First Things First

May always feels extra busy.  End-of-year activities with CHA are adding up, especially as Kyndal is in 6th grade and Triston is a Senior this year!  We had T's Sunday Baccalaureate service (with Mr. Smith speaking) this past weekend!  It was exciting and a bit surreal to see him in his cap and gown (which Mom is very ready to iron for him pre-graduation)!

Reese, Triston, and Kate!

Aunt Lindsey, T-man, and Mamaw!

YAY for the LiveCollage app, and yay for adorable Kindergarten graduation photos!!

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K-Faith had her final volleyball tournament for this season... this pic = the dads praying over the girls on their last game day!  LOVE that.

Winning 3 games in a row on Saturday!

They had an end-of-season pizza party on Monday... this is Kyndal presenting the volleyball gift to Coach Nikki - such a solid and Godly leader!

The 11-minute slideshow I made to play in the background throughout their VB party - the girls all watched it and had some entertaining commentary!

 

Senator Lankford and Kyndal on the plane ride back to OKC - her being in the 6/7 shirt makes me laugh!

K and Rach at the Iwo Jima Memorial

Ellery, Kyndal, and Rachel by the US Capitol

Lincoln Memorial... hearing K's detailed recap of the trip was the best!  She mostly focused on the games she and her friends played and the funny things they said! lol

I've stayed busy lately with work, Solid Rock workouts, lunch with Natalie, dinner with Sarah, and seeing the Michael movie thrice (so far)... highly recommend!!

Dinner with Sarah at Red Rock by Lake Hefner last night - we had a good, long talk which included talking about the difference in positive and negative stress... positive stress being stress with a clear end-goal and purpose in mind.  I told her school no longer feels that way for me because I'm less sure of the end goal.  She asked if I still want to teach, and I said the thought of grading papers written by AI feels less and less appealing.  What I want (and articulated for the first time last night) is to be in the Christian school atmosphere, to be a respected professional and be good friends and have good relationships with quality Christians (whether that is the CCU professors or others).  That was good for me to clarify, as it's a very different end goal than researching and attaining my PhD and teaching.  I would at all times much rather be in the warm and relational role of Mel Robbins than the dry and clinical role of many of her esteemed guests.  So I am going to continue to clarify that in my own mind and heart, praying for wisdom on the next right step forward!!

I'm at the OCC about to start a protest hearing this morning, but I had a little time while the attorneys were talking and decided to sneak in a blog post!!  I am assuming I will get a transcript order in today and tomorrow's docket, so I'll be busy with that for a bit.  Anyway, here's a final reminder for you today!

Hope you have a fantastic day!

I love you and believe in you,

and Jesus does too!!

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Welcome Back + Prayer Plan

If my friends or family members happen to check in here, hello and welcome back!! =)  I hope your 2026 is off to a good start!

Writing is a healthy outlet for me, and I care about documenting the details... the blogging has been a bit more sporadic in 2026, but with or without a reading audience, I am likely to continue to blog for the foreseeable future!  I am giving myself the grace to be human and unfinished and imperfect, so I've decided to go ahead and make this public again... while still wrestling with some inner conflict over global events and personal goals and decisions ahead!

Seeing The Great Awakening on Easter weekend really inspired me to seek God more actively and to implement a new daily prayer for God-given wisdom and guidance in my decisions every morning.  I've also been convicted about turning to AI too often for relational guidance (more on that HERE), and I'm becoming more and more determined to pursue the REAL, God-given intimacy, wisdom, health, and inner power over any quicker-fix counterfeits.  Super challenging, and that is why I need to be serious in my daily prayer habit to help renew my mind and heart!!

"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?  We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings that "except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."  I firmly believe this.  And I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel... I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business..."

~Ben Franklin to the Constitutional Convention❤

So there's that.  Again, welcome back, and Happy Monday!

And so that this post will have a photo, here's a throwback to our 1993 Glamour Shots pic I used for National Sibling Day 2026! ❤

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Paige Evelyn

Yesterday, I got to meet Miss Paige Evelyn Wilson,
my new honorary niece and Mini-BFF! ❤ 

Chet sent this pic from her BIRTHday ❤

Parker's first time meeting and holding her - ADORABLE!!

She was excited to hold her again when I was there on day 2!  These sibling pics make me happy!!

Three generations. ❤

I wore pink for the occasion!

The Wonderful Wilson Fam, party of five (plus one in Heaven)! ❤

Looking forward to the shower next month (I'm helping Debbie Robinson host that) - this is our FB event pic when the name was still TBD.  They decided on Paige soon after she was born, then the middle name was officially chosen on 3-14.

She was delivered via C-section on Friday the 13th - look at her all swaddled and cozy in her floral blanket!  ...Chettles told me they had a board for me to write on, so I was practicing for a much larger chalkboard, then laughed when I saw this.  No space for calligraphy spins or fun hand lettering, but still very cute!! ❤

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Marching On!!

While still working and prioritizing people I care about, I gave myself grace to take a legit break from a few things in January and February.  And now that March has arrived, I am embracing the natural growth and vibrant new life that comes with Springtime!!

The 1st day of March included signing up for a year of eHarmony and making an appointment to discuss Zepbound medication.  And here on day 15, I have officially started the lowest dose of Zepbound, texted with an eHarmony match, reconnected with CCU friends and joined a extracurricular group project with Amy and Faith, spoken with my Student Services Advisor about potentially resuming PhD classes in October, helped plan a baby shower for my favorite fam, welcomed my newest niece, reconnected with several old friends, learned about potential job changes at the OCC this fall, jumped back into the Peloton "HardCore" workout calendar, and signed up for a bungee fitness class in Moore!  Yay, Spring! lol

I've pushed myself to be busier and more productive on transcripts and other life goals lately.

I have not, however, felt very connected with God...

My soul thirsts for God, the living God, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

That's been my phone screensaver for a bit, and it's a true story.

I think I am feeling a little forgotten/abandoned/hurt/disoriented about where to find purpose and whether anything I pursue and care about really makes a difference or even matters to God - whether He is invested in my story or kinda checked out and leaving me to fend for myself -- and I really, really need to take those thoughts captive, separate the light from the darkness, and draw near to Him.  I can feel myself being resistant lately, focusing on TV and friendships and busywork more than what matters most.  All other ground is sinking sand - and I'm reminding myself of that right now.  I will start my Renewal Write the Word prayer journal tomorrow morning, and I will make a new Power Thoughts list and video for this season.  I'm committing to that right now.

Shifting gears, here are some fun pics from a family dinner and game night earlier this month!  (Jace is trying to get us to guess the word "synagogue" by putting a styrofoam bowl on his head to play the Rabbi Simeon role from their 4th grade play! lol)

Yes to this.  Move on, learn, and adjust!

We got to catch up with Kate during Kyndal's Texas VB tournament - she's training for the Bike MS race in May, and I admire her resilient spirit and heart for Jesus! ❤

It's always fun to watch them!

Checking out the after-Christmas sales at Decorator's Warehouse (Texas's largest Christmas store) with Mom!

We had dinner with Kate and Evelyn on Friday, then her whole fam came to watch Kyndal play on Saturday! =)

Girls pic just before our drive back to Oklahoma!

Embracing the Peloton bike and app... this was Cody's 20-minute Guardians of the Galaxy ride (with music from that movie and Disney ride) - fun times!

While the bike workouts are great (and far more challenging now with the real Peloton bike), I really love being outside more often this year with my more relaxed remote schedule!!

This = a fun FaceTime catchup with Chettles and Sarah (at her AirBNB in Tahlequah) a couple days before baby Paige arrived... more on that in my next post!

Here's to Springtime and moving forward and March-ing on.

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Hope Floats

  The rest of February was mostly relaxed.  I stand by my decision to take a break from school and not put extra pressure on myself to set new goals through January and February (of course, I did technically set dating goals in that season, but that's okay).

I felt some serious burnout with the counseling profession and schoolwork at the end of last year, along with sadness and confusion over what God is up to and what I should do with my desire for a family.

I don't have a lot of answers at this point, but I am grateful for the resilient nature of Kingdom hope.  For the knowledge that "when we go through deep waters," God is with us and for us.  The verse does not say if, but when.  No one gets through life unscathed, but we get to choose our response and whether we anchor our souls in the hope of Heaven.

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This was encouraging for me - believe in your ability to figure things out - YES!

And now, a couple lighter memes:

The Mini Miss K is being bullied by a petty former Coach in the club volleyball world.  It's absurdly poor leadership, and it is not okay, and I hope there is systemic change there.

In the meantime, I hope she knows she is loved and supported and valued and worth fighting for!

This = her Rise team taking silver in a Valentine's Day tournament!

Piersyn, Emma, Ady, Olivia, Jaslyn, Coach Kate, Aniston, Kyndal, Kennedy, and Jaylah!

Aunt Lindsey, Miss K, and her Mom!

Fierce serving power!!

The sassiness and leadership are strong with her! ❤

Valentine's Day is centered right between Rach and my birthday, and it also happens to be K-Faith's half-birthday! lol

Speaking of Valentine's day, here's a throwback to our 2010 Johnny Carino's dinner, or "the lonely hearts club dinner" as JEM calls it. lol  I'm sure Chettles and Natertot were entertaining for me, along with Sarah and Jeffrey close by.

Mmkay that's all for this post!

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