I was not ready for October to be over. October is always a beautifully chaotic month and I’m always left wanting more. Seriously, how is it already November!?  

Here are my reflections for the month of October:

One

One month of the Last 90 Days challenge down! I compared this year’s habit tracker to my tracker from last year, and there is a bit of difference between my progress. I can make the excuse that some of it had to do with being sick for two weeks this month, but honestly, I know that some of it has just been my motivation levels. However, I have been doing a great job of keeping up with my additional challenge to “do 1 thing” every day (read more about that mantra here). I’m committed to continuing to finish out the year strong, and I’m glad that I have my gym besties to keep pushing me along the way. 

Side note, I made it the entire 31 days without fast food and I’m still just a little bit bitter that this was the first year (since high school!) that I didn’t get my Halloween boorito from Chipotle. Sigh.  

Two

We made it through No Shop October! It was a great challenge made even more fun by completing it with friends. I loved seeing the looks that Caitlin and Taylor created out of their fall wardrobe essentials. I appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with such kind friends and the ability to show others that there are more important things than buying the latest cute trends. Don’t get me wrong, I love to shop and the thrill of finding great new pieces. However, this challenge helped me face some of the pressures that I usually feel in the blogging world. I met my goal to be a little more conscious of some of my negative shopping-related thoughts (i.e. the “need” to have the latest and newest clothing to impress others) and to increase my sustainability efforts. If you are interested in some of our No Shop October challenges, I have them all saved on my Instagram highlights! 

Three

I indulged in all of my fall basicness this month. I had a super fall weekend where I visited a farm for a fall festival, an orchard for apple picking, and a Halloween party. I made time to appreciate the changing colors of the leaves and the dropping temperatures. As cliche as it sounds, I truly am so glad that I live in a world where there are Octobers. 

Four

To complete the nature walk component of my October Bucket List, I went on an eye-opening walk through Huntley Meadows with my friend Megan and her pup Rosie (i.e. the best walking companions). It was eye-opening in part because it was a gorgeous day so I got all the happy feels from the serenity that sometimes accompanies nature, but also because it served as a good reminder. The nature walk reminded me that it’s good to keep challenging yourself because you just might be surprised by what you can do. That day I walked 2.62 miles (4.1 k!!), which is further than I have ever voluntarily walked in my life. I not only walked that distance, but I didn’t feel too overwhelmed with pain after and I still got up and went to the gym (for my least favorite and most leg challenging) class the next morning. If you are unfamiliar with my physical journey, read all about it here, but the short of it is, this was a huge accomplishment for me. 

Secondly, the nature walk reminded me of the importance of re-trying things that you have previously written off. I do this periodically to test whether I still “don’t like” something and I think that it’s an important thing to do. As you grow and change, your opinions do too. I wrote off Huntley Meadows because as someone local to the area, I had to visit it EVERY year for a school field trip. I dreaded it (mostly because of all the walking). However, it was nice to go back as an adult and by free will. I found it so relaxingly beautiful that I definitely want to go back again. I am glad that I gave it another shot! 

Five

Y’all, I ate SO many fall foods. This is definitely not unusual behavior for me, but it is still worth stating. I think what changed this year was that I tried a lot of new (or new to me) seasonal offerings. If you haven’t read my thoughts about the 20 fall seasonal Trader Joe’s items that I tried, you can find that post here. In addition to pre-packaged fall items, I tried out a couple of pumpkin recipes that I will reveal in an upcoming post.  

This month I completed all of the items on my October Bucket List! I am pleased that I was able to indulge in all of the fall madness without spending a ton of money and while keeping my overarching goals in mind. 

Stay tuned for my November Bucket List!