At the end of each season, I think back to all I've learned, and link up with other bloggers on Emily P. Freeman's Blog called "Chatting at the Sky." What a fun summer I enjoyed! Highlights included being with all my kids during Hoopfest weekend, deck time with friends, learning to eat healthier resulting in some weight loss, spending four days in Napa, and celebrating my birthday with my family in Spokane.
Here are ten things I learned:
1. The Grammarly App should have been put on my computer years ago!
Better late than never... Grammarly helps me stop making grammatical errors when I write. It underlines words in red that are misspelled, or if I need to add punctuation. Who knew all those Happy Birthday messages I sent on Facebook needed a comma...
2. My dog Sydney is NOT a good neighbor, so it's a good thing we live where we live, and not on 5th Ave in New York City!
Have you heard of the Good Canine Citizen test that is required in order to live in many NYC condos? Check out this article. There are so many behaviors that are inappropriate in my rescue puppy. Some days, (like yesterday when our Vet bill was over $300 for her allergies and eye infections) I get frustrated. Then, I look at this face and remember how sweet she is at home.
Sydney has loved napping in the sunshine this summer (so has her pet Mama), but one day she skidded off the deck by accident. We're thankful she landed in the Ivy and didn't hurt herself! The new railing goes up this weekend!
3. Even when you know your child is about to become engaged, when it happens it is SO EXCITING!
Our youngest daughter's boyfriend (now fiance') had asked "the question" of my husband, and we knew the ring was in Nick's possession. That did not take away from the surprise of where and when it happened, (at the top of a mountain in Montana on a Sunday evening) and their JOY made me
4. Be specific when you ask Google to find "Mother of the Bride" hats.
When my son got married I got a cute white "mother of the groom" baseball hat. It is now a traveling hat; I loan it to friends when their sons are engaged and then they return it and I pass it on...Think, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". Anyway, I googled hats expecting to see baseball caps with lettering but instead, I got this:
Hmmm...perhaps if the wedding next Summer was happening in Great Britain!
5. Phlebotomists can tell if you're dehydrated by how hard or easy it is to stick the needle in your arm.
When I got some blood drawn, my Phlebotomist asked if I'd been drinking enough water because my skin was "tough" to poke. Great! I suppose since I finished Whole 30 last month my water bottle isn't always by my side... (You can read about my Whole 30 journey here.)
6. Even six years after a fall on your front teeth, followed by a root canal, you still should cut up your apples.
I wondered why my front teeth have been achy this week, and then I remembered I ate a whole apple on the way to church Sunday. Normally I cut them up because my teeth are still SO sensitive due to that ridiculous fall that happened years ago...
7. Some people move before they pack!
We've moved a lot over the 34 years we've been married. I'm a list-maker and gather supplies person, who has the boxes labeled and ready-to-go before "Moving Day." Some of my favorite Millennials do not prepare this way. When we arrived to pick up our now 28-year-old from her Sophomore year in the dorm, she'd barely started packing! When we arrived to help our son and daughter-in-law move out of their apartment and into a rental home this summer, they also weren't packed. The moves still happened.
My heart is hurting for ALL the displaced people in Houston who were forced to move out of their homes due to Hurricane Harvey and flooding. Even if they packed a few special items knowing the waters were rising, no one could possibly be prepared for the devastation that happened.
8. Kirk from The Gilmore Girls has two big roles in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies.
The actor, Sean Gunn, not only plays the Ravager named Kraglin, but he is also the motion reference actor for Rocket the Raccoon. (Bradley Cooper only does the voice of Rocket.) Sean is really talented at moving about on all fours, is most likely less expensive than Bradley, and his brother James is the director and a co-writer for the Guardians movies.
I really enjoyed the movie, and the soundtrack is SO good! "Alexa, play the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Soundtrack please..." Shoot, I have to be a member of Amazon Music unlimited. ($3+ fee a month)
9. My family is sort of famous.
My daughters and I peeked inside a Wedding Dress store while in Spokane last weekend. I grabbed the thick, free "The Wedding Resource Guide" magazine on our way out and flipped through the pages. All of a sudden I noticed familiar faces! What a fun surprise to see my son and his bride's wedding from October 2015 featured on two pages! Aren't they adorable?
10. Something new is in store for me.
For the last four+ years, I have worked part-time at a baby boutique and loved learning about the business and meeting all the babies and their parents and grandparents. My sweet boss needs to be in the store more, so I have to move on to another adventure... I have ZERO ideas what my Fall will look like, but I DO know that God has a plan for me and I just need to trust, obey and wait. Are you in a season of waiting?...
Here's a bit of last-minute summer joy my daughters experienced on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho last weekend. May their joy be contagious!
Thank you for reading SJL, and please join me in praying for Houston. Our prayers matter as much as our financial contributions!
In July, Max Lucado tweeted the following: "Our prayers may be awkward.But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do matter."
What did you learn this summer?
In His Grip,
xo Jane
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