Which ranch pairs best with pizza?

+ we're celebrating an anniversary

Happy Friday, and (drumroll please…) happy anniversary to FMG!! On Friday, January 26, 2024, I sent out the first edition of Friday Morning at Gail’s. (No, I do not understand how calendars work! I find that date compared to today’s date, also a Friday, to be very confusing! I guess technically this means that FMG is one year and one week old?) I wrote that first newsletter at the same kitchen table where I’m writing this one, and I am so proud of myself that I have kept up with this hobby/creative outlet/side hustle. There have been many Thursday nights in the past year during which I’ve considered quitting the game (and yes, I have skipped a few weeks…), but I’m so glad I’m still here, and I’m so glad you are too.

What a heavy-ass week! I sincerely hope you are taking care of yourself, your mental health, and the people you love — and I hope you’re helping your community + the causes you care about in whatever ways you’re able.

I realize it may sound counterintuitive to segue from that to a conversation about romantic love, but I’m a firm believe that love (in all its forms) is what drives out hate and negativity. As Kate Winslet says in The Holiday, “I’m looking for corny in my life” — so today, I’m fighting hate with love in all its corny glory.

If there’s one romance-related question I most frequently ask, it’s the following: “Where are people FINDING each other!?” Whenever I hear of a new relationship or an engagement or a wedding, the first thing I ask is how the couple met. Most origin stories are funny, cute, and/or cringe-y, and I find it genuinely helpful to hear the real-life stories of people finding each other.

So tell me yours!! I started a Google Form with a few simple questions, all with the following goal: To share more stories of love. I want to give your love story the fanfare it deserves, and I also want to remind single people (such as myself!!!!) that there’s not one right way to find someone, and that (as annoying as it is when married people say this) you never know when it might happen for you next (I’m allowed to say it because I am also single! But the second I meet Harry, I’ll stop saying it!). If you’re in love, click this link and tell me the short version of the way you met (and then I’ll reach out to get the full story later!). I’m going to share some of the stories in upcoming newsletters, and I hope it adds a little joy, levity, and hope to your Fridays. (P.S. If you know someone with a really great origin story, please feel free to send them the link — and no, I do not care if they subscribe to the newsletter! Just get them to fill out the form!)

In other news:

• Basketball: I saw Paige Bueckers play basketball on Wednesday!! In real life!! My friends Amanda, Maddie, Kelly, and I took our little selves to Wintrust Arena on Wednesday night to watch UConn v. DePaul, and I can confidently say it was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. It is SO fun to watch people who are so clearly doing the thing they were put on this earth to do — and Maddie needs an “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” shirt, don’t you think?

  • Speaking of basketball, I am SO excited for the new Kate Hudson show (from Mindy Kaling — trailer here!). Kate plays the only daughter in the family that runs the (fictional) Los Angeles Waves, and the story begins when she unexpectedly becomes President of the Waves. It’s Ted Lasso meets Something Borrowed meets Caitlin Clark. An actual dream!?

• Food: To enjoy my current hyperfixation meal, please do the following:

  • Take two Trader Joe’s Breaded Chicken Tenders out of the freezer, and bake them in the oven (25 minutes at 425°).

  • While baking, open a bag of the Trader Joe’s Dill-icious Salad Mix. Remove the bag of dressing, the bag of spices, and the bag of chips, and pour the greens into a large bowl.

  • Add the bags of dressing and spices into the bowl of greens. Mix very well.

  • Open the bag of chips. Eat them.

  • Refrigerate salad until tenders are done. Once cooked, allow tenders to cool for a normal amount of time.

  • Once cool, cut the tenders into little bites. Add the little bites to the bowl of greens and dressing.

  • Mix well until combined.

  • Enjoy every day for the foreseeable future.

• Inspiration/Reading Material: My dear friend Ojus recently celebrated her 40th birthday, and she gave us ALL a gift by sharing a list of 40 lessons she’s learned in as many years. Do yourself a favor and read it here.

• And Finally… An FMG FMK: Someone that I love very much told me that every time she sees “FMG” in her inbox, she automatically thinks it says “FMK,” aka the game I still love to love. In her honor, please enjoy the following.

  • FMK these ranches:

    • Jet’s

    • Homeslice / Happy Camper

    • Papa John’s

Thank you again for being here :) I hope your weekend is peaceful and joyful.

XO,

Gail

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