A Family Dinner to Remember

'Twas a memorable fam dinner last night... 

We had a delicious breakfast for dinner meal + the chocolate cake with Oreo icing - all good!  Mom and I are flying to Colorado tomorrow morning, and I wanted lovely curls for Graduation.  It always takes me forever to get them right, so I brought my Halo extensions hair for Rach to curl.  Naturally, I'm holding that hanger and flinching every time the hot curling iron gets close to me whilst Rach elevates and ices her bleeding ankle (the same varicose vein that erupted during Kyndal's birthday party).  Somewhere in there, I was struck by the comedy of all this and asked Mom to take our photo! lol

Apparently, this is normal for varicose veins that start bleeding openly.  Once again, Rach bled through multiple towels and used pressure and ice to try to slow and stop the bleeding...

Rach:  "I didn't think it would be this bad.  This is INSANE!!"

Mom:  "Dad's getting towels to help, and Lindsey's grabbing her camera!" #accurate

Rapidly soaked riiiight through the gauze and layers of paper towels and medical tape!  Sorry if you're squeamish about that... maybe skip this post. lol

Twice, it stopped for a tiny minute then started back up when she put any weight on her leg.  After a literal hour and 20 minutes of that, I insisted that we go to the nearby ER/Urgent Care.  Mom took J&K home while I took Rach to Saint Anthony's.  Comically, we got seated inside, and it stopped bleeding fairly quickly.  I encouraged her to walk on it, and again, the bleeding started back up immediately... then she echoed my "Take some steps" in a mocking tone. lolol

After bleeding through several small kitchen towels, we had taken a huge beach towel from Mom and Dad's house on our short drive.  Rach was filling out the paperwork when I noticed blood dripping onto their waiting room floor.  She got blood on the pen as she bent down to clean that up, then she somehow knocked one of her press-on toenails off her other foot.  She was angry-laughing as she put that in her pocket, saying "WHAT ELSE!?" whilst I was laughing too hard to be super helpful!  The officer came over to grab her paperwork, and Rach told him there was blood all over the pen, so he let her keep that as a special souvenir. lol

(A couple minutes later...)

Rach:  "Oooooh, now he's sanitizing the clipboard.  This is so embarrassing!"

Me:  "Don't worry about it - I'm sure you're not the first person to bleed in the ER."

We waited about five more minutes, and in that span of time, the bleeding actually fully stopped and she was able to walk around on it without issue.  Thennnn the doctor came out to get her.

Doctor (realizing Rach was joking around about it all):  "Those varicose veins just bleed like crazy!  You can follow up with your doctor to get that fixed...  You're welcome to check in if you want, but all we can do for you here is amputate your foot!" lol  (Pic = the angry veins once it finally stopped bleeding. Woof.)

The whole thing was fascinating and entertaining.  Rach is often funny to me, but never more so than when she's mildly flustered or irritated, which she definitely was by the end of the night!  Earlier, while Rach was curling my hairpiece - LOL - I freaked out about the curling iron and dropped it on the ground right where she'd just cleaned up a pile of blood.  Five second rule!? lol  I just washed it that morning, and now it may smell like blood and/or bacon, but whatevs, you can't smell a photo!! lol  In the end, we laughed a lot and all was well.  And we spent zero dollars and less than 30 minutes at the hospital, and Mom got to help a bit with the laundry and packing for Kyndal's 5th Grade Creation Nation trip (in progress right now - hope she has a total blast)!

Way back Wednesday:  The 2-year-old Jace Michael, 11 years ago today!

And the 24-year-old very blonde Lindsey Claire, 17 years ago today! =)

Suggested shortly after my marathon, I'm in a new FB group called "Slow AF Running Club." lol  It's mostly fun and supportive and inspiring posts, and I'm enjoying that.  This one made me laugh!

Another post from that group.

Just me using ChatGPT for some free therapy as Mother's Day approaches.

Not getting into that more here, but it's been a whirlwind of unanswered questions lately.  Here again, I'm reminding myself to stay tethered to Jesus and anchored in eternal hope!!  Easier said than done, but our walk with God is worth every bit of effort we put into it.

He is with us.

One day at at time.

God's grace is sufficient.

Today's trouble is enough for today!

Okay, I'm headed home to pack soon.  Excited for our Colorado trip ahead... prayers appreciated for safe travels!

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Photo Friday!

Happy Friday, friends and fam!!

Apparently, I was just kidding about that being my last Marathon-centered post... I got my official race day photos back yesterday, so of course I felt compelled to share them and to create a fun slideshow! lol

Even though my arm seems oddly far back here, I love this one going by the outdoor Memorial Wall very early in the race!

"Leaning in" for the first big hill at Mile 2!  

I'm happy to have a couple pics in the navy leggings and pink shoes!

Running by the Capitol building... I'm behind red shoe guy!

This was after Mile 18 (easy to tell from the shoes/leggings change)... the Quarter Marathoners split off around Mile 5 and the Half split at Mile 7.5, then the crowd thinned out considerably.  By the time I reached Mile 18, we were pretty scattered out, so it was very easy to spot the photographer! lol

Headed to the Finish Line - YAY!!

Done, by every definition of the word! lol

And finally, a through-the-years running journey slideshow... mostly celebrating the marathon, but featuring 16 years of memories!! ❤

And NOW I'm really done with that topic for a while. lol

Hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead!

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Packet Pickup!

Okay, one last Marathon-centric post! ❤ 

I never shared the pictures from Friday's packet pickup -- Mom was kind enough to join me for that at the OKC Convention Center across from Scissortail Park!

Lots of photo ops at these events, and Mom was a very willing photographer!

Lots of vendors and booths - Mom got me a cute pink OKC Memorial Marathon runner's jacket, which I'm excited to wear on cooler days!  She also got me a RooSport magnetic pocket with a zipper that can hold your phone and energy chews and such... I didn't wanna risk adding that on the day of the race having never tested it before, but I'll try it on weekend runs and it may be great for future Halfs! =)

I finally downloaded the app that day, and it had lots of helpful info about where to park, tracking runners, good places to watch, etc.

Such a huge crowd!!

My 1st-Time Marathoner bib - YAY, David!!  (The listed Medium T-shirt size was wishful thinking way back when I signed up, and I was worried that they wouldn't let me change it that day.  But when I got there, the lady looked worried that I would be disappointed and told me "We only have Large and up!" lol So God worked that out, and the Large fit great!  The "Why We Run" on the bib was what alerted them to give me 3 medals since I'd also signed up for the 5k - I had decided not to run it and risk any injury the day before the Full, but since they reschedule it, I got all the medals - fun!  And the lack of A or B before my number is what alerted them that I didn't belong in the front super-fast corrals. lol  No harm done!)

I'm glad I chose this race - it's close to home, it's a cause I care about, it's well-marked and well-organized, and it's a relatively flat course!

Marked "Lose 100 pounds consecutively" and "Finish a Full Marathon" off of my Life List goals this morning... I'm so happy I did it, and I'm so happy I never "have to" do it again! lol  I know this has been a lot on this topic, but I'm thrilled to have these pics and posts to help me remember all the details years from now!!

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Okay, now on to recapping the rest of life, starting with Parker Elizabeth's party!!

Character Breakfast

Good morning, friends and fam!  Here's a fun "Photo Friday" flashback to the Artist Mickey Character Breakfast (featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy) at Topolino's Terrace on the top floor of Disney's Riviera Hotel!!

This = a sunrise photo by Chet just before our Skyliner ride to the Riviera, me with my new Minnie-backpack at the start of my four-park adventure day, saving the best for last!

I love breakfast food more than the average person, and I would always try to book one of these for any Disney trip I take moving forward - excellent food, super fun atmosphere, and the best photo ops!!

The characters rotate around the room and come to you, stopping with every group for hugs and pictures.  There were Mickey hugs and Mickey waffles for the kids... so much cuteness!

Yay for my Disney Christmas t-shirt, rosegold magic band, leopard Minnie ears, and this classic Disney pic with "Artist Mickey!" ❤

My quiche gruyere and breakfast potatoes did not disappoint - nom nom for us, David!!  Melissa loved the POG juice (pineapple, orange, and pomegranate), and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed their food!

Group pic with Mickey, the first to come visit our table!

The kids looking ever so cute with Daisy Duck, who's doing a little curtsey move that makes me laugh!

This bread basket was chef's kiss perfection. lol  Mini croissants, chocolate chip muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, and more, with sides of butter, strawberry jam, and chocolate frosting!

Love this cuteness!!

Donald! ❤

We checked out their wrap-around patio balcony before leaving...

The weather was nice that day, and the balcony had a lovely view!

Then we were off on our next Skyliner ride, ready for our final day at the parks... this may be my fav Parker pic from the entire trip - so much spirit and joy!! ❤

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Happy Friday, and Happy Valentine's Day to my few but faithful readers!  I got cracked up at lunch yesterday when I realized I had on my fun Valentine's headband, and I was using one of my last 4th of July plates and a festive Christmas napkin... just really celebrating all the holidays at once, red being the vibrant (year-round) theme that binds them all together!!  =)

Anyway, I love you and believe in you, and I wish you rest and joy and peace, and I hope you feel truly seen and loved today!

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The Golden Years

Yesterday was the Retirement Party for Judge Golden, who served as the only District Judge for the Creek County Courthouse in Sapulpa from 2004 to January 2025.  I was his court reporter from 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!!

Judge Golden's bailiffs through my time at that courthouse were Michelle Smith (who spoke with me when I called about the opening in December 2006), Marleen Long (who created the Bailiff Bible notebook), Kathleen and Debbie (both short-lived for good reason), and finally, Laura Allison (from 2016 to this present day)!  Lord willing, Laura will continue her Secretary-Bailiff career with the next District Judge appointed by Governor Stitt.  In October of 2017, Tiffany Joanne joined us as a Court Clerk in Creek County.  Exactly 7 years later (10-2-2024), she became the First Deputy, the highest ranking member of the clerk's office under Amanda, the actual Court Clerk!  I'm grateful for my time working with these ladies in Creek County, and I was happy they saved me a seat at this party!  I saw several judges and attorneys I hadn't seen since I left (including Judge Golden himself - that was the first time I've seen him since then)... that was mostly fun, but as a classic introvert, I was very happy to have a table spot with people I know well enough to skip the small talk... Cheers to that! ;-)

Judge's wife, Phyliss, and his sons (Zach and Jake) and their families hosted this party at the Kellyville Mountain Creek Lodge.  Not sure where they got the cake, but it was excellent, and I appreciate that they gave everyone a small piece of both chocolate and white! =)

LB and I at the entrance!

The party was 1-3pm.  We mingled around whilst they had some technical difficulties, then they started the judicial roast around 2:15.  Judge Serner, Judge Vassar, and Judge Woolery spoke, then Judge Golden gave what he called a "rebuttal." lol  Everyone's speeches were 90% kind with a little humor thrown in, which I appreciated.  The idea of being roasted at a party with my friends and family is an actual nightmare scenario for me... I would walk right out and promptly de-friend whoever hosted and planned that.  I will only accept complimentary-toasting speeches. lol

So anyway, partly in his honor and partly because it makes sense and I like the sound of it, I've decided to call Round 1 of my time in Tulsa "The Golden Years" (the 15-year time span from January 2007 to April 2022 when I worked as the Official Court Reporter alongside the Honorable District Judge Douglas W. Golden at the Creek County Courthouse, age 22 to 38 for me).  Obviously, life wasn't all golden and sparkly for 15+ years - six months into my time in Tulsa, my heart was shaaattered and I'd never felt more friendless and I wasn't sure I would ever recover or find a new reason to keep living... but looking back, I feel immensely grateful and honestly very proud of the way I rebuilt my young adult life and found new dreams with God's help.  I would go through the pain again to have the beautiful memories, the personal growth, and the core relationships that were forged in that season!!  ...The pics just happened to fit best this way, but it makes me happy that it's a sparkly gold background in that center photo! ;-) #GoldenYears

This pic is from my last day of work, April 14, 2022 (documented here).  It's on the "Tulsa wall" in my laundry room, and I love it!

Okay, moving on... I had lunch before the party with the wonderful Wilson fam at McAlister's Deli! ❤

Parker Elizabeth sat by me, and she was in a fun mood.  I adore her! ❤

P.S. I'm sad you can't see my new jeans in any of the photos from yesterday - they are extra sparkly and fabulous and go well with my diamond boots, which I was also wearing! I'll be sure to get a pic that shows them next time.

The night ended with a 3+ hour catch-up session with Tiffany and Laura over dinner and dessert at BJs - yum!!  This served as a belated bday dinner for Laura and an early bday dinner for Tiffany! lol  I'm grateful for their friendship and glad we all got to hang out!

Okay, this goes with nothing else in this post, but whatever.  Here's the Bullard fam 11 years apart... I just love them, and these pics make me happy!

Huzzah for brighter days ahead, literally and metaphorically!

This also has nothing to do with anything, but gracious, a few of the sunsets and sunrises I've seen lately have been really pretty and extra colorful! ❤

Tomorrow is Tiffany's birthday, so Happy Birthday-Eve to her!!  Thursday was Kristin Renee's birthday, so here's a fun through-the-years collage I made for that - kudos to her for being my longest-running Tulsa friendship, my only friend who included me in her wedding party, and one of my top 3 most-deeply-trusted people!! ❤  Praying God continues to bless her and the Foster fam as life moves forward!!

Peace out, friendo! lol

I'm off to conquer 10 miles and finish my CCU doctoral application essays and videos (keeping that door open, just in case).  I love you and believe in you, and I believe in your ability to set meaningful goals and establish positive momentum in life!!

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