Photo Friday

Team White and Gold. ;)

Me, Rach, Dad, and Laura (and 65% of the population) apparently have low-functioning retinas and see this as white and gold. Mom and Judge (and 35% of people) clearly see blue and black, which are the actual colors of the dress in real life. Some say it switches back and forth to them.  Weirdest thing ever, but pretty cool!!

And here is an adorable new wreath by Rach at Sparklesnmesh -- I love this one!  And her business is picking up lately, which is exciting!! =)

In other news, I'm going to do a 31-day Blogging Challenge through the month of March to get myself back in writing mode, so that should be fun! Happy Friday, framily!! lol

You can have Jesus, too...

Probably a random line of thought, but I would change the chorus lyrics to Jeremy Camp's Give Me Jesus.

I LOVE this beginning line and the verses and even the melody, but the chorus has always bothered me a bit... specifically this line:

"You can have all this world, but give me Jesus."

My, how wise and benevolent of us. *eyeroll*  I get that it's supposed to be about how strongly we love Jesus, but I think it unintentionally shows how messed up our thinking is regarding the worth of the world vs. the worth of Jesus... and how we're mishandling God's command to love and care about other people as much as we love ourselves.  If we could see it clearly, what we're basically saying is "You can have this whoooole pile of trash, but give ME the unending supply of gold!"

Because the things of this world will not last, and we know that. And God's love really is unending and unlimited... there's enough of Jesus to go around! He wants everyone to join the party.

So I like to sing it, 
"You can have Jesus, too, and give me Jesus."

That's all for today's deep random thoughts by Lindsey Claire. lol  
Hope you have a happy Wednesday!!

Birth-week!

Happy Snow Day!!

They closed the courthouse, which almost never happens, so I got to sleep in and now I get to hang out with the puppies in my PJs all day!!  Epic.  Like another little birthday gift from God. lol

Today ends my birthday week, but it doesn't end the string of parties quite yet. (This year has become a 10-part Birthday Extravaganza, celebrating separately with each of the friend groups that are special to me... I highly recommend it! lol)  I never like being the only one at the party who knows everyone there, so I decided not to try to combine friend groups this year, and it's working out well.

We did a "family birthdays lunch" at Olive Garden after church last Sunday, with Mom and Dad, the Parrish fam, JoBug and Emily, Babah and Grandad.  Me, Rach, Blake, and Emily all have February/March birthdays, so we try to get together and celebrate them all at once. :)  It was fun, and I got to hold a tiny little presh-face Missy K, so that was Part One. 

Part Two was my actual birthday. I went to Lifegroup that night, where Kelly Marie got me these lovely flowers, a heartfelt card, and made my favorite chocolate with cookie butter cupcakes... fantastic!! 

It was a great lesson by Beth Moore, and group was at Alex's house and Lauralai came with me that night... a great birthday all around, riiiight up until the moment I threw up at the end of the night. :( A random short-lived stomach bug, and my first new thing at age 31, I guess... never been sick on my birthday before.

Part Three was the next day when Kristin Foster, one of my favorite people in the world, took me out for dinner at Teds! We had fun and had a great talk, as per usual, and we randomly ran into the DA from Creek County... so that was unexpected. lol

Part Four was Thursday night, when Susie Bower, aka "Suz B," invited me over for dinner with the Bower three (Laura, Brett, and Susie). We had Rib Crib chicken, baked potatoes, rolls, green beans, and fried okra -- second new thing I've embraced this year.  Then for dessert, we had BlueBell's Lemon Bliss Ice Cream -- refreshing and tasty (and a third new thing... I'm on fire!). It was fun and really nice to be there for a family dinner at home. We talked about things at the Creek Co. Courthouse, Brett's job, and the Thunder's new lineup, and Susie prayed that I'd have a great birthday week... mission accomplished!

Part Five was Cheesecake Factory with Tiffany and Laura on Friday night, where we split the fried mac n' cheese and Reese's Cheesecake!  That was followed by a movie with Tiffany which was so terrible that we walked out... Hollywood seems to be confusing crude shock value with real humor, and it's getting worse and worse...  sad to waste money, but nice to have principles and walk away from trash. All in all, a great Friday!

Part Six was an awesome Sam n' Ella's road trip with the Vegas crew, minus Kelly and plus Sarah Heiskell. lol  We met at Chet and Karli's then drove down to Talequah, hearing some hilarious stories from Chet and Sarah's delinquent past. ;)  Chet drove all the girls and Jeff and Kyle rode separately on the way there, then we had a girls car and a guys car (Sarah driving mine) on the way back... I heart road trips - always a great time when you're with the right people!  Dinner itself was also pretty fantastic.  I had the Chicken Florentine Pizza (#newthingnumber4) and JEM kindly picked up the tab for my dinner!  After dinner, we went back to Chet's for some awesome cookiecake ...and watching Chet almost burn Karli's finger off. ;)  I really do love this group -- life is always a blast with them!

JEM presenting the "hen house." lol First time we've been seated there!

JEM making me laugh! =)

The Wilsons + me, just like at Natalie and Blake's wedding! ;)

Our group in the chicken coop! :)

Me and my CFF ;) with the cookiecake she brought for me!

I also got the special smiley-faced star candle and 15 candles for 2015! :)

Part Seven will be with the Lindsay, Linda, Talhia, & Alyssa group tomorrow night.

Part Eight = JEM and Chet taking me to lunch sometime this week (weather permitting).

Part Nine = Dinner next time I'm in town with Kristin and Frankie.

Part Ten = I can't remember right now, but maybe something with Tara Lynn?

So there you have it - my ridiculously detailed birthday update so I won't forget it later.  This week has been special to me for all the above reasons and a few others (including the happy snow, of course)!  I'm thankful to have such a great group of people in my life right now and to feel genuinely loved and valued!! If the rest of the year turns out to be as great as this month, it will be an epic 2015 indeed!  =)

Photo Friday!

Not really in writing mode lately, but I'm having a good birthday week... and the festivities have just begun!  Here's a couple random Vegas pics (a year ago this week) just for the sake of posting something new here. :)

So thankful for my friends! And for chocolate, obviously. ;)

And on the deeper side, here's a quote I saw on FB this week that I really liked:
"The storms of our life prove the strength of our Anchor."
Amen to that.

Happy Friday!

Anthony

Today, we celebrated the 3rd birthday of Anthony Eugene Whitaker! ❤

...And two weeks from today, we will mourn the two-year anniversary of the day he passed away.

There are no words to adequately express all that I feel when I think about Anthony, his parents, his life here on earth, and his new life in heaven. 

He endured multiple surgeries and more physical pain than any precious, helpless baby should ever have to face... yet he fought through it and survived time and time again. In spite of his pain and fatigue, he was bright-eyed and expressive!  He had a wonderful smile and laugh, and he shared his joy and inner strength with so many people!

A mini-collage of Kristin and Anthony... precious.

These are two collages I made a while back - so many memories.

He was so very loved and cherished, and he loved his mom and dad!

(Praying together before the balloon release for Anthony.)

Today, he is alive, well, happy, and whole in heaven with Jesus, full of love for his family!!

I'm not really sure how it all works in heaven... whether he will be grown up or be a child until his parents get there and can raise him and watch him grow up together... either way, I'm sure that he will know and recognize and love them, and the reunion will be epic!  I believe our loved ones in heaven are part of the "great cloud of witnesses" Paul writes about, and I can't help but think Anthony is grateful to see how his parents have found strength in Christ and leaned on each other through this loss! ❤

We know that he is healed and free from all suffering. And I believe he can see and understand a lot of the good stuff here... things like this:

It's certainly comforting to know he is in God's care where pain cannot touch him, to know he will live forever and never face death again! But it doesn't fix or change the hard reality that Kristin and Frankie face here, the empty ache and persistent grief they deal with on a daily basis over the loss of their firstborn son. So please pray for them, especially during this emotionally-charged season!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Baby Anthony!  You have strength of spirit and courage and heart, just like your parents!  You are loved and deeply missed, but we will see you again someday...

"Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed

into bodies that never die, the Scripture will be fulfilled:

'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"

~I Corinthians 15:54

Embracing the New!

Happy Friday the 13th and Valentine's Eve!  Woot!! ;-)

A little less than a year ago...
JEM:  "Lindsey, I have a challenge for you. I want you to try 30 new things throughout your 30th year.  And I want you to keep an open mind about bacon." lol

So today, I'm celebrating the 30 new things I've embraced this year, some much more than others! #30atage30

1. The Voice -- This was the first year I watched it, but won't be the last - what a fun show, and they even included T-Swift as an advisor! :)
   
2. Guacamole and Beans (black, pinto, and refried).  This also includes embracing Chipotle! :)
   
3. Traveling by myself -- this year was my first ever solo trip flying to Colorado for the Captivating Retreat -- it was good for me to branch out and do something new and get to know some new Godly ladies in the process!
   
4. Colorado -- it was my first time ever being in the great state of Colorado, where we had snow, rain, and sunshine in our short time at the retreat. The mountains and fall trees were even more beautiful than I had imagined!
   
5. Shark Tank -- I freaking love that show lately, and it really makes me want to get creative and invent something awesome!
   
6. New Opportunities -- Haven't quite found the right fit yet, but no one can say I'm not trying...  I've applied for a position at YouVersion as well as different school programs, served in LifeKids, looked into being a Child Life Specialist, and taken a semester of theology classes at Liberty!  #workinprogress
   
7. Healthy Cooking -- I had my first "lesson" with Kelly recently! :)
   
8. Maximized Living (Maynard Chiropractic) -- a very encouraging and supportive staff; my first "adjustment" ever was in December 2014, and my neck and spine are in better alignment now than they've been in years!
   
9. Animals Other Than Puppies -- This year's Tulsa State Fair was the first petting zoo like this that I've been to - I pet a llama, donkey, goat, and deer. :) I have also learned to embrace cats, thanks to Lucy Lu Wilson. lol
   
10. Podcasts -- I listen every week to John Eldredge, Matt Chandler, and Andy Stanley - it's been a great extra dose of encouragement and being challenged spiritually!
    
11. Family as Friends -- I've gotten much closer to my cousin, Kristin, over the past year, getting to hang out and really get to know each other, which has been awesome!!
    
12. Essential Oils -- sort of, but not to the degree most everyone else embraces them. lol  Tara Lynn inspired me to try a Young Living "Starter Kit" and I really like the diffuser (and the lemon and peppermint)!
    
13. Cuppies & Joe! -- tried their cupcakes and visited it for the first time this past year - Chocolate Rain all the way! Mmmm! :)
    
14. Scones -- This barely counts since it's basically a cookie, but I officially tried a scone for the first time at Blair and Travis' wedding last March! :)
    
15. Cute Outdoor Picnics on a Blanket - My first one ever was before one of our many birthday hikes! :)
    
16. The Remix -- working to embrace major changes as the work of God (Beth Moore, Children of the Day, Session 1).
    
17. Aqua Massage -- Not in the middle of the mall, obviously, but they're pretty nice!
    
18. Body wave, blond hair, and red lipstick -- just changing things up a bit! :)
    
19. Brooklyn 99 -- Hilarious - love it! =)
    
20. Online Dating -- tried Christian Mingle and now eHarmony - meh to both, don't care for it much, but at least I'm trying it.

    

    #yikes #sparemeplease

21. Pinot's Palette -- made a fun painting with Talhia and Terry, adding my word for 2014!
    
22. Apologetics -- I took theology classes at Liberty as well as enrolling in RZIM Academy to learn more about the Bible and how to explain my beliefs to non-believers!
    
23. Adoption Fund -- I'm getting more serious and preparing for the future in my desire to adopt!
    
24. Trust & Gratitude -- Choosing to trust my close friends and family (and not expect the worst based on past rejections)!
    
25.  The Word "No" -- Goes along with boundaries, but I'm glad that I'm getting better at standing up for myself (like walking away from a "prayer ministry" that turned out to be a creepy, manipulative cult).
    
26. The Violin -- A glittery pink one, to be exact! :) So far, I've just watched some Youtube videos and tried a few things on my own. I may take real lessons someday... we shall see.
    
27. Boundaries! -- both the book and the concept.  #lifechanging
    
28. Social Media Break -- No blogging or FB for over a month was definitely a first for me, and was good for me!
    
29. Hiking -- if participating counts as embracing! ;) It started with my birthday hike on our Vegas trip, then it became a birthday thing through the year... I don't love it, but I hate it less than you might expect. lol
    
    
30. Myself! -- Yes, I'm ending it on a cheesy note - who's surprised?  But I really am doing my best to embrace God's love for me and have more grace for myself and my imperfections! :) 

    

    #mueckemouse

Not the most exciting list in the world, but that's okay with me! I'll probably shoot for 31 in 31 as well, just to keep myself on the lookout for new things. :)  #embracethenew

Now I'm off to watch Shark Tank and "embrace" cuddle time with the girlfranz!!  Wish me luck in the Sweetheart Run 5k tomorrow morning... I'm looking forward to that and the post-race pancake breakfast! ;)