Would If I Could

I had to look something up in my "Encyclopedia of Me" journal this morning, and I ended up laughing pretty hard at my 2016 self on this page...

 

I filled out the prompts for A through C in 2016, but D through Z are still blank, so I may try to start this up again...

• Anyway, that first line might sound like I was in a really sad or dark place, but I know I wasn't.  I just know that our experience in heaven will be so much better in 1,000 ways than what we're experiencing here.  But God has a purpose for us to live out on earth first, soooo here we are!
• I like that I wasn't sure about wanting to become a millionaire.  I still kinda feel that.  I'd like to be debt free and have the money to adopt and get my Master's degree without going into any debt or financial stress, but I don't really wanna be mega-wealthy or deal with all that comes along with that.
• Still yes on adopting a girl, although I technically could start that process today, but don't feel total peace about it, so I dunno.  I'm a complicated one.
• I've lost just under 30 pounds since then, and my desired goal weight has gone up by 20 (a healthy BMI and a strong size 10-12 body will be just lovely), so the goal would now be losing 65-70 pounds.
• Yes to absorbing the content of books so easily.  Audiobooks are a similar level of magic for me -- super thankful for the Libby, Hoopla, and Audible apps!!
• These next three are where I cracked myself up.  I was clearly going through the Harry Potter series at the time.  But yes to being able to temporarily release bad memories without losing them altogether, become invisible at my choosing, and talk to people I love who have died.
• I threw in a couple deeply Christian things after thinking about the resurrection stone (which I misspelled) and the afterlife. lol  The desires are real - it's just funny that they didn't top the list.
• When I think about what we'll look like in heaven, I think I'll be young (30-ish) and healthy and have beautiful hair (long, thick, curly, color changing at will).  So I can totally see how my thought process went from heaven to always having gorgeous hair here, but it reads strangely. lol  And what I meant by that is having gorgeous hair without having to put in any effort whatsoever - flawless curls and styling, zero time with a scary curling iron. lolol
  
• Yes.  All the cheese, carbs, and chocolate.  None of the negative effects.
  
• I'm not at the same place now on wanting them to die, but I do want them to be punished and for their eyes to be opened to the lasting damage they've done.  I'm guessing we were in the middle of a court case on that topic around that time, too.
• I laughed at the order on that last one.  A goal that feels more realistic is to write a book I am genuinely proud of that helps and encourages at least one person.

That's all I've got for now.  The roads are icy and it's crazy cold out, so they actually closed the courthouse today.  I woke up to workout at 6:45, and after reading that text from Judge, I promptly went back to sleep till noon!!  YAAAAY rest!  Hope you're enjoying the day and staying safe in this crazy weather!!  

Side note:  Today is Rachael's birthday-eve, and one week until my birthday! #getexcited

MM ~ Super Bowl Sundays!

I'm a big fan of Super Bowl Sunday!!  Not of football itself, but the traditional fun with family and friends and food!  

Yesterday included my first in-person church service since winter of 2020!! (30-Second Theology at the 8:30 service with Mom and Dad at the MWC LifeChurch)... followed by family lunch at Pelican's... watching Jace and Kyndal for 3+ hours... helping Mom get the food ready... meeting Andrew's fiancé and getting to know her a little... laughing and cringing at the story of Bill falling into their new pool in the crazy cold weather... watching the fun commercials and the crazy-awkward, trying-too-hard-to-stand-out commercials... Marco's pizza, chips and queso, brownies, cookies, lil' smokies, and chocolate cake.... catching up with Triston and Carter... and listening to Mom and the other women cheer and yell at the refs louder than the men in that group! lol  I left to head back home during the halftime show.  Everyone there was cheering for Kansas, and when it became clear they were losing, Mom said everyone left before the game was over.  Still a fun night and fun crowd, though!

Here's Triston, Mamaw, and Carter by the chips and queso... yum!

Connie, Rick, Bill, Jill, and Rach watching a fun commercial (probably).

The Miss K and Rach in their matching pink shirts and black and white!

Jace filling Bill and Jill in on the latest 2nd grade news! lol

Dessert time!  =)

****And now, a look at some Super Bowls of yesteryear. lol  I've gone back and forth a lot between the family party with the Fantasy Football crew and parties with my friends in Tulsa... and I love both of them! =)  

This = the first Super Bowl party I hosted in 2009... Jenny Womble had stayed with me that weekend, then Rach actually made the trip to Tulsa for that party... I remember telling her how great my lifegroup was and wanting her to meet them all... perhaps that's partly because LifeChurch was pushing LifeGroups at the time, judging by Chet's t-shirt! lol

In 2010, I came for the party at Mom and Dad's (their former house)... Danielle joined me and Rach, and I remember laughing so much with them that night - Danielle is a funny one, and Rach's sarcasm with her is similar to her friendship with Kate -- both highly entertaining for me! lol  This = us doing ridiculous football poses to remember that it was the Super Bowl... then Rick presenting Dad the trophy for that year!

2011 was a party at the Wallaces... Rick giving Bill the trophy... the Lemieuxs in full costume because Bill's favorite team was in the game that year... and Rach and I looking through Debbie's pics of our trips with their family back in the day!!

2012 was a party at the Lemieux home... it was three days after Jace was born, so he's very much a newborn in that pic with Jill holding him. ❤  That was the February after their Vegas wedding, and Bill gave us these signed photos as a gift! lolol  They make me happy.

Sadly, I failed to document 2013 and 2014, so I'm not sure what I did those years.  2015 was 30-Second Theology at LifeChurch with JEM and Kelly, then a party at Jeff's that night!  Chet and Kyle were supporting the Patriots... but also, they barely cared, and that made me happy. lol

2016 was another party at Jeff's... we probably did a chili cookoff that year, but I can't remember.  Here's a pic with the old LifeGroup crowd... and a pic of JEM and Chet Lee!

2017 was a chili cookoff party at Jeff and Kelly's - fun times and good food!  Then I apparently left that one a bit early to catch a movie at AMC.  Aww, memories of simple, maskless movie theater joy and Coke icees!

Not sure about 2018 either, but 2019 was the 30th anniversary for their Fantasy Football crew, and the party was at Mom and Dad's!  Super fun times with family friends that I love!  (*That's also the night they started planning Rick and Connie's wedding).

Super Bowl Sunday 2020 was a low key game night and trying some new foods with two of my favorite couples, the Wilsons and the Fultons (at the Fultons' new house)!  

Okay, that's all for today.  Hope you've had a lovely weekend and enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday, whether you care deeply about football or not so much. =)

Photo Friday!

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  ~Romans 15:13

Happy Friday, friends!  My photos for today are from our Vegas hike seven years ago (crazy that it's been so long!)  This little birthday-eve outing to the Valley of Fire State Park was suggested by JEM, then I was talked into it pretty quickly with his "If you're looking for great memories and photos, this is the way to go" speech! lol

Here we are on our drive... Chet and Karli were in the very back, and Chet took this pic.  Jeffrey turned around while driving for just a split second to be in the pic with us, which drew some feedback from Chet, and this all makes me laugh now!

I was patiently waiting at the bottom and snapping a few pics while the group went up the hill and Chet talked dramatically about the dangers of hiking... "One wrong move, and I could roll down this mountain... broken!!" lol

 

 

Still love this one!

 

 

JEM helping Laura down the moutain... I'm thankful to have kind and chivalrous guy friends!

 

 

 Kelly Marie being fabulous

 

 

 Chet Lee dancing it up

 

 

 Jeff's promise of fun pictures did not disappoint. lol

 

 

 I think this was his profile pic for a while.  Fun!

 

 

 Welcome to the gun show! lol

 

 

 Chet:  "Wait, what pose are we doing!?"

Jeff:  "Sexy!" lol

 

 

 LB in the same rock crevice as Jeff's pic above

 

 

The girls!

 

 

 I remember thinking this one looked like a movie poster!

 

 

 Mom calling her son:  "Chet!!" 

Chet Lee:  "Whaaat!?  Who said that??  That's my name!!"

(Gets photo with younger Chet.)

 

 

 In the end, it was a lot of fun, complete with good photos and memorable quotes!  And it really was "tame," in Jeff's defense... very little elevation aside from that first spot where I just didn't make the climb... but walking through sand is its own workout.  After our hike, we stopped by In and Out for lunch... yum!

 

 

Both fun things to do on the last day of my 20's... the last moments of which were spent watching the fountains from our Bellagio room and then having my friends do a countdown to midnight for my 30th birthday. lol  That whole trip was pretty perfect, and thinking about it makes me so look forward to being able to travel again!! ❤

That's all for today.  I hope you are doing well, and I hope you enjoy the Super Bowl weekend ahead!

That Sounds Fun!

Well, today, we have "Birthday Buddies, Part 2." lol

Happy Birthday to my cousin, Blake!  I admire his resilience and personal strength, and I love that he is now "Dr. O'Brien!"

 

And Happy Birthday to Bill Lemieux, my Dad's best friend for several years now, and one of my favorite fun and entertaining family friends!! ❤

Pics = An awesome dinner at Junior's in NYC, Jill presenting the groom's cake, the Fantasy Football crew in Vegas at their wedding reception, Mom and Dad and Bill and Jill ready to see Niagara Falls up close, the Lemieuxs coming to take professional pics of the Miss K on Homecoming night, the rapids for Dad's 65th birthday, the guys after Rick and Connie's wedding at my parents' house, hanging out with Bill and Jill in Central Park, and getting ready to zipline over Niagara Falls with Dad and Bill!

Yesterday was also the book release day for Annie F. Downs and her new book, That Sounds Fun!  I listened to the audiobook last month, and I'm a fan!  (You got that free if you preorder the book, so I also got the physical book.)  I love Annie, and I'm thankful for her books and podcasts!  She was one of the six authors I wrote a letter to about the impact she's made on my life.  She loves Jesus wholeheartedly, she is genuinely kind and fun, and she writes with courageous vulnerability.  I'm also inspired by her example living a very full and purpose-driven life as a strong, single Christian woman!

She has several pages at the front and back and in the section breaks where she lists the three things people wrote in when she asked "what sounds fun" to them!  I love that.  I love that when you author and publish a book, you have some freedom to do stuff like this and put creative, personal touches into it.  #motivation

My final thought here for today = I recommend the Pause app.  It's created by John Eldredge, and there are 1-minute, 3-minute, 5-minute, and 10-minute options.  You can set reminders to do this twice a day, and the point is simply to take a moment to pause and re-center your heart on Christ... to pray and give everything and everyone to Jesus... to take some deep breaths and focus your heart and soul on Biblical truth and on God's love.  I've gotten more comfortable with doing five or ten-minute meditations thanks to Peloton, and it's a good habit to slow down and breathe and focus your attention, but this app has more important and Christ-centered content.  So one of my February goals is "pausing" with this app twice a day, and I can already tell it's a soul care habit I'd like to keep cultivating!

I'm guessing this daily blogging trend won't last through the entire month of February, but you never know. lol  Hope you're having a great Wednesday! ❤

Birthday Buddies + Pizza Night!

Happy 9th Birthday to my nephew, Jace Michael!!  He's fun, adventurous, entertaining, and an expert on all things Transformers!  I love him very much! ❤  (This happy collage is from our OSU game day.)

Here's a pic from his party this Saturday at Oklahoma Gold!!  It's Jaceman and the boys from his class + Triston and Carter + Miles (who works there) + the Miss K (the only girl) right up front.  Cuteness!

This one is from his 3rd birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese in 2015... they're on a ride that shakes around, and it looks like Kyndal was not a fan. Lol I wanna go rescue her and pick her up just looking at this.

Speaking of 3rd birthdays, today is also the birthday of Mr. Tate Haywood, my super-cute and sweet honorary nephew! ❤

The Wilson fam came over on Sunday night... they were kind enough to help me out with a heavy Walmart return, and they also brought the pizza and toppings for dinner! #friendsoftheyear lol

Tate smiling after saying "pepperoni" for the camera instead of "cheese!" lol

The largest frozen pizza ever! lol  Chet and Tate got the half with olives.

(Also, yay for my PW towels that match my new dishes!)

Taking a quick ride on the bike. lol  Tate didn't look super comfy, but he was very happy to be up there anyway!

I made Oreo balls as a "thank you for helping me out and bringing dinner." lol

Looking at the scrapbook... he grabbed it just for me to send a photo to Jeffrey Edward (who always enjoys looking through those)... then he got really into it and we talked about several of the 2011 and 2012 memories, including old LG friends and events, my car wreck and Mom and Dad's wreck, Chet's first house closing, Jace's birth, etc.  I should look through these more often.

Tate was kind enough to make me a Magna-Doodle pizza, as well! ❤

A quick selfie with Tate as he was politely watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! lol  (And Chet Lee in the background working some real estate magic.)

His remote control car and Bob... I failed to get a pic of the magnetic blocks he used to build a rocket ship for Randy, but they were also pretty cool!

Anyway, it was a fun night and good talk with them, as usual, and a happy way to end the month of January!  I very much hope that Tate and Jace are both having a really fantastic birthday today!!

*Fun fact that has nothing to do with anything else in this post:  I hit 700 workouts on the Peloton app this morning! Still loving it.  I'm following a strength-focused program through the month of February -- so far, I'm very sore, but I know it's good for me!  

Okay, that's all now.  Happy February and Happy Groundhog Day and Happy Birthday to two of my favorite boys!!  Make it a great day!

February Photos (Ten Years Later)

 My favorite month has arrived - get excited! ❤

I did this blog challenge for the first time in February 2011.  I condensed it to one post in February 2019... and I'm giving it one more go here since it's been a full decade since the first time ! =)

1~ A picture of yourself with ten facts about you.

Christian, INFJ, Enneagram 9 with a 1-wing, court reporter, single, 36, Peloton enthusiast, proud aunt, loving friend, and writer!

2~ A picture of you and the friend you have been the closest with the longest.

Chet Lee and Sarah Elizabeth have been close friends for over 12 years now!

3~ A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Lots of favorites for me, but the current one is Schitt's Creek!

4~ A picture of your night (last night).

Fun pizza night with the Wilsons at my house!

5~ A picture of your favorite memory.

That's a long list, but every Mon Ami Gabi outdoor brunch across from the fountains in Vegas is on it! lol

6~ A picture of a person you would love to trade places with for a day.

I would pull a Freaky Friday with my niece so I could be the cutest person alive for a day! ❤ ;-)

7~ A picture of your most treasured item.

There's really not one single specific item - my treasure is in heaven!  I'm happy we saved this dress, though.  I love that we have pics of me, Rach, and Emily in it... then Kyndal 30 years later... and if I adopt, we'll get one more! =)

8~ A picture that makes you laugh.

Chet sent me this after I posted the Bernie memes blog, and the memory of this bizarre day with MJ and "Blanket" immediately made me laugh (on top of the ridiculousness of tiny Bernie photoshopped into it). LOL

9~ A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Mom - still talk to her daily about all the things. ❤

10~ A picture of something you hate.

I hate for any person to be dehumanized or abused, and I especially hate for them to get so used to it repeating that they believe it is normal or okay.

11~ A picture of something you love.

It says some"thing" not someone, so I'm going with my kitchen remodel - the paint, granite, and tile - love it all!

12~ A picture of your favorite band or artist.

I'm kinda cheating on this one, but I adore both Ed Sheeran and T-Swift!!  Like, genuinely love them both as solo artists, and love that they're friends and have collaborated on some songs, as well!

13~ A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Only Jesus!

14~ A picture of something you want to do before you die.

Probably a very different cover and title in the end, but I want to author and publish a book that I feel proud of!

15~ A picture of someone who inspires you.

(Annie F. Downs - love her books and podcasts and personality and strong single Christian example)

16~ A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Really great book with solid, practical advice!

17~ A picture and a letter.

A friend posted this meme yesterday, and it made me laugh.  My short letter to myself = "Remember that God is with you and for you.  Abide in Jesus, and your purpose and next steps will become clear.  You can do nothing apart from Him anyway." ❤

18~ A picture of your biggest insecurity.

I'm an introvert who naturally focuses on the unseen, internal world far more often than the physical, external stuff... so I don't really have physical insecurities that I obsess about.  I do worry sometimes about my life not making a significant or lasting impact, so the quote above is a helpful reminder for me, as well as the John 15 Vine/branch thing I referenced in my letter to self above.  Earthly significance can be defined a million different ways, but I want a life of eternal significance, and staying close to Jesus and walking in love are the basics necessary for that!

19~ A picture of somewhere you would love to travel.

If I could teleport myself somewhere right now, it would be the Bellagio Fountains, 100%.

20~ A picture of something you wish you were better at.

One of the things that scares me most about adoption is not feeling like I know enough about the newborn parenting stuff... when they're at the age where they can talk and interact with me, it's far less scary... but when it's my job to keep them alive and to try to guess why they're crying and how to fix it, that's something I wish I felt a bit more confident on.  (I know you learn a lot of it as you go, but I worry for sleep-deprived future Lindsey trying to figure that stuff out without a husband.)

21~ A picture of your favorite book.

I like tons of books, but as far as life-changing content, I'm going with my Bible and my "Write the Word" journals!

22~ A picture of something you wish you could change.

If I could end the pandemic and virus, that would be quite lovely!

23~ A picture of your day.

Proofing and printing a transcript, pulling files, and now blogging!

24~ A picture of something that means a lot to you.

The niece and nephews!  (And photos.)

25~ A picture of yourself and a family member.

Me and Carter Lee on Christmas Eve!

Day 26~ A picture of something you're afraid of.

(Burning my face with a crazy hot curling iron! lol  Stupid photo, very real fear.)

27~ A picture of someone you miss.

Grandad. ❤

28~ A picture that can always make you smile.

This was Charlene attempting to take a selfie of the four of us at the OSU game and being very confused about how to do that, so it made me laugh... plus the game itself is a fun memory! ❤

Happy Monday, friends, and Happy February!! ❤  I hope it's a wonderful month ahead for you!