Since it’s finally fall, I wanted to spend some time reflecting on my summer and all the things I was obsessed with all summer! I have added some paid Amazon links to all of these products if you are interested in getting any yourself. I hope you enjoy some of my favorites, as well as drop a few of yours in the comments! I would love to hear from you 🙂
Shirley Temples
As a new sober girlie (110+ days now!) I found myself just getting diet cokes out at bars or events with friends this summer. Until one day, I realized that I could go out and still have a fun drink. I tried one time to get a mocktail at an event that had it as a special drink, and I honestly did not like it. So I decided to just treat myself and get a drink I liked – a Shirley Temple. For my birthday party in September, I even made a huge batch of them and asked my friends to bring their own alcohol to spike it.
Throughout my sober journey, I have been learning that even if I’m not having alcohol when I’m out, I can still have a fun drink that isn’t just a soda. I am trying to embrace enjoying going out without alcohol and just fully committing to having fun and not needing to be drinking in order to do so. It has been so liberating!!
Walking Pad
I bought my walking pad on the last Prime Day in July, and have used it a bunch since. It has been a great alternative for me on nights where Kevin and I watch Survivor & Amazing Race, or whenever it is too dark out to have time for a walk.
My original intention was to use it while playing my Switch, however I have found it a little too difficult to concentrate on my hand-eye coordination, plus my feet. Since the walking pad has no bars on it at all, focusing on balance is really important, and I have learned I struggle on focusing on my hands, eyes, and feet at the same time.
However, it has been great when I just have the TV on! Even if it is just during commercial breaks, it is a nice way to not just be sitting on the couch for a whole program. I do wish that I had a little table or something to help out with balance, but other than that, it has made a huge difference in my ability to get moving!
ON Shoes
I had been looking for a pair of green sneakers that I could both wear for walking as well as with a pair of jeans if I wanted to. While I was in LA, I FINALLY found a pair I liked! I wanted a subtle shade of green in the shoes so that I didn’t just own black or white sneakers all the time. I looked at Nike, New Balance, Adidas, Hokas, and ON, and just happened to find a pair while I was on vacation.
Kevin has a pair of ON sneakers and really loves them, and the ones I found were the perfect colors I was looking for. I wear them all the time and they are so comfortable. My toes feel protected, my foot arches feel comfortable, and the colors are, again, perfect. I would highly recommend these!
Bubble PonyTail
One of my goals for August was to try new hairstyles. So naturally, I went to TikTok to find some hair inspo. I of course bought all the necessary tools: a new hair brush, the Dae styling cream, a wax stick, and a hair finishing stick.
I think the first new hair style I tried was a bubble ponytail. For a long time, I thought that the thickness of my hair would not allow me to use thin hair ties or do much to my hair other than a ponytail or claw clip.
Since then, I have been experimenting with different little braids, leaving my hair down with a braid, all kinds of things. The bubble ponytail has been so much fun and just adds a little something more to my hair preparation. It has been such a nice way to keep my hair out of my face and I love that it looks a little more put together than just a ponytail.
Turkey Sandwiches
An obsession of mine for the last few months has been making turkey sandwiches at home. I know that sounds silly, but I made them one night and Kevin and I went down to the river for a dinner picnic and they were SO GOOD.
For those of you who love Panera and have had the Turkey Bacon Bravo sandwich, this is pretty similar. I used sourdough bread (the best bread), Boar’s Head oven gold turkey, Boar’s Head muenster cheese, some leafy greens, a slice of tomato, and then I made a sauce similar to the one Panera uses. I mixed mayo and ketchup, some worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder. I mixed this up until it didn’t taste like too much ketchup or too much mayo, and added that to both pieces of bread. It has become the perfect easy lunch for me to bring to work.
Eyebrow Gel
One of the things I have recently been obsessing over is my eyebrow gel. I have always been a bushy eyebrow girl, but sometimes it’s nice to clean them up a bit, and I don’t mean with tweezers! I love my full eyebrows, but I found myself wanting a product to just gel them back and make them look a little less crazy.
I did find a gel I love and it has worked great for me! I don’t even typically wear makeup anymore for the day, but I make sure I at least put this on my brows before I leave the house. I feel like it goes along with the “Clean Girl Aesthetic” and I try to incorporate some of that vibe into my every day.
The Color Green
If you know me, it should come as no surprise that my favorite color is green. If you don’t know me, now you know! For the last few months, I’ve found myself buying lots of green things. I have green bed sheets, green workout dresses, green bags, green shoes, even green nails!
I find myself so drawn to this color because it feels warm and earthy. I also want to incorporate more colors into my wardrobe. Whenever I see an item that has a nice shade of green, I usually want to buy it. I am in the process of planning a wedding right now (woah) and my color scheme is going to be shades of green too.
Workout Dresses
One new trend I went along with this summer was the workout dress. I bought a few from Old Navy and wore them a ton this summer. I felt like this was a nice way to break up my wardrobe and not only wear bike shorts and denim shorts this summer. I especially love that since they are meant to be athletic, they tend to have a bike short built into them. This just makes it so much more comfortable and pleasant to wear out for a day. Now that it’s Fall, I will have to retire them until next year. Who knows what new trends for athleisure will come out by then!
Boston Clogs
I have mentioned these before, but I absolutely love my Birkenstock clogs. I wear these year round, with and without socks. They have been great to wear with overall shorts this summer and perfect for traveling. I have always had Birkenstocks, but I usually have owned the Arizona sandals. The Boston clogs have been such a great addition to my shoes and really help to diversify my wardrobe. I can’t wait to keep wearing them into Fall!
I hope you enjoyed my favorites from this summer! I have loved doing these recap’s seasonally. Up next: Fall!
Caroline's Path of Grace 
Leave a Reply to erinandmarky Cancel reply