Timelines and Testimonies

Happy last day of May!!

We had a pizza party at Mom and Dad's to watch Game 7 of the Playoffs last night... a sad loss for the Thunder, but at least the Jaceman was happy!!

Watching the game, Paris (Bill & Jill's dog - Jill used to live in San Antonio), and the Spurs with their trophy!

GIF of Jace high-fiving Wemby at the beginning of Game 5 (the white hand closest to the camera on the left).  It made his day!

Sour Patch Kids' marketing team is the best... the "first they're sour, then they're sweet" commercials are the cutest, and seeing this nonsense brought me instant joy (in spite of it being fake news in my personal life at times). lol

Speaking of cuteness, here's Katie and Kaden after his Kindergarten graduation - little kids in caps and gowns is so adorable to me!!

Nana with Carter and Emberlee as he was competing in the high school rodeo finals this past week!

Cousin pics from 18 years ago this week... 2008 sincerely does not seem that far back to me!!

Also in that Shutterfly stack was this gem when we were grabbing a few things from 9121 for my move to 522 in the summer of 2007... Dad, Grandad, Babah, Rach, and Emily.

And this gem - my last-ever photo with JMM from June of '07 - (I never loved it as he'd just gotten a buzz cut and didn't look like the version of himself I was accustomed to, and I was wearing vertical stripes, which are almost always a mistake without a sweater or overshirt to change up the angle).  It's crazy to think that Triston is now the age Josh was here... and wearing his own Harvard shirt from the Senior trip to Boston!

Mini Miss K and her friends playing cards at Mom and Dad's... she opted not to swim that day because "Well, I just got my hair done, and it looks really good!" lol  She's not wrong.

I hosted, led, and shared my testimony and the condensed version of my life story with my women's LifeGroup on Saturday.  I'm thankful to say it went well, and we had a memorable discussion about Psalm 23 and Psalm 34.  It had a strengthening effect on me to really think through the whole timeline of my story again, to consider new ways I can see God's hand in it, and to specifically speak the gospel part of it out loud this time as I recounted the story of Mom leading me to Christ!!

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We're doing "Psalms and Stories" this summer - reading through and discussing Psalms then getting into our personal stories and walks with God.  I wrote mine out before sharing to help myself mentally organize it, and the themes I saw paired well with Christine Caine's email today:  "He's not distant or disinterested.  He's not too busy or too important.  He misses you when you drift.  He's calling you to come back, to come close, to come home.  God's heart is revealed throughout Scripture.  He wants relationship with you."

Hosting also inspired me to fully clean my house for the first time in a minute, so I had to snap some photos of everything looking put together!

The final portion of what I shared yesterday...

My favorite things about Jesus:

• His fiercely protective strength on behalf of His people
• His delight in the details of our lives

Looking back, I see a few themes in my story:  I am very relational, and I've spent a lot of my life looking for belonging in close relationships.  All while God has continually reminded me that my deepest belonging is found in Jesus - I belong to Him and I belong with Him.

I've learned to hold on to Kingdom hope and remember that we rarely understand the full picture while we're living through it.  One of my favorite verses says: “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely."  ~I Corinthians 13:12

And finally, God is far more attentive, personal, and involved than I once believed.  I don’t always understand what He is up to even now, but I will know it completely in Heaven (if not before).  And I know with confidence today that He loves me deeply, He cares about every detail of my life, and He deserves the highest place of honor in my heart!

Okay, friends... 5 months down, 7 to go... here's my 1SE video for 2026 so far!

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Audiobook Club

I've made my way through nine audiobooks over the past two months, all of which I really enjoyed!  It was four personal memoirs, three fictional novels, one five-week daily devotional, and one self-help/psychology book.

Quick recaps and thoughts below...

Strangers
(by Belle Burden)

The Big Boo (Patreon Podcast) Book Club pick for May.  Like Lindsay Ferrier, Belle kept good notes throughout her marriage, and she does a great job of articulating her thoughts and emotions surrounding her husband abandoning her and her children, then gaslighting her and playing some petty , emotionally-abusive games in the process of their messy divorce.  She's a solid writer who articulates emotions well, but her mindset reflects some victim thinking and still valuing her ex too highly, so I hope she continues to overcome that and choose strength over smallness or learned helplessness.  *If I decide to push through and get my doctorate, my dissertation will either be on learned helplessness or self-doubt in women, or maybe how they work together, and how we can best overcome them!

Joyful Anyway
(by Kate Bowler)

Very well-written memoir, and the style of book I hope to author soon!  Kate has been through a lot, and she is a deep thinker and a Christian.  (She identifies as an Enneagram 2, but I would have assumed she was a 4.)  This is a collection of stories from her life, including a poignant conversation with a nurse at the hospital that brought me to tears (Kate is a stage 4 cancer survivor, and the nurse was a recent widow and the first person to tell Kate she was sorry for everything she had endured at the hospital - it got deep and real very quickly, and between that account and my memories of Kristen Harriss being stired up recently, it made an impact).  The theme, as you can probably gather from the cover and title, is that although life is really difficult sometimes, we can choose to hold firmly to our God-given joy.  (Having said that, it's the furthest thing from "toxic positivity" or encouraging people to feign happiness while ignoring deeper problems - Kate is not about that nonsense, and neither am I).

Walking With God
(by Beth Moore)

A wonderful devotional book that I listened to a little along over the past few months.  Toward the end, Beth has a chapter on the importance of writing your own story, if only to help you understand and make sense of what God is up to in your life and how He has been with you and for you all along.  It resonated for me and reignited my desire to write (which has felt very muted lately by the knowledge that I won't have a child of my own who might have the desire to learn more about me and read my book someday).  I'm climbing out of the self-pity, though, and realizing that many others might still benefit from what I have to share - myself included.  Beth also shared a chapter where she encourages the reader to interview someone whose walk with God they admire and want to emulate (including some potential questions you might ask them), and I plan to come back to that conversation with several people later!

Theo of Golden
(by Judge Allen Levi)

This book matters more deeply than most fictional stories. Highly recommend!! It is the debut novel by a small-town retired Christian Judge and singer named Allen Levi - fascinating. The story is exceptional, and the audiobook narrator also does a great job! I listened to the last 30 minutes while sitting in my recliner this very morning, then I just sat there and cried for a few minutes - (it's more emotionally/spiritually powerful than it is sad - so good). I bought it on Audible, and I have now ordered a paperback copy signed by the author (because it matters, and I want it on my shelf). It made me think often about Grandad and his tenderheartedness and conversational ability, about the purpose of great art and creativity - even when it goes unappreciated or undervalued, about the value of small acts of kindness, about veterans and homeless people and their untold stories and their desire to be seen and known, about the absurd and senseless damage one angry/violent person can do in a small amount of time, about forgiveness and pausing to really see the faces of the people we tend to dismiss or overlook, about the power of intergenerational friendships to change people... and most importantly, about how to subtly weave the gospel into both my writing and my real life interactions by loving others in a way that connects with and empowers them and inspires curiosity about my faith. Gracious, Judge Levi does an excellent job of weaving in the gospel message in an understated way throughout the book, then more directly toward the end. The one court story he tells was the most powerful chapter for me (chapter 42), and it made so much sense to me to learn that he was a former attorney and small-town Judge. Mostly, he shows the subtle power of living a humble life based on sincere Christian values! ...I hope this one becomes a movie with a solid director who knows what they are doing.

Big Trust
(by Shade Zahrai)

Pivotal for me, and helpful for anyone struggling with self-doubt!  Already wrote more about it HERE. ❤

The Light We Carry
(by Michelle Obama)

Another very well-written memoir!  This was her second book, but I read it first because I appreciated the title and was curious to know more.  It's a collection of stories throughout her life - her close friendships, her Dad's MS, the strong example set by both of her parents, her brother, their childhood, going to Princeton, her marriage, and her experiences with parenting, gardening, racism, personal growth, politics, navigating her public and private roles, going high when others go low, etc.  I would say the first book gives you more day-to-day details on her story, while this follow-up book dives more into how she has grown and all she has learned over the past 50+ years, so it was my favorite of the two!

Becoming
(by Michelle Obama)

Michelle's longer autobiography (a 19-hour audiobook) with more background info on her childhood, dating years, what shaped her values, her college experience, fertility struggles, motherhood, navigating criticism and dehumanization, the political rise of President Obama, her experiences as First Lady, etc.  I always appreciate when people narrate their own books!  (We don't see eye to eye on everything politically or spiritually, but she is a strong woman who commands respect, and this was a well written, vulnerable, and compelling memoir that was good for me to read!)

The Correspondent
(by Virginia Evans)

Also loved this novel from the perspective of a retired older woman who writes letters to various acquaintances, friends, and family members.  The entire book is composed of letters with chronological dates, and you gradually learn the story and the way the characters connect as you move through them.  It's a clever idea that is executed well here, and yet another book that shows the power of intergenerational friendships and small acts of courage and kindness!

Sunrise on the Reaping
(by Suzanne Collins)

The Hunger Games prequel with the story of Haymitch Abernathy competing in the 50th Hunger Games.   Interesting to get an inside look at this character, although parts of this book felt more brutal than the others, which doesn't fully track with the other stories happening years later.  It does give you a clear picture of how he became jaded and where he gets the trauma-based humor and protective strength.  We saw a preview for this movie recently -- (admittedly, all of the Hunger Games movies are set in a bizarre dystopian world) -- and it prompted Mom to say, "WHO would actually wanna go see that!?" lol  I laughed and raised my hand and said, "Meeee!  I'm almost done with the book, and it's been great!" =)

Listening to Joyful Anyway on one of my recent walks.

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Slideshows!

Posting these here too, just for fun and for easy access later:

Triston Michael, Senior 2026
Song = The Best is Yet to Come by Ben Rector

Kyndal Faith, 6th Grade Graduation
Song = Try Everything by Shakira

Jace Michael, Through the Years
Song = Bad by Michael Jackson (his current fav)

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Family Brinner

We did a breakfast-for-dinner theme last night (pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit - yay!) and celebrated Triston's Graduation and Kyndal Faith's Christian Citizenship Award!  This = a fun grad-themed canvas I made for Triston (thanks to the LiveCollage app and Walgreens same-day pickup photo gifts!).  We're laughing about Mom's photo-taking skills, and it's such a real smile from him that makes me happy!! ❤

Closer view of the collage!  The extended fam, the Parrishes, his best friend Reece Barnes, Mrs. King, the speech, Wendy and JoBug, Mrs. Talley, Brooke's side of the fam, and a pic with Reese Kufahl and Kate Smiley (the girls he is closest to in his class).

A fun cookiecake... (his name got messed up when Jace was carrying it in, but I was able to restore it with iPhone's markup feature). lol

Rach bought this book back in 2011 and had every CHA teacher sign it over the past 14 years!  It has some great notes in it, then she added a few Bible verses and photos, so it's a really meaningful gift!

Pic of T and Rach with the book!

Kyndal Faith made up a trivia game for us to play, asking things like her favorite color, movie, song, season, Thunder player, etc. lol

It also included what she wants to be when she grows up, which was definitely the first time I'd heard about the Senator Parrish plan (inspired by their DC trip), but I'm 100% on board for that! =)

Then she and I played a few rounds of Speed while Jace played basketball and Rach made a McDonald's run, then they played a couple rounds of that and another fun card game when Rach got back!

"She tried to cheat, but I still won!!" ~K telling Grandpa all about it

(P.S. Dad's had a tooth pulled and we're all used to it, but I felt like I should explain that here)

Another family dinner to remember - the sun being out longer is my favorite, and I feel like the niece and nephews are all at fun ages with interesting lives and thoughts I love to hear right now.  I made extended slideshows for K-Faith and T-man, which prompted a "Bro, where's MY slideshow!?" from Jace, so I hastily made him one while he was swimming!  We all watched all three of them together on Mom and Dad's huge living room TV, and that was fun times hearing the kids thoughts and commentary!

Here's Mrs. Garner and Tman on his very first day at CHA! ❤

And on his final day at CHA - here's Mrs. Garner with the 8 Senior students who had been there since Pre-K!

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Thunder Playoffs!

Around 9am yesterday, Rach texted to ask if I wanted to go to the Thunder game... to quote David Rose, "That's a real quick yes!!"

She was able to order last-minute tickets for us, and we got edge seats in Section 111!  I finished around 3 covering A's lengthy court docket, then got ready and headed to Rachael's to ride with them to the game (it started at 7:30, but we arrived around 5:40 with high hopes for J&K to get autographs and/or meet some of the players).

Under the colorful bridge downtown

Knowing we had lower seats, I suggested Rach make a cool poster so we could get on TV... so they worked hard making these signs, then were immediately told they couldn't bring them into the arena - lamesauce!!

(They have a table set up where you can make signs, but they have to be 11x17 or smaller).

Whilst J was waiting on the spurs players, Kyndal and I went to get her a Thunder hat and try (unsuccessfully) to see some of her favorite players...

Jaceman got three autographs from the Spurs - Carter Bryant, Kelton Johnson, and De'Aron Fox - so yay for that!  (He's a Wemby fan and wore a Spurs shirt - he was afraid he would be bullied, but there were lots of Spurs fans there, including two younger boys right in front of us who were entertaining and fun)!

Me and K-Faith ran into her friend and VB teammate, Olivia!!

I was between Kyndal and an adult guy who was a loud and enthusiastic fan - we very much enjoyed his commentary, however colorful it may have been! lol

Jace had more fun early in the game - the Spurs were ahead most of the first quarter and part of the second, but the Thunder came in strong after that!

The nuns memes and costumes were entertaining!

Go OKC!!  This makes me happy - hopefully we can add a few more banners this year!

Giant Rumble covered in confetti after the win!

We waited around trying to get autographs (or a Tik-Tok dance for K) after the game, so they were able to reclaim their signs with no crowded line as we walked out!  I made us stop for one more pic by this wall!

"McCain is COOKING, bro!"  -Kyndal Faith

He got to start this game and had his best game of the season - she pays attention to sports, and he's her new favorite player this year - and she has the jersey and two posters to prove it! =)

We stopped by Cain's and McDonald's (of course) on our way back to Rachael's... J&K's commentary and sports rivalry was entertaining for me!  ...After a few moments of silence while they were both looking at their phones, Kyndal chimed in, "Bro, I look so good in hats!" and it was the funniest thing!!

So now the Thunder is up 3 to 2, and only need one more win against the Spurs to become the Western Conference champs and move into the finals against NY.  Here's hoping that happens on Thursday!

Mom and Dad preferred to watch from home, but we had a great time being there for it live!!

Yay, Thunder!  Yay, family fun!!

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Not Alone

About the new doors God is opening, I have the opportunity to lead the women's LifeGroup through the summer ahead, which feels exciting and rich with meaning right now.  The group is fittingly called "Heal Out Loud," and there are women grieving the loss of a parent, grieving the loss of a spouse to suicide, navigating single parenthood after abuse and abandonment, navigating major health challenges and/or complex family dynamics, grieving an abruptly broken engagement, sending kids to college, parenting young children with cancer, and more.  Their stories are layered and complex, with real pain and fear and the need for consistent prayer and support, and I want to step into that in a bigger way across the board!  (This pic is from last fall - I'll be sure we take a new one soon.)

Chet has pointed out that this is God fulfilling my desire to counsel and work with adult women... which feels true, just not in the way I'd expected to see it.  I have another friend who is facing the ambiguous grief of a friendship fallout in a long-term best friendship, and I am grateful to at least be "a witness" who can help validate the extreme pain of that loss and help her process the situation and move forward in a healthy way.

So I'm opening my heart again to the idea that motherhood and Christian counsel may not look the way I anticipated, but may still be part of God's calling on my life!  Be fruitful and multiply can mean a lot of different things.  My relationships with my niece and nephews and mini-BFFs and Compassion child matter more than I sometimes believe - I'm playing an important role there, and I'm thankful for it!  I want a God-honoring legacy and deep relationships, and I want to help care for hurting people and point them to Jesus as their healer, and a Bible study or podcast are typically safer environments for being direct about that than a counseling room.

Another thing I'm considering is starting a podcast with the theme of Kingdom Hope.  Largely because I need constant reminders to stay anchored in that myself, and I believe it is vitally important and often overlooked for most Christians.  We forget about everything here being partial and incomplete, so we expect too much from it.  And we forget that everything there will be whole and healed and right, so we place too little value and real hope in it.

In the meantime, I'm using this post to remind myself that I am not alone.  I am certainly not the only one struggling with self-doubt or quiet loss or confusion about the path ahead, which is a good thing to remember to push my focus back outward and take action where I can to help others!  And I am not alone or without support as I move forward in life... I have good friends and family who love me, and several people who could use my support, love, and kindness.  We carry the light of Christ inside us, and it matters!!

So today, I am grateful for exceptional friends who check in here and really see me and care about the details and offer good counsel when I need it!

I'm grateful for fun podcasts that get surprisingly deep and philosophical sometimes!

I'm thankful for walks with Kristin and being Aunt Lindsey and the godmother to her boys!

I'm thankful for the fam and our regular dinners and the character progress I'm seeing in my niece and nephews!

I'm thankful for God-ordained connections with two of the women in my neighborhood (on my same street) and praying those continue to grow and strengthen!

Thankful for being a trusted supportive adult to help Triston navigate moving to Colorado this summer!

And I'm thankful for God's Word and the foundational truths that ground our faith and hope...

Thanks for stopping by for this plethora of new posts!  (I have a seventh post started, but I have two audiobooks to finish up before I can post it.)

Happy Memorial Day - thankful for those who gave their lives defending our freedom!

And I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!!

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