Don't Let That Hold You Back

Four of my favorite Christian female authors released a new book on Tuesday!!

I pre-ordered 3 out of 4, and I'll grab Lysa's soon too.  (I wanted these on my bookshelf, but I'll for sure listen to the Audible version.)

Yaaaay - thanks to Kristin for this reminder today!!

I'm preparing and planning for a job interview tomorrow morning, and this encouragement was well-timed - thanks, God!

I'm especially excited to read this one by my good friend, Annie F. Downs (who I've only met twice in person and who I'm guessing is now legally Annie Jaeger, which brings me lots of joy).  I also love that she got colorful shoes and nails to match her book cover - fun!

I've read the first two chapters thanks to the pre-order bonuses, and the message of this book feels like God's good and perfect timing for me...

Fun Fact:  One year and three days ago, I was in NYC watching Hamilton live on Broadway!  (A truly fantastic solo trip - and it gave me the courage to book the solo Alaska cruise.)  Yes, please, to knocking those fantastic experiences off my Life List!! =)

Two days later, I had the Dallas IVF appointment where I learned about the fibroids that eventually led to me letting go of the embryo adoption plan.  I've got to say, the enemy knows how to target overthinkers (and it's so easy to believe lies when we are vulnerable and hurting) -- my ability to reframe things can be a great blessing or a curse, and it is VITAL that I take my thoughts captive and submit to God's leadership, truth, and grace!

I'm thankful for good friends who could help me separate the light from the dark and see things more clearly when the path ahead felt foggy and scary.

I pressed the pause button on almost everything in that season, convincing myself that I had gotten the adoption pursuit very wrong and it was better for me to step back until I knew for sure that God was with me and for me in whatever I was stepping into...

But the truth is, I did a lot of things right in that season.  It was right and good for me to pray over that dream, step out in faith, put my best foot forward, trust God's goodness, and pursue motherhood wholeheartedly.  AND it was right and good for me to recognize the doors being closed, pray for wisdom, and learn to accept and surrender to God's leading in a new way.  Hard.  But not wrong; not missing God; not stupid, inadequate, or selfish.  God wasn't mad at me or disappointed in me over any of that, and I don't want to allow the enemy to steal or kill or destroy the good things God did in me and for me through that season.

God did not fail or abandon me then, and He will not fail or abandon me now.  Even today, I have to trust Him and be willing to step out with bold faith in pursuing new dreams, while also being willing to surrender to His leading even when it is hard or costly!!

I feel like I'm getting the chance to do both of those here lately as I step back into the CCU PhD pursuit.  It feels equal parts daunting and exciting in this moment - I've spent the better part of a year convincing myself that I'm not cut out for the counseling world and don't really belong there, but God has spoken so clearly lately that I cannot (and would never want to) ignore or dismiss it.  Praying for more of God's power and grace as I step toward His calling and purpose for me - which involves sticking with some things I would rather leave, and letting go of some things I'd rather cling tightly to!!

All that to say, I don't want to let anything hold me back from following God boldly, and I think Annie's book will be really encouraging on that front!

❤

Shifting gears, it made me (and Kyndal Faith) happy that Coach Nikki (the solid leader of the Rise Club VB organization) used her pic on the Instagram invite for club tryouts!!

"Do not be afraid as you go out to fight... Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them.  For the Lord your God is going with you!  HE will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!"  YES, Deuteronomy - love this book!!  God is with us and bringing us victory over the enemy, but we still have an active role to play by going out to fight for the full life God wants to give us - I feel that as deeply as I've ever felt it in this season!

HBD to Kate on Tuesday (when I started this post - lol).  

Thankful for her example of resilient joy and for her friendship through the years!!

Okay friends, I am off to sleep in my very own bed for the first time since August 6th - exciting times!!

Very grateful that Mom is improving, and we decided it was better for me to start the day here for the morning interview.  Praying for good momentum, that God will open the right doors as I move forward with integrity and faith.

❤ ❤ ❤

Party with Puppies!

Yesterday was the Puppies & Yoga class, part one of Kristin's 40th Birthday celebration!!  Part two will be a delightful brunch or meal of her choosing, but nothing quite this adorable or exciting. lol

So much cuteness and so much fun! 

It was a 45-minute beginner yoga class followed by 30 minutes to play with the puppies.  (After seeing the middle pic of myself during the class, I promptly stepped out to grab some lipstick before that last 30 minutes.) lol

Puppies are just the cutest and most playful and sweet!! ❤

This = a cousins pic with all three sets of puppy siblings (there were 3 cream-colored Siberian Huskies, 2 gray and white Siberian Huskies, and 3 black and white Alaskan sled dogs - eight puppies total, and about 12-15 people in the class)!! ❤

Their eyes are so pretty!

We had mild concerns about it being a scam, as the location is a little sketchy.  But once we were inside, all was well and we both had a lot of fun!  Yaaay!!

All in all, a really fun experience!  I definitely appreciated the degree to which no one was taking the yoga too seriously.  I avoided touching my eyes and I changed clothes right when I got home.  Next time, I would wash my hands immediately after the class and shower right when I got home (to avoid allergy issues with itchy/watery eyes - that's been a little rough last night and this morning), annnnd I would wear socks during the class - Kristin made a good call on that one. lol

Anyway, I'm glad it was fun, and I'm happy with all the cute pics we got!  I plan to watch their page and come again if ever they host Corgis or Pom puppies!! =)

❤ ❤ ❤

Kristin and I split a pizza at Hideaway for lunch just before the class (yum!), and I hosted LifeGroup earlier that morning!  We had a new woman join us this time, which was awesome, and we had a really good talk where everyone shared part of their stories!  The pics = Walker showing us the jungle scene he created while we were meeting + the pigs in a blanket I made for everyone whilst catching up with Chettles yesterday morning!

Sadly, I had to miss Katherine Claire's 5th Birthday party that morning -- her actual birthday is this coming Thursday, and I sent my gift via Amazon, but hopefully I'll get to see her sometime soon, too -- Chet said it was a great crowd, and these pictures made me happy... Sam's cakes for the win!!

"I got my ticket for the long way 'round..." 
This = two years ago today, two weeks post-surgery for me!

Cups with Kyndal Faith + watching Jaceman play golf (Mom and Dad's backyard backs up to a golf course).  This was the summer of the red mohawk (inspired by Hawk from Cobra Kai). #CobraKaiNeverDies #mustwatchthatagain

And this = four years ago today... my Taber home coming right along!  That bottom pic was taken from what has become my recliner spot in the living room - they very agreeably moved those two small windows on the left up before closing day, which allowed me to hang my lovely tree-bridge painting in the living room! =)

I appreciate what AI can do to spice up any pic with a white background! lol

Happy 4th from me and the CCU roomies!

I'm having a very restful Sunday, as tomorrow I have my first PSO rates case at work, an all-day remote court hearing that will require an expedited transcript -- (yay for the extra $, but it will absolutely require some extra focus, so I may not be back here until Friday).

Happy Sunday!

Finish strong for this first half of 2026, friends!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Nine Years Ago

All the pictures in this post are from 6-24-2017. ❤

I love Grandad's joy in this pic. =)

It was a fun morning at JoBug's pool with our fam + JB and her dogs + Grandad and Babah + a combo of pizza and Johnnie's for lunch!

Love that pic of her jumping in full-force!

Also love this pic of J&K helping Grandad with his chocolate pie from Johnnie's! ❤

Swing break at Mom and Dad's -- I miss the fort! =)

Meanwhile, Mom and I were drizzle-painting this lovely mirror that still hangs in my bedroom above the cotton-candy couch today! ❤ 

Back home to change clothes... (this was when the Parrish fam lived in Mom and Dad's neighborhood,  and Jace is in the background chatting with Josh's coworker Coop).

We took J&K to a kids event put on by HealthCare Express.  I love the stage they're in right now, but this age was pretty fun too!

I didn't catch it till today, but Mom's Lexus SUV and Josh's Integrity Security van are the two cars behind them in this pic!

I remember he was very proud of winning these suspenders - certain that Mamaw would think he was so handsome, and he was not wrong! lol

Racing to the neighborhood gate to show me their favorite game with Grandpa! =)

That's all for now.  These memories popped up in Google Photos, and I was surprised that all of this happened on the same day... just a random, ordinary day with lots of good memories that make me smile!

❤ ❤ ❤

Hair Care and First Drafts

Well, I've made peace with AI for a tiny minute,
but it's for a really vital cause. ;-)

It's honestly very helpful to me to see the different colors, lengths, and hairstyles with everything else in the photo being the same.  My personal fav is the long layered rose gold look below - sadly, I think that color is potentially damaging and hard to get right in real life, but I will be asking Janelle about it.  I also like the layers with full bangs, the curly red hair (what I always want a perm to be, but it never is), and the shorter curly bob(s).

I tried it for Rachael too, although I "ran out of credits" after only a few.
My bad - did not realize there was a limit. lol

Here we are with the famous "pixie" cut... kinda fun to have the pics, because you will never see this in real life for me. lol  It would require so much courage for me to ever ask for a cut this short, and I would need a few trustworthy wig options in case it all went terribly.

Okay then.  Lots of deep insights being shared in today's post. lol

Here's our friend trio pic at the block party (taken by the photographer, Ashton).

And a vibrant pic of the wonderful Wilson fam, Block Party 2026!

That's all for today.  Now I'm off to finish up my transcript and finalize my writing plan!!  I've decided to get going and attempt to write a full first draft over the next 15 weeks ...before I'm set to resume classes and before I pursue any meeting with Dr. Burkhart, as the writing process itself is likely to answer my big questions!

Hope you have a fantastic week ahead!  Keep moving forward!

❤ ❤ ❤

The Niece and Nephews

Happy Wednesday!  Hearing June 3rd brings two things to mind: Gilmore Girls (Lorelai and Luke's non-wedding day, and Rory's sentencing day in court, which brought me joy).  And more importantly, it makes me think of my friend, Tiffany Joanne, for whom this date is a grief anniversary.  Today marks one decade since the earthly death of her dad.  Praying for God's presence to bring peace, anchored hope, and comfort in the midst of this painful season of grief for her. ❤

I'm in my Zoom courtroom 25 minutes early and figured I'd use this time to get some blogging in before another exciting day of OCC work! ;-)

Here's a couple professional photos of Triston Michael at the Graduation ceremony! 

Side note: Mom had his robe professionally cleaned/steamed so it would be wrinkle-free.  He wore it to the final practice the morning of graduation (where I'm sure it looked pristine), then he stuffed it into the plastic bag for safekeeping (he's holding it in the picture below after practice that very morning). lol  If only they'd had photographers there for the practice run!  But whatever, definitely unintended and accidental on his part, and it's kinda funny to me now!

A professional pic of Carter Lee steer wrestling in the Oklahoma High School Rodeo Finals (where I believe he placed 2nd)! ❤

Jace Michael celebrating the Spurs victory with me last week! ❤

And the mini-Miss Kyndal Faith FaceTiming to show me her colorful summer hair!

Here's a throwback pic of her five years ago when she made this lovely sign to encourage Grandpa when he came home from the hospital! ❤

A good reminder...

More good reminders that were worth printing out!  I am feeling freshly inspired after reading these Big Trust and Theo of Golden and several of Allen Levi's blog posts!!

And finally, here's a fun video of J&K playing basketball last night after our Rib Crib family dinner!  They're just so much FUN right now... Miss K with her 3-pointers and entertaining MJ victory dance, and Jaceman sinking three half-court shots over the past week - so happy I caught the last one on video!! ❤

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you have a wonderful day ahead!

❤ ❤ ❤