Halftime Pep Talk!

And now, some goals and plans for the second half of this year!!

I'm Looking Forward To:  Kristin's 40th birthday, America's 250th birthday, Chet's 38th birthday,  my 1st Alaska Cruise at the end of July!, Dad's 73rd birthday, Kyndal Faith’s 13th birthday, writing my book, another raise (hopefully), taking the Biblical Foundations class in October, and most everything about the holiday season ahead!!

POWER PLAN: 

• PLANTS & PROTEIN:  (My overarching goal is to reach my goal weight before my 3-year surgiversary next summer.)  With that in view, my goal is to focus on hitting 150 grams of protein per day and to incorporate fruit and/or vegetables into my daily diet!
• PILATES & PELOTON:  I'm signed up for 90 days of Club Pilates workouts (goal = 5 classes per week); I also plan to do a full-body strength class on the Peloton app 2x a week
• PEN TO PAPER:  (I will, of course, be typing, but I needed to keep the alliteration going. lol)  Goal #3 is to follow the schedule I've created and finish my Strong Over Small book draft by October 1st; then have some trusted friends/mentors review it and help me make edits, then have it ready to self-publish by the end of this year (I will not actually publish until 2027 just because I prefer those date numbers. lol)
• PERSEVERANCE & PEACE:  Start the Bible Recap plan tomorrow and go through their full Bible reading plan by July 1, 2027!
• PACING PUSH:  Sign up for the Route 66 Half, and train to run it under 2 hours and 30 minutes (which will absolutely be challenging for me)
• PUBLIC PRESENTATION:  Join a Toastmasters group by end of August to practice and grow in my speaking/presenting skills!*
• PERSONAL PRACTICE:  Post 12 new talking-to-camera videos by the end of the year (length and topic of my choice)
• PRAYER & PIVOT:  Prayerfully plan my next life/career move, and be prepared to pivot as needed! =)

So there you have it.  I'll be pressing in and pushing myself with food, exercise, reading, writing, and speaking goals as the year moves forward!  And reminding myself that proper planning prevents poor performance! ;-)

*For the record, Shadé Zahrai inspired the public speaking focus in her Unlocking Strengths MasterClass:

"How do you differentiate yourself in a world where everything is becoming the same?  In the past, people who wrote really well would often stand out.  But now, most people are using ChatGPT to write their emails and presentations, so unfortunately, it's a sea of sameness.  When everyone is suddenly very good at something, no one stands out.  So I think one of the most important strengths you can develop is the ability to verbally communicate, because that is something you cannot go to ChatGPT to do for you.  If you can think about how you can get better at speaking, presenting, connecting, that is going to serve you so well...  In a future that is going to be shaped by AI -- in a present that is shaped by AI -- how you make people feel is your most powerful advantage!"  

I know she's not wrong.  And I want to grow in that!!

PEP TALK PORTION:

Don't get complacent now, and don't let the fierce opposition intimidate you.  This matters.  The power that lives in you is greater than anything coming against you, which means you are poised and ready for a comeback victory!!  Remember that you can do hard things!  Choose goals that are aligned with your values and desires, then pursue them.  Don't be afraid to try new things, and do not be afraid to TRY as hard as you possibly can to reach your goals, to grow, to lead, to step up. #maximumeffort  God's JOY is your strength, and He will empower you for what He calls you to do!  Choose life, choose health, and choose growth -- for yourself and for the sake of the people God calls you to impact!!  Strong and healthy mind, strong and healthy body, strong and healthy soul, strong and healthy spirit!  Do not shrink back and hide, and don't you dare make yourself small to please people - the spirit of fear has no place in your life.  You never walk alone, so move with confidence.  God is with you and for you, giving you His power and love and a sound mind.  

You do care.  

And you've got this!

Keep moving forward - let's finish strong!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Halftime Review!

Surprise, surprise - the big hearing got continued to Thursday!

#huzzah #admintime

That allowed me to do laundry I'd been putting off, go get my car serviced, take a walk around Lake Hefner, and go see Twister for the first time ever on the big screen yesterday (playing at Flix for it's 30th anniversary - yay!!)  And at long last, I have some time today to write a recap/review of Quarter 1 and 2 (this post), then detail my goals and plans for Q3 and Q4 of 2026 (next post)!!  Jumping right in... here's a photo and caption for my top 10 events from each month!

QUARTER ONE:

Mom's 71st birthday at Red Rock * Chet's New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge * Chet's Disney Marathon! * Splash Mountain (aka Tiana's Bayou Adventure) * Movie day! * Group pic after the marathon * Miss K's Rise Volleyball photo session where she brought a Bible as one of her photo props ❤ * Chet trying the famous French bakery dessert he learned about on Instagram * Kyndal's first scrimmage against her former teammates * An extra-cold Wednesday walk with Kristin

Friend trio talk at Utica Starbucks before my bday dinner * Super Bowl party at Mom and Dad's * Anthony's 14th Birthday balloon release * AFD and JW becoming FB official (and giving me more hope for a future relationship) * Tate and Sophia at his 8th bday party (Disney-themed!) * Family dinner for Rachael's 40th Birthday * Teresa, Donetta, and Chet (at Tate's party) * Birthday lunch for Tiffany (yay, matching Swiftie hats!) * Proud grandparents at the Valentine's Day tournament * Pelicans for Jace's Bday dinner with the fam and TJ!

Fun OKC Zoo trip with the Whitaker crew * Catching up with Holly and Tman after Charleston's dinner * Hanging out with Jaceman and Rach at K's tournament (the day I got the cap Rach crystalled for me) * Pic with our star setter * Meeting Paige Evelyn the day after she was born * Megan Elizabeth's wedding reception * Kate coming to support K-Faith in her Texas tournament * Spring walk with Kristin Michelle * Wonderful Wilson fam, party of five * Olive Garden lunch with Teresa in celebration of Paige's arrival!

QUARTER TWO:

Parker Elizabeth feelin' cute at her 5th Bday Princess Party * Starbucks with Triston to design and order his Graduation invites * Baby shower for Paige hosted by Debbie and me (and Mia!) * Jaceman grilling chicken for us (without the shirt that was "weighing him down" lol) * Deppen family officially adopting Carter just after his 18th birthday! * Pic with Kyndal Faith at her final CHA Easter program * Triston Michael looking handsome in the suit he bought for his Senior year JSB * Rise team celebrating an awesome play * The Ranch for Triston and Carter's birthdays! * Kyndal's Washington DC trip slideshow (this = her sitting by Senator Lankford on the plane ride and deciding she wants to be a Senator when she grows up!) #letsfreakinggo!

Early summer party celebrating T's graduation and K's Christian Citizenship Award! * Family pic with extra-tall (AI) Jace on T's Graduation day! * Keller, TX roadtrip to meet my podcast besties, Eddie Kaufholz and Annie F. Downs * Diesel's 6th Grade Graduation * Kyndal Faith getting her 6th Grade Grad diploma * Friend trio pic by Karli's balloon arch at Chet's Block Party #7! * Thunder game with Rach, Jace (our photographer here), and Kyndal * Karli's birthday brunch at Cheever's Cafe * Family dinner celebrating K's Graduation from elementary school * The night the Spurs officially beat the Thunder!

Fun at the Station with Natalie and Walker * Father's Day lunch at Saltgrass * McAlister's with the Whitaker fam! * Peach Truck peaches, round 3 * Kyndal Faith's wishlist for her bedroom renovation! * Husky puppies and yoga class with Kristin! * Hiking in Boulder, CO with Triston * The niece and nephews swimming at Mom and Dad's * Leading the women's LG for the summer! * 16th Street Pedestrian Promenade on our first night in Denver!

That's my Q1 and Q2 summary for now, along with the deeper thoughts I shared in last week's post (here)!!

Thankful for all God has done here.

Thankful for all God is doing now.

Thankful for all God will do moving forward!!

❤ ❤ ❤

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!! =)

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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!!

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Thankful Thursday #236

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness."
~Colossians 2:6-7

*My first Thankful Thursday post since December 4th - I'll try to step it back up on these!

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Everything God is doing in the lives of my niece and nephews lately - the fun things that I can see clearly, and the hidden things that only He knows behind the scenes!! ❤

2.  Chettles and Kristin Michelle both thinking of me and sending a text when they saw cute animals this week! ❤

3.  Family dinner + planning Kyndal's room reno + watching the NBA draft for the first time ever (J&K are super into all things basketball lately)!

4.  Speaking of cute animals, I'm thankful ahead of time that Kristin and I get to try the Puppies & Yoga class this weekend (with Siberian Husky puppies - cuteness!!) -- it's part of my bday gift to her, and I'm pretty happy I get to join! lol

5.  God's grace in laying this out SO CLEARLY for us:  "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach.  Now listen!  Today, I am giving you a choice between life and death..."

6.  A fun 500th episode for The Big Boo Cast this week - I know that's cheesy, but I'm genuinely thankful for my podcast friends and all the laughter they bring and all the random skincare, clothing, and hair care products they've inspired me to purchase! lol

7.  And on a related note, the latest episode with Annie & Eddie (here) was one of my favorites - not the first time I've cried listening to them, but it had a real impact on me to hear that Eddie has had the same bariatric surgery I've had, and to hear them processing that and other thoughts on body image and health together.  Really good, and I'm thankful for their vulnerability and the way they model friendship!!

*And for having this delightful photo with them, which is now my screensaver! =)

I'm racing the clock, so that's all for today.  Bye, buddies!!

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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!

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Mid-Year Check-In!

Next week, I plan to share my goals for the second half of the year.
Today felt like a good time for a part one check-in!

Disney trip, January 2026

Most years, I write out my New Year’s resolutions here, but I realized I never actually did that for 2026.  The end of 2025 was rough, and I came into this year a little wrung out.  I chose Renewal as my theme word, and that still fits and feels relevant.

Writing:  Day one of this year, I said I was going to shut this blog down, write one post all year, and force myself to focus only on book writing.

Clearly, that plan went super well! lol ;-)

But honestly, I’m glad it didn’t.  After pausing the PhD program on January 12th, I felt like I had the needed space to breathe and think clearly again.  After reading Theo of Golden and Big Trust, I finally have a more solidified book plan than I’ve ever had before (another goal for the next half of this year).  I believe blogging still matters for my mental health, documenting the memories, and the sense of connection it brings!  I think I was just exhausted and tempted to hide when this year began.  Thankfully, God is bringing some renewal there.

Growth:  Last week, I saw a timely FB post from Dr. Leaf about how trying new things and experiencing new places can be a great catalyst for personal growth.  That has definitely been true in my own life, and it’s something I’m pondering and praying about for this next season!

Health:  This has been a journey.  Last year, I tried a compounded GLP-1 for a couple months, lost 12 pounds, then stopped abruptly while considering pregnancy.  The food noise surged back to life and I regained the weight while struggling with intense emotions, soon accompanied by the uterine fibroids news and the hard decision not to move forward with the embryo transfers.  It was a long, messy season covered by God's grace!

This year, I did more research and decided to try the more expensive but FDA-regulated Zepbound (instead of the potentially-sketchy compounded option).  After three months of gradually increasing the dose, I somehow maintained the exact same weight while losing more and more hair.  Obviously not the desired or expected outcome.  So I’ve gradually tapered off, which made me a little nervous about food noise... but this time I was more careful to go slowly, and it appears I’ve avoided any emotional roller coaster.

Between health and dating goals, I believe God has been using the lack of progress to gently redirect me, leading me to trust Him and move in a different direction without allowing me to give up hope or drown in shame.

I’m in a good routine with my vitamins, and I’ve pushed myself in more intense strength-training workouts at Solid Rock over the past two months.  Since the theme of my book is becoming strong over small, I’m trying to set physical goals that align with that mindset.  More on that next week.

Here I am on a windy Summer Solstice walk yesterday!   It was the longest daylight day of the year, and now the days slowly begin getting shorter until the Winter Solstice on December 21st - I'll miss the extra sunshine, but yay for being on the path to Christmastime!

Dating:  The only other goal I remember setting and specifically writing about here was the "Year of Dating."  With renewed hope inspired by AFD and Megan, I pushed myself to really try the apps and stay open to friend set-ups.  And I’m proud of myself for not giving up.  It's challenging to stay in faith and stay open-hearted about a major desire like this while facing repeated let-downs over a six-month stretch.

I’ve only had one man ask me on a real date this year, which I drove all the way to Texas for (and I’m proud of myself for that, too).  I have messaged more seriously and/or had phone calls with a few potential candidates along the way, the most recent ending on Sunday.  And I can now confidently say that Kyle, Phillip, Dallas, Joey, Ryan, Sam, Joseph, Tom, and Chris were *not* the right fit for me.  And I'm counting that as progress and narrowing the field.

The process has been tiring at times, and it has taught me a lot.  I’ve gotten better with initiating closure conversations, learned more about spiritual compatibility, and internally clarified my relational expectations and personal deal-breakers.  I am not interested in men who love horror movies, have hot tempers, make minimal conversational effort, are technically separated, or those who seem unambitious and disenchanted with life while looking for a woman to fix that for them.

Surprisingly, I’m in a pretty good headspace about it.  I don’t feel like I failed because I know I've genuinely tried, and I haven't given up hope.  Right now, I believe God may be blocking certain things, protecting me and guiding me toward what is actually aligned with Him and the direction He has for my life!

I'm at a point where I know what I want and deserve.  I’m financially secure, deeply loved, and enjoying a pretty full life, and I am so uninterested in settling for less than God’s best relationally.  (Still hopeful and praying toward that.) ❤

Family:  As I mentioned earlier today, we’ve had regular family dinners that I treasure, including game nights, trivia, slideshows, and basketball fun with the niece and nephews.  I’ve loved my walks and talks with Kristin.  Mom and I talk multiple times a day, and I’ve grown closer to Triston over the past few months - we’ve had some important conversations during this pivotal season in his life, and I’m grateful for the role God has given me there!

Colorado trip, June 2026

Friends:  I’ve continued to stay connected with my Tulsa friends, and I've made a few more friends in the OKC area lately, reaching out to some of the women God has put on my heart!  Stepping up to lead and host the women’s LifeGroup for the summer has been a really great experience!

Work:  I’m still loving the flexibility of my remote-hybrid court reporting job with the OCC, and I’m set to receive one raise next month and another in November!  For now, it doesn’t feel wise to take a massive pay cut and step into an emotionally-intense full counseling schedule just to earn my LPC.  Unless God redirects that or marriage changes the income need for me, counseling may become my retirement job after 55.  And I’m okay with that idea!

Either way, I’ll always be grateful for everything I learned at CCU!  It continues to add value to my life and writing, and it equips me to respond with more wisdom and confidence when I have friends and/or family members who need good counsel.

I'll recap specific events at the end of this year.  That’s the general update for part one of 2026.  Some personal growth, some great reading, some interesting challenges, and some new goals and ideas brewing (more on that next week).  I’m believing God for continued renewal as the year moves forward!

Thanks for checking in here!
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