Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Enjoying some beautiful skyline views in Norfolk this weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

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Ramblings:

• Virginia's snowstorm: Crazy stories are still coming to light from the big snowstorm last week that hit a lot of Northern Virginia. This story about an Uber driver and his 15 year old passenger getting stranded in the store is just insane!! Good for this guy for doing everything he could to keep his young passenger safe in such an unprecedented and scary event. 
• Christmas is done: I finally have taken down my Christmas tree and put all my holiday decor away! The only thing I still have left to do is take down some of the Christmas cards that I still have hanging on the fridge and organize them (I save all Christmas cards I get each year in folders). As sad as I am to see the tree go, it was time. I usually try to take it down around New Year's, but my aunt and uncle came over on New Year's Day this year so I kept it up for them to see. Someday I'd love to keep my tree up into February and re-decorate it as a Valentine's Day tree, but for right now I'm not sure I'd have the storage space for Valentine's ornaments in my apartment- it's already getting tough to store my three big bins of Christmas stuff!

Weekend recaps:

• Last weekend: I started Saturday off by doing a free at-home virtual Jazzercise class with one of the instructors from Jazzercise Charlottesville! I was a member for a year and a half, and I really miss the awesome fitness community there since I moved out of the area. On Saturday afternoon, I went to hang out on my friend Tracey's awesome rooftop at her apartment building. It was chilly but not crazy cold thankfully, so we were able to bundle up and enjoy the January sunshine and views. On Sunday, I watched church at home, and then met my friend Kelly-Anne for a walk at the Norfolk Botanical Garden! I spent a lot of the weekend taking down my Christmas decorations, and trying to do a better job organizing them for next year than I did this past year.
• This weekend: Another quiet, chill weekend! But honestly no complaints- with the COVID case surge right now I've been trying to lay lower than usual. The weekend after next I'll be out of town, so I'm sure I'll have lots to do at home this weekend.

Purchases: 

• Golf pants! If you missed my update in Monday's blog post, I'm starting golf lessons next month. February weather can be hit or miss in Virginia, so in case it is cold for my first few lessons I wanted to be sure to have some golf-appropriate pants. 
• I am currently working on planning my high school best friend Julia's bachelorette party in March. I wanted to order her a bride sash and crown to wear, and I purchased this set over this weekend. The price is great and it got good reviews!
• With COVID cases continuing to rise, I finally bought some more KN95 masks (I really wanted them for upcoming flights that I have this month). These were half the price two weeks ago when I ordered them- it looks like the price has since jumped quite a bit. 😐

Wishlist:

• A cute and flirty one-piece bathing suit that has me dreaming about the upcoming warm weather months in Virginia Beach! It's affordable and comes in many colors.
• This bodysuit comes in a ton of colors and would easily match so many outfits- a true staple.
• I love Lilly Pulitzer and love shirtdresses, but I don't have a Lilly shirtdress yet! This brand new arrival is just so cute.
• A gorgeous blue mini dress for winter- when it's really cold out I think this would look so cute with tights and heels!
• Loving this oversized striped button-down, which is also marked down under $25 this week.

Currently reading: Palm Beach by Mary Adkins - This week I'm now halfway done this book. It's about a 30-something couple that is struggling to get by financially living in New York City, until the husband takes a job with a huge salary bump in Palm Beach, FL. Shortly after they move to Florida, he gets another even better job offer working directly for one of Palm Beach's wealthiest residents. He takes the job, but he and his wife become directly exposed to the corruption and weirdness of the ultra-rich. 

Recipe of the week: Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread from Ina Garten - There are few things more delicious than hot and cheesy cornbread fresh out of the oven! This cornbread recipe is very easy and tasted great. The only thing I'll note is that the portion-size is very large. This made way too much for just me to eat, and I ended up giving about half of it to my aunt and uncle to take home with them.

Song of the week: Broadway Girls by Lil Durk ft. Morgan Wallen - Not going to get into any personal views on Morgan Wallen here (he's certainly had his fair share of controversies), but let me just say this song absolutely SLAPS. I feel like this is the type of country-rap fusion that actually sounds great and not annoying (unlike something like Old Town Road 😂). 

Favorite blog posts of the week:

• A Touch of Teal - Katie's top moments of the year posts are always some of my favorite year in review posts to read from other bloggers. Loved her 2021 version of this post!
• Lonestar Looking Glass - This might be one of my favorite outfits that Alice has ever worn on her blog! She shared the most darling dressier outfit for high tea.
• Thrifty Pineapple - Angela also had a great year in review post for 2021 that was fun to read. She and her husband made a big move and started new jobs last year, which I can totally relate to.

On the blog this week:

• The Best Books I Read in 2021
• My 2022 New Year's Resolutions + My Word of the Year

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese