Multiple recs and then I make you cry

Sitting on my couch last night, I looked over at my youngest and realized very suddenly and surely that I had just had the most incredible week. Nothing extraordinary occurred, but every single thing we did was interesting and good and enjoyable in its own way. I had the week off and my oldest was home from college for spring break, so it was a rare span of time to hang with my kids in which I had virtually no other responsibilities. Here are some things that happened, because I want to tell you about them but also because I want to capture them before they float away.

We went to the movies and then spent a solid hour afterward arguing about what we'd seen. Since this is my newsletter, I will tell you that I did not like Love Lies Bleeding at all, so don't consider this a rec. But my children have wildly differing opinions and if they want to share them, they're welcome to comment on this post.

We spent all week alternating between episodes of Portlandia (only on AMC+ but they have a 7-day trial) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Hulu), with another rewatch of Fleabag (Prime) for me thrown in toward the end. Imagine what the inside of our brains look like now.

We went to a day show with friends at Scholz Garten, an Austin institution that's been around since 1866, and saw 2 good bands: Large Brush Collection, which you know sparked several puns from me, and Garrett T. Capps, whose channeling of Tom Petty I wholeheartedly support. There was another 'band' that played between sets, which was identical twin brothers manipulating synthesizers and other large electronic boxes to produce monotonous, loud humming sounds at various frequencies for 30 uninterrupted minutes. I am not making any of that up.

The oldest helped paint a friend's house while the youngest and I went to a shark exhibit at The Bullock Texas State History Museum. The Bullock is just fine for a museum but we invariably find ourselves bored after 30 minutes. Then we went to the French Legation Museum, which I'd always heard about but never visited, and it was neat but also brief.

Because we weren't yet museum-ed out, the next day we drove 30 minutes up north to Pioneer Farms, which was DELIGHTFUL. It's a living history museum that's also a working farm, and I will definitely be returning. Look at this beautiful fellow who posed for my camera.

We also went swimsuit shopping, did a good amount of sleeping in, laying around, and reading, and laughed a whole lot. It really couldn't have been a better time. It's one of those weeks I want to freeze in amber, because they're coming far fewer these days.

My favorite newsletter writer, Rusty Foster, published a post in the middle of all this that couldn't have been timed better. His son is graduating from college soon, so he's going to take 6 months to hike the Appalachian Trail with him. He's suspending his normal newsletter (and its supporting income) during this time and will write about his time on the trail instead. I'm not much of a hiker, but I am insanely jealous of the huge bank of time he'll get with his kid.

Parenthood has an endless supply of phases, all of which are quite skilled at punching you upside the head while also giving your heart a super-tight squeeze. Late-stage adolescence and early adulthood contains, in my experience, a shocking amount of pride, joy, and deep longing. I'm endlessly grateful I get to experience it. I love you, H & E.