Surf Road October Recap and Book Review: I'm Glad My Mom Died
Undoubtedly the best thing to have happened last month was my brother's wedding. He married the girl of all of our dreams, and gave all of their friends and family a beautiful weekend in Wiscasset, Maine. They got married at Marianmade Farm, which is right off of Route 1 in Wiscasset. It's a lavender farm, so of course it's gorgeous, right on the ocean, and in full bloom of mauve Hydrangeas everywhere. The food was amazing, the band was outstanding, and the love was real. We had a great time, and are just so happy for the Smith's :)
October Work
We wrapped up 2 Bethel projects in October, one of which we will be revealing in the next couple of weeks so definitely be on the lookout for a somewhat dramatic before and after! We also continued to work on projects closer to home, completing tile, wallpaper, painting, etc. in many projects. We received a lot of furniture into the warehouse, and sourced a bunch more as well as many decorative fixtures. We took on 2 new projects at the end of the month, pushing our waiting list to start new projects to January! Although it is really hard for me to say no to new work, I know that with ski season and, gulp, Christmas/winter break right around the corner, it will be challenging for me to overextend myself and I am trying to learn my limits!
I also attended my first High Point market in October, and was so grateful to fellow designer Vanessa Helmick of Fiore Interiors for taking. me under her wing and showing me the ropes. I feel so much more confident now about going to future markets, and learned SO much while I was there. I am working on a recap of all the trends I saw at Market, and will be posting that in the next few weeks as well!
In slightly more personal work-related news, we got approval for our own renovation and are in the process of gathering quotes and inspiration so we can finalize the budget. Expect a lot more updates on that in the coming months, with me asking for a lot of input on decisions over on our Instagram!
The Lewiston Mass Shooting
With deep sadness, we ended the month with Maine's deadliest mass shooting (our first of this magnitude) in Lewiston, Maine. The Surf Road warehouse and team are located in Lewiston, and we also have many friends and close acquaintances directly effected by the tragedy there. One of my friends here in Cape Elizabeth lost her cousin who was a father to 3 young children. Another I know lost her brother, also a father of 4. I know of at least one mother who lost her teenage son, and countless others who are deeply missing loved ones. If you want to support any of these people, they have Go Fund Me set up, linking below.
Maxx Hathaway's Family | Joshua Seal's Family | Salt + Pine Maine Strong T-Shirt
October's Book Review and November's Pick
Last month I read (listened on Audible) Jeanette McCurdy's memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died. I was too old during the Sam + Cat days to be a fan of Jeanette back then, but my daughter weirdly watches the show which also stars Ariana Grande before she was ARIANA GRANDE. It details her mother's desire for her to be a child star, and the abuse, especially around disordered eating, that Jeanette endured well into adulthood as a result of her mom. Although disturbing at times, I did enjoy it! It's right up there with Minka Kelly's memoir, Tell Me Everything, which I read in June.
For November I am torn between starting the A Court of Thorns series and It Ends With Us. One is more of a guilty pleasure, IYKYK, and the other I keep getting recs on. Head to Insta for a poll because I really don't know which one to do.
This Month's Favorite Links
Every month we round up the links that you clicked on the most, your favorite links, to share all in one spot for your shopping ease and pleasure.
Number one was these Western boots, which I have been wearing as much as I possibly can this Fall. My actuals are sold out in black (available in other colors!), but I am linking some similar black ones below!
This pillow, which is a perfect Fall pillow and lives in my Living Room
The Charcoal pedestal side table from our Pub Project which was featured in MHD
The perfect Fall dress for every day