What I Learned this Summer

There’s this blog I read every day because it’s awesome and inspires me and makes me feel like given enough white paint ANYTHING can be beautiful.  Well, the incredible Myquillyn Smith {whose book is amazing!} has a sister who is precious in every possible way.  So, anyway, in all the bizarreness that was my route to She Speaks this year, the coolest moment was getting this email.

What??? Let’s just say I might have jumped up and down with excitement.

Then reality sunk in and I realized I am way too much of a dork to trust myself not to succumb to utter humiliation in a room with someone as gifted with words as Emily.  So I prayed for the Lord to grant me coolness before I arrived in Charlotte. {Sadly, it appears the answer to that prayer was either “no” or “later.”}

At any rate, I roomed with Emily and found she is truly one of the most charming, hilarious, and genuine humans I know. I’m sure I talked her ears off but she was so patient and kind. And now I just pretend to myself she is one of my BFFs. {Please ignore the fact this is the grainiest photo ever … and we had to make it black and white because we looked like orange oompa loompas in the halls of the hotel.}

And all of that is the long way around to saying I’m joining Emily and a bunch of other people to share what I’ve learned this summer {and to make you all jealous that I had the most incredible roomie at She Speaks!!}. 

 

And here is some of what I learned this summer …

1. Being a cheer mom is a blast! And making all the gifts for camp was awesome.  I’m not a crafty, creative sort of girl … but playing with my friend’s Silhouette was a ton of fun!
2. Spending 30+ hours in the car with my daughter traveling from camp to wedding to camp to vacation, etc., will lead to more “you can never tell anyone this” moments than I ever imagined possible.
3. I’m now a fiction reader. It’s weird.  I never really read a lot of fiction.  Then I had a conversation with Tricia Goyer about 18 months ago and now I read more fiction than anything. {Which reminds me I need to update my reading list.}
4. There is a thrill in growing your own vegetables no one can truly prepare you to feel. Even if said vegetables are very small tomatoes and very poorly shaped cucumbers.  Also, the veggies you grow yourself taste so much better.
5. My husband is a saint. He has spent a great deal of time this summer redoing our daughter’s room.  Very ugly thrifted furniture and accessories are now redone and beautiful.

Okay, I guess that sums up my summer … camps, cars, cucumbers, fiction, and furniture.

What about you? Any great lessons you have learned this summer?

xo,
TL

One other thing … my newsletter is coming out FRIDAY! The first one … finally.  It’s got a great FREE download just for subscribers — 19 Ways to Invigorate Your Quiet Time.  And a few other exciting bits of information I can’t wait to share with you.  SOOOO … subscribe now!