Life is moving fast, like, really fast. I just can’t see how it could possibly be October already, but it is!

Lately I’ve been realizing how important the little things in life are. When I look back on the months of this past year, I’m able to pinpoint a bunch of big events or milestones that have happened, but I’m blanking on the smaller things. Things like the books I’ve read or the recipes I’ve made, the new products I’ve tried and the weekends spent just running errands and doing random things. I would like to remember some of this stuff, since a lot of the times this is what makes me happiest! Closing the back cover of a book I loved, or hearing everyone rave about a new cake recipe. A face mask that made me feel like I’d just gotten a $200 facial. Running to Target and finding the perfect pair of jeans for less than $25. These are the things that make my heart sing, you guys!

It may seem silly, and maybe no one will ever read these posts but me. And that’s fine! But these posts are going to remind me of all the things throughout the year that made me smile and to me, that’s something worth keeping track of.

So, please enjoy my roundup of September things!

books read:

  • Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Love Her Wild by Atticus— read this on the floor of Barnes and Noble on the Upper East Side waiting out an unexpected downpour of rain. I left with tears in my eyes.
  • Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling— I finally finished the entire Harry Potter series and I wish I could go back in time and kick myself for not reading these earlier. This last book was truly a big bow that tied all seven books together and I couldn’t be more in awe of Rowling’s writing and storytelling ability. Honestly was blown away. I already can’t wait to dive back in and enjoy these all over again one day.
  • Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari— read the first half of this book sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the way home from the Jets home opener. It passed the time and got the job done.
  • Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson— a friend left a copy of this book at Ryan’s apartment and it found me at just the right time. So beautifully written and something I know i will read over and over again.

recipes made:

  • this chocolate chip pumpkin bread
  • these baked apple cider donuts
  • this easy 30-minute chicken tortilla soup
    • my first EVER pot of soup!
  • these big fat peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
  • this cinnamon sugar apple cake
    • this was perfect, served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and good company.
  • these taco empanadas

beauty faves:

  • IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Neutralizing Correcting Cream: this is something that I used years ago, when I would purchase every product mentioned in a beauty video on YouTube. Some of those purchases were terrible, and some were magic. This was the latter, and I re-fellinlove with it this past month.
  • Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack: I have never used a face mask that does a better job of cleaning out my skin than this one. It is the perfect product to re-set your skin after a week of slathering on creams, primers, foundations and powders etc. I love using this mask on a Sunday afternoon when I can lounge around and forget I’m wearing it.
  • Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukri Babyfacial: let me preface by saying that the first time I used this mask, it “tingled” so intensely that I thought I would never be able to use it again. For the first 15 minutes, I literally thought I was burning a layer of my skin off! However, after that initial 15 minutes, the burning-feeling starts to subside and by the time you wash it off, you forget all about it. What you’re left with, though, is the softest, smoothest, most baby-like skin you can imagine!
    • I used this mask during the day, before getting ready for Matt’s grad party. My skin looked so smooth that I actually forgot to put on my beloved POREfessional primer before applying my foundation and was in disbelief! I never forget primer, sometimes it’s all I wear, and I just skipped right over it. That’s how good this stuff is.
  • Bite Beauty French Press Lip Gloss in Dirty Chai: picked this up at the most recent Sephora sale and all I can say is that I wish I had bought a bunch. This is the perfect color for my lips. It’s easy to wear, slightly sticky, smells like coffee and gives just the right amount of color to look like you tried, but not too hard. Ya know?! Love this stuff.

music:

  • Mac Miller: the sad truth is that this is all I’ve wanted to listen to since he’s passed. The Divine Feminine and Swimming have been on repeat for three weeks. I was never the biggest Mac Miller fan, but for some reason that I don’t entirely understand, his death has really struck a cord with me. I haven’t been able to shake the sadness of it all, but listening to his music has helped.
  • Leon Bridges: I am DYING to see him live at Radio City this week! I came across his music a few weeks ago after hearing his song Beyond playing in Sephora. I then looked up his newer album, and have been listening ever since. There is something so old-school and classic about his voice that I just love.

other things:

  • Outdoor Voices Slipstream Jacket: I bought this jacked back in July when OV had their huge sale. It was marked down to $64 and seemed like the perfect jacket to throw on for a run in these cooler months. Since the shipment came in the heat of the summer, I hung it on the back of my bedroom door and completely forgot about it until that first autumn chill broke out. I’ve barely taken it off since I ripped the tags off. I don’t see the exact jacket on the site anymore, but this one is very similar.
  • Ozark: I always thought I was a great binge-watcher, but lately I haven’t been able to sit down and focus on tv for more than one episode. I’m always too tired, bored or just not into it and I’ve slowly realized that I’m really just terrible at watching tv in general. But when Ryan and I wanted a lazy night of lounging on the couch and only moving to press “Still Watching” on the remote, we were hell-bent on finding something that would hold my attention. And this was just the ticket! We already finished the entire first season (more tv than we’ve watched together in over a year) and cannot wait to start the next. 5 stars from me.
  • Starbucks Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew: you GUYS!!!! You have to try this. I mean it. I heard about it on another blog and decided to try it out for an after lunch pick-me-up one day and o.m.g. I’ve actually had to limit myself to only getting them on Friday because they’re that good. Please go and try this, you won’t regret it!

This is where I think I’ll list some of those bigger things I was talking about earlier. The things that I do remember and use as a marker for the year or what we did on any given weekend.

the main events:

Mom and Dad’s Surprise 30th Anniversary Party: a huge success and something that I am so glad we did, even though it was a lot of work, stress and anxiety. Party planning is no joke! But all in all, we had a wonderful evening and one that I’m sure we will all remember for years. Love celebrating love.

Matt’s college Graduation Party: probably one of the best (if not the) Kirby parties to date. Drift 82 was a new party venue for us, but something tells me it won’t be the last one we have there. A memorable weekend, only amplified by the memory of having 20+ frat boys staying in my house with only one full/working bathroom.

Van Morrison concert: I had bought these tickets as a Mother’s Day present for mom back in May. We were both so excited to see him live since we love his music and know so many of his songs, it was bound to be a great concert. We got to Forest Hills and were sharing a bunch of rice balls and empanadas when the skies opened up and it was all of a sudden, pouring. My memory of this concert is us sitting in dripping wet, sweaty, blue ponchos, not knowing a single song he played, getting rained on all night and laughing at what a total disaster it all was. Not to mention breathing in the air that was 97% weed. I’m still glad we went to this, but it was definitely one for the books. Next year it’s flowers for Mother’s Day!

Jets home opener: went to the game in 90 degree weather, wearing full jeans, sweated to everything I touched, the Jets lost and it took 3 hours to get home from MetLife (in the back of a yellow Hoboken taxi, btw.) And somehow we still managed to have a great time. Crazy what the right group of people can do!

Ed Sheeran concert: a much better concert experience! Ryan and I had seen Ed Sheeran four years ago on tour and this show blew that one out of the water! He is so good live, I highly recommend seeing him if ever you have the opportunity. We enjoyed this concert so much that we briefly considered buying tickets to the following night’s show. That is, until it took us almost two hours to even get out of MetLife. What a disaster that place is.

Apartment hunting: It’s officially official. Ryan and I are on the hunt for an apartment. A lot of this is still up in the air, but we are looking and that’s huge! Stay tuned for more on this.

So that was September!

It was a good one, but I have a feeling that October will give it a run for its money. I hope that doing theses posts is something that I’m able to keep up with because not only did I enjoy writing it, but I think it will be really fun to look back on and see what I was up to at any point in time.