AUGUST 2022!

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

"Studies have shown that, indeed, introverts are more likely than extroverts to express intimate facts about themselves online that their family and friends would be surprised to read, to say that they can express the 'real me' online... The same person who would never raise his hand in a lecture hall of two hundred people might blog to two thousand, or two million, without thinking twice."

~Susan Cain, Quiet

AUGUST MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• Celebrating Dad's and Kyndal's birthdays!

• Getting my chair back from Restoration Station - love the new fabric

• The Wilson fam buying me dinner at Los Cabos to celebrate my house closing!

• Meeting the new homeowners of 522!

• Getting the Pinkitzel unicorn cake for K-Faith’s slumber party birthday! 

• Getting breakfast for the kids and seeing them off on their first day of school

• A long-overdue catch-up lunch with Lindsay! 

• Neighborhood Jam lunch with Kristin!  

• Pablo's dinner with Laura!

• Pizookies at BJs to celebrate my house closing with the fam

• Fall semester at CCU starting on August 22nd

• Going to visit Babah and Mom decorating her place for fall

• Dad and I taking the kids to see my house and courthouse (Mom was having terrible pain from an infected tooth at the time).

• LIFE-GIVING:  Quality time with friends!  Seeing the continuing construction progress on my future home with walls, bricks, flooring, cabinets, paint, etc.  My former home sale finally closing + celebrating that with friends and family!  Taking a Facebook break and spending more time on audiobooks (seven this month!) and now school work!
• LIFE-DRAINING:  Needlessly pre-stressing rather than praying about time management when I add motherhood to my school and work schedules.

HAPPY LISTS

I Listened To:

• Acts through Colossians

• This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

• Better Together by Christine Riccio (Freaky Friday meets Parent Trap with consequences for the selfish parents)

• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (I decided to read all of the Narnia books for the first time)

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 

• I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living when the Old Ways Stop Working by Shauna Niequist (really good)

• Bitter-sweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make us Whole by Susan Cain

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a Word that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (re-reading this one ten years later!)

• The usual favorite podcasts + music

I Watched:  

• Father of the Bride (1 & 2) on Disney+

• The West Wing season 2 and part of 3

• Minions: The Rise of Gru with the Mini Miss K

• Only Murders in the Building season 2 on Hulu 

• Surface on Apple TV+

I'm Celebrating:  

• That 522 is no longer in my possession/responsibility!
• All the wonderful and often-undervalued strengths that come with being an introvert!
• God's kindness!!

A book-filled, mostly easygoing August 2022 is in the books... bring on the "Ber months" of Fall and Winter!!  Hope you're having a good week so far, friends and family!! ❤

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!

(Psalm 19:14)

Tulsa Trip Today!

Happy Friday, friends!  Here are some lovely flowers from Lindsay Johnson... we met at La Madeleine today and had a memorable catching up and looking forward talk and a delightful quiche/salad/soup lunch! =)

*Today marks nine years, and I can't help but feel grateful for all the places I am seeing beauty for ashes. ❤

Yum... I'm hoping this place also exists in OKC!

I had a two-hour lunch chat with Lindsay and a four-hour dinner chat with Laura.  Really good to see and catch up on life with both of them!  In between lunch and dinner, I tried the new Crumbl Cookies at Tulsa Hills... (good, but overrated in my book - I prefer non-gourmet, less fancy, transportable cookies).  AND I grabbed a dozen bundtinis and brought them to the new homeowners of 522, introducing myself and saying I hoped they would love the house as much as I did!  It's a family of four with a dog, and that made me happy to see.  I met the mom, the son, and the dog... and she invited me in to see it - their front door was painted black and the living room fan was black instead of glittery silver.  What was once the yoga room and guest room are now a girls nursery and a boys bedroom.   That is likely the last time I will set foot inside that house - super kind of her to invite me in, and kind of cathartic to see it mid-transformation!

A friendly reminder from a counseling newsletter email...

The Fall semester has begun at CCU, so this week included some homework time.  I got caught up on my transcripts at work and even worked in a couple Peloton workouts whilst it was just me covering the office on Wednesday and Thursday! lol

I'm back at Mom and Dad's now.  It was great having today off, and I'm pretty psyched to have Monday off, as well.  That's all I have for today.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead!

"O our God, will You not bring judgment
on them?  We are powerless before this vast multitude that is coming against us.  We ourselves do not know what to do, so our eyes are turned toward You... The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's."
~2 Chronicles 20:12-15

"I Understood the 'Chipper' Part!"

Good morning, and happy Wednesday, friends and family!!

Hope your week is going well thus far.  Here are a few pics from my life lately, starting with our family dinner at BJs last Friday to celebrate my house closing!  These pics make me happy...

Jace Michael to me:  "Me and my friends are gonna go see Transformers 7 when it comes out in June!  You can come too if you want, and take us!!" lol

Kyndal to Rachael:  "Mom, I gotta tell you something...." (leaning in to whisper a secret)... then she SMACKS really loud right in Rachael's ear! lol  This was especially funny to me, as Rach has a lower tolerance than most for annoying sounds.

T-man to Kyndal (who is not known for giving people much personal space):  "Yeah, you're gonna have to back up about ten feet before I answer that!" lol

They make me laugh often... I'll try to start keeping a Quotables list again.

Here's Rach and Dad awaiting their cookies and cream pizookies!

Yes to this plan:

The Miss K has been bringing all the Laffy-Taffy-wrapper level dad jokes to our family time lately!  What cracks me up most is that she laughs at herself after each joke she tells, then every third or fourth one, she says, "Oh, I get that one!" ❤

The progress continues on my future home... I'm super excited to see this mud bench when it's been painted navy blue!

I have cabinets - huzzah!!

I'm feeling happy anticipation... or what I call reverse nostalgia as I look at these pics... like, I'm already excited for the future memories I will create here, the Christmas decorating with Mom, the baking days, shared meals with family and friends, baby feedings, movie nights with my child, etc. ❤

I drove by yesterday and was very excited to see it's been painted - YAY!!

The back double doors are a color called Eggplant.  And I love that the chimney is painted too!

My siding and front door color is called "Gunmetal Gray," but it's definitely a pretty deep green! ❤

Here's a close-up of the front door before it was painted.  It's called the "Speak-Easy" door because the little glass window opens up, which is super cute!

I'm taking a Facebook break for a while... possibly until Christmas, but we'll see if it lasts that long.  It's done good things for my screen time! lol  *Also, I have spent hours listening to lovely audiobooks, but you only get credit for reading when you're scrolling through an e-book.

Finally, I'm so happy that Father of the Bride (part one and two) are finally available to stream on Disney+!  These were two of my favorite movies from like 3rd through 6th grade.  I watched them both this week and it brought back all kinds of good memories!   So many Franck lines I still quote today: "Uh-oh, HALLOOOOO, that's five months!" lol  Also, it makes me smile knowing that Steve Martin and Martin Short are still doing projects together today, and that he and Eugene Levy (also in both FOTB films) did another movie together years later!  I like when actors have genuine friendships... like Kevin Hart and the Rock, who are good friends and always hilarious together in movies and interviews! lol  Anyway, here's Steve having an epic grocery store flip-out and "removing the superfluous buns!"  "George Banks is saying NO!" lol 

Okay, I'm done now.

May you be patient and take courage,

for the coming of the Lord is near! 

(James 5:8)

Seventh Time is a Charm!?

Happy Friday, friends and fam!  ❤  It is done... I am officially *not* a homeowner (for the next two months, then we're jumping right into the new home decorating + Christmas decor)!

And now, I'll present this patented 77-step process for selling one's home. ;-)  It's been so much crazier than I ever expected, and as per usual, I'm glad I kept a record of it...

1. The very day after I call to tell him I got the job in Cleveland County (toward the end of March), Chet has a client come look at my house.  I get excited about the thought of selling it without even having to list it! #pipedream
2. They decide it isn't right for them, so we move forward with the usual listing process...
3. I meet with Monica, who gives me a 4-page list of things to change, then Mom and I work hard and fast to stage my home!
4. They take professional photos.  I pray for a quick and smooth sale process.  It goes live for sale on Friday, April 8, 2022, list price $265,000.
5. While touring possible homes in Norman before I decided to build, my realtor here tells me you need to offer at least $10,000 over asking price to be a serious contender in this market.  That's rough as a buyer, but it makes me happy in thinking about the sale of my home.
6. Chet decides an open house isn't necessary that first weekend based on the number of showings we had booked.
7. We get negative feedback about the two large vans next door (an eyesore and creepy-kidnapper vibe that likely factored into a number of people's decisions here, certainly including those who were too polite to mention it).
8. Even so, by Monday, I receive two full price offers and one offer for $282,500 with a 15K appraisal gap... which means they pay $15,000 above what it appraises for if it appraises under $282,500.  For example, a 265k appraisal would mean a 280k sale!
9. I celebrate how quick and easy this all was and accept the highest offer (obviously), signing my very first contract as a seller with them on April 11, 2022.  And just like that, 522 is listed as a pending sale - hoorah and huzzah! (ONE)
10. Two days later, that buyer thinks it over and decides it is actually too small for his family and backs out of the contract. #lamesauce
    
    
11. Back on the market.
    
12. Disappointed but still very hopeful, I accept the first full price offer that came in... but that buyer is already under contract on another home.
13. I then accept the second full price offer (this was from a grandma of a child at Jenks schools who wrote me a lovely letter about how much she adored my house and felt very at home there).  We sign documents on 4-13-22 and go under contract set to close on Friday, May 20th -- yay! (TWO)
14. The buyer will not agree to any appraisal gap, but my house appraises well (meaning it appraised for at least 265k, but I was not allowed to know the actual number at that point because the buyer paid for it).
15. The inspections showed nothing wrong except for my roof being old, so they ask me to replace it.
16. I file a claim with State Farm.  They say the roof needs around $2100 worth of small repairs, but they will not replace it as there is no major damage.
17. I hire All My Sons and move all my stuff into storage on the weekend of May 15th... when I think about how much longer I could've kept it there and skipped the storage payments and had my very own home to go stay in on weekends, it makes me kinda sad, but we were acting on the information we had at the time.
18. The buyer insists that I fully replace the roof, paying around $13,000 out of pocket to her son's roofing company.  At the time, that request seemed completely absurd.
19. After several conversations with Mom and Dad and Chet, I say a hard no to that, but offer her a $3500 closing credit to go toward any future repairs.
20. She declines and busts the whole deal four days before our closing.
21. I did not get her earnest $$ because we "couldn't agree on repairs."  (And the fact that it was an insurable roof and I offered her over $1000 more than the needed repairs would cost was irrelevant - awesome.)
    
    
22. Back on the market.
23. Only now, my online listing says "Pending Sale -- Back on Market -- Pending Sale -- Back on Market."
24. Chet says every realtor calling him wants to know, "What's wrong with the house!?"  Special.  After he explains the situation, everyone is very concerned over the roof (with very minor damage that I was happy to fix or cover).
25. After all of that, Chet's roofer says we should probably challenge the claim with State Farm, so he comes out and meets with their claims people.
26. This changes nothing, and they still turn it down and say no.
27. I ask about taking my house off the market and then relisting it to avoid some of this drama.  Chet says he will look into how to do that and let me know...
28. In the meantime, we get an offer for 260k from a restaurant owner who is working with Chet...
29. Then another offer comes in for 270 with a $5,000 appraisal gap.  
30. The restaurant woman who offered 260 moves her offer up to 265. Another realtor considers making a cash offer herself, but eventually changes her mind.
31. So I gladly accept and sign a contract on the $270,000 offer.  I felt good about signing this contract for 522 on 5-22, and yay for $5,000 over with an appraisal gap coverage.  Alert the media -- we have a pending sale! (THREE)
32. A couple days later, we learn that this buyer cannot get financing, despite having submitted a pre-approval letter.  Chet says he'd had a bad feeling about that one.
33. That buyer never paid a dime of earnest $$, so of course I got nothing then either.  (One lesson learned here is that the earnest money basically means nothing for the seller, so if you're a buyer, might as well throw out a crazy high number there and rest assured you'll get that $$ back if you change your mind for any reason whatsoever.)
    
    
34. Back on the market again.
35. Chet calls his restaurant-owner client back saying I would take the 265 offer, but she was "just really tired" of the whole home-buying process and decided to wait, eventually backing out altogether.
36. *I pray over all of this repeatedly throughout this process -- for God's grace and favor, against spiritual warfare, etc.  
37. I receive a new offer for $260,000 from a couple who have been looking for well over a year. #redflag  They say they are very excited and hopeful that they'll get this home!
38. On May 31st, I accept and sign on that offer (FOUR) without even countering, wanting a very smooth sale.  Chet said they knew all about the roof and this would give us leverage if they asked for anything on repairs.
39. I went under contract with them set to close on July 1st.
40. Chet jokes that if this contract busts, he will just buy the house from me as a rental property.
41. They come back after inspections asking for $1,000 worth of small repairs, as well as a $5000 closing credit to go toward getting a new roof later... ugh!
42. We eventually agree to rework that as a $262,500 offer with a $5000 credit at closing.
43. And the buyer's agent (who was understandably tired of dealing with those clients) paid for the $1,000 worth of other small repairs in a strong attempt to help things close smoothly!
44. So all the repairs are settled and we have a number everyone is comfortable with.  Then... less than a month after my home had appraised for 265k... this new appraisal comes back at $244,000.  Wow.
45. Chet challenges it, but they say they've already factored in all of my upgrades, and although mine is the nicest home in the neighborhood, 244 is a fair value for it in this market, which has clearly spiraled a bit since the time I first listed my home three months ago.
46. After taking a minute to process this insanity and talking it all over with Mom and Dad, I say fine -- let's move forward with the closing because I want to be DONE with all of this.
47. At the buyer's insistence, I agree to the far lower price with me still gifting her a $5000 credit at closing.
48. *So this is now $42,000 less than I would have gotten with the first offer I accepted -- but to avoid yet another month of unnecessary storage payments + mortgage and utilities on a house I am no longer living in, I go along with it.
49. And after aaaaall of that, the buyer, who I'd assumed was doing cartwheels about this new price, decides to completely back out and cancel our contract. ???
50. (Once again, she gets to keep her earnest $$ because they have three days to back out if the appraisal comes back low, even when I agree to all their terms and to the lowered price.)
51. Exhausted, I re-enroll in the monthly auto-pay for my mortgage, and we fully take my house off the market!
52. My neighbors are now texting me with questions and prayers.  I am getting letters and calls from other realtors offering their services.  Chet gets a call from another agent saying she is so surprised that it's taking this long since homes in my neighborhood usually just fly off the market.  Mmmhmm.
53. We get estimates, and I eventually pay $11,091 out of pocket to have my entire (barely-damaged) roof fully replaced so everyone will freaking calm down about it.  Good times.
    
    
54. In hopes of a quick closing and avoiding another painful appraisal, we call back and try again with the original grandma buyer who still hasn't found anything, now offering her $10,000 off of her original offer, along with a fully replaced roof.  She goes back and forth for a couple days, but eventually says no... Insanity.
55. *Another key lesson here is that anyone who has been looking for a home for over a year = a buyer way too indecisive or attached to their current home to be trusted.  They are great at feigning interest, but terrible at following through.  People who are serious about buying a home would have already bought one.
56. Another agent calls Chet while it was still off market asking to go see it before he relists.  She comes back with a 240k offer (*insert eyeroll*).  I say to just relist it... she ups her offer to 247.5... I counter with 252... and she says never mind.  I am so tired and over all of this.
57. Israel's crew finally goes out to repair and paint a small spot on the master bedroom ceiling.  All the freaking repairs are now officially completed -- huzzah!
58. Zillow estimates that my home is worth $271,500 in this market.  My loan officer estimates the current value at $262,000.  And our last appraisal (prior to the full roof replacement) says $244,000.  The varying values are decidedly unhelpful to me.  It's a very subjective thing, and the appraisers, who can so obviously sway things in the favor of the buyer who hires them, have way too much power in this whole process!
    
    
59. Back on the market... 
60. I pray over it all again, confused by what God is up to here.  We relist it at 255,000 on Friday July 15th.
61. The first couple to look at it that day (a coach and his wife) immediately make a 265k offer -- this is delightful news!
62. We have multiple showings and get two more offers on day two, including another offer for $10,000 over AND a 257k cash offer where they are asking for zero repairs, no appraisal, and a 10-day closing time.  That's three offers in two days!
63. Going with the lowest risk and the fastest closing date, I accept and sign a contract on the cash offer (FIVE), ready to get this thing done and set to close on August 2nd.  (This one comes from a doctor and his wife who are planning to rent it out.)
64. Chet calls me on his birthday to let me know they are wavering, and by the end of that day, they decide to back out of the contract.  Chet tells me I have officially broken the record for the most busted contract deals of any client he's ever had.  This makes me feel very special. lol
65. (Learning from past experience, he never marked that one as a pending sale, so I'm grateful for that!)
66. We try again with our coach buyer friend -- they are looking at one other house and will get back to us.  Chet calls back a few others who had scheduled showings that he canceled because we were "under contract."  *We get another full-price offer from someone who hasn't even seen the house in person yet.*
67. Turns out the coach and his wife still want it -- hooray!  On July 20th, I sign a contract with them for 260k with a 5k appraisal gap. (SIX)  Mom loves that this buyer is a coach, and I feel super confident that this is the one since they had looked at it multiple times and made an offer the very first day it was back on the market, seeming really excited about moving closer to the school where he coaches!  Chet marks it as a pending sale, and we are set to close on August 16th!
68. The very next day, the buyers back out without giving any reason at all.  ??  Their agent is stunned and confused and verrrry apologetic.  Chet and I are mostly numb and unfazed after this many rounds of this game.  I'm now cringing when I see him calling and having to cross my fingers that it's not more bad news.
69. Preferring not to put it back on the market yet again, we check back with the other 265k offer that was contingent on their home sale.  Turns out she signed a contract on another home the day before... of course she did.
70. We get two new offers, one for 245 and one for 225 -- yikes.  We then go back to the 255 blind offer and we ask them to go look at it just to be sure.
71. They tour the house and their offer still stands, so I sign a contract for 255 with them, contingent on the sale of their home, set to close on August 22nd.  (SEVEN)
72. The inspections go well and no repairs are requested -- music to my ears.  My home appraises for at least $255,000 -- more happy news.
73. The buyers ask to move our closing date up to August 15th - yes, please.  Dad meets me during my lunch hour last week so that I can sign the closing papers.  Charlene notarizes them, then we overnight them back to the closing company.  
74. I drive up to Tulsa on Saturday to drop off my keys, garage door opener, and fan remote (we accidentally packed the one for the living room fan, so I bought them a new one).  I'm super excited to close on Monday the 15th!
75. Their agent fails to communicate that they were unable to close on their home sale last Friday, so that one was moved to Monday.  And now my closing date is pushed back to Friday... deep breaths...
76. Their home sale goes through smoothly on Monday, thank God, and this buyer does not randomly choose to back out for any other reason.  Signed contract #7 for the win!
77. To sum up, it's been quite the journey!  But at long last... over four months and 13 offers later, after approximately one million conversations with Chet and with my parents, after $12,000+ spent on repairs for buyers who backed out and still lowering my asking price by $10,000, and after me literally accepting offers and e-signing contracts with SIX different buyers who did not follow through to closing... as of 11:30 a.m. on this glorious Friday, August 19th, 2022, my first home is officially SOLD!! ❤ #HALLELUJAH #FINALLY

Helpful Things to Remember:

1. In spite of the past few months of real estate drama and frustration, 522 was a beautiful and FANTASTIC first home for me, and I will not let this spoil or tarnish that.  I am thankful for that season of my life and all the fun times and personal growth I experienced through my years living there!!  (I originally bought that home in 2007 for $161,500, and I owed around 47k on the remaining mortgage, so I still made a good profit in the end, and it's good to keep that perspective.)
2. What Stasi Eldredge posted on the day I got the job offer was something I kept coming back to here -- about taking risks and stepping out in faith and staying the course with Jesus, knowing that even if it doesn't all go smoothly, that doesn't mean you didn't go exactly where God told you to go! ❤  Seriously, thank God for the Eldredges and the many ways they have served as guides along my life's journey.
3. I am very grateful that God led me toward building a home and living with my family in this season rather than buying one right off and having to pay two mortgages at once for several months!!
4. I honestly never expected this part to be difficult or slow.  This was an unexpected learning experience and a faith-strengthening exercise.  Sometimes you pray over something repeatedly and seek wise counsel and do all the things you believe to be right/wise, and things still don't work out the way you hoped.  But God is wise and kind, and His plans are good for me and higher than mine!
5. I already miss that 2.5% interest rate! lol  My currently locked-in 5.5% rate for the new home feels a bit painful to think about, and I'll be ready to refinance as soon as they have a significant drop.
6. I feel EXTRA thankful now that this part of the process is really complete, and I'm very much looking forward to moving into my new place in a couple months!!
7. Fare thee well, 522, and thanks for the memories!  It was a wonderful place to live, and I hope the new owners will care for it well, make great memories, and enjoy the home as much as I did!! ❤

"May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth."

~Psalm 115:14-15

Thankful Thursday #147!

 "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

for His steadfast love endures forever!"

~Psalm 118:29

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  All the kids having a really good first day back to school yesterday!  And I'm thankful I got to be there in the morning to see them (and bring them chicken minis and Rach McDonalds Diet Coke). lol

2.  Getting to Facetime and catch up a bit with Sarah and Kate... how cute are the pigtails!?  I freaking love it!  (Steve and Sarah have post-cruise COVID, so pray for them to feel better soon!)

3.  The Miss K having a mostly fantastic 9th birthday... her last two birthdays were overshadowed and surrounded by some family drama and pain, so I'm verrry thankful that this one was lighter and fun and special for her!!  She got to go to San Antonio and then Great Wolf Lodge with her Dad, then she had her first girls night slumber party at her Mom's house -- a unicorn-themed, colorful extravaganza -- Rach also took them all to a movie, an escape room, and Cheddars for dinner!  And finally, Kyndal Faith chose Texas Roadhouse for her dinner with our fam, and she only resisted for a tiny minute before getting on the saddle and hamming it up when the waitstaff sang celebrated her birthday! lol  ❤

4.  This sweatshirt was in a Facebook ad on a day when I was feeling anxious about some things, and it just makes me happy when God sends little things like that to remind me to trust Him!

5.  Mom had this 20+-year-old oversized chair recovered in the same houndstooth fabric that's on her couch... and I LOVE it!!  It will match my living room decor better now when I move into my 3000 house... it feels brand new, but it's also filled with memories from 9121 + 522 + 8905, and it will remind me of my wonderful Mom - YAY! ❤  (before and after pics)

6.  Feeling more confident and comfortable in my own skin as life moves forward... I'm thankful for a growing sense of purpose and for being less concerned with everyone else's opinion and more concerned with building a life that honors God and makes me proud of who I'm becoming!

7.  This very unique season of life where I have daily time with my niece and nephews (and parents and sister)!  The family dinners, the conversations with the kids, the sassy-ness and the laughter, watching Jace transform any number of Transformer toys (I truly could not care less about those toys or cars in general, but I will pay close attention because it matters to him and he matters to me), Kyndal's drawings, driving with Tman, neighborhood walks, golf course walks, summer swims and lots of back dives and backflips, movie nights, watching them do math flashcards, CHA homework, and more!  Basically, I'm grateful for the influence God has given me in their lives, and I hope to use it well!

Jace showing us all how to transform Ratchet last night! lol

Jace being Spiderman on the mail box before their first day of school!

The Miss K's latest drawing of a monkey... loving the detail she put into his hair! lol

Rach fixed her hair for the first day - so cute!  Kyndal told me about it the night before:  "You know Jasmine... the princess!?  Well, I'm gonna wear my hair like that, only in two ponytails instead of just one!" ❤  Yas, queen! lol  ...Not sure I'll ever master doing hair like this, but fortunately Rachael will be nearby if I have a daughter who needs a fun hairstyle! 

Song of the Week = The Heart of the Father by Ryan Ellis

I'm loving this one lately! ❤

"May you run with endurance the race that is set before you!"

Lately...

I have four Prelim transcripts to work on the rest of this week, but for the last 15 minutes of this workday, I'm gonna do a very quick photo dump update!!

Kristin joined me for lunch last Friday... here's our happy train track pic on our walk over to Neighborhood Jam!

My Looney Jack (basically a carrot cake pancake with cream cheese frosting), pineapple bourbon pancake, and chocolate chip... yum!!

Kristin's boys started school on Thursday last week... this picture of them made me happy!

After seeing that pic, I was thinking to myself about how that would turn out if my future child didn't have a sibling... then I saw this brilliant idea from Heather Carpenter - she posted it with the caption, "So long, partner!"  Gah, I love it!

Marilyn, Melissa, Kaci, Angie, and Melinda were among the reporters and bailiffs who joined Governor Stitt whilst he signed the bill for our raise! lol

On National S'mores Day, I discovered the peanut butter smores pizookie at BJs.  Amazing.  I almost wish I didn't know about this. lol

The Mini Miss K and I had a movie day on Sunday - the boys opted not to join us, but I love that she still wanted to go!

Much has happened on the home front since my last update.  This = the day they started working on the bricks.

I have walls!

And wood-look tile!

And bathroom tiles.

And laundry room tile!

And full bricks and a garage door (all the trim + siding + garage will be painted other colors).

What I don't have, sadly, is the $$ from the sale of this house.  Pray for that to happen this week, for reals!

The kids and Dad came to see my office and courtroom!  The microphones were turned on, and J&K had all kinds of fun playing the roles of Judge and Witness!

"I'm gonna take y'all's picture!"  ...Only Kyndal pays attention and poses! lol

I went to Tulsa to drop off my key, garage door opener, etc. this weekend.  And I got to have dinner with the Wilson fam at Los Cabos - always a treat especially since it doesn't exist in OKC!  Here's a pic of the boys side of the table...

And one of the girls!  Miss Parker took a minute to warm up to me, but we were friends by the end of the night!

High five!!

This made me laugh!  The Riverwalk concert area is kinda dead, but Tate is ready for it!!

Chettles and Tate waving from behind the waterfall inside the bear cave!

Parker being delighted to see them! lol  Babies are so fun!!

Tonight = the celebration of the Mini Miss K's 9th birthday (which was yesterday)!  Rachael went all out on the slumber party decor!!

This = her new swimsuit from Mom, and her playing Hot Cross Buns for us on her new glittery pink recorder! lol

The very festive unicorn cake I got for her party, which was almost destroyed when a moronic driver nearly caused us to have a wreck... but all is well, and I'm sure it'll be delicious!  And now, I'm off to deliver that cake and celebrate my preshface niece!  Happy Monday!!

"It feels impossible now, but I like to redefine what's possible!"  ~Robin Arzon