Learning Curve . . .

Rah and I are still together, and tonight, we are writing as mama and daughter.  I am doing the writing cuz it is just a bit easier for me and my brain is kinda in the game tonight as I have been in sensory overload today and I have LEARNED a lot!  I had work to do today, but in between times, I got to do a few things that I wanted and needed to do.  The day was full of opportunities, and I learned a lot about stuff, some good, and some not so good!  Life . . .

I have decided that there is a HUGE learning curve for life! Even when you think that you know a lot about something, BAM it hits you, and you realize that you did not know that.  Rah and I have been talking for 16 days about how something just does not feel right.  It seems as though we have lost our focus and we cannot seem to connect the blog dots.  For some reason,the blog is off, and on a lot of levels it feels . . . well, wrong!  Part of learning is recognizing that that if it is not working, you need to take a step back, refocus or change lenses, and take a different approach.  Sooooooo here goes.  Rah and I are not going to write about what we know, but rather what we have learned through the course of our day.  Now I know the song does not go, "do you learn what I learn" and having a sing-song approach to life is kind of fun, but I think it is through the learning that we discover what we do and don't know.

Learning can be painful and difficult.  For example, today I was going to throw my gum out of the car, when all of the sudden, WHAM!  Rah, the gum cop, proceeded to roll up the window on me, and took the gum out of my hand and said, "WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"  She informed that she had written an entire paper about the carbon footprint and the negative impacts of gum on the environment.  And then, she pulled up to a store and there was a banana peel, and then I heard a whole LOT more about the carbon footprint of one single banana peel.  And I thought to myself, hmmmmmmmm, I just had my spitty gum taken out of my hand in mid-stream, the window almost attacked my hand, and now I learned all about carbon footprints and banana peels.  Then she proceeded to tell me about a hummingbird that got stuck in gum and I was still thinking to myself that I can HONESTLY say I have never researched gum and the environment, and I have no idea what a carbon footprint even is.  WHEW,  I honestly had no clue:/  I have much to learn, and Rah even said, "You have much to learn young grasshopper!"   WOW, I guess!  I am thinking before Rah gets done with grad school, I will learn a WHOLE lot more!

Today, I also learned that the Fargo Fire Department was ringing bells for the Salvation Army.  Each and every time I had an opportunity, I put a dollar in the pot.  I even gave Rah a couple of dollars so she could support them too.  I learned that it still feels good to give a little bit of money here and there. My favorite fireman's pot was the one where his wife and little girl were ringing the bells too.  His daughter was so darn cute when she said thank you . . . totally melted my heart!

I learned about an AMAZING smoothie.  There is this place Tropical Smoothie Cafe that Rah loves and talks about all the time.  She asked if I wanted a smoothie and I said no.  DUMB ANSWER.  She had this amazing smoothie called an Island Green and it has kale, spinach, mango, banana, and pineapple with some gogi berry.  And it sounds HORRIBLE, but dang it was AWESOME!  She made the mistake of having me hold it and I sucked that smoothie down like a Dyson vacuum!  I learned that I will definitely get one tomorrow before I leave Fargo!

I learned that at Chili's you can play a game at the table for $1.99.  Rah and I are incredibly awesome at trivia and we won all of our games!  We rocked it!  ANDDDDDD you can even order desert or drinks at your table.  How COOL is that!  ANDDDDD you can even pay your bill, right there, slide the card and away you go!  I learned that was actually kinda fun!

I learned that we all want and need the things that make us feel warm and comfy.  I picked up a soft robe and new slipper socks for my friends mama that is still in the hospital.  When I brought them, she was helping her mom clean up, wash her hair, brush her teeth, and the new robe topped off the ensemble.  Add soft socks and she was beautiful.  She felt so much better with fresh clothes and her hair done!  We joked and said she was ready for a night out on the town!  It was sweet.  For Rah's comfort items, she chooses big cozy sweatshirts and fuzzy slippers.  If you can top that off with some candles from Bath and Body Works the day is complete, sigh... Nowwww I also learned, that if Rah is with me, her COMFORT comes first.  However, then I thought about it, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy that I made others feel good.  I learned that makes me feel warm and comfy.

I learned that great conversation can always take place.  I sat in the lines, and instead of being cranky at how slow things were, I sat and visited.  It made the time pass more quickly and we even had a few laughs.  I also learned that it is fun to pick things out that you think another person will absolutely love, especially little kiddos.  I had a friend that needed me to pick up a few things. and I totally loved shopping for a little girl.  I learned that I actually am still a kid at heart!  BTW I also learned that Hallmark does NOT have an engagement ornament!  And Victoria's Secrets has not bridal panties . . . weird!

I learned that young men are still adorable when they are lost and looking for gifts for their girlfriends.  In the Buckle, there was a young man searching for the perfect gift and he was TOTALLY CLUELESS!  Hilarious and so cute!  Rah offered advice and helped him pick out a sweatshirt.  I found it very sweet.  When we saw a young man picking out an engagement ring, I was SURE that I should go and offer to help him!  I know I would be AWESOME at that!  My advice would be, there is no  such thing as a diamond that is too big!  Wheelbarrow to carry it in, OKAY!  PERFECT!

Rah said she did not learn a thing . . . she feels like she did all the teaching.  I learned that I am finally at a loss for words and that I really don't know what to say to that!

Sheila and Sarah