Claiken Tuesday

Here's some very random Clay Aiken Season 2 American Idol awesomeness to brighten up this felony Tuesday!! lol

...It's grainy and poor quality, but I'm so happy I found the pic of our posters before the "Idols in Concert" tour!  Hahaha, wow!  Rach, Megan, Me, and Julie... and I felt privileged getting to hold the "AmerAiken" sign! lol  #ridiculousness
(The bottom pic = Wes pretending to be Ryan Seacrest interviewing me, Josh, and Rach with the fake AI microphone - I don't even know - the obsession was strong that year! lol)

Oooh, how many times I dialed 1-866-IDOLS-02 for the hours that voting was open that last night!! lolol  (And how many times I got the busy signal - freaking rigged that Ruben won that season.)


Gaaah, I was such a fan of him and this song -- and so many of his songs, really!! Makes me wanna find my old mix CD! =)  Also, Paula Abdul's craziness never fails to entertain me. lol


What a joke that he was on the "wild card" list at the beginning - idiot judges.  He's cheesier than I remembered here, but his full version of this song is my very favorite!  Elton John's version just seems too plain and boring. lol


No wonder I loved him! TAL-ENT-ED!!  Funny I didn't know he was gay, though.


I love this so much - literally everything about it.  (This was before I fast-forwarded through all the group performances and found them to be annoying filler on these shows... Season 2 AI, I was in it for every second.)  Finding this video on YouTube was a treat, but I could've played it in my head before that - Season 2 Top 7: Kimberly Caldwell, Carmen Rasmussen, Trenyce, Josh Gracin, Kimberly Locke, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard. :)  I remember this season and specifically this performance so well.  Definitely my favorite group medley.  Season 2 was the best of American Idol by far, this is one of my favorite songs, and I just love it when Claiken comes in strong with, "Is how I need you and how you've needed me too..." =)  Fun memories, and still fun to hear!


Mmkay, that's all the Claiken goodness I have for you today!  He had poor songwriters and his look got creepier after the show, but he was at his very best during that 2003 season, and I'll forever believe he was the rightful winner!! =) #claikenfan #no1fanilow #ameraikenidol

Catching Up

Happy Cyber Monday!  I got online around midnight and booked a birthday Vegas trip for Tiffany and I February 8-11!!  #getexcited #vegasbaby #maga (Mon Ami Gabi again!) ;-)

This = my fav Thanksgiving Bitmoji. lol

Something I want to improve on - well, this and healthy boundaries. lol

One of my favorite verses because God knows our understanding is faulty and will fail us sometimes, and He wants more heart-level trust and less attempting to figure out His whole plan - His ways are higher, and He is worthy of our trust even when it hurts. ❤❤

Presh penguin!  I love them!!

Babah and Grandad came over for a bit on Saturday.  Babah asked J to get his favorite book and read to her.  He protested that he didn't know where any books were... all the ones I've gotten them are at their house - not sure he'd know where they were there either, but I certainly hope so.  It made me happy seeing them looking through books together.  Most kids these days need more of this (face to face connection, reading, real stories) and less of phones and tablets (disconnected, youtube videos, snapchat, online games). I'm very thankful those were not an option while I was growing up... and thankful that social media and blogging were not around when I was in high school. lol

Jace and Grandad drinking their Icees and talking about what's new. =)

J&K decided they wanted to take the training wheels off their bikes this weekend - they practiced with Rach, Josh, and Dad helping them a bit, then tried it on the grass by themselves a few times, and by the end of the night, they were both doing surprisingly well riding by themselves.  I'm 100% certain that was a longer process for me, likely due to irrational fears getting in my way.  They're both willing to jump in and try new activities, and I think all their time on hoverboards and scooters has taught them really good balancing skills, because they picked up the biking with only one or two very minor falls.

The Mini Miss K with her "chugging glass" and Sprite - they love to do Sprite or Coke shots so they can feel like P.T. Barnum! lolol

My first note from Kyndal Faith - she's got her letters down now!  She grabbed this index card and told Mom, "I'm gonna write a note to Lindsey!"  (She told me not to peek or I'd have a pic of her writing it. lol)  She came around and handed it to me and hugged me, and it's now my most cherished index card ever! lol ❤❤

This = a slideshow of all the recent pics and events!  ...Things seem to speed up and get so busy and chaotic around the holidays.  My ultra-introvert heart sometimes gets overwhelmed and overstimulated, but taking some deliberate downtime to relax and make these slideshows helps me to slow down and appreciate the special moments and memories! =)

Photo Friday!

Rach finally got to hold Tater-tot when they came to Tulsa for Josh's b-day!  She texted me on Tuesday to see if Chet could come because she wanted to hold Tate. lol

The Jaceman coming by to get a pic with Chet Lee!  (Fun Fact:  They met for the first time in OKC on Memorial Day weekend 2014 (HERE), the day Chet bought his Maxima, Max 2.0.  Over four years later, the Parrish fam came to Tulsa on the very same day Chet sold that car!!)

We went back to my house for cake and ice cream, and J&K got to "hold" Tate!  Tate is learning to clap lately, which makes me happy!! =)

Chet suggested a Ludger's cake for Josh's bday, and it was a solid choice!! :)

Rach repainted my cute little bench for the front porch, then I had all of them sign it, just for fun! =)

❤ Rach makes her signature fancy by making certain parts bolder... Jace tried to copy her on that. lolol  ...A for effort. =)

"That's a whole lotta wreath!" ~Chet Lee lol

My old Samantha doll has a happy new owner! =)

I hate that they discontinued those original dolls (Samantha, Felicity, Kirsten, Molly, and Addy).  I wanna find these books again - they were some of my favorites growing up! ❤

On this lovely Black Friday, Mom and I spent the majority of the day (9:30-4:30) decorating my cousin, Al's house for Christmas!!

 These antlers at the top of the tree made me laugh!  It's a pretty good choice for him! =)

 It all turned out pretty cute, and I'm super happy that we finished it in one day!

We went to Georgia's for dinner - here's T&C scarfing down some dessert before they had to leave to go to Brooke's!

Mini-Miss with some cute braided hair playing Jenga with Tracy! =)

Aunt Georgia, Aunt Nancy, and Aunt Charlene (who's been sick and not able to eat anything yesterday or today - sadness)!

I'm fighting bad allergy/sinus issues today, but hopefully that'll fade soon enough.  In a few minutes during the OU game's halftime, we're gonna drive through the Midwest City Christmas lights for the first time in years - (Jace is spending the night and that was his request - should be fun with him and Kyndal Faith).  =)

Anyway, happy Black Friday!  Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!!

Thanksgiving + Quotables

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, friends and fam!! ❤❤

It's been a good, fun day with lots to be thankful for!! (Driving to Mom and Dad's, playing outside with the Parrish kids, Thanksgiving dinner at Justin and Anna's new house, watching Shark Tank with Mom and Dad!) ❤

And without further ado, here are a few recent quotable quotes! =)

Mom:  "It's gonna be so much fun to come see you play football for the Crusaders when you're in high school!!"
Jace:  "Oh, Mamaw, you'll be dead by then!"
Mom:  "......Well, I hope not.  I wanna live to see you graduate from CHA!"
Jace:  "But it's okay, though.  It won't really matter if you're already dead because when I get up to heaven, then I'll tell you all about everything!!" #wow #hotmess

(*Prayer Pic!)

Me (watching the Bedlam game):  "Wow, I didn't realize you guys were OSU fans too!  So do you cheer for OU if they're not playing OSU??"
Bill:  "Lindsey, if OU played the University of Afghanistan, I'd root for Afghanistan!!" lolol

Announcer at football game when the player holding the ball tripped:  "That was a self tackle!"
Me:  "That's what I'm gonna call it the next time I trip and fall!"

Mom, commenting on the game:  "Pooka!?  You have to wonder what his parents were mad about when they named him!"

Neil:  It was a funny jif image!
Amber:  Okay, do you guys pronounce it 'jif' or 'gif'?
Kristin:  I know the technically proper way to pronounce it is 'jif', but I always say 'gif.'  I mean, who actually calls it 'jif'?
(Jon and Neil raise their hands!)
Jon:  "Choosy moms choose jif!" lol

JEM, chatting with me and Tiffany:  "So how's life at the Creek County Courthouse!?  Did you guys get all the felons printed and fingered??"
...silence...
Tiffany:  "You mean fingerprinted, maybe?" lolol

C:  "We used to do our Christmas shopping together before we both got married."
J:  "You say before we got married, but we went shopping for lingerie together after that!" lol

T-man, proving his Apple expertise to Chet:  "That's an iPhone 8, my friend!"
....They talked about the charger and Chet mentioned that his phone slides off of it, then Triston said, "You bought an off-brand charger, then!"
Chet:  "Look at youuu!  I did buy off-brand!" lol

Sadly, I've done a poor job remembering to write stuff down lately, so I know there are several funny moments I've forgotten, but such is life!  That's all I've got for today.  

Thanks for being a blog reader!  Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!! =)

Friendsgiving #7

Last night was the 7th Annual Friendsgiving, hosted by Chet and Karli!!

Here's Tate with Uncle Mossman! =)

* * * * * * *

And here is a look back over the last seven years... (apparently, I get easily confused on math, because I knew the first one was in 2012 and thought that would mean this was the 6th year, but I was wrong - it is really seven.)  

To my knowledge, our 2012 Friendsgiving was the only traditional Thanksgiving meal with potatoes, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, green been casserole, and turkey.  The pic of Sarah with the creepy mug still makes me laugh.  And apparently, we watched the Friends Thanksgiving episodes and played cards that year.  I failed to get a group pic, but my blog informs me that it was Chet, JEM, Kyle, Kevin, Karli, Mindi, Sarah, Jessica, and me that year!

 2013... the crowd had grown! =)

That was the year the Mariah Carey Christmas tradition began... hilarious videos here!

2014 - again, no group pic, but I got one of their new kitten and the Thanksgiving cake! =)

2015... the year of the potholders picture. lol  Still at the 1812 house.  We had Italian food and I brought sheet cake for dessert.  (And again, no full group picture - sadness - epic fail by me!)

2016 - our first farmhouse Friendsgiving!  A big crowd and fun times playing Heads Up! =)

2017 - the biggest crowd so far, and we had a Mexican feast with Pioneer Woman enchiladas - yum!

2018 - last night!  We drew numbers for where we would sit, and I drew seat #7 (on our 7th Friendsgiving), next to Tiffany and across from Jeff and Chettles!  Huzzah!! lol  We had Pioneer Woman lasagna, garlic bread, salad, cheesecake, and fudge.  Tate was fun and precious, and Jeff and Chet were entertaining as ever!  

JEM, Chet Lee, Karli, and I have been there for all seven Friendsgivings.  I wish I had a group pic from every year, but oh well.  After dinner yesterday, we went around the circle saying what we were thankful for, and several of us talked about being thankful for these long-term friendships!! ❤  I know I've written about that a lot here, but I'm of the firm belief that committed, faithful friends are something to treasure.  I no longer have one single best friend, but I have a small circle of trusted friends that I'm deeply thankful for, and a God who is infinitely faithful!!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, friends!

Phoning It In, Part 8

Sooo crazy that it's already Thanksgiving week!!

Today's post = catching up on ALLLL the recent stories and pictures I've saved on my phone! =)

On Saturday, Dad took me and Charlene to OSU's last home game - yay!!  It was a fun day all around, starting with our road trip to Stillwater!  We chatted about the latest SF office and family happenings... and about Dad's car being towed when he went to the OSU game with Alan (they paid $30 to park by some duplexes, then all the cars parked there got towed - turned out it was a random lady who lived there offering parking to collect $ for her rent, then the landlord towed off the cars when he saw them!) Craziness!!

Dad also told me about a lady who called him asking about his lifegroup (a group he leads called "Marriage for Men")... he asked if she was calling for her husband or son, and she said she was single - so he asked if she was calling on behalf of a boyfriend... she said no, she was looking to join the group herself. He said, "Well, this is really a group specifically for men," and she said, "Yeah, I'm looking to meet some men and figured this would be a good way to do it." lolol  I can't even - people are so crazy - it's inappropriate either way, but especially since it's a group for married men.  He explained that his studies are designed for men and suggested that she check the list for co-ed lifegroups. 

Anyway, when we got to Stillwater, we had lunch at Granny's Kitchen, a cute little diner there.  (The 'Merica apron made me laugh so I had to get a pic.)  I opted for breakfast foods after seeing "Reeses Pancakes" on their menu...they're filled with Reeses Pieces and topped with peanut butter and chocolate. =)  It's possible I skipped calorie counting this weekend. #noregrets

I was super happy to see that our tickets were to game #7, the perfect number and the cowboys' final home game with Dad's season tickets!  I always love being in Stillwater on game day - it's just such a fun atmosphere!!  They honored all the graduating senior football players that day, which was cool to see and made me feel more connected hearing a bit about their lives and families and majors.  (I got the random pic of Maxine's Custom Frames just because it made me laugh that it was across the street from a place called "Uncle Mike's Novelties."  Yay, Mike and Maxine!)

The three of us at the beginning of the game! =)  (...I left my coat in the car since it was bright and sunny and in the low 60s when we got there, and I didn't want to bother with carrying it all around when the weathermen were predicting a cold front to hit around 6:30.  Liars. lol)

'Twas a terrrrible choice not to bring it.  It got cold around 3:30 in the middle of the second quarter, with frigidly cold wind gusts hitting harder and harder as the game went on and the sun went down.  It dropped over 20 degrees from the time we got there to the time we left.  I was thankful I had a hat, my Bible scarf, and some OSU gloves in my purse, but I only had a long t-shirt on, and it was still the coldest I've been in a long while.  I figured we'd leave at halftime or right after the third quarter, but it was a closer game than expected, and we stayed till the very end for OSU's unexpected victory!  (It was fun being there at the end, and I'm glad we stayed for Dad's sake, but dang, it was cold!)  In super random news, Gary Busey was there, and that made me laugh.  He's so crazy!  They did lots of fun songs and a kiss cam and such on the big screen, but my favorite thing was the "Simba Cam" where they played the dramatic beginning of The Circle of Life as people were lifting their babies (or their smallest friends) up high. Hilarious! =)  We got a rickshaw bike ride back to our car, which was awesome since we were too numb to make the long walk. lol  (I'm doing the "pistols firing" thing in that bottom pic, but it looks like I'm doing the peace sign.)  We grabbed some chicken from Cane's and came home to have dinner with Mom.  Fun times!

Sunday was church with Rick and Connie joining us, then Bricktown Brewery for lunch!  I sat by the Miss and played tic-tac-toe, then I saw that Jace had written "Maxine," and asked if he could write my name if I told him the letters... Kyndal was listening and wrote it too.  What a preshface! =)

Sunday night was "Friendsgiving" part one with the Fosters Connect group! We had Mexican food - taco salad, rice and beans, chips and queso, salsa and guac!  Audrey got them the card for us all to sign, and we went in together to get them a gift card to a nice bed & breakfast in Eureka Springs. =)  There was April's peach cobbler and Audrey's chocolate mousse for dessert, followed by several rounds of Nertz, which was fun times!

Jon and Kristin, Neil and Amber, April, Audrey, Samantha, and me! ❤

Some Parrish fam cuteness in the snow last week!

A couple pics JEM has texed me recently... them playing Nertz, and then a clip art project he made in 1996. =)  That made me happy, and I'm hoping he also made the "Berry Weekly" magazine to go with it! lol

Whilst unmaking the bed at Mom and Dad's, I found this little guy peeking out at me from behind the bed frame. lol  #pawpatrol

Someone posted this meme, and I just thought to myself, "You're welcome!!" lol  

"Snow, good! Early Christmas decorating, gooood!!"  (a la Joey Tribbiani saying, "Jam, good!  Beef, gooood!")

Speaking of Christmas and Joey... I took this pic the other night, just feeling thankful for the cozy warmth of Christmas lights! ❤

I was caught off guard seeing this old pic as I scrolled through Facebook.  I rarely forget a picture, but I had no memory of this... clearly a Zio's dinner with the SNU girls in 2013.  Made me happy to see it! =)

This = a random pic I texted Mom as evidence that there are hot redheaded men - finally one she agreed with - victory is mine! lol  We've been debating that a bit, and she vetoes most of the guys I list as an example.  (Granted, I do like Ed Sheeran and Owen on Grey's more for who they are than what they look like.)  Anyway, maybe they're few and far between, but I'm a fan of redheads all around! =)

It seems like in the midst of all the joy and fun and chaos, I'm always extra aware of loss and pain during the holidays.  I have one close friend going through a major job transition and two friends whose grandmothers died this week.  My precious Grandad has been back and forth in the hospital, and they're trying to figure out exactly what's wrong.  I teared up thinking about him when Kristin told a story about a sweet old guy they met at Lowe's last night.  Today also marks the one-year anniversary of Babah's stroke last year.  Things have felt a little whirlwind-style busy lately - mostly good stuff on the calendar, but it's piling up and wearing on me a bit.  I have nothing planned for tonight, and I'm excited for the rest and downtime.  (Then excited for Friendsgiving at Chet and Karli's tomorrow!)  With all that's happening, I'm extra thankful for God's presence and for this truth!!

A lighter meme that made me laugh! =)

This is the truth for me! lol  I was the only one who didn't notice when Sarah messed with the AC and our Big Cedar cabin dropped below 60 degrees.  I was just snuggled up and sleeping while everyone else was shivering away.  Sadly, that inner warmth factor does not apply to the workplace or football games (our heater was broken recently at work, and it got crazy cold in the office).

And that's all I've got!  Happy Thanksgiving week!! =)