I've Never Been Here Before

So I've been following Ashley's blog and Instagram stories for. a. minute.

(15 years and counting now).

Saturday, I had the privilege of meeting her in person for the first time! ❤

She had a book signing event at Book and Bloom in Broken Arrow... an adorable bookstore & flower shop that she said reminded her of You've Got Mail.  For real, Main Street in Broken Arrow is the best, and they chose the perfect location for this event!  Oooh, and I stopped by the Laurannae Bakery Ashley had recommended afterward and had the very best cupcake ever, but let's not get sidetracked. lol

The entire Campbell family was there... they're all kind and down-to-earth people who probably found the book-signing dynamic a bit awkward, but they're basically celebrities from my vantage point!!

Fun fact: My favorite photo wall at 522 was inspired by Ashley Ann!!

Campbell fam exactly ten years ago on Saturday. ❤ 

I felt very happy and proud for Ashley that there was a steady crowd of people from 10am to 1pm for this book launch event - amazing!!

Love the whole Campbell fam more than you might think possible - their childhood stories and photos, and the way Ashley celebrates what makes each of her kids unique - gracious, it's been subtle and gradual, but her writing style, eye for detail, love of adventure and color, exceptional photography skills (#snapshops2011), and her genuine love of humanity have shaped my life and taught me so much!! ❤

For a while, Chris and Ashley had three boys and one girl, and that dynamic reminded me of my preshface niece and nephews.

After a long road in the adoption process, in 2012, they traveled internationally to adopt Evann, who completes the awesome Campbell fam party of 7! ❤

In 2022, they took a highly-anticipated year-long trip around the world, visiting 20 different countries and learning from all the people and places along the way.  Ashley wrote and published her first book detailing their memories and stories from that trip, and it is phenomenal!  Genuinely.  Highly recommend it!!

I loved seeing their whole family there in BA supporting her and signing books with her!!  Blogging creates such a fascinating dynamic... I understand that I'm a kind and supportive stranger to them, but I feel like I've known them well for years, and I am so cheering for them right now!!

Each of her kids wrote a personal essay that is included in the book, so I marked their pages for them to sign! =)

Chris was greeting people in the line, so he was the first to sign my book... then I reached Corbett, Hudson, and Everett... the awesome men of the Campbell fam!  I loved following their Instagram posts and stories during their world-traveling adventure, and it made me happy to see them in person!!

I was also really happy to see Breese... fun fact: she has loved baking since she was little (left pic)... she now has her own side business called Sunshine Baked Goods.  And this summer, she baked and decorated the cake for her oldest brother, Corbett's wedding - so cool!

Finally, I was delighted to meet the youngest member of the Campbell fam... following Chris and Ashley's adoption journey was inspiring for me - I was among the hundreds who donated to the Incubator Project for the orphanage, and I cried when Ashley cried the day she met her daughter almost 13 years ago.  I so LOVED reading Evann's essay about conquering her fears and food aversions and embracing new things throughout this trip!!

Ashley Ann was the last person I connected with at the signing table.  The friendly woman next to me in line knew their family well and announced that I had traveled from OKC to be there.  Ashley thanked me for that, and I told her I've followed the blog for years and congratulated her on this massive accomplishment!!  We talked about the cute bookstore and the book launch team and got a photo together, then I stepped forward to keep the line moving.  All in all, my time in the bookstore was relatively short, and there was no way to adequately convey my deeper thoughts or level of gratitude there... but it was a fun Saturday in the Tulsa area, and I'm really glad I came out to support them!

This ended up being more of a tribute to their family than an official book review... but the book is exceptional!  How could it not be!?  I'll write a shorter review for Amazon later this week.  Ashley is a gifted writer and photographer, and her debut book is brimming over with high-quality photos from their trip - (mostly taken by her, but some courtesy of Corbett's impressive drone photography).  Anyway, following their family's trip in real-time was great fun, and it's awesome and expansive to get the behind-the-scenes stories in the book, vicariously experiencing the new people, places, foods, and great memories they shared!  

As a long-time blogger who aspires to be a book author someday, I can appreciate what opening this box meant to Ashley!  Well-deserved joy!!  I really love that Chris and each of the kids wrote their own essays that are included in it - what a gift and keepsake this book will be for their family, and what a gift for everyone who takes the time to read it!  Even the way Ashley formatted the book has inspired me creatively - it's unique, and it's exactly what it should be.  I am deeply thankful for Ashley's wisdom, warmth, and personal strength - over the past 15+ years, her subtle influence on my life has been positive and profound.  The Campbell family is such a light in the world, and I'm happy this book will carry that light a little further!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Thankful Thursday #229

"Study this Book of Instruction continually.

Mediate on it day and night

so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.

Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."

~Joshua 1:8

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  This book.  The #1 book I would recommend as it's the #1 book outside the Bible that has changed the course of my life.  I reread it last week preparing for my presentation next week...

2.  On a very related note, I'm grateful for the many stories that demonstrate the positive impact a seasoned guide/mentor can have on someone's life and identity!   I love this topic, and I'm excited to create a video presentation on how it relates to counseling professors and their students + counselors and their clients!! ❤
**If you think of another good example of the guide/mentor from books, TV, or movies, please message me!! =)

3.  That Dad was celebrated well on his 72nd birthday, by his staff and family and friends!

4.  AFD and Edward V. Kaufholz, III. =)  I'm forever a fan of their friendship and so happy they're back to regular podcasting together!

5.  Dr. Ku, my Dallas IVF embryo transfer doctor, who is on Instagram as drknockedup, which made me laugh pretty hard this morning.  Our meeting early this week went well - what felt potentially catastrophic last week should only cause a minor delay either way, so I am grateful for his insight, sincerity, and medical care!

6.  PELOTON... after five great years, my membership expired on 7-27-25.  I did my final Intention Setting walk with Kirsten Ferguson on Friday the 25th.  I'm thankful for the rides, the laughs, the strength workouts, the walks and jogs, the yoga workouts, the stretches, the music, and the coaches who inspired me and made working out feel more accessible and so much more fun from the start of the pandemic to today!  At this point in my life and schedule, I  usually prefer outdoor jogs and listening to podcasts or chatting with friends, but I will always be grateful for the way Peloton shaped my life and my identity!  My "Board of Empowerment" would not exist without those coaches, and they walked me all the way through my first (and likely only) marathon!  I'm forever grateful for the way the Peloton coaches and community helped me experience the joy of movement and exercise!!
"Live, Learn, Love Well."  "Peace, love, power, and respect!!"  #lindseyclaire7  ❤

7.  A really good day of counseling yesterday!  I'm grateful to be building connections and feeling more hopeful and confident about this work, and for the reminder below that God's power to transform our lives and our world is abundant and infinite. His perspective and resources are unlimited, and He is happy to share with us. ❤

I love you and believe in you,
and I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead!
❤ ❤ ❤

Listening Library

1.  The Silent Patient  by Alex Michaelides -- Well written, but not really the type of book I enjoy!  It's a thriller or crime fiction book - I tried it because Alicia and Katie highly recommended it and really loved the plot twist, so I wanted to know more.  It was interesting, but I get enough crime stories in court. lol

2.  LeaderShift: 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace by John C. Maxwell - The first of his books that I've read.  Good, but a little formulaic.  I'm on a leadership kick, so it was helpful to think about the ways my thinking needs to shift to be an inspiring leader (soloist to conductor, team uniformity to team diversity, pleasing people to challenging people, etc.)!  It also added some good content for my Leadership Philosophy paper, so yay for that!

3.  Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop - (Recommended by Alicia when she heard I was interested in grief counseling).  This explains lament from a Biblical perspective - the author is a dad grieving the loss of his child, and he writes about how the book of Lamentations offers a blueprint for venting frustrations and expressing hard emotions while keeping our hearts turned toward God.  Heavy, but good and aligned with my heart for helping people move forward with grief.  

4.  The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change by Damon West and Jon Gordon - Very short and not worth the money for the audiobook, honestly - it would've been 100x better if Damon had told more of his own story rather than stopping with the short metaphor.  He was on the Jefferson Fisher podcast (video HERE)... Damon had served time in prison, and he shared the advice another man gave him just before going in: Think of prison as a pot of boiling water... and you can be like a carrot that is weakened and softened by that environment.  You can be like an egg that becomes hard inside... Or you can be like the coffee bean that gradually changes the water surrounding it.  Y'all know I love metaphors, and this one works in all of life - wherever we may find ourselves, it's important to remember we have the power to color and change our environment rather than allowing it to weaken or harden us. ❤

5.  The 5 Second Rule by my friend, Mel Robbins - Mel is the queen of audiobooks!  She reads them in such a natural, conversational way that it's much more like listening to her podcast (which I also enjoy).  She's also the queen of expounding on a simple concept and giving you loads of practical examples and stories to help it stick.  The concept here is giving yourself a 5-4-3-2-1, GO!! countdown for any task you do not want to do - pushing forward and interrupting the part of your brain that overthinks things and talks you out of it.  Sounds simple, but it's effective, and it's revolutionizing my morning routine at the moment (no more snooze button). =)

6.  Visioneering: God's Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision by Andy Stanley - So good - my favorite of the three books on this list recommended by Alicia! =)  Andy writes eloquently about vision-casting, leadership, and the inimitable value of moral authority!!  He goes through the story of Nehemiah as he led the rebuilding of the temple - "I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down."  My favorite part was definitely the section on moral authority, also known as the anointing of God on those who have a clear conscience before Him.  Andy said, "On the path to any big dream, you will be tempted to compromise.  We have to be willing to let go of our vision or dream before we would compromise our moral authority."  Embracing that concept has already cost me several hours of extra work, and paid off in higher self-respect, a deeper connection with God, and greater confidence in my creative writing and academic research abilities!!

Okay then, Happy Monday!  I love you and believe in you,

and I'm confident God will finish the good things He has begun in us and for us and through us!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Reading Recap

 

1.  What Does It Feel Like?  by Sophie Kinsella -- Recap HERE.

2.  Don't Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose by Christine Caine -- Reread this two years later - Christine is encouraging and motivating!  Original recap HERE.

3.  Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves by Allison Wood Brooks 

I enjoyed this one!  In this book, T-A-L-K is an acronym for Topics, Asking, Levity, and Kindness... aka coming in prepared with ideas when you're meeting new people, being genuinely curious and asking good questions about their lives, bringing light and laughter into your conversations, and treating people the way they want to be treated.  I learned about this author through the Mel Robbins podcast -- she's a Harvard professor with some great insights for building better communication skills, and her tips for job interviews were timely and helpful just before my MCC interviews!

4.  My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner

This is Jeremy's story of surviving and thriving after being crushed by a Snowcat (38 broken bones) on New Years Day 2023 -- I sincerely applaud his resilience, grit, stubborn strength, and holding onto hope.  They included the audio from the actual 911 call made by his neighbor where you hear him groaning in pain and his nephew explaining things in the background.  Rough.  He talks about going to Lamaze classes with his pregnant mom as a young boy, and practicing those breathing techniques as he was alone on the ice waiting for paramedics to arrive - he refused to let himself fall asleep or lose consciousness in that critical period.  I found myself repeatedly thinking how I want him to know Jesus - he refers to certain things as coincidences or twists of fate that were so clearly God's protection.  Grateful he shared his inspiring story; praying for his eyes and heart to be open to gospel truth.

5.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

After all this time!?  Always.  Sooooo gooood.  Not even sure how many times I've read these at this point, but I know this won't be the last.  The life lessons and the redemptive arc are so strong in this final book - so much loss and sacrifice, but also a great deal of restoration and high purpose and hope.  The hallows and the horcruxes - I marvel at J.K.'s ability to weave this whole story together.  My love for the characters is real, and the story continues on in my mind.  The thought of the Weasley and Potter family dinners brings me an absurd amount of joy - like, I literally think about them on Thanksgiving and Christmas sometimes, imagining them all together at the Burrow with their kids and the Weasley siblings and all the noise and laughter and drama and great food. lol  Of course it is happening inside my head... but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? ;-)

6.  Ordinary Time:  Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones

Recommended by Mel and Sophie - loved it - a warm collection of essays and stories that made me want to continue writing my own and potentially find the recurring themes and collect them into a lovely book format. lol  

Quotes that stood out for me:
"I am no longer devastated when the church behaves in contradiction to itself.  The church is not Jesus; Jesus is Jesus.  And my expectations of Him are met every time.  My spiritual life no longer has church at its center.  Do I still believe in church?  Still attend a church?  Yes. Not everyone I love does, but I still do.  I think one of the reasons this is even conceivable is because I lowered the bar... In so much of my life, I want our institutions to do better, to behave better, to provide better.  But much like I no longer worship a particular political party, I no longer worship church.  I do not have her on a high pedestal because I see her for what she is...  Of course I want more out of church, more out of faith, but I now know perfection won't exist this side of Heaven."

"My very favorites are the ones who I can tell are having a great time, the women who aren't afraid to laugh heartily or grin giddily, the ones who take photos and express gratitude and pull staffers aside to share their awe.  The solution to an age of disenchantment?  Be enchanted.  Share about it.  In a world of cynicism, earnestness is crucial... I don't want to be known for my eyeroll, but for my awe.  Love what you love, yes.  But also, don't keep it to yourself!"

Thanks for stopping by! =)  I love you and believe in you,

and I'm confident God is with you and for you!

❤ ❤ ❤

Sophie Kinsella

I listened to this audiobook on my drive to Tulsa yesterday.  I was fully caught up on podcasts and Audible books, so I did a search for available books on Libby and figured I'd give this a try.  And in spite of knowing Sophie's writing style pretty well, I was entirely caught off guard by this one!!

Sophie's books are known for their bright and cheery covers, usually lighthearted chick lit stories with happy endings.  The main character is almost always a single woman, and the plots are fairly predictable/frivolous, but fun and sweet.  I read several of them back in my young adult years, 2005-2012ish...

(This = Madeleine Sophie Wickham, but she writes under the name Sophie Kinsella.)

The leading lady in this book is a happily married mother of five kids, a successful author who decided to write about what she knew, starting with a main character who had a mild shopping addiction.  I suspected at that point that this book was going to be autobiographical, then a little ways in, Eve (the main character) wakes up after surgery to remove a brain tumor.  She wrote in detail about stage four glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer that typically comes back, and about how Eve and her awesome, supportive husband and their five children were dealing with it.  There were some poignant reflections on death and grief and loss and feeling gratitude and love in the midst of all that.  The entire thing was 2 hours, and the book ends somewhat abruptly but on a hopeful note, with the main character doing well and hoping for continued health and healing.

Then she narrates the Author's Note, where she clearly explains that this is her story, that she has a wonderful husband and five children, and she was diagnosed with this rare cancer and had a surgery that (temporarily) affected her memory and ability to walk, etc.

She said something like "my attentive readers will notice a shift from my usual tone..." Umm, massive understatement!  I was nearly crying as I made my way onto the Creek Turnpike.  But I'm thankful I found this one, and I'm praying for her and her family!  It was a deep reminder of the value of being a light by choosing love and joy and hope, even in seasons that are dark and heavy.

❤ ❤ ❤

Confidence and Adverbs

I mentioned this book in my previous post.  It's full of practical communication advice, and I want to dive deeper on two points that stood out for me!

Jefferson suggests avoiding adverbs to communicate with more strength and clarity.

So, Honestly, Well, Actually, Rarely, Definitely, Clearly, Unfortunately, Sadly, Genuinely, Literally, Hopefully, Usually, Always, Eventually, Finally, Never, Very, Really, Entirely, Obviously, Exactly, Generally, Typically, etc.

I use adverbs ALL THE TIME in speech and in writing... I've definitely caught myself and corrected it multiple times this morning, and it tends to improve my point!  That's something I will continue working on moving forward.

* * * * * * *

He also suggests changing "I believe..." or "I feel..." statements to "I'm confident..."  A simple shift with a big impact.  He says the more you hear yourself say that and the more others hear you say it, the more confident you will feel, and the more others will view you as a confident and competent person.

"I'm confident I can help you with that."  

"Thanks - if I need any help, I'm confident I can come to you."

"I'm confident God is at work here."

Okay, friends... I love you and believe in you,
and I'm confident in your ability to seek and follow God! ❤

Book Bag!

My last book post was February 6th.  I've completed 11 audiobooks since then! lol  Lots of long drives and very long jogs and fun cooking days, etc. (where I prefer listening to podcasts and audiobooks).  The HP book in this photo represents books 1-6:

1.  Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma by Melanie Shankle

Melanie and Sophie are my Enneagram 9 podcast besties.  They're funny and they love Jesus, and they've inspired about 500 random little purchases with their weekly "Five Favorites."  This book is my favorite of Melanie's books I've read so far.  It tells the vulnerable story of her complicated relationship with her Mom, a narcissist with a pattern of emotional abuse.  She eventually set a hard boundary there, and it helped her in parenting her daughter while she was being bullied by a clique of mean girls at school.  It has good advice for people with my conflict-avoidant personality on how to stand your ground and endure the backlash that comes with angering strong personalities, and she points to God as the source of our strength.

Quote:  "Sometimes, the way to get through something difficult is to keep your head up, keep your eyes on God, and walk through it even when you feel as though all you're doing is barely limping along. There are things He wants to forge in us that can be found ONLY along the hardest paths we walk."

2.  The Sacred Romance: Coming Home to the God Who Pursues Your Heart by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis

Finally reading this for the first time - it's Eldredge's first book, written with his best friend at the time who died shortly after it published.  It was a good reminder of the major themes and the minor themes and all the other things I love and respect about John Eldredge's world view.  His books have been a guide on my journey many times, pointing me closer to Jesus!

Quote:  “One of the most poisonous of all Satan’s whispers is simply, “Things will never change.” That lie kills expectation, trapping our heart forever in the present. To keep desire alive and flourishing, we must renew our vision for what lies ahead. Things will not always be like this. Jesus has promised to “make all things new.” Eye has not seen, ear has not heard all that God has in store for his lovers, which does not mean “we have no clue so don’t even try to imagine,” but rather, you cannot outdream God. Desire is kept alive by imagination, the antidote to resignation. We will need imagination, which is to say, we will need hope.”

3.  The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self by Martha Beck

Ironically, my biggest takeaway from this book was the rubber band video, which was indirectly related to The Empowerment Dynamic and Drama Triangle she briefly mentions.  I am not aligned with Beck's theology and worldview and personal values, but I understand and respect how she arrived there.  She's not wrong about how easily we bend and blend to match the culture around us, and her idea of taking an Integrity Cleanse challenge (where you vow not to lie to anyone for a full month, including yourself) is a good one.  I also appreciate her story and her courage in standing against the abuse of power in her former church.

Quote:  “To be in integrity is to be one thing, whole and undivided... The extent to which people will defy nature to serve culture can be truly horrifying... If you don't walk your true path, you don't find your true people.  You end up in places you don't like, learning skills that don't fulfill you, adopting values and customs that feel wrong."

4.  The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher

Jefferson's first book - I enjoyed it, and I will definitely listen through it again!  And probably seek out specific chapters when I need them.  He has great practical advice on navigating difficult conversations with grace, emotional regulation, and clear communication.  He emphasizes the importance of humility and that our goal should be connection rather than "winning" the argument, and I love that!

Jefferson's rules for better conversations:  "Say it with control.  Say it with confidence.  Say it to connect."

5.  Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sanderg

A story of grief and loss and resilience and recovery, recommended by Emily when I told her I'm interested in grief counseling.  I loved and related to Sheryl's grief-induced anger and sharp wit, often toward people who were particularly insensitive or apathetic.  She's a Facebook employee, and parts of her story gave me hope that Mark Zuckerberg has grown in kindness and compassion, which I hope is true.  She goes into a lot of statistics that I believe helped her but didn't feel particularly helpful to me, but I very much appreciated her story and how she and her children moved forward with their grief, and I liked what she said about our ability to build and cultivate resilience!

Quotes:  "I couldn't understand when friends didn't ask me how I was.  I felt invisible, as if I were standing in front of them but they couldn't see me.  When someone shows up with a cast, we immediately inquire, 'What happened?' If your ankle gets shattered, people ask to hear the story.  If your life gets shattered, they don't." 

“We plant the seeds of resilience in the ways we process negative events.  After spending decades studying how people deal with setbacks, psychologist Martin Seligman found that three P's can stunt recovery: (1) personalization - the belief that we are at fault; (2) pervasiveness - the belief that an event will affect all areas of our life; and (3) permanence - the belief that the aftershocks of the event will last forever... Resilience is the strength and speed of our response to adversity - and we can build it.  It isn't about having a backbone. It's about strengthening the muscles around our backbone."

6-11.  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (only book 7 remaining - I'm so ready for it!)

Round #7 or 8 for these audiobooks, I would assume... I really dive into the story and adore the characters, and I'm so happy to have these books on the Audible app to accompany me through long drives or walks!  The characters are richly detailed and relatable, and the overarching story itself is epic and full of metaphors that inspire me!!

Best Quote in the Half-Blood Prince:  “He understood at last what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him.  It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high.  Some people perhaps would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew -- and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents -- that there was all the difference in the world!” 

YES, J.K. Rowling!!!  Let's freaking go!  That's from the very end of Chapter 23 in book 6.  (Fun fact - my favorite chapter in book 6 is The White Tomb - I can't get through that one or Christmas on the Closed Ward or Beyond the Veil in book 5 without crying.)  Kristin finished the HP books last year and didn't mention it until one of our dinners this year - possibly bc she knew my excitement level would be extra! lolol  I was super thrilled to hear that and asked which book was her favorite.  She said she enjoyed them all, but she didn't really have a favorite...

Me, unironically:  "Yeah, I get that... they're all really good, and J.K. Rowling is just brilliant!  ...My favorites in order of preference are 573-1642!!  It used to be 1462, but book 6 has grown on me."  Lol true story.

That's all for today, gang!

❤ ❤ ❤

Breakthrough Books

 Happy Thursday!  

It's been a great season for reading, so here are the latest book recaps/lessons:

Currently listening to this gem again... a beginning of the year tradition for me!

"The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.  But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger, roots entrench themselves, and branches grow.  The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us.  And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time."  

The metaphor there is SO ON POINT - I want to uproot the bad trees and cultivate the good until it grows and becomes a strong tree.  Working on all of the above.  Thanks to James Clear for the very practical tools and advice offered here!

Other audiobooks I've completed lately:

1.  The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Love "my friend, Mel" and so appreciate her practicality and ability to make an audiobook feel  as conversational and natural as a podcast!  "Let them" is my theme for 2025, and this book helped me to further wire in the empowering message of focusing on what is truly in my control and letting go of all that is not.

Fav Chapter Title:  “People Only Change When They Want To" 

2.  Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield

Recommended by Emily (my counselor).  Really enjoyed this one - the author strikes a great balance between the anarchy mindset of the Anti-Diet book I read last year and the hyper-detailed rules of the Good Energy approach.  The focus is on making decisions (with food, exercise, sleep, stress, and other habits) that allow you to feel more peace and take better care of yourself long-term.  Seems really obvious, but it's definitely helping me to approach health goals from that perspective!

Fav quote:  “You give yourself something to rebel against every time you lay down an inflexible, moral law... The power of choice is a freedom our minds don't give up easily.  Through body kindness, you will develop an internal compass for decision-making based on what's actually helpful (as opposed to 'good' or 'bad'), what you care about most, and the kind of life you want for yourself.  The universal body kindness question asks: Is this helping to create a better life for myself?"

3.  Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose by Martha Beck

Recommended by Amy S from CCU.  I was halfway through this book and 1/3 of the way through a Mel Robbins podcast with Martha Beck when I connected the dots that she was the author of the book I was listening to! lol  Anyway, this one was good and made me think more deeply about the power of leaning into what interests me and allowing myself to be creative (she argues that creativity is the antidote to anxiety).

Martha Beck Quote:  “My belief is that we can’t just erase anxiety and leave a blank slate; to make our relief permanent we have to replace anxiety with creativity, so the brain is working in a way that doesn’t allow us to fall into anxiety ruts...  As you spark the curiosity and connection that are designed to help you move through the world, you’ll find your anxiety shrinking."

4.  Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show While Also in an Actual Cult by Bethany Joy Lenz

A fascinating true story, and a book that sharply brought back memories from one cultish prayer group and one creepy small group I attended.  It also led me to question my own blind loyalty to certain Christian authors/leaders, realizing I need to be wise and cautious and remind myself that all humans are fallible, always taking the time to weigh things that feel off in my spirit against the Word of God.  The way some churches overlook and/or obliviously promote these groups is problematic, and the way cult leaders target those who are hungry for positive change and a sense of family love and safety is tragic/wicked.

Best Quote:  “There is one indisputable way to identify a cult, one characteristic they all share.  It is not a belief in alien spacecraft or a plentiful supply of Flavor Aid.  It is the notion that anyone who does not agree with the group's beliefs or choices, who expresses concerns, who simply dare to ask questions, is deemed "unsafe."  Every good thing about that person must be subsumed by the fact that they disagree with me, so I can boil down their character into something vilifiable.  For mind control to work, there has to be heroes and villains.  It has to be us versus them.  In a cult, it isn't good enough for you to say, "I love you, but I disagree with you."  You must affirm my choices and beliefs.  Only then can you be considered "safe."  In a cult, safety means agreement.  The irony of course, is that while you are not allowed to have your own opinions about my beliefs, I am allowed to have an opinion about yours.”

❤ ❤ ❤

Full Circle

❤ ❤ ❤

"The current cultural messaging that tells women it's attractive to play dumb and fragile and hope that they're saved by their beauty is incredibly destructive... Let's set a new example for a generation of young women who are watching us closely.  Let's teach them by our example to be women who work hard, who pay attention to their dreams, who give themselves to making the world a better place."  -Shauna Niequist

Seeing my official diploma makes it all feel more real! ❤
Updated Edit:  I learned from Amy that "High Distinction" means I'm in the Top 10% of my class, which is pretty cool!!

Seeing the diploma, my mind quickly went back to the "Beauty for Ashes" post I wrote back in September 2013, the day I received my Bachelor's diploma from SNU... the gaping loss and despair I felt in that season, the sense of brokenness and unworthiness, the way the enemy was at work, the friends who continually showed up and built me back up, the lonnnng road to hope and healing, the strong hope for a redeemed friendship story, and ultimately getting redemption that looked very different from what I had pictured.  I feel ready to tell my story (or collection of stories) with as much grit and unpolished honesty as I can muster, to mine for new ways God will show up and speak to me as I write it all down with fresh perspective, to trust that He will use it all for good in ways I cannot see yet... wish me luck, and pray that I'll put in the work and see it all the way through!!  This is the year for finishing things I started long ago... including but not limited to the full marathon (in April), losing 100 pounds (potentially by my birthday), and writing a book (first full draft ready by September 1st and edits done by Christmas).

"We dilute the beauty of the gospel story when we divorce it from our lives, our worlds, the words and images that God is writing right now on our souls.  There's nothing small or inconsequential about our stories.  If you want your community to be marked by radical honesty, by risky, terrifying, ultimately redemptive truth-telling, you must start telling your truth first.  Don't allow the story of God, the sacred, transforming story of what God does in a human heart, to become flat and lifeless.  If you have been transformed by the grace of God, then you have within you all you need to write your manifesto, your poem, your song, your battle cry, your love letter to a beautiful and broken world.  Your story must be told."
-Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet