Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Archives for January 2021

links & ideas, Jan 2021

We interrupt this happy stream of wedding remembrance to take stock of worthwhile media consumption lately. Forgive me in advance: This month is light on actual, real, solid reading. My attention span in just suffering, haha, and I crave more quiet down time and focus. More of that in February!

READ:
Boom Town by Sam Anderson: I am chipping slowly away at this fascinating and creatively written two-fold history of Oklahoma City (it tells about both the Landrun days and the founding of our beloved OKC Thunder, plus everything in between). I will post a full review in a couple of weeks, but if it’s at all on our radar I do recommend diving in!

This Womens Running article about how to be best prepared for the covid vaccine caught my attention. Sure seems like a good night’s sleep and a quick run are the answers to all my needs.

This Greatist article about ankle mobility helped me “unlock” some things, ha. (I think people often mistake some lower limb problems for plantar faccistis.)

Still loving my new daily devotional by Bob Goff.

WATCH:
Fight Club! I watched this on the treadmill recently and got so into it that I dance-air punched-wiggled too much and fell smack down while the treadmill kept going, immediately skinning black spandex deeply into my left kneecap. It hurt, but it was also kind of perfect. My front teeth are fine, though, which is all that matters really.

The Crown Handsome and I binged this all month long and loved it, which was kind of a surprise. Between this series and a couple of other period documentaries, I have developed a soft spot for Queen Elizabeth, despite her reputation for chilliness. (We could not get into Bridgerton though. We tried, really, and neither of us liked it at all.)

Hillbilly Elegy. Whew!! Amazing acting from Glenn Close, Amy Adams, and more, but wow. Ouch. Watch at your own risk. It is an emotionally heavy memoir-made-film, no matter what your background. Be sure to watch to the epilogue. Have you seen it?

Witches: This was a welcome palate cleanser. Really cute and imaginative. All hail Roald Dahl, Octavia Spencer, and Anne Hathaway.

LISTEN:
Brene Brown’s conversation with Melinda Gates was such a breath of fresh air. I now want to read Gates’ book The Moment of Lift even more. She told lots of personal stories but mostly left me thinking about how nobody is empty handed. And her team-building anecdotes got me reflecting on my husband’s career (I am so proud).

The Gardenangelists podcast, especially the episode about sunflowers. Dee is one of my favorite gardeners anyway, but her chemistry with Carol is just too sweet, and they are both informative and inspiring. Did you know that 2021 is The Year of the Sunflower? Let’s grow them all!

sunflowers on Jessica’s 20th birthday

The Splendid Table podcast. Love it.

Okay, that about sums up my media consumption lately. What are you reading and watching? What podcasts can I absolutely not miss?

Today I finally sat down and ordered a bunch of seeds for the garden, not a week too soon for some grow light action. So let’s finally chat gardens soon, and please check back in for a few more wedding posts. So many good stories to share.

Your mind is your garden,
Your thoughts are your seeds.
You can grow flowers
or you can grow weeds.
XOXOXOXO

surprise wedding announcement!!

Have you heard our family’s big, happy news?
Jessica and Alex tied the knot!!

These sweet, smart young people have been loving each other for a couple of years now. They have felt committed and were living their lives as a team already (we absolutely love them together). And on Saturday, January 16, 2021, they said their vows and made it official in a tiny, intimate, purely blissful ceremony right here at the farm.

We really could not be happier or more proud of them both. Since they started dating, life has dealt them a series of violent blows, above and beyond Pandemic. And through it all Jess and Alex have worked hard and pursued their educations, learned each other deeply and rapidly, nurtured their friendships, woven each other into their respective families (we feel so connected to Alex’s family!), and created their own little culture of romance and domesticity. Plus they adopted Bean, ha!

Handsome and I have felt lucky to walk alongside them these past couple of years, getting to know Alex, witnessing their unique rhythms and their powers to overcome hardship. They have done more than survive; they have thrived. Grown and evolved. Made memories together. Lived life fully, as it meant to be lived.

When Jess called me (on January 2nd, two weeks before the ceremony!!) to tell me they were engaged, I was beyond thrilled but not the least bit surprised. Getting married was truly the most natural thing in the world for these lovebirds.

Their Wedding Day was magical in every sense of the word. Despite the January cold, we all felt that unmistakable glow of Love present among us. Sunshine sparkled. The flowers were intensely bright against the dormant landscape. Everyone smiled constantly “from ear to ear” as Alex later observed. We laughed a lot and filled our bellies with homemade Mexican food and lots of decadent cake. It was a real, true celebration of Love. A day saturated in romance and deliberate living. There was lots of playfulness, too, haha! Don’t worry, Alex caught her:

One day soon I will write about how it feels for my baby to be a married woman now, to share this particluar life experience. I suddenly cannot imagine her any other way.

Cheers to the future, Jessica and Alex. Marriage can be the best, most powerful human partnership, especially when it is infused with God’s power. It can be the foundation of all your life dreams come true and can allow you to be of greater service to others, which I know you both value. May you continue your adventures, taking time to nurture the world you create together and discover new and amazing versions of joy. We know you will love each other better and better, day after day. You are beautiful together, and we adore you both (and Bean, hehe).

Lean On Me
XOXOXOXO

Friends, I will be writing more about this happy family event
as the weeks progress, so stay tyned.
We have lots of stories to share in big chunks. xoxoxo

first friday 5 at the farm of 2021

ONE: Our new year has started with lots of shakeup to the routine, some very real family surprises, and plenty of coffee. Everything was good and solid. And then on Wednesday the ugliness at our nation’s Capitol. What I feel, though? What I feel deep in my bones is this unlikely thrill of victory and resilience, despite the lunacy and violence. Like so many other times in life, specifically so many dots on the timeline last calendar year, I feel excitement about what we as humans can endure, reframe, and use as kindling for a brand new fire. So many new fires growing everywhere, warming us and burning away the deadwood. Love wins.

Late last year I heard a podcast that touched on the idea of “resiliency data points.” It was actually about running injury recovery and bouncing back from disappointing races, but it sank into my heart for bigger reasons. You know the devastation when life comes crashing down and new crises constantly threaten to destroy our hardwon peace and equanimity? We all experience that. Sometimes, even, the most secure strongholds are shaken or removed completely. And yet, we are still here. We continue to discover new markers for growth and endurance in all areas of life. That’s what I mean about victory and resilience. Despite it all, we are more than surviving; we are quietly thriving. Maybe because of it all, we are getting stronger and more centered, less distractable from what matters most, more pliable and reflexive, more generous, laser focused on Love.

Thanks for allowing my mixed metaphors, always.

TWO: Bean is the sweetest, smartest beggar. He is also getting faster and stronger every single week. Noone flies and sprints like he does! His eyes, both the blue one and the green one, sparkle with energy and happiness. We gave him his very own tetherball for Christmas, mounted on a pole and everything in his very own backyard, and he tore it down within a few days, ha! So strong.

THREE: Okay, are you eating enough plants? Are you moving enough, and maybe in new ways that might surprise you? What are you reading these days, and how are you feeding your soul? I need lots of warming foods, nourishing books, freedom running, and time working outside to feel like myself. Life is affordng me plenty of it all lately, for which I am so thankful.

FOUR: We have secrets and surprises brewing at the farm, friends, and I am good at neither. This buildup of Love is more than enough to keep the bad news in perspective.

FIVE: One quick story before I wish you well on this cold and hopeful Friday: I saw a man wearing a plain black covid mask. He removed it for an unknown reason, revealing his beard. His beard was very short, closely groomed to his face, more like unnaturally black pencil shading really, and with precise edges, in exactly the same shape as the mask he had just removed. I kid you not. It was like the mask had left its shadow in the form of facial hair?? I could not stop looking at this. He caught me staring, trying to figure this out, and I am pretty sure he smirked, like finally his joke on the world landed on an unsuspecting stranger with a weakness for people watching. I had to take a deep breath and pivot my shoulders forty five degrees away from him to break the trance. The End.

Remember you already prayed about this.
It’s going to be okay.
XOXOXOXO