Showing posts with label Photo Friday!. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photo Friday!. Show all posts

Friday, August 21, 2026

Photo Friday (Alaska!)

Happy Friday, friends. ❤  It's pretty hard to believe that just three short weeks ago, I was cruising the north Pacific Ocean, seeing Alaska for the first time, and hanging out with Beth and Travis!!  I feel especially grateful for the way God timed everything through the past month.

Here are a few more photos from my Alaska cruise experience...

Beth teaching on God's appointed timing in our lives. ❤

"If we're convinced God is sovereign, good, and purposeful, why would He allow or even ordain a season that has no value or contribution to our futures?" -Beth

ALASKA ❤

Beth, me, and Travis! ❤

The colorful port of Ketchikan ❤

The ornate Russian Orthodox church ❤

Beth's granddaughter, Annabeth, starting us off ❤

'Merica! ❤


Glacier Bay ❤

Amy and I in the final session ❤

Eagle!  ❤

I love Beth's humility, compassion, courage, heart for Jesus, and ability to connect deeply! ❤

Humpback whale tail! ❤

Megan and Teresa meeting Beth and Travis! ❤

I missed the gondola ride and campfire s'mores for the whale watch excursion - a solid choice that turned into a life-changing experience with God - but I'd love to do the gondola next time! lol

BETH ❤

The trail walk to Mendenhall Glacier Falls (aka Nugget Falls)  ❤

Sail Away Party on day one!  ❤

Mendenhall Glacier ❤

Curtis teaching (Amy and I are three rows back in the center - I'm wearing my green sweater) ❤

Right after two power glitches and the overhead lights randomly swinging at the beginning of her talk - lol ❤

 ❤

Taking notes! ❤

"And as He stands in victory,
sin's curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His, and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ!"

 ❤

Ketchikan ❤

Travis and the worship team (including his wife and daughter) ❤

*This post = purchased photos by Beth Rubin and/or the Holland America photographers.
❤ ❤ ❤

Friday, July 17, 2026

Photo Friday!

Happy Friday, friends and fam - I hope it's a lovely weekend ahead for you!!

Here's me returning from my delightful lunch-hour jog around the neighborhood on Thursday.  I was in my 7-minute cooldown walk at the end, about half a block away from my house when the smallest raindrops started.  That became a downpour in about five seconds, and I was DRENCHED - clothes and shoes soaked through, makeup had to be redone, and hair had to be re-blow-dried before our Tulsa protest hearing started back (via Zoom) at 1:30.  Ridic. lol  Perhaps I'll go with a Peloton ride next time!

Ted's dinner with the fam + Bill and Jill last week, followed by a Starbucks hangout with Triston! ❤

Mamaw with J&K

Me with T-man and K-Faith (J was getting a pic with Bill & Jill)

Jill brought Jaceman a Wemby card, and this is him trying on their Spurs Championship replica ring (that all the fans were given during the season opener game in 2014).  Jill used to live in San Antonio, so she and Jace had a lot to say about Spurs basketball! =)

❤ So glad Bill is making progress!

Nancy is in better spirits lately, feeling thankful that God protected them!  It's a long road to recovery ahead with some big decisions still looming, so please continue to pray for Sarah and her family!

Wise advice - Enneagram 9s really struggle with this (knowing what we actually want for ourselves outside of how it affects everyone else), so I'm trying to test things this way moving forward.  Well, this and prayer. lol

Happy Birthday-Eve to Chettles, who had some early celebrations today over coffee with Tyler and Debbie, then Burn Co. BBQ lunch with the guys!!
Seeing the four of them together always makes me happy... it also makes me miss Mark Anthony, but I'm thankful the Shoemakers are loving being near their families back in Texas!

Kudos to Carter Lee, who is currently leading the Steer Wrestling competition

Fun Flashback Friday pic of Pastor Craig and Chet Lee, circa 2011! lol

This hit me, you guys... the degree to which I sometimes struggle to tell which one I am in is absurd.  It's the difference in positive and negative stress - are we being productive and working toward something meaningful or just spinning our wheels on a project that is going nowhere?  Running a difficult hill in the race God marked out for us, or heading toward a dead end?  I am tired of dead ends, and I want to be moving in the path of life and building something beautiful with God's help.

On a not-altogether-unrelated note...
Dear Solid Christian Single Men,
You have one year!
By all means, step up your game.
❤ Lindsey Claire ;-)
It's a Saturday and everything -- the actual perfect wedding date, albeit a full 20 years and 10 days later than the 7-7-07 Saturday wedding I once planned! lol

Gracious.  Honestly, I do feel genuinely tired at the moment, and I need a friend to speak life over my heart in all of this right now...
I have built a life that I love,
and I still have things that I want.
❤
God has heard you every time you pray.
It is in His heart to give you the life story
that brings Him the most glory
and brings you a lot of joy
and moves the gospel forward!

God has ENOUGH GOOD THINGS for all of us.  Not one of my friends has married the man I'm supposed to be with.  And no one is birthing a child I was meant to birth.  N
o matter what, you are not going to miss God's best plan for you if you are pursuing God's best plan for you, and if you say to Him: I want in my life what You have for me!  

 The person you can trust the most to handle your pain the best is God.  I feel so lucky that I can process every moment of every relationship with God.  I'm not alone; He's right there with me.  I have learned very profoundly that Jesus is the primary relationship of my life!   

Your words have the power of life and death.  Speak life over yourself:  I'm available to relationship.  I am working on my mental and emotional and spiritual and physical health, and that is going to make me better in relationship than I would have been yesterday.  I am open to meeting someone new.  I am available for relationship.  I am not married yet, but I hope to be.  I do not have kids yet, but I hope to.  

Using that life-giving language affects the world you live in.

God, You are kind.
God, You are good.
God, You are for me.
God, You are working everything out according to Your will.
God, You care about every detail of my life.  

Friends, God loves you.
And God sees you.
And you are going to be okay.

I promise in the long run, you are going to be okay.  There is not one story in my life in any area where I have not been able to look back on when it was done and say, that was God, and that was His kindness.  Even if I lost a relationship or a person or in tragedy, He still is God, and He is still kind!"

❤ Annie F. Downs
TSF Q&A: Singleness Podcast, 8-18-21

Happy Friday!
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Friday, February 13, 2026

Photo Friday (Caricatures)

Happy Photo Friday... learning that ChatGPT can create caricatures inspired a plethora of new photo fun, as seen below! =)

Mockey and the boys, Glamour Shots version! lol


Me, Sarah, and Chettles - retro style 

Pokemon-themed celebration of Diesel's red belt with a black stripe in Taekwondo!

The boys celebrating their 9th birthday!

Princess Parker Elizabeth (the bow is reflecting her Disney sweatshirt this year).

Princess Kate with her Princess friends + a magical unicorn and llama!

The Whitaker fam with all four boys!

TJ and Jace celebrating their move into Junior High!

The Mini Miss K being an awesome setter!

Rach with J&K at Christmastime + Courtney's caricature of her life lately

Tate celebrating his 8th birthday + the Fulton fam celebrating Sarah being done (a year from now) lol

Counselor me + Court Reporter and student me!

Wonderful Wilson fam!

And in other news, these heart-shaped biscuits for Valentine's season bring me joy!

Cute Lego minions when I went to pick up Steve's Legos in OKC

Lots of extra time to walk, write, chat on the phone, and watch TV lately - yay, OCC! ❤

❤ ❤ ❤