Our First Golf Major: Attending The 2025 PGA Championship

      Last month, Ryan and I got to cross off a bucket list item for both of us: attending a major golf championship! Majors are the four most prestigious annual competition events in the golf world. They include The Masters in April, The PGA Championship in May, The US Open in June and The Open in July. This year the PGA Championship was held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC. Ryan and I got to attend on Saturday May 17th, and I'm excited to finally recap our day at the PGA here on the blog!

TRAVEL GUIDE: 10 Fun Things To Do in Charlotte, NC.

     Wrapping up my Charlotte Travel Guide mini-series on the blog today! I lived in Charlotte for four years, and it's been so much fun to finally share all of my Queen City favorites with you. Since I have so many places to recommend, I thought it would be easier to break everything down into three Travel Guides: restaurants and nightlife, lodging, and finally today's- fun things to do!

TRAVEL GUIDE: Where to Stay in Charlotte, NC

    Continuing with my Charlotte, NC Travel Guides for this month's Tuesday blog post series! Today I'm sharing four Charlotte hotels that I've stayed in, and would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the area! Two are very budget friendly, and the other three are a little bit higher end, so there's an option for everyone. 

TRAVEL GUIDE: The Best Restaurants & Nightlife in Charlotte, NC.

      Confession: I can't believe the first time I'm writing a post like this is TWO YEARS after I moved away from Charlotte! This is long overdue. I loved my years in Charlotte, and a big part of that was due to the incredible restaurants and fun nightlife there! I'm sharing all of my favorites in today's Travel Guide, as we continue with this month's Tuesday blog series (all about Charlotte).

TRAVEL GUIDE: Girls' Trip to Charlotte - Where to Eat, Stay and Play!

     Charlotte, NC is the perfect Southern destination for a girls' trip - allow me to convince you of that in today's blog post with this Travel Guide!

A Love Letter to Charlotte NC.

    Switching things up for this outfit post since today marks one month since I moved away from Charlotte! I've noticed that it was around the three week post move mark that I really started missing a lot about Charlotte, so I decided to dedicate today's post to the city that I love so much. It also seemed fitting since this was an Uptown photoshoot! 

Going Away Festivities at Le Meridien Charlotte!

     If you've been a loyal Southern Belle in Training reader over the past year, there are three things that you should know that I'm a big fan of in general. In no particular order, they are 90s boybands, bunnies, and Le Meridien Hotel in Uptown Charlotte (note: I also didn't say any of these three things were related!). My first visit to Le Meridien Charlotte was during the special grand opening preview night for City Lights Rooftop, their incredible rooftop bar, last spring. I fell in love that night with both City Lights and the hotel itself, and over the last year I've been invited back time and time again for many fun events, most of which I've recapped here on the blog. Just a few special highlight events included: 

     *Shooting my four year blogiversary pictures at City Lights with Deeana

     *Having a birthday staycation at Le Meridien with three girlfriends

     *Ringing in the New Year at the Southern Skyline Grand Ball, held in the hotel ballrooms

     All of the events that I've had the chance to both coordinate and attend over the last year have lead to a lot of emails between myself and the fantastic PR firm which works alongside Le Meridien's marketing team. (Shout-out especially to my wonderful main point of contact, Lianne! 😊) I was invited to an event earlier this spring that I wasn't able to attend, and I mentioned in my resposne email that I was sad to soon be leaving Charlotte and not be able to attend events anymore at Le Meridien. After sharing this news, before I knew it there were two exciting plans in the works for my last week here in Charlotte, thanks to Lianne and the incredible hotel team. It was so incredibly kind of them to host me not one, but two evenings during my last week in the Queen City, and I can't wait to tell y'all about both experiences now!

     First up was an evening with a special spring menu tasting at Evoke, Le Meridien's award-winning restaurant. Despite visiting City Lights Rooftop more times than I can count and also being a hotel guest, I had never gotten to eat at Evoke. I'm so glad that was able to change before my move! I took one of my favorite broadcasting school instructors as my plus one, and she was the ideal companion for an evening of food and wine tasting.

      We had the chance to sample six amazing courses, and I am proud of myself for being an adventurous eater for the evening! The evening's selections from the spring menu included pork belly with quail egg and onions, yellowfin tuna with sea beans and crispy onion, and venison with butternut squash and two new to me vegetables: ramps and morels! I am normally more on the spectrum of traditionally picky eater, but everything was seasoned so well that I was enticed to try everything, and I really liked everything (minus trying some scallops- but I'm not a big seafood person). The most fantastic dish of all was dessert- a corn cheesecake with rosemary and blueberry sauce! I never thought that cornmeal and cheesecake would go well together, but at Evoke they are a combination made in heaven. I apologize for the blurry quality of some of my photos below- but of course I was more focussed on eating than photography for the evening!
   

    Both the chef and manager of Evoke both took time out of their evening to introduce themselves to myself and my guest, and all in all it was a wonderful evening. And it was only a preparation for the next's night's festivities at City Lights!

     One night later I was back again, and this time for my official going away party. I still can't believe how kind it was that the team at City Lights hosted my friends and I for such a special night, and complete with a champagne toast!! And it was the most special toast ever... the bottle had a customized message on it wishing me well in the next part of my journey. Too thoughtful!

     Now I want to take a second to share a little bit about each of these special women who came out to celebrate with me. Something that kept going over and over in my mind during this evening is that the next time we're all together could very well be my Bachelorette party/wedding- and we all know that won't be for quite awhile. 😉 (A shout-out as well to my sorority sister and good friend Perrin, who was just married last weekend (!!!) and couldn't make it due to her honeymoon!)

     First up is Cara- or you might know her as Caralina Style! A few years ago, when I first started meeting other bloggers in person in Charlotte, I always hoped to have the chance to make a best friend from blogging. I certainly found that in Cara!! Since Cara moved to Charlotte last summer we've had many fun adventures- some blogging related and some not, but all very special and memorable! 

     When I made the decision to hire a blog photographer around this time last year, I was hoping to really up the quality of my blog's images, and have more fun with shoots. Not only did I get both of those things over the past year, but I also gained a friend for life! This amazing lady is Deeana, the woman who has been behind the camera in most of my blog posts over the past year. Deeana is a sweetheart and I will truly miss her so much!! 

     This is my ADPi sister, Mary! Mary joined the chapter during my junior year of college, and has been a burst of sunshine in my life ever since. Some of my favorite memories with Mary are the many tea dates that we've shared in my dorm rooms and then first apartment. It's a joy to call her not only friend, but also my sister! 

     Next up is my oldest North Carolina friendship- my apartment roommate and bestie from my former college, Ciera! I met Ciera at freshman orientation in July 2012- and immediately after meeting her I just knew that we would be good friends. (Does that instinct ever happen to you when you meet someone?!) Fast forward to almost five years later and sure enough my instincts were right! Even though I transferred schools after freshman year, we remained friends and still have many fun memories from our college years. I am so proud of Ciera as she is not only doing very well in her career, but also just purchased her first house here in Charlotte! 

     And last but certainly not least, this gem of a friend, Caroline! Caroline was my suitemate during my senior year of college, and was the best college roommate that I ever had. She also took most of my blog photos during my last semester of college, and her own fantastic style has been featured here on SBIT a few times so you might know her from that. Caroline isn't only my friend, but also one of my role models and my sister in Christ! Her work ethic and kind heart always inspire me.

     As I've said in other posts, leaving Charlotte is very bittersweet, and having these last few special memories during my final days in the city meant so much to me. I will miss all of my friends from the team at City Lights Rooftop and Le Meridien Charlotte- thank you for being my fun little home away from home during this year! I cannot say how much I recommend this hotel to both locals and visitors to the Charlotte area- the staff especially go above and beyond. 

     Thanks so much for reading! Stay tuned on Monday for a HUGE round-up of graduation dresses at all price points. Perfect for all of my graduating high school and college seniors who read...  but these dresses will also be great for anyone attending any recitals, showers, or other special spring events soon! 

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese

     

     

Charlotte NC: 10 Things I'll Miss The Most About Living Here.

    I shared some big news at the beginning of March here on the blog- I'm moving in April to Vermont for a job opportunity! If you had told me six months ago I'd be doing that, I wouldn't have believed you! Up until this winter, I saw myself hopefully staying in Charlotte for at least a few more years. It is a great city, and I always thought that I would have more time there. But sometimes to pursue you dreams, you need to leave the place you love, and that is the case for my radio career right now! And at this point in my life, my career is my number one priority. So as I prepare over the next few weeks to move away from my beloved Queen City, I wanted to share the things that I'll miss the most about this special place! I hope those of you from Charlotte can relate to this list, and those of you not from here might fall in love a little bit just from reading this post- haha! 😉


     1. The location:  Charlotte is such a great location for travel. There's an easily accessible airport with flights to just about anywhere, and a plethora of interstate highways. And distance-wise, Charlotte is in such a convenient place on the East Coast! It's within a few hours of most notable Southern cities, and also still drivable from cities in further places like Orlando or Washington D.C..  It's also just about midway between the mountains and the ocean. I think the only thing that could make Charlotte more perfect is if there was a large water body or river in the city, but luckily beautiful Lake Norman is directly north of the city!


     2. The weather: The Queen City has what I think is the ideal geographic location in the South. It experiences all four seasons, with long summers, short winters, and extended springs and falls. I think few things are more beautiful than springtime in Charlotte, but really, all seasons are lovely here. It doesn't rain very often, and the few times that it does snow in the winter, there are essentially city-wide "snow days."


     3. The skyline: Oh, sweet beautiful skyline. How I love you! Seriously- I can be having the worst day in the world, and then find myself driving down a road that has great skyline views, and after one glance suddenly all seems right again. This will be one of the hardest things for me to leave. From the stunning new Uptown apartment buildings, to the impressive Bank of America building, which is one of the tallest buildings in the South, to the modern Duke Energy tower that lights up a different color every night to represent various causes (And a fun fact: the lights on the building are actually owned by Wells Fargo!).


     5: Forest Hill Church (SouthPark campus): I have been so blessed to attend a great church for the last three and a half years. When I first transferred colleges and moved to Charlotte, I was nervous about finding a church. I attended a great church at my first university and was involved with the college ministry there, and losing that community was hard. But after visiting a few different churches in Charlotte, I found my new church home! I attend Forest Hill Church, which is one of Charlotte's larger mega-churches with a few different locations (I attend SouthPark campus, which is the largest branch). However, what I love the most about Forest Hill is that even though thousands of people attend the various campuses, it manages to have an intimate and close-knit feeling in the services! Senior Pastor David Chadwick is absolutely incredible, and I learn a life lesson and something new about the bible every time I go to church, which is exactly how it should be. I can't say enough good things about Forest Hill, and I will probably still be tuning in for some services online after my move (you can live stream the weekend services from anywhere!).


     6. The urban radio stations: A fun fact about me that y'all might not know is that I listen to quite a bit of rap music, especially when driving in the car. Charlotte has three great urban radio stations, and they're usually what I have on when driving! There's just something about rap music that makes driving seem more fun, especially at times like rush hour! While urban radio is a format that I don't ever see myself working in, I do definitely appreciate it as a listener. Vermont sadly doesn't have any urban radio stations (the Top 40 station I'll be working at on weekdays in the closest thing), and I will miss my beloved 92.7 The Block and Streetz 103.3 back in the Queen City!


     7. Nova's Bakery (South End): I love a good local coffee shop, and while Charlotte has many to choose from, Nova's Bakery's South End location is by far my favorite. Fellow Charlotte blogger Morgan from How 2 Wear It first introduced me to this spot a couple years ago, and it's become one of my very favorite places in the city! I'm more of a tea drinker than a coffee drinker, and Nova's offers two different chai lattes: a spiced chai and a vanilla chai. They're both absolutely divine- seriously, one sip of this drink and my day is instantly better. Nova's Bakery is also where I wrote most of my final Capstone project during senior year of college, so it will always be special to me for that reason. Nova's has a few different locations throughout Charlotte, but I'm loyal to the South End location!


     8. Target Midtown parking deck: This was one of the first spots in the city that I ever ventured to off campus from my university for blog photos, and I've always returned to it time and time again. Outside of my blog, it really is one of my Charlotte happy places! The Uptown views are so beautiful, and you're right above Target so #WinWin! A year or two ago, Target closed off the top level of their deck to cars, but now it's extra peaceful up there since you can only go up by elevator! Definitely a must-visit viewing spot for skyline photos if you're ever in Charlotte.


     9. City Lights Rooftop and the Sheraton/Le Meridien Hotels: I've gotten to do some really fun collaborations and attend many awesome events last year at both the Sheraton and Le Meridien hotels in Uptown. Le Meridien is also home to City Lights Rooftop, which is a rooftop bar with the most amazing panoramic views of Charlotte. In September, I did a fun staycation weekend to celebrate my 22nd birthday at Le Meridien- I would definitely recommend this hotel if you're visiting the area! I will definitely miss getting to attend all of the fun events that they host regularly there.


     10. SouthPark Mall (and the shopping options in general): SouthPark Mall is Charlotte's luxury mall. My university was a mere five minutes away from the mall, and I always joke that it's a miracle that I didn't go into debt living so close to SouthPark for three years! There are lots of high end retailers like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch and David Yurman, but also some more moderately priced stores like Loft and H&M. A few of my SouthPark favorites are Ann Taylor and their Belk- it's one of the flagship Belk department stores, and it carries a lot of high end fashion and cosmetic brands, including Lilly Pulitzer!
And in general, Charlotte is an amazing city to shop in. There isn't a lot of shopping in Uptown Charlotte due to the way the city is zoned out (I actually studied this in a class I took my junior year of college!), but lots of neighborhoods around Charlotte have malls and other great shopping centers. The Charlotte Premium Outlets opened near the airport within the last couple years, and Concord Mills in another fantastic outlet mall just north of the city.



      I could keep this post going all day.... it was hard to limit myself to just 10 things! Charlotte has truly been the most amazing city to go to college and grow into an adult in. I can't say enough good things about the city itself.  The closer that it gets to my move date... the harder it is. But I know that a wonderful job and the beginning of my dream career awaits me in Vermont, and I'm ready to embrace the changes and new adventures ahead!


     In other news, I just got back to Charlotte yesterday from my Italy trip with my mom! What an incredible time we had! I have so much to recap on the blog, but it will take me a little while to go through all of the photos and plan out blog posts. Stay tuned for some new travel content soon!


     God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese

Southern Skyline Grand Ball 2017: Ringing in the New Year!

     More than ever before, I was so very excited for this new year. While 2016 did hold many sweet memories and accomplishments, it also brought some of the lowest lows of my life. I have never been more than ready for a new beginning and a fresh slate. Last year was actually the first year that I ever had New Year's Eve plans- it's never been a holiday that I really grew up making a big deal over. But I knew that this year I needed to give the start of 2017 a celebration that it was worthy of.


      I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to attend the 4th annual Southern Skyline Grand Ball at one of my favorite places in Uptown: Le Meridien Hotel. My companions for the evening's festivities were two dear friends from college: Caroline, my senior year suitemate, and Mary, one of my sorority sisters. The night began with them arriving at my apartment and all of us getting ready together. It definitely brought back memories of sorority formals and other college events. After an interesting Uber experience to the event (our driver{s} was an elderly couple who were blasting classical music), it was finally time to party!


     The Southern Skyline Grand Ball is held annually in both Charlotte and Greenville, SC, but my friends and I attended the Charlotte event at Le Meridien. All tickets, both General Admission and VIP, included an open bar. I'm not a big drinker myself, but I will say that my friends and I did enjoy this feature of the ticket at the event. You gotta celebrate for the New Year, right?! ;-) We all had the VIP tickets, which meant we had access to each room and bar at the event.


     The event spanned over all of the ballrooms at the hotel (which is a lot of space!). The main ballroom held the largest performers of the evening. The Charlotte Southern Skyline Grand Ball was headlined this year by UK electronic duo Gorgon City. They started performing after midnight, and before them there were other DJs and live acts in the largest ballroom.

     Since we were VIP ticket holders, we enjoyed visiting the main VIP lounge a few times throughout the night. There was food for all ticket holders in the main foyer, but the VIP lounge had a few additional food options. (I was by far most excited about the giant cheese board buffet in the lounge... if you know me, you know that if I'm eating at a restaurant that offers a cheese plate on the menu, I am 99% likely to order it.) Below is a picture of the VIP lounge before it got busy- there was also live music in there throughout the night!

     My friends and I had a great time ringing in 2017 at the Southern Skyline Grand Ball. We ate, drank, danced, and laughed our way into the new year! The dress code for the event was Black Tie Optional, and I of course loved the chance to wear a formal dress to an event! If you're looking for more info about the dress that I wore- see this blog post.

     If I'm still living in Charlotte at this time next year, then I'm already excited for next year's Southern Skyline Grand Ball!



     xoxo Annaliese



     Thank-you to Le Meridien and Southern Skyline Grand Ball for partnering with Southern Belle in Training. I received a complimentary VIP ticket to the event. All opinions are honest and my own.

My First Staycation Experience.

     Earlier this month, I finally got the chance to experience what a staycation is. And I am only regretting why I didn't do this sooner! The official definition of a staycation is: "a vacation spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions." (I did spend a few holiday breaks in college on campus, but I wouldn't quite count my long weekends of dorm room chilling as staycations!)

     I've spent a good deal of time this summer at City Lights Rooftop bar and Craft City Social pool and day club. Both venues are located at the neighboring Uptown Charlotte hotels Le Meridien and Sheraton Charlotte. I was so excited to finally have the chance to partner this month directly with Le Meridien to spend a night at their hotel. I couldn't wait to finally get the full guest experience after spending so much time there at City Lights! I couldn't think of a better place to stay at for my first staycation.


     Uptown Charlotte is very easy to navigate, and small enough to do so on foot. The streets that make up Uptown are divided into four units,  and called the Four Wards. Le Meridien is located at the far end of the Second Ward. This gives the hotel all of the benefits of an Uptown location, such as being in walking distance to most of the restaurants, museums, nightlife and other attractions. But since it lies just on the outskirts of the center city it gives the hotel rooms facing Uptown the most incredible views of the entire skyline! A true win-win in terms of location.


     Since my 22nd birthday fell midweek this year on workday for me (and I was traveling for the weekends before and after it), I still hadn't had a chance to celebrate with some of my Charlotte girlfriends yet! So this weekend provided the perfect opportunity to do so. Two of my dear girlfriends from college, my senior year suitemate Caroline and my sorority sister Mary, and my blogger bestie/new Charlotte resident Cara. I knew that a night in Uptown would be the perfect time to catch up with these ladies. The older that I get, the best birthday presents seem to be quality time and memories made with sweet friends. 



      Cara, Mary and I checked into the hotel in the late afternoon on Saturday, and we spent a few hours catching up with each other and just enjoying the room and the amazing Uptown views that it provided! 

(I was unfortunately suffering from a weekend-long migraine during the time while we were at the hotel, so while my friends popped some Prosecco, I popped open a water bottle. ;-) ) 

     Uptown Charlotte has a variety of phenomenal restaurants. I don't get up to Uptown to eat nearly enough anymore now that I have graduated college and live in a different part of the city, so I was really excited to have a night where some of my favorite Uptown restaurants were all in walking distance! After much deliberation, the three of us decided on Red Ginger, which is what I believe to be the best Hibachi restaurant in all of Charlotte. The weather was beautiful so we decided to walk to dinner. On the way, we finally discovered the "carpet murals" that were painted recently on the sidewalks that border Charlotte's Light Rail! I had thought that these were found in South End, another nearby neighborhood, but it turns out that they're right in the heart of Uptown. 

     My friend Caroline joined us later in the evening, and then all four of us ended out Saturday night with a trip up to the top of Le Meridien, to take on the views of the skyline and enjoy drinks (or water in my case, as the nasty migraine still hadn't left! #ohwell) at City Lights Rooftop bar. If you're a regular blog reader then you know that City Lights was one of my favorite summer hang-out spots this year, and also the location that I did my birthday/blogiversary photoshoot in earlier this month! It is such a fun rooftop bar setting, and some of my favorite memories from this summer have been made there. 



      We slept in on Sunday morning, and took advantage of the 12 pm check out time at Le Meridien. All in all, I have to say that my first staycation was a huge success. Despite being less than thirty minutes away from where I live, it truly felt like I was traveling to a new and far-away destination for the night. The "trip" actually kind of brought back some precious memories of my two college visit tours in North Carolina and the Charlotte area from a few years ago!

     If you have never done a staycation- do it. Round up your significant other, or your best friends, and book a night somewhere close to home. Play tourist in your home city! You will be amazed by how much joy it can bring you, and how refreshed you might feel. And if you're a Charlottean, make Le Meridien in Uptown your staycation destination!




       This staycation experience weekend happened before the protests and riots in Uptown Charlotte that made national news at the end of September. As I hope to have conveyed through this post, Charlotte is normally a beautiful, safe and friendly city. Thank-you to all of you who kept Charlotte in your thoughts and prayers during the difficult time! 



     xoxo Miss ALK




     Thank-you to Le Meridien for providing me with a complimentary's night's stay. All opinions are honest and my own. Thank-you for supporting the businesses that support Southern Belle in Training!

City Lights and Craft City Social Club Launch Party Recap!

     I was invited to attend the grand opening party for two new Uptown Charlotte social venues last night, and I had the most wonderful evening! City Lights Rooftop Bar at Le Meredien hotel is the new kid on the block in Charlotte's rooftop bar scene, and its sister venue Craft City Social Club (which is located next-door at the neighboring Sheraton Hotel) is bringing a pool and day club atmosphere to Uptown. Their joint opening events were quite the party!

      My new friend and fellow Charlotte fashion blogger Amy, from Pastel n Pink, was my guest for the evening's activities!

     The first part of the evening was spent exploring the Craft City Social Club at the Sheraton Hotel. This is a pool and day club, with private cabanas (pictured above!) available for rental. There is a full service bar, and a fun latin inspired menu. Craft City Social Club also does a special twist on their menu for brunch on the weekends! I think that this would be such a fun place to bring a group of friends to on a weekend in the summer. A beautiful pool, cozy cabanas, a delicious menu and bar and great views of Uptown Charlotte?! Count me in!

     The second portion of the evening took place in the neighboring Le Meredien hotel, which is home to Charlotte's newest rooftop bar, City Lights. I feel like the few iPhone photos that I was able to take during the event do this venue no justice at all! I have never seen views of Charlotte like this- I was completely blown away! Charlotte has my favorite skyline of all, and the incredible panoramic views from the balcony of City Lights are unbeatable. Charlotte does have another well-known rooftop bar and restaurant called Fahrenheit, which I have been to once briefly before. But I think that City Light's views absolutely blew Fahrenheit out of the water, and that is saying a lot!

     City Lights is decked out with colorful couches and lounge chairs, and the panoramic views go all the way around the bar, so you not only have views of Uptown, but also of other parts of Charlotte as well (I could just barely spot my university in the distance from one spot of the bar!). City Lights has a fun drink menu, featuring local beers, speciality cocktails, and possibly the most fun "beverage" option of all: the Sparkle and Pop. The Sparkle and Pop is your choice of a sparkling wine or champagne paired with popsicle from Charlotte's famous gourmet popsicle company, King of Pops. King of Pops was at the launch party and was serving the Sparkle and Pops directly from their adorable popsicle cart! I tried the Fresh Peach pop paired with Proseco- I would highly recommend it! City Lights would be the perfect place to bring out-of-town visitors so they can get a full taste of all that Charlotte has to offer. Anyone want to come visit me soon? I know where I'll be taking you! ;-)



     A huge thank-you to Craft City Social Club and City Lights Rooftop Bar for hosting Amy and I at their grand opening launch party! We thoroughly enjoyed both events, and hope to return to both places soon!



     The great city of Charlotte has so much to offer, and I hope to feature more of my favorite Charlotte spots on the blog in months to come!



     My dress, shoes and clutch that I wore to to the event are linked below:

     xoxo Miss ALK