33 Comments

Hi! I'm Libby currently hailing from the edge of the Badlands in North Dakota, USA. Marriage I guess is a big anniversary I celebrate. I really never did see myself ever getting married, but I'm glad I am and found a partner to share life with. Happy to be here still reading your content Jen! I think I was living with you all when you started What Now? Exactly! I always appreciated your honesty and willingness that both you and Bryan had for steering me in a good direction. I still feel lost sometimes but I remember those days fondly and am thankful to have met all of you. ❤️

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Living on the edge of the Badlands makes you a Badlady! Grateful to still have you as a friend after all these years.

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Awww thanks! Me too! The internet isn't all bad after all 😁

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Oh and happy birthday! 😅

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Beautiful life review, Jen, that I appreciate from my only-met-you-recently perspective. Happy birthday, indeed. 💫 Cheers to more writing, more being your most genuine self! ♥️

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Thank you, Shannan! I look forward to our writing in company calls. :)

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Happy Birthday! This makes me laugh, as you always do. I read HCR this morning and panicked, then read JZ and laughed. A very good thing. I live south of you in SWW. Though I love having been born (19 years ahead of you) on the summer solstice, as it turns out the autumnal equinox would have been more in line with who I am: a lover of autumn and winter. I used to think I was odd person out, loving cozy winter best (my mother hated fall, mostly because winter was next), and more prone to seasonal depression when it's over than in the midst of it. But suddenly it seems EVERYONE loves autumn. Maybe I'm just seeking out like-minded people these days. Thank you always; I'm glad you were born.

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LOL happy to provide comic relief from the news! Thank you for reading and commenting. I love visiting Southwest Washington. Last year I wrote about one of my visits: https://open.substack.com/pub/jenzug/p/a-brief-distraction?r=6er4f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Love that! There's not so much activity, but I do have an Airbnb if you ever want to just sit with birds or watch fir cones drop out of the tree or walk in the woods or explore a small town! www.airbnb.com/h/3ofearthfarm.

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Happy Birthday Jen! Be well and enjoy!

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Thank you!

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Happy birthday Jen! I really enjoy reading your content I’m Jayne and I’m reading from West Yorkshire, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I’m also 53. I love celebrating an early Christmas my hubby and I started this Holly working together In Edinburgh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿.

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Thank you, Jayne! I hear the West Yorkshire area is beautiful, yes?

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Happy Birthday Jen! And Happy Substackiversary. Last June marked my twentieth year teaching. October is my bday and anniversary month. February marks two years writing here. Thank you for the reminder to celebrate. On a side note, I love Schitt’s Creek.

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Schitt's Creek is the best! And I love looking for little reasons to celebrate, because I can be such a curmudgeon. :)

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Happy birthday, Jen! Cheers to many more!

And I think I was first introduced to you by a What now? Exactly! animated video of yours, & I thought, “Wow. She’s brilliant.” It’s amazing to me you felt like an imposter. If that’s not real talent, we’re screwed.

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Thank you Bridget!

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From

One perennial “50 year old woman on the inside” to another, wishing you the most magnificent birthday (or “birth season” as I like to call it) 🌞.

I love your intro newsletter style - what a fabulous way for your readers to get to know you better!

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Thank you, Angel! I think my young-adult kids are also perpetually elder-minded! LOL

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Happy Birthday and anniversary! I can’t wait for our next meetup because I want to ask you about all the jobs you’ve had!

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Let's gooooo!

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Happy birthday 🎂 !!! I hope your day is fantastic ✨️ 💖

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Thank you! Spent the day with my family on a trip out of town!

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Happy birthday!! Hello from Snohomish!

I loved reading about all of your birthday milestones.

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Snohomish!!! I'll make sure you hear about our next Seattle area Substack meetup!

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Yes please!!! 🧡

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Happy birthday & Stackaversary, Jen! 🎉

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Thank you, Kevin!

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Happy Birthday!!! And congrats on two years on Substack. Or do they call it the Stack? Having been born in San Francisco, and living there my whole life, we hated anyone who called the city Frisco. Anyway, hope you enjoy a true celebration of both milestones.

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Thank you, Sue!

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Happy belated birthday!! I'm a fellow Seattle transplant. My birthday often brings up mixed emotions (kid from a dysfunctional family blues) but almost 4 years ago on my birthday was the day I decided to stop giving my energy to a relationship that was nothing but draining. Now my birthday is my independence day.

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Loved this post, Jen! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎈

And hello, I'm Rebecca, and I live in south-east UK, where it's a grey September afternoon. I'm nearly 50, and earlier this year my husband and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary with champagne and reminded each other that at the time we'd been the oldest first-time marryers either of us had met! 🤣

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