Down The ShoreWell, my hard work in the bathroom paid off. Kate was very impressed with my manly manliness. It was all well worth it.

To celebrate my hard work, we took a drive on Saturday morning down the shore to Manasquan. For those of you that are not familiar with New Jersey-isms, “Down the Shore” is proper grammar and has been a well-used member of our happy vernacular since the dawn of Adam (who, incidentally is originally from Bayonne before hopping Jet Blue to the Garden of Eden…). Anyhow, we spent the day on the beach and played in the ocean. I felt even more manly as I held my fully pregnant wife in my arms with little effort (the salt in the ocean did most of the lifting). Nothing boosts your ego more.

That afternoon, as I was reading my new book on the beach while filtering sand through my toes, Brandon called and informed me that they had stood in line in Central Park (yes, the one in NYC) since 7 a.m. and got extra tickets for Shakespeare in the Park (SITP). SITP has always been something that Kate and I wanted to do. We lived/worked in the city for so long and yet never got around to it. We hurried home, showered and got our butts into the city for a little gosh darn culture.

The play was Much Ado About Nothing. The cast included Sam Waterson as Leonato, Jimmy Smits as a hilarious Benedick and Kristen Johnston as Beatrice. Kristen Johnston was a thrill to watch as she and John Lithgow propelled 3rd Rock from the Sun to my all-time favorite Sit-Com list. The entire cast was top-notch and a fun time was had by all. One minor complaint. The seating in the Delacort Theatre is horrendous. The tiny seats were not too comfy for my manly frame (I wonder how many times I can say “manly” in this blog? That’s five! It must be related to my manly lack of self-esteem. That was six.).

This morning we saw little Levi Isbell get dedicated at church and then swam at our pool for a couple hours. Tonight I have no plans or responsibilities. It’s been a very fulfilling weekend. This week I will tackle our garage. With the bathroom done, I feel so manly that the garage should be a piece of cake! (yep, that was seven.)