One Year Since March 2020: Everything I Remember.

      March 1st, 2020. I woke up in New York City. I was sharing a bed with my roommate Abigail, with our two friends Lily and Kelly sleeping in the bed next to us. We were in a hotel one block away from Times Square in NYC. That morning, my biggest concern in life was getting to the airport on time and making sure that whatever method of transportation that we took to the airport that day was hopefully cheaper than the expensive cab we had taken to get into the city two days prior. As we got packed up and headed back to the airport, something else was happening in NYC that day. The first positive case of COVID-19 in New York City was identified on March 1st, 2020.

    I have some of the most vivid and intense memories of my life so far from the first half of the month of March last year. I can't believe it's already been a full year. In a mere two weeks in March 2020, I feel like everyone watched their lives go from precedented to unprecedented, and with each day that went by, there were more surprises and changes to societal norms.

     I decided many months ago that around the one year anniversary of March 2020, I wanted to share a journal-type blog post to document everything that I remember thinking and feeling from that time. To be honest, I'm writing this more for my own benefit. So I can have a public record to look back on in years to come about what this strange time in life was like for me. But, I feel like you might also enjoy reading this and be able to relate to some of the things I was feeling and thinking at that time. This post isn't written to share my opinions on the politics of COVID-19 and/or the vaccine. Just an honest recollection of what life was like at the end of last February and March for me. 

{Photo from March 13th, 2020)

What I Wore to Work: February 2021.

     This has been the most wintery month ever in the almost three years that I've lived in Charlottesville.  I've never seen so much snow and so many consecutive days of freezing cold temperatures in a one month period in Virginia. Brrr! I have to be honest- the weather and some other things this month made it tough for me to get excited about my work outfits like I normally do. You'll find more than a few days in the outfits below where I just threw on snow boots or UGGS, a sweater, jeans and called it a day. But, I did try to look semi-cute for at least a few days of the month, and I'm already more excited for March work outfits!

Midweek Ramblings.

{So much fun snow tubing at Wintergreen Resort this weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Lilly Pulitzer Spring 2021: Try-On + Sizing Guide! 💗🌴

      Hello from the Lilly Pulitzer River Road store in Richmond! This is my first in-store Lilly try-on of the year, and I was so excited to get to see and play dress-up with the new Lilly arrivals in their Spring 2021 collection. 

My Most Worn Kendra Scott Jewelry.

      I have a decent collection of Kendra Scott jewelry pieces that I've amassed over the years, but there are a few special pieces that I love and wear more than others. I always enjoy writing a good review post, so it seems overdue to share about my most worn Kendra Scott pieces! I have four that I wear often (one of them that I literally almost wear every single day)! 

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Enjoying a walk on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall with hot chocolate in hand a couple weeks ago! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Why I Love February...

      Today kicks off the third week of February- which historically has been one of my very favorite weeks of recent years! And no- it actually has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, although I am a big Galentine's enthusiast. I'm actually quite a big fan of the whole month of February (not just the third week!), and I figured that finally deserved a blog post.

I (Unintentionally) Did Dry January!

      Last month, I had the chance to complete something that wasn't nearly as hard to do as I thought: Dry January! Before it gets too far into the rest of the year, I wanted to do a quick recap post of my thoughts on going about five weeks without alcohol (my last drink was Christmas Day, so my Dry January had an extra bonus week). 

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{This picture is actually from two weekends ago, but we had snow this weekend again in Charlottesville! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Pink With a Side of Heart Balloons... 🎈💖

     What's the cure to a long and cold winter season during a pandemic? A.) lots of PINK, and B.) heart balloons! Am I wearing this outfit anywhere soon that's not this Richmond parking decor for these photos? No. But did it bring me so much joy to wear it for the sake of the blog and share it with you today? YES! And I think we all need more joy right now... 😊      

Easy From Scratch Cookies: Chocolate Stamp Cookies.

      Cookies will always be one of my favorite things to make myself at home. The famous Nestle Toll House cookie recipe was actually the first thing that I ever learned to make on my own without help from my mom- and that recipe remains a favorite of mine today. In addition to the Toll House cookies, I have a few other cookie recipes that are tried and true. Some are a bit more time intensive, and some are quick and easy, like today's recipe!

     I've been wanting to share these Chocolate Stamp Cookies for years now on the blog. I made some a couple weeks ago and made sure to snap a photo so I could finally do this blog post. 😊

Midweek Ramblings.

 {Exploring Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge in Richmond last weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

❤️Red + Pink Valentine's Outfit Round-Up.💗

      The month of love is here- welcome to February! I'm not quite sure why, but in the past few years especially Valentine's has become a favorite holiday of mine, and that has zero to do with my relationship status. Hallmark holiday or not, I just love the fact that there is a day to celebrate love! Red and pink is one of my favorite color combinations out there, and see it pop up everywhere makes me so happy. I also love knowing that mid-February means that winter is almost over! Well- almost over here in the South at least. 😊I'm also a huge enthusiast of Galentine's!! 

     To kick off this month, I wanted to share a round-up of some of my favorite red and/or pink outfits on the blog from the past few years! As I mentioned above, red and pink is a favorite color combo of mine, but I think only the first outfit featured below is the only fully red and pink styled look I've shared on the blog. That will hopefully change in 2021 since I do love this color combo! But I do have some other fun separate red or pink outfits from the past few years, so those are all linked below. Some of these looks are a few years old and exact items aren't still in stock, but I tried to find similar pieces for everything! 

What I Wore To Work: January 2021.

      Here's all of my work outfits from the first month of the year! It has been a snow-less month in Charlottesville, but it has still felt very much like winter. The first half of the month was pretty mild, but the last week or two have been pretty cold. This has been one of the harder months of the pandemic so far for me- between the cold weather making it hard to do safe activities outside, and the steadily rising cases in my area, it's easy to feel discouraged some days. But I'm hanging in there! I hope you are too. 

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Getting into the early Valentine's spirit this year with these cookies! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Inspiring Woman Interview: Meet Marie of The Radio Fam

     I'm thrilled to kick off a brand new blog post series on SBIT today! Welcome to my first ever Inspiring Woman interview. I've always enjoyed reading interviews on other blogs- I've found many people to follow that way. It dawned on me near the end of last year that I've been so lucky in recent years to connect with so many women who inspire me: both those in radio and in the blogging and influencer space- my two passions!

 

      In 2021, I'm hoping to bring you an interview every other month with a woman who inspires me. If these are a success, I'm hoping to do this every month in 2022! I'll be alternating between women in radio and in blogging, and maybe down the road I'll feature women in other industries as well (I'd love to highlight some small business owners!).

     My first Inspiring Woman interview guest is Marie of The Radio Fam. She's the creator and owner of one of the most successful radio industry community accounts on Instagram, @theradiofam. She balances a day job and multiple side hustles, and is a personal branding whiz. Whether you're in radio or not, Marie and her Instagram accounts are definitely worth a follow, and many of the things she's done with Radio Fam could be applied to other industries as well. Meet Marie!

3 Current Fashion Trends I Just Don't Get (+ One I Do Like!)

      Fashion trends come and go, and I do my best to keep up with them. I think my personal style is like 50% classic (preppy, timeless and feminine), and 50% trendy. While there are usually some trends each year that I love, I've found that in recent years there's more and more that I'm not into. (Maybe that means I'm getting old?! 😉Haha.) Let's start off this week on the blog by chatting about the three current trends that I personally *don't get*. And I'll also share one that I've been surprisingly loving! That one is is something I'm wearing in these photos- can you guess it?

Radio 101: Why I Work in Radio Instead of TV.

     Every now and then, I like to answer questions that I'm commonly asked in the form of blog posts. The two most common questions that I'm asked when people find out what I do for work are 1) how do I wake up so early and 2) what my morning routine is. The third most popular question I'm asked? Why I work in radio and not TV. Seriously! For years now (even before I got my first radio job and was still just an intern) I've been getting asked this. So- I figured it's about time to properly answer, as there's a few reasons to why I was more drawn to a career in radio vs. TV. 

 

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{A throwback detail shot from my current apartment tour, since I shared that on the blog a year ago this week! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

My 2021 New Year's Resolutions + Word of the Year.

      I am a big fan of resolutions with the start of each new year, but if I had to be honest I had trouble for the first couple weeks of 2021 narrowing mine down for this year! Life still seems so uncertain as we are in such a difficult part of the pandemic. I didn't want to make resolutions that would be unrealistic for how the rest of the year ends up being. But after a lot of brainstorming, I finally came up with some that should be good goals to work towards- pandemic or not! I'm also going over last year's resolutions, and sharing my word of the year. 

My Best Purchases of 2020.

      Every January, I like to share my 10 favorite purchases from the past year. While some are usually fashion related, I've found that in the past couple years a good portion of them are random buys that just made my life a bit easier or better in the past 12 months! 2020 obviously wasn't the best year, but these 10 items all brought me joy, so I'm happy to share them all with you today.

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Tried my first-ever acai bowl this weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

The Best Books I Read in 2020.

      2020 wasn't as quite of a big reading year for me as 2019 was (when I read 52 books- a book a week!), but I still read some great titles last year, and still exceeded my reading goal! I set a goal of reading 25 books in 2020, and I managed to read 36 thanks to the extra time at home. 

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Let's get back to regularly scheduled content now that the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is over! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

LILLY PULITZER AFTER PARTY SALE: My Purchases + Day 2 Sale Picks!

     It's the second day of the Winter 2021 Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale! I'm so excited to share what I got yesterday, as well as some picks of just added merchandise for the second day of the sale. It ends tonight at 11:59pm EST, so time is ticking!

LILLY PULITZER AFTER PARTY SALE: SHOP the Sale + Lilly Through The Years!

     Good Morning and Happy Monday!! The winter edition of the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale opens at 8am EST today! (Later today after work I'll be updating this post to include all of my sale picks, but until then I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane to share with y'all some Lilly looks from years passed.)

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LILLY PULITZER AFTER PARTY SALE: Winter 2021 Sale Dates + Lilly Try-On/Size Guides 🌴🌸

      2021 is already looking better than 2020, because the first Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale (APS) of the year starts this MONDAY!!! Sharing some APS FAQ and linking to my Lilly try-on blog posts of 2020 in today's post- I hope this is a helpful resource.