October Recap
Well, here we are at the end of October! This is truly my favorite time of the year, as fall fades into Christmas-time and Christmas leads us into the hope of a brand new year. October held so many special moments this year including a trip to visit my brother and sister-in law, fall break at school, and lots of time spent in good company.
This past weekend was especially full of fall moments. Friday night, some of my sweet friends came over, and we all painted pumpkins together. Making friends post-grad is not for the faint of heart, and I am so thankful for the friendships I have found! Then, Jackson and I spent Saturday driving & exploring with one another and with friends. It looked like fall everyone we went, but the 80 degree weather did not have me feeling very cozy. But, I have heard the cold front is coming!
So as the cooler air begins to creep in, let’s chat about all the things I have been loving in October!
Reading
The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - If you have not heard of the Inheritance Games series, you should definitely check it out! It is a young adult trilogy with elements of mystery and romance. It is truly such a fun read! This books comes after the trilogy as a spinoff, following the same characters. I would recommend reading the books in order, but this one is worth the read if you enjoy the first three.
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams - This is a small town romance that is a companion novel to When in Rome, which I shared about in last month’s Currently newsletter! It follows the story of Will and Annie who are so fun together! This book, along with When in Rome, are two of Sarah Adams’ closed door romances, and I have loved both of them!
I am also really excited about the books I have planned to read in November. Be sure to subscribe to read all about them in next month’s Currently newsletter!
Listening
Streetlights Audio Bible - When I discovered this resource this past month, I was so excited because it makes listening to scripture so much easier for me to do! Essentially, this is an audio Bible (NLT version) created by a non-profit that you can listen to easily on whatever music streaming platform you use! There different albums for each book of the Bible, and each song is a different chapter of the Bible. I have been listening to Proverbs the last few weeks and have really been enjoying it!
The Love in a Cottage Podcast with Paige Geidel - This is one of my absolute favorite podcasts. Just last week was the launch of season four, and I have been so excited to have some new episodes to listen to! Paige describes her podcast as “a community of creative Christian women in their 20s who chat about all things marriage, motherhood, homemaking, small business, and following Jesus.” If you are interested in any of those things, I think you would love this podcast and community. It has truly been such a gift to me!
Watching
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones with Dan Buettner - I came across this show on Netflix and was immediately intrigued. The show travels to five locations around the world that have a higher percentage of centurions than anywhere else. The host dives into the community in each location and begins to discover what elements of their lives promotes such rare longevity. I have loved seeing different cultures and learning more about what healthy can look like!
Hallmark Christmas movies - November is basically here so our TV has been on Hallmark a lot more often lately. There is something about a cozy, cheesy Hallmark movie that really puts you in a good mood. If I see any good ones you all need to watch, I will be sure to let you know!
Doing
One thing I have been doing and really enjoying this past month is my fall puzzle. To be more accurate, I have been doing it the past few days. I got it out towards the beginning of the month when we got a stint of colder weather. I thought we were finally entering the more fall-like temperatures, and I was anticipating more cozy nights in. Then, of course, this past weekend it was 80 degrees, but nevertheless, I have been drinking hot tea and doing my puzzle. We are planning to wrap this one up this week, so we can get out our Christmas one!
Another thing I just discovered this month that has really been a positive addition to my routine is the Day One Journal App. I will probably always be someone who has a physical journal, and I still use mine every morning. However, I have found I journal even more when I combine that practice with this app. It has all kinds of unique and practical features that I am excited to learn more about as I continue using it.
Quote
The other night I was looking to see what Hallmark movies were on, but I ended up choosing to watch Sweet Home Alabama with Reese Witherspoon. While I watching, this line between Jake and Mel really stuck out to me, “Since when does it have to be one or the other? You can have roots and wings.”
Lately, we have been doing a lot of thinking and dreaming about where to live and what we want our lives to look like. It is easy to get stuck in thinking that everything is always black and white, this or that. And some things are. But I really do believe that we can all have roots and wings - it just takes figuring out what that looks like.
Thank you so much for reading! If you have a moment, please share my page with a friend!
Take care,
Caroline