Welcome to the Monthly R.E.P.O.R.T. β October Edition!
Hereβs what weβve been up to:
Emily went to NYC this month, took a weekend trip to Northern MN, has been doing a LOT of yoga, and ran a 5k!!
Maria just came back from a week in Missouri at the Main Street Summit. Sheβs been booked and busy with fall festivities, cooking, and volunteering with Tutoring Chicago.
Catch us hanging out together in Chicago soon :)
Itβs almost election time, and Emily & I have both made our plans to vote in this yearβs election! πΊπΈ π¦ RAH!
Check out to vote.org to:
Register to vote
Check your registration status
Get your absentee ballot
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The Monthly R.E.P.O.R.T
What Weβre Reading, Eating, Playing, Obsessing, Recommending, & Treating
READING π

Emilyβs Reading: The Year of the Witching
This is my spooky season read! I love all things witches/covens. π§Ήπ§ββοΈItβs a dark fantasy based in a puritanical society. So good! Still trying to finish this up by the end of the month.
Also In Progress: Loud by Drew Afualo

Mariaβs Reading: The Great Mental Models Volume 1
This book kinda blew my mind. As someone who loves advice that is tactical and applicable, The Great Mental Models was a fantastic weekend read (less than 150 pages). I am very much now obsessed with First Principles thinking. Looking forward to breaking into volumes 2, 3, and 4.
EATING π΄

Emilyβs Eating: NYC Dim Sum
I traveled to NYC for NYC Edtech Week by StartEd.
But I got sick on day 1 of the conference π I found a dim sum spot with soup dumplings, pork buns, and more. I went here several times before heading back home early. The soup dumplings SAVED ME π€§

Mariaβs Eating: Fall Snacks
One of my good friends hosted a Pumpkin carving + Football party last weekend. (Shoutout Kristina!!)
It was so wonderful to spend a Saturday afternoon indulging in the best snacks Trader Joeβs has to offer (peanut butter pretzel bites, ghost bat chips, and fall leaf chips) π»π and watching college football!
PLAYING π²

Emilyβs Playing: Agatha All Along
This is a miniseries on Disney+ thatβs a spinoff of WandaVision, which comes from Marvel.
The show features talent like Kathryn Hahn, Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, and more.
More witches and magic make it a perfect watch for the month of October. ππ¦

Mariaβs Playing: The Chicago Marathon!
No, I did not run the marathon, but I sure did cheer like crazy! π£π
Leave it to a marathon to restore your faith in humanity and make you cry more times in an hour than you thought you ever could. One of my best friends, Ridley, ran the marathon on behalf of Camp One Step, finished with a sub-4 hour time, and did it all on a hurt ankle. Can you say #girlboss ππ½ββοΈ
OBSESSING π€©

Emilyβs Obsessing: Minnesota fall foliage
Its peak fall season in MN!!! ππOur neighborhoods are SO beautiful right now.
Photo creds to Keith π

Mariaβs Obsessing: brat and itβs completely different but also still brat
I donβt think I can get enough of this album. 365 Remix is what I wake up to (absolutely crazy). Charli said in an interview that she loves that thereβs not just one version of a song and that music is meant to be βreinventedβ at different times. I love the fact that sentiment is carried throughout the album. Very brat.
RECOMMENDING π¨οΈ

Emilyβs Recommending: Run a 5k
I ran a 5k this month!!! ππ¨
I feel like running is having a moment with young people right now. I'm seeing a lot of races, Strava, running clubs, and content on my feeds lately.
This has been a fun journey because running is such a great way to see quick progress over just a few weeks of consistency.


I just finished my coffee table book of photos and paper scraps from my Euro summer! I used Canva to design the pages and uploaded the pdf to Mixam. I left a few pages in the back to tape all of my scraps from the trip so I could keep them in a safe + fun place. I think I want to do a photo/scrapbook for every year! I miss arts and crafts lol.
TREATING π¦

Emilyβs Treating: Yankees Game
Our team went to a NY Yankees vs KC Royals game this month. SO fun, and its a beautiful stadium.

Emily bought me that little pumpkin as a housewarming gift when I moved in September!
Mariaβs Treating: Weekly Flowers
As a WFH gal itβs tough to be in your apartment basically all day. Iβve been buying myself weekly flowers to help brighten up my space and just be a little gift to myself! π
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