october regularly ranks as one of my favorite months of the year, and this year was no exception.

october highlights.

i had a few work-free weekends, which are always special, the weather finally turned cool, and the grizzlies season got underway. i saw harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone accompanied by the symphony, made it over to nashville for 24 hours, saw school of rock: the musical, went hiking in alabama, spent an awesome day and night at a lakehouse, attended the orpheum’s haunted dinner on stage, and ventured down to oxford for a day. we visited the haunted corn maze, decked out the house for halloween, and welcomed some trick-or-treaters.

a lot happened this month, but a busy october always puts an extra pep in my step.

october books.

once again my reading wasn’t great this month. i’ve gotten out of my bedtime reading routine and need to do a little reset. this was my second month in a row of only completing one book, but with some travels coming up in november i’m hopeful i will get  few more under my belt next month.

shrewed: a wry and closely observed look at the lives of women and girls by elizabeth renzetti. i should have read this one more quickly than i did, and it was interesting in places, but i somehow didn’t quite click with this book. there were some parts that i enjoyed, but toward the end i was mostly ready for it to finish. i will chalk part of that up to having a lot of other things going on that i preferred giving my attention to.

the best things i watched.

i finally watched rbg and am not at all ashamed to admit i teared up multiple times. it’s streaming on hulu. go watch it. now.

in march i read the hate u give, and this month i saw the movie. some parts were changed, and some characters weren’t as developed as they were in the book, but it packed a punch nonetheless. i was not prepared for the visualization of some of the scenes, and i left the theater with a pit in my stomach. i think i cried more in this movie than i ever have before, and it is my hope that everyone finds time to see this.

the best things i read on the interwebs.

this excerpt from jill soloway’s new memoir.

i can’t stop watching this timelapse of braces straightening teeth.

this is what 18 looks like for girls around the world.

why cvs receipts are so ridiculously long. perfect timing as christina and i had this exact conversation not three weeks ago.

lauren fleshman’s letter to her younger self is an important read for all women.

chrissy teigen is my favorite. also did you know we’ve been pronouncing her name incorrectly all these years?? mind. blown.

how sears changed the shopping experience for families of color. and again.

designing clothes for people with disabilities.

deddeh howard re-created famous ads to make a point about diversity. “It’s important to be able to see yourself in the world, and it’s important to know that someone who looks like you can succeed”

i hope you are all as excited for november as i am!

xx