Weekly Recap #48, 2021

Just like that, I’ve said goodbye to Denver! I moved out of my senior year apartment on Monday and drove to Las Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with family. It feels so weird to be leaving the Mile High City and for the first time in three and a half years, not knowing if I’ll be coming back. I originally never planned to stay in Denver after graduation, but after missing out on nearly a year of college because of Covid, it feels like the Denver chapter of my life hasn’t closed quite yet. It’s been so nice to finally start my five week winter break, and I’m looking forward to quality family time, writing my thesis, and planning for my semester abroad—I bought my tickets to Scotland this morning!

Monday, November 22

Today was SO hectic. I woke up bright and early to finish packing my apartment, load the car, clean everything, and hand in my keys right before noon. I dropped off a friend at the airport and then went to a career advising appointment to try and figure out what to do with my life. After a few final errands, I said goodbye to campus and drove to my friend’s apartment for one last dinner and get-together before leaving.

Tuesday, November 23

My mom and I ate breakfast at our hotel before hitting the road early and driving to Las Vegas (she drove my grandpa’s truck and I drove my dinky car—thankfully the ol’ girl survived the Rockies, it can be a little dicey sometimes). Of course, about an hour outside of Vegas, we got stuck in two different traffic jams that added at least an hour to our trip. We were all very tired and hangry by the time we finally arrived. Also, when packing all my clothes on Sunday, I forgot to leave out an extra outfit for the travel day… so today was day three of wearing the same t-shirt and pants. I was *very* excited for some clean clothes.

Wednesday, November 24

Whenever in Vegas, I head into my grandpa’s office with him at 4am because I can’t stand the ridicule if I don’t (plus, I suffer from FOMO—sometimes there is interesting gossip to be had at the office in the wee hours of the morning). I can’t remember the last time I had such a productive day. It might be rough waking up at 4, but I published my blog post, wrote all the thank you notes from my birthday, and finished a couple of other chores before going out for breakfast at 8:30. It’s always so satisfying to see what I can accomplish before 9 o’clock. In the afternoon, I took a couple photos and posted on Instagram for a Clarins campaign before my uncle, mom, and I went to a UNLV basketball game in the evening. Boy, the people watching was way more entertaining than the sport!

Red Patterned Sleeve Top: Francesca’s, $25, last worn here | Skinny Jeans: Express, $40 | Blush Sneakers: Steve Madden via DSW, $60, last worn here

Thursday, November 25

My mom made French toast for my grandpa and me for breakfast before she and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. We spent the morning making various dishes, and then I snuck away from the kitchen to do my hair and makeup. I tried something different with my makeup today and wore green eyeshadow with green eyeliner… I think I liked how it turned out, although it felt more like a ‘going out’ look than a Thanksgiving dinner vibe. In the early afternoon, the three of us drove to my aunt’s house to have a Thanksgiving feast with a couple of my uncles and various cousins. It felt so good to be all together. This dress wasn’t my first pick for a cute Turkey Day outfit, but I opted for comfort over style for once—this dress allows for maximum stretch, and I figured the A-line cut would be most flattering and comforting. I tried one of each of the four types of gluten-free pie and I got no end of grief for it!

Gingham Dress: Envy Boutique in Tacoma, $21, last worn here | Black Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here

Friday, November 26

My mom and I went for another walk this morning, and I spent a lot of the day researching various aspects of my study abroad program, including doing the online orientation for the apartment in which I will be living. Exciting stuff! Although the stress of traveling is really starting to kick in—I’m nervous about unknowingly missing some Covid regulation or visa requirement. I don’t think I’ll feel relief until I’m kissing the Scottish ground! In the afternoon, the three of us drove back to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving V-2. Don’t worry, I only had one piece of pie this time…

Patterned Top: Gift, $22, last worn here | Maroon Moto Jacket: BB Dakota via Wish Boutique, $25, last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $25, last worn here | Beige Flats: Nordstrom Rack, $40, last worn here

Saturday, November 27

I spent all morning looking for flights to Scotland, which was quite the ordeal (my school forces you to book through a crappy third-party travel website, which makes it way more difficult than it has to be). Thankfully, my day turned around as my mom dropped me off on the Strip to see one of my best friends! She and her family came to town for Thanksgiving so we planned a meet-up—I hadn’t seen her since she moved to grad school at the beginning of June. We went to my favorite thrift store, took pictures at Seven Magic Mountains, and wandered around the Bellagio before getting dinner with her family. Afterwards, we went to a karaoke bar on Fremont Street! It was SO fun, and together we sang CeeLo Green’s “Forget You”—I’m sure I did a bad job but it was so loud up there that I couldn’t even hear myself. Who cares anyway, it was such a blast!

My friend and I decided to wear sequins all day because—why not? It is Vegas after all. I wore this green sequin top, curled my hair, and did the same green makeup I tried for Thanksgiving. It was better suited for this outfit, but I’m still not totally convinced it looked good—I’m so inexperienced at makeup.

Green Sequin Top: Gracie’s Boutique, $29 | Skinny Jeans: Express, $40 | Black Booties: DSW, $45, last worn here

Sunday, November 28

This morning, my mom and I swung by a craft fair in town—which was a bust—and I finally gambled for the first time at a couple of machines—which was also a bust. The directions are so confusing on those slot machines, and I find it very stressful to put money into something I don’t understand! Needless to say, it was a wasted $5. But I got a good photo so I suppose that’s all that matters.

Olive Green Bodysuit: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here | Black Denim Jacket: Topshop via Nordstrom, $55, last worn here | Black Corduroy Skirt: Francesca’s, $35, last worn here | Black Booties: DSW, $45, last worn here

. . . . .

As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope everyone who celebrated had a great Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones and stuffed with yummy food. I feel like Christmas decorations and music have started WAY too early this year, but now that it’s finally after Thanksgiving… I guess I better start getting into the holiday spirit.

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace