Hello Holiday Ho-Ho-Hotties!
There’s little I can say to introduce this video. Basically, we dedicated a day to shooting some Ask Joy videos and decided to shoot one extra little Christmas miracle for you. (If you’re involved on the LRN Facebook page, you’ve probably seen our love for the SNL characters, Garth and Kat, who are our musical inspiration.)
This summer I attended what I imagine business people calling a “power lunch.” I was invited by the core team of 4-Word women. All the other women were in their work attire, and I showed up with my bike helmet. Oops. One of the incredible women I met was Stephanie. Thanks to my helmet in tow, I found out she also loves to ride. We set out on our bikes one day after work and found ourselves in Camas, Washington breaking for dinner at the fantastic Twilight …
Stephanie (stephaniebasso.com) and I both grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and attended high school together. She was a year younger than me, and way cooler. I envied her style as she always rocked the layered necklace and bracelet look long before the Olsen twins.
I don’t know how Google searches for things so well, but since I have given my posts a lot of weird titles over the years, finding things by topic is like searching for Waldo in a candy cane store.
So, I wanted to put all the posts in one, easy-to-find place. Read more
Joy,
I am twenty-one years old and I have been with my boyfriend since high school. Everyone says we are great together and affirms our relationship. We’re in college and have no debt–but I keep hearing statistics that younger couples getting married is not a recipe for success. Read more
Hey Friends,
I wanted to tell you something.
If you have been part of the Love and Respect Now community for a while, you might remember a little over a year ago when I announced I was getting married. Then I said I was kidding, and told you I was having a baby. After making you adequately annoyed by my endless string of lies, I told you I had just signed a book contract, and then proceeded to dance around my cemetery to Disney tunes like a fool. Read more
Hi Friendlings!
I feel like it was JUST my birthday a second ago, when Stephanie and I were downing Maple Bacon Bars and blowing out candles.
While downing donuts alone this year, I had a couple thoughts. I want to give YOU two things for my birthday, and ask you for one. May the odds be ever in your favor. Read more
“Do I even have time to date?”
– Joy (In my head)
Joy, Crazy, Darling,
“Do you think married people ha Read more
Hi Joy,
I’m writing in response to the Ask Joy video you and Stephanie made about transitioning into new seasons of friendships as a newly married person. Well, I’m having the opposite problem.
If you’ve been perusing the site at all lately, you’ll know that I’ve got some fun things going on. Between the launch of The Illumination Project, my upcoming book (aptly named Permanent Vertigo), a few upcoming events, and the general Love and Respect Now & Love and Respect ministries, I’m having a blast. (Heart palpitations.)
But I think I could clear a few things up…
Hi Friends and lovers of music,
It is with a sad heart that I let you all know that Stephanie, my partner-in-crime and other half will be ending her 2 1/2 years with LRN to start a new season staying at home with her babies.
I am 110% behind her doing this, but 110% sad that I will now be alone in the office staring at the wall.
Hi Joy,
I’ve recently gotten married. I love being married, but now my single friends are leaving me out. My best friend, for example, no longer calls when she goes camping or to a concert.
I know I can’t go out as much as my “free-wheeling” single friends, as I’m balancing school and my husband, but I don’t want to feel like there’s this divide growing between us.
Fellow Portlander Emily is comin’ at you live today with two things we couldn’t agree on more:
1. Our need to launch our rap careers
2. Assuming the best (ATB)
What I call “ATB” Emily calls “No Negative Generalizations,” and my parents call it “Assume Goodwill.” And eventually, I will just come on stage and start all my raps with “Yo, let’s ATB all up in heeeeeaaa!”
ALL I WANT FOR MY BIRTHDAY (and Stephanie’s half-birthday) IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH AND FOR YOU TO CONSIDER THESE TWO THINGS:
The holiday season is here, once again. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been preparing for this and getting in the spirit of Christmas for months. I’ve been slowly upping my caloric intake just so I can celebrate the birth of Jesus in gluttonous style.
But aside from announcing my celebratory eating habits, I wanted to let you know that I will be signing off until after the New Year.
(Don’t cry. I’ll be back, pinky swear.)
Dearest Friends, Fawns and Christmas Elves, A little video announcement for the Christmas and New Year season. But first I wanted to write a special thanks to those of you who are continually encouraging me and my work. The movement of understanding Love and Respect cannot happen without us joining together and having belief and hope for successful marriages and relationships. Even with stories of heartache and “hope-less” situations, your stories of belief and encouragement are life-giving to me. So I just wanted to say… THANK YOU …
Book Review: The Male Factor by Stephanie Dost As a young woman, I find that love is something that comes naturally to me. Check. Respect, on the other hand, is something I have to work on. Lucky for me, I work with mostly middle-aged men and have a close relationship with my dad, so I get to practice all the time. Recently, I decided to read a book by Shaunti Feldhahn called “The Male Factor: The Unwritten Rules, Misperceptions, and Secret Beliefs of Men in …
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