Happy October!. Here in Washington, the weather literally jumped from warm summer weather to rainy autumn weather over a weekend. I’m now trading my sandals for boots and my iced lattes for extra hot ones.  I can’t believe September, and summer, have already passed us by. Since September was an especially busy month for me, it’s no surprise that it seemed to go by in a blur. Here are some of my highlights from the month:
I Got to See Family
In September I got to enjoy lots of visits with family, which is always special to me since my closest relatives live about three hours away. Right after Labor Day, Paul’s parents drove up from Southern California to visit with us for a week. We had lots of fun adventures, including going to a Mariners game and visiting the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit at Seattle Center. We also ate far too much good food!

The weekend after Paul’s parents left, I flew to Las Vegas to meet up with my parents and my cousin Melanie and her family for Melanie’s birthday. We had a great time! Mom, Dad, and I stayed at the Silverton Hotel. I remember going to the Silverton as a kid (they had a nice campground, and since we usually had a motorhome to stay in when we went to Vegas, it was a lot more convenient to camp than it was to get a hotel room), and I remembered the hotel as being slightly outdated and a little dingy. However, it’s gone through an overhaul and is now a really nice place to stay! The room was big and comfortable, the casino was updated and didn’t smell smokey at all (one of my biggest gripes in a casino is that I hate when the smell of cigarettes hangs in the air), and the hotel boasted a very nice cafe and buffet. If you’re okay with staying off the strip, I’d definitely recommend the Silverton.
 

The weekend in Vegas was great. I hadn’t seen my parents since July, so it was really great to have a whole weekend with them! And we had a great time hanging out with my cousins. We all went to see Raiding the Rock Vault, which is a show at the Las Vegas Hilton, hung by the pool, and checked out Fremont Street (it’s cool, but a little bit too loud and crazy for me hehe). The whole weekend, the weather was blissfully sunny and warm – it was a little bit of a shock when my plane touched down in Bellingham and I stepped out of the airport terminal into the windy, cold, rainy weather!
I Had a Blonde Moment
Okay, I know, it seems like I just posted a rave review about getting my hair colored red. And yet, I just wasn’t feeling it. Sigh. The look on my poor stylist’s face when I plunked down in her chair and announced that I wanted my blonde hair back was one of pain. But she put a smile on her face, resisted any urge she might have had to kick me (I wouldn’t really have blamed her if she had), and set to work foiling my hair so that she could get me back to blonde without first turning my hair orange. As usual, she did a fabulous job, and I’d like to give a heartfelt shoutout to Savvy Hair Studio in Marysville for always doing an amazing job. I will continue to go there until they wise up and refuse me for being such an indecisive pain in the ass when it comes to my hair! (And a quick PS: if you’re going to put your stylist through coloring/cutting/styling hell, tip them generously. I always do.)
I Found New Products I Love
I don’t think I’ve actually ever mentioned it in my blog before, but I am a makeup fiend. I love trying new products and I literally have three makeup bags stuffed full of different stuff. Now, that said, I’m desperately cheap, so most of my stuff is either drugstore fare or something discounted that I found online.
For my face, I picked up a bottle of Lorac Oil-Free Neutralizer for the very reasonable price of $10. The description of the product says that you can mix it with your foundation to reduce redness, but what compelled me to make the purchase was a review I read on Anything You Can Buy I Can Buy Cheaper stating that the product also did great things to refine the writer’s pores. So I gave it a shot, and was not disappointed in the great finished look that the neutralizer gives to my skin. The product description says to mix it with your foundation, but I just put it on first and then apply foundation over it, which seems to be working out fine so far.
The other product I fell in love with in September was actually also a face product, and I got it on the recommendation from Paul’s mom. I had run out of facial cleanser, and she told me she swears by Neutrogena’s Pore Refining Facial Cleanser. My requirements were simple: I wanted something that didn’t cost a bunch of money (I got this at Target for $7.50) and would help keep my face clear and free of breakouts (so far, so good!). I love, love, love this product and will definitely buy it again!
I Scored Some Great Deals
When it comes to my clothes, I am willing to pay more for higher quality. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love a good deal though! I’ve never really had much luck in thrift stores when I tried to buy things secondhand, and had resigned myself to paying store prices. However, I recently discovered a website called Poshmark, which is basically an online marketplace where you can list and sell items from your own closet (dresses, shoes, bags, etc.) and buy items out of the closets of others. The thing that I have grown to love about this site is that I can find name-brand items that have been very well taken care of for bargain prices. I’ve scored a couple of really cute dresses for under $20 apiece, and a great Coach bag for $30 that came to me in like-new condition. I’ve also gotten three pairs of shorts for our upcoming trip to Hawaii in January, for a super low price of $5 each!
Yes, September was a good month!