One of my new favorite things is joining Emily Freeman at the end of each month as we look back over what we’ve learned. The silly and the serious, all of it is worth noting.

I learned how to make the Starbucks passion tea with lemonade and dude, it is so easy but also really good.

1. I don’t listen to my audio reminders.

Once upon a time, after learning that I can’t trust Siri to dictate my late-night thoughts, I switched to audio notes and reminders. In early September I stumbled upon one titled What I Learned – August.

I suppose the reminders are only useful if you actually listen to them again later.

2. Kate cut her bangs.

A moment of silence.

There are very few people in life that I’ve seen rock a haircut that included bangs. It might be a spiritual gift and I certainly don’t have it. But if anyone can pull it off, you know it’s going to be Kate. But still.

3. Essay style writing is, apparently, something I love.

I had never read a book that is essentially 40 little essays all squished together, but then I read For The Love and now I’m almost done with Cold Tangerines and basically, I am in love with this style. Somehow things all go together but there is more freedom, it seems, to go places a regular story wouldn’t allow. I’m sold.

4. GIF keyboard

I finally learned how to download it and yes, it has changed how I text. If you know me in real life, prepare for all the memes.

5. How to make homemade Starbucks passion tea with lemonade

Full disclosure, I learned how to make this when I was home one summer during college. However, my post-grad budget does not allow for a Starbucks run every day and so I relearned and changed up the recipe just a smidge. Both my budget and my tastebuds are now happy. Math is not my thing, but it comes to somewhere around $0.22 a cup.

This is not exact and you can change it to your liking, but basically you need four things:

  • Tazo passion tea bags
  • MinuteMaid lemonade
  • Sugar
  • A pot

I make four bags at a time, which ends up being four cups. Here’s how:

Boil four cups of water on the stove. Add about two tablespoons of sugar (use less if desired). Then put four tea bags in the pot (I hang them over the side with the strings). Let steep for at least thirty minutes but the longer the better. Pour into a container and let chill in the fridge. When you’re ready for a drink, pour about 6oz. of the tea and mix with about 2oz. of lemonade.

Obviously, I like to use the word “about” because this is all very scientific. I tend to use a little less sugar and a little more lemonade, but that’s just me.

6. You can say no to the noise and still be saying yes in obedience.

September was a very quiet month for me here on the blog. Although I wasn’t posting, I was definitely learning about quiet. I just keep thinking about how sometimes we need to wrestle out words and thoughts with Jesus first, long before we click publish. Choosing quiet? It can be a very good choice.

Especially right before October and the #Write31Days challenge begins! Tomorrow I’ll be back here, and then here again for every day of October, writing about three little words. It’s going to be good. Already God is showing up and pushing me to dig deep into a few words, looking long and hard to see what He has for us there.

7. Alexis Bledel is 34.

I just… what? I don’t understand. She will always be little Rory to me.

8. If a book cover seems cute and girly, it might be written for high school girls – not you.

Oh, y’all. There’s a new book out titled The Chase and I was so excited about it! My favorite fiction author in the entire world is Karen Kingsbury and The Chase is her daughter Kelsey’s first book, coauthored with her husband Kyle. And it’s good, but it’s so not for me. Two chapters in and I finally realized that every example talks about high school and a stage of life I simply haven’t been in for quite a while now. So, maybe, read the back of a book before just picking it up based on the author’s name? Oops. But if you’re looking for a book – for a high school girl – about relationships and dating and Jesus, I’ve just gone and found it for you.

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