Everyday Joys (Thankful Thursday #234)

Day 20:  What are five seven small things that never fail to make you smile or brighten your day?

Throwing in two more so this will also count as a Thankful Thursday post! =)

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,

for His steadfast love endures forever!"

~Psalm 107:1

1.  Cute corgi puppy videos and reels!! =)

I mean, get out already with this much cuteness!  I will watch those videos every time I see them. lol  I also love American Eskimo puppies (the dog in The Proposal).  Neither breed is hypoallergenic, so I'm unlikely to ever own one, but the endless array of cute FB reels will do for now. lol

2.  The audiobook's first scene on the Hogwarts Express where Harry and Ron quickly become friends and Harry buys loads of candy for both of them whilst Ron teaches him all about wizarding life. lol  It comes right after Harry meets the Weasley fam and they help him through Platform 9 and three-quarters, which is among the many scenes that make me tear up, but this scene brings me so much joy every time - for that moment and for knowing all that Harry's friendship with the Weasleys will become! ❤

3. The family dinner tradition we've established over the past couple years... although Jace still refuses to join us in eating home-cooked food, this is where we get to hear the details of each others days and learn about everyone's thoughts on various teachers and teammates and jobs and world events and a variety of other topics. lol

4. Phone conversations with Chettles... if only because each of these photos brings me sincere joy. lol  I also very much appreciate that he listens well and genuinely cares and remembers details, a rarity in today's world!  Staying strongly connected to their family (who lead or host 90% of the fun events for our friend group) makes me feel okay about not living in Tulsa... yet. lol

5. Wednesday walks with Kristin Michelle... we don't make it every week, but even on the days when I'm feeling lazy enough to talk myself out of it if not for her, I always enjoy it and I'm glad I went - it's nice having that time to catch up on each others lives and families, and walking outside always makes you feel better!  Walk-and-talk therapy, you might say. lol

6. Summer pool parties & a happy Parker Elizabeth - two of my favorite things combined in this pic! lol

7.  Blogging!!  For real, writing here is a seemingly small thing that has brought me a lot of joy (and clarity and confidence and connection) over the past two decades! ❤

Along those lines, in my own writing and with all the people I love and care about, I really value and appreciate creative joy and attention to detail - it's a relatively small thing that many people tend to overlook/take for granted, but it brings me joy to see it!!  For example, I love seeing Mom's vibrant Christmas decor and the joy she gets out of the decorating process, or Dad's generosity and joy in making others happy, or Kyndal Faith's colorful handmade cards and her joy in party planning, or Rachael's chalkboards and joy in decorative painting, or Jace caring for his fish and loving all the details about them, or Chet and Karli planning/hosting fantastic events for family, friends, coworkers, and clients.  The details matter and make things special (and are well-documented here), and I believe God finds joy in them, too!!

Happy Thursday, friends and fam!!

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Rest & Wisdom

Day 19:  What is one truth or principle God is teaching you right now?

Rest (mind, body, soul, and spirit) + seeking wisdom and building with Him rather than in my own strength and timing. ❤

Christmas is in full swing at Mom and Dad's.  This fabulous tree has taken over the usual table spot...

So the table is in the very center of their living room. lol  Unconventional, but it works for now!

The Mini Miss K was kind enough to present us a Christmas Wishlist slideshow after our family dinner - you just click on the emojis for a convenient link to buy each item. lol  I love that she does this - it cracks me up!!

Kyndal and Talon being crossing guards this week, helping little kids get safely to their parents' cars (a 6th grade privilege at CHA that makes me happy).

That's all for today - see y'all here tomorrow!

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Random Extras

Throwing in a few extra thoughts and photos, because I'm really not doing enough blogging this month. lol  Look at this cuteness... Jace Michael in his happy Christmas hat, 9 years ago today! ❤

Another memory that popped up and made me smile... concert-ready Kara, Rach, me, and Megan Elizabeth, circa 2001 maybe?

I'm grateful for friends who see me and support me well.  I feel like I've had a breakthrough this week.  Keep talking through things and untangling what feels messy, however far back you need to go.  What you work through and detangle may just become a source of color and light that brings joy and comfort to others. =)

Six mile walk/jog at the Station this afternoon (after sleeping in and enjoying my day off).  The weather was great, but six miles feels a lot further than it did a few months ago! lol

Mom's house is coming right along! ❤

Me with my 3 degrees and working on a 4th... or Rach with two trades under her belt and contemplating learning a 3rd...

Meanwhile, here's Dad with his high school diploma and very successful self-made business! lol  (Which we're all very thankful for!!!)

Just saying, Kanye may have had a point in the Lil Jimmy skit. lol

A 2017 pic from Kelly's Diving Deeper Women's Lifegroup!

Our Christmas mission project... I miss this group!

The complimentary menu at my dentist's office. lol  Thus far, I've taken them up on the laughing gas, warm blanket, and noise cancelling headphones. =)

I would argue that not all things can be mended, but I still love this quote.

Intentionality matters, and that last sentence resonates with me!

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"Vorld Ravelers" at Disney World, one year ago! ❤

I was cold enough to use my fireplace last night, and the cozy vibes made me happy!!

I'll close this post with a poignant quote:

"Perfectionism doesn't believe in practice shots.  It doesn't believe in improvement.  Perfectionism has never heard that anything worth doing is worth doing badly - and that if we allow ourselves to do something badly, we might, in time, become quite good at it.  Perfectionism measures our beginner's work against the finished work of masters.  Perfectionism thrives on comparison and competition... Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead.  We correct our originality into a uniformity that lacks passion and spontaneity.”
~Julia Cameron

Be an original,
let yourself try new things,
and keep a growth mindset!

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A Mockey Little Christmas #7

My awesomesauce friends, Jeffrey Edward and Ellie Faye + Chet Lee, Karli Marie, Tate Haywood, and Parker Elizabeth, drove down from Tulsa this morning for my 7th annual Mockey Little Christmas party!! ❤  Mom came over early to help set up, and Rach picked up Jace Michael and Kyndal Faith so they could join us!

At the last minute yesterday, I grabbed this lemonade stand and put it together while watching Molly's Game (great movie!)  Since I don't have a playset or many toys, this is a cheap and simple option that's fun for the kids to play in and color!  Of course, they also ran circles around my house, played hide and seek, rolled down the mini-hill out back, and found ways to be creative with dirt and grass (literally all my backyard had to offer them). lol #kidsareawesome

Also, my friends are awesome!!!  Couldn't have picked better ones - I'm always happy to get quality time with them! #grateful

Parker and Kyndal Faith became besties pretty quickly, and it was the cutest!

Also cute (but perhaps a bit loud and shrill) was this bear game where Jaceman was an attacking bear and the girls killed him by screaming at the top of their lungs! lol

I'm so glad they had fun together!  ...I somehow failed to get food pics, but we catered Chick-Fil-A, so we had chicken minis and fruit + a tray of cheese and crackers + bundtinis + Karen Bullard cookies from Rach + candy + H-Tea-O and orange juice!!  This = my happy new ice bucket from CFA, which made the order just enough to qualify for delivery. =)

....We were getting a Parrish fam pic, and Parker followed Kyndal right over. =) #adorable

The fam + Parker E... LOVE HER! lol
We will totally claim her as part of our family!

Miss Ellie and JEM!  (Henry Edward was sick with a fever, so Kelly stayed home with him and Holly.  Praying he feels better soon!)

The wonderful Wilson fam!

Group pic with the tripod and remote! =)

Chet:  "Ohhh, are we about to film a Marathon Monday video!?" lol

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Cuteness!!

My favorite guys in all the land, genuinely.  Ryan and Hugh are a close second. ;-) lol #mockeyandtheboys #andthemoose

Mother/daughter pic! 

JEM pointing at a scrapbook pic of JEM pointing at a scrapbook pic of him and Kelly pointing at a scrapbook pic! =)  #meta #randomthingsthatmakemehappy

Without getting into too much detail online, there was a bit of unexpected custody drama between my sister and ex-brother-in-law this afternoon that culminated in some memorable conversations AND the police dropping by my house to check on things.  In all seriousness, things like this make me feel eager to learn more about working with kids to help them communicate clearly and regulate their emotions when things feel out of control or stressful for them.  And in less seriousness, this = Chettles and I taking a "panic selfie" to commemorate the drama of the moment. lol

In an entertaining turn of events, this officer immediately knew me when I answered the door - I assumed that was from Prelims at the courthouse, but it was from my aforementioned fingerprinting extravaganza last week!  He was really nice and talked with Mom and I for a minute as we explained things to the best of our ability (everyone else had already left at that point).  Thankfully, the needless drama seems to have subsided and settled down.  I was being extra and snuck in a photo because it just seemed like a #decembertoremember kind of moment. lol

And after all of that, I did 5.5-miles at Central Park, including 70 minutes of slow jogging (10 sets of 7:1 intervals), so yay for that!!  (My self-imposed rule about not posting pics until I complete the day's workouts was helpful there, as I didn't feel particularly motivated to go for a jog after eating lots of candy and bundt cake. lol  It ended up being great and cathartic, though, as it almost always is with undesired exercise - Ed Sheeran and Usher Peloton walks for the win!!)

Thankful for a fun/memorable day, for family and friends mingling well, for long-term supportive friendships, for a great workout with epic music, and for the calm that always follows the storm!  I love you and believe in you, and I believe you have the God-given grace and power to finish well in 2024!! ❤

Christmas 2024!

For the first and maybe the last time, I had the honor of hosting the fam for Christmas Eve this year!  Here's our happy group pic in front of my tree!! ❤

We started with lunch at Toby Keith's in Moore, then came to my place for Mom's brownies, Eileen's cookies, and opening presents!

Kyndal's new icemaker, Jace's new transformer, and me and Rach with no gifts. lol  (Dad remedied that yesterday, and we did get a chocolate orange from Wendy on the 24th. lol)

Mom with her kids then her grandkids (Triston left early and Carter didn't join us this year).

Favorites:

Blake, JoBug, Wendy, and Triston (he celebrated Christmas morning with them and got lots of great gifts!)

Rach seeing Dad off as he went to work (whaaaat!?) on Christmas Eve afternoon + Mom with Jace and JB!

Me struggling to pull off a serious face. lol

Cookies for the Whitaker fam (they stopped by and Kristin gave me the cutest Christmas PJs and sparkly pink headband!) + angelic kitchen selfie with the fun chandelier lighting behind me + shopping the Christmas Eve sales at Hobby Lobby and At Home with Mom!

After all of the above, I did my workout for the day then DoorDashed Mexican food and watched The Santa Clause and While You Were Sleeping as I edited and collaged all my pictures on Christmas Eve night!! #perfection lol

Christmas morning started off with an 11am brunch - bacon, eggs, and pancakes by Rach + all manner of leftover desserts from the day before!

This made me very full very fast thanks to the chocolate milk, but still, yay brunch!!  Not positive if Dad's being funny or was unaware I was taking a photo here. lol

• Rach found the perfect wrapping paper for Mom, and Kyndal Faith wrote a note on every gift she wrapped. lol  
• My adorable new PJs and headband from Kristin Michelle - yay!
• K's new shirt from Rach and AirPods Max headphones from Mamaw and Grandpa
• Parrish fam calendar from Rach!
• Book Rach got for Mom
• K making me laugh with her excitement over her tiny cup of tiny ice!

Kyndal:  "I am the main character!" lol (showing me her matching new shoes and hat)

Jaceman and I went to see Sonic 3 at 12:50 on Christmas day... between the long concession lines, his crazy-loud coughing, the constant narration (he was seeing it for the second time), and his post-credit euphoria (seeing a scene they hadn't stayed for last time), it was quite the experience!!

My new Counselor hoodie from Rach - love it!  Nate's comedy special - fun!  And our spaghetti and lasagna Christmas dinner (after I did a quick neighborhood jog to get my workout in for the day)!

Between dinner and Nate, we played several rounds of Heads Up (aka Headbands) an entertaining Catchphrase-style game with charades and speaking rounds with different categories.  Entertaining times!  All in all, it was a delightfully lowkey and relaxing Christmas day with the fam!!

And last but never least, Mel's new book came out on Christmas Eve!  I love it already!!

And that's all for today, I think.  I'm at the office but not feeling particularly worky today, so you never know.  I sincerely hope you had a lovely Christmas!!

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