Girls' Trip!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE, friends and fam!!  We're meeting Bill and Jill for dinner at Charleston's tonight, and I'm so looking forward to my potato soup and croissant.  I've been covering the office today, which has involved writing all these blogs, taking a longer lunchtime walk/jog workout, and answering the phone literally once. lol

I promise this is my final post for today, and arguably the most fun!  Yesterday, we took a girls' road trip to Tulsa - Mom wasn't feeling great, and Jace decided to opt out last minute, but this small group was lots of fun!! ❤  Here we are by all the colorful stuff at Amber Marie!

First things first - I was so surprised to see Dad on a billboard and made Rach turn around so we could get out and get a pic with it. lol YAY!!  Would be better if he were also smiling, but we had no control over that. lol

Kyndal wanted Starbucks for the drive... yay for their Christmas cups!

Me trying on hats for the NYC trip (got this crystaled one) + Rach with the Amber Marie nutcracker + Kyndal with the light-up wreath she stole from atop Rachael's head. lol  Her "sleigh girl sleigh" shirt makes me happy!

Rach was loving the nutcrackers this year - she wants to crystal one this size, which is not a desire I can relate to. lol

Kyndal telling Rach, "You are such a cringe capper right now" and cracking me right up!! 

The Brook is definitely a fam favorite when they come to Tulsa!  Between the 3 of us, we probably ate one of these full bowls of mac n' cheese.

We made a quick stop by Roosevelts to see the Christmas decor!

On the phone with Chettles as I entered the Christmas Chute, I saw this presh corgi puppy and had to hang up!  LOOK AT HIM!!  It may be the ka-thousand FB videos of corgis that I've watched over the past couple years, but I was so excited to see him - his name is Hogie, which is adorable too!  No, his owner did not offer to let me hold him and I didn't exactly ask, but he crawled into my arms as I was petting him, so it was meant to be. lol

Yay, Wilsons and Weatherfords!!

Yay, Muecke and Parrishes! lol

The girls...

The whole group...

A lovely nativity scene! ;-)

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So excited to be at the Chute with Uncle Trent!

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Pic outside Box Photography where the kids were befriending Bob the cat through the window!

Wilson fam!

My former workplace!!  Sapulpa has definitely done well for itself with the Christmas Chute!!

Classic sister pic!  Thanks to Rach for driving us!!

It was a very fun weekend with loads of quality time with my favorite people, so hooray for that!  I hope you're feeling the joy of Christmas this year and that Jesus feels close in the quiet moments!! #Godiswithus #Godisforus

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Defying Gravity

Saturday was a movie morning then shopping at Quail Springs Mall with Rach and J&K... before jogging at Lake Hefner then meeting Kristin at Hideaway! =)  I'm kinda tired, but I honestly love how full the December schedule feels!!

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J&K with the Grinch - we went to Flix Brewhouse which was a fun atmosphere - we all had brunch during the movie - Rach and Jace saw Sonic 3, which Jace kindly offered to go see again with me! lol

"Unlimited - my future is unlimited!"  ❤  

Seeing this with Kyndal was fun - she loved it, and I really loved the way they did Defying Gravity in the end - I need to go back just to watch that part one more time. lol

They had "Crazy Hair Day" at club volleyball practice, and Kyndal FaceTimed to show me hers! #crazycute ;-)

Meme that made me laugh!  I 've felt very snacky lately, which is in no way unusual for the holiday season, but I'd like to quiet that down!

A windy walk before making my Marathon Monday video!

I had to get fingerprints done for OSBI and FBI background checks... with my fingertips cracking from psoriasis, it was a hot mess nightmare.  But after lots of lotion and cornhusker oil and 5 post office employees trying their very best and never succeeding... after three trips to the Moore Police Station, three trips to different Norman post offices, one trip to the post office in OKC, and one unnecessary trip to the OKC jail (bc Google was misinformed and they no longer do fingerprints there)... I finally got mine completed and sent off to the FBI and OSBI, so hopefully I'll be approved to take the Oklahoma jurisprudence exam soon, which is the actual final step before being board approved as an LPC-Candidate!  GRACIOUS, what a delightful process!!! lol  I was as angry and flustered as I've been in years when I called mom after my 4th unfruitful trip on Friday afternoon.  Very thankful that is done now.  I may cry if I get a notice that the FBI is rejecting them as poor quality.

Speaking of feeling snacky, the attorneys have been happy to provide us lots of Christmas treats lately! 

My presents for Doris and Judge (personalized charcuterie boards) wrapped beautifully by Mom!

How ridiculous were these movies!? lol  I vaguely remember bits and pieces of them, but mostly when I look at him, I see Uncle Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies! =)

Go me!!  I'm happy/proud/grateful/surprised by how long I'm able to jog right now - trying to push myself without pushing too hard or injuring myself!

Mom and Dad had dinner with the Lemieux fam, the Wallaces, and Rick at Bob's Chophouse this week - love that they got a group pic!! 

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Friday at the Fultons!

Friday night, Sarah and Steve had me and the Wilsons over for dinner - she made chicken tortilla soup and several fun snacks!  The original plan was a game night, but it turned into us talking and catching up while the girls had a tea party and Tate and Steve built Star Wars lego stuff.  We had quality time for a good talk, and that registers as more fun in my book!  Here's our happy group pic at the end of the night! ❤

Tate Haywood in the cute yeti sweater he and Karli made! ❤

Sarah's gift from the Wilsons!

My gift from them - love it!

Parker Elizabeth and Sarah Elizabeth!

Kate and Parker eating their mac n' cheese and watching the animated Cinderella!  This gif brings me great joy - I love how willing girls are to pose it up for photos! =)

Classic friend trio pic - yay!

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Marathon Monday #2

YouTube is not cooperating today, so Facebook gets the video and blog readers get the written post. =)

I walk/jogged a 5k at Lake Hefner on Saturday - gorgeous weather, and I was there right around 4pm so the view was perfect.  It felt great to be able to do 8:1 intervals without getting too winded.  I've started a dynamic stretch routine that I do before any run workouts, and I hope it will prove helpful!  My routine right now is a 10-minute walk and 10-minute core workout Monday-Friday morning before work... then following the training plan, which has 40-60 minutes of full body strength training Tues/Thurs and various run/walk distances and intervals on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, along with a 45-minute bike ride or walk on Fridays and a total rest day on Sunday.  I can switch the days up a bit as needed, but it feels like a pretty workable and well-rounded plan from what I can tell!

My new Brooks Hyperion shoes... these may be the magical Marathon shoes - so far so good, and I like that they're in theme with the Wicked colors!  #defyinggravity #unlimited

Saturday was winter solstice (the shortest daylight hours), and on 12-22, it gradually starts getting lighter.  I adore that reality and that metaphor!!

Light is coming!  P.S.  I feel like a lot of Lake Hefner Saturdays may be in my future!

This popped up on Facebook and made me laugh. =)

True story - in work changes and marathoning and more!!  Let's freaking grow! ;-)

I'm really determined to work the training plan and be consistent with it.  This was a good visual for why consistency matters with nutrition and with race training!

Another meme that made me laugh lately... I'm committed to the 20 weeks of Marathon Monday videos idea, and I think it'll be good to push myself and get better at that along the way!

Hopefully YouTube will un-pause the uploads soon, but for now, this works!  Merry Christmas Eve Eve to you!  Here's to moving on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose!! (Which I talked about in my video, along with my job news).

Once again, I'll be adding multiple posts today to stay caught up with the amount of photos and fun events in December! ❤

Thankful Thursday #219

"And surely I am with you always,

to the very end of the age."
~Matthew 28:20

Today, I am thankful for: 

1.  Accepting a "School-Based Therapist" job offer from CREOKS (to be an elementary school counselor in Broken Arrow starting early March)!  I am grateful God connected me with Marla, a fellow court reporter pursuing a counseling career transition and moving from Cleveland County to the Tulsa area!  Long story short, I'm emotional about the transition but very grateful for God’s guidance, and I am going to learn and grow and make the most of my time working with young children and their families!! ❤

2.  Crockpot chicken and noodles... a simple comfort food that's good with and without alfredo sauce. =)

3.  I'm grateful to be hosting our family Christmas Eve gathering this year (with JoBug and her fam + us and the Parrishes).  It's nice having some real presents under the tree alongside the lovely wrapped boxes of air Mom made to complete the Christmas look. lol

4.  Kristin Michelle... My move to OKC was a massive catalyst for positive changes in my life - I see God's hand in many areas, and it's okay that it didn't take the exact shape I was expecting.  Through all the pivots and shifting dreams and goals, l am deeply grateful for Kristin‘s consistent support, her faith in me as a potential mom, and for trusting that we have years of close friendship ahead!

5.  Thankful that we have the God-given ability to renew our minds, form new habits, and see new results.

6.  Thankful for marathon training being the long string that will tie this season together - a worthy goal with a stable and consistent routine that will help me feel sane and emotionally regulated in the midst of the coming chaos. #movementismedicine

 

7.  Mel freaking Robbins, one of the strongest voices speaking into my life all year long with the Launch course and live trainings and biweekly podcast - this episode was fantastic and so well-timed!! #thankful #actionbuildsconfidence

Okay, I'm done with the online processing for today.  Lots of gratitude and joy mixed with a bit of grief and wondering what God will do next.  Faith in His goodness, and fortitude to persevere when life doesn't go according to plan.  Much love to whoever has read all of this.  Happy Thursday, and happy Christmas week ahead!!
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Faith & Fortitude

Happy Wednesday, my friends!  I just finished a 2-mile jog (5:2 run/walk intervals) around Main Street Norman, and now I'm enjoying my end-of-day small piece of fudge (salted caramel dark chocolate - so freaking good - it's like these attorneys don't know I'm on WW. lol)  Our office is currently full of holiday treats, and I am being mindful and tracking what I eat, so yay for that!  I've also made a new rule for myself that I can't watch TV at home or post anything on FB or Instagram until that day's workouts are completed.  Motivating!  (That doesn't apply to blogging, for the record.)

Okay, on to the real topic for today... this little nod from God popped up on my FB feed as I was in the waiting room this morning.

I had a consultation appointment at OU Reproductive Medicine (backstory here).  Dr. Evans was very kind about my weight loss success, which felt good.  We went over my IUI history, the October hysteroscopy and summer weight loss surgery, and discussed my current options (looking toward summer 2025).  I was given information on the embryo adoption agencies they work with, info on a  fertility testing procedure I could have before trying another IUI, info on this clinic vs. a Tulsa clinic, and an IVF cost sheet ($11k without genetic testing, $14k with it, $700 for anesthesia, then $3500 for the embryo transfer IF there are any viable embryos, which decrease drastically as women age -- and let's not forget the donor sperm, which is $2000 per vial).  Clearly, IVF would be my very best chance of having a biological child.  When I tally up the home studies, profile books, payments to adoption agencies, sperm banks, and past IUIs, I have spent well over $10,000 already...

Financially, physically, and emotionally, the cost is high.  For those whose heart is in it, the (unguaranteed) reward of parenthood is higher.  The same would be true for so much of life as a single mom.

Spiritually, I feel a surprising sense of grace and peace about all of this right now.  I do not have to make this decision today.  God is with me and for me, leading me in big and small ways, and "I will bless the Lord who guides me."  If I were to become pregnant, I have a great support system and there would be so much joy in that news!  If I spend the money and a pregnancy does not pan out (a very real possibility), at least I would know I did everything in my power and I feel the financial security and freedom to take that risk if it's where God is leading.  And if I feel like God is opening other doors and calling me to focus on other things, that will genuinely be okay too.  I firmly believe that God loves me and has good things ahead for me, and that's all I have to know right now.

(This = their bulletin boards as you exit filled with cards and photos from grateful families. I stood there for a while soaking in the joy and hope represented there - I love it!)

This also popped up on my FB feed as I was in the waiting room... Lysa TerKeurst (a very resilient, Godly woman) reminding us that the God who was and is and is to come HAS BEEN faithful, IS CURRENTLY faithful, and WILL BE  faithful!!

That's all for today.  No decision, just the inner fortitude and endurance to carry on with faith in God's goodness, no matter what lies ahead.  I hope this post strengthens your sense of fortitude (courage in pain or adversity) and faith through whatever hard things you might be facing... any areas where life, health, work, family, etc. do not look the way you had  planned/expected.  Keep showing up and doing your best, remembering God's faithfulness in the past and trusting that He loves you and will guide you and has good things ahead!

I wait for the Lord.

I expectantly wait.

And confident in Him, I keep watch.

I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation.

My God will hear me.

Do not gloat over me, my enemy.

Each time I fall, I will rise.

And even when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

(Micah 7:7-8)

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