Rising Strong

Aunt Lindsey and the Mini Miss K!

Rach chatting with Jace and Libby... they've had a TPing war lately - Rach and the kids and TJ went and TP'd Libby's house at 3am the night before Megan's wedding, then she and her friends got them back this weekend! lol

Abel (Libby's little brother), Jace, and Liberty (who goes by Libby)

Let's goooo!!

Kyndal Faith, Talon (their CHA classmate and friend), and Aniston!

Mother/daughter pic at the end of day one!

The jump serves are fierce!!

Team huddle after their last game... they played really well and still lost, but I loved how Coach Nikki was encouraging them and telling them how proud she was of how they worked together! #yaysports

Aniston, Collin, and Kyndal... this tournament was in Norman, so a few of their teachers and friends from school were able to come out to support them, which is fantastic!  They're at the funny middle school tween age where they're great friends but all stand fully apart for their photos. =)

Jaceman, Skyler (Coach Kate's boyfriend who he talked to through several games), and Kyndal

Jace talking about him at family dinner:  "Why are the tallest people always the most chill!?" lolol

Team pic!!  This is K's best team yet - all the girls are improving and working together well, and I'm a fan of the Rise club leadership... Coach Kate, Aniston, Kyndal, Tatum, Pierson, Emma, Jacelyn, Coach Nikki... front row: Kennedy, Addy, Jayla, and Alivia

Triston Michael also came to cheer her on for the final game on Saturday!

He sat by me and filled me in on the college application results, building an AI agent for Holly's company, etc.  We left the gym around 9:30 and grabbed a late dinner at Chili's and had a really great talk... so I'm very thankful for that and glad to be cheering him on as he moves toward a bright future!

Pic with the Jaceman and Rach between games (I was coming to her car to get this cap she had crystalled up for me - yay!)

Mamaw wasn't feeling well, so she watched from home!  Grandpa had Greg McIlvoy's retirement party on Saturday, but he joined us for their games on Sunday... and he was very impressed with Kyndal's performance!

❤

After the entire tournament, Kyndal texted to ask if I could make a slideshow of her highlights.  I had only taken 3 videos, so I looked through the game films on Rach's Rise team YouTube channel for some random clips.  I'll know to film next time, but this still turned out pretty great! =)

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Life Lately...

Happy last day of March 2026!  Spring is off to a pretty good and productive start!

Chettles bought a Lexus GX from our fav Tulsa Lexus salesman, Aaron Little!

This pic brings me lots of joy - a preshface in her colorful hair towel, and Chet taking the pic whilst driving through their neighborhood! lol  Naturally, Mom disapproves of the white "non-color" choice, but Chet is loving it and says that's the realtor trend!

This = two shots from a live photo. lol  Kristin looking amused/annoyed at me pulling out my camera, then smiling it up with me on our Wednesday walk pic! lol

Tried something new and fun this past weekend, a Launch bungee fitness class where I got to sample the bungee cardio and the aerial yoga... you get in this thing like a hammock and you can swing and do random stretches and fully invert... that part was scary for me, but I'm proud of myself for trying it!  (It was all fun, honestly, but they don't currently offer any morning class options, and I'm debating whether I would go often enough at night to make the cost worth it.)

Chet Lee with Rick and Margaret and their Terwilliger home ($900k midtown house where he's worked with them for a while to get it ready and will get a really great commission when it closes next month).  I've never met them, but I feel invested since I talk to him regularly. lol

Can't remember if I've posted these before... Jaceman being Jaceman at family dinner, and Miss K with her peel-off lip stain the day we all met Kate for dinner in Dallas! =)  Love them both!!

Truth.

Looks like Mark Anthony had a great Jesus year bday... I miss the Shoemaker fam!

My flights and Seattle hotels and Alaska cruise with Beth Moore are now officially booked and paid for the coming summer - YAY!   Here's me with no glasses and no big smile sitting on the narrow laundry room floor to lean against my washing machine, as it's the only untextured white surface in my home I could find for a new passport pic! lol #makeitwork

The verse of the day popped up at 11:11... my screensaver verse for a while now says "My soul thirsts for God" as I've mentioned feeling like I'm in a dry wilderness season... and this was God gently answering, "If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me." ❤

It's an encouraging and convicting promise.

Okay, one more post to be caught up for today!

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First Quarter Books

I've listened to eight audiobooks thus far - a solid first quarter of 2026!

(HP full cast book 2 and 3 not pictured.)

Quick recaps/thoughts below...

Awake
(by Jen Hatmaker)

Better than expected.  A timely book about rebuilding your life when some things you've deeply counted on end or fall apart.  This memoir was divided into three sections, beginning with "The End" of her marriage, moving into "The Middle" with messy rebuilding, and finally "The Beginning," where she was growing and embracing the new story - I loved that structure!  Also loved her story about building a big backyard table and learning to cook and intentionally filling her home and feeding her people.  Promptly ordered her cookbook after reading that part.  Her theology is obviously a bit off-base, but this is more of a memoir than a self-help or instructional book, and there are good things to be taken from it.  She's feisty and funny and a strong writer and lovable person!

Anne of Green Gables
(by Lucy Maud Montgomery)

Familiar, fantastic, and heartwarming - and I love that Rachel McAdams reads this one!

Harry Potter Full Cast Audiobooks #1, 2, and 3
(by J.K. Rowling)

Strengthening and light and fun!  Ironically, I still prefer the Jim Dale version to the full-cast audio.  (They made very little effort to cast people who sound similar to the movie characters, and it bothers me.)

Strong Ground
(by Brene Brown)

“Transformation is about building, and it must start with dismantling. The process is deeply personal, disorienting, and almost always involves going backward before speeding forward. We must be willing to confront the off-limits stuff, intentionally and strategically breaking old systems that no longer serve us while fiercely protecting a strong, mission-grounded foundation… I always thought the Phoenix rising was the transformation and the fire was something we had to survive, but I was wrong. The fire is the transformation!” ~Brené Brown (condensed & paraphrased - I loved that chapter!)

Enough
(by Oprah Winfrey and Ania Jastreboff)

This book explains the biology of obesity, the way our brains and bodies work together to maintain a "set point" weight range, making sure that we have "enough" calories/energy by increasing hunger and slowing metabolism whenever our weight drops... driving weight back toward the ingrained "enough point."  They compared this to a thermostat that constantly adjusts to defend the set temperature… so for people with obesity, the rough reality is when you work hard to lose weight, your metabolism slows down and your hunger hormones are activated, naturally pushing your weight back up over time.  Special.  Because modern environments are stressful and full of highly-palatable food, many people experience persistent food noise, meaning constant thoughts about eating + food cravings that make it harder to stick with diets.  That's all I have known, but not everyone thinks that way - some people live free from that preoccupation, and it's those mindset factors that comprise obesity being a disease or diagnosis, and that all makes sense and truly resonates for me.  They explain in scientific detail how GLP-1 medications turn down these internal thermostat settings, working with our biology by mimicking natural gut hormones that signal fullness, quieting the internal food noise, and reducing appetite/cravings, all by lowering our body’s defended weight range so that it works *with us* on our health goals rather than pushing back and resisting weight loss!  Sign. me. up.  (Currently in my first month on Zepbound - more on that later).

The Coddling of the American Mind
(by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt)

This book was a gem (recommended by Jonathan T. from CCU).  About intent versus perception, the  unintentional damage caused by our cultural emphasis on safety, and how to rebuild resilience and raise strong children!

Memories and Hopes

❤ Looking forward to putting this poem on my photo wall when the adhesive posters arrive from Walgreens!

Spring Break, Part 2

The Spring Break week gave me some much-appreciated time to catch up on sleep and work (for the most part) and catch up with friends and family! ❤

Lunch with Teresa at the Sand Springs Olive Garden!  It was fun to see her and catch up and tell her what a great job she did raising her sons!

A delightful walk at Addison Creek (a neighborhood I like in Bixby)

Hanging out with Parker E. and her fam - I signed up for Friday night on the meal train, and it was fun as always to see the Wilsons.  This trip included a nature walk that was a little too naturey for Aunt Lindsey. lol  I had on the wrong shoes for it, and all the bugs were viciously attacking me.

Saturday brunch with Kate Marie and Holly Dei (downtown OKC Neighborhood JAM)

Megan Elizabeth's wedding... both her story and Annie F. Downs' new relationship are giving me fresh hope in this season!

Megan and Tim (her dad walked her down the aisle and officiated their wedding).

Reception pic with Holly and Rach!

Pic with the bride and groom (Rach had gone home to get J&K for dinner)

Mom and Megan

Dad and Cheryl (his former secretary at SF)

Charleston's dinner after the wedding!

Final pic with Holly and T-man... we had a good talk about his college options and future life plan!

I'm grateful for God's kindness and provision - it's been a good Spring Break week, and I've finally gotten into my Write the Word journal on Renewal!!  Today (Sunday) has been relaxing enough to allow me to be creative - revamping and ordering my I Am From poem for my photo wall, and completing this new Power Thoughts script for 2026!  

Me and Holly Dei, 21 years apart (2005 Yale trip and 2026)!

I'm thinking of making the blog public again next month.  Maybe.  And now, I'm off to see Ryan Gosling's new Hail Mary Project movie.

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Spring Break, Part 1

Also known as "Desk Week" at the OCC, a time to catch up on transcripts and enjoy some downtime without any virtual court hearings - it's been good and productive and well-timed!!

I joined Kristin and the boys for a trip to the OKC Zoo on Tuesday... and naturally, we got some fun pics!  I ❤ waterfalls!!

Diesel had the pink duck toy for a class project - he was supposed to bring it with him and take pictures of their adventures together - mission accomplished! lol

I appreciate the boys all being willing participants for my photos!!

In other news, I verrry randomly ordered overalls for the first time since 6th grade (on a podcast recommendation) - I felt silly and unsure where I'd ever wear them, so they've already been returned. lol  I also got some new swimsuits for the coming summer, so yay for that!

Mom's new Easter bows - love it!!

"A time to be quiet and a time to speak up" hit me this time.

It's always something new with this passage.

Amy made this caricature for us when I re-joined their research group for a project on trauma-informed counselor education! lol  I am likely headed back to school in October and will keep myself moving forward by helping out with this in the meantime!

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Distorted Reality

MINDSET SHIFT TIME!  I'm reminding myself of this lately:

There's a lot of truth to that.  I have "practiced noticing" all the best things about my favorite people and all the worst things about people who tend to annoy me.  I've practiced noticing God's goodness, but also practiced noticing what is wrong in the church.  Most recently, I have practiced noticing what makes the counseling profession difficult, but have not been actively seeking what makes it valuable and rewarding.  I've practiced noticing how difficult the first part of dating is (the online search, the small talk, the buildup, the potential rejection anxiety)... but haven't practiced thinking about all that could go right, and my low expectations of men (NOT low standards, but the educated belief that most men will fail to live up to them) sometimes become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  

So I want to practice noticing what is good and pure and lovely and uplifting, Philippians 4:8 style!!

I've been in kind of a rough headspace lately, feeling shame and wanting to disappear and hide, but this is helping me. I was practicing noticing my own faults and failings and struggle to find purpose, rather than practicing noticing all the opportunities to do meaningful things in the life I have right now.  I need to give my heart some space to grieve for the life I wish I had in this season - and then I need to pull it together and move forward.  It's the major themes versus the minor themes John Eldredge often talks about.

To be dramatic but honest, my heart has felt like a wilderness or desert... dry, barren, empty, parched, hidden, weary.... (not a mom, not a wife, not a counselor, not an author)... desolate, unchosen, unfruitful.  And the verse I read today about God bringing abundant flowers and singing and joy into the desert (Isaiah 35:1-2) was really a refreshing breath of fresh air for my soul and spirit!

I am believing Him for that kind of redemptive beauty in my life story!! ❤  Lather, rinse, repeat.

And that's all for this post.

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