Phoning It In (#11)

Someone posted this on Sunday (day of the Half) and it made me laugh! =)

Tiffany sent me this right before we went to see Avengers: Endgame... and I thought about it and started laughing inappropriately during a pretty sad moment at the beginning. lol

Carter Lee on Land Run Day.  I remember that being a fun day in 4th grade, staking out our square piece of land then eating lunch from our "covered wagons." lol  (They've now added creating a family flag to it, which Mom did a great job on. lol  So many of the CHA projects are things kids would be incapable of doing without heavy parental help.)

Jaceman holding Blue, the greeter/therapy dog at Grandad's rehab hospital. =)

Side note:  I Googled dogs that don't shed or cause allergies, and the cutest three were Yorkies (above), Maltese Shih Tzu, and Havanese (how have I not ever heard of these!?).  ❤

Jace and Grandad!  Me, Mom, and Jace went on Saturday after packet pickup.  Jace complained about having to make the long drive to go see Grandad, but once we were there, he was so good and funny and fun - made me happy!

A few of the professional race day photos!

 Hooray!

I finally cancelled my Netflix account last week.  Why can't it just be a fun place to watch Friends and Frasier reruns?  They're now marketing a new "Netflix original" show called Bonding, tagged as a "kinky BDSM comedy about a female dominatrix and her gay BFF."  Just NO.  It's so far from being okay.  As if the image alone isn't bad enough, they put this at the top of the trending stuff on their app and website where the preview plays automatically when you open it.  There is also this article (click here) which explains that child and teen suicide has increased by 28% since the toxic Netflix original 13 Reasons Why.  And yet they continue to produce and promote this trash, so yeah, I'm done.

Encouraging truth:

Another random meme that made me laugh:

These Nathan Pyle cartoons about aliens learning human behavior are making me laugh... 

Creating the perfect playlist, then being over it way too quickly

 Peek-a-boo!

Massages. lol

Not aliens, just cuteness.

 Surprise party - the "We actually care" banner is my fav! lol

Group selfie + critique + retake

Hope you enjoy this last day of April! =)

Tomorrow...

;-)

13.1

Yesterday, Dad and I walked the OKC Memorial Half Marathon!  It was Dad's first race of any sort, so that was fun!  (It was my fourth Half, and it's been seven years since my third in 2012.)  I'm glad we did it, and I'm glad it's over! lol  #RuntoRemember #medaling ;-)

25,000 runners and walkers lining up at 6:30am for the 5K, Half, and Full Marathon!!  This was taken from Corral E while we were waiting our turn to get to the Start Line by 7am.  You definitely walk a mile from the car to the Start Line and another mile after it's over, so it was a 15-mile day!  The weather was lovely, though, and I love that Dad decided to join me a couple weeks back!  He's been walking outside pretty regularly and he helped keep me motivated as we went along!

Captain America joined us in his "spangly outfit," which made me pretty happy! lol

I love that the firemen walk it in all their heavy gear!

"Gorilla Hill" was more of a fun water-stop than a scary hill.  The worst hills were definitely the three bridges toward the beginning.  *I forgot to take Advil that morning - it was 5:30am and my brain wasn't very alert yet - but Dad had brought some Advil in a ziplock bag, which I took around Mile 6, and I'm super thankful he thought of that!

I loved this!  They had individual signs honoring all 168 bombing victims - (Baylee was the baby the fireman carried out in the well-known picture from that tragic day.)  The signs were spaced out in alphabetical order, and it took several miles to see them all. ❤

 In less serious news, this was the first Half I've done where they actually had food at the water stops... I know they usually do that for Full Marathoners, but I definitely appreciated it for the Half!  I had graham crackers, tootsie rolls, bananas, pretzels, and Powerade.  (They also offered oranges, gummy worms, beer, and cups of pickle juice - the thought of which made me want to throw up!)  Here's a pic of banana guy handing out bananas. lol  

I loved reading all the signs - there was a park where there were signs all along the way on both sides, and I got Dad's phone to take some pictures of them!  (My phone was in my armband so I could listen to music on the earpiece from Mom along the way.)  The "Pain is temporary, posting on Facebook is forever!" was kinda my motto on this one. lol  I am crazy sore today and have several blisters on my toes, but I'll always have the pictures, the memory, and the medal!  I was excited to find Dad's name on the random Star Wars sign... I was hoping we'd see a sign with my name on it, but no such luck. =)

We ran into Brandon and Whitney (who had been part of a Relay Marathon team) at the Finisher's Tent, so that was fun!  At the Finish Line, they immediately handed us a water bottle, then crowned us with medals (and I said, "Huzzah!"), then handed out chocolate milk - yes, please!  Followed by tables full of bananas and clementines, then bags with Cheez-its and other foods, then picking up our Finisher T-shirts at the tent!  I'm sure there was more food and massages and such available, but we were ready to get back home!  ...I thankfully made it through the 13.1 miles without using a Porta-Potty, then we stopped at a random hotel to use their restrooms on the way back to the car, which Dad was kind enough to go get for me then pick me up! =)

I'm not gonna lie - I feel like I earned this one!  The last Half I walked in 2012 was fairly miserable because I hadn't really trained, and I walked at a super-slow pace the whole time.  This time, I've been training - doing two 45-minute walks during the week and a longer one every Saturday.  (Training on the treadmill didn't quite prepare me for an outdoor race, but it was far better than doing nothing.)  There was a time limit for the Half this time, and you had to be at mile 10 by 10am or you'd be disqualified.  I'm glad Dad was there to keep me going - we jogged a little and kept our walking pace up through most of the course.  Just after mile 12, I had a blister pop inside my shoe... which was as weird, disgusting, and painful as it sounds.  I slowed down quite a bit at that point, but we averaged a 3.7 pace, which I'm quite happy with!  I am sore everywhere - like even my arms and shoulders, which is bizarre to me - but we did it and we got a freaking medal, so YAY!! =)

Ouch!!  This one looks worse than it feels; the one on my little toe feels worse than it looks.  Must figure out a sock/shoe combo that helps me with blisters!  I've tried Vaseline, socks inside out, quality running socks, different tennis shoes laced up tighter, etc. - I may just always get blisters when I go longer distances.  Thankfully, a 15-mile stroll is not an everyday thing for me. lol

Lunch, shower, more Advil, 2-hour Sunday nap, then a tasty Rib Crib dinner with the Parrish fam before driving back to Tulsa!  Overall, it was a really good day!! =)

MM ~ First Swim!

I took this pic from behind the flower pot, and I love it!!  The golf course view combined with the pool and waterfalls makes it a soul-restoring, relaxing, happy place for me!!  And it's a LivePhoto of Jace doing a cannonball, so it captured him mid-air, which is just summery fun! =)

J&K were loving the "Bounce effect" so we used it on several jumping pics!  Here is my official first jump into the new pool... soooo coooold! lol  (The water looks so inviting, and it was a lovely warm day outside, but not warm enough to heat the water just yet.)

Dad's first time jumping in - Jace was so surprised and thrilled! lol

"Cannonbaaaaaaall!!"

"What kind of jump are you gonna do, Miss?"

"Umm, regular." lolol

I can't blame her - I didn't wanna jump off of it that high up.

This was before I jumped in - I tried to slow walk it in, which is always a mistake.  The cold just felt worse with every step. Jumping in full force is usually the best way to go, in life and in swimming! ;-)

They're a lot of fun - worth braving the cold water for! =)

Here we are practicing our divine water-walking skills! (Someone commented that it looked like we were walking on water, and now I can't unsee it.  Looks like Dad's excited to cross the pool, and I'm teaching Jace how to walk across. lol)

Sitting in the sun to dry off as we chat and watch the golfers! =)

A quick slideshow:

That was a crazy cold swim, so I'm ready for the sun to come out stronger!  Rach is working on this awesome bulletin board for the last month at CHA, and it applies here too! (Also, I love that Miss K wants to be in the background on these pics. lol)

That's all for this post, but I have two more coming today. =)

Thankful Thursday! (94)

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Today being "the perfect date." ;-)  It has been nice outside lately, so she's not wrong. lol

2.  Getting to go see Avengers: Endgame with Tiffany tonight!  "It's not about how much we've lost; it's about how much we have left!"  #whateverittakes #getexcited

3.  Laura Allison for being our awesome bailiff, a long-time friend, and the one who introduced me to Hamilton! =)

4.  God keeping all the stinging insects away from me!  And for kind strangers who will get rid of them when I'm cringing in fear. lol

5. Every Christian leader who teaches God's word with sincere motives and not for the sake of image or money!!

6.  God directing my path, little by little, step by step.  My goals have shifted a bit, and that is normal and it's okay.  ...I googled school stuff for Rachael, then had approximately one thousand Facebook ads about affordable master's degree options, something that was a goal for me several years ago and still often sucks me in and gets me researching different programs.  Seeing this question in the ad below made me realize that I don't want to do the work required for a master's degree simply to say that I have it.  I have a great job with good hours, pay, benefits, peace, and job security... and if I am going to put my money and energy toward starting something new, I choose motherhood!

7.  (Saved this for #7.)  It's in the very early stages, but I'm thankful that my adoption dream is starting to feel more real and less distant (meaning within two years, not two months).  I feel much more confident here than I once did.  I've started a private blog where I can research and write and plan and prepare, and I'm learning new things and feeling some direction from God already!  On Easter Sunday, I ordered the framed print pictured below - the first purchase I've made for my future daughter's room, and it made me really happy! ❤  That's all I'll say here about it, but I'm excited to be moving in that direction and feeling strengthened and encouraged by God! =)

*It arrived today after work. =)

That's all I've got for now.  Hope you have a lovely Thursday!

Catching Up

Happy Earth Day, friends... and Happy Oklahoma Land Run Day! ;-)

Catching up on some photos... last Sunday, the Wilsons invited me to dinner at the Farmhouse, and I got to meet Jeremy and Meredith (missionaries back from Taiwan) and their daughters (both under 5 and bilingual)!

We had Pioneer Woman lasagna, french bread, salad, and sugar cookies (or birthday cake cookies?) - all tasty!  Tate Haywood was excited about playing with my purse, having a banana for a bedtime snack, and showing off his riding skills on the toy horse... fun times! =)

Then there was a week of work where I didn't take any pictures that really matter, but I did listen to and nearly memorize most of the 46 songs on the Hamilton soundtrack.  Soooo good, and it's fascinating to me!  I googled at least 25 things as I kept listening, and I know far more about Alexander Hamilton and his family, Aaron Burr and Theodosia, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Seabury, the Battle of Yorktown, the Reynolds Pamphlet, the Federalist Papers, our early political system, and the rules of dueling than I did a week ago!! lol I need Lin-Manuel to keep writing - history set to rap/hip-hop music really works for me to remember it. And now I must see the play someday! =)

I had Good Friday off work, and I met Kristin for dinner at the Norman Olive Garden (here's my apple crostata dessert - yum).  We had a good talk. =)

Saturday morning, we went to watch the Miss K play soccer (on a team with her friend, Kynlee), which was as cute as it looks here! =)

After that, Dad and I went to the park and walked 8.5 miles together, which gave us nearly three hours to chat, so that was nice!  This = the start of a little nature trail section that was really pretty - unsafe if I was by myself, but nice when I'm walking with Dad. =)

That night was T&C's birthday party at the skating rink - very few people were able to come because of Easter weekend, so I felt bad kinda for them, but hopefully they won't take it as personally as girls might.  It did mean more cookiecake for us, so that part was nice. lol

Easter Sunday, there was memorable drama with the MWC LifeChurch campus putting up a curtain... then we had lunch at Pelican's, took Rach back home to get her car, then we all went see Grandad at the hospital. (*They did an X-ray last week, and his hip was not broken like they thought, so no surgery was needed, which was fantastic news and seemed to encourage and strengthen him a bit!)

Parrish fam Easter 2019!! ❤

Some exciting news: Mom and Dad's pool is nearly ready - they were filling it up with water this weekend and will put in salt and turn the waterfalls on soon! =)

Jace was the first one in, (getting in by himself without permission when Mom went in the house for a minute) - fortunately, he can swim well and it was crazy cold that night, so he got out pretty fast!  They both swam on Easter Sunday, though!  I'll wait till it's a bit warmer out to swim, but seeing the pool already makes me really happy!! =)

And now, a few quotables:

"Tell you what - when I get married again, and I probably will, I wanna do it right here!" ~Bill L. at Mom and Dad's before Rick and Connie's wedding lol

“Why waste time and energy regretting what was left undone in the past if you can do the da*n thing now, right??” -my cousin, Ashley

"Wait, let’s start at the very beginning." ~Me (telling a story)
"A very good place to start!" ~Elizabeth :)
"Awww, Sound of Music!"  ~Me
"I’m glad you got that reference!"  ~Elizabeth
(Then I had to sing for a minute before getting back on track! lol)

"Jace and Kyndal always know where we are or where to turn.  Are you pretty good with directions, too?" ~Me
"Well, I'm usually kinda zoned out thinking..." ~Triston (my introvert nephew)
"Oh, I so get that - me too!" ~Me
"...about how famous I’m gonna be when I grow up!" ~T-man lol
"I'm gonna quote you on that!!" ~Me

(Playing Would You Rather and talking about burning vs. drowning...)
Rach:  "Yeah, if I was trapped in a fire, though, I'd just inhale the smoke so that I'd suffocate instead of burning."
T-man:  "What if they were about to get you out, though!?  ...Dang, Rachael's giving up on life early! She’d be in a five-minute fire and have suffocated herself."
Triston was making me laugh there!  'Twas a lovely Easter Sunday lunch convo... that + the 9/11 fire situation + the Duck boat drownings + the Notre Dame Cathedral fire were all discussed right there. Then our food arrived and we moved into more pleasant topics. =)

Nurse, pointing to me:  "Now, who is this?"
Grandad:  "That's my grandaughter, and that's her mother."
Nurse, pointing to Babah:  "And who is this?"
Grandad:  "She’s her mother (pointing at mom)."
Nurse:  "And is she related to you?"
Grandad:  "Mmm, sort of."
Babah (laughing):  "He’s mad at me for making him drink the water!"
Grandad:  "That’s not water." lol
((This was at Mercy Rehab (Room G113) - he's having to drink thickened water where it's water that's the consistency of honey, which doesn't sound super appetizing.))

Me:  "I like spring so much better than I used to now.  The colorful trees and flowers and all the green everywhere and the longer days - it's really nice!"
Mom:  "Except for the bugs and wasps!"
Me:  "Yeah, we saw about 40 wasps during our walk this morning!!"
Dad:  "Well, I saw about 4 of them... but Lindsey saw lots of them!" lol  #truth #highalert

Random girl in audience:  "Kelly, you look great!!"
Kelly Clarkson: "Oh, girl, this is all fake news... fake hair, fake lashes, and really tight Spanx!" lol
#whyIloveher (this was on The Voice)

"Oh-oh-oh, Alexander Hamilton, when America sings for you,
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote the game!?
The world will never be the same!"
~Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton

"Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room?
Soon that attitude may be your doom.
Why do you write like you're running out of time,
Write day and night like you're running out of time?
Every day you fight like you're running out of time!"
~Non-Stop, Hamilton

"You will come of age with our young nation.
We'll bleed and fight for you; we'll make it right for you.
If we lay a strong enough foundation,
We'll pass it on to you. We'll give the world to you,
And you'll blow us all away
Someday, someday!"
~Dear Theodosia, Hamilton

"Death doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints;
It takes and it takes and it takes, and we keep living anyway!
We rise and we fall and we break, and we make our mistakes.
And if there's a reason I'm still alive when everyone who loves me has died,
Then I'm willing to wait for it!"
~Wait for It, Hamilton