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I need to check out Ted Lasso. I keep seeing so many comments about it. Let me add it to my list!

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Good morning internet friends! I have been a little dormant. I am preparing for a move to Nashville from Mississippi. I have been having some terrible anxiety because of all the parts going in to the situation.

1. My last salaried paycheck came late June. I still have month to pay for August for two places (where I'm moving from and where I'm moving to- on August 14th).

2. I am worried I won't have my student loans to pay my September rent.

3. I have had a headache for 5 days just from the stress of preparing for the move and honestly, because I don't have a job. I've literally never not had a job. I don't like asking for help. But I did decide to post in the We Got You spreadsheet.

4. I have been working two side gigs to try and make some money, but I'm still so nervous. Trusting when you can't see how things will turn out, especially when it comes to money, is very hard for me.

Any encouragement you can send my way is very welcomed. As well as anybody who lives in Nashville who would like to hang out- let me know because I don't want to be too much of a hermit.

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Erin, your curated tweets are fire. Just wanted to share my appreciation. 👏🏻👏🏻

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One of these days, on that trek to the Hicks ranch, you should swing through Norman and see your cousin (and your Aunt Kay, of course)! Would love to see the fam 🧡

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Hello, friends! This week was busier than usual but we survived and actually thrived a little. Praise for normal living!

⚕️There were 3 appointments for Mom this week. Neuro checkup with zero surprises and instructions to ease into more dosage of her memory meds; Mom isn’t on board with her dementia diagnosis and doesn’t think she actually likes the neurologist, so we’re likely getting a second opinion soon. However, when she saw her primary care physician for annual checkup, this is the conversation that went down…

Doctor: “Do you know what year it is?”

Mom: “Yes. It’s 1980.”

Doctor: “And do you know who the president is?”

Mom: “I can see his face. He has white hair. It’s not the Catholic one anymore.”

Me: 😳

I’m not sure if she meant Kennedy was the “Catholic one” or thought we’d moved past Biden. She always looks at me now for confirmation of her answers, and all I could say was, ”Those answers aren’t correct but I can’t coach you.” I think she’ll eventually come to grips with her diagnosis but it’s still so new and she feels mentally capable most of the time.

💪🏻 Physically, we’re transitioning to home rehab because Mom is just TIRED. She went through a program for shoulder rehab from February to June, then got an order to start working the core to get her mobility back, but we missed most of the appointments last month due to her health and my own exhaustion. Mom has decided she’s just DONE with going out so often, so the PT released her and gave us home exercise instructions. Is this going to work for my mom? Doubtful. But here we are. And I just got a phone call telling us that Mom has osteopenia developing in her hip and lumbar region, so it’s going to be so much more imperative for her to strengthen the bones. I’m not at wit’s end, but I’m having some hard conversations and wondering when is the right time to change my caregiving role. She seems to be in a middle ground of not bad enough for home health or nursing care, yet very much not strong on her own. 🤷🏻‍♀️

👯‍♀️ We spent Wednesday with both my sisters and my niece + grandniece, grandnephew. It was a breakfast plan that didn’t get on the table till 1pm because neither of my sisters cooks ahead of time… and it drives me insane. Y’all, the older I get, the more grumpy I become about the illogical things my sisters do. It drives this e5 nuts! I was extremely grateful for the babies and their pure joy. My grandniece met us at the front door in her Cinderella costume with one blue slipper and one pink slipper, and I just can’t get over it still! 🥰

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZlExNLYKJ/?utm_medium=copy_link

The baby boy is also at that walking stage of holding on to furniture then crawling across open spaces, so that was great fun to watch. I also realized that I’ve reached the phase of life where I don’t try to help in the kitchen. I hate cooking, my sisters never stop talking, and there’s so much activity that it’s chaotic for my introvert soul. I just sat on the couch like a husband/dad and did the fun stuff with the babies. I didn’t even offer to clean up. I’m sure I was the subject of sister grumbling after the event, but I’ve reached the old lady stage of just not caring. Honestly, I spend every moment aware of my mom’s needs (like a toddler mom) that I very much enjoyed the chance to let others do the work this time. I forget how much relief there is when others can share the responsibility of being available for Mom.

💤 Best news of all, I have slept every night (in the dark hours) for a full week now, AND awakened in the morning hours most days. 🙌🏻 I’m not sure this is the actual reason yet, but 2 changes are certainly contributing to this: a new pillow and a bamboo pillowcase. No more sleep sweating and no more excessive waking to change positions. This pillow was a Prime Day purchase and I’m floored that it’s been such a great find. It’s WEIRD but sooooo good.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MG5KTD

Now to find some cooling tank top pjs that don’t cost $50.

😈 I’m off to finish LOKI now. I haven’t been ready for it to end. I didn’t think I could love him more than I did already but this series has given me SO MUCH. My nephew has argued that there’s “no point” to the story and where Marvel is heading so why should anyone even care about this series, and my answer came quickly: “Because it’s Loki. That’s all there needs to be!” 🥰

Thank you all for weekly delights! I hope to become a contributing member again one day. 😝

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Good morning to my favorite people on the internet!

🥳 I have a big treasure to celebrate with you all today - after 7 months of unemployment my sweet husband starts a new job on Monday!!! He'll be working with student athletes making sure they keep their GPAs up & are eligible to compete at Cal Baptist. Some of you really encouraged me when he was the runner up for a job he really wanted in Oregon - thank you for all your kind words and T's & P's! Even though we don't get to move out of state (yet) we are so grateful that he got a full time job in the field he wants to get into!

💩 And, of course, in the celebrating there are also some turds.

🙃 As you might guess California Baptist University is part of the SBC. We've never had any personal experiences with the SBC, just a bad taste in our mouths from the convention this summer and major theological disagreements (I'm a female pastor with an M.Div., so, you know. 😂). We're a little nervous about this, but he decided to accept the position because the school has a great reputation out here & it doesn't look like his day-to-day will be in direct conflict with where we stand.

💰 His new job is about 45 minutes away, so we are trying to decide whether or not to move. And you guys, it is SO EXPENSIVE right now in SoCal. I mean it's always expensive here, and I know the housing market effects the rental market, but it's so discouraging that the average price of a ONE bedroom is $2,000/mo (vs 2 years ago when it was $1600-1700). GAH. So T's & P's appreciated here.

👗 This last one is a turd & a treasure - in August I am going back to work in person for the first time since the pandemi lovato started!!! I work at a university, so I am SO EXCITED to see my students on campus again! But the turd is that none of my business casual clothes fit very well now 🙃 Gotta love going up a size or two. I'm trying to give myself grace, but man is it a hassle to have to buy new clothes when a) it costs money and b) sizing across brands is a nightmare ☠️ (as you guys definitely know). Anybody have good recommendations on where to buy office clothes? 💕

Okay, thanks for reading this whole thing. I really appreciate you all and this is the best part of my Friday! 💓

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I am sitting on a ranch with my family in the glorious panhandle of Texas.

There is no humidity. It’s not a bajillion degrees this year.

The grasshopper plague isn’t oppressive this year.

I am 5.5 weeks post surgery and did get the clear to passenger on the four wheelers within reason.

My children are filthy and happy. They’ve all caught more fish that we can count in the pond. (Even my four year old is quiet at the pond so we don’t scare the fish. Glorious)

We are going to watch the meteor shower tonight.

It is my most favorite place. Happiest Friday, y’all.

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Hey everyone! Erin, I’m also overjoyed by the new Ted Lasso season dropping soon. Honestly the best tv of 2020 for the hubs and I. Also pretty excited to dig into season 2 of Never Have I Ever. So fun!

We are still trying to find a house and it’s frustrating being out bid time and time again. Thankfully we are not being forced to move, so if things just need to wait a while, that’s okay too. Ts&Ps for a showing we are going to this afternoon, though, please! 😂

I’m attempting at the age of 38 to approach middle age with grace. I saw my first spider vein on my leg and sought out a vein doctor. Fast forward to this week and I had an ultrasound on both legs and an appt to go over the results this morning. Doctor says I need a radio frequency ablation on a couple of veins in each leg (!) and that I’m lucky I caught it early before it gets bad. Has anyone ever had this procedure done? I’ve had a uterine ablation to get rid of monthly bleeding and he assured me that it’s easier than that—it’s an in office procedure, not a surgery. Any advice? I’m so curious if any other swipes have done anything similar. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

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Hey friends! It has been a minute. Life has been a bit overwhelming I started a new job after not working for about 6 years. Its been great but its also a huge adjustment trying to figure out how to do the home things along with the job things- muscles I haven't had to flex in a long time. Teenager is going through some things which culminated it what felt huge and scary a few weeks ago but is ok now. Found him a therapist he likes so he can work through the stuff and feel better. Hard watch your baby struggling with mental/emotional health. Lots of guilt involved as a mother even if when I look at it all logically.

On the awesome side, we went to a cabin on a lake with our very best friends who we haven't seen in a year. My bestie bought us a 2 person float with cup holders that she christened the USS MOM FLOAT. It was amazing. We would float on the lake all afternoon chatting about all the things. Sometimes and kids and husbands would join us and we would tie all out floats together. Is there anything better than floating on the water with your people? Total bliss!

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Hello hello!

It's been a minute since I've had the brain power to update. My husband has his last day of a three week intensive through the Folgers Shakespeare Library. He's learned a lot and he's excited to implement new things with his 10th grade English students in the fall, but it's meant that I've had the 2.5 year old and the 4 month old alllllllll day every day solo, and 🎶 I think I'm losing my mind🎶. Actually, I'm very proud of myself for making it through with both, but there have been some low moments. My 4 month old, I've discovered, is a very high needs baby in general. She doesn't tolerate being put down at all or for very long, and even baby wearing doesn't please her at times. It's been exhausting and isolating, especially with a toddler who literally scales our furniture. I've found it difficult to admit to myself that I don't always love being a stay at home mom, especially because I know that I'm privileged to be able to stay with my kids, even if financially it feels like we're barely eeking it out some months. Anyways. Motherhood is a duality and I'm learning to hold the joyful and difficult at the same time.

We went on a nature walk at one of my favorite places last weekend and honestly.....it made me come alive. Unfortunately we've been dealing with *more* heat advisories so I haven't been able to replicate the magic and the endorphin high since then. The excessive heat and humidity can die already.

OUR NEW KING SIZE MATTRESS COMES TODAY AND MY BODY IS READY FOR BETTER SLEEP! Seriously though, we've had a crappy Ikea Queen for our entire marriage and bedsharing with two kids. My side started collapsing at the same time the postpartum sleep deprivation was peaking and I cannot WAIT for my first night on our new mattress. Gah. Is this what being an adult is all about, finding the right mattress? 😅

My treasures are a bit random this week.

📺 I stumbled upon the show "In Treatment" on HBO Max recently and I'm watching the older seasons before I can dive into the recent remake. I'm really enjoying the difference in format from most shows, seeing as it centered around a therapist in sessions with his various patients. It's super well written and I might have a weird crush on Gabriel Byrne??? Seriously though, the first season is an ETERNITY long but it's really well made. I just started season two.

🎧 I keep checking for a new episode of the podcast "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill". Its about the Seattle church of the same name and also about power dynamics and leadership in the church. Highly recommend!

🧦 I downloaded TikTok again for 24 hours last weekend (before I realized I was spending so much time on it I wasn't getting anything else done) and Laundry Tok changed my life. I saw a video and a lady mentioned that she doesn't need to fold her bath towels and my mind was blown. Now I'm figuring out how much laundry I can reasonably get away with not folding and it's changing my life, y'all.

Well. Off to tend to the babies and figure out how I want to spend some child free time my husband is making happen for me this weekend. Oh the possibilities....

Hope you all have a lovely week.

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Happy Friday! I've worked for a church for 15 months but up until now, we've always had online services on Sunday so I didn't feel wrong working the normal M-F schedule. Now that we're in-person (praise the lord!!) I'm making myself not work on Fridays and Saturdays... it's a process not feeling like I have to get up and be productive, but I'm learning! To kick off my weekend, last night I watched the first four episodes of Ted Lasso. I see what Erin sees. It's magical. I'm so sorry my confusion of how to work Apple TV kept me away from this for so long.

My other treasures for this week include:

- I had a phone interview for my dream job as an oncology social worker... I think it would be a great fit so would love any prayers/good vibes as the hiring manager looks at my resume and application so I could go on to the next step and get the chance to talk more about why this is my dream job!

- Ted Lasso, obviously.

- This tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikeylish/video/6984469989910662405?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6895934345899984390&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

- I spontaneously got drinks with a childhood friend this week. We were so close all throughout school and even went to colleges that were only 30 minutes away so we saw each other relatively often. I was in her wedding in 2018. But since then I lived 4 hours away and she was settling into married life and I think I saw her once in 2019. I was nervous because I have changed so much in those three years, I was worried that we wouldn't have much to connect on anymore. I was wrong. It was amazing, and so nice to connect with old friends who you don't have to explain *gestures wildly* all of this to. I'm still working on making new friends though.

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Hiyaaa! I haven’t posted on here much, so here’s a blurb about me. My name is McKenna, and I am 21 living in Chattanooga, TN. I have been married to my awesome hubby, Matthew, for a year and a half, and we have 2 pups. I am starting my graduate program in occupational therapy in the fall, so I’m just soaking up the sun before I put my head in a book!! Tell me a bit about you. So excited to meet my new internet friends.

The exvangelical tweet—— YES! Perfect description of what’s been going on in my brain. And on the topic of Teva’s, I need some recs!! I’m tired of my Chaco wearing feet smelling like I just walked out of a swamp! I need some adventure shoes, but I’m also looking for something cute that I can slip on with a sundress. Is the perfect pair out there, or should I just buy two?😉

On another note, my husband and I bought a house at the end of February. 🎉 I am in the midst of furniture shopping because we went from a 600 sq ft apartment to an 1800 sq ft house. I’m drowning in all the space and the natural light. 🙌 I need some recommendations on where to buy sectionals. That has been my biggest nemesis so far.

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1. "As Foretold!" - thanks for this! I loathe the other!! 2. Divorce is the worst, but I did get the house. Yesterday, after weeks of procrastination on dusting the blinds in my bedroom, I realized that if I don't want to have blinds in my room that catch dust and require that I dust them, I DON'T HAVE TO! And so I took them down. Felt like a step in the healing process. Lol. Little by little I am realizing this is MY house and I can make any decision about it that I darn well please! So liberating!

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We just got back yesterday from a family trip to Michigan and I think we might be lake people now?? This is not what I grew up with so I’m delighted by it but also a little surprised. Currently 2 kids are in only underwear/diaper & the 3rd slept in her clothes. It is a dang zoo.

Treasures:

-I saw capybaras at a farm/petting zoo on our trip! They’re my 2nd favorite animal (wombat is 1st) and I’ve never seen one in real life so I kinda lost my 💩. My kids did not share my enthusiasm so they’re lame.

-my almost 2 yr old can say her own name (finally)! I think she needs evaluated for speech therapy but I’m rejoicing over any new word. And her pronunciation is adorable As Foretold.

-I bought pink glasses to match my oldest girl and I thought I’d hate them but I love them. Now I want to buy all the colors to make up for wearing boring glasses my whole life.

So glad to be back in the comments this week!

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VERY GOOD tweets this week. Also my favorite summer shoe, forever and always, has been my Chacos. But the pair I’ve had for almost ten years (!!) is finally wearing out, and they don’t fit as well since I had my daughter?? Bodies are weird. Anyway I might take the Tevas recommendation, we’ll see.

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Now I’m thinking “What the Actual Foretold” and cannot stop 🤦🏻‍♀️

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