A Merry Birthday Party!

My favorite niece turns 11 this summer (actually on the very first day of their new school year), so she celebrated that with a "Christmas in July" party this weekend!! ❤

It was a perfect theme for a day where they got to swim and play outside in the sun all afternoon then enjoy cozy Christmas vibes + cake and presents at night!

Rach rented the fun slumber party tents again (they light up at night and it's super cute!)

The crowd was Stella, Hadley, Dylan, Kyndal, Rachel, Olivia, Jace, and Aden.  These pics are from a scavenger hunt they did in Mom and Dad's neighborhood!

Me and the Miss K in the photo booth Rach set up (she even gathered all her courage and made the balloon garlands herself - turned out really cute)!

Cake time!!  It's possible that Jace aggressively blew out the last candle... not his most thoughtful big-brother moment. lol

Paintball + water-balloon fight, selfie with K, Rachael's front door, and the fun chalkboard she made for this party!

They wore their PJ pants and sunglasses to dinner at Cheddar's... they're at a fun age, and these pics make me happy!

I nearly titled this "A Bloody Merry Birthday,” but figured an alcohol pun on a kid’s party was in poor taste, and I'm never sure how scandalous that word is in the UK. lol  The party was mostly good times, but it included a couple of unfortunate dramatic episodes. lol  Rachael picked the very smallest scab that was apparently connected to an artery, as blood started spraying (with pressure) and was very hard to stop - soaked through multiple towels.  Sorry for the gross photos - I'd never seen anything like this outside of movies before - hopefully she'll go to the doctor soon!  Kyndal's immediate annoyance with Rach here also definitely made me laugh... "MOM, on my birthday!?" lol

So once Mom and Rach finished cleaning up the kitchen crime scene and Rach got her ankle in a proper tourniquet, it was present time! lol  Christmas memorieees!

A few more cute pics... the gigantic "Birthday Girl" cup made me laugh - she's the cutest!!

The end. ❤

Unshakeable

"I have set the Lord continually before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
~Psalm 16:8

Kristin and I caught the new Twisters movie last night, and I couldn't resist taking a selfie in the theater's wind tunnel setup.  (I enjoyed the movie!  The action was predictably intense, and I've been a fan of Glen Powell since Top Gun: Maverick!)

The lead characters are storm chasers, and there's a scene where they're discussing a traumatic loss she is struggling to move on from.  He says, "You know, EF-1 or EF-5 -- it's not the size of the tornado or the speed that determines that.  The power we ascribe to it is based on damage, and we only know the full extent of it after the fact.  I'm really sorry for what happened, but how much more are you gonna let this thing take from you?"

This all resonated with me, as some old anxious-attachment patterns resurfaced recently.  It happened fast, and it took time for me to understand what triggered it.  Past wounds, shame, and fear all came swirling up with it, and feeling hypervigilant and guarded really drained my energy and focus.  I want to get better at catching that early, and I'm going to talk with Emily about it.  I know grief doesn't just evaporate, and the fear of losing people we love can be intense.  The EF-5 tornadoes in the movie felt like such a good match for the emotional intensity I'd been feeling.

I'm very grateful to be in healthier relationships that feel more stable and supportive now -- to have solid friends who notice when something is wrong and care enough to make a genuine effort to understand, communicate, and reassure me.  Even so, none of us can control death, and it was that fear that set things off for me this time.  I won't get into that more here, but it was a difficult week on the emotional scale.

As usual, John Eldredge had a well-timed word about the strengthening presence of God... so I am reminding myself that no matter what life brings, God will be with me, and I will never be abandoned.  I may not be articulating this well - I have lots of unfinished thoughts.  I'm a work in progress, and that's okay.  I am relational to the core, and I have truly exceptional friends and family, but my main source of security still cannot be rooted in their presence, and I needed the reminder this week.  To hold the gifts of God with a very open hand, and to point my highest hope, faith, and love toward Him and the coming kingdom!

I have set the Lord continually before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ❤

Thankful Thursday #197!

"Yet the strength of those who wait with hope in the LORD will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won't become weary. They will walk and won't grow tired."  ~Isaiah 40:31

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  This awesome pic of Tate and Teresa!!  And being excited to try this place in Sapulpa when I visit the Christmas Chute, if not before. =)

2.  Mel Robbins and the Launch course, and all the joy and hope she puts into the world!  She has two sweet Aussie dogs named "Yolo" and "Homie," which I freaking love and find hilarious... and this one looks so much like Reagan! ❤

3.  Diesel Eugene, one of my favorite boys, who turns 10 years old today!!  Hope he's having the best birthday and that he has a fantastic year ahead!

4.  Jessica, Tiffany, and Meredith (former CHA classmates) -- it's nice to see them celebrating friendship and living confidently!

5.  My rose petal potpourri. lol  I bought 24 roses for $10 ,then quickly realized why they were so cheap.  It was fun peeling them, though!

6.  Carter Lee, who is competing in a national rodeo in Wyoming this week!  I'm just gonna need him to close one more button. lol  Happy he's competing and doing well, though!

7.  Chettles, who shines brightly in a world that needs more light, and who celebrates his 36th birthday today!! 🎉

That's really all now, friends and fam.  I love you and believe in you, and I hope you have a lovely weekend ahead! ❤

Birthday Card/Tribute!

"May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from His glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience.  May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people in the kingdom of light!"  ~Colossians 1:11-12

Chet Lee, 

Happy 36th Birthday!!

"Encourager, loyal, strong, and true."  You used these words to describe me back in 2015, and they are fitting for you today.  My whole family loves the Wilson fam, and I value the way the Wilsons and Weatherfords have loved, accepted, and included me.  It's a gift to have this extended Tulsa "framily," and I look forward to the Disney 'Christmas trip' with you all!

Over the past 15+ years, your friendship has shaped the course of my life in countless ways, and I will always be deeply grateful!  I appreciate your loyalty, insight, and willingness to have the important-but-hard conversations.  I have enjoyed watching you grow in Christ, and I hope you feel proud of the life you've built!  You have a remarkable ability to uplift others with timely words of affirmation, encouragement, humor, and wisdom.  You care for people well, and your faith and integrity set a powerful example.  I love and believe in you, and I am here to support you and your family in any way possible!

Thanking God today for your inspiring life, your delightful family, your steadfast friendship, and your positive impact on the world… which I'm confident is just getting started!  May God continue to strengthen you and bring to completion every good thing He has begun in you.

Gratefully,

❤ Lindsey Claire

P.S.  Here's a fun slideshow to a classic gem from OneRepublic! =)

Happy Thursday, friends and fam! ❤

Untangling + Phoning It In #24

I had my third therapy session with Emily this afternoon.  Perfect timing, honestly - yay, God!  My biggest takeaway was to have grace and patience as I gradually untangle myself from shame and negative messages (which goes right along with Hebrews 12:1).  I found three illustrations that resonate with this idea: working with others who truly care, processing jumbled thoughts and emotions as I talk openly, and freeing my heart from stuck places!  I particularly like the top one because it could represent the Trinity or working with a therapist and close friend who listen well and care enough to help me untangle myself from toxic messages and lies I've believed + gain clarity and peace.  This visual also inspires me to gently help others (family, friends, and clients) in the same way!! ❤

And now, 500,000 pictures so I can feel caught up! lol

Here's me and Kristin on Saturday! ❤

Saturday was Diesel's 10th Birthday party!  Fun times and a really great turnout at the Whitaker household! =)

The boys were fun and energetic, and Miss Amelia and Clara were cute, and I got a couple lovely cousin pics... but the thing I'll probably remember most is getting a text from Mom about Trump being shot at a rally she was watching live.  I called her during and after the party to get more details.  Without making this about political opinions or conspiracy theories, I'll just say I am grateful for God's protection and praying for more of God's peace, both personally and nationally.  

Shifting gears, Sunday morning I was up at 5:30 to meet Mom and T-man.  She scheduled this "discovery flight" for Triston to learn more about becoming a pilot (and to determine whether he gets motion sick in small planes - he does not - I would've been in very rough shape).

Proud of his courage for trying this - he really enjoyed it and plans to move forward with ground school classes, so that's exciting!

A Monday Meme courtesy of Chettles and Texas Roadhouse (the best rolls + cinnamon butter!!)

"eeEEee is for how Extreeemely normal I find it..."

Jaceman and Kyndal are working out with a trainer 3x a week at Shape this summer!  Proud of them for their hard work, also!

Ruth and Charlotte - I haven't seen them in a while, but their friendship makes me happy!

Nap time for J&K several years back (a FB memory Dad posted).  Kyndal looks so much like toddler-Rachael here, and her open eyes and irritated glare made me laugh!

Another iceberg illustration... and a reminder for you that what's happening beneath the surface matters!

A powerful word from Priscilla Shirer!

Yes to this - and while I'm at it, thank God for Donald Miller and the many, many ways he has changed my life!!

Whilst getting my oil changed at Lexus this weekend and finishing one audiobook then starting another, I realized I was casually sitting with my legs crossed (something naturally thin people probably take for granted), and that made me happy!  Another non-scale victory is my doctor saying I can start tapering down from my blood pressure medication (while monitoring it carefully, obvi).  YAY!  Month 1 was rough times, and the "Week-3 stall" lingered a while for me, but I'm feeling more balanced physically and emotionally lately.  I've been working out regularly and making healthier choices, breaking through the long plateau and just feeling VERY grateful for these gradual, positive changes!! ❤  Love this journey for me. ;-)

Built this happy new desk chair just before finishing my Diagnostic Worksheet homework yesterday!  So happy about transforming this room!

The Bullard fam... well, the Troop Bullard fam, to be more specific.  Lots of love and respect for them!

A July 2015 throwback from Free Tea Day at McAlister's... fun!

Saw this on Mom and Dad's TV and immediately thought of the Cabaret song (which I only know from Schitt's Creek)... "Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!" =)

Weird to end on a welcome note, but here we are!  I sincerely hope you're having a fantastic day.  And in case no one else mentions it, I want to say that I love you and believe in you, and I believe in your ability to untangle from any lies you've believed and stand firm in grace and truth!! ❤

MM ~ Chet's 21st + Disney 2009

Today's Memory Monday post comes to you courtesy of Shutterfly, the only place I had some of these epic photos saved!!  Let's time-travel together back 15 years to Saturday, July 18, 2009... Chet Lee's very memorable 21st birthday party!!!

We started out with dinner at PF Chang's then went to Carl Brandvold's apartment for cake and fun line dancing practice... followed by our historic inaugural trip to the Caravan! #thefirstofmany

Group pic at dinner with the signature thumbs up pose + the famous Wanda's cake (it was excellent - sadly, she closed up shop a couple years later) + Chet mocking Natalie L's panic on their Colorado rafting trip! lol


Rachael LaJo, me, and Malori Riah + Chet Lee just across the table from us with his bday dessert from the restaurant + Natalie L. at Carl's apartment with the adorable bday balloon-man!


Nater-tot, Sarah S, and Chettles. lol


Above group in a 3rd pic + my giant bday card for Chet + line dancing practice with Chet and Sarah + our first trip to "the Van!"


Nathan, Kirsten, and Holly + Rach with her sad bowl of plain white rice lol + Chet excited to be old enough for the hand-stamp at the Caravan LOL + one more restaurant group pic - (Sarah H in her makeup-free, skirt-wearing Pentecostal days)!


Meeting JEM and learning the pretzel spin move and the ghetto line dance would all come later, but this was a really fun night and a good core LG memory!  What stands out most and makes me laugh looking back is that this was 7 short months into my friendship with Chettles, and my family literally changed our summer vacation schedule so that I could be back in time for this much-anticipated party (which he had invited me to 7 months in advance). #worthit  I'm guessing that decision helped to cement our friendship, and I love that the fam was flexible and that I had the gumption to even ask for that!  Also love that Rach joined our group in Tulsa for Chet's 21st bday - I'm assuming I had talked up the friend group! =)

Although I'm guessing she didn't do a lot of dancing that weekend. lol  ...Aww, memories of pushing her all over Disney World in that stupid wheelchair and getting to cut to the front of the lines for every ride!  Rach, if you read this, remind me how your ankle was broken??  That was a State Farm reward trip, so yay SF!  That bottom right pic of Rach and I at the SF banquet dinner was my screensaver for a while after this trip. =)

Love the wheelchair pic of Dad and Rach!  It's kinda sad to me now that we didn't also get a family pic in front of the castle, but what can you do years after the fact!?  It's always a hot mess crowd at that entrance, and I'm guessing I didn't want to annoy anyone.  *Things like this = why I'm usually willing to annoy people and demand group photos now. lol  I'm always so grateful to have them when I look back, and my guess is that others will be too!!

The park stuff all blurs together in my memory at this point - I know Rach and I did the Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster (intense winding ramps as we cut the line on that one) and Splash Mountain repeatedly, but that's about it.  I believe this was our last family trip before Rach got married and had children - not sure I've been on another trip with her since.  My three most vivid memories looking back are:  1) Feeling proud of myself for going to our resort's workout room a couple times to get in some extra miles, training for my first Half Marathon that November... 2) Getting a fun voicemail from Malori where she sang to cheer me up (we talked daily at the time and she knew I was over-worried about Mom, who was pretty sick and coughing through the night that week)... and 3) Everything feeling better as our fam gathered on our impressive hotel room balcony to watch the Epcot fireworks show at night - (staying at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort)!!

Anyway, looking back at the group pics from that party, Chet Lee, Sarah Elizabeth, and Rachael LaJo are the only people still in my life 15 years later.  Just as it should be.  Most friendships are for a season, but a few are for a lifetime.  I'm so glad to be in the phase of life where it's a bit easier to tell the difference. lol  Okay, to sum this up, I'm super grateful for these early memories and for ALLLL God has done in the 15 years since!! ❤

Happy 36th Birth-week to Chettles!

Happy Monday to everyone, and I hope you have a fantastic week ahead!!

The Latest Books

1.  Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melanie Beattie

"Even if the most important person in your world rejects you, you are still real, and you are still okay... We don’t have to take things so personally. When people with a compulsive disorder do whatever it is they are compelled to do, they are not saying they don’t love you - they are saying they don’t love themselves.”

2.  ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD by Penn and Kim Holderness

Mostly fun and interesting - helpful for people with ADHD (Jaceman enjoyed some of Penn's descriptions) and good for those who want to better support and understand someone with ADHD!

3.  Fighting Shadows: Overcoming 7 Lies That Keep Men From Becoming Fully Alive by Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson

Best book I've read this year - highly recommend.  Intended for a male audience, but applied to my life in many areas.  It's about becoming light by overcoming the shadows the blur our view of God: despair, loneliness, futility, apathy, ambition, shame, and lust.

4.  Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel

The audiobook should have been read by Craig, but a good and encouraging book overall.

5.  Write Your Story: A Simple Framework to Understand Yourself, Your Story, and Your Purpose in the World by Allison Fallon

Exceptional book for anyone who has a desire to write or better understand their life story - I'll revisit this one and probably take her A Book in Six Months course next January!

6.  It's Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People by Dr. Ramani Durvasula

So good... so many bookmarks and great quotes from this one, and I appreciate her empathy, empowering perspective, and emphasis on letting go of the hope that the narcissist will change.

7.  Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison

Fantastic deeper look at the problems with diet culture (aka American culture around food) and a healthier approach to life -- revisiting this in 2025, as well!

8.  Think This, Not That: 12 Mindshifts to Break Through Limiting Beliefs and Become Who You Were Born to Be by Dr. Josh Axe

Currently listening to this one and really enjoying it!

9.  Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters by Timothy Keller

"When people say, 'I know God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself,' they mean that they have failed an idol whose approval is more important to them than God's."

Mic drop.  Love Tim Keller!