If you only click on one link from this whole post, may it be this one. This video not only features some of the fiercest young girls I can imagine, but gives real statistics about threats facing girls in the world today. October 11 was International Day of the Girl. The #FreedomForGirls campaign is promoting the U.N.’s Global Goals, an ambitious set of objectives for what the world should look like by 2030.

I went to a transgender workshop in Hutchinson at the beginning of the month. It was such a special experience. We learned about a  lot of Trans 101 information as well as the political side of things but mostly I felt totally empowered by the way that everyone so fearlessly shared their story even though safety is a very real and genuine concern for Trans people in America. They didn’t hold back. They tell their stories. And they give me the power to know that telling my story is the right thing to do. When we liberate ourselves, it allows others to be free, too. 
I’m sure I’ll be chewing on and rediscovering the things I learned from that workshop for a long, long time.

Early in the month, Sydney Liann of The Daybook did a seven day Inside Out challenge where we learned about chakras and relating pain in the body to emotional pain that we’re holding. I’d even discovered some physical pain that is absolutely related to a heart-hurt that I experienced several weeks ago. The body always keeps score.

On the 16th, my BFF Jamie came with me to the (beautiful, gorgeous, magical) Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to listen to Rupi Kaur read from her new book [affiliate], The Sun and Her Flowers. She was so beautiful and hilarious and the crowd was so, so fun! There were standing ovations, snapping, I fist-pumped… twice. It was a wonderful gift.

The weekend after Rupi, Ryan and I went to Lawrence to see Sherwood. It was such a fun show, I thought. Sherwood was my favorite band all through college and it just so happens that Ryan is long-term friends with Nate, who sings lead. So this show was for both of us for totally different reasons (it was such a happy coincidence that the show landed on my 34th birthday!). I loved hearing these songs that I really hadn’t listened to in such a long time. It made me miss my sister really, really badly because she was the one who introduced me to Sherwood in 2004.
More than anything, Lawrence, Kansas is the most beautiful town to visit in the fall. This town was made for autumns.

This month, I read Dark Matter by Blake Crouse (book review on that coming up later this week), We Are Okay by Nina LaCour and The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur [all affiliate links].

We’ve made all the final edits and &/Both Magazine is being released November 15! We are so, so proud of it! Please, if you are interested in getting your hands on a copy, please, please preorder it here! We need you to preorder it so that we know how many people care about this project and also we need to know how many to print in the first place! ALSO–after the release date, the price will go up. So this is really the best possible way for you to get the best possible deal on it. THANK YOU!!

It is straight up Autumn outside which means that I am ready to make this Three Potato Soup. And maybe let’s follow it up with this Maple Glazed Apple Pull-Apart Bread, yeah? Come on over.

We finished Stranger Things 2 in two days because we wanted to stay ahead of the memes. Ohhhh it is so good.

This month was super busy but it was super fun. I was excited about all the trips I took and all the different places that I was featured on the internet!

Oh, and speaking of that! I hope you’re following me on Instagram because Luminance Skincare (follow that link and you can get a FREE sample kit which usually costs $20) asked me to do a takeover on their Instagram Stories next month! I love, love Luminance and you can trust my opinion because they’re not paying me to say this AT ALL. I just love them and I’m excited that they asked to include me in their rad social media outreach.

Other places on the internet where you can find my work:
–The Lady Project blog ran my piece about seasonal depression and self-care.
–Yes and Yes Blog, did an interview with me about re-evaluating one’s sexuality after marriage.

Anyway–I’d love for you to tell me one or two things that you loved about October!
XOXO, Lib