Dear APW,
I live in the space between business owner and writer. Normally I’m bouncing back and forth between the two: taking on a business project when I need to think critically and strategically, taking on a writing project when my driving creative force gets so strong I just have to make something. But the thing about re-launching APW is that it’s such a huge undertaking that I have no time to write, and it’s killing me. I can’t wait to roll out the new beautiful website (next month) and then get back to creative work. (Not to mention taking a damn nap.) I hope you’re excited about what’s coming up, because you really really should be. All this stress and hard work? Worth it.
And this morning, for the first time, the leaves are turning outside my window, signaling that Sunday really is the first day of fall. So here is to new things, and the changing of the leaves. It’s been a hard week for our household, and I need a reminder to celebrate the small things.
And for now, it’s your Friday open thread, hop on it!
xo,
Meg
Highlights of APW This Week
Quitting smoking while planning a wedding. Because, why not take it all on at once?
If you’ve been thinking of doing the city hall route followed by a bigger wedding, Lily & John’s post (though there’s was unplanned!) makes a lovely case for it.
There are a ton of great ideas for honoring loved ones with disabilities in the comments of week’s Ask Team Practical.
Hair donation Vines! And the hottest bob haircut you’ve ever seen. Seriously.
And since it’s happy hour…two easy fall cocktails made with whisky and cider. I’ll take one of each this weekend.
Link Roundup
Post-pregnancy bodies are such a fascinating (and taboo) topic. My body decided to put on way more weight than average, while growing a huge baby. This week, I celebrated getting back to my original size, but I’ll never have my pre-baby body back. (Even my feet are half a size smaller? Insane.) This topic is so rarely honestly discussed, and the Fourth Trimester Bodies Project is breaking important ground.
For Colorado couples whose venues may be flooded or badly damaged, check out Save My Colorado Wedding for help. (These stories of couples who got married despite the floods are pretty touching.)
A wedding officiant stops the ceremony to tell the photographer and videographer to go away. I know I was supposed to be horrified, but I was so, so amused. I can’t be the only one who’s been at weddings where the photographers appeared to think the whole thing was a photo-shoot staged for their sole benefit?
This story by the BBC about a woman fighting to have her name recognized by the government brings a new twist to the ongoing APW discussion of names.
I liked that this New York Times story was pretty queer-focused and didn’t just treat gay couples as carbon copies of straight couples when marrying. (I also liked that it didn’t quote any experts, which seemed pretty perfect.)
“To me, loving a child who is different, a target and seen as vulnerable is my role as a father and decent human being.” From Matt Duron in The Atlantic, writing about having a son who happens to like wearing dresses.
