What I Wore to Work: November 2021.

     Time to recap November work outfits! I have to be honest- I was not as consistent this month at documenting work outfits like I normally am. Part of that is because I was out-of-office for six weekdays this month (between traveling to Nashville for work, a long weekend for a wedding, and Thanksgiving). It was also a month where I just didn't feel very inspired with most of my everyday looks, if I'm being honest! Spring and summer fashion is more my thing, so I think it's normal for me to feel a little uninspired as the weather first turns colder again. But anyways, here are the outfits that I did snap photos of this month: 

BLACK FRIDAY / CYBER WEEKEND SALES 2021

     Happy Thanksgiving!!! I shared on Instagram this morning that I possibly have more to be thankful for this year in 2021 than any year before. Today I headed down to Eastern North Carolina to spend the day with my aunt and uncle! I actually have a work event tomorrow morning, so I'll be back in Virginia Beach by this evening to get ready for that. I'll be doing my Black Friday shopping at the mall a little later in the day than normal because of work, but that's totally okay! 

    Here's my annual list of Black Friday / Cyber Weekend sales! As most of these are larger national retailers, I will also try to highlight some small business sales for Small Business Saturday on Instagram this weekend. 

Midweek Ramblings.

{Ran an errand at a local mall over the weekend, and I was so delighted to see the big Christmas tree up and decorated! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Radio 101: Music Row Live During CMA Week in Nashville - 2021 Recap

      Earlier this month, I had the work opportunity of a lifetime. My co-host, my boss and I traveled to the home of country music, Nashville Tennesee, to broadcast live from Sharla McCoy's Music Row Live event during CMA Awards Week. I documented the trip in real-time on my Instagram Stories, but I've been wanting to share a more in-depth recap of everything here on the blog.  I've been working full-time in radio for four and a half years now, but this was the first work trip that I've ever had the chance to go on. And what a first trip it was! 

Vera Bradley 2021 Bright Friday Sale!

      Let's kick off the biggest shopping week of the year by chatting about a sale for one of my favorite brands, Vera Bradley! I wanted to highlight some of my favorite Vera items that I use regularly that are included in the sale. They'd be perfect for treating yourself, or gifting this holiday season!

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Enjoying a beautiful sunset last week by the Norfolk Botanical Garden! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

My 2021 Christmas Wishlist.

       I think it's been a few years since I've shared a Christmas wishlist on my blog for myself, but I thought I'd resume this year! I was thinking this weekend about a few stocking stuffers that I wanted to tell my parents I'd like, and that's what got me thinking of resuming sharing my own Christmas list on the blog like I used to. 

     I do want to give a disclaimer beforehand that I am well aware that I don't need any of these things. I am so blessed to be at a point in life with both my day job and blogging side hustle where I can afford most of the things in life that I want to buy myself. I'm also thankful that my parents (and especially my mom) taught me the importance of saving and avoiding debt, and how fulfilling it can be to save up for a larger purchase. But with all that said, we do still do Christmas gifts in my family, and it is always helpful to give my parents an idea of things that I'd like, so I thought I'd share a few of those things here with y'all today.

In Honor of #FREEBRITNEY.

     Today (November 12th, 2021) is the day that Britney Spears's conservatorship is supposed to finally be dissolved in court. Everyone following the #FREEBRITNEY movement knows that this has been a very long time coming. Last month, I styled a Britney Spears concert t-shirt for the blog, and as soon as I remembered that her final conservatorship hearing was coming up, I decided to save these photos for today!

Duolingo App Review + My Story with Learning French.

      My pandemic hobby that I'm most proud of and that I've stuck with the most consistently is practicing the French language on the Duolingo app. In August, I hit my one year anniversary of using Duolingo, and I'm proud of myself for continuing on for this long! I wanted to share a  review and some thoughts about how much I like Duolingo. I apologize in advance for how long this post is- I had a lot to say!

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Live from the Hot 100 studio for my new weekend radio show! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Bloggers I Recommend For Great Christmas Gift Guides!

     Happy November 1st! This holiday season is going to look a little bit different on Southern Belle in Training for blog content. I've made the executive decision not to do any Gift Guides this year. I'll get more into why I decided not to do them later in the post, but I mainly wanted to share with you some other bloggers that you should check out if you're looking for Gift Guides. There are a few ladies I follow who absolutely kill it with this content every holiday season, and you should definitely check them out if you're looking for gift ideas!