thegreatkaysby – Page 5 – The Great Kaysby

And Just Like That I Loved AJLT

Spoiler Alert!!! This blog contains spoilers of And Just Like That Season 2!!!

Normally, I don’t write about things like TV shows, but since finishing the Season 2 finale of And Just Like That, I’ve read a lot of articles slamming it. I loved it so much that I feel like I need to stand up for the show. Before I begin, let me give you a little of my backstory with the SATC universe. My first exposure to it was when the first film came out in 2008. I saw it in the theater, and I fell in love! As a 20 something, I found their lives fascinating. I immediately dove into the series and loved the evolution of each character’s story. It was so interesting to see how they got from their characterizations in Season 1 to where they were in the film. When the second movie came out, I was equally excited and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. So of course when AJLT was announced, I couldn’t wait!

When I first started watching Season 1, I struggled with AJLT a lot specifically with Miranda and Che. For example it bothered me that because she was unhappy, Miranda cheated on Steve instead of separating before beginning a new relationship. This seemed extremely out of character given how upset Miranda was when Steve cheated. Additionally, it really bothered me when Miranda and Che hooked up while Carrie peed herself in the other room. Not because they were together, but because it seemed out of character for Miranda to neglect her bestie. Finally, my biggest problem with Season 1 was Che Diaz because their characterization was just too much. However, a recent quote from Sara Ramirez made me reflect differently on the character. The gist was that Che is being written by a bunch of writers who cannot relate to being non-binary and what life is like for someone with that gender identity which has led to some over the top and inaccurate characterization. I thought they made a great point, and it really made me rethink my opinion of Che.

Speaking of Che, I really liked their character development in the later half of Season 2. I thought that their story lines did a great job of showing how they are struggling to find their place in the world professionally and in both platonic and romantic relationships. During the later half of the season, I also felt like we got to see a warm and generous side (Miranda bashing stand up aside) to Che that hadn’t been explored before. Seriously, how cute was Che cuddling all those kitties? (Side note when I’m 47, I want skin as lovely as Sara Ramirez’s.) I was thankful for this because I almost gave up on Che when they were so mad at Miranda for leaving LA to be with her suicidal son.

Miranda leaving LA to take care of Brady is a prime example of why I think Season 2 was so great. For many of the characters this season showed how they had grown to be the strong family oriented, successful career and/or philanthropic women that they have become. I feel like this growth exemplifies a lot of the natural change that comes with maturing as a person in real life. I also thought that the family centered storylines did a great job of making the characters relatable to a variety of people. For example, LTW’s guilt over her miscarriage is extremely relatable for anyone who has ever gone through pregnancy loss. There are so many associated emotions with such a loss, and the show did a great job of showing both the woman’s guilt and man’s mourning the loss and guilt. Additionally, I thought Charlotte’s story about going back to working in a gallery because she felt as though she had lost her identity as herself was highly relatable. As a mom, it is so easy to get absorbed in your family commitments that it can be easy to lose your own personality! Kudos to them for showing that is a real thing!

I could go on and on about how great Season 2 was, but I know it will still have critics. I think those who are criticizing it for not being more like SATC forget that the original first aired 25 years ago. By expecting the characters to be the same as they were in 1998 is like expecting that people never change. In my opinion, I think how people change over the years is what makes them interesting. If the characters were all acting exactly the same as they had 25 years ago, that would be sad as it would mean they hadn’t experienced personal growth. They would also be highly unrelatable to most of us if they were still just chasing after men, drinking, and parading around in fancy clothes that cost as much as my mortgage.

So …and just like that I fell in love with my gal pals all over again!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

10 Things I Love About Me

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 8 – List 10 things you love about yourself.

I love this prompt! Not because I love to talk about myself although sometimes I do it a little too much, but because I think listing things you love about yourself is a great mental health exercise. Over the years I’ve used a similar exercise to this prompt for therapeutic reasons, and I highly recommend everyone do it! Here goes my list!

1. I love my creativity and expressing it through painting, sewing, scrapbooking, coloring, and writing.

2. I love my ability to get lost in a book. Books can take you to another world, inform you, and inspire you!

3. I love my head – like all of it. My hair has always made me happy as have my eyes and smile.

4. I love my ability to burst out into song at random moments whether it is with a made up song or one I half know the lyrics to.

5. I love my tendency to be easily excited and enthusiastic about the littlest things!

6. I love my caring spirit and how much taking care of others feeds my soul. It’s important to be a servant leader.

7. I love my ability to teach people a variety of skills in a variety of areas.

8. I love my ability to work hard and get things done when I put my mind to accomplishing something.

9. I love my love of water. I feel most at peace when water is involved be it a shower, pool, rain, lake, etc.

10. Most of all I love being able to live by my priorities: faith, family/friends, living by the Golden Rule, and then career. The two greatest roles in my life are wife and mother, and I do my best to up hold that calling.

I challenge everyone to make their own 10 list!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Happiest Memories

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 7 – Write about one of your happiest memories.

There are so many happy memories in my life that it is impossible to choose just one! I could talk about birthdays, our engagement day or wedding day, trips, hanging with friends, or LilKsby coming along! This time I want to go with a moment that fits one of my love languages: recognition and words of praise.

In 2007, I attended my first MK Seminar in Dallas, TX. At that event, I got to see people being recognized for their achievements on the big Seminar stage. It was like a Miss America pageant where everyone had the potential to be winner based on their achievements. I knew then that I wanted to walk across that big stage waving to the crowd like royalty!

Fast forward to 2010 when Mr Kisby attended the event with me for the first time. He got to walk the stage with all the other SOs. I was one of the crowd he waved towards. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being in the crowd and cheering for him. I get just as excited about celebrating other people I love as I do about being celebrated myself! However, I also like pretend score boards. I’m competitive like that! Big Stage Score Mr Kisby 1 and me 0. My business continued to grow and in 2014 and 2015, he went with me again and walked the stage. Mr Kisby 3 and me 0.

Enter 2016! At one of our smaller MK events with 5,000 people instead of 20,000, I earned my first stage walk! I was so excited! I still remember smiling and cheesing it up with the women around me! Our enthusiasm was contagious!!! I loved the thrill of earning the recognition spot and being celebrated!!!!

Summer of 2016, Mr Kisby went with me to Seminar again. Once again another SO stage call. That made his score 4 and mine 1. In 2017, I once again crossed the smaller event stage for leadership achievements. 4-2

Fast forward to 2018! That April it was announced that for the first time ever Princess Court achievers would get to cross the BIG stage during the BIG awards night in Dallas! This announcement got me working in high gear. I had been dreaming of this since 2007, and after eleven years, the dream was within my grasp. With a lot of hard work and determination, I made my goal! I treated myself to an amazing gown, and I felt like I was Miss America when they put that sash on me! I remember being in line to go back stage and being giddy with excitement. I took in every moment as we got back there, and I can still picture all of the backstage setup for the higher level awards being given. The thrill as we shuffled a long back stage was intoxicating, and by the time I stepped foot on stage, I was grinning from ear to ear. The whole moment may have lasted five minutes, but it was five limited that I had dreamed of for eleven years! Talk about a rush!!!

At that point Mr Kisby may have led the scoreboard at 4-3, but I felt like the biggest winner of all time! In 2019, I walked the stage twice more at one of our smaller events. This time LilKsby was in my belly, and I remember being so excited that I could share a world where dreams do come true with a little bit of grit with my baby! I guess that makes our score 4-5-2 technically!

Now it’s been over 4 years since those happiest moments, and I will soon be attending a MK event again. I won’t be walking the stage myself (there is always 2024), but I’m elated to cheer on all of my friends for their achievements!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Happiest Memories

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 7 – Write about one of your happiest memories.

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Loud and Proud

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 6 – What are you most proud of?

This is a tricky prompt. It’s kind of like when people ask the question, “What is your favorite movie?” Such a broad question kind of gets a blank stare. However, if it is a more specific question such as “What is your favorite sports movie?” I can quickly say A League of Their Own. For me, asking what are you most proud of gets the same blank stare until looking at it for different areas. Thus, in true to me form, I present a “Top List”!

Top 3 Things I’m Proud of in July 2023

3. Trying new things even if they are a little scary! I don’t want to go into details, but I want to do things that I find scary to help show my Sweet Boy how to have courage!

2. My MK Life – I love being able to work around my priorities with people I choose to be around. I have been abundantly blessed by my clients and team!

1. Mr Kisby and LilKsby! They are both doing amazing things and accomplishing great achievements! I love just sitting back and watching them be successful!

I think what you’re most proud of changes based on your season of life. There were periods when I would have listed all my personal accolades as what I was most proud of achieving. These days I’m often most proud of things that are about others more than me. Don’t get me wrong, I still think I’m awesome. The difference is realizing how much more awesome our lives can be when we prioritize the needs of others. In this season of life, nothing will make more proud than watching my loves!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Overcoming Challenges

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 5 – What challenges have you overcome in life?

Well obviously I haven’t overcome the challenge of completing these daily prompts! I’m like 5 behind! I got distracted while on vacation, and then when we returned home, I didn’t think about it until I looked at my materials for the leadership class!

In all seriousness, I’ve overcome so many challenges in life that I don’t know where to start. My first thought was of a challenge around the age of six. As a child, I remember having difficulty running. It turned out that I have scoliosis which had caused one leg to be slightly off and caused a slight off balance to my running. Somehow, I learned to adjust myself over the years since diagnosis which lead to being able to enjoy many sports and activities. Then from the time I was a teenager, I’ve had to deal with the challenge of coping with loss be it friends, pets, or family. This was an emotional challenge that at times can still be difficult. For example, my grandmother has been gone for 12 years, but sometimes I still feel sad moments. Finally, I think of challenges with education and careers. There have been a lot of challenges for me in these areas. It took me 11 1/2 years to finish college from start to finishing my Masters. That season saw me through various careers, and when I decided to step away from a full time traditional career to that of work from home mom, I also experienced some challenges. Sometimes I think having to overcome challenges is such a key part to life that we don’t even realize we’re going through a challenge because we just grab the bull by the horns so to speak.

What challenges have you overcome?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Best Day

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 4 – Write about the best day you’ve had recently.

The best day I’ve had recently is happening right now! I woke up with the sun shining, beautiful nature out the window, and I’m snuggling MrKisby while LilKsby plays. We’ve got a fun day with wonderful friends planned, and my heart is still full from all of the family time that we had over the 4th of July. So I’m declaring that today is thus far the best!

The main reason I’m making this declaration is because it is really hard for me to pick a best day. There are so many days that are great for different reasons be it the people they are spent with or the activities that are completed. I feel like to pick one best day would be hurtful to the other best days!

What is your best day?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Grateful

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 3 – What are you most grateful for in your life?

If you’re going for a joking answer, my response to this prompt would be that I am grateful for a prompt that has reminded me of how to spell grateful. I love to write, but I frequently second guess myself when it comes to spelling certain words. If you’re going for a rote response, I would say I’m grateful for my family, friends, and health. A true thoughtful response? That answer would be opportunity.

I am abundantly blessed and so grateful for the many opportunities that I have had throughout my life. There have been so many things that I have had the chance to do in my life, and I am abundantly thankful for these opportunities. Here’s a list of some of the top that come to mind…

1. Being able to make the transition to work from home/homeschool mom. This has been nothing short of magical! I’ve gotten to take trips with family and hear fascinating stories about their pasts that I never knew! I’ve gotten to start LilKsby’s education. I’ve been able to participate in groups and met so many new, wonderful people!

2. Having the opportunity to experience life with Mr Kisby has been amazing! His love and support are the entire reason #1 has been able to happen. Beyond that, I’m thankful for all the opportunities we have had to travel together, have fun together, and grow together as people.

3. The opportunity to be a mom. I never knew how much I would love being a mom! For most of my life it wasn’t a thing on my radar. Now I can’t imagine life any other way!

4. The opportunity my DS business has given me. From the friends to the travel to personal growth, I am a better person because of that positive influence.

5. The opportunities to serve others and bless their lives are super important to me. I love helping others. It really fills my cup when I am able to help improve lives!

What are you grateful for?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Happiest

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 2 – Who makes you feel happiest in life and why?

To say that one person in my life makes me feel happiest is impossible for me to do. There are so many people in my life that bring me different kinds of happiness, and I value all of them and how they helped me find happiness in different seasons of life. For as long as I can remember – and I have memories since the time I was two – family has made me happy. As I got older, friends have also brought me great happiness. I’ve been very blessed to have many friends who are more like family. I’m thankful for them especially those who have seen me through happiness and tears. For the past 14 years Mr Kisby has brought me happiness that I never dreamed I would have, and of course since before he was born LilKsby has been bringing me happiness. There is so much happiness in my life because of all the people in it! To pick one would truly be a disservice to all of them!

I hope that everyone is able to find happiness with the people in their lives!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Today’s Excitement

As part of a leadership class I am taking, I’m starting a 30 day challenge of Daily Journal Prompts. This is outside of my usual realm, but I’m excited for the challenge!

Prompt 1 – What are you most excited about for today?

As you may have realized over the years, I am an easily excitable person, so it is hard to pinpoint one thing that I am most excited about today. Currently, I’m excited that I’ve been able to make posts in my VIP Client and team groups while watching Aqua Pups with LilKsby. Now he’s sitting in my lap, and snuggles are always exciting! Another thing I’m excited about? Nachos! LilKsby has been asking to go to O’Charley’s, and it just happens to be $5 Nacho Day during lunch hours. So today I get to go have it with him and Mr Kisby – double bonus! I also get excited about the library, and we have to go there today too! Bonus? Tonight is our weekly leadership class, and I’m excited about that too! I’m excited that I’ve stuck with it for five weeks especially with the last week not being my best. Mary Kay Ash used to say if you’ve had a bad week you need the meeting, and if you’ve had a great week the meeting needs you! Plus, fireworks! So much excitement all day long!!!

What are you excited about today?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Found Poem

A couple of years ago, I co-taught a sophomore English class, and we taught the kids how to write Found Poems. For those unfamiliar with them, Found Poems are poems created using lines from other texts and putting them together in a new format. I don’t remember the texts that we had the kids use to create their Found Poems, and I had forgotten that the assignment had inspired me to write my own Found Poem. The other day while cleaning, I found my Found Poem. Mine was not inspired by a great literary work or epic poetry, but by a group a little closer to my heart: The Backstreet Boys. So I present to you for both my own desire to revisit the work and your own amusement, a Found Poem featuring the lyrics of Backstreet Boys songs!

All you people can’t you see, can’t you see/I don’t care as long as you love me/You are my fire, the one desire/Am I sexual? Am I the only one? Am I everything you need?/I need you tonight, I need you right now/I’ll never break your heart, no way no how/My love is all I have to give/And when I look into your Spanish eyes I know the reason why I am alive/I’ll be the one, I’ll be the light/And the world is so beautiful tonight/Baby I can’t help it, we’ve got it goin’ on/Let me show you the shape of my heart.

The following are the songs referenced in the poem: Larger Than Life, As Long As You Love Me, I Want It That Way, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), I Need You Tonight, I’ll Never Break Your Heart, All I Have To Give, Spanish Eyes, The One, Drowning, We’ve Got It Goin’ On, and Shape of My Heart. These songs appeared on the albums Backstreet Boys, Millennium, Chapter One: The Hits, and Black & Blue.

Whether you find my poem enjoyable or not, I challenge you to write your own Found Poem using a text you love!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Power of 12

Last night I was watching Mass, and the priest talked about the work of Chuck Colson. I had never heard his name before – an apparent neglect of my schooling as he was part of Watergate – though I found myself very intrigued by the story. Colson had an idea for helping people change their lives, so in the late 70s he did an experiment with 12 people. They were to stay in a prison for an amount of time and live like inmates. I don’t know all the details, but the experiment’s success led to the development of the Prison Fellowship program. Those 12 people were the root of starting a movement for 25,000+ people who have now been positively served by Prison Fellowship.

After hearing this, I asked myself “What else can be associated with the power of 12?”

Obviously, for Christians the 12 apostles led the foundation for the development of the church. Another obvious answer would be there are 12 months in a year a time frame during which great meaningful change can occur. For those in my direct sales field, sharing the career with 12 people in a calendar year earns a level of awards recognition. This one really got me thinking as it made me wonder how many people can I positively impact by sharing my career that aligns with my personal priorities through blessing 12 people? I doubt it will be 25,000, but it might be 250. Imagine how many blessings could be spread by 12 people with kind hearts and fair intentions!

What do you think about the power of 12?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

What’s In Your Cup?

There are many adages similar to “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” I’m not sure where I first heard the phrase given that it is a message stated in a variety of situations, but that is an insignificant detail. I have always found that it is a very true sentiment. In my own experience, I believe that you cannot give to others if your own cup is not filled. However, I have recently decided that perhaps it isn’t just an empty cup that keeps you from pouring into others, but also what is in your cup that keeps you from truly being able to bless others.

Most of us are familiar with people being deemed “glass half full” or “glass half empty,” but no one ever seems to stop and talk about what is in the cup. For example, is it better to be a glass that is half full with spite or a glass half empty where the half is hope? I would think that being filled with any amount of hope would be better than being filled with any amount of spite. Should my cup be full of spite, then I feel like I would inadvertently say things that came out hurtful or negatively impact a situation whereas if my cup is full of hope, I can share that hope with others and brighten someone’s day. I really believe that whether your cup is half full or half empty, what is in your cup will determine whether or not you can positively give to others.

So my closing thought is this. If you feel like what is in your cup is keeping you from blessing others the way you would like, take some time to wash, dry, and refill your cup with a new liquid so to speak!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Blessed and Thankful

The last big event LilKsby went to before the world shutdown in 2020 was a first birthday party for one of his first friends. Within two weeks of that party everyone was sheltering in place which led to LilKsby’s first birthday being a masked, socially distanced, outdoor affair with just his seven close family members. His second and third birthdays didn’t involve masks and outdoors, but they still involved the core seven as we were trying to minimize his exposures to Covid. Finally, today LilKsby got to have his first birthday party with friends AND family, and I kept thinking over and over, “We are abundantly blessed, and I am so thankful for everyone here!”

Days like today remind me of how abundantly blessed we truly are. First and foremost, we have an amazing family who are always there for us and who absolutely love LilKsby. The way they play with him, share their talents with him, and create memories with him will melt your heart! Secondly, we have amazing friends old and new. I remember a song from when I was in Girl Scouts as a kid with these lyrics: “Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold.A circle is round, it has no end. That’s how long, I will be your friend.” When I looked around the room full of love today, these lyrics rang so true! There were friends of mine and Mr Kisby’s from as long ago as high school, from 16 years ago when we were introduced to one another, friends from previous jobs, and new friends from within the last year who are some of the most incredible moms I have ever met! Likewise there were friends of LilKsby’s from the time he was a baby, from his first time at camp, and and from within the last year of weekly Pre-K classes! It was such a blessing to see them together talking, playing, and celebrating especially as concerned as I was a year ago about LilKsby having social opportunities. I could gush and gush about how blessed we are, and I assure you that my smile will always be so big that you would think there was a coat hanger in my mouth (Friends reference for all you other fans out there.)

I am also very thankful for everything surrounding today. First of all, I am thankful for Mr Kisby and the greatest gift of our lives which was the reason for today’s celebration: LilKsby. Sometimes I look at him, and I still can’t believe that God trusted me to be his mama! Secondly, I’m thankful for all the people who have been a part of LilKsby’s life. Whether they were at the party or not, there are so many people who have positively impacted his life in the last four years. If I attempted to name them, I know I would forget people, so just know that if you’re in our life, we are thankful for you! Finally, I’m thankful for the absolute pure joy of today’s celebration! I believe that experiencing joy is a key to living your best life, and today the joy overflowed in my heart! Like at times I literally felt like our little family was glowing from joy, thankfulness, and blessings.

Aside from going to bed absolutely elated, I hope that I never forget how blessed and thankful we are.

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Me + Food = ?

If you’ve read my blog for a long time, then you know that I used to write a lot about food. I would discuss my favorite foods along with where to get them. I thought of myself as a foodie and being a paid food critic sounded like a dream job! Paid to eat? Sign me up! However, as I got older and my priorities changed, I started realizing that my relationship with food was not a relationship I wanted LilKsby to grow up copying.

I grew up in what I would like to call the “clean your plate era.” I distinctly remember going to restaurants as a child and the restaurants having rewards (usually more food) for children who would eat everything. I’ll never forget that at Captain D’s a free piece of chocolate cake was the reward. As a kid, I thought this was great even though I don’t even like chocolate! It was just the idea of “winning” a prize. As an adult, I find myself appalled that the reward for overeating was to eat more. Because of these reward systems, for a long time I found myself feeling required to clean my plate. I’m not saying this “clean your plate mentality” is the sole reason for my obesity – a lot of bad habits went into that – but it took a long time for me to become okay with having leftovers!

Some of my other bad habits with food have also attributed to my up and down relationship with the scale. One of the worst of these is eating out of habit instead of hunger. For my entire school career, health classes pushed the concept of three meals a day: breakfast when you woke up, lunch around noon, and dinner in the early evening. There was also usually a rousing chorus of “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Since this is what was taught, eating became routine whether I was hungry or not. Lately, I’m really working to ask myself “Am I hungry?” before having a meal or snack. Another bad habit for me is emotional eating. This is a big one! Just this evening, I was feeling a little moody and found myself thinking “I need a cookie to feel better!” I looked at the tub of cookies, then I thought to myself, “You don’t need a cookie! You’re not hungry!” Guess what? I’m really glad that I didn’t eat that cookie!

Acknowledging the bad qualities of my relationship with food has been an interesting journey. When you love something so much, it can be hard to want to make a change. I’m still working on making better choices a lot of which comes down to planning and sticking to the plan. I’ve also been striving to educate myself on better healthy eating habits from credible sources and avoiding “crash diets.” It’s a work in progress, and I know that there are going to be occasions where I over indulge. However, I’m not going to give up!

Want to join me on my wellness journey?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby