Two Turtle Doves

1.  Me, Kristin, and Karli at Tate's Party!
2.  Fam Dinner for Rachael's 39th Birthday!
3. Cousin pic with Kristin at the Twins' Birthday Party!
4.  Nash and Wesson with their Bday Cakes!
5.  My 41st Birthday Group Pic at Los Cabos!
6.  Tate's out-of-this-world 7th Birthday Party!
7. Jace and Jace celebrating Jace Michael's Birthday!
8. Kyndal's Club Tournament in Tulsa!
9.  Helping with Kyndal's Valentine's Cards during the Super Bowl!

This = month #2 in my 12 Days of Recaps with a few blog quotes and my top nine photos from each month of 2025!  *Happy Birthday to Kyle Brandon today!!

FEBRUARY:

"Little by little, I am starting to see myself differently and believe that lasting change is possible."

~Marathon Monday #8, 2-3-25

"Everything about it is funny and quotable, and I love Tina and Amy's friendship and how much they enjoyed this (according to both of their audiobooks)!"

~SNL Top 10, 2-8-25

"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. ;-)"

~February Fun, 2-10-25

"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!"

~Marathon Monday #10, 2-17-25

"Well, this is 41.  It's off to a slightly painful and slow beginning, but I am getting back up, and I'm believing it will be a beautiful year ahead!"

~Wandering Wednesday, 2-19-25

"When I need to really boil it down and clearly articulate my calling and work as a counselor, I'm going with: "My passion is empowering people who feel stuck to move forward with hope and purpose!!"

~Catalyst, 2-23-25

Me (explaining my 75-Soft plan):  "Yeah, I'm throwing myself into online dating in this season.  Sooo the men of the world have 75 days, and then..." (I was pausing trying to think how to phrase adoption/embryo adoption/focusing on motherhood)

Chettles:  "Nunnery!!" lolol

~Weekend Update, 2-23-25

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A Partridge in a Pear Tree

1.  4th Row Seats for Wicked on Broadway!

2.  Red Rock with the Wilsons and Fultons!

3.  Final Meeting with Abby for her Senior Thesis!

4.  Tman and I by the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree!

5.  Mom and I on her Birthday - Ludger's cake from the Wilsons!

6.  Judge Golden's Retirement Party!

7.  Jace and Kyndal dressed for Camo Day in Spirit Week! lol

8.  Flix movie day (Mufasa) with the Parrishes!

9.  Group pic for Mom's 70th Birthday Party!

Today marks 12 days until Christmas.  Instead of cramming it all into one long post, this will begin the 12 Days of Recaps with a few blog quotes and my top nine photos from each month of 2025! ❤

JANUARY:

"I don't know all that God has in store, and I'm not taking this as any sort of promise from Him that I'll become a mom.  But I AM taking seriously the responsibility to heal and be free from labels that are not aligned with God's viewpoint and design for me."

~Epiphany on Epiphany, 1-6-2025

"I prayed over our trip and intentionally looked for good and kind people, and I found SO MANY OF THEM.  Sincerely, this was the least aggressive NYC has ever felt to me, so my comfort level there has gone up a lot!"

~NYC 2025, 1-7-25

"Life always seems to slow down a bit in January - enough to hear the whispers over the whirlwind!  Having some extra time to reflect, pray, and process lately has helped me realize I don’t have God-given peace about moving for this [school counseling] job, as much as I wish I did...

Deep breaths.

We can do hard things.

No one is doing life perfectly.

We are all figuring things out as we go!"

~Marathon Monday #5, 1-10-25

"I am reminding myself (and you) to choose life in big and small ways, to draw near to God, to engage and be present with others, to set and work toward goals that mean something to you, to dwell on the ways you belong and how you can add value to the lives around you (rather than dwelling on how you don't fit in or don't really matter to others).  The enemy is always speaking, but so is Jesus, and we get to choose which voice we listen to and get to know and prioritize."

~Choosing Belonging, 1-14-25

"Happy 70th Birthday to my wonderful Mom today!! ❤  I'm excited to celebrate her with the fam and the Wilsons later tonight!  Just checked my phone, and Mom and I have had 13 phone calls in the past 3 days, and that's probably fairly average for us..."

~God's Faithfulness, 1-18-25 

"It's been absurd and ridiculous and expensive and frustrating... The long-awaited board approval will allow me to pay a fee and take the OLERE test (the Oklahoma jurisprudence exam about state laws regarding counseling)... passing that allows me to await the next board approval for being an LPCC... then I can start my 3000 supervised hours... then pay another fee, I'm sure... THEN become a freaking LPC.  I very sincerely hope and believe it will be worth all the hassle."
~Fingerprints, 1-22-25

"I was his court reporter from January 2007 to April of 2022.  In spite of some rough jury trials, boring pleas, crazy bailiffs, and often seeking work that would give me a greater sense of purpose, that job was easily my favorite and the cushiest and longest-running CR job I have had (and it will remain so, as my court reporting career will likely end for good this year).  Judge Golden was always kind to me, and I feel very grateful for my time working with him!!"
~The Golden Years, 1-26-25

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Ballets and Birthdays

Today was Parker Elizabeth's ballet performance in The Nutcracker with her Destiny Dance class!  It seemed like all of Tulsa showed up for it. lol The Union High parking lot was crazy crowded!

Yay for this group pic, and yay for this group! ❤

Karli Marie and Parker E pic before Act 1 - (she performed in Act 2).

Her presh ballet bun with the netting makes me happy, and her new unicorn made her very happy! lol

Screenshots from my video... she was the cutest lil' baker and seemed very excited to be on stage!

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Karli sent me these from her professional photo shoot - apparently, she was not a very willing participant that day. lol

Thankfully, she was a delight for tonight's performance! ❤

And got some ice cream to celebrate that! =)

Yay for our Mission BBQ dinner, and yay for Andy's dessert!  We had the place to ourselves on this extra-cold night!  Also, I ordered what I usually get at Freddy's... much like my Chicken Express vs. Charlie's Chicken mixup last week - what on earth!?  lol

And last but never least, Happy 36th Birthday to Taylor Alison today!  I definitely did the heart-hands along with the Eras crowd in theaters and while watching the docu-series alone in my living room last night. lolol

She was born on the 13th, and her birthday marks 13 days until Christmas - fun!

(And Taylor's lucky #13 + Travis' football #87 = 100.)  Get excited! ;-)

Okay, I'm off to watch episode two of that docu-series on Disney+ now.  Hope you've had a delightful Saturday!  I love you and believe in you, and I hope you pursue peace with God, yourself, and others today.

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Sassy, Brave, & Cute

Happy Friday, friends and fam!

I've just completed my last assignment for this fall semester, which means I AM ON A BREAK (said like Ross) from school until January 12th - YAY!!  I'm also nearly caught up at work.

Okay, on with Photo Friday fun... Facebook keeps showing me this ad, as if I am a super-elite and crazy-rich runner! lol  I looked at it for a while out of sheer curiosity - I'm very impressed that anyone can do this, physically or financially - The Great World Race (cost is 49,500 pounds, which translates to over 66,000 US dollars).  That price includes training and a private chartered jet that flies the 60 elite athletes to all seven continents where they will complete 7 marathons in 7 days.  I. cannot. imagine. the required fitness level or the pure exhaustion at the end of this -- the climate changes, the long flights, the lack of real recovery time -- wow!  (The training, the travel, the community, and the sense of accomplishment would be pretty awesome, though!!)

I'll stick with my lovely Station walks for now, but it was fun to learn about that! =)

My 2026 starter kit has arrived -- the newly-released Atomic Habits Workbook (yes, puh-lease), and my Write the Word: Renewal journal!!

Mom has officially completed Kyndal's 6th grade home study scrapbook... (Kyndal did the writing assignments and chose the photos, then Mom and I collaged them, then Mom made a legit scrapbook of it - here's the front cover!) ❤

This = pictures from the trip to Grand Lake for her 5th birthday.  While looking at this page with me and Rach, Kyndal pointed to the pic of her and Josh with the hands on their hip and said, "Oooh, sassy!"  Then she pointed at her high-dive jump and emphatically said, "Brave!"  And finally, she pointed at her and Rach smiling from the boat and said, "Cuuute!"  I got cracked up at her playful tone and the healthy confidence level and said, "That's the perfect adjectives to describe you, Miss!!  I freaking love it!" ❤  She's the best.  And watching that made me want to look back at my own childhood pics and videos with more grace and positivity! 

Tahlequah road trip for Sam n Ella's and Drip Coffee 10 years ago yesterday! =)

In other news, my close personal friend and pocket medical expert ChatGPT helped me revamp and simplify my daily vitamin routine!  I uploaded pics of all my vitamins and their ingredient lists and learned that I was getting waaay too much Biotin (the key ingredient in anything meant to combat hair loss - but I was taking three different products out of panic, and the excess biotin can throw off lab results, cause thyroid issues, and potentially irritate hair follicles and cause fallout rather than strengthened growth - GOOD TO KNOW!!).  I was also getting a little too much calcium and vitamin D, which could eventually lead to kidney stones.  So I threw out two of the gummies, reduced the number of daily pills I take, added magnesium glycinate, and started mixing collagen powder into my morning shakes!  I feel physically healthier and emotionally relieved after making these changes a couple weeks back!  Yay, ChatGPT!

Happy Birthday-Eve and Eras docu-series release day to Taylor Alison Swift!

That's all for today.

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Blaze of Glory

Happy Wednesday, friends and fam!

I'm on a Glen Powell kick that started with Chad Powers then watching Twisters again...

Glen Thomas Powell, Jr.  He is almost comically attractive - he was perfectly cast in Top Gun: Maverick, and his mentor/friendship with Tom Cruise makes me happy!!  He's great at playing the arrogant frat boy type, but he's pretty versatile, and his real personality seems super down to earth, a little cheesy, kindhearted, and driven/committed to success.  Anyway, I am a fan and wish him a lovely life and alllll the success he desires in Hollywood!

I was also happy to learn he's only four years younger than me - see how cute we'd be! lol

Mmkay, moving on.  Apple Music gave me my 2025 recap - I really laughed about Jon Bon Jovi being my top artist for the month of March!  I was on a Blaze of Glory kick and apparently listened to that one song enough to outrank any other artist that month. lol  So random.  I would have assumed I listened to Opalite more than Cancelled, but apparently not.  T-Swift's reign was not a surprise... get excited for her Disney+ "The End of an Era" documentary coming out on Friday!! ❤

I took this pic on my drive because I think of JMM every time I notice this Wellston sign.  January 2007, he was at my new Tulsa apartment helping Mom and I clean and move - he and I were sitting on the floor putting something together, and Rach was on speakerphone with Mom heading our way.  She was unfamiliar with the Tulsa drive and said, "I'm getting pretty close - I just passed Wellston."  And Josh whispered to me, "She is not close." lol  He was not wrong, and now it's a mile marker I tend to notice.  Not sure why that memory stuck with me, but here we are.

Going back to catch up on photos, Tate Haywood and Chet Lee ran Fleet Feet's Turkey Trot fun run on Black Friday this year... fun!!

One of my fav yesteryear pics of Rach and Jace! =)

My podcast besties... well, them and Mel Robbins and Melanie and Sophie!

The Wilsons (finally) made the official FB announcement that Karli is pregnant with another baby girl! #getexcited #cuteness

"Paige... something Wilson!" lol

Or maybe not even Paige, but I do think Paige Noelle would be cute! ❤

'Tis the season for Christmas treats, and a bail bonds office brought us bundtinis.  Judge grabbed a carrot cake thinking it was pumpkin, then threw most of it away...

Judge:  Has anybody tried the chocolate?  What's that one?

Me:  Oh, it's just chocolate cake with chocolate chips!

Judge:  "Okay good.  I'm gun-shy now - if only they wouldn't make cakes out of vegetables... what a ridiculous notion!" lol  He was adamant, and it cracked me up!

(For the record, I had the other carrot cake and quite enjoyed it!)

Yay, Christmas leggings!  And yay, Norman Christmas tree!

I took a free sample 15-minute class yesterday for my first super-official Peloton ride -- yay, Robin Arzon, and yay for the full bike experience --  loved it!  As soon as my work TV is re-mounted in that room, I'll make this a regular workout! ❤

Okay, that's all for today.  Time to buckle down and focus, getting caught up with transcripts and finishing strong with school work!! 

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Final Books for 2025!

1.  SPSS Survival Manual: A Step by Step Guide to Data Analysis Using IBM SPSS by Julie Pallant -- My statistics textbook - riveting, as you might imagine!  But I learned some new things, and I'm officially done with math courses forevermore at the end of this week -- HUZZAH!!

2.  How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Nicole LePera -- Read this three years ago and revisited it recently based on Emily's recommendation since it has some great content on calming and resetting your nervous system! ❤

3.  It Doesn't Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life by Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- He was on Mel's podcast, and he is good at explaining medical things on a relatable layperson level.  This book has great evidence-based insight on how our mindset affects our pain tolerance and experience of physical pain.

4.  Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- Again, strong medical content that feels accessible for the average reader... with relevant lifestyle changes and medical tests that would be helpful for anyone dealing with cognitive decline or hoping to prevent it.

5.  Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity, and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions by Todd Rose -- my favorite book of 2025, found through Mel Robbins' podcast!!  The author researched how our false assumptions about the majority opinion quietly shape our decisions and our culture.  He argues that most of us hide our preferences and conform in an effort to belong, chasing goals we do not really value and reinforcing systems most people do not believe in.  This drives political polarization and personal dissatisfaction, not to mention the issues it creates within the church... and this book is a roadmap for questioning the perceived norms, speaking honestly about our true values, and building healthier environments where AUTHENTICITY replaces conformity!

6.  The Lion and the Bear: A 100-Day Guide for Facing Your Giants by Caroline Shankle -- A solid devotional book intended for teens and college girls... I was excited to support Caroline's first book (Melanie's daughter from the Big Boo Podcast), and I wanted to listen to it before giving it to my niece as a bonus Christmas gift! =)

7.  That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers -- Another first-book effort I was happy to support!  I always enjoy Elyse's reels and the way she shares her personal stories with vulnerability and humor, and this book was sweet and fun.  I appreciate the stream-of-consciousness-style storytelling, and it was nice to learn more about how she and Jonas (her husband) first met.

8.  Hiring for Attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting Star Performers.. by Mark Murphy -- Did not love this one - maybe because it felt outdated and a little condescending, or maybe because the author used the phrase "brown shorts" approximately 100,000 times when I'd have preferred "workplace culture" or "company values."  I understand the general message of "prioritize hiring people who share your core values," but I did not love the way it was delivered.

9.  Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins -- Loved this one, found through Craig's Leadership podcast.  Another research-driven book (yay for thinking ahead on dissertation ideas) where they compared the performance of several top companies and analyzed the main qualities that led to 10x greatness: fanatic discipline, evidence-based creativity, and productive paranoia.

So that officially wraps up my reading list for 2025.  The 40 books pictured below + my annual re-read of Atomic Habits, for a total of 41 books at age 41 - YAY!  A happy accident this year, but one I will be intentional about continuing!! =)

Seven of this year's books were re-reads from past years,
but of the books that were new to me:

Gold = Collective Illusions

Silver = I've Never Been Here Before

Bronze = Here Be Dragons

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3 Parties in 3 Days!

And last but not least, today was Mom and Dad's Christmas party for Dad's Fantasy Football crew, our long-time family friends... the Wallaces, Minnichs, and Lemieux fam! ❤  Three Christmas parties in three days this weekend... all fun times and good crowds and an abundance of great food... and now I'm genuinely looking forward to healthier eating through the week ahead!

This = Ty, Clint, Rach, me, and Michelle (aka the kids of yesteryear) =)

Kingston and Jaceman!

Bill & Jill!

The Fam!

Bob and Terry!

Wallace Crew!

Pic with Kyndal Faith in her "Sleigh Girl Sleigh" shirt! lol

Wallace boys and Muecke girls!

A quick look back at the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s... birthdays, Sea World, San Antonio, Beverly Hills, and Clint's wedding at 9121. =)

Group pic... everyone but Rick made it for this event (he was home with a migraine).

'Tis the season for extensions, apparently. lol  This = Autumn (red) and Michaela (copper/brown), my new hand-tied hair extensions by Janelle on 12-5-2025... I think I'll be very glad to have them through the Christmas season and Disney trip and birthday season ahead!

And on this day last year (12-7-2024) was Vivian's first public appearance at Mission BBQ with the Wilsons after Parker's ballet! =)

After that dinner, I drove straight to Rachael's house, where she curled that Halo hairpiece for me to use in my first and only legit photo session the next day... YAY!!

GRACIOUS - I'm tired.  Outside of two Tulsa parties and today's family party, I finished some intense stats homework, recorded a school presentation with my qualitative research group, processed deep thoughts, and wrote three party-recap blogs! ;-)  Thirteen weeks down, one to go for this fall school semester!  This weekend has been rich and full, and I'm grateful!!

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A Very Bougie Christmas

Saturday night was Chet Lee's 5th Annual Bougie Charcuterie Board Christmas Party, his favorite event of the Christmas season!! ❤

Chettles decided to make the entire kitchen island a grazing board... it was a hit!!  He prefers the fancier cheeses, but I was very happy that this year's board included some easy grab-and-go cheese cubes and slices... yes, please! =)

The fruit tree! =)

Sushi platters, courtesy of Debbie - also a hit, just not in my world! =)

Dessert boards, including Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes!! lol

There was also puppy chow and fruit dip and great punch and hot chocolate and tea!  The Wilsons do such a great job putting together this fun party every year!!

As per usual, Chet was busy hosting and helping newbies feel comfortable, so we caught up after the party.  Chettles is a natural connector who befriends everyone he meets, so this yearly event includes his neighbors, church friends, new pastor, coworkers, lenders, clients, dentist, Chick-Fil-A friends, and the usual core friend group!

Leasa from Chick-Fil-A, aka Chet's mobile office. lol

Tree pic with the fabulous Foster fam before they left!

New piano player this year - she didn't take requests on the Christmas carols, but she played fantastic background music like the Home Alone song and Where Are You Christmas and other movie gems!

Christmas carols... always entertaining and cute!  We sang without booklets this time, so we were struggling and Googling the words for some of the verses. lol

It was a drill weekend for Steve, so he and Sarah arrived around the time Don and Kantrell were leaving... but I insisted on this photo since they all had on bright red sweaters with sparkling Chrstimas lights! lol

Bill and Melissa brought the kids back home toward the end of the night... I was so happy to see them again, and they were thrilled to get some fun snacks and see everyone for a bit!

Stephen took our annual friend trio pic... cuteness!  He had the phone up nice and high, then wordlessly started to bring it down to a far less flattering angle, and Chet and I both said "No" in unison. LOL

When I wasn't snacking in the kitchen, I spent quality time at the dining table laughing and talking with the Fosters, Myers, and Bradleys... then that group left and the Fultons arrived, so I caught up with Sarah and Steve for a while (getting updated on David's hospital drama and other family and school stuff).  This is a kid-free event, so when all the parents had gone home, it was the Iwanagas; Chet's neighbor, Mark; myself; and the Wilson fam!  Here's the final pics with Paul and Stephanie and the Wilsons (this photo was by Tate)!  It made me happy that Stephanie and I both went with our bling jeans for this bougie soiree! ;-)

Stephanie set her phone up on a timer, resulting in some cute selfies of the kids! lol

And a fun group shot that included all of us!!

All in all, it was a very fun party with lots of great food!!  My favorite quote of the night came from Jon Foster - Jessica was talking to Kantrell about how she has to be more careful about what she eats because her metabolism has changed since she was in her mid-20s, and Jon chimed in with "Pretty sure my metabolism changed when I was 8!"  lol  Kantrell and I quickly joined him in lamenting that we've really never experienced the lovely high-metabolism life, but kudos to those who did!!

"Mini-wave in celebration of ME!" lol ;-)  
(This is courtesy of Steve not paying attention to my fun photo prop.)

Mmkay, that's all for this post!

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