February 2023 Month in Review

February was good to me. From a Super Bowl party, to a V-Day cookie-making girls night, to a trip to the hot springs, to a fashion show, the month was jam-packed with fun social events and quality time with family and friends. Y’all may remember how much I love my Passion Planner, and at the end of every month there is a journaling section to reflect on your accomplishments, assess next steps for your goals, etc. One question asks, “Are you happy with how you spent your time?” and I can honestly say there’s nothing I would change about February.

What’s New?

• We had a wellness challenge at work this month where each person could set their own goals and track how many weeks they could keep up with them. For my challenge, I chose to hit 10,000 steps at least three days a week—I was surprised to realize how difficult it was! In college, it was easy to reach 10k without even thinking about it because I walked everywhere across campus. Now that I work in an office, I walk into the building in the morning, back to my car in the afternoon, and that’s pretty much the extent of my steps. I tried to make it a habit to walk around the office a bit every hour to get the blood flowing, but I didn’t realize quite how sedentary my lifestyle has become since starting my job. I am struggling big time to get back into any sort of fitness routine!
• In other news, exciting things are happening for Graceful Rags and I couldn’t be more proud. As I mentioned in this blog post, one of my goals for the new year is pitching a brand once a month to start landing more brand deals. My January pitch was unsuccessful, but my February pitch has resulted in a collaboration that I will be sharing very soon! And, somehow, I have three other collabs in the works as well (!!!). I’ve also been trying really hard to get into the Reels scene on Instagram, and even though it’s been frustrating at times, it’s so rewarding to see that my hard work is paying off.

Today’s Outfit

I got this hot pink leopard dress at a closing sale at a local boutique. It’s definitely out there and different than my usual style, but I thought it would be so cute for date night. Funny thing is, my boyfriend hates this dress! He thinks it’s tacky. To each their own—I don’t deny that it’s a statement. I thought it looked so cute with these sheer tights and black accessories for winter. However, I’m only realizing now, after taking photos it in, that it’s not the most flattering dress on me. While it does have a waist seam, it’s not particularly visible, so I look pretty boxy in the dress—I think what I need is a thick black belt to add a little shape back. Otherwise, I really liked this look.

Top Performing February Blog Posts

• Weekly Recap #6, 2023
• Weekly Recap #5, 2023
• Weekly Recap #7, 2023

Favorite Outfits from February

I had such a hard time choosing my favorite looks from this month! I tried a lot of new combos that I really loved, including these two outfits from last weekend. The brown and olive green color scheme on the left is so cute, and I can’t get over how well my cowgirl boots pair with the mustard striped sweater on the right. Of course, I also had to include my chic Valentine’s Day dinner outfit because this black fringe dress is just amazing.

What I Watched

• Everything Everywhere All at Once—Wow, this movie was a trip. The best way I can describe it is sensory overload. At first, I kind of hated it because it was so ludicrous and overwhelming to the eyes, but after sleeping on it, I decided I really liked the film. It’s hilarious, one of the most unique things you’ve ever seen, and ultimately really poetic. I would only recommend it to a certain kind of person, but if you’re up for an adventure, I say go for it.
• Triangle of Sadness—Another very bizarre, unlike-anything-I’ve-ever-seen movie. My boyfriend and I finished watching it, looked at each other, and said simultaneously, “WTF did we just watch?!” I actually did like the movie because it was so shockingly entertaining, but like Everything Everywhere, I wouldn’t recommend Triangle of Sadness to just anyone. I would describe it is an upscale, more artsy version of “The White Lotus”.
• Shutter Island—I wanted to watch this psychological thriller before it left Netflix, and it was so intriguing! It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as they investigate an escape at an insane asylum located on a remote island… and in doing so start to question their own reality. I thought it was really good and I would recommend it.
• “Breaking Bad”—After months and months of my boyfriend begging me, I finally watched “Breaking Bad” and finished the series Friday night. It was SO good. Unlike a lot of shows, which get worse season after season, “Breaking Bad” maintains a coherent storyline throughout and arguably gets better as it goes. The characters are fascinating and complex, and the moral dilemmas will keep me thinking for a long time. Highly recommend if you’re behind the times and haven’t watched it yet, like me!
• “The Last of Us”—Like everyone and their brother, my boyfriend and I have been watching this video game-based zombie show as it airs every Sunday night. So far, it’s really good (really sad, though) and I’m looking forward to seeing how the last few episodes play out. Of course, my boyfriend already knows what’s going to happen because he played the video game, but it’s a total mystery to me. Everyone I’ve talked to who has played the game says the show follows it really well, though!

What I Read

I’m currently rereading one of my favorite novels, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It’s about a Jesuit priest from Puerto Rico who, with his friends, travels to a newly-discovered planet inhabited by aliens. The story is a fascinating mix of religion and science, and it poses so many questions about faith, morality, and what it means for religious institutions if other intelligent life exists. I think I was in middle school the first time I read the book, and I’m realizing now just how much nuance I missed the first time. Russell writes with such subtlety that zoning out for even a second could mean you miss a layer of complexity that enriches the story—I love how demanding and well-written a read it is. I highly recommend it if you like heavier stories that make you ask yourself the big questions in life.

February Spotify Playlist

I guess I hardly listened to any music in February because this could barely be considered a playlist! I just put together a few songs that I heard out and about and that reminded me of activities from this month. Although, now that I think about, I should go add some of my favorite love songs, just for the sake of Valentine’s Day… you can listen to the playlist here.

What I’ve Been Loving Lately

• Worldle—My coworker introduced me to a new daily game, and this time it’s map-themed! You get six tries to guess the country, and if you’re correct, there are bonus rounds to guess the bordering countries, the capital, the flag, the population, and the currency. It’s so much fun.
• See’s Candies—I’ve had a See’s Candies gift card in my wallet since June, as it was a graduation gift, and I finally decided to spend it on a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. My boyfriend and I have slowly been making our way through it, and the pieces are SO good—such high quality.

What I’m Looking Forward to in March

• There are so many things I’m excited for in March! Most of all, I am looking forward to my trip to Puerto Rico. I leave this Tuesday (how did that happen??) and am going with my dad, aunt, and uncle. My grandpa recently moved back to the territory—he’s originally from there—so it will be great to see so much family and relax on the beach. We booked a snorkeling boat tour to the island of Culebra as well as a night kayaking tour to see Puerto Rico’s famous bioluminescence. Hopefully the waters are in our favor that night!
• March will be a busy month—I get back two days before St. Patrick’s Day and I think my boyfriend is planning an Irish pub crawl through downtown. The perfect way to detox after a week’s vacation in the rum capital of the world… lol.
• My boyfriend’s birthday is at the end of the month, and while I don’t know what the plans are yet, I’m sure we’ll do something fun to celebrate. He loves steak and Top Golf so that may be in the cards.

This Month on Graceful Rags

• January 2023 Month in Review
• Weekly Recap #5, 2023
• My Style in Five Words
• Shabby Chic Apartment Tour
• Weekly Recap #6, 2023
• London Calling
• Weekly Recap #7, 2023
• Winter Blues
• Weekly Recap #8, 2023

 
What was your favorite part of February? And what are you looking forward to in March? Thanks for swinging by the blog today, and I hope you have a great rest of your weekend.

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace