Wedding Wednesday: My Bachelorette Party!

      I have enjoyed writing all of the Wedding Wednesday blog posts that you've seen so far, but this truly might be one of the ones that I was most excited about. It's time to recap my bachelorette party! Instead of an extravagant multi-day trip, I opted to just have one night of festivities that wasn't too far away from home (Virginia Beach). I have no regrets about doing things this way, and I've been looking so forward to recapping it all here!

Wedding Wednesday: My Southern Tea Party Bridal Shower

      I am so excited to start recapping my big bridal weekend on the blog today! Today's post will be all about my second bridal shower (and the larger of the two showers that I've had), and in the next week or two I'll recap my bachelorette party. Both of these festivities were held in my favorite little southern town: Edenton, NC. 

     

Travel Diary: 48 Hours in Highlands, NC.

       This summer I got to visit the quaint and upscale mountain town of Highlands, North Carolina for the first time! I had seen other bloggers share about trips to Highlands over the years (notably Caitlin from Southern Curls and Pearls and Sydney from Summer Wind), so when my friend Emily selected it for her bachelorette trip destination, I was excited to finally get to visit. It had been several years since I'd been to the North Carolina mountains, and I had never been that far west in NC. The town of Highlands 100% exceeded my expectations, and I loved my brief time there for Emily's bachelorette. The night that I got back home to Virginia, I texted most of my Charlotte, NC girlfriends to tell them all that they had to visit! You know it's a good destination when you can't wait to recommend it to friends. 

     I'm excited to share a little Travel Diary for Highlands today with you!

Wedding Wednesday: How I Asked My Bridesmaids.

      Today's Wedding Wednesday post has been a much requested topic from some of the Instagram Q&A boxes that I've done the last few months! I've been looking forward to sharing the details with you of how I asked my bridal party to be in the wedding. 

Travel Diary: 48 Hours in St. Pete, FL

      Last weekend, I made a quick trip to Florida! It had been close to five years since I last saw my good friend from blogging, Gentry from Girl Meets Bow. Gentry is a Florida native, and I was excited to visit her home city of St. Pete, FL for the first time. 48 hours isn't nearly enough time to do everything that St. Pete has to offer, but Gentry did show me many of the local highlights! 

My First PGA Golf Tournament Experience (2023 Wyndham Championship)

       I attended my first professional golf tournament over last weekend! My friend Amanda and I decided early on in the year that we wanted to attend a PGA tour event in 2023 together. We ended up going to one day of the 2023 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC. I wanted to write a quick recap blog post before I forget too much about the experience. This was also our second annual girls' trip! Last year we went to the iconic and luxurious Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.

Travel Diary: Nashville, TN Bachelorette Weekend Itinerary 💍

      I recently got to plan my best friend Ciera's bachelorette trip in Nashville, TN! This was only the second bachelorette party that I've planned, and the first one that I've done that was a destination spot for all the guests. (Last year I planned my other best friend Julia's bachelorette weekend, but I was the only one guest traveled in for it, as we did it in Maine where Julia and everyone else invited lived.) 

      This was my third trip to Nashville, but first time going for a bachelorette party. Definitely a different vibe than my past trips for work and for a family vacation with my parents! I still need to get around to writing a full Nashville Travel Guide with recommendations from all my past trips for the blog at some point, but until then I just wanted to get up a little itinerary from the bachelorette trip while it's all fresh in my mind!

2022 in Review: Highlights From My Year.

      Time once again to write my most favorite blog post of the year. This year's edition of the post is extra special, as 2022 was by far the best year of my life (so far). This year held so many precious memories and amazing experiences! Let's recap:

Why I'm Glad I Joined Junior League - My New Member Year Recap.

       One of the biggest highlights of the past year for me has been joining my local chapter of Junior League! Junior League (JL) is a worldwide women's community service organization, and I had always wanted to get involved at some point in adulthood. Moving to Virginia Beach last summer seemed like the perfect time to finally join. I can say with certainty that joining Junior League Norfolk-Virginia Beach absolutely has 100% exceeded any expectations that I had about JL before joining!! It's been the most positive experience, and as my New Member year is coming to a close, I wanted to recap everything on the blog! 

How to Make a Bachelorette Party *Extra Special* For the Bride-To-Be! 💍

      I am currently planning a bachelorette party for the first time! Last month, I reached out for some bachelorette planning advice on Instagram Stories, and wow did all of you former brides and former maids-of-honor deliver!! I received so much good advice that I wanted to round it all up and share it here on the blog, as I know I can't be the only person out there who is planning a bachelorette party for the first time and wanting to make it extra memorable for the bride-to-be.

     

2021 in Review: Highlights From My Year

     Time to share my very favorite annual blog post of the year! Even though I always title these posts "Highlights from My Year," technically they recap both the very high highs and some of the low lows as well. Everything that I want to remember in years to come- good and bad! (With a focus overall on the good though. 😊) I honestly mainly write these posts each year for myself first and foremost, as a journal entry to look back on in years to come. 

      I always write two Year in Review posts on the blog at the end of each year. The first one that I always share is the one you're reading right now, Highlights from My Year, which recaps the year in my personal life and career. The second is always The Year in Blogging, which recaps everything Southern Belle in Training related like my favorite outfits and favorite blog posts of the past 12 months.

     Buckle up- in addition to this being my favorite post of the year to write, it's also normally the longest post of the year! 😆Haha!! Without further ado- here's my 2021 in my personal life.

Inspiring Woman Interview: Meet Gentry from Girl Meets Bow

      I am beyond thrilled to share with you today the final Inspiring Woman interview guest of 2021 on the blog! Gentry from Girl Meets Bow has not only become one of my dearest friends from the blogging world, but has also become like an honorary "big sister" to me. We first met and bonded through blogging from a shared over and passion for Lilly Pulitzer and other bright and colorful fashion pieces, and over the years I've also grown to know Gentry's sweet heart and her genuine faith and loving for serving others. If you enjoy reading my blog, I can guarantee you'll love hers!

     Gentry's Inspiring Woman interview includes everything from loving life in Florida to her fun career to dating, marriage and motherhood. Enjoy!!

Travel Diary: The Woodlands / Galveston, TX (2021)

      In September, I got to take a quick long weekend trip down to Texas to visit one of my dearest friends! I love visiting the Houston metro area, and was thrilled to return again after my first trip in 2018. Here's a little recap of how the weekend was: 

27th Birthday Recap.

      I turned 27 over Labor Day Weekend! Here's a little recap of all of the fun:

Charlottesville Going Away Party.

      As much as I wanted to leave Charlottesville and move on to a new radio job in a larger city, I knew that leaving would certainly be bittersweet. During my almost 3.5 years in Charlottesville, I was so blessed beyond measure with incredible people in my life. Never in my life have I had such a close-knit group of friends.

     There was no way that I was saying goodbye to Charlottesville without a proper going away party. I'm excited to share a little recap and some photos with you today! I also wanted to share about the special bucket list for Virginia Beach that my Charlottesville friends helped me make.

2020 in Review: Highlights From My Year.

     It's finally the last week of the year that I've been ready to say goodbye to since March. As tough as 2020 was, there were still moments of joy and blessings in every season, month and week. Let's recap 2020 in my personal life outside of the blog! (As always, I'll be sharing a separate blog focused year-end recap post later this week.) 

Home for the Holidays: Christmas Tree + Decor 2020.

     I can't believe it's already that time of year when I share my apartment Christmas decor on the blog! 2020 was the slowest year in some ways, and the fastest year in other ways. It seems like yesterday that I was sharing last year's version of this blog post. In past years, I've sometimes dressed up when sharing my apartment Christmas decor (I definitely did in 2017!). This year it only seemed fitting though to share this post while wearing festive pajamas... it is 2020 after all, and I've never spent more time at home. Welcome to our apartment!

Renting vs. Buying as a Single Woman.

     Today's blog post is a fun one, and hopefully it will be an informative one as well! One of my best friends, Ciera, is joining me to co-write this today. Every now and then on the blog I enjoy having friends help me write posts on a subject that they know a lot about, and Ciera was the perfect pick for this subject.

    I met Ciera during freshman orientation at the college that I went to freshman year, which was now almost eight (!!) years ago. Even though I transferred colleges sophomore year, we remained good friends for the rest of undergrad. Ciera moved to Charlotte after she got her first job, and we lived together as roommates for our first year post-grad. Upon the end of our year-long apartment lease, I moved to Vermont in April 2017 for my first radio job and began a lease on a one bedroom apartment. Ciera meanwhile stayed in Charlotte and bought her first HOUSE at the ripe age of 22! I was so excited that she closed on it just before I moved, so I was able to see it with her before I left for Vermont. 

     Since we parted ways as roommates three years ago, I've gone on to live in two more apartments here in Virginia, and have remained content as a renter during my 20s. Ciera ended up successfully selling her first home in Charlotte, and bought a new one in Texas when her job transferred here there in 2018. Renting has 100% been the right choice for my lifestyle since college, and buying has been 100% right for Ciera and her lifestyle. What we have in common is both of us are 25, four-ish years out of college, and single (Ciera has a boyfriend but I mean single in terms of not being married). Yet our living situations are very different.

    I'm going to share what I think are a few of the pros and cons for renting as a single 20-something, and then Ciera will share some pros and cons that she's experienced with home ownership. It can be tough as a single woman to have to figure out decisions for your housing and future on your own- we both know that firsthand! When you're married or in a serious live-in relationship, making a choice on housing is completely different as you most likely have two full-time incomes, with two people to take on the responsibility of whatever type of home you choose. It's very different when you're a single adult, which is why I wanted to write this blog post.

Travel Diary: NYC Girls' Trip on a Budget.

     Last weekend, a group of my Charlottesville girlfriends and I enjoyed the best weekend in New York City! I've been to NYC tons of times before, but with the exception of NYFW last year with my friend Gentry, it's always just been with my parents. This was my first time in NYC for a group girls' trip, and it was even more fun than I than I expected!

2019 in Review: Highlights From My Year.

     Time for one of my very favorite posts of the year on Southern Belle in Training!! I do two year-end recaps: one focused on my personal life (that's what you're reading today!), and one focused on the year in blogging (that will be live tomorrow). The blogging one is more for y'all, whereas this post is more for me. 😊 My life has had a lot of big changes since I started writing these yearly recaps a few years ago, and these are the blog posts that I come back to the most to look at- kind of a unique blessing that so many of the big (and small!) moments of my life each year are easy to be referenced when I'm feeling nostalgic.

     Anyways- let's get into it: 2019 in my life!!