August 2022 Month in Review

How is it September already?! This year has been an absolute blur… It feels like just yesterday I was anxiously awaiting my Covid test results before moving to Scotland for the semester. And now, I feel like I’m finally starting to settle into a calmer pace of life—although I still haven’t quite figured out the whole work-life balance thing, as evidenced by the serious lack of blog posts in August. I stumbled across these old, unused blog photos when I was clearing off my old phone and figured they would be perfect for today’s post! This is a great transitional outfit for those late summer days when it’s still too hot for thicker fabrics. I would be lying if I didn’t say I miss my long hair a little… can’t wait until I can braid it like this again.

What’s New?

• This is the first month in a while that I’m not sure I have anything interesting to report! I started a new co-ed soccer season a few Mondays ago, so that will last until the end of September (a very short season). I also went through the training process to be a volunteer at Make-A-Wish—I’m hoping to get more involved in the coming months!
• I took a few trips in August, one to Minneapolis to visit my brother and sister-and-law and the other to Breckenridge with my boyfriend (you can hear more about the mini-vacays here and here, respectively). I’m still trying to figure out my plans for the holidays, but hopefully I’ll be able to go home and spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family. It definitely gets a little harder to plan those things once you have a day job, lol.

Top Performing Blog Posts

• Weekly Recap #31, 2022
• The Thrifty Six Style Jumpsuits
• Weekly Recap #33, 2022

What I Watched, Read, and Listened To

• How to Please a Woman—I watched this movie with my brother and sister-in-law while in Minneapolis, and I think we all found it pretty funny. It’s the first time in a while that I laughed that much at a movie or TV show. The film is a classic romcom with all the usual tropes, but it takes place in Australia, so if nothing else, the imagery is beautiful.
• Elizabeth is Missing—I first talked about this book in last month’s recap, but I finished it the first week of August. It was SO good. The story is told from the point of view of an old woman with dementia, as she tries to navigate finding her missing friend (while simultaneously having flashbacks about her sister, who went missing after WWII). As much as I loved the book, I’m not sure I would recommend it to anyone who cares for their elderly parents or even grandparents… the perspective makes it a very sad read.
• “Severance”—My boyfriend and I watched the first season of this show and really enjoyed it. The premise is that people at this company have undergone a brain surgery where their work and home lives are completely separate—when they go into the office, they forget everything about their families and hobbies, and when they go home at the end of the day, they know nothing of their coworkers or job. It’s super interesting and the mystery of it kept us both guessing until the end! (Season 2 is currently being made, and we can’t wait.)
• “1883”—After “Severance”, the boy and I started binging “1883”, which is the prequel to “Yellowstone”. He did a little research and decided it was fine to watch the one-season prequel first. I’m not usually a fan of Westerns or similar shows, but for some reason I really enjoyed “1883”, for the most part. I loved the lawlessness and brutality as the main family and several immigrants tried to make their way on the Oregon Trail. Unfortunately, I lost a little respect for the show after the last few episodes, but I still really liked it and kept wanting more.
• “The Good Place”—I only have three episodes left before finishing this show but figured I would include it in this month’s recap. A few things I liked about it: it’s lighthearted, the episodes are short and sweet, and sometimes the jokes are so specific and funny that it feels like they’re describing me personally. What I didn’t like so much: I heard such great things about this show, but I found it a little boring and repetitive after the first season. Some of the humor is also very dumb, which has never been my thing. I think I would have liked this show a lot more had I watched it with someone else, so we could laugh and appreciate the jokes together.
• Annnnd here’s my Spotify playlist for the month!

What I’ve Been Loving Lately

• I’ve talked about my love of Wordle and the New York Times mini crossword in previous monthly recaps, but I have yet to discuss Framed. My boyfriend got me hooked on this cinematic puzzle, where it shows you a single frame from a movie and you have to guess the film just from that frame. You have six tries, so with each frame it shows you, it usually gets a little easier (showing more obvious scene locations, the main actor, etc.). Sometimes I have absolutely no idea, if it’s a film I’ve never seen or even heard of before. But it’s always really exciting if I do guess the movie correctly! Yesterday’s was The Notebook and I somehow got it on the first frame, even though I’ve only seen the movie once.
• My green tumbler (pictured here). I never understood why tumblers with straws became so popular in high school, probably because I don’t really drink coffee or tea. But about a month ago, I started using this tumbler for water instead of a regular water bottle, and I’ve found myself SO much more hydrated—something about the straw makes me want to slurp slurp slurp all the time. Moral of the story: I get the craze now.

Quote of the Month

• August’s Quote: “The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” -Elbert Hubbard
• September’s Quote: “If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”

What I’m Looking Forward to in September

• A high school friend is visiting me this weekend (she gets in tomorrow), so I’m looking forward to seeing her! She visited me once before our freshman year of college, but since I didn’t have a car back then, we’ll be able to do a lot more around Denver this time. I haven’t brainstormed an itinerary yet, but I think we’ll at least go on a hike Saturday morning.
• My boyfriend and I are attending the wedding of one of his friends in a few weekends, so of course I’m super excited to get dolled up and dance the night away! I think I’ve decided to wear my favorite burgundy fringe dress… but not sure what accessories and hair/makeup I want yet.
• The fall temperatures! I love autumn and can’t wait to start breaking out my sweaters and booties. I’ve also really been romanticizing the idea of having slow weekend mornings out on my deck, with an iced chai tea and my book (it’s still too hot to do that right now). Oh! And going on fall hikes and having picnics… So many exciting things that fall brings that just aren’t suited for the heat of summer.

This Month on Graceful Rags

• Weekly Recap #31, 2022
• Weekly Recap #32, 2022
• The Thrifty Six Style Jumpsuits
• Weekly Recap #33, 2022
• Weekly Recap #34, 2022
• Differences in Education Between Scotland and the U.S.

 
What are you most looking forward to in September? Have any fun weekend plans? Let me know in the comments below! As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today.

Miles of smiles,

Grace

Black Tank: JCPenney, $6 ($0.17 per wear), last worn here | Olive Green Utility Jacket: Nordstrom Rack, $30 ($0.32 per wear), last worn here | Palazzo Pants: Francesca’s, $15 ($2.14 per wear), last worn here | Black Heels: Frye via Sundance Outlet, $75 ($18.75 per wear), last worn here | Aviator Sunglasses: Icing, $16 ($0.21 per wear), last worn here | Black Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20 ($0.36 per wear), last worn here