status update

Welp, this month has been a doozy of emotions. There was that whole depressing/upsetting/baffling election debacle that I'm still not over (not even close), but I also spent two glorious weeks on a boat in southern Europe AND the cubs won the world series. So I'm in a quandary: how do I reconcile the fact that the world is (probably) going to hell in a hand basket and still take such pleasure in remembering some of the happiest times of my life (wedding, honeymoon, world series)? Is it wrong to post pictures and think, aw that was so fun! while we collectively have so. much. work to do to turn this country into one of peace and respect? Oy. I don't know. There must be a middle ground between dwelling on the negative and blithely skipping though life, pumpkin spice latte in hand. What I do know, however, is that these questions are not going to be answered quickly or entirely by me. So in the mean time I will take long walks with friends through crunchy fall leaves, spend way too much time planning extensive Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving meals, and cozy up with as much tea and bad tv as I possibly can without actually becoming one with my couch. Be well, my dears.


*I already bought my 2017 calendar, but this was a close 2nd
*You can sleep in a bubble!!
*I love me some trial sized anything and this might be my next indulgence purchase
*It's been a time for comfort food and I've been making chicken soup on repeat
*Didn't think an ESPN article could make you cry? Think again.
*Heartbreaking
*I could stare at these all day
*Welcome back 
*I don't know what I'm doing so obviously I opened my very own etsy shop (!)

we're all in this together

Ok, so this week didn't turn out exactly like we had hoped. I was all ready to wax poetic about glass ceilings and historical moments while recalling the spirit of Sister Joan, the super-liberal nun who taught me world history in high school and kept a giant poster of Rosie the Riveter outside her classroom. I was preparing to babble on about how tears sprang to my eyes as I filled in the bubble next to who I thought was going to be the first female president and how I blasted Beyoncé as I walked down the street and how I kept thinking about what a privilege it is to be a woman in this country and have the right to vote. I mean, I now have 12 (twelve!!) Vote for Her buttons that I have no idea what to do with, for god's sake. But that post will remain unwritten, at least for the next four years (or 1,452 days to be exact...but who's counting?). Until then, we need to grieve and to commiserate. We need to let ourselves be baffled and confused. We need to allow the anger and hurt that's bubbling inside of us be let out, but we need to do all of these things together and productively. We cannot perpetuate the hate. We cannot shut out those we do not understand. We must create lines of dialogue and open conversations no matter how hard that may be. We need to look our cousins (or brothers or aunts or mother's best friend's sisters) in the eye and empathize with their frustrations and work to understand why they voted the way they did. And then we need to rally and get our sh!t together and never let this happen again.

Tomes have already been written in an attempt to unpack this election, but to help you sift though them all here are a few articles that have helped me the most:

*What Will I Tell My Children?

*Dear daughters

*A huge part of why I'm angry

*Channel that anger into something good - this and this can help you figure out your next step

*Wear a safety pin

*She's gonna be ok

*And finally, something silly because we need to laugh

I'm with her

I'm with her because in grade school my gym teacher yelled that I "run like a girl" as if it were a bad thing.

I'm with her because in college I asked to borrow a friend's car and was denied because "everyone knows that women can't drive."

I'm with her because I once went on a date and the guy looked me in the eye and said, "never trust something that bleeds for seven days and doesn't die."

I'm with her because wearing a tank top to work an outdoor event in the summertime pretty much guarantees I will be ogled by every man on the job site.

I'm with her because I told a guy he was making me uncomfortable and he replied I was his "worst mistake of 2011."

I'm with her because once I offered a suggestion in a rehearsal and the director literally held his hand over my head, imitating the glass ceiling.

I'm with her because these are all minor grievances compared to the abject horrors faced on a daily basis by women in this country.

I'm with her because this has nothing to do and everything to do with the fact that she is a woman.

I don't often venture into the political realm on this blog, but this country has a big decision to make tomorrow. It is my wish, my hope, my prayer that we all do the right thing and vote for her.