Is John Mayer the OG smallest man who ever lived?

You might think so after you read this week's anonymous submission...

Hi! Hope you all have had a great week so far (also, it straight up freaks me out that yet another week has gone by). I want to start by thanking you from the bottom of my heart for being here! I’ve gotten such kind feedback so far, and you’ve been so supportive of this new adventure of mine. As it turns out, writing a newsletter of this caliber is quite an undertaking each week. I’d say it probably ends up taking me 6+ hours when all is said and done, and this week took an extra long time because we’ve had friends in town, and Margot got wiped out by a nasty sickness. But I love writing, and it’s a good way to keep from rotting my brain out on TikTok and Instagram, so I appreciate the support.

We are still at my mom’s, and some good friends from Birmingham came down with their two little ones to do a beach week with us! We’re going full-blown tourist style, so if you see a tired mom with really long hair and a glass of wine pretending to have fun playing putt-putt…come say hi!

What I’m Reading:

A lot of political BS. What a wild ride this election year has been…and it’s only getting worse. Obviously, TikTok existed 4 years ago, but it has the potential to shake up the election in ways never seen before. More recently, I’ve been seeing tons of viral Kamala sound bites and dances, and it has me thinking a lot about how millions of new voters might choose who they’re voting for based solely on their favorite influencers and celebrities. There’s been talk that the Democratic Party will use Taylor Swift and other big names to sway millions of young people to go out and vote, and it just came out that Kamala’s campaign is paying influencers $20k+ to post on their social media in support of her presidency. That is life-changing money for most people (so if you see me posting about voting for Kamala, you know why….lol jk).

In all seriousness, encouraging young people to vote is amazing, but telling them who to vote for is another story. And if I were still a young and impressionable teenager, you can bet your bottom dollar I’d vote for whoever my favorite influencer told me to. There’s a fine line between encouraging young people to vote and undermining informed decision-making. There’s no understanding of complex political issues or policies when you’re watching a viral TikTok dance to a Kamala sound bite. Is this a popularity contest or a democracy? But let’s be real, the American people didn’t choose the Democratic nominee anyway, and they almost lost their Republican nominee to an assassination (that the media is trying their damnedest to get us to forget), so I guess democracy was already out the window to start with.

Also, I want to clarify that I never want to be divisive or make anyone feel like they’re not welcome here. This is a safe space for everyone regardless of your political beliefs. I respect you no matter what you think! And I actually fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to which party I identify with. It’s just tough and discouraging to watch the media play their tricks on us. There is just…so much more than meets the eye.

What I’m Eating:

Another bomb summer salad!

• Grilled chicken

• Sliced peaches

• Burrata

• Arugula

• Balsamic glaze

That’s literally it, and it is so tasty. I’ve been on a burrata kick since we got back from Italy in May. Can’t stop, won’t stop eating that creamy goodness.

What I’m Listening To:

I know I talk about Taylor Swift a lot, but words can’t convey how epic "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" truly is to me. It is hands down her best song ever. I’m not lying—I think I’ve listened to it every day since her album came out in April. When I was thinking about what to write for this section, I was like, dang, I haven’t listened to any podcasts this week. But I did listen to TSMWEL. And lemme tell ya, that song just DOES SOMETHING TO ME. Like… it makes me want to punch someone in the face for real. So stay away from me if I’m listening to it just in case. And seeing her perform it in person was genuinely one of the best moments of my life…the drumline, the octave changes. It’s sickening (in a positive way).

Anywayssss, do I need therapy?

Speaking of seeing it live, her shows in Vienna, Austria were canceled this weekend due to a planned ISIS attack, and I can only imagine how heartbroken she and her fans who were planning to attend are feeling. Lots of people are speculating about whether or not she’ll end up playing her last London shows or if she’ll scrap the remainder of the European leg of the tour. I don’t think she’ll do that, but honestly, it really just sucks that this is even a thing. I would be a nervous wreck if I were her.

What I’m Learning as a Mom:

I saw something on Instagram the other day that said, “‘Self-care’ is not enough to fix how much moms are burnt out…It’s time that we stop telling moms that a simple act of self-care will undo the years of culture-induced overwhelm that is causing us all to burn out.”

And I said PREACH. Mic drop. I’m outta here. But seriously—I love being a mom so incredibly much. My girls are such good kids, and they’re hilarious, and they make my jaw drop daily with their genius little minds.

And also, I am so tired. When the end of the day comes, I crash, crumble, and die. And if you’re a mom in a similar season, I know you do too. So I want you to take a moment to acknowledge how amazing you are. And I want you to feel PROUD of yourself. Think about how many thousands of decisions you’re making each day when it comes to your babies. And how on top of that, you’re trying to teach them to be good people and also nourish them well, and make sure they don’t watch too much TV or see you on your phone too much, and have matching shoes on when you leave the house, and brush their hair, and find their stuffy, and tell them to stop fighting, and get more snacks, and then you go to bed and do it all again the very next day.

A manicure every three weeks can’t cure that ^

Do we support self-care? YES. Is a manicure a nice break from momming for a moment? YES. Is it worth every painstaking little fingerprint on your mirror? YES. But give yourself grace. And acknowledge the weight of what you are carrying daily. We are incredible. And so are our babies. And nothing about being a mom is a small task. So enjoy that massage chair, sis. But also give yourself credit for just how much you’re doing.

What I’m Loving:

Van Leeuwen…have you had Van Leeuwen? Van Leeuwen might be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet. Anyone know what movie that’s from? I’ll venmo the first person who guesses right in the comments $5.

But seriously, my friend turned me on to Van Leeuwen ice cream, and I think it’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had? I eat me a lil ice cream snack every night these days, and it has ruined me. Also, I don’t even like cherry ice cream, but the cherry chocolate chip flavor is so good it’ll make your tongue slap your brains out. I get mine at Sprouts or Publix! I think they even sell it at some Walmarts. Also you need this ice cream scooper, just trust me.

What I’m Thinking:

I’m thinking about how this time next summer, we’ll be moving! People are always surprised to hear that Colorado isn’t (and never was) a long-term situation for us. Adam will owe the Army 6 years of service as an Army lawyer since they sent him to law school for free. We really wanted to be stationed in Italy after he graduated, but job-wise, it looks like it might be better for us to wait a few years to go there. So now we’ve been talking about other places we might move, and it makes me happy and sad at the same time (cue Kacey Musgraves). I moved 12 times before graduating high school…I actually do enjoy it. And some of the potential places we might end up have me pretty excited. But dang, I will be sad to leave Colorado. Three years is the longest we will have lived anywhere, and it’s where our girls will have spent their littlest years. I know we still have a year left, but it’s crazy to think that we’re on the tail end of our time here. I can't wait to see where we’ll be off to next!

What Are Y'all Up To?

My favorite part of the newsletter…anonymous submissions. And let’s just put it this way, if you don’t want John Mayer ruined for you, you probably shouldn’t read this. Also, it is R-rated, so if you like to stay away from that kinda stuff, here’s your heads up :)

Submission 1: House Hunting Heartbreak

“My husband and I are currently in the market to buy our first home. We moved to our current town in June of last year after my husband graduated with his master’s degree and got a job here, and then our firstborn son was born in October. While we didn't think we were exactly ready to buy this year, we started slowly looking because our current rental is on the market and we might need to move at any time. We ended up stumbling across a house that felt perfect for us and was everything we were looking for so we put in an offer earlier this week. We just found out a few hours ago that the seller opted to go with another offer. I am surprised to find that I am just feeling completely devastated. My husband is a pastor, so we didn't exactly "choose" where we wanted to live and instead followed where the Lord opened doors for a job, which happened to be a city we otherwise would have never chosen. It is hot here in the summer (think triple digits in the teens) and my SoCal self is slowly melting and dying. This house had the most beautiful backyard (which is hard to find here) and I could already picture my son playing back there. I have been struggling with discontentment about where we live geographically and the fact that I have to give up some dreams, like a big grass-filled yard in which to raise my kiddos, in this season. This house made those dreams feel less far-fetched, but that is clearly no longer a possibility. Long story short, I guess I just am looking for any encouragement or advice people may have about the home buying process, as well as about how to deal with discontentment.”

I’m so sorry to hear about losing out on the house you felt so hopeful for. Funny enough I was in an extremely similar situation years ago when we were house hunting in Birmingham. Everything about the house we found was perfect. We put in an offer and wrote them a letter practically begging them to accept our offer, which is totally something you should do if you’re not already. I even mentioned how I could envision raising our kids in the backyard. When they didn’t accept our offer I was seriously heartbroken. It just felt so perfect for us. We ended up buying a house that was honestly…not great. I never really liked it and when I look back I actually regret buying it. However, I think if we had gotten the dream house we loved, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Adam was super unhappy with his job and overall career path when we were in Birmingham, which is what led him to joining the Army. I think if we had gotten our dream house, he might not ever have joined the Army because we wouldn’t have wanted to leave our home, and I’m SO thankful that’s not how life played out. All of that to say — it sucks. And you might not find a better one. But ultimately the Lord knows exactly when, where, and how you will find your next home. And he also knows that no matter how wonderful it is, it’ll be a daggum dump compared to heaven. Sending you all of the love and prayers as you continue your search. It will work out.

Submission 2: Mayer Mayhem **graphic details ahead**

So two of my best friends went to college at Virginia Tech, and John Mayer performed there during their sophomore year. One of their friends (hot then and still hot now after having two kids) was approached by one of his bodyguards and brought backstage. Apparently, that's a thing? Being famous is weird. At the time, he was dating Jessica Simpson, so he just had her take her top off while she was sitting on a couch, and then he took care of himself while standing about 10 feet away. He claimed he "couldn't cheat on Jessica." LOL. I will never get over that story. 

I’m not kidding, this story has weirded me out, man. Can we just all take a moment to think about this situation? Was she just…sitting there? I feel like this poor girl has to be scarred. It’s borderline predatory and full-blown WEIRD. Sounds like he needs to stop waiting on the world to change and get to changin’ himself, amirite?

Welp, that’s a wrap. Somehow I’ve managed to write another million-word newsletter even though I felt like I didn’t have anything that great to say. I would absolutely love to hear from you in the comments or via anonymous submission. Praying all of you have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Until next time!

Xo,
Addi