kitchen selfie with the fun chandelier lighting behind me + shopping the Christmas Eve sales at Hobby Lobby and At Home with Mom!

After all of the above, I did my workout for the day then DoorDashed Mexican food and watched The Santa Clause and While You Were Sleeping as I edited and collaged all my pictures on Christmas Eve night!! #perfection lol

Christmas morning started off with an 11am brunch - bacon, eggs, and pancakes by Rach + all manner of leftover desserts from the day before!

This made me very full very fast thanks to the chocolate milk, but still, yay brunch!!  Not positive if Dad's being funny or was unaware I was taking a photo here. lol

• Rach found the perfect wrapping paper for Mom, and Kyndal Faith wrote a note on every gift she wrapped. lol  
• My adorable new PJs and headband from Kristin Michelle - yay!
• K's new shirt from Rach and AirPods Max headphones from Mamaw and Grandpa
• Parrish fam calendar from Rach!
• Book Rach got for Mom
• K making me laugh with her excitement over her tiny cup of tiny ice!

Kyndal:  "I am the main character!" lol (showing me her matching new shoes and hat)

Jaceman and I went to see Sonic 3 at 12:50 on Christmas day... between the long concession lines, his crazy-loud coughing, the constant narration (he was seeing it for the second time), and his post-credit euphoria (seeing a scene they hadn't stayed for last time), it was quite the experience!!

My new Counselor hoodie from Rach - love it!  Nate's comedy special - fun!  And our spaghetti and lasagna Christmas dinner (after I did a quick neighborhood jog to get my workout in for the day)!

Between dinner and Nate, we played several rounds of Heads Up (aka Headbands) an entertaining Catchphrase-style game with charades and speaking rounds with different categories.  Entertaining times!  All in all, it was a delightfully lowkey and relaxing Christmas day with the fam!!

And last but never least, Mel's new book came out on Christmas Eve!  I love it already!!

And that's all for today, I think.  I'm at the office but not feeling particularly worky today, so you never know.  I sincerely hope you had a lovely Christmas!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Thankful Thursday #220!

"The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great Light.

Although they live in the shadow of death,

a Light has risen."

❤ Matthew 4:16

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  A delightful family Christmas... and my favorite photo from our Christmas Eve at my place - our original family of four!! ❤

2.  Also love this one with the Parrish kids joining us (minus Carter, obviously).

3.  Extra time with Rachael LaJo and Kyndal Faith lately - they're both sarcastic and fun and funny together, and I love hearing K's strong opinions on various things! ❤

4.  My cuddly new bestie, Hogie the Corgi puppy! lol

5.  Kyndal's joy over her new pebble ice maker... so entertaining to me! 
K:  "Bro, I'm gonna go home and just eat a gallon of ice!"
Me:  "Live it up!!" lol

...When I brought Jace home from the movie, she was chatting with a friend on her new AirPods Max headphones from Mamaw and Grandpa + refilling and crunching through this tiny cup of ice repeatedly. lolol  She's the best!

6.  Christmas memories from yesteryear! ❤

7.  How deeply I feel the "Soak it in, because this version of Christmas only happens once" quote.  While all 41 of my Christmases have been celebrated in this area, this was my 26th and possibly final Christmas as an OKC-area resident (1984-2006, then 2022-2024).  Rachael's kids now split their Christmas break time between her and Josh; Grandad and Babah are no longer with us; Emily was with Chas's family this year; and our get-togethers with Dad's side of the family are far more rare than they once were.  Life moves forward and things continue to change and shift... BUT there are old traditions and new joys every year, and for me, this year felt rich and full, fun and joyful!!  I had two friends taking sick children to the ER this year (one Christmas Eve, one Christmas day - praying for their recovery).  We've experienced Christmas Eve at the hospital a few years back, and I'm super grateful for everyone being in good health this year!  Last year, I was struggling with a sudden sense of loneliness in this season; this year was low-key but not at all lonely, which is the best combo for my introvert self.  I feel close to God and family and friends, and I am THANKFUL for the unique magic of Christmas 2024!!

*We ended our Christmas night watching Nate's new comedy special on Netflix (Rach got Mom and Dad an Apple TV box for Christmas)... Triston left early and J&K mostly played on their phones (after Kyndal announced, "Mom, he [Nate] has pushed-in eyes like you!" lol), but me and Rach and Mom and Dad really enjoyed it!!  Anyway, here's a fun skit from his Christmas special...

 

 ❤ ❤ ❤

Girls' Trip!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE, friends and fam!!  We're meeting Bill and Jill for dinner at Charleston's tonight, and I'm so looking forward to my potato soup and croissant.  I've been covering the office today, which has involved writing all these blogs, taking a longer lunchtime walk/jog workout, and answering the phone literally once. lol

I promise this is my final post for today, and arguably the most fun!  Yesterday, we took a girls' road trip to Tulsa - Mom wasn't feeling great, and Jace decided to opt out last minute, but this small group was lots of fun!! ❤  Here we are by all the colorful stuff at Amber Marie!

First things first - I was so surprised to see Dad on a billboard and made Rach turn around so we could get out and get a pic with it. lol YAY!!  Would be better if he were also smiling, but we had no control over that. lol

Kyndal wanted Starbucks for the drive... yay for their Christmas cups!

Me trying on hats for the NYC trip (got this crystaled one) + Rach with the Amber Marie nutcracker + Kyndal with the light-up wreath she stole from atop Rachael's head. lol  Her "sleigh girl sleigh" shirt makes me happy!

Rach was loving the nutcrackers this year - she wants to crystal one this size, which is not a desire I can relate to. lol

Kyndal telling Rach, "You are such a cringe capper right now" and cracking me right up!! 

The Brook is definitely a fam favorite when they come to Tulsa!  Between the 3 of us, we probably ate one of these full bowls of mac n' cheese.

We made a quick stop by Roosevelts to see the Christmas decor!

On the phone with Chettles as I entered the Christmas Chute, I saw this presh corgi puppy and had to hang up!  LOOK AT HIM!!  It may be the ka-thousand FB videos of corgis that I've watched over the past couple years, but I was so excited to see him - his name is Hogie, which is adorable too!  No, his owner did not offer to let me hold him and I didn't exactly ask, but he crawled into my arms as I was petting him, so it was meant to be. lol

Yay, Wilsons and Weatherfords!!

Yay, Muecke and Parrishes! lol

The girls...

The whole group...

A lovely nativity scene! ;-)

❤

So excited to be at the Chute with Uncle Trent!

❤❤❤

Pic outside Box Photography where the kids were befriending Bob the cat through the window!

Wilson fam!

My former workplace!!  Sapulpa has definitely done well for itself with the Christmas Chute!!

Classic sister pic!  Thanks to Rach for driving us!!

It was a very fun weekend with loads of quality time with my favorite people, so hooray for that!  I hope you're feeling the joy of Christmas this year and that Jesus feels close in the quiet moments!! #Godiswithus #Godisforus

❤ ❤ ❤

Defying Gravity

Saturday was a movie morning then shopping at Quail Springs Mall with Rach and J&K... before jogging at Lake Hefner then meeting Kristin at Hideaway! =)  I'm kinda tired, but I honestly love how full the December schedule feels!!

❤

J&K with the Grinch - we went to Flix Brewhouse which was a fun atmosphere - we all had brunch during the movie - Rach and Jace saw Sonic 3, which Jace kindly offered to go see again with me! lol

"Unlimited - my future is unlimited!"  ❤  

Seeing this with Kyndal was fun - she loved it, and I really loved the way they did Defying Gravity in the end - I need to go back just to watch that part one more time. lol

They had "Crazy Hair Day" at club volleyball practice, and Kyndal FaceTimed to show me hers! #crazycute ;-)

Meme that made me laugh!  I 've felt very snacky lately, which is in no way unusual for the holiday season, but I'd like to quiet that down!

A windy walk before making my Marathon Monday video!

I had to get fingerprints done for OSBI and FBI background checks... with my fingertips cracking from psoriasis, it was a hot mess nightmare.  But after lots of lotion and cornhusker oil and 5 post office employees trying their very best and never succeeding... after three trips to the Moore Police Station, three trips to different Norman post offices, one trip to the post office in OKC, and one unnecessary trip to the OKC jail (bc Google was misinformed and they no longer do fingerprints there)... I finally got mine completed and sent off to the FBI and OSBI, so hopefully I'll be approved to take the Oklahoma jurisprudence exam soon, which is the actual final step before being board approved as an LPC-Candidate!  GRACIOUS, what a delightful process!!! lol  I was as angry and flustered as I've been in years when I called mom after my 4th unfruitful trip on Friday afternoon.  Very thankful that is done now.  I may cry if I get a notice that the FBI is rejecting them as poor quality.

Speaking of feeling snacky, the attorneys have been happy to provide us lots of Christmas treats lately! 

My presents for Doris and Judge (personalized charcuterie boards) wrapped beautifully by Mom!

How ridiculous were these movies!? lol  I vaguely remember bits and pieces of them, but mostly when I look at him, I see Uncle Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies! =)

Go me!!  I'm happy/proud/grateful/surprised by how long I'm able to jog right now - trying to push myself without pushing too hard or injuring myself!

Mom and Dad had dinner with the Lemieux fam, the Wallaces, and Rick at Bob's Chophouse this week - love that they got a group pic!! 

❤ ❤ ❤