Birthdays & More!

A very Happy 35th Birthday to Chet Lee today!!

Throwing my FB message in here too: "So thankful God put you in my life via the NYE group 15 years ago. Your unwavering friendship has been a valued source of healing, joy and laughter, connection, inspiration, Godly wisdom, and renewed strength - seriously, thank you for all of the above! I am confident God has great things planned for you and your wonderful family through the year ahead. Happy Birthday, Chet Lee!!"

Healing = being a loyal & caring friend who deliberately emphasized that he and Karli weren't going anywhere when I was struggling through painful rejections (x3); being one of two key friendships where I've experienced the rare gem of healthy conflict (that was thoughtfully communicated, worked through, and resolved without the friendship dissolving)

Joy and Laughter = just being his fun-loving Enneagram 7 self - from day one, he's been funny and entertaining, good at reading the room and lightening the mood when it's appropriate, including sending more random memes than anyone else I know!

Connection = he is the hub connecting almost everyone in my main group of friends from Tulsa... as an outgoing realtor, he's consistently meeting new people and bringing more quality people into our lives and hosting fun parties for us all - I love that!

Inspiration = from his overcoming a difficult childhood to building a strong family and successful business to continually prioritizing God, health, family, and friends... this friendship inspires me to rise up and be the best version of myself

Godly Wisdom = listening well (and having a fantastic memory) and talking me through various family and friend troubles + offering encouragement and sound wisdom as I've begun to pursue my dreams

Renewed Strength = a good support group is vital for our mental and emotional health, and I feel very aware of the strengthening effect as I move toward adoption - (in addition to the daily ins and outs of friendship, the Wilsons are committed to parenting my child if I should die before he or she turns 18), and being able to rest in that means a great deal to me!

He had a birthday lunch at Upper Crust with the guys yesterday, and this picture (and their friendships with each other and kindness toward me throughout the years) makes me happy.  I listen to a podcast that ends every week with fun theme music for a final section called "Five Favorites," and that popped into my mind when I saw this. lol  It's true, though!  ...HBD, Chettles - you are loved and appreciated, and I'm happy you're one of my top 3 blog readers! lol

I'll also wish a very Happy 9th Birthday to Diesel Eugene!!

We celebrated his birthday at their house on Sunday, and he had a Warrior Games Taekwondo tournament on Saturday where he won multiple medals and trophies - so awesome! ❤

A few more pics from that party on Sunday - yay for Eileen's cookies and Sam's cake! 

...Amelia's suspicious expressions make me laugh. =)

That night (Sunday), the kids returned from their Disney trip... arriving to a scavenger hunt leading to fun presents from Mamaw... a Transformer toy Jace has been wanting, and Kyndal's first iPhone for her upcoming 10th birthday!

Speaking of, I've been putting off work and school stuff as I've been super busy with Canva designing fun posters for her party. lol  She's a Swiftie now, so we're going with the Taylor Swift Eras theme for these posters - fun!!  Anyway, yay, Miss K - she's the very cutest person I know. ❤

This one = her on the day of her birth + her first nine birthdays!!

Okay - that was fun!  I needed to write about some light and sparkly things after a heavy and disturbing Prelim this morning.  Here's a fun meme to end on... this is totally me when I set blogging time limits for myself - 2 o'clock deadline to start working quickly became 2:30! lol