October is a really busy month for us this year--we were in Minneapolis the first weekend of the month and were able to stay put this past weekend, but then we'll be in Roanoke Saturday night and to a wedding near Charlottesville the weekend after that. Then it's Halloween and Rob's brothers are visiting, and the first weekend in November is another wedding, this time in Washington DC. This time in our lives is so fun--lots of weddings and parties and other celebrations, but I always have to remember to take a second and catch my breath every once in a while.

It's that time of year in Charlotte where the mornings are really chilly, but then it reaches almost 80 degrees in the afternoon, which always kind of bums me out. I'm ready for cold days and hats and hot tea at 2PM. We've been leaving the windows open at night, though, which always makes me sleep so well.

One of my best friends, Elena, came through town on Sunday on her way to the airport to catch a flight back to Seattle and we got to hang out for the first time since my wedding, where she was a bridesmaid. Before that we hadn't seen each other in probably two years. It is truly ridiculous how rarely I see some of my closest friends, but I feel so incredibly fortunate to have these relationships that allow us to just pick up where we left off, no matter the distance between us.

I have to admit that I'm really surprised by how hard it's been for me to get back into the swing of things after taking two weeks to go to Roanoke and care for my mom after surgery. I guess I had been feeling burnt out for a long time, and that ended up kind of being the last straw for me. I really did anticipate just jumping back into everything--writing and blogging, working out, eating right, keeping our apartment organized--all the daily things we don't usually have to put too much thought into. But it's been a struggle to stay motivated, to stay inspired. I wish I could stay that I'm doing the best I can, but I'm not sure if that's true. There's still a big part of me that's trying to figure out what's next for me, what I want this blog to be, and what my goals and dreams actually look like.

Happy weekend you guys, we made it! It's been a really long time since I shared links with you on a Friday, but as usual I've been saving some to post. Hope you enjoy!

To Read:

• An interesting cultural piece that I embarrassingly enough related to a lot: Tell-Tale Signs of the Modern-Day Yuppie.
• Trauma Workers Find Solace In A Pause That Honors Life After a Death. Sometimes the smallest moments can mean so much. Several of my good friends have gone through UVA for their medical education and I'm so proud of all of them.
• Speaking of friends I'm proud of (and NPR), can we all take a second to listen to this story by my awesome journalist friend Desiré? It was so surreal to listen to her voice on my computer!
• Your Child Should Never Be Forced to Hug Anyone--I was so into this. I'm obviously not a parent and I can't really remember a time that I didn't want to hug a friend or family member, but lately I've been dealing with this really weird situation:
  • Since getting our dog, I've sort of befriended two middle-aged men who work near my apartment. We exchange pleasantries and they pet Ender and over the past few months we've become friendly acquaintances, but now they always want to hug me when they see me and it freaks me out! I usually just give them an awkward one-armed pat on the back, and it reminded me of a scene from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in which Matt Lauer says "I'm always amazed by what women will do because they're afraid of being rude." Anyway, it's all just food for thought and definitely something I will think about when I have kids. We shouldn't ever feel weird about not wanting to hug someone. 

To Watch/See:

• This poster is HIV-positive. What a brilliant and moving campaign.
• I laughed so hard at this video. I'm a big fan of fall but Matt Bellassai makes some compelling arguments.
• What a gorgeous (nude--NSFW) photo of an inspiring and beautiful woman. Life goes on, indeed!
• I think this song is the cutest and I'm obsessed with Pentatonix so obviously I loved everything about this version.

Wish List: 

• This cozy vest.
• A watch with a leather band like this one.
• This hat.
• These sweatpants that I would most likely wear every day.

PS I'm working on a sponsored campaign with Ragu and would love for you to learn more by checking out their landing page here! I appreciate your support as I continue to work with brands.

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After a crazy few weeks, I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home. What fun plans do you have for this long weekend?

I've had this dress for something like eight years, and every time I see it hanging in my closet I wonder if I should get rid of it. But every time I put it on I fall in love with it all over again. Sometimes I layer it over a long-sleeved top, but it's actually kind of perfect for this time of year, when we're all freaking out about all things autumn but it's still 78 degrees every afternoon.

Dress: Tulle | Boots (similar): ShoeMint | Necklace: J.Crew

Photos by Andi Perullo for Freckled Italian.