Southern Belle in Training

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

May 10, 2018

Chai Latte Date - May 2018

     Welcome to my first "Chai Latte Date" on my blog! If you followed along with my Post Move Update posts during last year in Vermont, the format of today's blog post will be very familiar to you! I really enjoyed writing those update posts last year- it was a time for me get more personal with y'all than I do in most blog posts, and writing them was even therapeutic for me at times! I wanted to continue that now that I live here in Virginia, but with a name change! I decided on "Chai Latte Date" - I want these blog posts every couple of months to feel like you and I are having a coffee or tea date (or in my case, chai latte date!) together, and catching up about life and everything that's been going on behind the scenes of blogging and my day-to-day life.






Photo by Meredith Sledge



     SUMMARY: Oh my goodness- what a wonderful first two months in my new home state it has been. Beautiful Virginia, how I love you! March-May 2018 has been a breath of fresh, warm spring air, literally and hypothetically! After spending the last year living in a place that I really disliked and just wanted to move away from, I still feel somedays like I have to readjust my brain to get used to the fact that I really am back in the South, and I don't have to move again anytime soon. I'm actually in a place that feels like home, and home to stay for as long as I want. If these first two months in Charlottesville have been filled with so much peace and happiness, I can't even wait to see what the first six months, and first year will bring! 



     HOME: I really like my apartment here in Virginia. This is my second solo apartment, and I like the layout of this one better than my Vermont apartment- it's definitely better suited for having overnight guests. My kitchen is a lot smaller in this apartment (about half the size of my last kitchen), but so far that hasn't really been an issue. I am also so excited to finally have a walk-in closet again after a year of not having one! I'm still organizing my closet to get it just how I'd like it, but I have lots of time to do that, and I love all of the extra storage.
    One really exciting thing about my new apartment that I've of course been sharing updates about on Instagram Stories is the Mama Pigeon (who I've named April) who made her nest on my balcony! As of this week, one baby bird is here, and one is still an egg. April and the dad pigeon (who visits a lot as well), are very protective of Baby and Egg so I don't see them often, but when I get glimpses of them in the nest I pull out my big camera! I can't wait until the babies are a little bigger, it'll be really fun to watch them. Having April's nest felt like a cool little "housewarming" present in my new place! 



     WORK: I am so enjoying my new job! Country radio is definitely different than CHR (Top 40) radio, which was my primary on-air role at my former job. But I am enjoying working in the country format a lot more than I expected! My new job has provided lots of learning and growth opportunities just in the almost-two months that I've been there, and I've definitely been challenged in my work, which is a great feeling and keeps things interesting. My new boss, Brian, is just a joy to work with- we have a lot of fun together and we are always cracking jokes!
     A big event that happened in my first few weeks at my new job was the annual two-day Radiothon. Radiothon is the annual charity event to benefit the local children's hospital (lots of stations around the country do events like this throughout the year for their local hospitals). Anyways- Brian and I were on-air for 12 hours straight (6am to 6pm) for our Radiothon at the station!! I had never done anything like that before- it was quite the endeavor! I was absolutely exhausted after the first day, but at the end of the second day I felt incredibly accomplished, and so proud of all of the money that my station raised to benefit our local hospital. (There were also free Krispy Kreme donuts for on-air staff on the second day, which was AWESOME! Haha!) I'm hoping that we will exceed this year's fundraising goals for Radiothon in 2019.
     I took a few months off from my Radio 101 blog posts while I moved from Vermont and transitioned to my new job, but I hope to bring them back this summer!




     FAITH: I shared this briefly in yesterday's post, but I found a new church home in Charlottesville! I did a little bit of church hopping for the first few weeks here, but after visiting one that was recommended by a coworker, I knew that I found a great church community here! I've already gotten involved with a small group through it, and also have had the chance to check out some service opportunities and get to know many of the other 20 and 30 somethings who attend. The worship and sermons at this church have really resonated with me, and I'm so excited to see what's to come with attending there for the rest of the year!
     As far as my personal faith, I feel like I am in such a great place. God has been so, so good to me in 2018 after a really rough past two years, and everyday I wake up now feeling so incredibly blessed! I know that probably sounds corny, but it is so true. He was with me in the low points, and now is still with me through a season of highs. This summer, I want to prioritize the relationships that I'm making at my new church, as well as getting involved with more faith-based service opportunities! Service with a huge part of my life in high school but I haven't prioritized it for the last couple years, and I'm ready to change that. I truly believe one of the best ways that Christians can share the Gospel message is through serving others in Jesus's name, and the local community is a great way to do that! 



     SOCIAL: Ah- building a social life in Virginia has been NIGHT AND DAY different than building one in Vermont at this time last year! Working to my advantage- I already knew a few people living in this area prior to when I moved. Aside from that, I've found it incredibly easy here to making friends and find things to do and get involved in- almost too many things? Culturally speaking for making friends, it's literally the opposite of Vermont. There are so many 20 somethings in Charlottesville! I assumed that most people my age here moved to this part of Virginia to attend UVA for undergrad. That's definitely true for some people (who just stayed after graduation), but there's also tons of guys and girls my age who moved to Charlottesville after college for their first or second jobs, or grad school! That means that I'm in the majority with people my age as far as being new to here, not a rare minority, like I always felt in Vermont.
     The blogging scene in Charlottesville itself isn't really too big (similar to Vermont in that regard) but DC has a huge blogging scene that I'm hoping to get more in tune with this summer and fall. Some of you might follow Alicia from Alicia Tenise- I've followed her blog for years, and her boyfriend happens to live in Charlottesville, so we have gotten to hang out when she is in town which has been so fun! 



     LOVE: This was always a category in my Post Move Update posts so I figured I'd keep it here... but not much to report. So true story- for years something that I'd been working on in my own relationship with God and my prayer life was for contentment in singleness. Y'all- I think it happened!! (I only wish this had happened earlier in my college years so I could have spent more time as happy as I am now, and less time stressed about not having a serious boyfriend at that time.) I have been so busy with my new job, blogging, and just enjoying my new life here in Virginia that to be honest- I haven't had much interest in dating since moving here. And it feels AMAZING!!!
     By all means- this isn't meaning that if I didn't meet the right type of guy that I wouldn't be opposed to going on a date. 😉It just means that for the first time in... well, ever, being single isn't something that's bothering me or that I'm really thinking about, and I'm definitely not actively seeking a relationship right now. (I deleted my dating apps months ago in Vermont, and don't see myself getting them back anytime soon!) 



     ACTIVITIES: One thing that I need to get back into a regular schedule here in Virginia is going to the gym / regular fitness. My former job in Vermont had a nice perk in that all employees received a membership to one of the nicest gyms in the Burlington area, and I tried to take full advantage of that, especially over this winter. I haven't gotten a gym membership here to save money (my new apartment complex has one), but for some reason I'm finding it much harder here to hold myself accountable to regular weekday gym time. At best I'm going once a week? I KNOW I need to step this up- so hopefully by the next time I write one of these posts I'll finally have a weekday gym routine down!
     My weekends however have been AMAZING since moving here! Literally- I haven't had a boring weekend since the move. Whether I'm here in Charlottesville, or the weekends that I've spent in DC or Richmond, every single one has been fun and memorable. Last weekend for example, I really didn't plan on doing anything. I had to work for a couple hours on Saturday, but other than that I planned to stay home and clean, and enjoy a few library books. I ended up barely being home at all- I received a few invitations to do things with new friends from church, and also went to a Kentucky Derby dinner party! It ended up being another amazing weekend.



     5 NEW VIRGINIA THINGS I DID:

  • Visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond
  • Toured Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's House) in Charlottesville
  • Officially became a Virginia resident - it's finally DMV official! 
  • Visited my first four out of the 33 wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail (Afton Mountain, Pollak, Stinson and Veritas)
  • Hosted my first overnight guest in my new apartment - my mom! 



     Thank you so much for reading today's little life update! Hope that you enjoyed our virtual latte date- and I'm already looking forward to the next one in a couple months. 



     Enjoy your weekend! I'm going on my first hike in the area on Saturday with my boss and his wife and I'm really looking forward to it.



     God Bless,



      xoxo Annaliese 

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19 comments

  1. I am so excited to hear everything is going well for you, Annaliese! Love this style blog posts!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com 

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  2. You sound SO happy, which makes me SO happy for you! I can't wait to hear more about your new job in your Radio 101 posts because country radio is my favorite!

    xoxo, SS


    Southern and Style

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  3. Your life in Virginia seems so perfect for you A! Your church sounds like a wonderful community and an apartment with a walk in closet is ALWAYS a win <3

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  4. Congrats on becoming a VA resident!

    -Erin
    312food.com

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  5. I am so, so excited for you!!!!!

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  6. So glad you're getting settled in Virginia. It's a beautiful state. Charlottesville is a really interesting place. I've lived in VA three different times and lived each one :)

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  7. ahhh so many good things! soooo happy you are enjoying yourself more and seem so much happier! Enjoy your first hike in the area! I dk why, but I didn't realize there was hiking there lol

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  8. Looks like you're really getting into the swing of things in Charlottesville! I loved watching April's experience with her newborn egg on Instagram Stories!!

    xo Deborah
    Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes

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  9. Your job sounds so cool! That's awesome that you've been having really fun weekends as well, all my weekends lately have been really bland, lots of me just sleeping and catching up on work!

    Julia // The Sunday Mode

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  10. So glad you're loving Virginia! If you're ever in Williamsburg, I'd love to meet up.

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  11. So glad to hear that you're loving life right now! It sounds like your weekends have been so much fun! I need to start planning fun things on the weekends too lol

    -Ruya
    sweetshortandstylish.com

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  12. I'm so looking forward to this series. I love getting genuine glimpses into bloggers' lives. I'm glad you're loving your new life in Virginia! I love the south, and I'm moving to Ohio in August, and I just don't know what I'm going to do. Ah!

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  13. sounds like you're having an awesome time! Virginia sounds wonderful

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  14. This is wonderful! I am so happy everything is falling into place (as it should!) for you!

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  15. It really seems someone is enjoying some good time. you also look cute on that pic.

    Enjoy every moment.

    Shila @ combo grill

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  16. I'm so happy you're loving Virginia and have settled in! I had a radio show in college that was 2 hours long and after that I was tired. I can't imagine doing 12 hours!

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  17. I'm so glad Virginia has turned out to be everything you needed and wanted! What a breath of fresh air compared to your time here in Vermont- although I do miss seeing you!
    -Nicholle
    www.nichollesophia.com

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  18. omg the mama pigeon! i love that you named her!

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  19. I am SO glad you are settling in - your new job sounds amazing! This might sound strange, but I didn't realize there was a huge country music scene there? I guess it makes sense, I just always picture Nashville for country music, haha!! I would love to do the Monticello Wine Trail!

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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!
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