APRIL 2022!

 QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

"I'll never reach my destination if I never try,

So I will sail my vessel till the river runs dry...

So don't you sit up on the shoreline

And say you're satisfied.

Choose to chance the rapids, and dare to dance the tide!"

~The River, Garth Brooks

*I've been on a big Garth kick lately, and I was beyond excited to learn yesterday that State Farm's 100th Anniversary trip is this coming summer... in Las Vegas... with a free Garth concert!  Yussss, please!!

APRIL MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• Prioritizing daily time with God, and feeling my need for Him more deeply in this season!
• Staging my home with Mom's help, and trying everything we possibly could to remove the glue from the photo wall (with no success)!
• Lunch with reporters from several different counties at the court reporting seminar... and learning I'd have to either shred or take my old exhibits with me
• Celebrating the birthdays of Triston (15) and Carter (14)
• Looking at homes with Mom and Dad, making an offer way over asking price that was rejected
• Getting to see Jeff and Kelly's beautiful new home in Jenks on their closing/moving day, getting several moving boxes from them, and being neighbors for nine days! ;-)
• Listing my home, having photos taken, accepting an amazing offer that was quickly withdrawn (lamesauce), going back to accept the first offer I got (but those people already bought another home), and finally accepting a full price offer from someone who saw it on the last day I had showings
• Clearing old exhibits, cleaning out my office, and getting some great pictures on my last day at the Creek County Courthouse
• One last Mexican food lunch with Sarah and Kate
• Being chosen to be on the field test team for a new Peloton product, then having to ship some things back to them because this is just not the right season for a big time-consuming project in my life... but being allowed to keep a lovely workout mat
• Celebrating my two year Peloton anniversary!
• Discovering Taber homes and buying a lot to build with them!
• Working with Mom to choose a few home upgrades (which my parents generously paid for)
• Designing my new business cards on Canva
• Setting up my new office (super nice, and very grateful for Mom's help in getting it all ready)
• Helping Rach update her resume
• An amazing party going away party with my closest Tulsa friends!!
• An Easter weekend Cheesecake Factory brunch with the fam and JoBug
• Two good visits with Babah (one at The Veraden, and one at Ted's with Bill and Donna joining us)
• Feeling very popular with my niece and nephews, who are always excited to see me and tell me a million things when I get home from work =)
• Walking and talking, golf cart rides, our first colder-than-expected summer swim, and family dinners with the niece and nephews!
• An unusually noisy dinner at Hidalgo's with Kristin W.
• Strongly considering making an offer on a 4-year-old Taber home in Norman... but deciding against it in the end and feeling total peace about that decision!
• Miss Parker Elizabeth's 1st birthday party!
• Selecting all my future home colors etc. at the Design Center appointment with Taber Homes!
• Joining Planet Fitness on my 3rd day of work and going several times during my lunch hour!
• Bringing lunch a few times and having lunch with Cheryl (the bailiff there)
• Melissa introducing me to everyone and taking the time to really explain how things work and make me feel welcomed - very kind and helpful!
• Getting through my first Jury Trial with no glitches, and being very pleased with the way they handle bench conferences
• Finally getting the route down and really enjoying my 30-minute drive to and from work (yay podcasts and audiobooks)
• Having to wire $ for the first time in order to "lock in" a 5.5% interest rate on my future home -- yikes!  I'll be very ready to embrace a refinance whenever the rates calm down.
• Filing a claim with State Farm to see if they'll replace my roof after the house inspections said it had storm damage
• Learning about a church friend whose daughter died, a close friend facing difficult family news, an old friend facing a brain tumor diagnosis, and another close friend dealing with a lot of physical pain... praying for all of the above!
• Building lots of boxes last night to get ready for a fun-filled packing extravaganza weekend. lol
• LIFE-GIVING:  Deciding (and sticking with my decision) to build a home!  Extra time with my family -- I feel really grateful for building new routines and having more company in my daily life, while also having people who respect my space and need for a little introvert time every day!  Meeting new people and learning new things at my new job!  It's also been life-giving to see how all this change that seems so daunting when you look at it as a whole is really very doable when you break it down into small steps and take one thing at a time!
• LIFE-DRAINING:  A few moments of overthinking things and feeling overwhelmed.  

HAPPY LISTS

I Listened To:

• The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakeable Performance by Dr. Nate Zinsser
• The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
• The usual favorite podcasts, Garth Brooks Greatest Hits on Amazon Music, Zac Brown Band Essentials on Apple Music

I Watched:  

• The West Wing season two on HBO Max
• Some old favorite shows and movies

I'm Celebrating:  

• Finishing well in Creek County - (leaving on good terms with everyone there and feeling peace about it)!
• Buying a lot to build a home in Moore!
• Setting up my new office and starting my new job!
• My first home in Jenks being under contract!
• Mom and Dad's pool being open!
• A possible Vegas trip and Garth concert coming soon! =)

April has felt more like a year than a month - very busy! lol  It's been a month characterized by transition... what I'm saying to myself repeatedly is "one step at a time," and it's all coming along little by little!  In spite of feeling overwhelmed here and there and having one particularly rough day that included me sitting in a Walmart parking lot crying on the phone with Mom, overall, I'm feeling very good about the way things are changing and about my future direction!  There were several big milestone events and lots of good ordinary memories made this month!!  And today, Mom is joining me in Jenks to begin the packing process - wish us luck! =)

Wishing you love and peace as we move into May! ❤