About Annaliese + FAQ

     Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Annaliese, and this is my little corner of the internet. My day job is in radio broadcasting (which I'm very passionate about!), but I've been blogging here at Southern Belle in Training since 2012 and am equally in love with blogging! I primarily blog about affordable fashion and style, but I also enjoy writing about a variety of lifestyle topics including faith, beauty, travel and career. 

      If you're new here, I've put together an FAQ below to help you get to know both myself and my blog a little bit better! If you still have a questions, feel free to email me at rainbowflash94@yahoo.com! (And yes- one of the questions answered below is why I'm still using my childhood email address!)

Annaliese - FAQs

     *How old are you? I am 22! My birthday is on September 6th, and is also conveniently my blogiversary! (I started SBIT on my 18th birthday.)

     *Where do you live? I currently live in Burlington, Vermont! I moved here in April 2017 to begin my first job post-grad. I am originally from a small tourist town in coastal Maine called Kennebunk, but I like to pretend I'm from the South, where I went to college and broadcasting school!

      *What is your full-time job? I am an on-air personality on the radio! 😊 It is my dream job and something that I worked very hard at through college and for a year after to finally achieve. I truly believe that I have the most fun and exciting day job in the world. I am currently working for two radio stations in the Burlington/Plattsburgh market.

       You can read my announcement post about getting my job/moving to Vermont here, a detailed post all about how attending a year-long broadcasting school program after college prepared me for my career in radio here, and in June 2017 I'm starting a monthly radio career blog post series so stay tuned for that! 

     *Where did you go to college? I originally moved to North Carolina to attend a private Christian school called Gardner-Webb University! I transferred after one year there to finish college at Queens University of Charlotte, which is right in Charlotte, NC. I have no regrets about my year at Gardner-Webb because even though I transferred, I still had some great experiences during my freshman year and met friends for life! 

     I am so thankful that I blogged all through my college years because now I can look back on so many memories that I had during this time! You can read lots of blog posts that I wrote about college experiences including transferring schools, Greek life, dorm room tours, and lots more by clicking on the "College" post label on my blog's sidebar (or clicking right here)! 

      *What were you involved in during college? At Queens, I enjoyed two years of interning for the Charlotte location of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation to prepare me for a career in broadcast media. I was also involved at Greek life - after I transferred to Queens I went through sorority recruitment and became a sister of Alpha Delta Pi! You can read more about my sorority experiences by clicking on the "Sorority life" post label on my blog's sidebar (or clicking right here)!

      *Why do you mention your faith on your blog? My Christian faith is so important to me, and God has been my rock through many difficult situations in my life. I think having a fashion blog is a unique ministry outlet. There are lots of people (young women specifically) who might never choose to go to church, listen to Christian music, or seek out anything faith related, but they would read a fashion blog! If I can be a light for Christ to someone by speaking about my faith, morals and Christian lifestyle from time to time here on my blog, then by all means I will do it! 

     *What is your favorite bible verse? I have SO many- but my absolute favorites would be 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. "Rejoice Always, Pray Continually"

     *What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I absolutely love cooking and baking! It's my favorite form of stress relief, and having my own kitchen was my favorite thing about finally having my own apartment after college! I also enjoy reading, watching TV, going to Zumba classes, spending time outdoors, and nightlife with friends (in moderation 😉). And of course traveling! I am a HUGE travel fanatic.

     *Favorite place you've traveled to? SUCH a hard question! But for a brief answer: in the US: Las Vegas! Abroad: Italy!

     *Favorite TV shows? I am a HUGE TV junkie! Much more of a TV fan than into movies. Most of the shows that I watch are on the major networks, and a few of my favorites currently are Jane the Virgin, The Big Bang Theory, STAR, and Great News!

Southern Belle in Training - FAQs

     *When did you start blogging? I actually started blogging in January 2011, when I was in high school! One of my best friends, Katie, had a blog for years that I enjoyed reading, and after reading hers for so long I was inspired to finally start my own. Katie's blog was more of a personal writing outlet/journal, and my original blog was the same. The name of my first blog was.... get ready for this.... "Confessions of a Maine Teenager." I cringe just writing that here now, haha! Anyways, writing there was my first taste of the blogging world. When I began college in Fall 2012, I knew that I wanted to launch a new blog and have it be fashion focused. So that's how SBIT was born! (And Confessions of a Maine Teenager is now a PRIVATE domain, to anyone who wanted to try and find that. 😉)

      *How did you come up with the name "Southern Belle in Training"? I had just moved from the small town in Maine where I grew up to North Carolina for college, so the name was directly inspired by the move that I had just made! For years before moving to the South, I had been fascinated with Southern culture. One day early in my freshman year of college, I just thought of the blog name "Southern Belle in Training," and it seemed perfect! If you're considering starting a blog, I promise- the perfect name will find you! 

     *Why did you used to sign your blog posts as "Miss ALK"? For the first few years of blogging on SBIT, I always signed my blog posts as "XOXO Miss ALK". This was a throwback to my days of blogging in high school on my first blog, Confessions of a Maine Teenager. My parents were really concerned about privacy in the online world when I was in high school, so I didn't put pictures of myself on that blog, and blogged under my initials "ALK." The first license plates on my car said "MISS ALK" as a little tribute to my blog, so that's how the Miss got added. Even though I did use pictures of myself and my real name on Southern Belle in Training, for years here I would still sign my posts as Miss ALK as a tribute to the old blog! 

      *Are you going to be changing your blog's name even though you don't live in the South anymore? Nope! I've had this blog for so many years now, and "Southern Belle in Training" has quite honestly become a part of my identity. I do hope to move back to a Southern state for my next job, but even if I never do, my blog's name will always remind me of the most wonderful years that I spent in NC. And even as long as I am living back in New England, I like to think of myself as a wannabe Southern Belle wherever I am! 

     *Who takes your photos? Since May 2016, I've been working with photographers for the majority of my photo needs here on Southern Belle in Training! Fun fact: my mom is actually an artist who does a lot of artistic photography, so I grew up being exposed to a lot of really great photography. After having a few years of blogging under my belt, I decided it was time to make the investment and start working with a local photographer to take my photo quality from good to great! And it was the BEST decision. 100% one of the best investments I've ever made.
       When I lived in Charlotte, I worked with Deeana from Deeana Kourtney Photography. Back in college, I had various friends and roommates who used to take my blog photos! I have a really old blog post (found here) that introduces a lot of the people who used to help with my blog photos in college. I've never been lucky enough to have a #BloggerBoyfriend and certainly no #InstagramHusband... I look forward to the day that might happen, but I'll probably still use a photographer anyways!


      *Will your blog always focus on affordable fashion? YES! I started my blog as a college freshman who was on a very limited budget. Although I'm in the working world now, I still have a limited budget, because let's be real, entry level salaries are pretty low! Even if I am at a different financial place someday, I don't want the focus of my blog to change. There are tons of bloggers out there who feature designer fashions on their blogs, or even outfits that might not be designer, but are still unrealistic for girls on budgets. No college girl that I know can afford to be spending $100 on a trendy top that will be out of style by next season or $300 on jeans! I definitely do splurge on select fashion items from time to time, but my promise to all of you is that my blog will always focus for the most part on truly affordable outfits. AND y'all know that I'm not afraid to restyle things either!


      *Why is "rainbowflash94@yahoo.com" your blog's email address? I actually wrote a whole blog post about that!! You can read that here!




      Well- that about covers everything I think! Thanks so much for reading and following Southern Belle in Training!



     God Bless,



     xoxo Annaliese