Welcome to the seventh installment regarding my monthly favorites.
September Faves
I love September. It’s fall in Colorado, and that brings so many wonderful experiences: brightly colored foliage, crisper temperatures, our anniversary, a tourism shoulder-season, and a feeling of change in the air.
This month had plenty of challenges paired with fun. Chad is working on a project that’s taking him out of town for one or two nights a week, which has been a bit of a lonely cycle. We’ve made up for it, though, with weekends filled with family, friends, and outings into the fall air. Wine Fest with my parents, hanging out with my favorite pup, decorating for fall, celebrating two years of marriage, and being outside were definite highlights.
I’ve been trying to be the healthiest version of myself: daily exercise, supplements, face masks, reading more often, keeping our home clean, even boosting up my oral care. It’s been a nice change of pace to focus on myself a little bit more, and I am thankful that I took the initiative.
Blog-wise, I’ve taken a few steps back to find inspiration. I haven’t had quite the same drive to interact and engage and boost my stats, though I imagine it will return after some needed downtime. Don’t worry, you can still count on my posts, twice a week, like always. 🙂
And with that, here are my top picks for the month of September.
Fall Activity: Leaf Peeping
Usually, the fall colors come and go in a blink of an eye. A long-lasting winter in Colorado (remember, we still had cases of snow in May, and then later in June?!), however, pushed the schedule for fall foliage back a little bit. So, Chad and I made the most out of the last weekend in September with a hike and a drive to experience the beauty. We went on Snowmass’s Ditch Trail to walk among the Aspens, then took a drive up Glenwood Springs’ Four Mile Road by Sunlight Ski Resort; both were amazingly stunning. It’s hard to beat autumn in the Rockies.
Event: Palisade’s Wine Fest
Wine Fest is a big deal. For those of us who live on the western slope, we know that Palisade, Colorado is a pocket of produce paradise, including their famous wines. My parents have been going to the annual Palisade Mountain Wine Fest for years, and this year they gifted Chad and I with tickets as well. It was wonderful, delicious, packed with 10,000 other grape-enthusiasts, and packed quite a punch. A HUGE shout out to my parents for letting us crash their annual and very special tradition.
Closet Addition: Jumpsuit
This month I decided to invest in some new jumpsuits. I’m a huge fan of this green, over-sized beauty from Forever 21. It’s comfy, has plenty of pocket-space, is trendy, and completes my wanna-be-artist style profile.
Self-Care: Cleaning the House
This month I got serious about cleaning our house, and it was a wonderful decision. Chad was gone for work, and so I fueled my loneliness into productivity. I finalized our guest room, folded a bunch of laundry, hung up art work, went to town on our bathrooms, and made our bedroom shine. Overall, I’d highly recommend a clean and tidy space for a boosted mood.
Book: Where the Crawdads Sing
Ugh. My heart. Where the Crawdads Sing, written by Delia Owens, is a hauntingly beautiful novel that follows two timelines that slowly work their way toward each other to intertwine, centered on a young girl who grew up neglected in a North Carolina swamp. It is so, so, so good. I highly recommend picking up a copy ASAP and enjoying this literary treat.
TV Show Round Up
September starred quite a few shows, though many of them were shorter or limited series. So many excellent options.
- Fleabag (Season 2). Oh, my heart. We took a break between seasons, trying to savor the experience. Fleabag, quite like hair, means everything. If you haven’t watched it yet, add it to your list ASAP. It has everything you need: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a hot priest, cringy relationships, sharp commentary, and a guinea pig cafe.
- Mindhunter. This show is also excellent, starring my old Glee favorite Jonathan Groff. It’s set in the seventies, as FBI agents in the behavioral sciences department try to figure out if there’s a psychology element to serial killers.
- Great British Bake Off. Yes, the newest season is out, though it’s only being released one episode at a time on Netflix (wait, I thought we got rid of cable?). So far, it’s as wonderful as always and such a pleasant escape.
- Carnival Row. With only eight episodes, Carnival Row is a quick but intriguing option that we found on Amazon Prime Video. It’s dark and gritty and incorporates elements of fantasy, and just enough predictability to make it engaging. Orlando Bloom’s haircut is also worth mentioning.
Brewery: Casey Brewing and Blending Taproom
Glenwood Springs’ Casey Brewing and Blending has long been my very favorite brewery; they specialize in sour beers. Previously, however, they weren’t super accessible: you could only go there with a ticket, on the weekend, and it included a tour. There was no option to just go in, sit down, and order a drink. Until now!
They recently opened a taproom in downtown Glenwood Springs. It’s modern, stylish, and serves a full menu of their favorites. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but any Casey fan knows that it comes down to quality, locally sourced ingredients, and a lot of love.
Donation: Elizabeth Warren
Back in 2016, I was the EIC of a newspaper and our November edition came out on election day. It was a hard decision because we didn’t want to polarize our readers, but we ultimately chose to run an endorsement for Hilary Clinton. I’m still proud of that choice, and only regret that we maybe didn’t do it soon enough. We didn’t dive into the controversies of the election very deeply before that, because it didn’t seem like our place.
Well, I’ve learned since then. I want to use this platform honestly, and hopefully avoid any indifference within the next political cycle, with so much at stake. I donated this month (only $10) to Elizabeth Warren.
Though I will obviously support any Democratic nominee, my current candidate of choice is Liz. Above all, she has smart, intuitive policies and plans already in place—a public-ready dose of substance, ready for structural change. I only implore you, if you’re a reader within the U.S., to start doing your research now. Watch some debates, check out some proposed policies, look into voting records, and please put Elizabeth Warren on your radar.
And that rounds out my September favorites! Thanks for tagging along on my pursuit of sunshine.
Cheers,
Well, a great selection of things to stimulate the mind and body! As for “Fleabag”, one of the best TV shows I’ve seen…crushing ending but doesn’t the last shot make it clear she was done? As for “British Bake-Off”, I am assuming that, since PBS has the show in the US, they choose to release it weekly and Netflix would rather follow that than wait until the end and then put them all out there…I THINK they share the release window but I could be wrong…anyway, terrific list!
Thank you! Fleabag’s ending was a heartbreaker, though so good. And for bake-off, it makes sense from Netflix’s point of view, though I’m not a huge fan of the wait. I’ve been spoiled by streaming services! Thank you so much for reading.
Yes, “Fleabag” ending was heartbreaking for several reasons, and the look she gave the camera t the end….wow…..yes, I want to binge watch as well!
This is your first favourites post that I’ve read and I love how different and interesting your favourites are. I love that you’re trying to look after yourself and be the best version of yourself. I need to find myself a nice jumpsuit bc I’m not ready to go back to jeans yet! That book sounds amazing, I must put it on my wish list! A great post lovely! I hope your October is as amazing as September!
Alex xxx
http://allthingsalexx.wordpress.com/
I’m so glad you found this and enjoyed it! Man I’m already tired of jeans, and I just started wearing them again. Thank you so much for reading and commenting! xx