Happy Friday to you! Homeownership got me again this week, so this newsletter will still be the appetizer to a hearty entree to come in future weeks. Thanks for hanging in there with me! And now for your treasures: š„ Guys, the highlight of my week included interviewing REAL OLYMPIANS for an upcoming episode of Faith Adjacent. I canāt wait for you to hear it! Also, for your weekly dose of pre-Olympics prep, you should
First and foremost, it's a hair tie. I cannot be swayed from this.
Secondly, can we talk about the delight that is In The Heights? Did I miss that moment to talk about it because it is such fun. Husband and I went for dumplings one day and I saw that it was showing at our local cinema, an advance screening of some kind... and we went, and James wept happy tears and I loved every moment of the whole situation.
Thirdly, those cinemas are now closed yet again as "Greater Sydney" has gone into lockdown. We're two weeks in, and "Greater Sydney" is a strange term because, friends, I do not live in Sydney. I live two hours from Sydney and the government has decided that anywhere close enough for people to commute TO Sydney should be declared part of Sydney. I get the logic of locking us down but also, don't call me Sydney. I am not in Sydney thank you very much.
Fourthly, my brother-in-law is getting married today in an area outside of lockdown and they're zooming it for family, and I have a very important question. Soft pants are a legit choice for a wedding outfit when you're in lockdown, yes? They better be because hard pants are overrated and this is important to me. Also, what is make-up? Zoom destroys my complexion anyways so why bother trying to be pretty?
Finally, some news I have not yet shared. No, no, I'm not pregnant, but... James was re-tested recently to check all the levels of all the things and work out if we'd need some assistance in actually getting pregnant. Guess what, friends? HE'S GOT NORMAL LEVELS. This is TMI, for sure, but the sperm can swim and the testosterone is high and the cortisol is firing. Halle-freaking-lujah.
Hi friends! Catching up on both last week and this week this morning.
Last Friday we returned from our Vegas Vacation with friends. Vegas isā¦something. Overwhelming to say the least. We had a good time though! We ate good food, saw a couple of fun shows, hung out by the pool. It wasnāt quite as relaxing a vacation and then we had a packed 4th of July weekend with fun things so getting back into the swing of things this week with my unpaid staff position at church was tough. I just want to do summer things all the time. š
Speaking of that position, I have been told I am still not going to be able to get paid anytime soon and like Iāve said before, that didnāt use to bother me but it really is starting to. Ministry is hard and itās been a hard season for several years at our church. Things are moving forward in a new direction and I want to be more excited about it at all but continue to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, probably just burnt out a bit too. Anyway, Iām praying about what God is leading me to do. I can relinquish some of my responsibilities and focus on being the youth program director (yep, still unpaid) because I desperately want my own kids and students in our church to have a place to connect and come closer to Jesus as well as feel comfortable inviting their friends. With so many changes and transitions in the last few years, our youth ministry has taken a huge hit too so while we have done a decent job at ākeeping it goingā, Iād love to figure out how to make it new and fresh as well and Iām not feeling that creative and inspired right now. As always, that is taking a big part of my brain space.
We have a 16 year old working at our clinic for the summer and bless all the hearts. She asked me about my vet school experience a few weeks ago because she's decided she wants to go to the same overseas school I went to and she was obviously not expecting me to launch into a discussion on debt-to-income ratios. We've about got her trained on what qualifies as a doctor question (I do not care how many pill vials you use, just put the correct pills in them), and we might just have her broken in by the time she leaves next month.
I'm becoming a little less bitter about trailer life, except for the part where the umbrella I bought because I no longer have a porch has already broken thanks to the weighted base not actually being very weighted.
I didn't get to watch much of the 2016 Olympics because vet school was consuming my entire life, and I was mostly bummed about missing most of Michael Phelps last showing. It may shock you to discover that the BBC is less invested in Team USA than the rest of us. Did you know that the Olympic song is just an NBC thing? Because I definitely did not until I was watching the opening ceremonies on British TV and kept wondering where the song was.
I finally got around to listening to Sour in the last couple of weeks and I know Millennials are the Olds now and this album was not made for me but it is unbelievably good.
I've been on a Simon and Garfunkel kick this week. It circles around periodically as I am a cradle Simon and Garfunkel fan just as much as I am a cradle Baptist, except I'm still a fan and not Baptist anymore. Art Garfunkel looks great in the Central Park concert footage and my high school choir teacher would have some thoughts about his breathing technique but it's worked for him for decades, so what do I know? https://youtu.be/ZCmgKSUXH18
Also, as of at least 2009, Art could still pretty much sing the heck out of Bridge Over Troubled Water (the whole video is pretty good): https://youtu.be/FThSLpW59Mw
Dude. It is 7:11 California Time, and I just finished my last zoom of the week, opened a bottle of wine, and sat down to some Swipe Up. I can't chat with everyone this week because I haven't seen my husband much today. We are in a bonkers heatwave this week. 104 degrees in Sactown right now. Just wanted to offer Erin solidarity because we are selling our house too, and it is so stressful. I have PDFed and sent a bazillion documents to various title companies and offices this week. Time for pizza. Stay cool Li'l swipes.
I am currently in the truck with my husband, mother in law & our two kids on the way to my in-laws land to go mow their 7 acres this weekend. ššš Jesus, be a quiet moment this weekend!
Iām struggling between knowing we are helping to serve his mom in her time of need and also feeling frustrated that our whole summer (and likely into the fall) will be helping get their affairs in order when we had other plans. My MIL is also pretty much a hoarder and is having a really hard time agreeing to let go with her (giant barn-full) of junk.
Ok on to treasures!
š My therapist and our video chat meetings weekly continue to be the best part of my week. Yesterday we talked about intrusive thoughts. So eye opening.
š Iāve been reading more - finished Crying in H Mart (Jamie B Golden rec) and now on to Malibu Rising!
š I found Lisa Gilroy on IG this week and she is continually cracking me up.
The item in question at the end of the newsletter is, in fact, a hair tie.
Also, has anyone listened to the podcast, Edith, yet? It is funny and also slightly educational in its adjacency to history. Profanity warning, not for little ears.
Do you Olympic fans follow the Paralympics? I've been a huge Jessica Long fan since I met her in Youth Group as a teen (I was on leadership). The Paralympics are so much more badass, but it gets waaaaay less press.
So glad today is Friday - we got back from our week on Lake Champlain late last night. It was the most amazing week - temps between 55 and 75, lots of fun hiking & playing on the lake, ice cream for dinner. The kids were able to take the canoe out on their own, which they LOVED, and made it to the top of their first Adirondack mountain. We drove right along the border & they were able to stick their hands out the window into Canada.
Then a harrowing 7-hour drive home through thunderstorms, and getting back on the internet to find out Haiti's president was assassinated, the ocean is on fire, and it's 95 degrees here with 300% humidity (estimating on that), and real life feels very & sadly real suddenly. I will greatly enjoy going through all the comments and reading everyone's treasures! :)
I call it a hair tie...but have no strong affinity for that phrase over others. My question to all of the 80's ladies...what did y' all call the hair ties with the two marble on the ends that you twisted over each other? Because we called the HAIR BALLS. Horrifying in retrospect.
I love the idea of a gender-swapped Psalty, and would pay actual cash money to watch Kathryn Hahn reprise the role. After reading that article, I listened to the whole soundtrack of #6 (the missions one) on YouTube while I replied to comments on here. My dad and I still regularly sing "Look at all this luscious food, I am really in the mood..." at any family gathering with a lot of food. So...all of them?
Speaking of family gatherings, the first gathering with my parents and both of my siblings and their families since Christmas of 2019 will happen this weekend when we celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary. I am so excited to see all the grandchildren together again. I am over the moon that we decided to get it catered instead of cooking ourselves. And I CANNOT WAIT to see my mom's face when she sees the life-sized cutout of the two of them at their wedding that I had made. HA!
Hello! First of all, I need to share that I, too, got my first taste of acting stardom playing one of Psalty and Psaltinaās triplets - I was Melody. Essentially I looked like a pink clown and sadly I have no photos of me in my costume. What I remember most from the experience was having a very hard saying the line āI love you, Dad.ā To a man who was not my dad and who was a giant clown face blue song book. It probably does not surprise you then that my acting career has been very spotty since then. Sad.
Secondly - that thing is a ponytail holder, what else would it be? āHair elastic?ā Maybe? I donāt know, because itās a ponytail holder.
Thirdly - I am overwhelmed by sadness and aggravation over *gestures* all this and as a person who loves to solve a problem and can solve none including whatās for dinner or how to potty train a stubborn three year old, I am feeling defeated. Iām in a position where nothing is wrong but everything is wrong. If that makes sense. Anyway. Happy Friday. Itās takeout tonight and so I am at least freed from solving that problem as I told my husband to pick whatever.
Oh also, speaking of food, if you havenāt watched High on the Hog on Netflix, I highly recommend. Such an amazing journey and I thought the host, Stephen Satterfield, was delightful to follow along with.
Well hello my internet friends - as for me and my house they are hair ties. Though I kinda love the idea of calling them "pretties"! I may be persuadable.
Had a fantastic fireworks free 4th of July weekend camping at the beach. It was beautiful weather and friends came out and visited and for this immunosuppressed girl, having friends spend time with you was nothing short of magical.
This week was fairly quiet - our nonprofit is planning an in-person fundraiser which has me as a person excited and me as an immunosuppressed person nervous. We're doing a virtual 5k if anyone would like to join, let me know and I'll forward you the link! I would love it (and it would really help the algorithm if you would give us a follow on the socials - @heartfelthelpfoundation
Bit of a shorter stop here today (and I am so late!)
I have been in Sandpoint, ID this week visiting my in-laws and my husbandās extended family. We stopped in Spokane for a night but mostly have just been floating in tubes and getting our golden tan for Hot Girl Summer. We leave tomorrow to head to Bozeman for OUR FIRST ACTUAL WEDDING POST-VAX. GIVE ME ALL THE WINE. GIVE ME THE DANCING. THE CAKE. I WANT IT ALL. Yāall. I cannot.
Also, for me and my household, it is a Hair Tieā¢ļø.
Going to skim the comments but canāt wait to hear about your weeks!
Yāall, I feel like this is a safe space to speak my truth. Growing up in our household we called them āprettiesā instead of āhair tiesā or āponytail holders.ā As an adult who now goes into the world and interacts with other humans, I use hair tie and ponytail interchangeably.
Two things....1) What is that black circle if not a hair tie??? And 2) Are there people who do not know about Psalty?! All and all this week has been a beautiful turd. I ended my family vacation with a fun chat with my grandma and a new household purchase of a pretty vase only only to come home to a two day migraine. All and all ups and downs.
Iām 4.5 weeks into recovery for a very significant surgery. Iām doing so well, but 13 hours of anesthesia causes hair loss so Iām grieving large chunks of my hair falling out. Sigh. Vanity sneaking up on me. Also laughing still hurts, but hurts less so Iāve been binging all the funny newsletters/podcasts/tvshows i have previously been avoiding, and trying to limit laughter to gentle chuckles. Iāve just caught up on all swiping mail āŗļøāŗļø and am only trying to catch up on these comments because the comment sections for 5 weeks is toooooooo much.
Iāve read these emails WHILE forcing my 4 children to reorganize the playroom that has NOT been cleaned to mama standards for these past 4 weeks. I really have the best kiddos, who work at a pace that makes me grind my teeth. Distracting myself with gentle chuckles has helped.
I love reading comments. Iām a minimal interacter, but love reading, celebrating, praying, and cheering with you all.
Hello! Long time no post for me. First I cannot wait for this episode Erin. Since your story the other day I have just been waiting to find out who you interviewed because I love the Olympics and every two years become big time TEAM USA (other times not so much patriotic... I am sure you could guess reasons)
After that 2 am tweet all I can think of is the song that guy made of it that went viral (along with his others like the broccoli casserole one) and it will be my ear worm for the day...
I call those hair thingies 90% of the time along with half the things in the house. Thingy is my go to word. I call them many different things to be honest.
I went back to the office a few weeks ago (half time every other week) and it was so nice to see people. I am still masking and trying to stay at least 3-6 feet away (even vaccinated I am being very cautious due to my RA) but it was nice to see people again!
I still read all the lovely comments each week I just don't comment so just know you are all thought of and loved. <3
It's been a while, Swipes.
First and foremost, it's a hair tie. I cannot be swayed from this.
Secondly, can we talk about the delight that is In The Heights? Did I miss that moment to talk about it because it is such fun. Husband and I went for dumplings one day and I saw that it was showing at our local cinema, an advance screening of some kind... and we went, and James wept happy tears and I loved every moment of the whole situation.
Thirdly, those cinemas are now closed yet again as "Greater Sydney" has gone into lockdown. We're two weeks in, and "Greater Sydney" is a strange term because, friends, I do not live in Sydney. I live two hours from Sydney and the government has decided that anywhere close enough for people to commute TO Sydney should be declared part of Sydney. I get the logic of locking us down but also, don't call me Sydney. I am not in Sydney thank you very much.
Fourthly, my brother-in-law is getting married today in an area outside of lockdown and they're zooming it for family, and I have a very important question. Soft pants are a legit choice for a wedding outfit when you're in lockdown, yes? They better be because hard pants are overrated and this is important to me. Also, what is make-up? Zoom destroys my complexion anyways so why bother trying to be pretty?
Finally, some news I have not yet shared. No, no, I'm not pregnant, but... James was re-tested recently to check all the levels of all the things and work out if we'd need some assistance in actually getting pregnant. Guess what, friends? HE'S GOT NORMAL LEVELS. This is TMI, for sure, but the sperm can swim and the testosterone is high and the cortisol is firing. Halle-freaking-lujah.
Hi friends! Catching up on both last week and this week this morning.
Last Friday we returned from our Vegas Vacation with friends. Vegas isā¦something. Overwhelming to say the least. We had a good time though! We ate good food, saw a couple of fun shows, hung out by the pool. It wasnāt quite as relaxing a vacation and then we had a packed 4th of July weekend with fun things so getting back into the swing of things this week with my unpaid staff position at church was tough. I just want to do summer things all the time. š
Speaking of that position, I have been told I am still not going to be able to get paid anytime soon and like Iāve said before, that didnāt use to bother me but it really is starting to. Ministry is hard and itās been a hard season for several years at our church. Things are moving forward in a new direction and I want to be more excited about it at all but continue to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, probably just burnt out a bit too. Anyway, Iām praying about what God is leading me to do. I can relinquish some of my responsibilities and focus on being the youth program director (yep, still unpaid) because I desperately want my own kids and students in our church to have a place to connect and come closer to Jesus as well as feel comfortable inviting their friends. With so many changes and transitions in the last few years, our youth ministry has taken a huge hit too so while we have done a decent job at ākeeping it goingā, Iād love to figure out how to make it new and fresh as well and Iām not feeling that creative and inspired right now. As always, that is taking a big part of my brain space.
We have a 16 year old working at our clinic for the summer and bless all the hearts. She asked me about my vet school experience a few weeks ago because she's decided she wants to go to the same overseas school I went to and she was obviously not expecting me to launch into a discussion on debt-to-income ratios. We've about got her trained on what qualifies as a doctor question (I do not care how many pill vials you use, just put the correct pills in them), and we might just have her broken in by the time she leaves next month.
I'm becoming a little less bitter about trailer life, except for the part where the umbrella I bought because I no longer have a porch has already broken thanks to the weighted base not actually being very weighted.
I didn't get to watch much of the 2016 Olympics because vet school was consuming my entire life, and I was mostly bummed about missing most of Michael Phelps last showing. It may shock you to discover that the BBC is less invested in Team USA than the rest of us. Did you know that the Olympic song is just an NBC thing? Because I definitely did not until I was watching the opening ceremonies on British TV and kept wondering where the song was.
I finally got around to listening to Sour in the last couple of weeks and I know Millennials are the Olds now and this album was not made for me but it is unbelievably good.
I've been on a Simon and Garfunkel kick this week. It circles around periodically as I am a cradle Simon and Garfunkel fan just as much as I am a cradle Baptist, except I'm still a fan and not Baptist anymore. Art Garfunkel looks great in the Central Park concert footage and my high school choir teacher would have some thoughts about his breathing technique but it's worked for him for decades, so what do I know? https://youtu.be/ZCmgKSUXH18
Also, as of at least 2009, Art could still pretty much sing the heck out of Bridge Over Troubled Water (the whole video is pretty good): https://youtu.be/FThSLpW59Mw
Dude. It is 7:11 California Time, and I just finished my last zoom of the week, opened a bottle of wine, and sat down to some Swipe Up. I can't chat with everyone this week because I haven't seen my husband much today. We are in a bonkers heatwave this week. 104 degrees in Sactown right now. Just wanted to offer Erin solidarity because we are selling our house too, and it is so stressful. I have PDFed and sent a bazillion documents to various title companies and offices this week. Time for pizza. Stay cool Li'l swipes.
Hello, Swipes!
I am currently in the truck with my husband, mother in law & our two kids on the way to my in-laws land to go mow their 7 acres this weekend. ššš Jesus, be a quiet moment this weekend!
Iām struggling between knowing we are helping to serve his mom in her time of need and also feeling frustrated that our whole summer (and likely into the fall) will be helping get their affairs in order when we had other plans. My MIL is also pretty much a hoarder and is having a really hard time agreeing to let go with her (giant barn-full) of junk.
Ok on to treasures!
š My therapist and our video chat meetings weekly continue to be the best part of my week. Yesterday we talked about intrusive thoughts. So eye opening.
š Iāve been reading more - finished Crying in H Mart (Jamie B Golden rec) and now on to Malibu Rising!
š I found Lisa Gilroy on IG this week and she is continually cracking me up.
Her latest reel on the worst girl to peer grade your paper: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CRHcFk_lFeN/?utm_medium=copy_link
And then her period series is true gold:
https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MTM1ODUxOTc0MTczMjgy?utm_medium=copy_link
Have a great weekend, gals!
The item in question at the end of the newsletter is, in fact, a hair tie.
Also, has anyone listened to the podcast, Edith, yet? It is funny and also slightly educational in its adjacency to history. Profanity warning, not for little ears.
Do you Olympic fans follow the Paralympics? I've been a huge Jessica Long fan since I met her in Youth Group as a teen (I was on leadership). The Paralympics are so much more badass, but it gets waaaaay less press.
So glad today is Friday - we got back from our week on Lake Champlain late last night. It was the most amazing week - temps between 55 and 75, lots of fun hiking & playing on the lake, ice cream for dinner. The kids were able to take the canoe out on their own, which they LOVED, and made it to the top of their first Adirondack mountain. We drove right along the border & they were able to stick their hands out the window into Canada.
Then a harrowing 7-hour drive home through thunderstorms, and getting back on the internet to find out Haiti's president was assassinated, the ocean is on fire, and it's 95 degrees here with 300% humidity (estimating on that), and real life feels very & sadly real suddenly. I will greatly enjoy going through all the comments and reading everyone's treasures! :)
I call it a hair tie...but have no strong affinity for that phrase over others. My question to all of the 80's ladies...what did y' all call the hair ties with the two marble on the ends that you twisted over each other? Because we called the HAIR BALLS. Horrifying in retrospect.
I love the idea of a gender-swapped Psalty, and would pay actual cash money to watch Kathryn Hahn reprise the role. After reading that article, I listened to the whole soundtrack of #6 (the missions one) on YouTube while I replied to comments on here. My dad and I still regularly sing "Look at all this luscious food, I am really in the mood..." at any family gathering with a lot of food. So...all of them?
Speaking of family gatherings, the first gathering with my parents and both of my siblings and their families since Christmas of 2019 will happen this weekend when we celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary. I am so excited to see all the grandchildren together again. I am over the moon that we decided to get it catered instead of cooking ourselves. And I CANNOT WAIT to see my mom's face when she sees the life-sized cutout of the two of them at their wedding that I had made. HA!
Hello! First of all, I need to share that I, too, got my first taste of acting stardom playing one of Psalty and Psaltinaās triplets - I was Melody. Essentially I looked like a pink clown and sadly I have no photos of me in my costume. What I remember most from the experience was having a very hard saying the line āI love you, Dad.ā To a man who was not my dad and who was a giant clown face blue song book. It probably does not surprise you then that my acting career has been very spotty since then. Sad.
Secondly - that thing is a ponytail holder, what else would it be? āHair elastic?ā Maybe? I donāt know, because itās a ponytail holder.
Thirdly - I am overwhelmed by sadness and aggravation over *gestures* all this and as a person who loves to solve a problem and can solve none including whatās for dinner or how to potty train a stubborn three year old, I am feeling defeated. Iām in a position where nothing is wrong but everything is wrong. If that makes sense. Anyway. Happy Friday. Itās takeout tonight and so I am at least freed from solving that problem as I told my husband to pick whatever.
Oh also, speaking of food, if you havenāt watched High on the Hog on Netflix, I highly recommend. Such an amazing journey and I thought the host, Stephen Satterfield, was delightful to follow along with.
Well hello my internet friends - as for me and my house they are hair ties. Though I kinda love the idea of calling them "pretties"! I may be persuadable.
Had a fantastic fireworks free 4th of July weekend camping at the beach. It was beautiful weather and friends came out and visited and for this immunosuppressed girl, having friends spend time with you was nothing short of magical.
This week was fairly quiet - our nonprofit is planning an in-person fundraiser which has me as a person excited and me as an immunosuppressed person nervous. We're doing a virtual 5k if anyone would like to join, let me know and I'll forward you the link! I would love it (and it would really help the algorithm if you would give us a follow on the socials - @heartfelthelpfoundation
We are throwing my son and his fiancƩ' (Yikes! It's so weird to say that!) an engagement party next Saturday and I'm both excited and nervous. Our families are soooooo different...but love them and know that we will mesh well. It might take time, but it'll happen!
This group is just the best! So grateful for this space and all of you (gestures wildly) lovely people!
Hello, friends!
Bit of a shorter stop here today (and I am so late!)
I have been in Sandpoint, ID this week visiting my in-laws and my husbandās extended family. We stopped in Spokane for a night but mostly have just been floating in tubes and getting our golden tan for Hot Girl Summer. We leave tomorrow to head to Bozeman for OUR FIRST ACTUAL WEDDING POST-VAX. GIVE ME ALL THE WINE. GIVE ME THE DANCING. THE CAKE. I WANT IT ALL. Yāall. I cannot.
Also, for me and my household, it is a Hair Tieā¢ļø.
Going to skim the comments but canāt wait to hear about your weeks!
Yāall, I feel like this is a safe space to speak my truth. Growing up in our household we called them āprettiesā instead of āhair tiesā or āponytail holders.ā As an adult who now goes into the world and interacts with other humans, I use hair tie and ponytail interchangeably.
Two things....1) What is that black circle if not a hair tie??? And 2) Are there people who do not know about Psalty?! All and all this week has been a beautiful turd. I ended my family vacation with a fun chat with my grandma and a new household purchase of a pretty vase only only to come home to a two day migraine. All and all ups and downs.
Hello.
Iām 4.5 weeks into recovery for a very significant surgery. Iām doing so well, but 13 hours of anesthesia causes hair loss so Iām grieving large chunks of my hair falling out. Sigh. Vanity sneaking up on me. Also laughing still hurts, but hurts less so Iāve been binging all the funny newsletters/podcasts/tvshows i have previously been avoiding, and trying to limit laughter to gentle chuckles. Iāve just caught up on all swiping mail āŗļøāŗļø and am only trying to catch up on these comments because the comment sections for 5 weeks is toooooooo much.
Iāve read these emails WHILE forcing my 4 children to reorganize the playroom that has NOT been cleaned to mama standards for these past 4 weeks. I really have the best kiddos, who work at a pace that makes me grind my teeth. Distracting myself with gentle chuckles has helped.
I love reading comments. Iām a minimal interacter, but love reading, celebrating, praying, and cheering with you all.
Hello! Long time no post for me. First I cannot wait for this episode Erin. Since your story the other day I have just been waiting to find out who you interviewed because I love the Olympics and every two years become big time TEAM USA (other times not so much patriotic... I am sure you could guess reasons)
After that 2 am tweet all I can think of is the song that guy made of it that went viral (along with his others like the broccoli casserole one) and it will be my ear worm for the day...
I call those hair thingies 90% of the time along with half the things in the house. Thingy is my go to word. I call them many different things to be honest.
I went back to the office a few weeks ago (half time every other week) and it was so nice to see people. I am still masking and trying to stay at least 3-6 feet away (even vaccinated I am being very cautious due to my RA) but it was nice to see people again!
I still read all the lovely comments each week I just don't comment so just know you are all thought of and loved. <3