Happy October, Friends!
Well, here we are, already into October, and WOW, what a busy month it has been! Brian and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary! We keep telling ourselves that we’re going to plan a BIG trip for our 15th anniversary, but we’ll see if that actually happens. Ha, ha! I guess I have a whole year to figure it out, right?! Did any of you do something special for your 15th anniversary? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! Brian surprised me with these beautiful flowers on our anniversary, which was so sweet!
Aside from our anniversary, October has been FULL of activity! We’ve had lots of senior year festivities, homecoming, a few not-so-fun things (because life always seems to throw those in!), a NEW hybrid car for me (!!), new carpet in Nathan’s room and SO much more. Seriously, it’s been A LOT!
And, by the time you’re reading this, I’ll have another half marathon under my belt! Speaking of running, I’ve also been dreaming about tackling my second FULL marathon next fall! It’s been 10 years since I ran my first marathon, but I’m starting to feel that itch to do it all over again. And honestly, what better way to celebrate turning the BIG 5-0 than by running 26.2 miles?! I think I’m ready for the challenge!
One – Our 14 Year Wedding Anniversary + Best of Missouri Market at MoBot Botanical Garden
For our 14th wedding anniversary, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Olive + Oak! They have the BEST cocktails. Seriously, the BEST! We actually went out on a school night, on our REAL anniversary, which I don’t think we’ve ever done before! One of the perks of having two kids who can drive themselves around now. Ha, ha!
We also have a running joke about Olive + Oak because this is the very restaurant where I somehow convinced Brian to let me get Ollie Bear, our sweet ragdoll cat, after he’d had his second cocktail! We were originally supposed to bring home just ONE ragdoll kitten, Aurora, but SOMEHOW I managed to talk him into getting TWO! To this day, Brian still brings it up and will probably never let me live that one down. Ha, ha! I guess those cocktails really ARE that good!
Then the Friday after our anniversary we went to the Best of the Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. It was so fun and there were so many samples to enjoy! There were 150 vendors of handcrafted items. Yum!
Of course, we couldn’t leave without bringing home a few goodies! I found the CUTEST little ghost holding a latte plate, and I have it displayed on a small plate stand. It’s just adorable! We also picked up some Honey Pineapple BBQ Snack Stix from Robinson Farms, and oh my goodness, they are SO good! I grabbed a big jar of pickles and a fun St. Louis t-shirt featuring two of our local favorites, square-cut pizza and toasted ravioli! And, of course, we couldn’t forget the kids, so we brought home some chocolates and macarons to share with them. A little something for everyone!
Before heading home, we decided to check out the food trucks at the market! I tried my very first dirty soda, and OHHH, I think those might be a little too sweet for me! Ha, ha! For lunch, I ordered some sort of loaded tater tot dish with meat and cheese curds, and it was SO good! I can’t remember exactly what it was called, but it definitely hit the spot!
Two – Fall Aldi’s Trip
My friend Ashley from Make Life Marvelous (see her latest Aldi’s shopping haul post HERE) has been making lots of trips to Aldi lately, and since they just opened a brand-new store near my house, I thought it would be fun to finally check it out! I brought my mom and Nathan along for the adventure, and my mom even played photographer for me! She also helped me navigate my very first Aldi shopping experience. I’m not sure WHY I was so intimidated by the whole quarter-in-the-shopping-cart situation and figuring out how to detach the cart, but thankfully, my mom knew exactly what to do! Ha, ha! Who knew grocery shopping could feel like such an adventure?!
I might have to share a full Aldi shopping post once I get a few more trips under my belt, but I already found some really fun goodies! First up, I LOVE apple cider donuts, and theirs were SO good! I also discovered these little mini Crêpes To Go!, which you can enjoy at room temperature or warm up for a delicious little treat. YUM! Another fun find was a sourdough bread storage box, which I’m especially excited about since I’ve been baking so much sourdough lately. It’ll be SO much easier than wrapping my loaves in Saran Wrap every time! I found it in their famous “Aisle of Shame,” which is basically the fun aisle in the middle of the store filled with all sorts of seasonal goodies and random things you never knew you needed! Ha, ha! I can already tell that aisle is going to be dangerous for me!
And, of course, I couldn’t leave without picking up TWO of these HUGE reusable Aldi shopping bags! Seriously, look at the size of these things! Ha, ha! They were only $4.99 each, and I already have them tucked away in my trunk so I’ll be ready for all of my future Aldi shopping trips!
I should probably mention that this wasn’t technically my FIRST trip to Aldi. I actually went once over 10 years ago, and let’s just say the entire experience intimidated me a little! Ha, ha! I didn’t bring a quarter for the shopping cart, didn’t have any reusable bags and had no idea there were certain payment methods they didn’t accept. Then, when I tried to use my debit card, I couldn’t remember my PIN! I ended up having to leave and come back with cash. Oh my goodness, what an experience! Needless to say, it took me over 10 YEARS to give Aldi another try! Ha, ha!
But I’m SO glad I did! I really enjoyed this shopping trip, found so many fun goodies and can definitely see why people love Aldi so much! Now that I have my giant reusable bags, know how to work the shopping carts and am a little more familiar with the whole process, I think I’ll be making a lot more trips!
Three – Latest Happenings
I got a NEW car!! My third Honda CR-V! Yep, I guess you could say I’m a little loyal to my CR-Vs. Ha, ha! This time I decided to go with a Hybrid, which is a first for me! I wasn’t quite sure how I’d feel about driving a hybrid, but so far I am LOVING it! And can we talk about this gorgeous blue color?! I absolutely love it! It’s also SO quiet compared to my previous CR-Vs… well, except for that funny little noise it makes when I back up! Apparently, hybrids make a special sound at low speeds to alert pedestrians since they’re so quiet when running on electric power. So, no, nothing is wrong with my new car! Ha, ha! It’s been so fun having something new to drive around, and I’m loving the better gas mileage, too!
We’ve slowly been replacing the carpet throughout our house (we have a mix of carpet and hardwood floors), and we’re ALMOST done! We just had the carpet replaced in Nathan’s room and in our foyer coat closet, which means we officially have just ONE room left… our master bedroom! Of course, we saved the most challenging room for last because we have a king-sized Sleep Number bed in there, and I’m already dreading having to move that thing! Ha, ha! But it’ll feel SO good to finally have all the carpet updated!
I baked another sourdough loaf this month, and this time I tried a Caramelized Onion and Gruyère Cheese loaf. And OH MY GOODNESS, I think this has been my FAVORITE loaf so far!! It was absolutely delicious! The combination of the sweet caramelized onions and savory, melty Gruyère cheese was SO good! I definitely need to experiment with more cheesy sourdough loaves because this one was a winner! I plan to do a pumpkin and chocolate chip loaf next.
Autumn had her SENIOR Homecoming this month, and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day! I still can’t believe we’re already celebrating all of these senior year milestones! This was our second time being in charge of flowers for her friend group, so we were up bright and early and at Trader Joe’s right when they opened! We filled our cart with SO many gorgeous flowers, and it was such a fun way to kick off the day!
And here is my beautiful SENIOR all dressed up for her last Homecoming! I still can’t believe we’re already at this milestone. Such a bittersweet moment, but I love seeing her make all of these special senior year memories!
Her bouquet turned out SO beautifully! She also wore some cute glue-on nails since she currently has a broken finger that’s in a splint. Not exactly the accessory she had planned for Homecoming, but we made it work! Ha, ha! She went with her boyfriend, Jacob, and they’ve been together for a year now! It was such a special evening, and I’m so glad she got to make these sweet memories during her senior year!
Autumn had another senior milestone, her Senior Game Night for Field Hockey. She got a huge gift basket put together by the other teammates, it was so thoughtful.
I also got to walk out onto the football field with Autumn for Senior Night, which was such a special moment! All of the senior moms received a beautiful white rose, and I thought that was such a sweet touch. It’s hard to believe we’re already experiencing all of these senior year moments! After the game, they had dinner for us, which was the perfect way to end such a memorable evening!
Four – We Finished Gilmore Girls & A Year in the Life!!
Ashley and I made it our goal to watch Gilmore Girls AND A Year in the Life this past summer, and WE DID IT!! Okay, so it may have spilled over into fall, but honestly, that seems pretty fitting since Gilmore Girls is practically made for fall!
When we first started watching the show, I have to admit, I did NOT love it. The fast-paced, sarcastic back-and-forth between Lorelai and Rory just wasn’t my thing. But, a few episodes in, something clicked, and I absolutely FELL IN LOVE with this show! I even told Ashley that I think it might be my ALL-TIME favorite show!! I also realized that Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, was also behind The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Once I made that connection, the quick, witty dialogue and unique writing style made SO much more sense to me!
I’m not sure if watching it while having a daughter who is a senior in high school made it even more special, or if it was the sweet relationship between Lorelai and Luke that completely won me over. And, of course, I loved Luke’s Diner, all the coffee, the cozy small-town charm of Stars Hollow and all of its quirky characters. There was just something so comforting about this show!
For several months, watching Gilmore Girls during my lunch break was honestly the highlight of my day. Ashley and I tried to stay within a few episodes of each other, and I had SO much fun discussing everything that happened with her along the way. It became such a fun little tradition for us!
I’m not even exaggerating when I say I was literally CRYING when it was over. I felt a little lost for several days afterward because I had grown so attached to the characters and their stories. I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Stars Hollow!
We also watched A Year in the Life, which I really enjoyed, but there was just something about the original series that made it so much more special to me.
And, in case you’re wondering… I’m TEAM JESS all the way! But, specifically, the older, more mature Jess!
Now I completely understand why people watch this show over and over again. I already want to go back to Stars Hollow!
After Ashley and I finished watching Gilmore Girls, we decided it would be fun to celebrate with a little Gilmore Girls gift exchange! There is SO much cute merchandise inspired by the show, and we just couldn’t resist! It was such a fun way to wrap up our months of watching together, and Ashley did an AMAZING job picking out the sweetest gifts for me! Be sure to stop by her All the Things post for October to see what I gifted her!
First, she surprised me with the Gilmore Girls cookbook, which I was SO excited to receive! I had actually been looking at it online and had read so many wonderful reviews. Not only is it filled with recipes inspired by the show, but it also has lots of fun facts and little behind-the-scenes tidbits sprinkled throughout. It’s almost like having another little piece of Stars Hollow right in my kitchen! The cookbook even came with a Luke’s Diner apron, which made it that much more fun!
She also gifted me the cutest zippered pencil case covered in all sorts of Gilmore Girls references. The first one that immediately caught my eye was “I Got Hit By a Deer!” Oh my goodness, that episode was SO funny! I love how something so simple can bring back memories of all those hilarious moments from the show.
And finally, she gave me the most adorable little Stars Hollow sign that actually LIGHTS UP! Seriously, how cute is that?! I just love it!
Thank you SO much, Ashley!! I absolutely LOVE everything! This little gift exchange was such a fun way to celebrate our love for Gilmore Girls, and it makes me wish we could go back and watch the entire series together for the first time all over again! We have already decided to watch One Tree Hill together next summer!
Five – Latest Finds
I had my annual dermatologist appointment this month and ended up having my very first mole removed. NOT fun! Thankfully, the results came back completely fine, which was such a relief!
While I was there, I also asked my dermatologist about Tretinoin Cream. It’s a prescription-strength retinoid that can help improve fine lines, wrinkles and skin texture over time. I’ve had several friends who have seen really great results with it, and I’ve heard it can be more effective than regular over-the-counter retinol products, so I thought I’d give it a try!
Unfortunately, my insurance didn’t cover it, but I believe I paid around $30 for the tube, which really isn’t too bad considering how long it lasts! I’ve been using it for about a month now, and I still have a TON left. I apply just a pea-sized amount to my face three nights a week, and I’ve been using the “sandwich method” by layering it between my serum and face cream to help minimize dryness and irritation.
I’m excited to see how my skin looks after a few more months of using it! Have any of you tried Tretinoin Cream? Did you notice a difference in your skin? I’d LOVE to hear about your experiences and any tips you might have in the comments!
Autumn loves to buy me little gifts when she’s out sometimes and surprises me with them. She got this Christmas tree with the bow on top and bow ornaments at the Night Lights she went to recently. The pumpkin/bow hair claw clip she found at Target.
I got my bimonthly running subscription box from Fuel Goods and it was another GREAT box! It is so fun to try new products and this is a great way to do it. Get $10 off your first box HERE.
Pixi sent me over some more of their Glow Tonic, with some smaller bottles to gift to my friends. This is my favorite tonic to use!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
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