Abiding Love, Abounding Grace: Things I learned in July (A Link up with Emily Freeman)

So - this is one of my favorite 'things' that Emily does, so when she opened up a Link Up last month to jump in and share what we all learned in June - I was in ...and so were many others and Oh My if those posts were not some of my very favorite reads in June!

So, here we are -a month later- and we're reviewing things that we have discovered or rediscovered... things we've learned or relearned in July!

Here is my list of 12 Random Things that I learned in July:

1. I learned that maybe I should be keeping a running list of things I am learning through out the entire month (and not just the first few days!) Honestly - how organized and over-the-top, on-top-of-it would that be? I had plans of doing just that... I did! See?

I didn't get much past 2 or 3... but still?

2. My new favorite word is "Ridiculous" used as "awesome"... (also, "Hilarious" - when spoken with a slight British accent... as used in The Holiday.)

3. Stress has the power to undo us and can partner with fear and it can make us downright sick. (OK - this one I suppose was more of a RElearning... thankfully I am not a super stressed out person... and our home and family is fairly chill. Our Girlie got a job promotion but the stress of the new responsibilities were causing her some serious (seeming) issues! Thankfully - she is, for the most part, settled in to it and doing better! As a bonus, we found out today that all of her blood work came back perfect!

4. Strawberry Lemonade... If you take Simply Lemonade and add freshly sliced Strawberries (and who knows... maybe just a splash of tequila) you may just have a little Summer, served up in a fancy glass!

5. Some shoes are just plain mean... Even though you can buy the same size, style, and brand of running shoes that you always wear, that doesn't mean that they will like you or be kind to your feet. (Blisters on blisters... Ouchie!) In an attempt to get even... I bought ANOTHER pair, in a different brand, and size and style... and still... sadly - I am featured in moleskin and BandAids. (I'll spare you any photo's!)

6. A Day Trip with my Honey on a summer day is always ALWAYS a great idea! We took a quick trip to a small town nearby and meandered through their Farmer's Market... walked around a local park with an Aviary... and a little park down by the river... just a warm sunny slow outing! Time to drive and talk and just enjoy some unplanned, unscheduled alone time! So nice!

7. I learned how to add Social Media Buttons to my blog... (oooh and aaaah... everyone, join in with me!) I also learned that apparently there are a lot of updates and things I have been doing wrong around here so....

8. I also learned how to make PAGES, ya'll! Easier than I thought - but choosing content for each page was more time consuming than I had planned and I suspect that I will be tweaking it pretty much from here on out!

9. I (re)learned that I LOVE Skype... and I had the pleasure of chatting online with a sweet friend and fellow blogger for a couple of hours. We just couldn't see waiting for #Allume... so we didn't (which sparked a larger HangOut on Google with some other bloggers too!) God love the internet!

10. Apparently I do this one thing when I'm upset... whenever I am trying to edit myself before I speak... or hold my tongue (/opinion)... I do this 'thing' with my jaw. My Girlie has been calling me out on it All. Month. Long! So - in other words... I have a 'tell'? Sigh... so, now there is that! (Great.)

11. My Girlie & I... we are stellar Marathoners. Like - we do it like it's our JOB! Now - by Marathon, I am not talking running (ahem... see #5 above!) - Oh no... I am talking Back to Back, Season after Season, intense dedicated Netflix watching! If only we could get PAID for this! Right now - our love is West Wing... we are seriously LOVING West Wing!

12. I {heart} Sara Bareilles... I know, I know... sure... I think the girl swears like a sailor and some may have issues with some of her songs, but the girl can sing and I LOVE her voice and her wit in writing lyrics and I have known that her newest album (do we still call them that?) was coming out now for months - and yet I still somehow do not own it? I'm old school for some things and while I LOVE a good download... I want to hold her CD in my hands. So - I have waited... (and instead of buying her CD this week, or last week - I have yet again, purchased BOOKS?) Soon... very soon... I will be driving somewhere warm, with my sun roof open, and I will be blasting this song: