Crazy to think we’ll be out of our Hoboken apartment & into our new home in less than 17 days! October somehow already feels like it’s flying by.. but part of me is ok with it, for it only means the stress of moving will be over sooner!

Last weekend, I finally got to share a mini tour of the inside of the house BEFORE we start painting and other small projects prior to the 23rd. In case you missed it posted on Stories, I saved it to my “House Tour” IG Highlight here. There’s so much charm in this tiny cottage by the river, but it definitely needs a mini face lift in terms of brightening and visually enlarging the space (esp the kitchen & living room.) Despite the slight anxiety I have about getting started, naturally, the best part is that whatever project we take on now & later down the road won’t take as long as the average home improvement endeavor due to the tiny space we’re working with.

In terms of what we plan to do with the house, we aren’t going to invest more than painting around the trims, cabinets, & fireplace and simple swaps of (vinyl) flooring & sink in the kitchen (for now.) Our intention is to make this home cozy & inviting for not only ourselves, but also for a potential future renter should we decide after a year that we need a larger space. Only time will tell what we decide but regardless, we’re only adding value to our lives & the home itself by living here for the next year. If we decide to stay more than a year, then we’ll hopefully be in a position to renovate parts of the home that will make a huge difference – larger kitchen, second bathroom, etc. We have dreams for this home that would make it incredible, but for now we’re going to focus on whether or not we’ll truly love living in the neighborhood over time or not. TBD.

In the meantime, stay tuned for several Before & After home posts for the remainder of the year! I also plan to decorate our stoop prior to us moving in, just because I want to. Now that we have attic & basement space for storage, you know I’m destined to become that person who decorates the house for EVERY OCCASION / HOLIDAY / SEASON – I seriously can’t wait!

— September Recap —

September came & went almost as quickly as October is beginning to feel. It’s like Mother Nature is also trying to get this year over with lol (not mad about it!) Both my parents’ birthdays fall in September – Mom is the 16th & Dad’s is the 28th. For my mom’s, she & I went to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Studio 54 Exhibit – a place she definitely felt nostalgic about. Afterward, I treated her to lunch at the Harriet Rooftop at the 1 Hotel in BK – by far one of the best views of lower Manhattan I’ve ever seen.

This year was my Dad’s 60th so we made arrangements to safely celebrate with close friends over the weekend leading to the 28th. He went all out, getting a tent set up & hiring an amazing local cover band in our hometown – The Moroccan Sheepherders. My best friend from college (pictured above) came for the weekend & we had the best time together celebrating like the good ‘ole days. I was hungover for 2.5 days but it was BEYOND fun & worth every minute of the headache that followed. My legs still hurt from dancing…

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Long Sleeve Dress I’m wearing is old but you can shop similar options I’ve linked here

— Thomas’s Birthday —

Last weekend was Thomas’s 31st Birthday on Oct 3 – I know…Mean Girls quotes for DAYS lol. We invited a few friends and family to come celebrate at our apartment building in the Club Room rented for the occasion. It sort of felt like a Birthday Party meets Housewarming meets Moving Out Party, as it was the first & last time we had more than 2 friends over at our place at a time. We never got to have the housewarming we wanted at the time due to Covid, but I’m thankful we were able to make something work now before the inevitable second wave. Everyone felt the good vibes & took them all in, thankful to have had one last hurrah all together in case things go way south again.

In case anyone’s curious what present(s) I got for Thomas – a pair of Lululemon Joggers he’s been eyeing for a while to workout in this Fall/Winter (+ 3-pair of socks) & these Golf Pants from Bonobos that are made of the nicest material ever felt. He can totally wear these to work as well (pretty sure he anticipates doing so.)

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My Outfit Details: Sweater (wearing SM) | Jeans | Sneakers

— Tropical Plant Giveaway —

If you’re a plant lover who’s local to the Monmouth County, NJ area or familiar with Sickles Market in Little Silver, then you absolutely want to enter this AMAZING giveaway on my Instagram right this minute! One lucky winner will receive ANY TROPICAL PLANT OF CHOICE up to $75 (ps, this giant Monstera was under $70..so you can imagine how BIG of a plant you can get with this prize!)

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This opportunity ends tomorrow (10/8 ~ 2pm EST) so be sure to enter ASAP by clicking here.

— A Few Things I’m Loving Lately —

This pair of Abercrombie jeans (shown in plant pic above) – currently on sale too!

If you like murder mysteries, then you’ll like listening to this true-crime podcast

Budget-friendly Gucci-inspired loafers – I have these in 4 colors & the quality is fantastic

Getting so many ideas for the front door fall decor from this BHG article

The BEST leather tote bag you’ll ever come across – large, zippered top, & customizable!

Been noticing a lot of great things recently added to Shopbop’s Sale Page. Def recommend taking a looksee :]