The Wind and the Waves

My Lake Hefner walk yesterday was good for the soul.  It was a really windy day, which made the lake nice and wavy, and all of that made me feel more alive and in tune with nature. lol

Not gonna lie - this makes me wanna go back!

Flix Brewhouse was showing Twister for its 30th anniversary.  I've seen the sequel multiple times... yay, Glen Thomas Powell!!

...but I had never seen the original!  I always prefer to see things on the big screen for the first time if possible, so this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up!  I even got a fun commemorative cup for attending. lol  My guess is I was the only person in there who wasn't already a fan!

They had the 1984 Jeep truck from the 1996 movie (according to Twister Truck on Facebook), so I got a pic with that too - JEM is a big fan, so it was fun texting with him and Chet about this!

*Side note:  I have no eyeliner because my eyes are still recovering from allergy issues after the puppy class.  They need to calm down ASAP so I can look more awake! lol

I enjoyed the movie and hearing Shania in the soundtrack -- I told JEM and Chet I totally understood the therapist girlfriend who said she thought chasing tornadoes "was a metaphor!" lol

Throwback to me writing a metaphorical post (here) right after seeing the sequel in 2024! lol

Mess Grace!

In other news, we befriended a potentially-injured or vision-impaired butterfly tonight!!

Then K-Faith and Rach practiced volleyball while Jace practiced his dunking skills with the goal set at 9 feet!

"Intention Setting" Peloton walk at the Station after my final Solid Rock strength workout this morning with Coach Lexi!  I was in a rough place at the New Year, so I'm treating this halftime thing with New-Year's-Eve-level reset vibes!!

I had an awe-inspired, calming "Be still and know that He is God" moment at the wavy lake yesterday.

"What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the waves obey Him!?" ~Mark 4:41

Trusting in God's power and protection.  Okay, this is my third and final post for today.  I wish you all a lovely second half of 2026 starting tomorrow!!

This = my Write the Word page for today, and it feels like a kind reminder from God!

After writing about being in a wilderness season, this feels encouraging and affirming.

Here's to moving forward and paying attention to the new things God is doing!

❤ ❤ ❤

Thankful Thursday #236

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness."
~Colossians 2:6-7

*My first Thankful Thursday post since December 4th - I'll try to step it back up on these!

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Everything God is doing in the lives of my niece and nephews lately - the fun things that I can see clearly, and the hidden things that only He knows behind the scenes!! ❤

2.  Chettles and Kristin Michelle both thinking of me and sending a text when they saw cute animals this week! ❤

3.  Family dinner + planning Kyndal's room reno + watching the NBA draft for the first time ever (J&K are super into all things basketball lately)!

4.  Speaking of cute animals, I'm thankful ahead of time that Kristin and I get to try the Puppies & Yoga class this weekend (with Siberian Husky puppies - cuteness!!) -- it's part of my bday gift to her, and I'm pretty happy I get to join! lol

5.  God's grace in laying this out SO CLEARLY for us:  "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach.  Now listen!  Today, I am giving you a choice between life and death..."

6.  A fun 500th episode for The Big Boo Cast this week - I know that's cheesy, but I'm genuinely thankful for my podcast friends and all the laughter they bring and all the random skincare, clothing, and hair care products they've inspired me to purchase! lol

7.  And on a related note, the latest episode with Annie & Eddie (here) was one of my favorites - not the first time I've cried listening to them, but it had a real impact on me to hear that Eddie has had the same bariatric surgery I've had, and to hear them processing that and other thoughts on body image and health together.  Really good, and I'm thankful for their vulnerability and the way they model friendship!!

*And for having this delightful photo with them, which is now my screensaver! =)

I'm racing the clock, so that's all for today.  Bye, buddies!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Faith, Hope, and Love

Today was a blessedly short day in court, followed by some transcript work and a carb-loading lunch with the Whitaker fam at McAlister's! ❤

Eek, I chose the very sunniest spot for our photo op. lol

Last night was family dinner + Kyndal Faith's Birthday Wishlist presentation! lol  She has a very detailed plan on how she would like to redecorate her bedroom.  She brings me so much joy with these slideshows - good practice for her future Senate run, and just look how cute she is with her new jean shorts and orange shoes and sparkly Nike shirt! =)
K:  "And the reason I'm showing you all this today instead of later is that this chair (indicating) is on sale right now!!"

Proud of Jace Michael, who has been working out with RJ several times a week and playing basketball and swimming most nights at Mom and Dad's!  This = dunking pics, with a little help from ChattyG. lol

Rach also got an AI Dance app that entertained us all for a bit. We screen-mirrored K's Thriller dance on the big TV, and it was good times! lol

❤ K running to Rach to hide and play innocent after deliberately aggravating Jace as they played basketball. lol  Sibling rivalry is always more entertaining to me than it should be, and they're both at such fun, playful ages - I just love it!!

If the Holy Spirit leads you, say a prayer for wisdom and peace for Jaceman as he makes a difficult decision about the path ahead next year.  (I'm confident God has good things in store for him either way, but he has three potential options and a growing list of pros and cons to weight out.)

I tried an Intro class at Club Pilates on Wednesday... I enjoyed it and would love to join soon... but alas, I am committed to Solid Rock longer than I'd intended, thanks to their 30-day cancellation notice policy.  #ugh #onemoremonth

YES to courageous, wholehearted leaders who speak with Godly authority, love, and a sound mind, not wounded bravado or a spirit of fear.

Hair makes such a difference, always.  And I am sincerely grateful for competent stylists, quality extensions, good vitamins, slow growth, and the ability to *virtually* try new things! ;-)

Judith (my former Compassion child) turned 25 last week, so I sent her a bday gift.  She is beautiful and thriving, and her family is doing well... I love that we are friends on social media now with an ongoing connection that really matters!

Toy Story 5 did not disappoint.  Pixar knows how to bring all the emotions, and this scene got me!

Looking forward to a morning walk with Natalie and Walker tomorrow, then working on the "book promise" and chapter outlines, then likely baking some sort of peach dessert with my peach truck peaches (an annual treat - yay!), then celebrating Dad on Father's Day!!

Finally, on a far more serious note, today marks one year since Kristen Harriss went to Heaven.  I vividly remember my last earthly conversation with her (a long phone call where we laughed and got vulnerable and caught up on life and prayed together - on the very day she received the eventually-fatal pneumonia diagnosis during her treatments at MD Anderson).  I also have crystallized memories of a few specific moments from her funeral service, which was powerful and emotional.  Praying for her parents and anyone else deeply affected on this grief anniversary.  For faith, hope, and love to shine through and strengthen their hearts.

"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:12-13

❤ ❤ ❤

Colorado, Round 7

My 7th trip to Colorado was a long weekend with my oldest nephew.  The goal was to help him with the apartment search and learn some details on his future job, so mission accomplished!

This = T and I on a hike at the Chautauqua Park this morning!  (It's out of order, but I wanted it to be the cover pic for this post.)

Friday was the 10-hour drive from 9am Central to 6ish Mountain Time.  We had a nice chat for the first 4+ hours, then T took a nap while I listened to The Curiosity Shop podcast, a new favorite for me.  We checked in at the DoubleTree in Cherry Creek then headed over to the 16th Street Pedestrian Promenade (such a fun atmosphere there!!) for a fun Mexican dinner on the patio at 3 Margaritas, followed by a 30-minute walk around that area then seeing the Masters of the Universe movie at 9:15! 

Pic from our walk =)

Saturday started off with breakfast and coffee for T at the Steam Espresso Bar, a cool coffee shop at a restored firehouse in the Lower Highlands (LoHi) area of Denver.

Then we toured seven apartments with a brief stop for lunch at In-N-Out somewhere in there.  We did a self-guided tour at the Cirrus (meh).  It was a quick no on the guided tour of the High Line Pointe apartments.  We were able to sneak the Elevon Apartments in between two scheduled tours, and they were the top contender at that point (they were in the Union Station area)!

After lunch, we toured the 4040 Fox Apartments with Giovanni, a newer complex that had some nice amenities!

We rushed through the (undesirable) older Waterford apartment complex in Cherry Creek.  And finally, we saw the Amli Golden Triangle apartments (the "Amli Family"), a brand new complex that was super nice, as was our tour guide!  It was T's number one contender and the closest to the downtown Denver area!

Furnished model unit

Balcony view of downtown Denver (better seen in person, of course)

And after all of that, we met Holly Dei for a tour of her apartment (rooftop pic here)

We took an Uber to dinner at Satchel's on 6th, then took a leisurely walk back to her apartment, stopping for ice cream and to chat with an engineer friend of hers on the way back.

It was a pleasant outdoor walk that included a difficult-but-important conversation.

Based on that, our plans for day two shifted a bit.  We drove to Boulder, CO (a first for both of us), where we took a short hike with a major incline (which felt worse with the altitude adjustment) at Chautauqua Park!  But yay for these pics - made me think of the 2014 convo with JEM - the pics do make *light* hiking worth it!

The lady walking in front of us pointed to several buildings with red rooftops and told her friends that was the CU Boulder campus.  Whaaat?  We hadn't realized we were four minutes away, but we stopped by their bookstore and grabbed some merch for Triston's future college campus!

Then we took a stroll through the Pearl Street Mall and grabbed lunch at the Organic Sandwich Company.  We had a really good talk where T made some wise observations about how a lot of life comes down to being able to pivot and find a new path forward when life doesn't go according to plan.

After lunch, we listened to Michael Jackson whilst Tman bravely drove us through the freaking windy mountains to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area, another spot recommended by ChatGPT on a last-minute search Saturday night... (I also bought myself this new hat at the CU Boulder Bookstore.)  

Scary drive; scenic mountain views!

In the end, the road to Brainard Lake was closed -- they close it for winter but usually reopen it mid-May -- you could take a four-mile walk to go see it, but we had a tour scheduled and didn't have the extra time for that.  So we drove 45 minutes out of our way and then walked over a mile through a field swarming with gnats to see this far smaller and less exciting Red Rock Lake, which honestly felt like a fitting metaphor on this trip.

HOWEVER, we met a fantastic older couple who have lived in Boulder 40 years.  They were out hiking, and we walked back to our car with them.  Triston talked to the man, a retired doctor and Army veteran who had good advice for him about living in the Boulder area... and I walked and talked with his wife, who told me about growing up in Seattle, some good things to see in Alaska, and their coming trip to New Zealand to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.  They were a gem, and the genuine connection was a treat!

Phillip and Tman (walking back up to the Road Closed sign that blocked us from getting to see the bigger lake)!

We did one final apartment tour at The Russell, then we stopped for Sam-n-Ella's style pizza at BeauJo's on our way back!

I dropped Tman off at Holly's apartment (four minutes from our hotel).  He is staying there the next four nights while she is on a Vegas vacation, then flying home Thursday night - I hope he has a great time getting to explore a bit more of Colorado.  Then I ended the night with some familiar friends (the Barden Bellas and the Oceans 13 crew) whilst snacking on a DoubleTree cookie and writing these blogs - and now I have an audiobook-filled drive ahead of me tomorrow - fun times!! ❤

Hope you've had a great weekend, friends!  And here's a friendly reminder that a lot of life is about the ability to pivot well and find a new path forward when things do not go according to plan!

❤ ❤ ❤