Uninformed Takes and Major Life Updates

I haven’t written a post since the election because a) it was fucking depressing and b) I didn’t want to come on here and spout uninformed takes without taking a moment to learn and listen. But, now that I’ve done a lot of learning and listening (and spouting my takes to anyone who will listen in real life), I feel like the last thing people want is ANOTHER take. So, I’m gonna leave it up to you guys- do you want my take? Or are you more in the camp of— let’s just move on and maybe circle back at some point.

What else is going on in my life?

I turned 50!

Holy crap. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around that one yet. Everyone keeps asking me if I feel 50 and the answer is most definitely, NO. I do not. In fact, I think I look and feel at my best somehow? That seems weird to say but more than a few women who have passed the milestone have told me the same thing. For anyone following in their 20s, 30s, or 40s who is afraid of getting older, I guess this is something to look forward to!

How did I celebrate? Well, I honestly did not have the bandwidth to plan anything so I told Mike I didn’t want to do anything. Then I woke up last weekend totally mad at myself for not figuring out a way to mark the day, spent the whole day depressed and angry and then SURPRISE! Mike planned me a party. Best gift giver. If you are a real life friend and weren’t invited, please know, you weren’t the only one. There were a lot of people I love who were missing, but I guess that’s why I had so much trouble making a plan for myself. I have too many people I love in my life, and for that, I feel very lucky.

We are moving!

Yep, that’s right. After three years in our current apartment, we’ve decided we like the neighborhood and bought a place a few blocks away. The bad news? It’s smaller than our current apartment and less built out, so there will be some downsizing and adjustments to make as we figure out what we can take and how to best utilize our new space. For instance, there is a slanted wall in the living room that I believe requires a custom couch to make it work, but we want to live in the space for a bit before we pull the trigger on it.

The good news? We’ve got light and a view again! With black framed windows, which I love. Also, the new building has amazing amenities (communal rooms like a game room and a media room which will be great for the kids, a beautiful gym, an indoor pool, etc.) and it’s is in a better location right near the water which is kind of a game changer for us. Also, it’s pretty much a white box, so there will be plenty of opportunity for me to design something in my own style again. Our current apartment is very dramatic and impressive (those high ceilings with the windows!) but it never really felt like me.

That all being said, moves are disruptive and stressful and I am not really looking forward to the transition period. We’ve also put a pause on furnishing our house because our budget now has to include the apartment too and once we figure out what works in the apartment, we will probably take a few pieces to the house. Like our living room couch will most likely become our den couch once we have the custom couch made.

Anyway, I’m not sure what I will share and when about the new apartment, but if you can’t wait and want a sneak peek, I’ve got a little snippet in my Instagram stories for my paying subscribers. I’ll be putting most updates there as we move out and get settled, just because it’s already stressful enough and sharing with a small audience feels more comfortable to me at the moment. But I promise, everyone will see it eventually! If you want to become a paying subscriber, you can upgrade at the link below. Then make sure you look for the welcome email, which has the link to join my close friends on Instagram:

FYI, upgrading will also get you access to a few more secret story highlights and locked substack articles, like my ever popular two part post detailing the work I had done on my brow and eyelids.

My holiday gift guide is live!

I know many of you depend on my holiday gift guide every year and we kill ourselves trying to make sure we live up to expectations. The new guide has 78 super specific categories with 10-15 item in each, so about 1000 gift ideas, so you are sure to find options even for your most hard to shop for gift recipients. We’ve got tons of new categories this year, with a special emphasis on tweens and teens. Categories like “wicked witches,” “comfort show watching couch potatoes,” “boys who just discovered the bathroom mirror,” “tweens who asked for a Stanley last Christmas,” “your mom who already owns cozy slippers,” etc.

If you haven’t seen my gift guide yet, I encourage you to go check it out. I don’t know one person who hasn’t “added to cart” after they looked at the list.

Alright, that’s all for now. I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving. Please know that when I think about what I am thankful for, one thing that’s been consistent for the past 15 years (besides my health and family) is my online community. Thank you all for supporting me, understanding me and giving me the platform that allows me to live a life that is so full and fun. I’m forever grateful.

Remember to comment or heart this post so I know you are reading! What’s your favorite category on the guide? What category do you think that I missed? Have you stopped watching the news entirely like me? Ugh, I can’t stand the sound of his voice.