38 Comments
Oct 28Liked by Aliza Sir, Aja Frost

This year I am serving as an election judge for the first time! I am working the closing shift, which will keep me off my phone (presumably) until the polls close. But after that I'll be watching TV with Twitter close at hand. And maybe a small botttle of Chardonnay.

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That's amazing, Pam! Thanks for sharing.

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This sounds like a very good plan!

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Oct 28Liked by Aliza Sir, Aja Frost

Also, and with my sincerest hopes that Kamala wins in a landslide, remember we probably won’t know who wins that night, or maybe for a few days! Let’s keep our self care endurance going- AFTER we get our ballots in. Also, this weekend, I volunteered to help ‘cure’ ballots (mostly outside envelope signature issues) for people who’ve already voted and I highly recommend it. I did a shift with a couple of friends and it made me feel less anxious and also like I got to vote for KH five times, instead of just once.

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Oct 31Liked by Aja Frost

This is a great idea. I’ll do it, too!

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EXCELLENT point; this is going to be a marathon not a sprint...

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Oct 28Liked by Aja Frost, Aliza Sir

My friends and I are planning to watch the results together, I will stay up VERY late, and we all have taken the next day off and are doing spa treatments~ either in mourning, celebration, or I guess, uncertainty. Regardless, friends make everything better!

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I want to steal this idea!!!

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Taking the next day off and doing some self-care is so smart! Are you going to a spa or DIYing?

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We have plans to go to the spa for facials and pedicures. We have a contentious school board election and we’ve all been involved, advocating for strong public schools, and it’s time to treat ourselves!

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Love love love. Glad you'll be together for mourning, celebration, or uncertainty.

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Oct 28Liked by Aja Frost, Aliza Sir

Would love a behind the scenes on PL!

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Yay ok watch this space!

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Oct 28Liked by Aja Frost, Aliza Sir

Can I just say I loved the intro here - yes to more impromptu hang-outs/planning sessions with friends. Your weekend sounds great! 🧡

I'm in the UK but really rooting for a momentous occasion in your elections next week - even as a Welsh woman, I am frequently daydreaming about how it would feel to wake with with Kamala as president. Getting in the spirit by digging out my retro Obama 'Hope' tee I got on a trip to DC about 10 years ago! Let's go 🗳️

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Aw, thanks Lauren — it really was a great weekend! And thank you for the good vibes from across the pond!!

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Oct 28Liked by Aja Frost, Aliza Sir

I am going to copy that election night plan!

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Praying for us all. I'm pretty sure the 2016 election was one of the first nights I ever hung out with Dan! Glad we've made some better memories since then.......

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Join the club! 💛

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Oct 28Liked by Aja Frost, Aliza Sir

those la ligne sweaters are so worth the $$$!

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Agreed, I truly wear mine so often.

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Oct 28Liked by Aja Frost, Aliza Sir

It’s my anniversary and was just thinking what a perfect excuse it will be to go to dinner and get away from a TV for 2-3 hours.

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Yes! And happy anniversary!

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Nov 4Liked by Aja Frost

Re: compliment - when I was about 6, my younger cousin handed me a giant dictionary and said "You seem like the kind of girl who would read this." and I always took that to mean I was smart!

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Ha, I would absolutely interpret it that way!!

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Loved this post. Also now wishing I had friends who wanted to sleep over my house and do spa treatments the day after the election??? What a great idea.

The compliment that has stuck with me the most was from someone at a book event about my essays. She said they made her feel understood (and even cry!), and I think of it often. It meant so much to me. Whenever I am feeling alone or just down about myself, I always remember her.

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Nov 4Liked by Aja Frost

My favorite compliment I've ever received, and one that will always stick with me, was from a friend who at the time was just newly getting to know me. He said, "I love that you can run around the beach with no pants on and then come back to the picnic blanket and talk to me about Roth IRAs." That compliment so affirmed the full spectrum of all that I am - recognizing my playful, joyful, silly side as well as my intelligent, hardworking side that has worked really hard to become a financial advisor. That friend and I are understandably very close now!

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This sounds like he saw and appreciated you completely. I love it.

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What a fun prompt! And I *immediately* knew my answer.

My favorite compliment came from a high school teacher who said, 'Kate, I could plop you down next to a middle-aged trucker from Kansas named Bill or the President of the United States, and I’m confident both of them would leave the conversation feeling heard, charmed, and respected.'

I think the reason it stuck with me is how RANDOM it was, but it also exemplified how I want to live-- with kindness, warmth, and friendliness to alllllllllll people.

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Wow, to have gotten this compliment in high school — when you're usually at your least self-aware and mature — is SO cool! And from what I know of you, you're absolutely living it out. 💛

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A completely random guy that I..... think I met at a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show?.... told me that I was the most alive person he had ever met. Best compliment ever.

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WOW I would put that on my gravestone lol

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Nov 4Liked by Aja Frost

A few years ago, at a wedding reception, my husband and I were hanging around some friends from college we don’t see too often, and kind of dancing/getting loosened up with the music, goofing off. My college girlfriend’s husband, who can be a bit of a tough cookie, looked at us and said in wonder “Wow, you ended up with the absolute perfect person for you.” And kind of shook his head like “Damn.” He’s not the type to just say something to be nice, that’s for sure. We had a one year old and I was about 3 weeks pregnant with my second, and it was and continues to be just such a nice reminder during our more exhausted phases that we are the right people for each other.

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!!!!!! I would never forget this.

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Yes to a post-voting plan! I shared all the things I'm thinking about here (https://brittanyviklund.substack.com/p/a-simple-thing-no-6) including picking a good book to settle into. 🙏 The anxiety is real.

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So many good ideas in your list — and some books that weren't on my radar yet!

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Oct 29Liked by Aja Frost

Do I need to start doing merch at my holiday party?! Maybe!

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It's my favorite part of the party 😅

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