And now, another word from Mr. Handsome…
One of my worst fears growing up was that I would turn into my dad. Now don’t get me wrong, Dad is a wonderful man and a good father, but when I was a teenager, he was certainty not cool. In fact, it seemed like he went out of his way to try not to be cool.
Other kid’s dads would gel their hair, wear stylish jeans, get tattoos, work out at the gym, drive sports cars, and wear Air Jordans. My dad wore farmer jeans, paid $10 for the same haircut from the same barber for 20 years, wore plain white New Balance casual footwear, and drove the 15 passenger family van. But the more I grow older, the more I find myself doing the same things he does. It’s horrifying. Here is a list of the things I swore I would never do.
Purposely Wear out of Style Clothes
It takes effort to be as out of style as my dad. His classic outfit around the house was a flannel shirt with sweatpants. Looking back, I think he was doing it purposely to embarrass us kids. But now I am doing the same thing. The only difference is I am trying to embarrass Ellie. I still love the look of horror on Ellie’s face when I walk out of the bedroom in my purple shorts and red t-shirt.
Embarrass the Younger Generation
Dad was always saying ridiculous stuff around our friends to embarrass us. It was awful. But now I find myself doing the same thing to my little sisters, who are almost two decades younger than me. I still laugh about the time I dropped them off at summer camp six years ago. Right before I drove away, I said, “I put your blankey and nightlight in your suitcase because I know you get scared in the dark.” I made sure to say it loud enough that all their little teenage friends heard me.
Tell Long-Winded Dad Jokes
My dad had his go-to dad jokes that he pulled out whenever he could possibly squeeze them into a conversation. Every time he told them, they got longer and longer. Of course, trying to tell dad you had already heard the joke was of no use because he was going to finish it regardless. Every time he would start one of his long-winded dad jokes, I would groan inside and swear I would never tell one of his jokes. But then I was sitting around a campfire with a group of friends, and somehow one of his jokes just fit the conversation perfectly. I had no choice but to tell the joke, complete with all of dads sound effects, commentary, and vocal inflections. The worst part was, all my friends starting howling with laughter after the punchline.
Read all the Displays at Museums
On family vacations, Mom and Dad would always make sure to stop at a few museums along the way. They wanted our vacations to be both fun and educational. All of us kids would scamper from display to display and make it through the entire museum in about 20 minutes. Then we would start begging mom to let us get back on the road so we could head to the beach or wherever our final destination was. “We have to wait until your dad is finished,” she would say. So we would search the museum to find Dad, and inevitably he would still be at the first display, reading every single word. We would then spend the next three to four excruciating hours watching him read every written word in the entire building. And heaven forbid there was a self-guided radio tour, because then we would be at the museum all day.
Well on our last trip before Covid, Ellie and I decided to stop at a museum on the way to the beach. It was something like $20 per person to get in. Ellie and Little Buddy made their way through the museum very efficiently, while I settled in and started reading the plaques. I had just spent $40 for this experience, and I was going to get my money’s worth. Ellie has since swore to never take me to a museum again.
Tinker Around in the Garage
Dad was always tinkering around in the garage, and I always thought it was the biggest waste of time. Well now I understand. When Little Buddy is running around like a crazy kid, tinkering around in the garage sounds like a very attractive option.
Talk About Politics
Growing up, my dad was always talking about politics with his friends, and I always thought that was the biggest waste of time. But when I became an adult and received my first significant paycheck, I quickly realized just how much money the government felt it was necessary to take out. Let me tell you, those politicians just sit there and spend my money and waste it on pet projects and fraud, and let me tell you what I think about blah blah blah…
Flirt with Mom
This is a family blog, so I won’t get into much detail, but there was nothing more disgusting then watching Dad kiss and flirt with Mom. Well let’s just say Little Buddy may have the same complaints one day. But hey, it’s a sign of a strong marriage.
So I suppose it’s just best to accept that I am slowly but surely turning into my dad. My dad was far from cool, but he was always there for us, and we always knew he loved us. I suppose there are worse people to turn into.
LOL, this is so true!! Especially this topic is hitting home with me as the older I get the more I see that my mom is coming out in me also. My girls will remind me, “oh mom, that sounds just like nana” to my consternation 🤭😧 and oh , the groans and sighs of what to do about it! Anyway, yes your thoughts there about your dads style of clothes and coolness.. is that you found out when you’re the one receiving the paycheck all this “coolness” will have to be balanced somehow to fit into the budget when you’re working for it and why the bother when you have a family to pay for! Well thanks for the chuckle of the day…you wrote a good one there.
Aww that’s so sweet! Loved the post!
We need more of “Mr. Handsome”, and a lot less of “Ellie” on this blog.
His posts are hilarious! Lena writes great posts too.
That is so nasty!
No! We need both Mr. Handsome and Ellies posts. They both have different subjects they post about and so the variety keeps it more interesting and fun.
I love when Ellie would post the different parties that she attends and I get so inspired by all the homemade decorations, and yes I did copy a lot of those decorations from Ellie for parties I throw lol. I also love the scenery of the different places she visits and I have put some of those places on my bucket list now. I also enjoy the different everyday things she shares because it helps people see they aren’t the only ones who go through those same things or do those things. Her recipes and the stories behind them are really fun too. Mr Handsome’s post are fun to read and he reminds me of the things my husband and I say and do now that we are getting a little older. Both Ellie and Mr Handsome seem like fun and adventures people which is awesome.
I wish you had used a better word than horrifying. We all wanted to do things different than our parents. What I wouldn’t give to spend just 1 day with my parents again. I hope you never have to hear your son say the things you did were horrifying.
Reading this made me realize me think of my own dad because he was just like this. Such memories!
Mr.Handsome I love reading your commits.
Mr. Handsome your lucky your dad wasn’t like my dad. My dad spend the whole Saturday doing the lawn. He would got out at 8am and didn’t finish mowing the lawn tell 9pm. He would have to mow, edge, fertilizer the lawn. He would take breaks too. He always wear he favorite pants they were green jeans with yellow top.
The use of the words your commits is probably correct. All of these stories are the result of having committed themselves.
Obviously it’s better to move on to the next thing in becoming stages if it is the wholesome family life you are growing more into. Who wants to be cool and alluring forever…..it’s better to be caught and kept in a good place where you can grow all the way up and thanks for sharing.
Ellie, I follow all your blogs and I’m so happy you decided to put this one back up!! I love reading your positive, uplifting posts and hearing about your parenting and travel adventures. I am disheartened to read some of the downright rude comments posted on some of your posts, and I’m sorry you have to ‘put up’ with that while you’re kind enough to keep us updated with your life! I know I’m just a random reader to you, lol, but I am a fellow Jesus- following wife and mama to two little boys, and I’m a longtime reader of your blogs and so grateful for your Godly, positive presence online. Even if/when you decide to give up blogging, please know you’ve made such a deep impact on so many lives. 🙂 Wishing all the best for you and your family!
You are so kind, Allison! Thank you for your support and encouragement. You are not just a random reader. 🙂
Ellie
Ellie, I’m so glad you kept your blog! What blogs do you all have and/or write on for other people?
Thank you, Gabrielle! I just have two other blogs.
This was too funny Mr H! Welcome back Ellie.
Thank you, Eileen. I am blessed to have you as a reader 🙂
Hey! Another random reader with two remarks:
1. I think Mr H’s posts are v v v sweet.
2. If you decide to give up the blog, please do a “good bye” post!
Thank you for the support, MarriedUK. I am so grateful for your readership.
I’m so glad you are currently keeping your blog up. Personally I prefer your blog over the other blogs you do.
Aww, thank you, Regina. Hope you are doing well!
Welcome back Elle . Happy to see this page up and running. Mary Keim
Thank you, Mary Keim. I am blessed to have you as a long-time reader!
Oh I was so thrilled when I randomly tried nashvillewife that it went through!!! Thankyou Ellie for giving back your cheery uplifting blog to us!!! For the time being anyway 😜. And if you do quit someday, give us a heads up so we can get used to it and say our goodbyes as well. Even tho I do not look forward to that time to not see nothing of you, I understand you can’t do this forever. But do know I LOVE 💕 IT for now!!!
Thank you, Candi. You are always so encouraging!
Yay!!! So happy your blog is up again! I missed it, and I missed you, Ellie! ♥️
Aww thank you!
Ellie. I glad your still doing the blog love reading your posts and your husband’s. Your like having another sister to me.
That is very kind, B. Thank you for being a loyal reader 🙂
Elie
Dear Ellie,
We have missed your writing. We also enjoy your husband’s writing but I wonder why you don’t write that often anymore. Is everything alright? Also, why can I not open your website sometimes? It requires a password and an email
Thank you, Tina! Things are going well, just busy. I have been considering stopping Nashville Wife, just because of the time commitment, but I think I’m going to keep it going for now. Thank you for being a loyal reader from Greece 🙂
Ellie
I am so glad your blog is back up Ellie! I also want to say, although I like Mr. Handsome’s posts as a “special addition” once in a while, this is Ellie’s blog and she has great posts. It’s hard to believe some of the comments. Ellie’s husband has a good sense of humor, but he does not by any means make the blog what it is. As a mom, I appreciate hearing from another mom, getting advice, seeing pictures, etc. By the way, Ellie, I just bought a book you once recommended on parenting by Paul David Tripp. I am looking forward to listening to it (I got the audio version). I am hoping you don’t stop unless you ever need to for your own sake. You have a huge loyal fan base.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy my posts, Kay! You are so kind. I hope you enjoy the book! Have a great day. 🙂
Ellie
Hello,
I have only commented a couple of times, but am a regular reader of your blog. I am so sorry for how horrible some people can be towards you. I don’t always agree with everything you post; however, that does not mean I should be rude and hurtful to you. I can understand why you would want to stop blogging. Please know, there are lots of us out there who don’t speak up enough to defend you (and I’ll work on being a better defender), but truly enjoy your blog and appreciate you opening your life to the world.
Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment. I am grateful to have you as a reader. Wishing you a wonderful week!
Ellie
Hi Ellie,
I am a long time reader of your blog. I personally prefer this one, but also read the others. It was such a lovely surprise to see the blog up and running again. It’s something I look forward to seeing what you might post about. The variety of your posts is fun and I enjoy Mr. Handsome’s contributions as well.
I have been thinking about you and your family a lot lately and hoping you are all doing well. I was honestly worried and really hoped all was okay. I can’t believe the rudeness of other’s posts sometimes. I can’t imagine the time you put into all the blogs. I certainly wouldn’t have the time for it (SAHM of 3). Since this may be the time I get to reply to you, I wanted to say how much I appreciate you sharing your family with us, and some very personal things that are hard to go through. I hope you have found peace and joy through your trials. If you ever write that book about your grandma or great grandma (I can’t remember which it was), I will be one of the first to buy it! Looking forward to reading your blog as long as you choose to do it!! Please know there are probably many more silent readers who never say much like myself, but we do care. God bless and thank you for all that you do! KC, Oregon
Thank you so much for your kind, encouraging words, KC. I am beyond grateful to have you as a reader.
Ellie