Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Made the most of the 70+ degree weather this weekend and got some beach reading in! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

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Ramblings:

• Last Midweek Ramblings of 2021: This is my last Wednesday Midweek Ramblings post for this year! Next week I'll be home in Maine for Christmas, so I'm planning to take most of next week off from the blog, and then during the last week of the year I'll have my two annual Year in Review posts (I always do one for my personal life, and another recapping the year in blogging). I started doing these Midweek Ramblings posts years ago in college, and year after year they remain y'all's favorite type of blog posts on my annual blog reader surveys. These little weekday updates are so simple, but it brings me joy that y'all enjoy them. And they're also fun for me to look back on through the years to see what I was doing and loving at a certain time two, four or six years ago! Not really sure where I'm going with this, but just wanted to say thanks for enjoying these little weekly posts year after year. 😊
• Christmas in Hampton Roads: One of the most unexpected things for me about life in Virginia Beach is how much fun stuff there is to do around here at the holidays. I've spent a good chunk of the past three weekends attending various Christmas events, and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface on all there is to do here for the holidays!! Between Virginia Beach itself and the neighboring cities of Hampton Roads, there are just so many Christmas events. So far this year I've gone to the Million Bulb Walk at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, driven around to see the elaborate Christmas lights in neighborhoods in Chesapeake and North End in Virginia Beach, gotten to host the televised broadcast for the Virginia Beach Christmas Parade with my co-host, done Busch Gardens Christmas Town in Williamsburg, and walked around to see Colonial Williamsburg all decorated. And even with all of this, there's so many local events I haven't gotten to this year that I'm excited to check out in years to come. I love living in an area that makes me excited to be here long term!

Weekend Recaps:

• Last weekend: A long update- bear with me haha! On Thursday and Friday at work we were doing our annual Radiothon for St. Jude Children's Hospital. It went very well, but it's a lot of work and can be emotionally draining. I took a long nap on Friday afternoon to decompress after work! That night, I go to go to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens! The weather happened to be so mild and nice to be outdoors all evening which made it even better. On Saturday, I had a holiday work event in the morning, and then I spent the afternoon at the beach! It was in the mid 70s here on Saturday afternoon, which was perfect beach read weather. What a gift to have that in December! On Sunday, I made my second Williamsburg trip of the weekend and got to meet my friend Caroline and her mom! They're in the Richmond area, so Williamsburg is the halfway point. We had a great lunch at the restaurant at Williamsburg Winery, and then we walked around Colonial Williamsburg to see some of the decor. That evening, I met up with two new friends at North End in Virginia Beach to walk around and see some beautiful Christmas lights there. What a fun and full weekend!
• This weekend: I'm getting my COVID booster shot on Friday afternoon. I had a very rough experience with my second dose back in the spring, and I am hoping the side effects won't be as intense this time. In case it is bad, I haven't really made any plans for Friday or Saturday as a precaution. My friend Amanda's birthday is this weekend, so I am hoping to be feeling back to normal to do something with her on Sunday! 

Purchases:

• No fun purchases for me this week, I honestly don't normally shop for myself much in December before Christmas.

Wishlist:

• A very flirty top perfect for nights out on the town or a special date night this winter.
• I own these pumps in nude leather already and love them, but I think this pink suede version is so pretty!!
• Cute little gold and pink everyday earrings that can be dressed up or down.
• If you still need a cute and casual holiday outfit for festivities this week and next week, this plaid top is darling!
• My friend Emily texted me about these earrings and said they reminded her of my style- she was right on!! They're beautiful!

Currently reading: The Kissing Game by Marie Harte - The last few books I read have been autobiographies, so I was ready for a change and to read a lighthearted romance novel. To be honest I'm not loving this one so far (the plot is super cliche and predictable), but it's still been a nice change of pace to read from the other books I've read lately,

Song of the week: React by The Pussycat Dolls - Did you know The Pussycat Dolls had a comeback single in 2020?! I just learned about this recently and I am obsessed with this song. It's crazy to me this song didn't do better when it was released?! I guess we will blame that on 2020 haha. 

Recipe of the week: Chewy Rum Sugar Cookies from Just a Pinch - I wanted to bring in Christmas cookies for my coworkers earlier this week, but I didn't have a ton of time to do any type of elaborate cookie recipe, or something that required decorating. These were super simple to make, and still tasted delicious! 

Favorite blog posts of the week:

• Caitlin Houston - Caitlin just welcomed her third daughter this past week! She wrote a super candid blog post about how postpartum recovery has been going so far. I'm always in awe of bloggers who can share so honestly and beautifully about their birth experiences.
• Southern Curls and Pearls - Love this beautiful holiday party outfit from Caitlin!! Her holiday style is always so cute. 
• Summer Wind - Sydney shared a great round-up of easy appetizer recipes that are perfect for holiday entertaining this season. 

On the blog this week:

• TRAVEL GUIDE: Charlottesville Bachelorette Party Recommendations

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese