Happy {Early Voting} Friday!

Happy Friday!  If you're looking for something to do this weekend, may I suggest voting {and for Harris/Walz - duh}?  It's a wonderful thing to do to get your ballot in early and vote for candidates that care about you and your rights and democracy - it's really not that tough of a choice.  We're off for the weekend, but you can bet I'll be carving out some time to read up on the issues and cast my vote in this incredibly important election.  Won't you join me?

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

 

What a week!  I don't know about you, but I spent most of Wednesday in tears of joy, relief, happiness, excitement - all of the above!  I feel like for the first time in 4 years, I can truly breathe.  The Inauguration brought so many moments of hope and joy, but my absolute most favorite was listening to Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb".  So much power, grace, and wisdom from such a young and deeply talented woman - if you didn't get a chance to watch it, I'd highly recommend checking it out {and if you did, check out her interview with Anderson Cooper}.  Her words give me hope for the future and watching the new First Family heading into the White House gave me a renewed sense of excitement that we have decency, truth, and integrity back in charge.  I know I'm sleeping a little better at night and I hope you are too :)  Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

photo via the little market's instagram

A New Day

Finally, after 4 loooooong years, the day has finally come to put hope and decency back in the White House.  Joe Biden has a long way to go to unite the country and get the pandemic under control, but I'm confident and optimistic that we are turning a page and starting a brand new chapter that will be peaceful and unifying.  Hoping and praying that things go smoothly today and beyond, and while I'll most likely be working from the living room watching the events unfold on tv {a stark contrast to the last inauguration}, I can't wait to bust out a pint of Pie-den Kam-ala Mode tonight {it's delicious!} and toast our new President and  Madam Vice President {you bet I have my pearls and Converse ready}.  However you feel about these two, let's wish them the absolute best as they embark on this journey of unity and healing - I think we can all get on board with that.

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Law and Order?

Terrified.  Frustrated.  Embarrassed.  Disgusted.  Angry.  Sad.  Exhausted.  Just a few of the many emotions I'm feeling after being glued to the tv yesterday watching the horrific acts of terrorism at the Capitol.  Make no mistake about it - if these people were Black they would have been shot, no questions asked {if you want to argue against me, please see the Black Lives Matter protests of the past summer}.  Yet because they are white and support the president {who fully supports and encourages them} they are allowed to break windows and storm the Capitol, wreaking havoc on a day that should've been hopeful and encouraging - the confirmation of Joe Biden as President and the flipping of the Senate thanks to the people of Georgia {thank you Georgia}.  This is not Democracy.  This is not America.  This is a narcissistic, treasonous, dangerous man inciting violence and waging an assault on our constitution and democracy.  This is not ok.  It goes beyond political party - there is no justifying these actions.  America has had 200+ years of a peaceful transition of power, a hallmark of our democratic system, and that is being threatened now by the spewing of lies questioning the validity of our free and fair elections and an attempted coup.  It's time to accept that he lost, that we are transitioning to a more hopeful and better future, and give Biden a chance to unite so we can heal {even Mitch McConnell has accepted that Biden won}.  I want to feel proud of where I come from and hopeful for a brighter future - our country is better than this - we need to do better than this.

xoxo,

stephanie marie

International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day!  Be bold, be proud, be strong, be you :)  While I'm still going to work today {I'm so lucky to work for a company that values and supports all people}, I'll be wearing red to do my small part to support all of the amazing and strong women in my life.  I'm so grateful for these people :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

picture from my daily meditation app

Hear Our Voice

I've been feeling very helpless and anxious lately.  With everything that's been going on in the world, in particular our country, I think it would be hard for anyone to feel happy and calm and that things are going right {regardless of your political views, things certainly are not right these days}.  When talking to friends this past weekend, I decided I needed to do something - even if it doesn't make a huge difference {I realize I live in a very liberal bubble up here} and even if it seems silly and pointless, at least it feels like I'm contributing and not sitting back and letting things happen while I'm silent.  I signed up for 10 Actions in 100 Days - it's put on by the people who organized the hugely successful Women's March and every 10 days for the first 100 days of this new world they send you some sort of action to accomplish {and easy ways to accomplish it}.  The first was to make {or just print} postcards to send to your Senators.  They had an easy link on their site so you could see who your Senators were and send them a little note urging them to keep up the good fight or tell them your views on the issues.  Monday night, while mindlessly watching The Bachelor, I decided to make a few postcards to send to my Senators to let them know that I support them and they are doing a good job.  It took less than an hour to make some patriotic cards and write a heartfelt note on the back, and when I dropped them off in the mailbox the next day I felt a wave of calm wash over me - like I did a right and good thing.  It's so simple and I urge you to sign up to see what the next 9 actions will be.  Even if you only do a few, at least you are doing your part and participating in something you believe in.  I think we can all agree that women's rights, basic human rights, are something worth fighting for.

xoxo,
stephanie marie