We told you we have gifts for you, but we wouldn’t tell you what they are. Today, we’re ready for the big reveal. Are you? 

Hello, by the way! This is Andrew from the Too Beautiful To Live podcast. I hope this email finds you well.

As I hope you know by now,  Luke, Jon and I are headed to my home town of Valley City, Ohio, next week for our annual TBTL-a-Thon. We’re setting up shop in my old elementary school, live-streaming the podcast via YouTube, and taking your phone calls. While we’re there, we’re also going to find a frog in the wild and enter it into the Valley City Frog Jump Contest on Sunday, July 19th. 

What does this have to do with your gifts? Well, I was just getting to that! 

Everyone who donates during the TBTL-a-Thon receives a thank you gift. And this year, we’re especially excited about what we’ve cooked up. 

You know how some people describe all the self-referential jokes on TBTL as “inside baseball?” Well, we decided to honor that by offering official TBTL Inside Baseball Cards!

We teamed up with Mike over at Gummy Arts and asked him to create 30 original, hand-drawn TBTL trading cards. Each one contains an image of me, Luke, Jon or a friend of TBTL in our unique element. Is there one of me carefully taking my garbage bins out to the curb? I guess you’ll just have to grab a pack to find out! (Actually, no you don’t. Of course  there’s a card with me and my beloved bins. How could there not be?) 

Here’s the fun thing: Each pack contains 10 randomized cards. So if you donate at the $10/month level, you’ll get 10 cards, but we don’t know which ones you’ll get! If, for example, you are hoping to get one of Jon with his puppies, but you instead received one of me eating a hotdog, you can trade with a fellow Ten! (And don’t worry, I won’t be offended. Too much.) 

Let’s say you’re a completist, though, and you want to get all 30 cards. No problem! You can also receive the entire set if you donate at the $25/month level.

There are many donation levels you can choose from, and each tier builds upon the other, so you can collect more and more gifts.  Folks who give at literally any level will receive a once-a-week video edition of a TBTL episode and a cool magnet that’s a miniature version of the one we lost off the side of our Mitsubishi Delica all those years ago…

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Andrew! This is very cool and all, but I was really hoping you’d make some t-shirts this year, too. I was picturing something related to the frog jump event, maybe something that pays tribute to Valley City and also feels a bit nostalgic?  Anyway, I guess we can’t have everything.”

That’s where you’re wrong, dear reader.  You can have everything. CHECK THIS OUT:

Luke’s friend Spring created the perfect t-shirt for us. It’s exactly what we were imagining when we came up with the idea many months ago. I’m so excited about this design, I might break my rule of “never wear a shirt that promotes your own podcast.” Because this one is just too cool.  

And of course, at the various donation levels, we offer on-air thank yous, special Dazzling Donor messages that we’ll share on the podcast, and other goodies. You can check them all out at the updated donation page here! 

The most important part of all this, of course, is that you understand how deeply grateful we are for your ongoing support of TBTL. Without you, there’s literally no TBTL. Thank you so much for everything you do to make this daily podcast -- and the community around it -- possible. Luke, Jon and I are beyond excited to join you from Valley City next week! 

Also, don’t forget, you can sign-up for our Wednesday evening Zoom party here. And if you have any questions about any of this (or your current donation level), email Jon. He’s amazing at getting back to people quickly!

Thank you all so much! The next time we talk, we’ll be in Ohio, and Luke -- I’m assuming -- will be wearing a full frog costume, head-to-toe. We’ll see. 

Have a great weekend!

-- Andrew

This is what Lucy looks like when she wants me to come outside to play.
But I’ve got a newsletter to finish, Lucy! 

What’s your name and where do you live? 
Catherine Blake Smith. Glasgow, Scotland.

When did you start listening to TBTL? How did you find the show?
I started listening in 2009 or 2010. I found out about it from the Eli Sanders mention in The Stranger, pretty soon after I had moved to Seattle.

How would your friends describe you?
All eyes and hair and wit. Also, a good cook.

What was your favorite cereal when you were a kid?Is it still your fav? 
When I was little, I always wanted sweet and sugary cereals like Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, and Reese's Puffs, but I was only allowed to have Rice Krispies. Now I just eat muesli.

What food do you love to eat the most of?
French fries, or as they call them in my new home city in the UK, “chips.”

What’s the best or worst nickname you ever had?
When there are too many Catherines/Katherines/Kathryns etc., I am often dubbed 'cbs' because of my initials.

If you could play one song on TBTL, what would it be? 
Lightning by David Byrne & St. Vincent

What’s a special skill that you have?
Throwing together a 'cheese plate,' aka a bunch of snacks for an impromptu picnic.

What’s a special skill that you wish you had?
I wish I could write music.

If you were driving down the street and you saw Luke and Andrew on the sidewalk, what would you yell at them as you drove past?
“Slabjacking!”

Can other Tens find you on social media?  
Sure, I'm on Instagram @thecbsnetwork, and my Substack is at isthisemotionallabor.com.

Would YOU like to be a TBTL newsletter star? Just fill out our fun little Ten of the Week form here!  And check out our Ten of the Week archive while you’re there.