What I Learned in June 2020

I am certain I learned more in June than what I've listed below, but in truth, I forgot to write it all down. But that's okay, right? You don't have all day to read anyway! Here are a few things I did learn in the month of June!

1. Masks can double as great socks in a pinch.

When Ryan and I went on our birthday getaway (100 years ago at the beginning of the month) I ended up with a blister on my heel. I'd gotten new hiking shoes before the trip (never had real hiking shoes before!) and sure enough, I ended up with a blister. The good news was...we had bandages. The bad news was, they were in the car, and we were at the farthest trail point FROM the car when I started limping. But Ryan remembered he had his spare mask in the backpack, and it fit around my heel just perfectly to stop the rubbing. We tied the ear pieces into my laces and I didn't have another moment's pain for the rest of the hike!

2. Speaking of pinch, you should wear tall socks with high top shoes. 

Not only have I never before owned hiking shoes, but I've also never owned high top shoes. I did not know I should wear tall socks with high top shoes to keep the aforementioned pinching and blistering from taking place. I don't actually own any, so Ryan loaned me a pair of his for day-two hiking. And now I know!

3. Command hooks don't always provide the win. 

Perhaps our saddest lesson of the month. When Ryan decorated for my birthday (the Anne of Green Gables party?) he used Command hooks to hang up lines of twine for pictures. When he took them down, they took down not just the paint, but the drywall too. He had to mud, sand, and repaint all those spots! And it happened several more times as we took down wall art to pack it. Either we have the worst luck in the world, or we did something wrong in hanging them! (Or they're not all they're cracked up to be?)

4. God moves quickly. Hang onto your hat. 

I probably don't need to explain this one to you, do I? A month ago, we hadn't even interviewed for a new job, and now we are just a short time away from moving and beginning a whole new season! You've read the story. You know.

5. Psalm 96:11 is the center verse in the Bible. 

I've been studying the Psalms this year, and when I studied Psalm 96, the commentary mentioned that verse 11 was the center verse in the Bible. Any chance I'll remember this at my next trivia opportunity?

6. David Phelps' middle name is Norris. 

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS???? I was trying to look up a song he had written so I could see something in the lyrics, and that's when I learned his middle name. Seriously - how did I not know?

***

As I said yesterday, my dreams and goals for June didn't all quite come together like I hoped. I knew when I wrote them that it was a great possibility they wouldn't come together. When I wrote them, we hadn't yet had our interview at Gateway Woods, but it was on the schedule, so I knew there was a chance the outcome of that day could change everything about our activity for the rest of the month - and it did! Nevertheless, here's a recap of how those goals did turn out.

1. Archive another full year of old blog posts.

So close. I cranked out 10 months of them. I didn't quite get the last two months done, but given everything that ended up taking our evenings and weekends, I think 10 months is a pretty good success story! 

2. Keep up on scrapbooking and begin a vacation album.

Plot twist! I actually did keep up on our current scrapbook, which made me so happy, given how busy the month was. I did not get to start our vacation album, but I did begin and keep up with an album related specifically to our new season of life. So I feel like that swap means I can call this one a win. 

3. Keep our tomato plants alive...and maybe even see them thrive!

I did it!!!! They are alive, and though the tomatoes are still green, we have them! Both plants have tomatoes! I'm so glad we planted these in pots, so we can take them with us. I would be sad to leave them behind. 

4. Finish the living room project.

Well, it didn't happen. I mean it did, but not in the way I meant when I wrote that. We had a plan to do a shiplap feature behind the fireplace and then add tall bookcases along the rest of the entire wall. We would have had it done, too, if our bookcases hadn't been out of stock at IKEA. (They still are.) Once we knew we were going to move, we just finished painting the wall and called it done that way instead. But the new owner has told us that he plans to do a version of this project after he moves in, so maybe someday I'll get to see what it looks like!

5. Get our air conditioning fixed.

DONE!!! YES!!! We were able to get it fixed right after we returned from our vacation, and it has been splendid and delightful in here ever since. I'm also so relieved that it was an inexpensive fix and not a replacement of the entire unit. 

6. Exercise. Again.

There's always next month. This month I got my exercise packing. We worked until almost midnight most nights, so hours of concentrated exercise didn't make it in too much. Fail.

** BONUS!!**

Some of those things may have been a fail, but there were many other things we accomplished that weren't on the goal list: getting a new job, beginning to pack the house, finding a buyer for our house, doing oodles of steps for our new job (background checks, tests, etc.), finishing up my job, having a garage sale, going for a hair overhaul for the first time in six months, wrapping up a Bible study book...so it wasn't a wasted month!