I’m learning something new today by attempting to link-up with Emily Freeman (Chatting at the Sky).  At the end of each month she likes to share things she’s learned. Random, silly or quirky things. These have been super fun posts and I always end up discovering something new.

She has invited others to join in this exercise, so this is my go at it.  It’s like sharing little mini-stories so I’m justifying its inclusion here at The Story Place. Using Emily’s words, here is my “mish-mash of ordinary life stuff, things that may go unnoticed if I didn’t decide to write them down” list.

1. I learned it’s possible to be hilarious AND convicting. I just finished Jen Hatmaker’s 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. This book made me laugh and stepped HARD on my toes at the same time. Good combo.

2. Rummikub Rocks! We got into the habit this month of 4 or 5 times a week dumping Rummikub tiles on the table for a quick game. This is miraculous in our family, as board games have historically led to someone falling apart in tears.  Somehow we’ve evolved and found this game to truly be entertaining. It helps that one particular family member is now old enough to beat us all….Just saying, smiles have replaced tears.

3. Blackberry lessons. 1) I learned an easy (5 minutes prep!) blackberry cobbler recipe. You can find it here on Cooks.com. Yum. 2) I also learned that when picking these blackberries, unless you actually spray down unmentionable parts with insect repellent, chiggers WILL find those spots. Benadryl clear spray is the only thing that will  keep you from scratching inappropriately like a crazy lady in public. 3) It takes approximately 2 weeks for thorns to finally work themselves out of fingers. Totally worth it.

4. IF:Gathering. This conference/movement/group actually became public last month, but I continue to learn more and am so pumped to see what God has in store. You can follow on Facebook and Instagram too. This has the aroma of revival.

5. I’m learning that the aging process is hard.  My grandmother is in the process of downsizing possessions collected over 88 years, selling her home and moving in with my mom. This. Is. Not. Easy.  My mom, the rock star, is teaching me through her grace, love and patience how to care for an aging parent. On a personal side, my own hair, skin, waist and stamina are teaching me that new seasons are ahead. Whether I like it or not.

6. I have a new favorite photo app. It’s called Rhonna Designs and it you can buy on itunes for a mere buck-99.  Words + Photos = Creative Goodness

7.  Mpix must hire Santa’s elves to do photography magic during the night. I uploaded this picture on a Monday, ordered a 2′ by 3′ canvas and on Tuesday (that’s the very next day!) this enormous box was sitting on my front porch. No extra shipping. It might help that Miller’s Lab is located in my hometown. Even though, WAY COOL.

8.  I epic fail at knee-boarding. Learned this painfully at the lake this month. (See Lesson #5)

9. You can track in real-time any flight in the world. It’s called Flightaware.com. We watched as this tiny little plane containing our daughter flew from Chiang Mai to Dallas. I also learned that if you check this site in the middle of night, it’s hard to go back to sleep knowing your baby is close to forty thousand feet in the air above the Aleutian Islands.

10. 6 am Boot Camp isn’t as bad as it sounds. Some of the teachers at our school hauled it out of bed 3 days a week this summer, working out in our old-school, non-air conditioned gym. We felt tough. I learned that getting exercise over with early is the key for me in summer, before the heat saps all motivation to sweat even more. Typically, I rationalize 10 minutes of treading water at the pool as a “workout”. Not this summer. We celebrated with a round of drinks at Starbucks. The plan is to do this at 5 am this school year. We shall see.