September 2022 Month in Review

For once I can say that the month of September felt very long—not in a bad way, but Labor Day weekend feels like forever ago. I started September by hosting a friend from out of town and ended the month in Las Vegas celebrating my grandpa’s 90th birthday—with lots of blog posts, soccer games, and even a wedding in between. Like I mentioned in a recent post, I’m finally starting to feel settled into my post-grad routine. I’ve been cooking more, I hung my last decoration in my apartment Tuesday night, and I have a surprisingly busy social calendar. The only thing I still haven’t figured out quite yet is where exercise falls into my schedule—now that my soccer season has ended, I really need to get back into a workout routine! 

What’s New? 

• Now that I don’t have to read textbooks anymore, I’ve been trying to make the time to read for fun—and it’s been so enjoyable. I’m not the fastest reader, but I finished two books in September and started a third. I’ve been loving my nightly routine of turning my phone off, crawling into bed, and reading a few chapters before closing my eyes for the night. Let me know if you have any book recs in the comments below.
• I’m trying to learn how to golf! My boyfriend plays, and I went out on the course with him the last time he went (just to drive the cart and observe), which really sparked my interest in it. We hit a bucket of balls at the driving range a few weekends ago and went again last night. So much fun! 
• I am also trying to get into football because my boyfriend has essentially deemed himself unavailable all Monday and Thursday nights, as well as Sundays, during the football season. I’m learning some of the ins and outs of the game, but I don’t have the patience to be interested in it for the full three hours yet. 
• I finally made my first Instagram Reels—you can check them out here and here. They’re a lot of work, but I have to admit I had a really fun time making them!

Top Performing Blog Posts 

• August 2022 Month in Review 
• Weekly Recap #35, 2022 
• Weekly Recap #36, 2022 

Favorite Outfits from September 

Hard to choose my favorite outfits this month… There were a lot of winners. I ultimately decided on my hot pink blazer look (so chic), my date night outfit, and a cozy sweater + jeans combo. Two of the three feature my new Express jeans!

What I Read

• Educated by Tara Westover—This book is a memoir written by a girl from Idaho who was raised in an extremely religious Mormon family. It follows the story of her upbringing and of how she got her PhD, after never having been to grade school or high school. While I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning, this is one of the most well-written books I’ve ever read and will give you food for thought long after you turn the last page. Highly recommend! 
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple—For the most part, I absolutely loved this book. It’s written in a style that includes lots of different formats, so you read emails, documents, journals, etc. instead of a standard narrative. I had never read anything like that before and thought it was so unique. The story also takes place in Seattle, with lots of related jokes that only residents would understand; since I spent the first eight years of my life in the Seattle area, I found these witty comments to be laugh-out-loud funny and alarmingly accurate. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and sped through it! I will say, though, it’s not the most politically correct, so read with caution if that sort of thing really bothers you.  

What I Watched 

• Cruella—I heard good things about this movie, even from adults, so I was disappointed to find the film very lackluster. Some of the dogs were done with terrible CGI, which I thought was very amusing considering it’s a movie where dogs are critical to the story (and they had a Disney budget, so you would expect better). The movie also had some plot holes, but I will say, I absolutely loved the fashion aspect! The gold *special* dress Cruella designed was stunning. 
• Elvis—Another dud, in my opinion… This movie was three hours long, which I find an unacceptable length for most movies, but especially non-action films. It also felt like it was just trying too hard. These biopics have become so popular the last few years, and I’m sure they were attempting to do something “different”. Ultimately, it felt too busy. And they didn’t play that many songs! Tragic for a music-based movie.
• “Never Have I Ever” Season 3—I liked this season way better than the second one and binged it in one night. While the show is cheesy and geared towards a younger audience, it’s a lighthearted, mindless show to throw on in the background. 
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette?—Of course, after reading the book, I had to watch the movie too since it was on Hulu. For the most part, it followed the book really well, but I think the humor and novelty of the writing style was lost in the movie adaptation. I recommend it just for fun if you read the book, but it’s not the kind of movie you watch on its own (the Antarctica scenery is stunning, though). 
• “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”—I still have a few episodes left in this show, but it is extremely disturbing. It might be too creepy even for me, and that’s saying a lot because I love macabre shows and movies. It’s definitely not for the faint-of-heart… and you absolutely cannot watch it while eating dinner. Aside from the disconcerting aspects, I don’t love the way the show is put together in general, as there are lots of time skips that made it difficult for me to follow. 

Monthly Spotify Playlist

This month’s playlist has a really weird mix—some country songs from watching “Yellowstone”, a few Elvis tunes, and a handful of Taylor Swift’s Evermore album, as I started listening to it at work earlier in the month. Check out the full playlist here.

What I’ve Been Loving Lately 

• My Nutribullet blender—My brother got me a Nutribullet for Christmas last year after I specifically requested it, but September was the first time I finally used it—after unpacking all my stuff and officially getting settled into my place. And boy, did I use it. I made so many smoothies and Oreo milkshakes… it’s kind of a problem honestly. Way too much fun when you get to slurp your food. 
• Candles—I’ve never been into candles before, but I recently received a few as gifts and am a diehard candle person now. I burn mine almost every day… My current favorite is the Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla scent from Bath&Body Works. It’s pretty sweet and overpowering, so I get that it’s not everyone’s jam. But I love it because it smells like fall and coziness to me, if the feeling of being cozy had a scent. 
• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser—You guys, my aunt turned me onto this and now I use it for everything. Scuff mark on your apartment walls? Magic erase it. Dirt stains on the rubber part of your Converse? Magic erase it. Fingernail scratches on your white frames? Magic erase it. I have yet to find something it doesn’t work on! 

Quote of the Month 

• September’s Quote: “If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” 
• October’s Quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou

What I’m Looking Forward to in October 

• Allll the fun fall activities! Last week, my boyfriend and I spent some time planning the cute dates we want to go on this season, and I was shocked by how quickly my October calendar filled up. I’m already booked every weekend, if you can believe it! For this Saturday, we planned a fall drive to see the changing leaves, a hike, and a picnic. The next weekend will be karaoke (not fall-related but we’ve been wanting to go since we started dating), the pumpkin patch, and a haunted house double date. Then we also have a Halloween party the last weekend of the month, and we gotta squeeze a scary movie marathon in there somewhere! I don’t know why, but October feels so short this year… It’s only just begun and I’m already fretting its end.
• My parents are coming to Denver the third weekend of October, so I’m really excited to see them and show them my finished apartment (they’ve only seen it in the beginning stages of the move-in process… Envision: crap everywhere). 

This Month on Graceful Rags 

• August 2022 Month in Review 
• Weekly Recap #35, 2022 
• Weekly Recap #36, 2022 
• What to Pack for a Trip to Scotland 
• Study Abroad Capsule Wardrobe Recap and All 66 Outfits 
• A Trendy Date Night Outfit 
• Weekly Recap #37, 2022 
• Travel-Inspired with The Thrifty Six 
• Study Abroad Semester in Review 
• Weekly Recap #38, 2022 

 
How cute is this outfit?! My mom gave me the baby pink tweed blazer for graduation and this was the first time I wore it. I felt so business chic! The tea kettle Kate Spade purse was also a gift and the perfect whimsical addition to the look. This is probably one of my favorite outfits ever. 

As always, thanks for reading today’s post, and I hope you have a great Thursday.

 

Miles of smiles, 

Grace 

 

White Bedazzled Blouse: Thrifted, $11 ($11.00 per wear), last worn here | Pink Tweed Blazer: Macy’s, gift | Polka Dot Trousers: JCPenney, $19 ($1.19 per wear), last worn here | White Mules: Saks Off Fifth, $70 ($1.94 per wear), last worn here | Tea Kettle Purse: Kate Spade New York