Midweek Ramblings.

 

{My new favorite coat for spring! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

What I Wore to Work: March 2021

      First off- can we take a second to appreciate that it's now been a full year of living and working in the pandemic?! Whew. It was both the fastest and the slowest year of my life- I'm sure a lot of you would agree. Although still physically going to work during COVID has had its pros and cons (it was a bit nerve-wracking in December when we started having cases at work), overall I am thankful that I've still had a reason to get up and get dressed to leave the house five days a week. I think that was good for my mental health this year!

     Here are my work outfits from this March! You'll see in the first photo that I broke a fashion rule that I normally do observe... which was wearing an all-white outfit before Easter! 

Travel Diary: Is Virginia Beach Off-Season Worth It?

      When I moved to Charlottesville three years ago, I was excited to learn that I'd only be about three hours away from Virginia Beach. I set a goal to visit VB later on in 2018. I wasn't able to get there my first year in Virginia... or my second year... but better later than never right?! A couple weeks ago my dad came down from Maine to visit, and we spent a long weekend off-season in Virginia Beach. 

     I always assumed the first time I'd visit this oceanfront destination would be in the summer during the height of tourism season and warm weather. But instead, my first visit was off-season in March! Visiting a traditionally summer destination in the off-season can have mixed results- there's both pros and cons. I thought it might be helpful to share my thoughts on coming here in the off-season, and also some thoughts on Virginia Beach as a travel destination in general. I definitely haven't experienced enough of VB to do a full Travel Guide, so a mini Travel Diary it is!

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Snapped a selfie while cleaning out my old (now totaled) car at the body shop on Monday. Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Scenes from Virginia Beach this weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Inspiring Woman Interview: Meet Jenn of Style Charade

     Welcome back to my Inspiring Woman blog post series. This is something new that I wanted to start on Southern Belle in Training in 2021. There are so many women that I enjoy following and connecting with who inspire me- both those that are killing it in the radio industry (what I do for my day job), and fellow bloggers and content creators. 

     My first Inspiring Woman interview was published in January, featuring a friend of mine in the radio industry. Today I'm honored to share the first blogger interview for this series. I am so honored to share that it's with one of my very favorite bloggers, Jenn Lake of Style Charade! Jenn is a phenomenal content creator- her personal style and photography on her blog is always top-notch. In addition to her success with blogging, she's managed to keep (and succeed at!) her day job in PR in Chicago. I have been so inspired by Jenn for a long time, and was delighted when she said yes to this interview. I'm sure that a lot of you already follow Jenn as well, but if you don't yet- I'm so happy to be the one to introduce you!

Blogging FAQ: 3 Things I Won't Share On My Blog or The Internet.

     There are few topics in my life that are off-limits on the blog. Over the 8.5 years that I've been running Southern Belle in Training, I've talked in depth about dating and singleness as a Christian adult, the highs and lows of my faith, various struggles I've gone through about everything from transferring colleges sophomore year, an unexpected (and kind of negative) college study abroad experience, and homesickness during my first job and time living in Vermont. I've even touched on the painful experience of being physically assaulted and pressing charges when I was just 21/22. Basically- I'm kind of an open book, and I like it that way! I love being able to share my life and experiences authentically through the internet. It's cathartic to me, and it always makes me happy to know when a more personal post topic really touches someone that reads it. I always have a running list of more personal post ideas that I'd like to write about in future years, too.

     With all of that said- there will always be a few topics that I have never discussed on the blog or my social media, and don't plan to ever. Some for privacy reasons, some are a little too personal... they each have their reasons! I thought I would highlight those today- I'm curious where other bloggers and influencers stand on sharing things like these.

Midweek Ramblings.

 {Did you catch my Richmond Travel Guide that I finally published earlier this week here on the blog? Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk!}

TRAVEL GUIDE: Ultimate Richmond VA Guide.

      Today's Travel Guide has been a long time coming! I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I believe Richmond Virginia to be one of the most underrated cities in the South, if not one of the most underrated in the US as a whole! Yes- I really do mean that. Richmond is the perfect day trip destination from where I live in Charlottesville, and for the past three years I've been steadily visiting one or twice a month (sometimes even more!). I am so thrilled to finally bring you this Travel Guide to one of my very favorite cities! 

101 in 1001 - 18 Month Update

     I am about at the halfway point of my first-ever 101 in 1001 bucket list! Time has already gone by so fast since I first shared my list in September 2019... although I suppose a global pandemic has helped with that. If you haven't heard of a 101 in 1001 before or seen my past posts on it, this is a special type of bucket list, first shared by blogger Mackenzie of Design Darling years ago. It's such a unique way to organize your goals and dreams for the next few years. My last update about mine was my one year update back in September- it's already time today to share an 18 month update!

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Catching up on some spring magazine reading! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

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)