Everything Else...

Most of my friends left between 3 and 4, and the rest of my actual birthday was low-key, as my plan had been going to Tulsa!  Mom and Dad and I had dinner at Bricktown Brewery, and it was nice to spend time with them... I feel really thankful that they're both healthy and doing well and able to celebrate this milestone birthday with me - one of many gifts from God that I'm doing my best to savor and soak in this weekend!! ❤

On Sunday, I slept in a little and then headed to Cheesecake Factory for a belated birthday brunch with Mom and Dad (who decided to join us at the last minute).  We talked more about the party the day before, as well as my future plans and timeline moving forward, and we ate delicious bread and waffles with strawberries, pecans, syrup, and whipped cream.  YUM!  (Dad had a boring omelet, but seemed to enjoy that too. lol)

That afternoon was Anthony's 12th birthday balloon release... I mis-timed things and was running a little late, but they were kind enough to wait for me, which was appreciated!

Lock/Whitaker families!

Baby Clara smiling at her Grandma! ❤

Amelia's little laugh is so cute, and watching her run is entertaining.  It makes me happy to see her and the boys all playing together as cute little cousins!

After all that, the Whitaker fam treated me to a birthday dinner at Toby Keith's, which was fun times and much appreciated! ❤  *Kristin also gave me the first bite of her buttermilk pie - surprisingly good - so I'm counting that as one of the new things I'm trying in 2024! lol

**And now, a quick throwback to my 30th birthday hiking in Vegas!!**

Jeffrey was right - the pictures were worth it! lol

Eric is also a 2-17 birthday, and I was thankful to see him looking better in this photo Sarah posted!  He has been transferred to a rehab facility in the Tulsa area, and he's come off of dialysis and seems to be recovering well now, so lots to be thankful for... and praying for growing inner strength as he moves forward!

Yesterday was President's Day, so I got a 3-day weekend for my birthday!  I had a hair appointment with Janelle in Tulsa that morning - got more blond put in and threw in some fun bangs... she also had cute headbands for sale. =)

I went with the black one with colorful confetti (or sprinkles, as Parker called them).  Around 3:30, I met the Foster fam at their place, and Audrey and Walker were there picking up some coffee.  She asked about how my adoption stuff was going, then we got into a long talk about embryo adoption.  Audrey teared up multiple times being so thrilled for me and loving that plan, talking about how great it was that I wouldn't have to miss out on anything, which was all really sweet and supportive!! ❤

We were outside for that whole convo while the kids were upstairs sleeping.  Mr. Miles came downstairs and quickly ran over to hug me and started showing me around the house.  Hope was less sure about me and barely warmed up by the time I had to leave. lol  I love seeing the personalities of kids!  Miles thought it was hilarious when I took a picture of a picture that he showed me, then after that, everything he pointed out, he added, "You can take a picture of it if you want." lolol  Yes, please.

And finally, I met the Wilson fam for a long-awaited (really just two days delayed) dinner at Los Cabos... we had a lovely talk going over all the things we hadn't been able to talk about leading up to and on my birthday... and my favorite moment of that dinner was Tate quietly naming who all was in their family, then including various stuffed animals ("If we count bunny, then there's six of us"), then looking across the table at me and saying, "And if we count you, there'd be nine of us."  I said, "Count me in!" lol  Yay, Wilson fam!  This = us walking to Marble Slab/Great American Cookies after dinner.  Riverwalk still has colorful Christmas lights on all the trees, so I wanted a pic with that festivity in the background - love it!

Parker let Karli braid her hair, so maybe she's coming around and will start to enjoy having her hair fixed! lol  She's such a delight to me, even when she's being stubborn or mean-mugging someone for taking away her favorite knife. lol

And then I drove home and drank the remainder of my Sweet Blueberry Tea (best thing at H-Tea-O).  

Today begins Lent (Lindsey's Version) -- I will be fasting sweets for exactly 40 days from now through March 30th, then Easter falls on March 31st this year - I feel ready for it and much more motivated and committed than my last very brief fasting attempt!  Kristin and Chet Lee are joining me on that, so yay for being in good company!  This is a big year, and shockingly, stress eating is not actually solving anything... so I'm planning to be intentional about daily workouts and praying over all the future things that feel a bit overwhelming to me lately (adoption, motherhood, graduation, licensure, starting a business - all exciting but also daunting, and I need God's peace and grace to cover me day by day).  

Thankful for a truly fantastic birthday weekend, and happy to be pressing forward now with new hope and determination and a fiercely loyal support system!! 

God has great things in store...

Let's walk with Him!

❤