NOVEMBER 2023!

 QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

"Perhaps the length didn't matter...
The beginning and the end may have been chosen for us,
the string already spun, but the middle
had always been left undetermined,
to be woven and shaped by us."
~Nikki Erlick, The Measure

Victories, Big and Small:

• Progress in defining and speaking up for what I want/being who I want to be
• Progress in facing things that intimidate me head-on and being determined to learn and improve (like counseling young kids)
• Progress in not personalizing things (like clients cancelling or not showing up)
• Completed my pre-matching Zoom call and started the matching process

Partial Successes/Areas for Improvement:

• Daily movement - these darker days and winter vibes, combined with a lingering sinus infection and being quite busy, have me feeling lethargic and zoned out, using any downtime I get for rest... but I know I gain strength and energy and mental clarity when I work out regularly, so I need to press through the lazy slump!

Memories:

• Finding a freaking live worm in my CFA cobb salad... yikes... ew, David! 
• The final bedlam game with the Whitakers - fantastic!!
• The final OSU home game with the Wilsons - fun!!
• The Christmas Chute and shopping with Mom at Amber Marie
• Friendsgiving #12
• Thanksgiving gathering and Mandy staying with me
• Celebrating JB's 70th birthday and the birth of her first grandson, Asher Kenneth

November Memories:

Listened To:

• The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Murray
• Captivate by Vanessa Van Edwards
• The Measure by Nikki Erlick
• The usual podcasts

Lessons Learned:

• From experience - Having one person who really *sees you* and loves you goes a long way toward helping you feel centered and anchored in the midst of an anxiety-inducing crowd or situation... and I'm reminding myself that Jesus can also fill that role and bring peace any time I feel anxious and unsettled.
• From Ashley Campbell and Ashley Ingersol - Live out your values:  If you value connecting with people more than you value impressing them, then live that out by creating a warm and inviting space that fosters connection, and be willing to go the extra mile to make others more comfortable!
• From the Holderness Family - "Mature people ask for what they want."  It requires some courage and self-awareness, but more often than not, communication goes a very long way and resolves most relational problems - SPEAK the truth in love.

Happy December tomorrow.
I hope and pray that we finish 2023 strong!!

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

30 - Thankful Thursday #167

Write About 3 (+7) Things You're Grateful For Today!

Woohoo - grateful this is my last day of daily posting... not that I'll slow down too much, but a short break sounds lovely. =)

1.  I'm grateful for this fun experience with the Wilson fam and Mom at the Christmas Chute in Sapulpa... I'll do a full post on that later, but wanted to include it in this list (and in my 2023 Christmas card - yay)!

2.  Grateful for a strong connection with the Mini Miss K, and for the joy it brings me to see her strength and feisty spirit shining through - she knows what she wants and she asks for it... right now, that's redesigning her bedroom, and she's full of specific ideas, and I love that about her!

3.  Grateful (again) for Dad sharing his OSU tickets, and that he got three tickets this time... the Wilsons joined me for my fourth game this season... fun times!  We also ran into Paul and Stephanie while we were hanging out at our table inside for a bit. =)

4.  Grateful for our big family gatherings and for family photos!

5.  Speaking of, I'm grateful that we've made it a point to take group pics every Christmas Eve, particularly from 2014 forward.  This = Grandad and Babah with their great-grandkids in 2015.  They're both in heaven now, and Carter is no longer living with his siblings, and a million other things have changed since then, but my gratitude for this picture has only increased!

6.  I'm grateful for the life and legacy of Mr. Holmes, who passed away just before Thanksgiving.  He was the CHA Secondary Headmaster for several decades, a Godly man who lived with a lot of joy and kindness.  I've loved seeing stories from CHA alumni about the lives he impacted and changed. ❤  (Pic = him giving a devotional on the Boston senior trip.)

7.  I'm grateful for my circle of friends, and specifically for having a few solid guy friends in my life.  Their calming influence, challenging perspective, fun sense of humor, family leadership, and protective strength are all deeply valued and appreciated!

8.  Happy Christmas lights, and for Al and Frankie coming to put them up for me last night!!

9.  Asher Kenneth arrived super early yesterday morning, and I'm very thankful that the pregnancy, labor, and delivery all went smoothly.  It's such a deeply-felt gift after they endured some heartbreaking miscarriages and fertility struggles.  Here's JoBug delighted with her first grandchild! ❤

10.  JESUS - because obviously, I had to end this gratitude month on that note!  And bonus - it was a fun way to bookend this post with the Christmas Chute photos. lol  Genuinely, I am grateful for the big and small ways that Jesus shows up and answers prayers... I asked Him for clarity on something a couple days back, and He came through and gave me fresh insight about how to handle things, which in turn brought much-needed peace, and I'm grateful!

Gratitude month -- mission accomplished! =)

❤

29 - Here and Now

Look Around the Room and Write About
Everything You See That You're Grateful For...

1.  I'm currently back at work after a fun lunch catching up with Kristin Michelle at La Madeleine... strawberry spinach salad + quiche + potato soup + turtle cheesecake = YUM! lol  (Grateful for all of the above.)

2.  Since I'm here at work, I'm looking around my office starting with the view to my left.  Right here and now, I am grateful for:  My SF deskpad calendar from Dad, my "The joy of the Lord is my strength" tumbler from Rach, having a TV in my office for the very rare days when I'm bored and have nothing going, the cute little plant I got from Marla (a thank-you gift for covering her jury trial after work), and this photo reminder that I need to bring more Kleenex to work ;-)  - gosh, I'm so over being sick!

And this happy oval-shaped mirror from Mom's old office, the history of which feels meaningful to me. =)

3.  On the wall behind me, I'm thankful to have earned my CSR, RPR, Texas CSR, SNU diploma, and CCU honor society certificates - yay for the years of practice and work and major decisions represented there - past, present, and future!  More so, I am thankful for my wood panel family photos and my names-of-Jesus sofa table from Mardel!

4.  To my right (what you see when you first walk in) is this happy faux-flower arrangement Mom made me, plus friends and fam pictures and verses, along with my cute globe and pink mini-fridge. Huzzah. lol

Just above that desk is three windows that bring me extra sunshine and a view of Norman that makes me happy!

5.  And directly in front of me is my computer where I've churned out many transcripts and blog posts, my office phone, my fun erasable pen, and my colorful pandemic painting. =)

6.  In the doorway of my office is my pink-glitter-framed pic with the Tulsa friend group last April ❤, along with my Ted Lasso "Believe" mosaic photo (which I touch as I'm leaving the office), and my ivy plant on the Mary Engelbreit stool we made 20 years ago!  Yay!

7.  And just outside in the hallway are some amazing donuts from Gourmet Donuts (so good!) brought to our office at least every other week by attorney Irvin Box... so I'm thankful for that too!!

Yay for a great office atmosphere with a few more amenities than I had in Creek County.  I'm thankful for an introverty space that's bright and super relaxing and quiet, filled with decor that feels relationally rich to me (I have that here and at home)!  Yay for having some downtime to write this blog at work this afternoon.  We've almost reached the end of November now... between school and work and counseling, these daily gratitude posts have been a real challenge, but one that I've enjoyed.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you're having a good Wednesday so far!

28 - Thanksgiving Family Pics

What's Something That You Made Recently That You're Grateful For?

As previously mentioned, I made the PW chocolate sheetcake for our family Thanksgiving.  I made broccoli-cheddar rice and taco soup as two of my recent meals.  I made my bed (most days).  I made internal progress by writing a paper going through the stages of development in my own life - really helpful and interesting.  I made a Tulsa trip two days in a row last weekend then a Stillwater trip this past weekend!  I made a gratitude heart during a counseling session I observed with Julia. =)  

...I also edited the photos below and made a Facebook post with our family Thanksgiving pics, so I'm sharing them here now too!!  ❤

* * * * * * *

The Fam... there were 45 of us there at Justin's on Friday... Ashley and Amber's families were out of state, and Triston left before this group photo!

My fam (the Oklahoma Mueckes and Parrishes)

The Lock/Whitaker Families

The Whitakers

The Locks

The Texas Mueckes

The Myricks

The Peavlers and Hites Family (missing the Ingersols and Dewberrys)

Georgia with Hilary and baby Clara

My traditional Thanksgiving prayer pic. ;-)

Kristin, Al, and Clara

Melissa, Nancy, Georgia, and Charlene - not positive what's happening here =)

Jace, Mitch, Jake, and Zach

Rachael and Justin

Me and Kristin 

Mandy and I when we got back home (she stayed with me while they were in town)

A good reminder:

❤

27 - Purchases

What's Something That You Bought Recently That You're Grateful For?

1.  This panoramic pic of the fans storming the field after the final Bedlam game win in Stillwater - I love it - such a fun memory, and nice to have a quality pic of Boone Pickens Stadium since I have lots of great memories there! =) 

They also took one earlier in the game (the quality is incredible - you can zoom in and search for people HERE), and I was able to find myself and Kristin and Frankie in the crowd... along with Bill Weatherford and his brother on the other side of the stadium! =)  

2.  My new Christmasy tartan fabric purse from Harrods... a steal for $50 (plus $30 to ship it from London, but worth it)! lol

3.  My cute new CharcuTree board for fun Christmas parties - yay, Amazon!

4.   Hot chocolate with extra marshmallows to keep me warm and happy at the Christmas Chute... technically, Mom bought this one, but I was grateful for it. lol

5.  Paying Rach back for my first 4D movie on Sunday afternoon, Trolls Band Together!  Jaceman gave it a 10 out of 10. lol  Very cute musical movie, and fun to see that with Rach and J&K... the 4D experience included a 3D movie + being misted with water, gusts of air blowing in behind your head, flashing lights and extra air all around you to make it feel windy in certain scenes, and a seat that vibrates and moves in all directions... sometimes jarring and unexpected - I felt like I needed a dramamine and a seatbelt! lol  But it was fun times!

6.  My new Psalms coffee table book... not here yet, but I think it'll be cool!

7.  Went to Crest on Thanksgiving day for some last-minute groceries to bake this Pioneer Woman sheetcake... which I was grateful for. lol  Yum!

❤

26 - Skills

What Skills Do You Have That You're Grateful For?

1.  I'm grateful God made me creative - it's a gift I want to cultivate.  I typically don't enjoy the process as much as Rachael does (and I'm sure that's largely due to her free spiritedness and my perfectionistic tendencies), but I hope and plan to put my creative talents to use more often when I'm a mom... even the idea of designing and decorating a nursery room for my child feels exciting and fun, and I hope that spark will fan the flame of creative energy in me! =)

August 2007 - painting the magnolias at 522 

2.  Calligraphy is unlikely to be a big part of my life moving forward, but I'm grateful to have the skill if ever it is needed! lol

Incorrect addresses for wedding invites I calligraphed years ago

3.  Aunthood. =)  I'm good at aunt-ing, and it's one of my favorite things in life! =)

The Mini Miss Kyndal Faith and I - Family Thanksgiving 2023 (on Black Friday)

4.  Connecting through empathy.  I think everyone has the God-given capacity for empathy, but it's a little more natural for some personality styles than others, and I'm grateful that this is a strength for me (and hope to keep growing in it with challenging people and situations). 

5.  Friendship.  Not a skill you'd list on a resume, but it matters greatly to me.  I spent years with the accusing voice of the enemy telling me I was terrible at friendships, or that anyone who gets close enough to me would regret it and want out, and I'm so grateful to have broken through those lies now.  God created me with a heart for relationships, and the fact that I was targeted there is evidence that God has called me into relational work of long-term friendships, connecting with others, and helping others walk through difficult rejections and painful losses.  Yay, God!  Yay, friendships!  

At the final home game for OSU yesterday

6.  Writing!  Most of my creative energy for the past few years has gone into blogging and occasionally scrapbooking.  One of my least favorite things about most artistic projects is their temporary nature - that you work so hard on something just to paint over it a year later.  But with writing, it feels more like a permanent leaving-a-legacy kind of thing.  I am thankful for the regular writing practice that makes me a stronger writer, and I'm thankful that my life story is getting more interesting as I press into a growth mindset.  I so enjoy writing and will probably always have some sort of blog or regular journal-style writing spot... but I do still hope and plan to author a book someday (post-grad school), and that's exciting to think about too!

Me right now, blogging in my pajamas after getting home from the game - hi!

7.  I'm grateful for the creative stuff, whether it comes out in writing, photography, painting, scrapbooking, calligraphy, etc.  But above all that, I'm grateful for the hope and trust and protective strength that come from love.  I want to grow in my writing abilities and creative talents, but most of all, I want to grow in loving God and putting Him first, then loving others as I love myself!! It’s a skill worth cultivating!

❤