Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

October 21, 2015

Midweek Ramblings + Recent Purchases.



{From my Instagram @miss_alk - also be sure to follow on Snapchat with the same username!}



Ramblings:

  • My first blogging trip! I am so excited to be heading out of town this weekend for my first-ever trip related to my blog! Many of you know that I've been a member of the Her Campus Blogger Network for a few years now- it's such a wonderful blogging network that provides so many great opportunities to college aged bloggers. This year, the HCBN is sponsoring a few fashion shows across the country with college aged girls in mind. They invited bloggers from their network to apply to be models in the shows, and I was selected to model in the Atlanta show this upcoming weekend! I am so excited! This will be such a fun weekend full of lights, cameras and getting all dolled up, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to do some more networking for my blog. I've also never been to Atlanta before (minus a brief airport layover), so let me know of any recommendations for places to eat or cheap things to do if you have them! 
  • My favorite part of 21 is... On the note of traveling, I think I have come to the conclusion that my favorite part of being legal isn't being able to buy or drink alcohol, it's being able to book and check into hotels! My trip this weekend will be my third time traveling and booking my own hotel since turning 21 in September. It's seriously becoming addictive (and bad for my bank account!). My Expedia account is quickly racking up points, and stay tuned for the Purchases section of this post to see how else I'm saving money on traveling!
  • A new routine. I shared in one of these posts several weeks ago that during my sorority's stressful recruitment season at the start of the semester that I was trying out something new to channel my stress: working out! I used to be really into working out in high school but had stopped going to the gym somewhere around my first semester of college. But I decided that enough was finally enough and that fitness would get me through recruitment. I'm proud to report though that working out is now apart of my permanent weekly routine! I have fallen in love with one of the weekly yoga classes offered at my school, and I also work out in the gym a couple times a week as well. And starting next week, I'm also the captain this year of my sorority's intramural volleyball team! My fitness journey isn't huge by any extent, but it's already brought so much positivity into my life and routine. 


Purchases:
  • Ya girl over here kinda waited until the last minute to book her hotel room for Atlanta this weekend... so she ended up spending WAY more money then she intended to get a nice room. :-) (I was almost tempted to book a place on the outskirts of the city that was $50 a night, but my parents convinced me that probably wasn't the best idea ;-) ). Anyways, I will be on a stricter budget then usual for the next few weeks while I build my savings back up.
  • On the note of traveling though- have all of you heard about Ebates yet? This is an incredible website that I just heard about a couple of months ago!! You can earn cash back for online shopping purchases on qualifying websites by installing the Ebates toolbar on your internet browser. Most clothing retailers are on Ebates, and you can get between 1-7% cash back depending on the store. The way that I have been getting most of my cash back though is through my travel purchases on Expedia- they usually offer excellent cash back rates! (And you can still earn your Expedia points at the same time!) Sign up for Ebates HERE!  Ebates will send your payments either in the form of checks by mail, or via Paypal (which is what I chose to do!). 


      Hope that y'all are having a great week! 


      xoxo Miss ALK



      This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used. 
Share:

17 comments

  1. That is awesome about the Atlanta trip through HCBN! Sometimes I wish I didn't quit HCBN.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eek! How exciting! Can't wait to hear how it goes. I hear ya about booking hotels, though haha. I am like that too. I wait til the last minute and then try to convince myself to do the cheapest option... not normally a good idea. Looking forward to an update post.

    xo,
    Sara Kate Styling

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so excited to meet you this weekend! And ugh, I get you about hotels. I wanted to book one on the outskirts as well..and my parents forbid it. *le sigh* this is worth it. Scared to navigate the airport as well!

    Courtney//As We Stumble Along

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have fun on your first blogging trip!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ebates is awesome!
    Have fun on your trip, girl.
    I can't wait to hear all about it.

    xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a cute blanket scarf!
    www.kayleighskloset.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, that's so exciting that you got chosen to model at the HCBN event! I hope you have a blast :) I also have never heard of Ebates and will definitely have to try to check it out when I do my next online purchase.

    Jadore l Jadoregrace

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great opportunity for this awesome trip!! Your folks are right about too cheap hotel/motel rates!! There are several in Lynchburg that is "dirt cheap" but all types of shady as sin folk will be happening cause it always end up on the local news!! Be safe on your next travels!

    Ursula

    www.blueridgebeautyblogger.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, what an exciting opportunity! You'll love Atlanta, I'm from a part of Alabama that's just over an hour away and it's such a great city (my hubby & I love to do date nights there!) I can't wait to hear all about it and see what fun sights you get to see :)

    xoxo, SS

    The Southern Stylista

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's so awesome that you got selected to be a model at HC's College Fashion Week! I'm sure you'll have tons of fun, and it'll be a great networking experience. I turned 21 on Saturday, and you just reminded me that I can book hotel rooms now, too! Wahoo!

    xo,
    Melissa | These words are my own.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've always found that working out helps me relieve stress!

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMG that modeling gig and conference sounds so fun!! I hope you have a blast!

    -Morgan
    How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Soo excited to hear about your time in Atlanta and can't wait to see pictures!

    http://thealwaysblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is so exciting about Atlanta! I really wanted to attend one of the HCBN fashion shows but unfortunately the timing didn't work out. I have some great Atlanta articles if you need any recommendations!

    http://classmeetscouture.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. You're going to have so much fun in the fashion show, I can't wait to see photos and read all about it. I've also been a lot better about working out lately and it really does make a huge difference!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ebates rocks! Have so much fun in Atlanta! I can't wait to see photos from your trip. Also... I'm obsessed with that Instagram photo pictured! I love your scarf.

    Kayla | kaylablogs.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congrats on your first blogging trip - hope your trip is going well!
    xx, Southwestern Prepster

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for reading Southern Belle in Training! Comments make my day- so feel free to share your thoughts on this post! I read each and every comment.
If you have a question in regards to one of my posts, or just want to say hi, the best way to get ahold of me is by e-mailing me directly at: rainbowflash94@yahoo.com. I am better about responding to e-mails than blog comments sometimes!
Xoxo

Blog Design Created by pipdig