OCTOBER 2025: An Elegant Month in Review
This post contains affiliate links and ads. Affiliate links and ads support my work at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your ongoing support!OCTOBER — After more than year of dreaming and planning, October brought to life our long-awaited family trip to France to visit my brother. It has been 15 years since my last trip to Europe and to share this adventure with my husband, our three children, and my brother and his family was an absolute dream come true.
I have so much to share about our trip! This will only be a quick recap as part of my regular “month in review”. I have hundreds of photos to sort through and memories to collect. I can’t wait to share all the details and the lessons learned along the way with you!
In this journey to craft a more elegant life, I’ve found that it’s helpful to plan out out different activities, events and hobbies I want to try or experience. I strive to plan something that will bring beauty, joy, art and connection — whether that’s a nature walk with my family, meeting a friend for lunch, traveling, or taking a class. So while our days may be busy with growing children, there’s still (a little) time for me to connect, create and continue to build a life I’m proud of.
If the idea of crafting a more elegant life sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to revisit this space often. You may also be intrigued by my annual Elevate Your Everyday Challenge. What is that? It’s my signature 31 day new year challenge focused on creating a vision for your most elegant year yet.
I am fortunate to share this time with wonderful likeminded women from around the world — it’s a special time I look forward to each year. Together, we define our personal values, set smart goals toward accomplishing our dreams and identify small, ingenious habits we can add to our day to create what we all strive for: a more elegant life.
If that sounds interesting to you, send me a quick note to join the waitlist for next year.
I want to take you on my journey to create my most elegant year yet, and I hope the things I share inspire you to create an elegant life you love!
Join me and take a moment to reflect on OCTOBER: An Elegant Month in Review.
Building on the foundation that was set during the Elevate Your Everyday Challenge, October brought the opportunity to continuing practicing good habits while striving to embrace new experiences and make progress toward my personal and professional goals.
Along with falling leaves and a chill in the air, October brought together cherished traditions and new adventures. Our family loves Halloween and we once again hosted our annual backyard halloween party. We managed to fit in all of the Halloween fun, but the real treat of the month was our two week trip to France.
With planning in motion for over a year, it is hard to believe our trip has already come and gone. We spent two weeks in France, traveling between Paris, Angoulême and Sarlat-le-Canéda. From Henry’s first plane ride, to the moment Alice saw the Eiffel Tower from the cab window, to immersing ourselves in French culture while staying with my brother and his family, it was an absolutely perfect sojourn from beginning to end.
The highlight of the month was our time in France. It was wonderful to see where my brother lives and share in some of his favorite experiences living in France.
Aside from all of the site seeing, being able to immerse myself in French culture was the ultimate highlight. From the food to the pace of living, the farmer markets, being able to walk all over and then indulge in local delicacies like oysters and wonderful wine was everything I dreamed of and more.
I also loved observing the people and culture, picking up on etiquette cues, manners and style tips from all of the unique, chic and wonderful people we met throughout our stay.
Do you have questions about travel and cultural etiquette? Drop your questions in the comments below and check back for more social etiquette advice!
October wasn’t all about France, though! We still had time to enjoy the gorgeous Fall weather and share a few fun experiences. The month started off with an apropos visit to the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux at the Shrine Basilica. It was a moving experience and I was so glad to share it with my cousin. After we spent time with the relics, I was able to finally see her new home, share dinner and catch up on her life as a newlywed!
Alice and I took the opportunity to share a girls night and see the Life of a Showgirl movie to celebrate the new release from Taylor Swift. We had so much fun dressing up in teal, orange and sequins and listening to the new album together!
Ahead of our trip to France, my in-laws took a dream vacation of their own to Italy. They brought back wonderful souvenirs and stories from their trip abroad. I was especially touched by the beautiful rosary they brought back from the Vatican and the Florentine stationery they gave me as a gift.
With our trip to France at the end of the month, we hosted our annual neighborhood Halloween party a bit earlier than usual. However, we were blessed with incredible weather which will make us consider hosting the party earlier in the month next year as well! Our neighborhood Halloween party is my favorite event of the year to host and I love how we are able to bring together so many families and friends to celebrate the bounty of the autumn season and share in the fun of making memories we will all cherish.
SOJOURN (n.) : a temporary stay
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SOJOURN (n.) : a temporary stay |
If you have plans to travel abroad in the coming year, make sure to take the time to learn a few social and dining etiquette tips relevant to the culture you are visiting. From greetings to how you hold your cutlery as the table, etiquette and manners can differ from place to place.
While the rule may change, the goal is the same. Treat yourself and those around you with kindness, civility and respect.
One French etiquette tip to remember: No hugs! In French culture, greetings are done with a friendly “bonjour” or la bise.
As you look toward the year ahead, remember that elegance is a state of mind; a simple and ingenious approach to a charmed life. If you desire it, you can create a life filled with beauty, elegance and connection. It simply requires a bit of intention, effort and a willingness to try something new.
Take time to plan out a few things just for you to enjoy next month. Maybe lunch at a new restaurant, meeting a friend for coffee, or trying a new hobby. Whatever it may be, an elegant life is yours to create!
What was the highlight of your month? Did you experience something new? I’d love to know!
Leave a comment and share your most memorable moments of October.
