{Monthly} Midweek Ramblings: May 2024

May 2024:

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Highs of the Month:

Our engagement party, hosted by Ryan's parents. I won't go into too much detail about it here since I have already recapped it on Instagram and in its own Wedding Wednesday blog post, but it was so fun and special. What really meant the world is that my friends Priyanka, Mercedes and Emily all drove in from other parts of VA/NC to be there, my parents flew in from Maine, and Ryan had a couple family members that traveled from far distances as well!

Getting to golf more this month! I golfed in May with Ryan and his parents on a weekend, with a girlfriend on a weekday morning, and I also signed up for a drop-in golf group lesson last week. It is such a blessing to no longer be struggling with bad hip bursitis like I was last year, and golf has been so good for my mental health following my job loss!

Starting a new job in a new industry has been incredibly beneficial for my mental health following my job loss in April. My coworkers and managers have all kind and welcoming to me! Being on somewhat of a work routine again and the physical act of "going to work" has really helped with my healing journey from the unexpected loss of my radio job.

Lows of the Month:

This is going to to be a low for at least a few more months, but the loss of my job in April is still very painful and raw. While I am doing significantly better now than I was right when it happened... the healing is still in progress. It is also incredibly humbling to be starting a new entry-level role in a totally new field, and I get down internally about that sometimes too (despite enjoying my new job).

I am on my feet a lot at my new job, and I've started developing some bad heel pain in one of my feet. My mom has had chronic planter fasciitis for a long time, and I'm worried it might be genetic for me, and that the new job brought it out. I have bought new insoles for my work shoes (and might be getting brand new work shoes all-together very soon), so I'm hoping that helps?!

I talked about this in a recent Wedding Wednesday post, but the original DJ that I hired for my wedding a few months ago cancelled on us! Thankfully we still had five and a half months to find someone new, but it's never fun to have a wedding vendor cancel. I think we are close to hiring a new DJ, but unfortunately the new company we found is a bit more expensive than the original guy.

May Weekend Recaps:

May 3rd-5th - Saturday was my last full day left in Maine. My mom and I had a slow morning at home, and then we went downtown to catch the last bit of my town's annual May Day parade. I then ran a couple errands with my mom, and I went to out to dinner with both of my parents to celebrate the last night of my trip home. On Sunday I started driving back to Virginia! I had a fun rest stop: I popped in to do some shopping at Splash of Pink (a Lilly Pulitzer signature store that I've worked with on my blog before) in Connecticut! I spent Sunday night in Delaware, and made it home on Monday afternoon.

May 10th-12th - This was our engagement party weekend and Mother's Day weekend- busy busy! My parents flew to Virginia on Thursday night. On Friday, my mom and I went bridal accessory shopping for me, and dress shopping for her. We had our wedding menu tasting in the late afternoon which Ryan joined us for. On Saturday, my mom and I both had hair appointments in the late morning, and then we had our engagement party!! Ryan and I went out for drinks with some friends after the party at The Cavalier (the nicest hotel in Virginia Beach) after the party. On Sunday, my parents checked out of their hotel, we went out for breakfast, came back to my apartment for a bit, and then I took them for a walk at Norfolk Botanical Garden to show them the spot Ryan had proposed six months earlier!

May 17th-19th - We had steak night for dinner at home on Friday evening, which is always a fun meal. On Saturday morning, I went to a workout class. We then spent most of the day watching the PGA Championship for golf on TV. Ryan and I had our first dinner date in a couple months (!!) on Saturday evening, but first we made a pit stop to his parents' house so that we could watch a beautiful wedding happen in the backyard of their next-door neighbors. On Sunday, we went to church and then went for a walk, and then we watched more of the PGA Championship.

May 24th-27th - Memorial Day Weekend, and my first weekend at my new job. I ended up having to work Friday, Saturday and Monday! Sunday was my day off, and it was a great one. We went to church, got takeout for lunch, and then I headed out for my first pool day of the year at our apartment pool. We then geared up to go golfing with Ryan's parents that evening at a nearby course. After golf, we grabbed dinner at The Dirty Buffalo, which is one of our favorite local casual spots (perfect place to go after a round of golf).

May Purchases:

First up, a few wardrobe pieces for the dress code at my new job. It's been a few years since I had a solid black pencil skirt in my wardrobe. This one is so affordable, and it's very comfortable and flattering to wear!

Since I mainly wore jeans or dresses at my radio job, I only owned one pair of dress pants for the last couple of years! I thought I should invest in one more pair, and I went with these. I think they look a little different in person than they did on the model, but I still like them and got a good deal.

You've heard me sing the praises of this cardigan for years now... my love for them only keeps growing! They hold up so well after lots of wear and washes, and they're the perfect finishing touch for spring and summer outfits. I purchased two new ones: black for work, and a bright pink to wear with some of my fun summer outfits.

This adorable high-waisted bikini was on sale during Memorial Day Weekend, so I decided to scoop it up. I'm excited to wear it here at the beach and pool this summer, and to bring on our tropical honeymoon later in the year!

May Wishlist:

How darling for a bride-to-be is this cute little pearl and crystal purse? I feel like this would be just so lovely for a bridal shower or rehearsal dinner. Perhaps I'll have to snag it before I have these events!

This dress is so "Annaliese:" it's colorful, floral, loud and fun!! I would love to spluge on it for our honeymoon... but I just couldn't justify the extra cost this month, especially since I had to purchase a few new workwear pieces. But it will continue to sit in my wishlist until our wedding!! Hoping I can save up and get it sometime soon.

Loving these darling but fun pearl flower statement stud earrings for the summer months. The brand they're from is one of my favorites for high quality statement jewelry!

Another influencer shared this green and yellow dress recently, and all I could think of is how the beautiful color combo would make it perfect for a 2025 Masters watch party (or actually wearing it to the Masters- one can dream!).

Concluding this month's wishlist with a furniture item. I think this would be the most perfect china cabinet, and the price really isn't bad! I would totally add this to our wedding registry, except we have no room for it in our current apartment, nor do I think we'd have room to store something this large. Hopefully it'll still be in stock someday when we get a house!

May Blog Posts:

God Bless,

xoxo Annaliese

June 4, 2024