What I Wore to Work: February 2020.

     Happy Leap Day! January was an unusually warm month here in Virginia. I thought for sure that February would be when the cold air (and maybe even snow) arrived... but nope! Overall this month has remained really warm in Virginia. I don't ever remember it being mild enough last year to wear skirts and dresses without tights in January or February... but I have been able to do that multiple times this year. No complaints! 

     

     As always, I share outfit details to all of these directly on my LiketoKnow.it page! Be sure to follow me on the app for updates on my workwear each week. 

Ultimate NYC Bucket List: Best Things I've Done + Things I Want To Do

     New York City is the US city that I've visited the most times as a tourist, and probably the place I've spent the most time in that's not somewhere I've lived! My family went every 1-2 years for vacations pretty much until I went to college. My dad is originally from nearby Long Island, and he has some extended family that still lives in NYC as well. The town in Maine that I grew up in is only about 6ish hours away, so it was an easy and accessible destination for family trips when I was growing up, and even some still now into adulthood!

     If you're on the East Coast, NYC is a super accessible city. When I would make trips with my parents while growing up, we've done it all transportation-wise. My dad has driven us several times, and we've also done trains, busses, and flights! In the times that I've visited since I've moved to the South, I always fly to NYC, but the other options are technically still there as well. 

     In honor of the fact that I'll be up there this weekend, I thought it would be fun to finally share an NYC bucket list! I'm sharing 10 of my favorite things that I've already visited or gotten to experience, as well as 10 that are still on my list for future trips. And a few throwback photos too of favorite NYC trips past!

Midweek Ramblings.

{Stopped at a beach at home in Maine this weekend before my grandma's birthday party- a little overdressed for the ocean but I went with it! 😉 Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Winter Q&A.

     Happy Monday friends! I'm halfway through a two week whirlwind period- I took Friday off work and was gone for a quick trip home to Maine, and then I have this Friday off as well and will be out of town again! I love to travel, but don't typically like to be gone back-to-back weekends, especially when the weekdays in between are extra busy. But I'm trying to stay positive and thankful to have had the opportunity to take some trips this month, and I'm really excited for what's on the agenda for this weekend! Last week I was only able to publish two blog posts with all the craziness, and this week might be the same. Going to try my best to get three up, but if it's only two again that's okay too. 😊

     Anyways- I like to do Q&A posts a couple times a year on the blog, so I thought today would be a great time to share an updated one! Y'all asked some really fun questions over on Instagram Stories- some of them I answered there as well and some I just wanted to save to answer in this blog post. 

My Favorite Richmond Activity: Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel.

     A couple weeks ago, I had the most wonderful weekend stay at the beautiful Jefferson Hotel in nearby Richmond! You can read my full review of the hotel here, but there was one aspect to my stay that was extra special, so I thought it deserved its own blog post. And that would be the delightful experience that is Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel!

Lilly Pulitzer Spring 2020: Try-On + Sizing Info!

     One of my 2020 goals for the blog is to bring y'all more Lilly Pulitzer style content throughout the whole year. I do cover the twice a year After Party Sales pretty heavily on the blog, which y'all seem to respond really well to (at least according to my blog's analytics!). While the After Party Sales are so much fun and a great time to get the most bang for your buck with Lilly, there's lots happening with Lilly Pulitzer throughout the rest of the year too. 

    I had the chance last week to go into the local Lilly Pulitzer store right here in Charlottesville to shoot a try-on session for y'all with their new Valentine's and Spring collections! This stuff is good y'all! I loved just about everything I tried on. Even if you're not in the market for new Lilly right now, it's a good idea to start making a mental note of styles you like so you'll be prepared in a few months for the next After Party Sale!

    We are so lucky here in Charlottesville to have a company owned Lilly Pulitzer store! It's located conveniently in Barracks Road Shopping Center, and the store staff is all super sweet and ready to help you find whatever Lilly items your heart desires. Another fun perk of shopping at a company-owned Lilly store is that each store has at least one dressing room that pays homage to the city that the store is in! I had the privilege of using the Charlottesville themed dressing room for this try-on- you can spot some iconic Charlottesville landmarks like the University of Virginia, Monticello, and more on the walls behind me!

Fancy Valentine's Date Outfit.

     At the beginning of the week, I shared a fun and casual Valentine's look on the blog... today on the 14th itself we're turning up the heat this this chic red dress! Wouldn't this be the cutest thing to wear for a fancy Valentine's date night? 

HOTEL REVIEW: Richmond's History & Luxury at The Jefferson Hotel.

     Richmond is one of the cities that was truly love at first sight for me. From my very first time visiting almost two years ago to now, I continue to become more enthralled with it each time I'm in the area. It's the perfect sized city in my opinion- not too big, and not too small. It's filled with history and culture and the most charming neighborhoods, and also has a lot of city-like amenities that Charlottesville doesn't have. Have I convinced you yet that Richmond has a piece of my heart?

    I had the opportunity this month to enjoy a luxurious girls' weekend at the historic Jefferson Hotel in Downtown Richmond! The incredible experience that my friend Emily and I had during our stay at the hotel made me appreciate this charming city even more, and I'm thrilled to share more about it with you on the blog today!

    Winter can be a dreary time of year, even in the South. I promise that a brief stay at the luxurious Jefferson Hotel will be the exact pick-you-up that you're craving! 

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Midweek Ramblings.

{Strolling through The Fan District in Richmond this past weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Red + Pink Because It's Valentine's Week!! 💗❤️

     Happy Monday! I'm kicking off the week of love on the blog with an outfit with lots of pops of pink!

5 Charlottesville Wineries to Visit in Winter.

     I've become quite the fan of visiting local wineries since I moved to Virginia a couple years ago! While I do think my absolute favorite time of year to visit wineries is in the summer (I love seeing all the grapes growing on the vines!), they are still fun to visit year round. Checking out Charlottesville area wineries in winter also has some advantages- namely the fact that it's not tourist season so they're not nearly as busy in the colder months! Winery visits from December-March are more of a cozy and intimate experience, which is still fun and special in a different way.

     Today I'm sharing five local wineries that I think are more ideal to check out in the winter months! I'm highlighting these five wineries for two main reasons: 1) they're all easy to drive to. Some wineries on the Monticello Wine trail are definitely off the beaten path (think long and winding dirt roads with no cell service), and winter just isn't the best season to attempt getting to some of those. The ones I'm featuring today are all located just off main roads and are easily accessible in all seasons. 2) They all have good sized indoor tasting rooms. On days when the weather is too cold to be outside, you don't want to be cooped up in a tiny tasting room at a winery that mainly has outdoor seating. These five all have fairly large and very cozy indoor spaces for guests to enjoy!

Midweek Ramblings.

{I don't often wear all black and white or neutral outfits,  but really digging this one that I wore a couple weekends ago! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Lilly Pulitzer Winter After Party Sale Haul!

     I'm doing a little try-on session and sizing review of my Winter  Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale purchases today! The APS is definitely one of my favorite things about January- I just hate that the weather is too cold to usually start wearing what I bought right away. I love the pieces I got in this sale, and I'm very excited for warmer weather to wear them! 

Relationship Monday: 3 Things to Remember When You've Been Ghosted.

    Ghosting. It has to be one of the most popular dating terms of recent years. The official dictionary definition is to "end a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all forms of communication."  Sadly I think it's a safe assumption that most millennials that are actively dating (or I guess really anyone dating) in the last few years has experienced this a time or two.

      I unfortunately went through it again myself just a few months ago. Once the feelings of surprise and hurt had started to fade, it dawned on me that this might make a great Relationship Monday topic for the blog! I've written before about finding contentment with singleness, using dating apps as a Christian, awkward first dates, and many more relevant topics. But I haven't chatted on here about ghosting before- that's changing today!