Happy Friday, my friends! Happy Birthday to Holly Dei, Happy Halloween to those who celebrate the cuter side of it, and Happy last day of October! Huzzah!!!
Okay, so first off, I was sad to hear that Blossom Bariatrics is closing soon (November will be their final month for surgeries, then they will stay open into early 2026 to care for those patients). They listed rising costs, the growing impact of weight loss medications, and an oversaturation of bariatric clinics among the factors behind that decision. Several past clients are now posting gratitude notes and success-story photos, and it's been uplifting and inspiring to see those!
The depression/shame cloud is lifting. I am still working toward my goal weight and feeling ever-more determined to reach it, but I've come a long way since summer 2024, and I am very grateful to Dr. Apel (pictured above) and the team at Blossom in Vegas for the life-changing jump start on this continuing health journey!! They were the only clinic I found that offered the fast-tracked surgery date and the safe-sleeve process, and that was vital for me in signing up! ❤
In other news, I feel like I had a real breakthrough with school this week...
I'm in a qualitative research group where our project is interviewing CCU professors about their experience teaching with a trauma-informed approach. I got to interview two of my former professors - both women with great answers and powerful life stories. I realized looking back that both of them taught me during Spring 2023 when I nearly left the master's program. It was a gift to connect with them again, and one of them gave me some great advice on choosing a dissertation topic...
Me: We've been talking about it, like, what do we want to be known for?
Dr. R: Nooooo. No, that's too much pressure! You want to be known as "Doctor." You can figure the rest of it out and do (slower) in-depth research on things you're more passionate about later. lol
She encouraged me to think about the populations I have access to for research surveys (Tinker military, tornado survivors, attorneys, court reporters, CHA students, etc.) and to seriously consider quantitative research, noting that it makes reporting the results much more clear, quick, and simple! That convo inspired me to work harder in my quantitative class, and on our most challenging week so far, I felt like I understood the concepts and completed everything on my own in better time than I'd expected. Anyway, life opens up when you do. And when you honor God, He honors you. So I'm very grateful for all of that, and looking forward to my meeting with Dr. Burkhart next Monday!!
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A couple pics from family dinner and game night this Wednesday!
This = Kyndal Faith and I being totally gridlocked in a very strategic game of checkers! lol
Didn't know that could happen, but here it is. We started over, and she won fair and square.
Earlier that day was the CHA Patriotic program! It's my favorite of CHA's programs (as it's the only one that changes regularly), and it was Kyndal's final one (she's in 6th grade, and it's elementary only). They did a family dinner play where she was the daughter. She told us she got permission to write her lines on an index card on her plate, so I grabbed a photo of that after the program! lol She also asked the teachers if they could remove the candles so they wouldn't block people's view of them - when we realized it was the very thin taper candles, we all got cracked up by that! Maybe she was thinking of the scrapbook photos and not wanting anything in the way. She's the very best!! lol
I cried (like, real tears rolling down both sides of my face) during the armed forces tribute. They sing the songs of each military branch, and the parents and grandparents who served stand up when their branch's song is sung. That one hit me extra hard this year, and I was not doing well. lol
Failed to get a photo, but Kristin and I met for a fun lunch at La Madeleine yesterday! (Frankie is out of state at a 2-week training for his new job, so we did lunch instead of walking together this week!)
I watched the Swiped movie with Lily James about the founder of Bumble (an ex-Tinder employee who hated the way that company treated women). That inspired me to try Bumble again. One of my first match suggestions was a married couple clearly looking for a third partner. I was quick to screenshot it when I realized it said, "Things we have in common: Christian." Threesome on Saturday, church on Sunday - that's pretty much the absurdity level of the world we're living in, though. lol
Anyway, I'll let you know if something more promising comes along on Bumble.
Something random I've spent a stupid amount of time on lately is watching people's reactions to Taylor Swift songs - Terry & Kaniyia's reels are my favorites - so entertaining for Swifties!!
Now I'm off to throw on my graduation gown (yay) and warm Gryffindor scarf (thanks, Kristin), then meet Rach and Kyndal for a girls' night of trick-or-treating at Gaillardia! =) (Jaceman is at a football game with TJ & friends.) It feels like the end of the year always moves more quickly, but I'm very happy to be moving into November, and psyched to find out the gender of future baby Wilson tomorrow! I'll be doing a 30-day writing challenge here, just for fun and to mix up the topics a little. Hope you have a fun night and a peaceful weekend ahead!
❤ ❤ ❤
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