Marathon Monday #10

Happy Marathon Monday, friends!  On Saturday, I got up at 7am to do a 14-mile run (you can always know I mean that as walk/slow jog) in the best weather that day had to offer.  It's about as proud of myself as I've ever felt, if I'm being honest... 

It had been a rough week for me - mind, body, soul, and spirit.  I was not feeling energetic or powerful or in the mood for a good run.  It was early and sleep sounded good.  14 miles felt intimidating - (13.1 is the longest I've done prior to that, and that's only been on official race days).  It was super foggy and dreary outside.  It was cold, and it rained a bit.  And by the end, I had 3 blisters on my right foot and two on my left (something that seems inevitable for me during longer runs).  BUT I pushed through, and I freaking did it!!!

I got a second wind in that final mile, and it made me feel more confident that I can really do the Full!  ...That I can push through any negativity and drama and find the grit and inner strength to keep moving forward, even when things feel hazy and unclear. #metaphorforlife #onestepatatime

It was just me and Jesus out there (and one or two other joggers or people walking dogs), so this was a faith-building jog, as well.  I listened to 3 Christian podcasts, finished a John Eldredge audiobook, then listened to worship songs for the last 3 miles... kudos to Peloton's Kirsten Ferguson for introducing me to this gem (HERE) - it got me smiling and jogging with victory hands during that final mile for sure! =)

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This is a very random spot for this, but I wanted to mention that my cousin Emily had her baby girl, Karsten Blaire, on January 29th!  Asher Kenneth has a precious little sister now - yay! ❤

I came home and took a hot bath, then felt as close to fainting as I've ever felt when I got out... yikes... that's the only time I've had critically low blood sugar on the CGM (after a long run + hot bath a few weekends back) so I'm guessing it was that again.  I will be more careful in how I time those moving forward.

That afternoon was Anthony's 13th birthday balloon release... the weather had gotten worse, and it was crazy cold outside, so we didn't stay quite as long as usual.

I'm grateful for Anthony's life and for the hope we have knowing he is in Heaven!

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Me and Kristin ❤

That night, Kate came by to see us!  We had a girls dinner at Santa Fe, followed by a snowy drive home.  It was really good to catch up with her - she was recently diagnosed with MS after a verrry challenging two years of misdiagnoses and medical issues, and she has handled that news with a lot of grace and faith, another solid example of grieving with hope.

On a lighter note, Mom and I had a delightful Cheesecake Factory brunch yesterday, and seeing this on the car parked in front of me made me happy - a fun farmer, as Rach put it.  Aww, memories of Rachael's burned CD collection. lol 

Living room Birthday Eve pic, 2024 and 2025.  I'm so grateful for progress.  And I'm grateful for the reminders this week that it is normal and valid and okay to grieve over hard things and loss while holding onto the vivid hope we have in Christ that truly anchors our soul for anything this life throws at us.  ❤

And to be very clear, I haven't lost anything new or tangible.  I am just feeling the ambiguous grief more deeply lately - I'm sure the birthday and the awareness of aging plays into that a bit - the growing sense that my life will never be what I wanted it to be here on earth.  (Which, on some level, is true for all of us.  Every good thing we experience here is partial and incomplete, and comparison is the thief of joy, and I understand all of that, and I'm allowed to feel things.)  I would love to feel seen and chosen by a really good and Godly man - thus far, I am striking out hard there.  I feel pity from some and judgment from others, but rarely sincere compassion or understanding for the level of loneliness and third-wheeling and unwanted-ness I've had to navigate as a single adult.  Parts of my story have been beautiful, but the rejection I've faced has been difficult, and the messages have been poisonous, and I'm sad that my 20s and 30s did not hold family building or being loved/seen/known/chosen in the way my heart really desired.  Maybe God still has that for me - maybe - but that shimmering hope feels as fragile as a soap bubble.  I would love to be a mother and build a family of my own and pass on some of what I've learned to my child or children - I find myself wondering more and more if I need to pass that on through books and teaching and fully surrender the motherhood dream.  I don't know (and I'm not exactly asking for opinions).  I need wisdom and guidance from God, and I probably need to fast and pray for that as I begin this new year of life.  I am doing my best to lean into God's goodness and mercy, to believe His promise that He has good plans to prosper me - that what the enemy intended for my destruction, God wants to use for good and for His glory.  I want to walk in His power and love and a clear, sound mind and not allow fear to hold me back - it's a theme I keep coming back to.  But I have felt discouraged and uncertain about the life and career path ahead of me right now - I know it hasn't been that long in the grand scheme of things, but in some areas, it has, and being in limbo about what lies ahead for me is very hard on my mind and soul (and makes it challenging not to feel apathetic/indifferent about every goal I've set), so I need God to strengthen my spirit and give me endurance and grace and wisdom for the road He sees clearly ahead of me where I only see the thick fog!!

Having said all that, the 14-mile jog this weekend felt like such a metaphor for all that I'm wrestling with internally.  It was hella foggy when I got out there that morning, and much brighter and clearer by the time I left.  I was feeling weak and tired in the beginning, and strong and proud in the end!  (And physically exhausted.)  It was cold outside the entire time, but I felt better as I warmed up internally.  I spent 14 miles feeding my soul encouragement and truth - and my mind, body, soul, and spirit felt better for it!  It was a strong reminder for me to be more intentional about what I am putting into my mind, body, soul, and spirit... to encourage myself in the Lord and to focus on what I want to see growing in my life.  "So even when it gets tough, I'm gonna keep my head up 'cause I feel like God has shined a light on me!"

And that concludes my halftime pep talk. ;-)

Ten weeks of marathon training down; ten weeks to go.

God is with me and for me.

I can do hard things.

BRING IT!

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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!! ❤

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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