Showing posts with label Birthdays!. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthdays!. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Four Years of Sunshine

Happy 4th Birthday to my Mini-BFF, Princess Parker!! ❤
"Though she be but little, she is fierce."  ~Shakespeare

Today marks four whole years of sparkles, strong opinions, Disney princess movies, the cutest laugh, and the one-of-a-kind magic that is Miss Parker Elizabeth! ❤

Her mom and dad didn't find out the gender ahead of time, so getting the bow pic was a memorable and happy surprise that called for lots of pink hearts! lol  From the moment she arrived earlier than expected, this tiny preshface has brought color and joy to every room she enters -- the world is truly brighter with her in it!! ❤

As a close friend of the Wilson fam, I have loved watching her grow and seeing her personality develop!  Lately, it makes my day when her eyes light up with excitement and she screams "Lindsey!!" running to hug me when I come over!  Her laugh is contagious and her energy is magnetic, and she does everything wholeheartedly - including her sweet hugs!


Parker is a wonderful combo of playful and silly, opinionated and passionate, sensitive and bold.  She feels things deeply and freely, and (much like her dad) her face is very expressive about those feelings, which means you rarely have to wonder what’s on her heart!

I love that she knows what she wants and how to speak up for it, and she can be entertainingly sassy and strong willed -- not easily swayed into changing her mind!  She also has a kind and caring heart - it's the whole recipe for a wonderful leader down the road!!

She has two incredible parents who have poured love and guidance into her life, along with exceptional grandparents who delight in her and a big brother who is already her protector and sidekick.  With that kind of supportive crew behind her, there's no limit to where she’ll go!
#worldscutestshootingstar

Parker Elizabeth, thanks for being my friend and Facetime buddie and honorary niece, and thanks for posing for so many pics with and for me!  You are a sparkling ray of sunshine in a world that needs more light - keep shining!  You are beautiful inside and out, and I'm grateful for all the pure JOY you bring to the world!  I love and adore you, and I'm here to cheer for and support you however I can as you continue to grow. ❤

God made you very special, and I hope you always get super excited about your birthday, because YOU are worth celebrating big!  I hope this birthday and your much-anticipated Belle party this weekend are all you've been dreaming of -- full of chocolate, candy, ice cream cake, mo-mos (tomatoes), Ranch dressing, bouncy houses, Disney princesses, heels and hair crowns, laughter, fun presents, great friends and family, and everything you love most!!  (And honestly, I hope you continue to feel the safety and freedom to be sad and cry and side-eye the cake if you need to, even at your very own amazing party.)  You are a delight, and I'm excited to see the good things God has in store for you!

Happy 4th Birthday, Mini-Miss!

❤ Love Always,

Your Forever Fan and Honorary Aunt Lindsey


"Let her sleep, for when she wakes,
she will move mountains."

“She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.”
~Proverbs 31:25

Okay, last but not least, here's a fun slideshow to end this very-extra birthday tribute post! lol
❤ ❤ ❤

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Thankful Thursday #224

"For this reason we do not lose heart.  Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is RENEWED day after day.  And this small and temporary trouble we suffer is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine." 

~2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Our weekly family dinners, and more specifically, celebrating the birthdays of Triston Michael (18 on 4-2) and Carter Lee (17 on 4-18) with the fam at Ted's on Tuesday!! ❤

2.  Jon Tyson, who I have now heard in an audiobook he cowrote + the AFD podcast and the Wild at Heart podcast... the sincerity of his obedience and his heart for Jesus has increased my desire to study God's Word and seek Him more diligently, and I'm thankful for that shift!


3.  This once-in-a-lifetime season of marathon training and all God is teaching me through it!! ❤  Grit, endurance, accepting support, pressing past fear, trusting the process, celebrating small milestones, encouraging myself when it's just me and Jesus out there, etc.

4.  An encouraging interview last Friday - hearing "You have the qualities that can't be taught as a therapist who genuinely connects with people, and we can help you with the knowledge and diagnostic tools" felt like a high compliment (with room/encouragement to keep growing).  *Prayers appreciated for God to give me wisdom and open the right doors at the right time for me in this job search.

5.  Supporting T-man at his new barista job at the Choctaw Starbucks - fun!  He was super busy running the drive-through line, but he traded with a friend to come make my drink and chat for a sec before getting back to it! ❤

6.  The Wilsons and Weatherfords, who kindly let me join their family dinner last Friday!  The kids were in playful moods, and we all had a good talk about my interview that morning, the January Disney trip, and Miss Parker Elizabeth's 4th birthday and Belle party later this month, which is sure to be the very cutest!!

7.  A successful impromptu shopping spree on my first real trip to the Tulsa Premier Outlets last Friday... six new shirts, a gold bracelet, a J. Crew necklace, a Vera Bradley travel bag, and a Coach purse - huzzah!  All things I'll enjoy and use well, but it's probably for the best that my shopping time was limited. lol


8.  From my FB post:  Happy National Sibling Day to my younger sister, Rachael LaJo! ❤  Thankful for our childhood memories, our adult friendship, our family dinners, and all the ways you've made my life more colorful and fun and exciting (including my awesome niece and nephews)!!  Also grateful that you've shared clothes with me and become my fashion consultant, and that you're willing/eager to spend hours gluing tiny crystals to my graduation cap.  Love you!!  

9.  A great 4-mile walk with Kristin Michelle last night... with background music by the massive church youth gathering at the outdoor amphitheater part of our Central Park! =)

10.  Reading through Abby's Autobiography (a Senior-year project for all CHA students)... she has overcome a lot in her first 18 years, and she wrote about it with admirable vulnerability and courage! ❤  I told her this will be a great keepsake to look back at later, which I know now from experience - there are so many little memories from childhood and adolescence that would be easy to forget if they were not written down and preserved! =)

11.  Getting to watch Kyndal Faith's team play in the Lone Star Classic tournament from the comfort of my own home last weekend... whoever is in charge of the videos for these tournaments deserves a raise!

12.  Janelle told me (and showed me) that she's seeing "lots of new growth" and baby hairs coming in, saying I'll just have to be patient as it continues to grow and become more noticeable.  #metaphorforlife  (Weight loss surgery and the initial rapid loss typically leads to some hair thinning, but I've been taking the pricey Nutrafol supplements Dr. Apel recommended, and I'm so glad to know they are actually helping!  And I'm grateful for Halo Couture in the meantime. lol)

13.  This Netflix movie being better than I'd expected -- it was in the "We think you'll love this" category from Netflix, and they were not wrong. lol  It made me think about finding true love (and where I've already found it), leaving nothing left unsaid, growing through grief, and how my childhood goals align with who I am today!

14.  “I believe deeply that God does His best work in our lives during times of great heartbreak and loss, and I believe that much of that rich work is done by the hands of people who love us, who dive into the wreckage with us and show us who God is, over and over and over."  ~Shauna Niequist  I'm thankful for Chet Lee and Karli Marie and the way their loyal friendship, steadfast support, timely words of wisdom, and well-stewarded gift for cultivating solid community have been part of "God's best work" in my life, showing me who He is, over and over and over!! ❤


15.  Today's jury trial being continued (YAY), a lunch workout at Planet Fitness, and the gift of coming home to a lovely, fresh and clean house when I leave in a few minutes!!  Ahhh, I have missed Alisa (my once-a-month house cleaner) over the past 3 months... I am extra thankful for the great work she does, and I am grateful she's feeling better and able to come back now!

I'm also thankful for you being here! =)  This is my first Thankful Thursday post since January, so it's a little longer than usual.  Happy Thursday!!
❤ ❤ ❤

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Eighteen

Happy 18th Birthday to my oldest nephew, Triston Michael! ❤  In some ways, it feels surprising that we’re already here!  In others, it feels like he’s been an adult for a while now.  He's resilient, intelligent, and mature for his age, and I'm confident he has a bright future ahead of him!!
This post will be 18 pics/collages as a tribute for this milestone birthday marking official adulthood.  (Above is our 12-15-24 dinner at Tucker's to celebrate him being on Christmas Break and my last day of class!)
* * * * * * *

We first met back in 2010 when Josh and Rachael started dating -- he was 3 and Carter was 2.  This = him looking through the kid's Bible I got him + an adorable LifeChurch lobby pic + them coming to see me and visit the Jenks Aquarium!

So little and cute in their PJs - their first Christmas Eve with us!!

T&C enjoying some watermelon at the DeBusk get together -- that pic was framed in Jace's nursery room!  And I love his bright summer smile in the pic on the right (both of these are at JB's pool/hot tub)!

Rach and T after he lost his first tooth - major news!!

He's the oldest sibling on both sides of his family, and he's always been an awesome big brother (to Carter, Jace, Kyndal, Mason, Bryson, and Emberlee)!

I'm grateful we have a good connection and loads of good memories together!
These pics = After opening his first Macbook on Christmas Eve 2019, Mandalay Bay Beach at our Vegas trip summer 2022, and Serendipity 3 during our NYC trip this January!!

Just hanging out on the stage after the R&J wedding in 2011 + the hoverboard Christmas!

❤ Christmas Eve at Pelican's, surrrious brothers in glasses, dressed up for the CHA program, his baptism Sunday, our "brinner" Christmas 2011, monkey bars at Mom and Dad's, swing at Mom and Dad's, with Alan at Kristin's wedding, and a Parrish family fall photo shoot!

True story - he's the one we call with phone, TV, or computer questions!!

Three of my favorite pics of the four of them!!  (Two at JoBug's, one at 522).

The kids surprising me in the trunk of my car as I was getting ready to head back to Tulsa! lol

Brothers! ❤

Classic tree pic at Woodward Park in Tulsa.  Love them all!!

Timeline hop:  Kindergarten Graduation, candy bar sale in 6th grade, and flying an airplane at age 17!!

Spending quality time with the niece and nephews on the day before the Niagara trip with Mom and Dad!

Rach with T&C at Josh's apartment in 2010 + their rooftop photo shoot 2024!

And #18 = Our escape room adventure + Triston's GoPro swimming pic - love it!

T,
I see you.
I believe in you.
And I'm confident you will change the world!

You've been through a lot, and you have what it takes to keep moving forward.  God is always with you and for you, and as long as I'm around, I am here to support you in any way I can.  I'm excited for your Senior year at CHA ahead!  Praying for continued growth, healing, and strength as you step into the future with a strong foundation and a bright sense of hope and purpose!

Happy 18th Birthday!!

Love you! 
~Aunt Lindsey
❤ ❤ ❤

Sunday, March 2, 2025

Double Brunch Weekend

Well, it was a lovely weekend featuring a Friday night walk with Kristin, two delicious brunches, a 7-mile jog at The Station, and a 5-mile walk in Tulsa!  

Brunch #1 was at The Main Street Diner in Norman with Marla on Saturday... her last day at the courthouse was Friday, and we caught up on all she learned in her training week at CREOKS and all I've learned through various job searches, interviews, and networking conversations.  (To sum it up, Tulsa pays counseling candidates significantly more than OKC, and Tulsa supervisors charge significantly less, and neither of us fully understand why.) Anyway, I'm grateful for the Cleveland County connection with her, and I wish her all the best as she moves forward with her new school counselor and play therapist career!!

---

Brunch #2 was a belated 'birthday brunch' with the Wilsons and Fultons at Red Rock in Tulsa today... topics included online dating, job searching, challenging interviews, vaccinations, weight loss methods, body image issues, politics, family dramas, past traumas, panic attacks, parenting stressors, church mistrust, and more!  Cue the cheerful birthday music, please. lol  ...But I always appreciate deep conversations with trusted friends, and our brunch food was excellent, as per usual!!

My quiche + fruit = yum!

Group pic of our table!

Walking + listening to HP book 4... JK is truly brilliant, and I will never get over it!

Gifts Rach made for K-Faith and her Club Team!! ❤

Current screensaver at work. =)

This meme reminder came at a good time for me.  God does nothing without purpose... I so wanted this finding-my-first-counseling-job part of my story to be smooth and easy, but it's okay that it looks different than I planned.  Like so many things in life, I need to avoid personalizing it and/or believing that it means something negative about me and/or my value as a counselor.  God is at work in ways I cannot yet see.  I am not alone, ever.  The best is yet to come.  And everything happening in this waiting season matters.

God is with me and for me, empowering me with the passion and perseverance to keep moving forward with hope and purpose.
That's all for today.
❤ ❤ ❤