Can you believe it’s been nearly five months since we last shared a house tour? I grabbed the Flip cam and wandered through the house to show how each room looks on a typical day. This is raw and real—no tidying beforehand (evidence includes my embarrassing bra draped over a bedroom chair, so let’s all pretend we didn’t see that). If you’re at work, you can watch on mute and still get the idea of our everyday life.
A few things to note:
- This was taped before I swapped the hardware on the front and sliding doors, so the metal still looks brassy.
- I’m not great at walking, talking, and filming at the same time, so forgive the Blair Witch–style footage.
- People tell me I sound like Natalie Portman or Mila Kunis on video—I listened several times and still can’t hear it, but I tried.
- Oddly, I pointed out a Ruby Tuesday’s coupon on our desk. I have no idea why that seemed important.
- I should have rotated the ironing board to win Ironing Board Wars on camera—missed opportunity.
- Burger the chihuahua is adorable and content, curled up under the covers. Life is good if you’re a nine-pound dog.
- I become nearly inaudible in the second half of the video because Clara is sleeping—paranoid whispering mom mode. Ironically, we do lots of hammering while she naps, just not right outside her door.
- The ribbon chandelier from Clara’s closet is still in a pile in the playroom after I took it down to paint and stencil the closet.
- Clara’s room has a constant waterfall sound from her white noise machine, which is perfect for masking DIY noise and our barky dog.
- I forgot to film the sunroom at first, then ran back through the house to show things like squashed pillows and a blow-up whale pool.
- The rocker in the sunroom remains a mystery and, frankly, a threat—no progress on that upholstery situation since last November.
- My dramatic farewell with Clara’s stuffed animal is weird but true—we named her Georgia because she’s from there. Don’t ask.
What about you? If someone filmed a shaky, nauseating tour of your house without you picking up a thing, what would they find? Any funny or embarrassing details—like a Care Bear night light in the bedroom or an old pop star poster tucked away in a closet? John actually had a Britney Spears calendar when I met him in 2004—complete with red leather outfits and braided pigtails. I guess he has eclectic taste.
While digging through old folders on my laptop I found some amusing photos worth sharing in the spirit of “any given day.” Years ago, when I worked in advertising in NYC, I met a handful of celebrities while on the job. Most were lovely; one carried a reputation for being difficult, and sadly that rumor rang true.
Here’s John’s passport photo at 16 next to his at 24—Johnny all grown up.
There’s a goofy shot of John as a life-sized doll from a 2005 office project at the agency where we worked. I was a copywriter and he was an account guy. The office loved it—this was for a deodorant campaign—and I much prefer Doll John to the polished Ken doll I had as a kid.
And here’s our engagement announcement from 2006, taken moments after John proposed at the top of a mountain. It was one of the best days—definitely in my top five.
So that’s my Friday randomness. What curious old photos are hiding on your computer? Would you have guessed five years ago where you’d end up today? We never expected to leave advertising after loving it for years, and I certainly didn’t imagine leaving NYC after six years there. Life twists in surprising and delightful ways.
Psst—if you missed our first messy house tour, check out the original “any given day” video to see how much has changed since April.