Have a Cozy Weekend.

I got married last weekend in a ceremony inspired by the Quaker tradition, where anyone is welcome to speak, followed by our vows. There were songs, poems, advice and tears of joy. When my sister stood up and began to read Meg’s quote on the love being a light switch for some, and a sunrise for others, I froze, because I had chose the same reading for my vows! …I was able to transition somewhat gracefully, and realize the beauty in how it emphasized its truth in our relationship. I ended with “Mark, you are my one great love, my full, bright sun.” Meg, wherever you are, know that your words are woven into this reader’s love story.

Late to comment, but Diane Nyad was a motivational speaker at a work conference I attended about 10 years ago, when I was 25 years old. I didn’t know of her at the time (it was before her attempts at swimming from Florida to Key West). She was training for her first attempt and it was indeed motivating to hear about her hard work and dedication. However, about halfway through her speech, she began talking about her sexual assault experience and the mood in the room completely shifted. It was the most powerful speech I’ve ever witnessed in person. Several women in the room became visibly emotional, while I noticed many men grow visibly uncomfortable. It sparked many conversations at dinner that night and has stayed with me as though it happened yesterday. I think it was the first time I realized how many women had gone through similar experiences… and how many grown men were in denial/completely uncomfortable facing this reality. What a strong, amazing woman.

Aww thanks – I hope the light imagery brings solace and perspective to the hearts of others, as it did mine.

‘The great love in my life was a sunrise.’
OH my GOODNESS, that phrase made me hurt, it’s so beautiful.

Please someday do an article on ‘How to Ride a Bike’. You seem good at it! Safety tips, hacks, and anyway to make it easier to balance are WELCOME!

I loved that Studio apartment. It is beautifully organised.

My Trivia Team (http://www.90fmtrivia.org/) has been doing the Point Marathon for three years now! There’s a break on the second day to read everyone’s scores and we take advantage to stretch our legs a bit. Once again, Midwesterners are making the trend!

I keep almost buying that everlane coat but am concerned it’s going to look too bulky on me. Have you experienced this, Joanna? And what size did you get?

I read that energy article off Medium a few days ago and wrote an entire post about my observations of my own energy issues based on it! It was a great read. I find myself turning to Medium often for well-written articles. Benjamin Hardy is always a favorite. :)

Interesting. When did Nordstrom start selling Everlane?

I love tater tot hot dish. I grew up in Minnesota so it was present at many get togethers and makes me nostalgic whenever I make it out here (I live in NY now). I use a can of cream of mushroom soup instead of the soup mix, cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit, I put a layer of shredded cheese under the tots, and I would highly recommend anyone use crispy crowns vs. tots. They have a better crispy outside to mushy inside ratio. Basically they are just more chip like tots.

Roasted potatoes sound good! I’ve never been a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I don’t like all the mushiness, it’s like we’re eating baby food! As for Thanksgiving this year, I’m bring a tomato and mozzarella salad with balsamic vinegar and roasted brussel sprouts with a spicy honey glaze.

Who makes the fabulous shoes in the top photo? I need them in my life! And on my feet. Hope you had a great weekend!

I grew up in an Italian family where you celebrated every holiday with pasta. That’s one tradition I am more than happy to continue, and one that can be accomplished beautifully even in my vegan household.

I love Frances McDormand too, and that film looks fantastic. I only saw the trailer but, wow, what script!

I will be making the Barefoot Contessa’s potato-fennel gratin for Thanksgiving!

Would love to do the Sorta Marathon. There’s a t-shirt for a one kilometre Fun Run and the tagline is “Let’s Not Overdo It” :-)

That Diana Nyad piece. That. Diana. Nyad. Piece.
I am not a survivor. I’ve never been truly bullied, attacked, stalked. But I’m a mom of two kids under 4 and have been thinking more and more about what I can do to help protect them from the assaults of life. We live in rural Virginia, and honestly, my greatest fear for their safety comes from guns. That they’ll go to a friend’s house. The family will inevitably have guns. And hell will ensue. But now as they’re getting older and branching out from our family even more, I’ve started thinking about how to talk to them about inappropriate touching. By an adult, another child, whomever. I wonder if you might do a post on some of these difficult conversations we have to have with our kids, the parents of other kids, etc? It could be really helpful. I’d love to hear others’ experiences, successes/failures, and the like.

All the sexual assault information right now is great – and freaking me out 1,000%. I have a brand new daughter. While i was never abused, my mom is a an abuse survivor and raised us with a fair amount of paranoia. And now i just feel it exploding out of me. Paranoia about everyone. How do i keep my daughter safe in this crazy world without also thinking the worst in everyone?

Test driving a Tesla in Red Hook was probably the most fun my husband and I had this year! Hope Alex and the boys had a blast as well!!

Oh,. I wish they had a ‘sorta’ marathon in London. Even I would manage to finish it. Pen x

I know the Sorta Marathon is supposed to be funny but I am not amused. I have finished 3 Boston Marathons and this is just a ridiculous stunt by a generation that wants an award for no work and literally nothing.

So many good things in this Friday post. First, the article by Diana Nyad is powerful and enraging and it unfortunatley reflects similar stories for nearly every woman I know. I have two little nieces now and I worry about when (I truly hopes it’s ‘if’ and that they escape the ‘if’ but more realistically it’s ‘when’) this will happen to them. I worry about their current and future potential interactions with their religious leaders & church members, their coaches, their boyfriends, their college experience, their coworkers, their bosses, their relatives, their husbands, their military cohorts & CO’s, their casual interactions with male friends, their online presence, their nurses & doctors, their eventual carers for the elderly. How can they possibly make it through the gambit of life and escape such a pervasive male entitlement to female subjugation through sexual violence? I hope they do. Secondly, immediately after reading that article one should watch the Frances McDermott movie. The rage is real. It feels better to curse and fight and say exactly what you think. Also, I really love that tiny studio apartment with all the happy plants. Happy Rageful weekend!

Absolutely love the sunrise analogy! I can’t wait to tell my husband this. For him, our love was a light switch. And for me, it was the slowest sunrise ever :)

Three Billboards was filmed in my town the summer before last! It was a BIG deal for a tiny mountain town like Sylva, NC :) It was cool to drive through downtown and see all the signs changed to reflect that it was Billings.
They also used the hospital I interned at as a filming location (sadly, I wasn’t an intern there yet).
I also LOVE Frances McDormand so I am stoked to see it!

I’m crying after having read Diana Nyad’s story… A coworker assaulted me, and while it was not as horrific as Diana’s story, I find it heartbreaking and dispiriting that most survivors’ first instinct often is to say “it wasn’t as bad as someone else’s experience” – Diane also does that when she downplays her horrific experience by saying she did not experience Holocaust… There’s always someone who has it worse, but it’s no excuse to tolerate abuse!