Friday Favorites!

Happy Friday, gang!!  Starting a new Friday Favorites thing bc it sounds fun right now. lol

1.  Fun Video:  This gem has been my favorite video on the world wide web since it was posted in 2015... I so love Jimmy Fallon's freakout when he realizes Nicole Kidman was interested in him a while back and he missed it completely! lol  Watch it - you won't regret it.  I pretty much have it memorized now - makes me laugh every time! =)


2.  Purchase:  My brand new favorite hoodie, beating out Harvard and Yale!  (Here's hoping it lasts 10+ years like those did.)  Huzzah for Old Navy and Friends!

3.  Recent News:  Lin Manuel Miranda confirming (HERE)  a Hamilton movie (of the musical starring the original cast).  Yes, please!!

4.  Thing I've Heard This Week:  "Greed is wanting more than God has for me, but hunger is wanting ALL that God has for me.  I'm not greedy; I'm hungry!"  ~Tauren Wells on Annie Downs' podcast, (quoting Pastor Dharius Daniels)

5.  Gift from God Lately:  Words of affirmation, validation, loyalty, and encouragement from Sarah, Jeff, Chet, Kristin, and Lindsay this week.  Lots of meaningful conversations with people who are on the A-Team in my life! =)

Thankful Thursday!! (103)

"I love You, Lord; You are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior. My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety!"  ~Psalm 18:1-2
LOVE THAT.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Friends who strengthen and encourage and sharpen me, and hopefully vice versa.  I'm thankful for getting to catch up with Lindsay for a couple hours today at lunch, and for the way she speaks life over my writing and adoption dreams! ❤  (Not pictured, but I also had a belated bday lunch with Kristin Foster yesterday, and I'm thankful for her words of wisdom and encouragement, as well!!)

2.  The cutest niece and nephews!  #CHAspiritweek #70sday #peaceandlove

3.  Getting to celebrate Tiffany's birthday with a fun girls' night at BJ's! =)  (Pizookies for all!)

4.  Again, Peloton workouts with Cody Rigsby... so much laughter and great music - from Lady Gaga to "Pop princesses and boy bands." lol  It's not that deep, Boo! was his "mantra" for 2019, which just makes me happy.  This = some random Cody quotes, the Britney one being my favorite. =)

5.  All the memes that make me laugh! =)

6.  "I don't think you should look at yourself as the person who always gets left.  You should look at yourself as the person who's willing to stay and fight. It's a good thing! I wish I had more of that in me." ~Kevin Pearson (via random This is Us writer)  
...Thankful for this reminder, and the many ways God has been replacing lies with truth!!

7.  Feeling encouraged by this thought this week:

Happy Thursday, gang!  My favorite month (*this time IN A LEAP YEAR) begins in two days... get excited!! ❤

All the Things

This Friday, we celebrated Shane's 32nd birthday with dinner at Redrock.  I got to sit by two of my favorite guys in all the world, Jeffrey Edward and Chet Lee, and we had a good and memorable talk! =)

Chet added the Reese's Pieces to decorate this tasty Ludger's bday cake -- (it was chocolate with peanut butter Bavarian cream filling).  Yum!!

Group pic by the fire pit outside! =)

The guys in their matchy coats! =)

Yesterday morning started off with a massage (yay for Amanda at Ihloff).  My hair looks a hot mess here, but I always feel cute in the robes. lol

A fun brunch at Savoy with Steve and Sarah after church this morning!  And a fantastically meaningful talk with Sarah in the car while Steve patiently waited on our table. lol  Then I went to see their newly textured entryway... they've made really great progress in a short amount of time fixing up their house! =)

Yum!  Sometimes I'm caught off guard by how great fruit is since I spend so much time wanting chocolate. lol

Google Photos tells me this was two years ago today, celebrating Tiffany's birthday! =)

Excited to celebrate her 31st bday tomorrow!

And this = five years ago today. #tinypreshface

Speaking of the mini Miss K, here's the "I Am Special" board Rach "helped" her make for her Kindergarten class project. lol  So much cuteness!!

God has been WORKING on my heart lately... showing up with soul-restoring truth and clarity and freedom where I've believed some subtle-but-damaging lies about myself and how others view me.  Our enemy is good at what he does, but so is our God!!  I am thankful to be His child, and I am thankful for important conversations with family and friends who listen well and speak truth in love!

❤

In other news, I keep starting books but not finishing them, so I made myself a goal list that feels doable. =)

My Semi-Official Reading Goals for 2020:

By end of January - Frientimacy by Shasta Nelson

By end of February - Try Softer by Aundi Kolber

By end of March - What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff

By end of April - It's Not Supposed to be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst

By end of May - Boundaries by Cloud & Townsend

By end of June - Chasing Vines by Beth Moore

By end of July - Defiant Joy by Stasi Eldredge

By end of August - The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

By end of September - Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge

By end of October - Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

By end of November - Boundaries with Kids by Cloud & Townsend

By end of December - Everybody Always by Bob Goff 

+ the full Harry Potter series audiobooks again (the only thing on this list I'm fully confident I'll finish, but my plan is to complete all of these books - I've already started reading 8 out of the 12! lol)

Finally, a random person I'm thankful for lately = Peloton Coach Cody Rigsby, who I find super entertaining and fun! lol  He's also motivating and inspiring if I can stop laughing long enough to keep riding! =)

His Valentine's-week post last year:  "DON'T TEXT YOUR EX THIS WEEK. Instead get into my 30 min pop ride featuring celebrity break-ups. Also for any of you tempted to “get into your feelings”, tomorrow is my 45 min Pop Ride featuring my favorite break-up anthems!"

Hahaha, oh the drama!

His speech in the warm-up on one of his 400+ cycle classes:  "What are you bringin' into the ride, Boo!?  POSITIVITY!  EXCELLENCE!  BEAUTY!  GREATNESS!  STRENGTH!  RESILIENCE!  -- What you might be coming to the ride with that I need you to leave right here... Bullsh*t?  Drama? Negativity? Self-doubt?  Leave it heeere, thank youuu!" 

Lol  Cheesy as can be, but I love it!

That's all for now.  Happy Sunday!

The Little Things (Photo Friday)

Just a good reminder that the small moments and daily routine details of life matter more than most people think.  Let's make the most of our time here with each other!

Here are a few Photo Friday pics... it's the little connecting moments like these that make me thankful to be an aunt and part of why I'm so looking forward to becoming a mom! ❤

That's all I've got for today.  Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!

Three-Day Weekend

It was a fun weekend celebrating Mom's 65th Birthday with the fam! ❤

After a rainy drive down on Friday, I stopped by to see the fluffy best girlfranz, who were kind enough to smile for the camera! lol

Rach brought a chocolate cake and a white cake so everyone could have what they like!

Mom's birthday is also Jessica and Evan's anniversary... and the half-birthday of Chettles! lol  How cute are they in their spicy ketchup T-shirts from Karli!?

Mom got Jaceman some drumsticks, but no drums yet.  He's cracking me up with how excited he is about that!

Drum solo! lol

The kids made Mamaw homemade cards that were all precious!

Watching them play rock, paper, scissors makes me happy!

Me:  "You should try some - you'd like it!" 

(Jace was giving Mom's complimentary bday molten cake dessert a disgusted facial expression)

Jace:  "Nah, I'm F-O-O-L!" (meaning to spell full - lol)

He makes me laugh!

Group pic at Bricktown Brewery - yay for the guy at the next table who came over to help when I was struggling to get everyone in a selfie shot! =)

Bill and Jill admiring the creation paintings by Rachel Wimpey (my bday gift to Mom was the 11x17 set of those prints).  She was a fan! =)

Cutest person I know. =)

Miss K "taught" me how to make these, so that was fun!

Seeing this hanging in Jace's room made me happy.

Sunday = LifeChurch then Ted's with the fam, then the kids came over to do homework.

Here's Jaceman showing me and Grandpa his CHA notebook!

Me:  "So if I write a book, what do you think I should write about?"

Jace: "Hmm... you should write a book about YOU..."

Me:  "Well, that's a good idea."

Jace:  "...eating pizza with lions!!" lolol

My cute new table centerpiece, thanks mostly to Mom's creativity! ❤

Seeing this on FB caught me off guard.  They were all born the same year as Grandad.  Especially for Anne Frank, that seems crazy to me!

My own set of Rachel's creation paintings in my main hallway... the fruits of the Spirit had a good run. lol  

Yesterday, I slept in then had a WW meeting then went to see Dolittle, then Jon and Kristin's group at Starbucks where we played this game... fun!

That's all I've got for today.  Glad it's a short work week ahead! =)

Compassion and Connection

Well, gang, I've already broken my rule about not buying more new books this year. lol

After hearing three different podcasts with Aundi Kolber, I knew I had to read her Try Softer book, so I ordered it on Amazon yesterday.

You can see from the subtitle that it goes along well with my "connection" theme for 2020.  So much of what she talked about in the podcasts has already been helpful for me.  Aundi defines trauma as anything that overwhelms our nervous system's ability to cope - I liked that definition because it absolutely varies for every person.  She says we have to honor and validate the reasons we have needed to try harder in the past, the ways we have adapted and white-knuckled our way through to survive trauma.  And I LOVE the compassion there, letting go of any sense of shame and feeling grateful and proud of the grit/resilience we developed through hard seasons!

"The problem comes when we are actually safe, but we're living from that place where we still think we have to live white-knuckled, and our body hasn't yet gotten the message that we're now safe.  Our bodies can still run in that hyper-vigilance and hyper-arousal, even though we've matured and healed and processed the trauma.  It's still that learned response that our body lives in this overdrive... What helped us survive later becomes a block to living the life that we really, truly want to live and were created to live...  We are loved; we are valuable.  God sees us with deep compassion."

"We're talking about the ability of our body to move through emotions and move to completion.  Trauma is the opposite of that - something did not fully complete in the process of something feeling overwhelming or difficult.  So we CAN move through painful things, and it doesn't necessarily become trauma IF we have support.  If we feel safe.  If we know it's okay to feel our feelings... It's what happens after the trauma that matters most."

That is profoundly true and helpful, whether you've experienced minor or massive soul trauma.  It makes me want to stay alert and come alongside people who are suffering and help them feel safe and supported...  In this same podcast, Michael Cusick tells a story about a man who was hit by a car and knocked unconscious.  When he woke up, medical help had not yet arrived but there was a woman there who had her hand on his shoulder and was looking into his eyes, completely attuned, saying, "You're okay.  You're going to be okay.  Help is on the way," over and over.  He talked about how vitally important that was to this man being able to remain calm and heal physically and emotionally from that trauma. (And how if there's not a person saying those things to us, we need to tune in to God's grace and have that level of focus and compassion for our own hearts when we're hurting.)

They also talked about this verse in a way that caused me to see it in a new light:

I've always considered that in relation to our soul's eternal destiny, but it also applies when it comes to the health and wholeness of our souls in the present.  So my connection-themed post for this week is about being more compassionate toward ourselves and valuing our own hearts and souls!  (Which will obviously help us to connect in a more authentic and healthy way with others.)

Aundi defining trauma as being unable to fully move through something painful also rings true and helps me make sense of certain things (and how the enemy works against us here).  Most of us have experienced others disengaging or pulling away on some level when we're trying to sift through painful, complicated things.  I've also had unique issues where I wanted to spare the people closest to me by seeking outside help from prayer ministries or counseling therapists... who then turned out to be legit crazies or unethical in sharing private information.  So I have all the grace/compassion in the world for the part of my heart that struggles to feel safe sometimes.  But stepping out of hyper-vigilant survival mode back into fully-alive and secure mode is the goal.  I'm making progress, and I feel thankful for what I'm learning and that I am getting healthier in body, soul, and spirit! 

...What she's also saying is that regardless of what anyone else does, we have to make it a priority to be self-compassionate and care for our souls.  When things get messy or difficult, our natural human impulse is to self-protect and numb out or run away from our own pain.  It explains a lot of the depression and addiction people deal with.  The path to unhealed trauma is trying to ignore/suppress our pain, and the path to real healing is allowing ourselves to feel it and move through it.  #feelittohealit  

We can do hard things, and God is with us and for us all the way through it.  So let's be gentle with ourselves and each other, just as God's love for us is patient and kind.  He's an expert at bringing beauty for ashes, and I'm so thankful for that!! ❤

It Is Well With My Soul

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.
May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on level ground."
~Psalm 143:10

Happy Wednesday!  I love that God is always teaching us new things.  (Well, no, I don't always love it as it's happening - some lessons are hella painful. lol)  But I love that He is patient and wise.  Praying the above verse this week as I work with God toward my soul being fully alive and healthy and healed!

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Tiffany and I went for a 30-minute lunchtime walk outside on Monday and again today.  I'm trying to initiate more time with friends along with getting more activity, so I asked if she wanted to try that, and it was good and fun.  I'm hoping we'll be able to do that 2-3 days a week going forward.  Also, our courthouse fountain makes me happy... it's not the Bellagio, but it does make the CCC look more appealing! lol

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I collaged several pics (13 more 6-photo collages) through the years for Rach to use on an "I am Special" school project for K-Faith last night.  Is she not the very cutest Mini Miss K in all the wide world!? lol  LOVE. ❤

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From her conversation on addiction with Seth Haines - HERE... 

to her conversation on connection with LPC and author Aundi Kolber (HERE)...

I'm really loving Annie Downs' podcast lately!  
Highly recommend both of those - they've been rich and deep and helpful.

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Random encouragement:

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This song came on my playlist while I was working out at PF last night.  Not exactly cardio-friendly, but I really love this acapella version.  It made me think about the author's tragic story, and about the way God knows our hearts and draws near to us when we're in pain... providing love, grace, strength, and comfort based on what He knows we need in that very moment.  His presence and love is a safe refuge for our hurting hearts, and we can depend on Him to be good, wise, powerful, and faithful! ❤

Song of the Week = It Is Well With My Soul by BYU Vocal Point

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"Show me Your ways, Lord,
Teach me Your paths." 
~Psalm 25:4