I enjoyed joining in with the share 4 somethings over at Overflowing With Thankfulness so much last month. Such a fun way to look back and recap the month a bit.
Here’s my 4 things I learned, loved, read, and ate in June.
LEARNED
That I need to write it down! I remember thinking: Oh this would be a good thing to include in what I learned in June. Do I remember what it was? Nope. Will I start writing things down now? Honestly, I doubt it. Some lessons take a little longer to sink in with me.
Also, that I still need to work on exercising my “no” muscle. This is mostly regarding my work. As a substitute, it’s very hard to say no. Part of it is the balance, say no too often, don’t get any calls. However, I sometimes struggle to remember the reason I sub is so I can have and plan days for myself.
Even this week, I planned to have Tuesday through today completely off. Starting today I am working for the next 5 weeks straight (same classroom, one teacher the whole month of July, the other the first week of August, maybe the 2nd week as well). This is typical for summer for me. However, I caved and went into work yesterday. SIGH. I’ve learned I’m good at saying no via text but if asked in person/over a phone call, I still struggle.
Very recent lessons: That it’s okay to go slow. Kind of nice actually.
Always something to learn/work on isn’t there?
LOVED
The summer skies! So much blue.
Traveling twice in one month! First on a girlfriend’s getaway to Lampe, Missouri. On the way there, we visited Harry S Truman’s birthplace:
In Lampe, we visited Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. Well worth it!
And on the way home, The George Washington Carver National Monument
While I loved traveling a second time with family, the vacation to Table Rock wasn’t the best. Still the scenery was beautiful.
READ
The books that I read that really stood out to me were:
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson: I didn’t even remember putting this book on hold but it came up for me at the library. It was a bit different than my typical reads but very engaging. It followed the journey of two black women in the late 50’s as one faced an unwanted pregnancy while the other dealt with infertility. Definitely worth a read.
The Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch: We’d watched the series on Hulu. Oh my, the television series toned things way down. An enjoyable science fiction/dystopian (maybe?) kind of read. Basic subplot of most things in that genre: The humans are always scarier than the monsters.
Soulful Simplicity: How Living With Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver: Full disclosure, I’m still reading this one. However, I’m finding it very down to Earth and motivating.
Ate
Can I just say too much and stop here? Ha.
Too much saltwater taffy. Still have my favorite flavor (huckleberry) in the freezer:
Plus all the other road trip fare: red twizzlers, trail mix, etc.
Really good chicken kabobs that one of my girlfriends made on our weekend trip.
And really BAD chicken kabobs that didn’t work out when I tried to duplicate the recipe on our family vacation:
However, I redeemed myself with making some amazingly good chicken legs on our grill at home last night:
Other food items/places we ate not pictured: Wendy’s, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s (I tried a Grimace shake & liked it), Taco Bell (a mistake and my stomach let me know!), Steak and Shake. Finally, the best one: A Godfather’s Pizza Buffet in Branson, MO. Godfather’s pizza is my favorite and they aren’t really around here anymore though J and I did discover one is near us about 45 minutes away. I see a day trip in our future.
In between all the junk, I tried to stay on a healthy track though I’m pretty sure I’m still working on the derailment from a stressful family vacation over here.
Working the whole month of July should help with staying a bit more on the healthy side of things as long as it doesn’t get too stressful. Usually isn’t too bad during the summer.
Looking forward to July! Maybe I’ll even write down any lessons I learn along the way.
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Beautiful vacation pictures, thanks for sharing! It sounds like teaching will be a good experience. The chicken looks delicious, Jean!
Thank you! I typically fill in for this teacher every July and do look forward to it. The chicken was good. Hope you are having a great weekend so far.
I’ve also learned that I need to write things down so I’ll remember them or do them . . . but I still forget! Loved your vacation photos! Beautiful scenery and interesting spots. Those blue skies and refreshing waters look inviting. Visiting from SFS today – have a great week!
Thank you! Glad it’s not just me forgetting and then, forgetting to write things down as well. Hope you have a great week as well!
That gorgeous grilled chicken is making me hungry … and we just finished dinner!!!
Thank you! I was really happy with how it turned out as I don’t often have great luck when grilling chicken.
Ha! Ha! You know I always think the same thing, that I should “write that down” and ” I should take a picture of that ” So I can share. LOL! What great vacations. Wishing you a Happy $th.
Visiting today from Share Four Somethings #1
Glad it’s not just me on the writing things down. I was just happy to travel a bit this year, it’d been a while since we took a “nothing else on the schedule” type vacation. Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July as well!
Great vacation pictures. Hubby and I visited Truman’s birthplace back in 1989. Love seeing history like this. Hope you have a great day!
Thank you! It was a fun place to visit especially since in KC, we are close to his hometown of Independence. Hope you have a wonderful week!