1. We went up north last weekend and had a wonderful autumn weekend in my happy place with many of the people I love best. Brandon & I had a nice hike at the Treat Homestead in the Sleeping Bear, we ate like kings thanks to my mom, we laughed endlessly with my dad, and it was just what I needed to fill up my bucket til the holidays.

2. I have to make a couple of conspicuous consumer-type recommendations. Firstly, I recently splurged on a very well-reviewed brush-hairdryer combo that I love. I wash my hair every day, but usually just blow-dry and put it into a messy pony or bun, or if I have to go into the office or somewhere public I will actually use my ceramic straightener. This dryer gives me the option of a nice blow-out without the damage of the straightener and I’m pleased with it!

3. Not for the fellas – I shied away from the recent “bralette” craze because I usually – [ahem] – require a bit more support. But at $14.99, I decided to try one of these from Target and I ended up going back for 2 more. I can’t see myself wearing anything else (as long as they hold up in the wash) – well, at least until the days of “return to office” when an underwire will be required. They are super comfortable and flattering.

4. Although Brandon & I are halfway through our 21 Days of Horror binge, I took a break to watch Netflix’s Rebecca. This book holds a lot of sentiment for me – in high school, I was placed in an Honors English class during freshman year, and we spent 4 years together with different teachers exploring all types of literature. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier was one of the first novels we read together as a class and as such, I have vivid associations with it. We later went on to read things like ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, and ‘Lord of the Flies’ together but I will always think of ‘Rebecca’ fondly. And this interpretation by Netflix – well, it blew me away. Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas are EXACTLY how I envisioned the second Mrs. de Winters and Mrs Danvers – to the letter, to the note, to the hairstyle and the lipstick. So perfect. And Armie Hammer – who has never really done anything for me – is wonderful as Maxim de Winter (and might I add – RRROWRRRR!!). Spectacular all around.

5. Bringing things down to reality. Our school board voted this week on a proposal to bring secondary students back to face to face classes as early as November 30. This comes on the heels of a vote approving elementary kids to return on November 9. We were a bit on tenterhooks about this, and as you can imagine, everyone had differing viewpoints on the wisdom (or lack thereof) of returning to f2f, even a hybrid model. Miss L’s dad & I had basically agreed that there was no point in sending her back – assuming we would have a choice – until after the holidays, but the district and parents were thrown into chaos by the vote and the debates. Ultimately, our district has voted to keep secondary kids remote until at least January 25 – while sending elementary kids back – which is a relief as it takes the decision out of our hands. And Miss L – being a strong-minded and self-driven kid- has done well with the remote model. But the application of different sciences & logics for elementary and secondary remains a bit mysterious to everyone so I really do feel for parents of younger kids who are in a quandary with decisions about health of kids and their family, quality of education, socialization, safety, etc.

Lastly – my typical reminder to vote and if you are on the fence as an undecided voter, please consider that Mr Biden has put together an excellent, high quality plan for economic stabilization while the orange disaster continues to churn vitriol, hate, fear, and bile with no plans whatsoever. Think about who will leave a better future for your children and grandchildren. But most importantly, VOTE on Nov. 3.

Have a lovely weekend, all. xo