When I floated the idea of doing a guest “interview” with John, he was agreeable, if a bit skeptical. He wasn’t convinced anyone would have questions for him.
I knew better. And, you had so many questions that I’ve split his answers into two parts! Today’s post covers parenting, marriage, and personal miscellany. Part Two will dive into work and travel.
For readability, I’ve grouped the questions by theme. Since I mixed and matched submissions, I’m not attributing questions to specific readers, but a huge thank you to everyone who sent them in! (If you’re curious about who asked what, scroll down to the comments on the original call-for-questions post.)
Without further ado, please welcome my favourite guy in the whole wide world:
The one, the only — John.
PARENTING/FAMILY
Q. What are your favourite parts about being a dad?
First, I love being a dad, and I’m fortunate to be called “Dad” by two spunky kids with big, fun personalities. My favourite parts:
- Teaching life lessons. Things like how to shop for sales (the kids are already very savvy at looking for items second-hand), the importance of having a strong work ethic, and how to interact with people. I like being part of their “street smarts” education.
- Adventuring with them. [John is definitely the adventurous one in our family and that’s rubbed off on both our kiddos.]
- Watching them achieve milestones. (Big and small) and cheering them on.
- Making them laugh. Nothing makes me happier than when we’re laughing together. I love our inside jokes and we have a lot at this point. [We’re a family with big emotions, loud voices, and we are very, very silly.]
- Seeing their personalities develop. It’s both humbling and hilarious to spot little pieces of myself (and Elisabeth).
Q. Indy is into fishing – did he get that love of fishing from you?
Sort of. My best friend is an avid fisherman, and his enthusiasm rubbed off on me. I also have happy childhood memories of fishing for perch and sunfish off docks. I wanted Indy to have those same kinds of memories.
To more directly answer the question, I’d say that I gave him the opportunity to fish, but these days he’s sometimes keener than I am! I tend to think about logistics (tides, bait, equipment, mess). He just thinks, “FISHING! It’ll be so much fun. We might catch a big one.” So at this point he influences me. Because of his unadulterated love for it, I fish more.
I also appreciate that it’s something we can learn together. I’ve mostly done lake fishing; now we’re learning about ocean fishing. Indy is confident about asking other fishermen for help or advice, and we’re learning side-by-side. That’s a lot of fun.
Q. What’s your favorite part of parenting? What’s the hardest part? What did you never expect but popped up with your kids?
My favourite part is watching our kids learn new things and sharing that joy with Elisabeth. It’s not just “my” kids—they’re our kids.
Hardest: when I know how something is likely to turn out and want to say, “Trust me, this won’t go well.” It’s tough to watch them make preventable mistakes. But I know those lessons are necessary.
Q. Is your parenting style much different than the style your folks had?
Not really. I would say many/most of the same values and approaches have carried forward. I suppose because my personality is more adventurous, we go off on lots of spontaneous things, and my parents were not as flexible as we’ve had the privilege of being.
Q. Do you have a signature dish you like to cook for the family?
Lasagne.
And I’m the only one who barbecues (aka “grilling”). I love it. [True. I’ve never barbecued a single thing in our marriage. He really loves barbecue.]
MARRIAGE
Q. Favourite personality traits etc of Elisabeth? We blog readers know so many wonderful things about you from her – your turn to tell us about her!
Personality quirks, you said? [Yes, he said that. And yes, I DO have a lot of quirks which, thankfully, he tends to find endearing.]
- She’s genuine in friendships—caring, thoughtful, and so good at remembering little details about people’s preferences and lives.
- She cares deeply for her parents and family.
- She’s really funny. Maybe I helped unlock some of that humour? [100%. I am a much funnier person because I married John!]
- She works incredibly hard without complaint.
- She’s smart and processes the world around her with insight.
Q. What are your favorite things to do with Elisabeth (and vice versa)? What things does she do you’re not interested in (and vice versa)? Basically what hobbies overlap and what ones do not.
On the big scale, I really enjoy travelling when it’s just the two of us. We’ve been fortunate enough to do trips to Australia, the Dominican Republic, France, Italy, and various places in the USA. Travel together (without the kids) definitely tops the list!
In terms of more local/regular things, I’d have to say our weekly at-home date nights. Those are such a highlight. [Ditto!!!]
I also really enjoy hosting people together at our house. We’re a great team in the kitchen, and it’s fun to talk about life experiences together with a group.
- Walks/hikes.
- Thrifting!
Where we don’t overlap? Reading books. Elisabeth reads a lot more books than I do.
Q. What is the funniest thing Elisabeth has ever said to you?
There have been many—but one line lives in infamy: “Did you know mini carrots are the hotdogs of vegetables?” She said it in complete sincerity after someone convinced her they were reconstituted carrot bits. That was over a decade ago, and we still laugh about it.
Q. What is your favorite meal that Elisabeth makes?
Buttermilk drop biscuits served alongside her seafood casserole, and her cinnamon coffee cake fresh from the oven for dessert. [He used to joke that he married me for my biscuits!]
Q. What do you love most about your relationship with Elisabeth?
We’re in sync. We laugh at the same things. We balance each other out—like Nate Bargatze jokes: “You can’t have two dreamers in a relationship. One dreams, the other hates fun.”
Well, I’m the dreamer…Elisabeth sometimes hates fun. I’m kidding!!! [This is pretty accurate. I am definitely NOT the dreamer.]
I never feel like I don’t want to spend time with her. Not a single time in our years of marriage have I ever wished I could be doing something without her. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy myself doing things with others—it’s just that I’m never tired of her or needing space.
Q. I believe your home is very neat and tidy and organized. Are you a person that contributes to that situation or does that not come naturally to you?
Yes, I definitely contribute to the tidiness.
Being neat comes naturally to me. I don’t mind a minor amount of disorganization (I’ll leave a few T-shirts at the end of the bed for a few days, which Elisabeth is less likely to do). But my office space is always neat. I like clean counters, tables, organaized drawers, clothes hung or folded, minimalist decor so that clutter doesn’t build up. I keep my electronics and vehicles clean. I like a neat lawn. Though I’m never overly fixated on any of these. [Honestly, the main problem is the kids. THEY don’t care about things being neat and organized. When they were both away at camp our house stayed so tidy and it was glorious!]
Q. What was your first date with Elisabeth?
Technically, it wasn’t an “official” date, but here’s the story…
We were planning to go out for coffee in the afternoon and Elisabeth told me where to meet her. She said she would be in her lab (we were both in our final year of our undergrad degree), and told me exactly where to go. Well, when I showed up, I looked in the half-open door, didn’t see Elisabeth, but did spot a whole bunch of people wearing lab coats. I assumed a class was going on so I left.
Meanwhile, Elisabeth waited and waited and assumed I had stood her up. When we finally managed to connect, she explained it was just a research lab (so I could have gone in or at least knocked on the door), and we made plans to meet after supper.
When I came back later that evening, the building was locked. Through the front window, I saw her standing alone at a microscope. It literally took my breath away.
So yeah, it was definitely a date, even if we didn’t call it that at the time.
PERSONAL
Q. If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?
A black panther. They’re so sleek and stealthy in the jungle.
Q. What did you want to be when you were little? And…did it pan out?
I wrote a letter to my grandfather when I was 8-years old telling him that when I grew up I wanted to own a business and travel the world.
Check and check.
Q. Do you like peanut butter as much as Elisabeth?
Yes! In both sweet and savoury (think peanut satay) forms. I would almost always take peanut butter over butter as a spread on anything. And I usually look for peanut butter flavoured desserts.
One year for Valentine’s Day we took turns in the kitchen making a surprise dessert for each other. We both ended up making chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. [True story. And, I will be the first to admit, his were superior to mine.]
Q. If you magically had a completely free day with zero obligations, what would your perfect day look like from start to finish?
- 6:00–7:00 am: Bible reading and catching up on global news.
- 7:00–8:00: Coffee and breakfast on the deck with Elisabeth.
- 8:00–9:00: Prep a picnic and load the car.
- 9:00–12:00 pm: Drive along the Nova Scotia coastline, explore a beach, lighthouse, or seaside town.
- 12:00–3:00: Enjoy our picnic lunch, walk around, adventure, take pictures.
- 3:00–6:00: Go to multiple thrift stores to browse.
- 6:00–9:00: Dinner out with Elisabeth (the kids would be elsewhere at this point!) and a beach stop to watch the sunset on our way home.
Q. Do you love to be frugal like Elisabeth? Or are you more “spendy” by nature?
I don’t think I’m spendy by nature. I’m very frugal and am always looking for deals. Mostly I like to optimize. It’s not about being cheap, but I want to get the best deal I can manage.
That said, one way I think we’re frugally different is I don’t feel guilt over spending money. I want to spend wisely, but I think money is meant to be given, spent, or saved—not hoarded.
Q. What are your three favourite movies? Favourite movie genre?
I love movies, so I’m going to answer the first part of the question two ways. My favourite movies are not necessarily the movies I think are the best movies I’ve ever seen. [I’m not a huge movie fan so when we’re watching things together it tends to be documentary series. We watch some movies together, but he watches most on his own.]
Favourite:
- Point Break (this is my all-time favourite movie)
- The Usual Suspects
- The Empire Strikes Back
Best:
- The Godfather (1 and 2)
- The Usual Suspects
- Inglorious Basterds [Yes, the title of the movie is actually misspelled; apparently that was intentional.]
In terms of movie genre, I gravitate toward mobster movies (think: Donnie Brasco, Casino, Goodfellas, The Godfather). I love spycraft/thriller movies (think: things by John le Carré).
I also enjoy movies by the likes of Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenenbaums), Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), and Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction). The characters and stories are chaotic, but so vividly told.
Q. Favourite actor and actress?
This is like being asked to pick a favourite child! Historically it would have been Harrison Ford (it’s hard to top Indiana Jones and Han Solo). These days, I’d watch anything with Christoph Waltz, and I also really like Benicio del Toro and Michael Fassbender.
Favourite actress: The most well-rounded I can think of right now is Cate Blanchett.
Q. Do you prefer sweet or salty foods?
Sweet with heat is my absolute favourite combination. I love trying new hot sauces and am a big fan of Southeast Asian cuisine. [He tells people I find ketchup spicy which is a bit of a stretch but this is one way we are polar opposites. I do NOT like heat.]
If it’s snacks, salty all the way. I don’t like candy at all.
Q. Do you have siblings?
Yes.
I’m adopted, so this adds some layers to the answer.
I have an older sister who was adopted when she was very young by our biological aunt. (We got to spend time with her when we were in Portugal last summer.)
I was adopted by a Canadian couple when I was five. Two more biological siblings (a sister and a brother) were adopted by the same family and came to Canada in the years after me.
So that makes three of us who live in Canada, plus one in Portugal.
Q. Did you play sports when you were a kid?
Yes!
- I played soccer all the way up through university and even into provincial-level leagues.
- I played hockey for 6 or 7 years.
- I played badminton for school teams.
- I’ve played some other racquet sports for fun, but never competitively.
- I’ve played golf in different periods of life…but never well.
Surfing is something I do infrequently now, but there have been chunks of my life where I’ve been an avid surfer. I love being in the water on a surfboard.
Q. Do you read Elisabeth’s blog?
Every single word, except I skim her book reviews. [Fair enough. They are long!]
Q. Do you read any other blogs?
Dave Kellog’s, KellBlog. He writes about SaaS business topics. I read that blog regularly. [I do NOT read this blog. Snore.]
Q. Would you ever want to write your own blog?
No. But there have been various times in my life when I’ve wanted to write magazine-length articles on economics/international relations topics.
Q. How do you feel about being a public figure, along with your wife and children?
First, I guess I have never once thought of myself as a public figure.
Occasionally, Elisabeth will want a second set of eyes on a post before she publishes it, but that’s pretty rare. I trust her with the level of information she puts out there.
The same is true with the kids. We are aware and cautious about how much is shared publicly.
Q. What do you enjoy reading?
Mostly articles, especially in the style of The Economist. I’m always interested in business, tech startups, and economics. While I prefer articles over books, here are some books I’ve enjoyed in the last few years:
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
- Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek
- Atomic Habits – James Clear
- The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy – Eric Metaxas
I tend to enjoy things by Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (Freakonomics). I’m currently listening to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk.
But my favourite book is the Bible. I read it on a Bible app daily, alternating through different reading programs (could be the Bible in a year, or it might be a program on a specific topic).
Thanks for “stopping by” today, John! This was so much fun. I think readers will love seeing more of your personality. You are hands-down the funniest person I’ve ever met (his classmates even voted him Most Likely to Appear on SNL), not to mention handsome, affectionate, loving, adventurous, and an incredible husband, father, son, and friend.
Stay tuned for Part Two, where we dig into John’s thoughts on work and travel.
Your turn.
- Questions or comments for John?
- Do you and your partner share any hobbies, or do you each have “your own thing”?
- What’s your go-to signature dish in your household?
- If you had to pick an animal “alter ego,” what would it be?
- Snack preference: salty or sweet?
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I have met your favorite guy, so it’s extra fun to get to know a bit more about him in this post!
When I was reading the fishing part, the phrase “give a man a fish and he will have fish for a day, teach a man to fish and he will have fish for life” came to mind – there is never a time when the metaphor is more apt than when we’re talking about parenting. That’s exactly what I saw in your house last weekend (minus any literal fishing expeditions).
John’s perfect day is literally what we did on Saturday! Adventure in the morning, thrift store crawl in the afternoon!
My husband and I share a fair amount of hobbies, but we also have distinct gaps (Boy Scouts for him, travel for me). Our biggest difference is exactly what I saw at your dinner table. His spice tolerance is zero and I’m the one who is bringing a selection of hot sauces to the table to spice things up.
I’m so glad you can put a face and personality to the name. And you’ve been able to taste his delicious savoury waffles (maybe he should have put that for his signature dish?).
Thankfully John loves hot sauce, so it’s easy to cater to my zero tolerance and he can ratchet things up to be a lot more interesting for his palate (I’d be in the corner in the fetal position if I used spice at his levels).
Oh my, what a charming interview. Elisabeth, John is a keeper! The love he has for you and your family just radiates through these answers
I have a sweet tooth, I’d like to be a cat, my husband and I share few hobbies, and my cooking is boring so no signature dishes.
Looking forward to part two!
He IS a keeper. I’ve managed to “keep” him for over 16 years, and I’m hoping for dozens of years to come!
Boy !! Did you ever hit the jackpot 🙂 What an amazing person. How blessed you and your family are to have such a wonderful husband and father. Can’t wait to read part 2.
You hit the nail on the head; blessed, indeed <3
So interesting – to find out more about your guy in his own words:) And if he used to play badminton, he’s really got to try pickleball. Open play at Wolfville School, Tuesday evenings… I’m obsessed!
We really do need to try pickleball. Time is our excuse and I know we could work around it, but it’s tricky with his travel schedule and the kids extracurriculars. Our church hosts pickleball a few times a week, too.
I should join you some Tuesday evening and see what the fuss is all about. I’ve still never played pickleball a single time but I have a feeling if anyone can convert me, it will be you 🙂
Ha, it’s funny John thought there wouldn’t be many questions for him! He doesn’t realize how nosy we are.
It’s fascinating that even as a kid, John knew he wanted to own his own business and travel the world. And- you two seem absolutely perfect for each other.
Sweet or salty- both, unfortunately. When I cut myself off of sugar, I developed a craving for salty snacks. I’m impressed that John “doesn’t like” candy. I don’t eat candy anymore, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like it if I had it!
Looking forward to part 2…
I love sweet and salty! And while I don’t eat a lot of candy, you know how I feel about Twizzlers. He won’t touch them with a 10-foot pole!
This was really fun to read! You guys are so very well matched! I’m glad you gave him another chance after the sort of botched first date! I had to google what SaaS even though my direct report had just explained what it meant to me when he used that term in a recap of a meeting I missed while traveling last week. I love that he’s doing what he said he wanted to do at age 8!
I would say Phil and I have a lot of common interests, like hiking, travel, running, being outdoors. We don’t have many opportunities to do these things together in our current stage of life, though, with young kids (hiking with the kids sounds miserable TBH at this point…). We also have a number of different hobbies, like golf for Phil and reading for me.
I like both salty and sweet treats! I wish I was like John and did not like candy!
I was pretty upset (I had been so intentional about what I wore and had endured an afternoon in slightly-too-small shoes), but he redeemed himself big time and I would say our whole dating experience was a bit like something out of the movies.
I just like snacks, sigh. And even if I don’t LOVE a snack, it still tempts me 🙁
I loved reading this! You have such a sweet relationship. And I love that he reads your blog!! <3
John has the same reading taste as the men on my side of the family- LOL! Those are all books my dad, brother, and uncles would read/have read.
I really love that he reads the blog, too!
We rarely overlap in our reading, though I like Gladwell and a good biography.
Outstanding interview, always made more lively by Elisabeth’s participation. Thank you, John, and looking forward to the next installment.
Your hot sauce preferences sound lethal, your movies far too actiony for my wussy self, but I like the books you mentioned.
P.S. The blog you read almost put me to sleep with the description alone. . . Sorry, Mr. Kellogg (who would probably snore reading my blog)
P.P.S. I think you two might still be too young for pickleball. 😎
You’re too kind, Jana!
I avoid any and all hot sauces. That is one thing we never, ever fight over. He can have every last drop of every single hot sauce!
You know how I feel about male authors generally, but I do enjoy Gladwell and Freakonomics! I have a copy on my shelves.
This was a very fun look into John’s brain! I liked all his positivity – he sounds like a great guy! I also bite my tongue when I know the kids are going to make preventable mistakes (within reason, obviously, nothing deadly) because that’s the way they learn best.
He is definitely more naturally positive than me; I think we even each other out. He’s more intense than I am though and more energetic. I am much more adventurous because of him, and I think I reign him in a bit. Like, he would hop in the car and drive across Canada tomorrow without anything planned. Um…I would not do that.
It’s so hard to bite your parental tongue, but sometimes I also know they’re just going to ignore my advice anyway so I might as well save my breath and be there to help them in the aftermath. Thankfully we’re still at VERY low stakes, but I know this will get more and more daunting at their decisions carry more and more weight.
This was such a wonderful, uplifting interview! I’m so glad that John allowed us to get to know him better. I’m looking forward to the next installment. Elisabeth – I am with you: Ketchup is spicy! Seriously! I can get a very upset tummy from ketchup. It’s nice that there are hot sauces to add to bland things so everyone can enjoy their food!
I happen to love ketchup (and I DON’T think it’s spicy), but my low tolerance for spice is incomprehensible to John who would basically add hot sauce to anything! To each their own, I say!
What a fun way to meet you! I came from Ally Bean’s site and this is a great post. I really enjoy meeting people important in someone’s life — you learn so much about someone that way!
Hi Laura, thanks for stopping by!
Well, you’ve met the most important person in my life right off the get-go, so now we can be immediate friends 🙂
This was a delight to read! Thank you to you both!
My husband loves spice and I do not. I’m in the “quarter teaspoon of black pepper in a huge pot of soup is going to be too spicy”class of spice aversion!
The pictures of young John look like Indy SO much, except for the hair colour!
I’ve never really stopped to compare John’s younger pictures with Indy but you’re right – I see overlap! He also looks A LOT like my brother/dad when they were his age. The combination of genes is fascinating.
Aww, this was so fun to read! You guys sound so perfectly matched, and your whole relationship DOES sound like something right out of a movie! haha. (Also- this must have taken forever to put together! All those corresponding photos! VERY nicely done, you two! Love it!)
What a beautiful little life and family you two have created together. 💗
There are always bumps in the road and we’ve had a few, but I am so grateful to have a loving, caring spouse. The older I get the more I realize that is not, sadly, the norm for most women. I am blessed!
The pictures didn’t take long because I label all my blog pics for easy searching, so it actually wasn’t a very complicated post to pull together!
This was so much fun to read. Love all the pics 🙂
I so enjoyed this post. Your love for one another and your friendship with one another is so clear. I can see that you make a great team and that you are both very devoted to your family. I love learning more about your background and the things you like to do together. My husband is also the grill guy in our house. I could grill, but I feel like if I start grilling – then it’ll just be one more thing that I cannot delegate. I’m all for delegating whenever possible.
I’d say my biggest hobby is writing and Coach does not write. At all. We both enjoy watching sports, going for walks, and spending time with the family. I do a lot of baking, and he does a lot of grilling.
My signature dish is probably Cuban Sheet Pan Chicken or Balsamic Chicken and Peppers. I do love it when we make carne asada. He grills skirt steak and I cook up the peppers and onions, etc. That’s a meal that we make as a team.
I’ve never considered what animal I’d be. Hmm. I guess I’d be an otter. They’re cute and playful. I would love to swim around like they do, but I also want access to land.
I am a big sweet tooth. Coach likes salty snacks. When we first got married, he asked me Where do you keep the potato chips? I was like, Huh? I don’t buy those. Bah ha ha.
I’m like you – I *could* grill…but why? It’s something he likes to do and it is something I can remove myself from entirely!
I also love to write and John does a lot for work, but not creatively. So that’s another place we vary!
Both of those dishes sound delicious! I like both, but think I’d edge out to salty if I had to make that hard decision.
What a good match you two are, and how wonderful that he was up for satisfying your nosy readers. You seem to have just the right amount of overlapping interests and complementary traits to be a perfect match for each other. G and I both run (but G takes his running a lot more seriously) and enjoy other outdoor activities as well as travel. I enjoy photography and books, which he does not. We also do some ministry together, which is nice. I think sharing a faith provides a good foundation for a strong marriage. The hot spice situation in our house is the opposite; G will have spicy food, but not too spicy.
Photography. Did we mention this in the post. We both love taking pictures, but John is much more artistic with his shots. I tend to take pictures of people, and he takes incredible landscape and architecture shots. It all works out because he takes pictures I would never think to capture and vice versa.
Faith is central to our marriage and you are right. Above everything else, it is the framework for our relationship with each other.
Yay! I’ve been waiting for this post. Although I’ve heard some of this before it was so fun to hear it straight from John’s mouth! I knew I liked him but also he writes just like he seems! Very fun!
I would totally read a magazine article that John writes about economics and international business relations! And also enjoy Gladwell and the Freakonomic guys. (They have a fun podcast too!)
I hope he gets a chance to write articles some day; he’s a great writer but has a spectacular mind for business!
Loved reading this – thanks for sharing John. You guys are so well aligned – I can only dream of having a naturally neat husband (I’m sure he says the same thing about me hehe). I love a tidy house but putting things away after I use them does not come naturally to me! Those pictures of John from childhood are so cute- and how much did John look like Indy at the same age? Also clear where Indy gets his boundless energy from. I also have never BBQed Elisabeth – always a man around keen to do it, so I’m happy to make the salad. I love that you and John love to travel together – that’s my number one thing with Alan too. We don’t have a lot of overlapping interests – but travel and food top the list, and we never get tired of experiencing both together.
Looking forward to Part 2 🙂
I am very fortunate to have someone who also appreciates neatness. Neither of us is crazy about things being neat (which is also good!), but we both appreciate getting things back to rights/order and work well together to get it there.
Travel and food are a winning combination in our relationship!!!
Yep, as Luann said: you’ve hit the jackpot with John!
One thing I’m curious about: since he was adopted by a Canadian couple at five, how did he keep up with Portuguese? I imagine that must have been quite a challenge.
I love how you two balance shared hobbies and your “own things”, it sounds like the perfect mix. I think our common interests are running and hiking and, of course, our faith.
Looking forward to Part Two!
He speaks enough Portuguese to get by. He learned English very quickly and while both his adoptive parents speak Portuguese, they didn’t speak it at home that often. I bet if we moved to Portugal or were there for an extended time he would pick it all back up in NO time.
Awww, what a great post! I loved learning more about your John, and I love that he was willing to sit down and answer all these questions from your very curious blogging friends! I think you two are a wonderful match and complement each other and are wonderful role models for your kids!
Jon and I are both salty snackers, although we won’t pass up ice cream or a piece of cake either 🙂
Ditto. I reach for salty snacks first, but have no aversion to cake or chocolate 😉
so nice to meet John, he’s such a beautiful soul and you are so much in tune and alike. Me and my husband we share a lot of values, but interests wise we are quite different. We do less things like hobby together but love each others company.
John and I share book preferences. all his non-fiction authors are my favorite too.
in our family, the staple food when short on time is fried rice.
Fried rice! I haven’t made that in so long and it is delicious. I should add that to my menu for the week!
I love this post! This was so fun to read and get John’s perspective on things, especially raising kids and your relationship! I love the way you two just LIKE being around each other – obviously, there is deep love there, but also just two people who enjoy being around each other and don’t get sick of each other. That’s really special!
We really are the best of friends and I try not to take that for granted!
Hi John!
Elisabeth, this was such a fun read; John is even more magnanimous than I’d imagined. What an amazing partner, father, and human you’ve chosen to spend your days with.
I had a great giggle at the baby carrot/hot dog analogy, and I will probably always think of it while snacking on a baby carrot. (Aka: baby hotdog!)
I love that John reads every word of your blog: (minus the book reviews)what a compliment that is.
The photos of him as a kid are so cute, and he’s not changed much.
Coach and I like a lot of the same things, but also don’t have the exact same interests. Did we ever? Maybe it’s hard to remember as we’ve evolved so much in the last forty years. That is a good thing, but we also make each other laugh every day.
Cheers to having a supportive, loving life partner.
Thanks, friend. I have a keeper, that’s for sure <3
Dear Elisabeth,
would you mind passing along your recipe for your cinnamon coffee cake please?
I’ve done a cursory search on your whole blog for it and didn’t find it. Each mention, and there are more than a few, had me imagining their smell freshly baked from the ofen and now I’m very hungry for some cinnamon bake.
It was a pleasure reading John’s interview!
I am terrible about sharing recipes (if they’re not easily linkable).
I’ve gone ahead and written it out in this week’s Happy Things Friday post, so look for it Friday 🙂 It is a family favourite, for sure.
Thank you very much, Elizabeth!
For anyone else interested, here the link to the recipe post:
https://optimisticmusings.com/happy-things-friday-26-september/
You are most welcome!
This was so great to read. It puts a bit more meat (do you say it like that) to the person we have heard so much about.
I love your relationship dynamic. You can feel it all the way through the screen.
Awww <3
He's an awesome guy and I'm glad that came through via the "interview."