What I’m Up To - Vol. 85

Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 84…

This missive is a little tardier than normal. We’ve been super busy. Hope it is worth the wait!

1. July Happenings

July was a big month. Wendy and I celebrated our 25th anniversary and I turned 55. We kicked things off with an impromptu 4th of July pool party. Our friends Kaelyn and Brent had just moved back to Austin and our old trainer, Veera, was in town handling work visa stuff. For the occasion, I smoked a brisket after 24 hours in the sous vide. It was my best brisket yet. Finally have the sous vide temperature and time dialed in.

July is usually an intense season at work as we prepare for our mid-year conference, Mega Camp. This year was no different. We did manage to squeeze in a couple of extras. Gary, Jason, and I work with our MAPS coaching team to outline a fresh, overhaul of our signature course, BOLD. We also went into the studio and recorded a two-part episode of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Podcast You can listen here: part 1 and part 2.

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We celebrated our 25th in Estes Park with our kids. Although it’s been a wet and mild summer so far, we blissfully traded the Texas cauldron for cool Colorado. We hiked daily including two excursions into Rocky Mountain National Park. I got in a day of fishing for trout and we visited the Stanley Hotel, where Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining.

Wendy and Carly conspired for me to have my birthday off. Having just returned from a week in Colorado and days out from our event, it was a total surprise. ❤️ Wendy took my Phoebe’s Diner for brunch, booked my first hydrofacial at a spa, and later took me to Odd Duck for a fantastic dinner. I even got to watch the US Women’s National Team beat ____ in the Olympics. My friend, Kara, sent me a box of donuts from The Salty.

The following day we did a revised birthday workout. Birthday burpees just don’t play with my surgically repaired spine. Our trainer David joined in for 55 plus one kettlebell squats, medicine ball slams, medicine ball crunches, and TRX rows. We finished with a set of deadlifts that added up to 5,600 pounds. When I arrived at work, my team had decorated my office and peppered my door with sweet notes from all my office mates. We had Little Ole’s Biscuits, Susie Cakes, and treated me to a delightful happy hour. Between all the food, attention, and a couple of martinis I dozed off around 9pm feeling as grateful and appreciated as I have in my life.

To put the ribbon on the bow, Wendy arranged a gathering of friends at Meanwhile Brewing that weekend. My mother-in-law, Linda moved out of our rental house into an apartment complex for seniors that same weekend. The age requirement? 55.

2. What I’m Reading

I can’t say I read The Coaching Habit by Micheal Bungay Stanier. The truth is, I studied it. Lots of underlines. I dove into some of the research and books he sourced. Stanier is a must-read for coaches and leaders. It should also be required reading for parents, spouses, and friends. Its one of those books that will make you a better person.

For fiction, I decvoured The Housemaid by Freida McGadden. This was my first fiction recommendation from my friend, Kim, and it was wickedly good fun. I also picked up The Shining by Stephen King for our Colorado trip. I love reading books set in the places I travel and we could see the Stanley Hotel from our Airbnb. Its very different from Kubrick’s adaptation and genuinely haunting. For anyone travelling to Colorado, I’d also recommend Plainsong by Kent Haruf. Its one of my favorite novels and masterfully done. Driving from the mountains to Boulder, I landscape started queued up memories from the book I read more than 20 years ago.

3. What I’m Watching

I really didn’t imagine we’d be consumed by the summer Olympics. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to them. I lean more toward the winter games. However, Wendy and I got hooked early and spent many an evening cheering from our couch.

Wendy and I watched season three of The Bear. It’s a work of art. I loved seeing my friend Will Guidera in his cameo. And the birth scene triggered lots of warm memories of the birth of our kids. We paused the show and revilived some precious moments. We also worked our way through Parks and Recreation, Season 4. Here and there, I picked my way through Peaky Blinders, Season 3. Aunt Polly and Alfie Solomons are my favorite characters.

We took the family to see Inside Out 2. Pixar’s knack for turning ideas, or in this case, emotions, into images is next level. Gus, Wendy, and I also caught Quiet Place: Day One. Stressful, scary, and surprisingly poignant. Trying to imagine the pitch in a Hollywood boardroom. “A hospice patient and her cat, Frodo, trying to survive an alien invasion!” God bless whoever greenlighted it. Gus and I liked it enough to rewatch The Quiet Place and The Quiet Place 2 and we’re delighted to find throughlines connecting them all.

That’s it for this month. Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!

Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay