Happy Halloween!

For the past couple of years, I haven't done anything special for Halloween; I'm not even sure I've dressed up. This year, however, I finally celebrated, costume and all. A group of girlfriends and I headed to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate Halloween in style. Our first stop was a River Booze Cruise, then on to the bars in downtown. When I convinced my sister to join us, we knew we had to do a best friend costume. Enter, the Serena to my Blair.

Fall weather has officially hit here in Illinois and I am so psyched! Fall is my favorite season, for both the cool weather and the fashion! I am totally a chunky sweater and jeans girl. Turning that look into one that's appropriate for work - now that's something else. How do I dress up my fall sweaters for work? Statement necklaces! Below are my top 7 colors formalize your chunky sweaters this season.

Our final day in Barcelona was amazing. We planned to spend the first half of our day in Barceloneta and the second half on Montjuic Hill. The downside of the day - I got absolutely fried! But it was so worth it to spend the morning on the beach, taking in the Mediterranean Sea. Below is the recap of our final day in Barcelona.

The third day of our Barcelona trip was my favorite day! We signed up for a bike tour and I'm so glad we did. Biking around different parts of Barcelona was a unique way of seeing the city. Below is a recap of all the things we saw and did on our third day of our Spanish adventure!

A week ago I returned from my Spanish adventure with one of my best friends from college, Marie. The two of us spent our time in Barcelona and it was amazing! We packed all we could into four days, and I truly feel like we saw everything on our list. Barcelona was different than other European cities I've been to; it didn't feel as old-timey as I was expecting. Their main architect, Antoni Gaudí, really put his mark on the city, with intricate details and ornate designs. Below is a peak into our first two days touring around the city.

When apple picking last weekend, we were on the hunt for tasty apples to make homemade applesauce. This week, I finally got around to making mine. To give it some added flavor, I decided to use brown sugar instead of regular white sugar - and it's delicious! To make your own, you only need five simple ingredients and a slow cooker.

This past weekend, I kicked off the month of October by going to an apple orchard. My small group ladies and I went to Jomanac Apple Orchard in Malta, IL. The weekend we were there, they had a food truck festival, as well as their regular apple picking, apple cider, and live music. While there, I enjoyed an apple donut sundae, chilled apple cider, and brought home some tasty apples and honeycrisp wine. Spending time with these ladies is always such a blessing in my life. We drank cider, ate donuts, and had a mini photoshoot (featured below is a blogger friend, Kat of Ramblings of a 20 Something), but most of all, we bonded. We laughed, we talked, we shared. I couldn't have asked for a better start to fall.

On to the next fall adventure!

This month was so busy! Of the five weekends in September, I had something going on for four of them. I went to a concert, coordinated two weddings, and traveled to Barcelona. I feel like I really embraced my goal of being as social as I could be this month. Hopefully in October, I'll combine my joy of being busy with my current need of some serious R&R. 

Below: my September recap and October To Do List.

Have a Labor Day BBQ.

We had a classic family BBQ, complete with hamburgers and hot dogs.

Celebrate Southern Magnolias' one year anniversary.

You can read all about our first year of business here.

See Dan + Shay live in concert.

I thought I loved them before, but now, wow!

Hang wall accents in my bedroom.

Still need to buy ⅔ of my wall decor.

Successfully coordinate two weddings for Southern Magnolias.

The first one I did completely solo and the second I had my partner-in-crime.

Explore somewhere new in my city.

I went to candlelight yoga at Emerson Creek in Oswego with friends.

Watch Game of Thrones for the first time (I'm six episodes in and loving it).

Still loving it; now I'm on season 5.

Renew my passport.

Fastest trip to Canada I've ever made.

Create a fun and adventurous Barcelona itinerary.

It worked so well to have a basis for our week.

Travel to Barcelona with my best friend!

What an incredible experience. I cannot wait to tell you all about it!

Complete my personal prayer challenge by praying for someone in my life each day in October.

Participate in fun fall activities.

Make homemade applesauce.

Have all the dog cuddles I want while my parents are in Italy.

Buy cute pedestals to finish my Aynsley China display.

Go on my first business trip (to Montreal).

Enjoy the last month of my human resources internship.

Watch the fall premieres of my favorite tv shows.

Spend time fostering friendships within my Bible study.

Celebrate Halloween.

Here's to a beautiful October!