Mitch here!
I love writing these “10 Things” posts. And reading other people’s. They’re addictive. (Good job, Kelly. I see these posts popping up all over the internet now!) And boy do I have some things to write about today. So many things, so little time:
- I took the girls to the movies for the first time! A few days ago, I found myself with two girls and two hours to kill, and as luck would have it, a new movie theater opened up near our home. The timing worked out, so we sprinted (meaning scooted) to the theater just in time to buy all the popcorn and candy we could carry. Interestingly, it was opening day of the new Pixar movie Lightyear and we were at the first showing. So we accidentally were one of the first people in the country to see the movie, and it was pretty good! Of course, it’s not easy for a 3- and 6-year-old to sit still for two hours, and Lucy wasn’t happy that she couldn’t “change the channel” when she got bored. But we survived and stayed the whole time. Pretty impressive, if you ask me!
- We celebrated Noodle’s 8th Birthday last week. It’s hard to believe that our little puppy is EIGHT YEARS OLD! Admittedly, I’m not much of a dog guy. (An unpopular opinion about the species, but I am who I am.) Noodle is just so cute, though. She’s a great dog and the only dog I could ever love. I mean that. No more dogs after Noodle…
- The key got stuck in the door for about an hour yesterday. We have an old house and it’s got some tricks up its sleeve. Yesterday, my front door key got stuck in the lock and I had to disassemble the whole door lock mechanism to get it out. I was extremely pissed, but the minute I got it out I became awash with that warming glow of accomplishment that only comes from a successful house project. Look at me… I unlocked a door successfully. What a guy.
- We got new chairs. If you follow this account closely, you’ve likely seen these babies plastered everywhere Kelly can post them. But I LOVE THEM. They’re the Carlisle Upholstered Armchair and they’ve totally changed the look and feel of our house from a sort of hodgepodge coastal vibe to a somewhat proper traditional home?! I’m not even exaggerating. The only problem I’m having is that I like sitting on the couch so I can look at the chairs. I give them an A+, and that’s coming from me, which is really saying something.
- We also found some great outdoor cane chairs for our deck to replace the ones that I hated and sold. (I was too big for them.) Made some money on the switch and Kelly didn’t seem to mind–she actually loves the new ones?!—so all’s well that ends well.
- Pottery Barn finally has a proper Chesterfield sofa. I do love our Wayfair Chesterfield, but I’m a little jealous that we missed out on the Pottery Barn one. It’s very nice.
- We’re officially driving to the Jersey Shore in two weeks! This has been one of those low-key ongoing marriage debates for the past six months but I’m happy to report that I won the argument and we’re driving to Ocean City. I apparently wrote a full on blog post about this topic in 2017, but the simple point is that I like driving better. It takes the same amount of time door to door, and it’s far less stressful. I’m already loading up the 12 hours worth of podcasts and planning little stops along the way. Can’t wait!
- This was the last week of school. I was either a student or a teacher for the first 30 years of my life so the last week of June still brings around strong emotions of excitement and freedom. Let’s be honest here: the last day of school is one of life’s purest moments of joy. And that feeling intensifies a bit as a teacher because you get like 70 days off of work and you’re an adult with the freedom to do whatever you want. But… as a parent, the feeling is a little bit, uh, dampened. I’m put in the awkward position of wanting to give my kids the same unbridled joy I experienced as a kid, but the reality that the next few months are going to be INTENSE parenting-wise. Whatever, let’s just do it.
- What I’m Reading: While I’m on the topic of education, this article about how many teachers are leaving the profession spoke to me. I was a teacher for over a decade and left the profession for many of the same reasons mentioned in the article. If you’re a teacher, please remember that we all truly respect your work and hope you have a wonderful summer break. You deserve it.
- What I’m Listening To: Kenny Chesney Thanks to Kelly, I’ve grown an appreciation for country music. When we first got together, it was like nails on a chalkboard. 😆 But it sort of grows on you after a while, and now it’s a total vibe that we play in the house all the time. From my perspective, the undisputed (current) king of country music pop stardom is Kenny Chesney, and we’re seeing him at Soldier Field this weekend with 60,000 of his closest friends. I’m looking forward to a huge concert and some giant glasses of Blue Chair Bay rum all night long. Thank you, Kenny Chesney!
- What I’m Watching: Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special Norm Macdonald died in September and since he died, I’ve grown an appreciation for what he did during his life. Norm suffered from repeated bouts of cancer over the years, and he eventually lost one of these battles but killed the cancer at the exact same time of his death. Which, you guessed it, is a truce. That’s a Norm joke. Anyways, Norm recorded his last special in his home during the pandemic because he knew he wouldn’t be able to perform it in front of an audience. It’s a little unsettling to see a master perform a work for the first time after he died. But I’m happy it exists. And like everything Norm did, it’s great.
That’s enough for today. And as always…
Mitch OUT!
