Virginia Beach Move + New Job Q&A

     It's so great to be back with a new blog post today after taking most of the month of July off! While I do take the occasional few days or week or so off from blogging, taking the past three weeks off was the longest blogging break that I've done in years! But it was definitely necessary with all of the craziness that was my July 2021 so far.

Winter Q&A.

     Happy Monday friends! I'm halfway through a two week whirlwind period- I took Friday off work and was gone for a quick trip home to Maine, and then I have this Friday off as well and will be out of town again! I love to travel, but don't typically like to be gone back-to-back weekends, especially when the weekdays in between are extra busy. But I'm trying to stay positive and thankful to have had the opportunity to take some trips this month, and I'm really excited for what's on the agenda for this weekend! Last week I was only able to publish two blog posts with all the craziness, and this week might be the same. Going to try my best to get three up, but if it's only two again that's okay too. 😊

     Anyways- I like to do Q&A posts a couple times a year on the blog, so I thought today would be a great time to share an updated one! Y'all asked some really fun questions over on Instagram Stories- some of them I answered there as well and some I just wanted to save to answer in this blog post. 

Radio 101: One Year as a Morning Show Host Q&A!

     One year ago today was a day that I will never forget and a highlight of my career: my first day as a morning show host! It was the best belated Christmas gift ever last year, and a dream come true. I finished undergrad in 2016 and broadcasting school in 2017- I never would have thought that just a year and a half after starting my first full-time radio job I'd get to have my dream time slot of doing mornings!

     A couple years ago, I used to love sharing fairly frequent blog posts about working radio, in a blog series that I call Radio 101. However, I think today's post might be my first and only directly about my job in 2019! I really wanted this year to be a time to settle in to my new job and focus first and foremost of getting used to my new schedule, and being the best morning show host I could be.  Being so immersed each day at work meant that I didn't really feel like diving into work related topics on the blog in my free time! But now that the first year is behind me, I'm ready to get back into it on Southern Belle in Training in 2020. I consider it a great honor to get to share my career with y'all!

      I thought the best way to celebrate our show's birthday today and to get back into my Radio 101 posts was to do a morning radio themed Q&A! Y'all sent me great questions via Instagram- I'm answering them all today.

Summer 2019 Q&A + Life Update.

    A couple times a year I enjoy sharing updated Q&A posts on the blog! You guys always send me such fun and creative questions to answer, and it's a fun way to share a little more about myself on here. As always, I loved the questions for my summer Q&A! I also got a lot of questions regarding a life update that I shared in this blog post, and I'll address all of those similar questions with a little update at the end of the post. So grab your glass of wine or a hot beverage of choice- and let's chat!

Fall/Winter 2018 Q&A.

     I have done a couple fun Q&A's on Instagram Stories lately, and I thought it would be fun to add all of the questions and answers into a blog post! Q&As are some of my favorite types of posts to read on other blogs- I think they are a really fun way to learn more about someone outside of their normal blog posts. The last time I shared a Q&A blog post was actually last winter, so I'm well overdue for a new one!

{Outfit from this blog post}

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     What are your favorite books that you read in 2018? The short answer for now is this trilogy! I actually have a whole blog post planned on this topic for January! I've realized I'm not so great at keeping up with monthly book blog posts, so there are a lot of great reads from this year that I've forgotten to review or feature on the blog.

     What is your favorite state you have visited and why? This is a hard one as I love to travel, but I have to go with North Carolina! The first time I visited (for college visits as a senior in high school) I fell in love and immediately couldn't wait to move there. I loved visiting so many places in NC during the years I lived there, but I still feel like I have so much more to see of that state in the future!

      Are there any shows you've been binge watching lately? Fun fact about me: I don't really binge watch stuff! I'm much more into network TV because it's only one new episode a week- much more my speed. 😂But the show that I have been watching on Netflix lately when I have free time is Friends! I've never seen it in full, and I started it on Netflix last year. Since I suck at binge watching, it's been a whole year of watching it and I'm only on season five!

     Do you regularly attend a church? YES! I was so so so lucky to find my amazing church just six weeks after moving to Charlottesville. I am in a women's bible study group, I was in a co-ed bible study this summer, and as of a couple months ago I began to teach Sunday School twice a month! I attend my church every single weekend unless I am out of town.

     What is your favorite winter shoe currently? I love wearing my Tory Burch riding boots each winter season, but this year since I live back South I've still been wearing these booties a lot! Back in Vermont, bootie season ended in mid-October. But living in Virginia now I get to wear my favorite booties almost year around, just as long as there's no snow!

     Do you have any siblings? I am an only child!

     Where did you get your tan OTK boots? This pair of boots can be found here!! (I received my pair for a blog collaboration, but they are pretty affordable and I'd definitely recommend buying them!)

     What is one of your goals for 2019? To date more! I shared a couple months ago on the blog that in 2018 I took a year-long break from dating apps. While I think this was amazing for me emotionally and gave me a lot of newfound confidence as a single woman, I think that in 2019 it's time for me to start making more attempts to date and meet guys. I've had a lot of anxiety about dating in the past (and still do), and I'd like to become more comfortable with it this year!

     What's something you splurge on? Getting my nails done a couple times a month! Last year I got gel manicures, but this year I started doing dip nails (SNS) and I've never looked back! Here's a blog post all about how much I love dip nails.

     What is your weekly workout and cooking routine like? Such a good question! I'm scheduling a blog post on my editorial calendar for this winter to go over my fitness routine. The short story about that is I struggled since graduating college to find a fitness routine that I enjoyed and looked forward to, but I joined a gym this past September and that has helped a lot! I try to workout 4x a week. As far as my cooking schedule... that's something I need to get better about making into a routine for 2019. In Vermont I was much better about meal prepping and sticking to a cooking schedule! I still love to cook and bake and try usually 2-3 recipes a week, but my cooking isn't on any sort of a schedule, and it really should be again. I'll definitely update next year if I get better at that!
 

    If you have any more questions for me, you can always email me or send them on Instagram! 😊 I love writing these posts. Also- thank y'all for the kind words on yesterday's big announcement! Talk to y'all tomorrow for Midweek Ramblings!


     God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese

 
     

Working With a Blog Photographer: Everything You Need to Know!

     There's one question that I've been asked more than others from reader friends over the last year and a half-ish... and that is is anything related to the photography aspect of running my blog! The specific wording of the question itself varies person to person, but I've had a lot of inquiries as to when I first made the decision to hire a blog photographer, how I've found my photographers (in both NC and VT), and other questions related to blog photographers. After being asked some of these questions again when I did my Winter 2018 Reader Q&A post last month, I decided to save any photography related questions and finally just write a whole separate blog post about it all! 😊I hope this is helpful to you, and if there's anything related to this topic that I didn't touch on, please feel free to email me.

{My first hired blog photographer Deeana and I shooting in Rock Hill, SC in February 2017! Blog post from this outfit here.}

When to Start Using a Blog Photographer: 

     *When did I start working with blog photographers? There are actually two answers to that question! In my first couple years of blogging, I had the chance to do a few random shoots with photographers that I met through a Facebook group. I didn't pay for any of these shoots, and they were all kind of to help these girls build their photography portfolios for fashion imagery. (The cool thing is most of these photographers have gone on to be super successful full-time wedding photographers now, hard work pays off!) So technically speaking, I did work with a few photographers early on. But during my first three years of blogging, it was 95% of the time my college roommates and friends who would take my blog photos and Instagram pictures, and I'd edit them myself. 

      As I neared college graduation in 2016 and 4.5 years of blogging, I was ready to take the plunge and hire my first photographer for a more permanent relationship. Part of that was because I'd soon be parting ways for living with my current college suitemate, who at that time had been doing most of my photos. I didn't want every time that we saw each other after my graduation to only be due to my blog! I was also finally at a place where I was making a small but steady monthly income from blogging, and I knew that I could afford to pay for a blog photographer with my earnings. This is an important one! And lastly, I consider myself to be a self-proclaimed blog photography snob and I wanted to take Southern Belle in Training's images to the next level. There was only so much I could do with friends who didn't have photography background taking my pictures and my minimal editing skills. I knew with better consistent images, I'd land more sponsored campaigns (and that's totally what happened!). 

     *How do you know whether to use someone you know (boyfriend/husband, family member, friend) for photography needs, or hire a photographer? Long answer- I apologize in advance! This decision is different for everyone! My process was using my Kodak digital camera and iPhone for the first two years (lol- but true!), my new DSLR for years three and four, and then I started working with photographers for about 80% of my blog content in 2016, after 4.5 years of blogging. I still use my DSLR when I travel, and for some last minute blog posts or the occasional outfit posts that I shoot in between sessions with photographers. (I also enjoy photography as a hobby, so now I have the chance to use my DSLR more for fun photography than just my blog!) Most newer bloggers take a faster path to monetizing their blogs than I did, so chances are you might not be using a crappy digital camera for your first two years. My best advice, which I kind of mentioned above, is to not hire a blog photographer regularly until you can pay for that 100% with money from your blog. Trust me- I could not afford to work with my photographers regularly right now on my salary from my day job, especially with high rents in Vermont and student loan payments! But I am proud to work hard enough on the blog since 2016 to pay for it with business earnings and write it off for taxes each year as a business expense. Once you're at that point with your earnings, I highly recommend a photographer! 

     If you are earning enough with your blog to afford a photographer, I personally advise to do that over using someone you know. It is great to have a person in your life who is willing to help out with your blog- trust me, I am so thankful for everyone I knew in college who took my photos for me on that digital camera way back when, haha! But I think there comes a point with blogging, especially when you're doing more regular sponsored work and starting to have a lot of deadlines, that the photography aspect of blogging becomes less casual and more like "work," and you don't want that to affect your relationship with this person. 

      My Vermont blogging friend Nicholle helps me occasionally with sponsored blog post photos if I have deadlines that don't correspond with my photoshoots, and I've written before that my parents help me with blog photos when I'm home in Maine or traveling with them, and other friends will still snap occasional Instagram pictures for me, but other then that I really try and keep things to working with my photographers! If I were to get in a relationship anytime soon, I can't even imagine having a "blogger boyfriend" - lol!!



     *How to know what type of photographer to work with? To some people, the term "photographer" conjures up childhood memories of very staged studio shoots in the mall in the JC Penney or Sears portrait studio.... eek! That's definitely not what it's like to work with someone for fashion imagery a blog. I personally prefer to work with natural light wedding photographers (all of my photographers have worked primarily doing weddings). I love bright and airy photos, and working with photographers who understand how to maximize using natural light. I've found that typically wedding photographers understand that well! However, your aesthetic on your blog might be very different than mine, so you might prefer to work with a different type of photographer. Browse lots of portfolios and see whose images you connect with.

Where to find blogger photographers: 

     *How did I find my blog photographers? I've had three photographers that I've officially "hired:" meaning I've signed a contract with them and have used them longterm. One in Charlotte, Deeana Kourtney Photography, and two here in Vermont, Melissa Lynn Studios and Amanda Rose Photography.
     I found Deeana and Amanda through the same way, a great community-building organization for creatives and entrepreneurs called Rising Tide Society. Rising Tide Society has meet-up groups for creatives in all industries called Tuesdays Together groups in almost every city across the country, and I found both Deeana and Amanda through local Tuesdays Together groups in Charlotte and Burlington! I've found in both states that I've lived in that Rising Tide Society has a majority of photographer members as compared to other creative fields, but anyone that's a creative entrepreneur is welcomed (so as a fashion blogger and content creator, I was eligible to join Tuesdays Together groups in both places I've lived!). Once I was added to each region's Facebook group, I put out a post describing a bit about my blog, and what I was looking for in a photographer. I found Deeana that way in the Charlotte group, and Amanda in the Burlington group! Here in Vermont this summer I also got to attend a few of the meet-ups for Tuesdays Together, and it was a fun way to meet other photographers and creatives in the Vermont area when I was brand new here.
     I found Melissa through The Knot- the popular wedding website! The Knot has a section where local vendors can list themselves, and while I was still living in North Carolina I used this to search for Burlington area wedding photographers, so that I'd have one lined up before I moved. Deeana was primarily a wedding photographer at the time we worked together, so I figured that using another wedding photographer would be the way to go in Vermont. I browsed several portfolios that were listed for Burlington on The Knot, and made a few email and phone inquiries. Some were too expensive and some weren't interested in working with a blogger, but Melissa ended up being a great fit!



     *What are some additional ways to connect with blog photographers?  While I haven't personally used these ways myself to find a photographer, I might try them in the future and I've heard of other bloggers using them!
      If you don't have as big of a budget to work with a photographer, try reaching out to the dean or a professor of a local art school or university with a photography major, and ask if any students would be interested in working with you on a trade basis to build their portfolios.
     And if Rising Tide Society or The Knot aren't working for you to connect with anyone in your area, try searching #(YourCityorState)Photographer on Instagram, or other local creative related hashtags!! Instagram can be such a great place to make connections.
     Lastly, if you're traveling and need a blog photographer only for a short time, try and find bloggers who already live in or have visited the area, and ask them who they've worked with previously and enjoyed! I'm always happy to recommend my Charlotte and Vermont photographers to those visiting these areas.




Helpful Tips:



     *How do you send an inquiry to a photographer? Similarly to pitching a brand- send a professional email! If you've found the photographer via Instagram and they don't have an email listed on their bio or website, you can always send them a brief but professional DM asking for their best contact email. Here are some things to include in your email:

• A couple lines about your blog (the focus of your content, how long you've been blogging, how frequently you post, etc).
• Why you're looking to hire a photographer for your blog and what you envision the relationship to look like.
• What drew you to this photographer's portfolio and why you're interested in working with them.
• Conclude the email by suggesting a phone conversation or meeting for coffee if they're interested in working together, and end on a professional and upbeat note! 

     *What things do you include in your contract? It is EXTREMELY important to sign a contract with your blog photographer, just like signing one with a brand! This protects both you and the photographer. The most important thing in all of my contracts are the timeline that I will receive photos from my photographers. Oftentimes when I shoot with them it's for a sponsored campaign, and I need the photos by a certain date. While most photographers can't always get your images done in a day, having some sort of a timeline of expectation for delivery in writing is so important. (FYI: from what I've seen in blogger discussion groups 5-7 days seems to be about the standard on this). The contract is also the place to agree upon the rate you'll be working with per shoot! Get this all agreed upon before you begin working together.



     *How does pricing work for blog photography? Every photographer will charge differently for working with a blogger- different factors play in like average costs of photography in that city, years of experience for that photographer, the types of shoots you'll be requesting as a blogger and how much editing they will entail, etc. On average, what I've seen in blogging groups to be the standard nationwide is between $100-200 per hour long shoot. Some cities have photographers charging more, and some places have photographers charging less. These rates seem to be the average. Work with someone who fits your blog income budget!   



     *How do you prepare for a blog photoshoot? Since I work full-time, I usually schedule my photoshoots about two weeks in advance. I closely monitor the weather as it gets closer, and do that especially so since it's winter right now! When I schedule a shoot, I usually ask my photographer for a back-up date in case we have to postpone the original date for inclement weather. I generally have an idea of where I want to shoot at the time that I book, but sometimes I don't, and I ask my photographer for recommendations! Since everyone I work with is a wedding photographer, they know lots of great local spots for pictures. 😊
     In the week leading up to the shoot, I hang and set aside all of the outfits I'll be wearing on the clothing rack in my living room. The night before, I usually pack jewelry and lipsticks. The morning of, I load everything into a big tote bag or rolling suitcase and I'm off! (Using a rolling suitcase is a new trick that I picked up after shooting blog photos with a suitcase in this post- I can't believe I didn't do that before!)
     My current hours at my day job here in Vermont are 11:30-7 weekdays, so that is very convenient for blog photos and natural light. I usually shoot Monday or Tuesday mornings right now, and sometimes Sunday afternoons after church! When I was in broadcasting school, Deeana and I used to meet weekday evenings in the warmer months, and then we did a lot of early weekend mornings last winter.




     *How often should you shoot with a photographer? Base this around your budget, and the amount of collaborations that you're getting! A full-time blogger will need to shoot more often then someone who both blogs and works full-time like I do. I currently shoot at minimum once a month, and sometimes twice a month if I have extra collaborations or outfits to share. I've heard though of some full-time bloggers meeting their photographers as much as 2-3 times weekly!!



     *Do you need to hire multiple photographers? This is a very personal decision! I probably never would have considered hiring multiple photographers until I realized how busy I'd be with my full-time job in radio, and taking on more sponsored work last year blogging. My first Vermont photographer, Melissa, had a very busy wedding season last summer, and there were some weeks our schedules were just not meshing. I knew that it was the best decision for my business to hire a second photographer, and Amanda came around at the perfect time! I love both of their work so I've continued to work with both ladies, and it's been so great. However, back when I was in Charlotte and had a different lifestyle, working just with Deeana was more than enough for my blog needs at that time!
     I will say that if you decide to hire more than one photographer, be transparent with your original one! (I love Melissa's photography and wanted her to know when I hired Amanda that it was for scheduling reasons mainly due to my own weird schedule with work, and didn't have anything to do with me not liking her pictures!) It's always better to be upfront about your needs in a business relationship then to leave someone wondering.



     *I'm a photographer and I want to work with fashion bloggers! How should I do that? Join your local chapter of Tuesdays Together through Rising Tide Society, and see if there are any bloggers in the group that you can connect with! Or, search #(YourCityorStateName)Blogger on Instagram, and if you find a local fashion blogger, send them a professional DM or email and offer to collaborate! They might already have a photographer they work with, so perhaps offer a free mini session or discounted session to build your fashion portfolio. Trust me- once a few bloggers see your beautiful images, they will be contacting you like crazy!! Just ask Deeana, when I started working with her in 2016 she told me she wanted to build relationships with Charlotte bloggers... and now in under two years I'd say she's one of the top Charlotte photographers for working with influencers! 🙂
   




      Alright..... this post is now probably longer than some essays I wrote in college! Hopefully it covers everything and more that you've ever wondered about blogging photography. Thanks so much for reading!!



     God Bless,



     xoxo Annaliese

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Winter 2018 Reader Q&A.

     I love doing Q&A posts here on the blog! Y'all always ask me the best questions, and I think this is such a fun way for me to share more about myself. I also love reading Q&A posts when other bloggers do them! They're just fun all around. My last one was in September so you can catch up on that here if you missed it! Thanks to everyone who DMd and emailed me these awesome questions!

Photo by Amanda Rose Photography

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My coat in the photo above is found here! 

      What is your favorite type of cheese? My girl Amy from Pastel n Pink always asking the TOUGH questions- haha! I had a huge sweet tooth growing up, and while I still have a fairly large one, I'd say my biggest food weakness is my CHEESE tooth. It's only gotten worse since I moved to Vermont, the dairy capital of the Northeast. I always know it's time to head to the grocery store if I've run out of cheese, true story. I love so many cheese and for different reasons (some area better to cook with, some are best to snack on), but I'll answer this question from a snacking perspective. My three favorite snacking cheeses that I generally rotate between are any type of sharp Cheddar, Havarti, and Muenster.



      What suggestions do you have for new bloggers to help gain followers and grow? This is a great question! It's funny, when I first read this I was like "I'm in no position to give advice about this!", and then the more I thought about it, I remembered I've been doing this whole blogging thing for 5+ years now. Wow! I guess I'm not a newbie anymore. While I'm definitely not the biggest or best blogger and I never will be, I've definitely learned some important things regarding the business of blogging in the last few years, and maybe now is the time to start sharing! I think this question would actually best be answered in a separate post or maybe even series about blogging, but to still answer it in some capacity: here's my number one tip to grow your blog and social following as a newer blogger. Be an active member of the blogging community! Befriend other bloggers, both those local in your community and also those online. Become active in blogger Facebook groups. Join some comment/like pods (yes, I'm a fan of these!). Network with other creatives like photographers too, I've learned so much from my photographer friends. The best benefit of this are the amazing relationships that you'll make, but the second plus is that you'll gain more followers and readers, and also learn a lot about blogging from networking with other bloggers!
      Again- this is my short answer. I think I'd like to write more about blogging tips in the coming months!



      How has your blog helped with being on-air in radio? Another great question! Y'all are killing it this time. The really short answer: SO MANY WAYS! Social media and blogging are becoming very integrated with the radio world, especially as radio continues to move into the digital space. Having an extensive prior knowledge of these things from Southern Belle in Training made it easy to write blog posts for our station website or do IG lives at radio events for example, as I've already had experience doing things like that. This is another question that I could write a more detailed blog post on- I might save it for my Radio 101 series, which will be back soon!



     What are your favorite TV shows? I am a huge TV buff and much prefer TV to movies. (And when I do watch a movie, it's usually a Lifetime or Hallmark channel one, haha!) I wrote a detailed blog post early this fall all about my picks for the Fall TV season, which you can check out here. I've still been watching all of the shows I wrote about in this post for the most part!! To answer your question more specifically:
     Favorite shows on TV now: The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Jane the Virgin, Great News, 9JKL, Star, The Mayor, The Bachelor(ette)
    Favorite shows off-air: 7th Heaven, That 70s Show, How I Met Your Mother, Hart of Dixie, Parks and Rec
     My all-time favorite show is That 70s Show, it's the only show I've seen more times than I can count on reruns and Netflix, and I still laugh hysterically at every episode and every joke. Kelso is my favorite character for comedic purposes, and I love how he and Jackie ended up together in real life. 😉



     Name a few places on your travel bucket list: I actually just blogged about this yesterday coincidentally! Check out my post here. (Spoiler alert: it's a lot of places!)



     When and how did you start your blog? I talk a bit about this on the About Me page of my blog! I'll give you the brief version of the story here. 😊 I actually started blogging in January 2011, during my junior year of high school. I had a personal writing blog called "Confessions of a Maine Teenager." (I cringe typing that name here now- lol!) My parents were really concerned back then about my privacy as a minor in the online world, so I didn't share photos of myself or blog under my name. I would sign my posts as "Miss ALK" - ALK is my initials, which is how my Instagram and later other social media handles were born! (I still signed my blog posts here on SBIT as Miss ALK for the first few years in tribute to my former blog!) Anyways, I stopped posting on my Confessions blog around the time that I graduated from high school, and took that summer between high school and college off to focus on my summer job and preparing to move to North Carolina. After I began college, I realized that I really missed the creative writing outlet that blogging brought, and since I'd always loved fashion, I thought it would be fun to start sharing pictures of the outfits that I put together each day for college classes on a new blog. So- I launched Southern Belle in Training on my birthday in 2012! The name honestly just came naturally to me, it seemed so fitting since I had just moved from Maine. I didn't start to monetize my blog until about a year after I started it. So I spent a long time just blogging in college solely because I enjoyed blogging! I've left up most of my old blog posts in the archives- sometimes I like to go back and read them just to see how far this blog has come!



     What are your go-to's for self-care? What a great question! While self-care is definitely important, I think the culture today has almost an unhealthy obsession with it. The premise of "self-care" can sometimes be used I think as an excuse for spending unnecessary money on things we don't really need or have the funds for. Sometimes it is also about spending too much of your time on mindless activities to divert from an actual problem in your life which needs to be addressed and is causing you stress. (See this article for more on that.) So anyways- while I think self-care is necessary and for sure has a place in our busy lives, it is a bit blown out of proportion in the culture today, with the whole #TreatYourself mentality. Just wanted to get that out there!
    With that said, since moving to Vermont, my favorite form of self-care is one that's super easy and costs nothing at all: SLEEP. I've started making it an absolute necessity that I get 8+ hours of sleep a night, and some weeknights I go to bed really early and get closer to 10 hours. Back in college and broadcasting school, many nights I was lucky to just have 6 hours of sleep! I'm really starting to reap the benefits of all of the extra sleep that I've been getting over the last several months. The chronic migraines that I've dealt with for the last few years have faded to becoming rare occurrences, rather than something to deal with weekly. I find that I'm very alert in the mornings, and also stay alert at work throughout my workday. (Knock on wood) I also haven't been sick once since I moved to Vermont! Not even a common cold. Every time some sort of sickness has gone around the radio station, I've avoided it. I seriously attribute that 100% to the fact that I sleep a lot and sleep helps your body better fight against illness!
      I also have one form of #TreatYourself self-care that I do partake in. My rant above wasn't to say that spending money on self-care is bad, it just shouldn't become an obsession. 😊 Around this time last year, I decided I wanted to quit nail biting once and for all, and I started getting acrylic nails and regular nail appointments. I ditched the acrylics after moving and now get gel manicures, which I like better (and they're cheaper!). It definitely has helped to curbed my bad nail biting habit, and I feel more prepared at work and with blogging to have nice nails. So this is my bi-weekly self-care splurge!





     Thanks again to everyone who sent these wonderful questions!! I hope to make my Q&A posts a seasonal thing in 2018, so look for another one in the springtime.



    Have a great start to your weekend! Friday- we made it! This is the first weekend in awhile where it's going to be warmer than negative temperatures here in Vermont. 30s and 40s... I'll take it!



     God Bless,



     xoxo Annaliese




   

Fall 2017 Reader Q&A.

      It's been a long time since I did a Q&A post with y'all, so I thought I was much overdue for a new one! I always enjoy reading them when other bloggers do them, so here's my latest one! Thanks to everyone who sent in these great questions! As always- you can email me or tweet me questions anytime (and about anything!), not just when I'm doing a Q&A post. 😊

Photo by Deeana Kourtney Photography

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     Favorite random item you always get at the grocery store? Cheese. The obsession has only gotten worse since I moved to Vermont, one of America's dairy capitals. If I don't have cheese in my fridge at home than something feels wrong! I have been joking lately that if I don't have a radio endorsement with Cabot Cheddar before my time in Vermont has come to a close... I have failed in the Green Mountain State.

     What's one beauty product you could never live without? This is probably an unexpected answer, but eyebrow gel! I used to use one by Benefit, but then I found this under $5 dupe version by my favorite drugstore cosmetics line and I swear by it. It'll change your life if you have bold yet pesky brows like I do! 

     What's your favorite part about living in Vermont? So since fellow blogger Katie tweeted me this question... I have literally been thinking over it for a week. And have had trouble thinking of an answer! True, true story. Which leads me back to something I already know... Vermont is definitely not my forever home and I have not fallen in love with living here like I did with Charlotte. If I was asked the same question about NC, I would have about 25 answers for you in 10 seconds.

       I guess I will give two (weird) answers. The first is that Vermont is where I got to begin my radio career and live my dream of being on-air everyday, so even if I dislike living here, this state will always be special to me for that reason! And secondly, Vermont has been a difficult move transition and has very much put me out of my comfort zone.... but that has been a good thing and a God thing. I know it will make me appreciate my next home so much more!

      What are your favorite dressy jacket/cardigan/outerwear options? One word: BLAZERS! A nice, fitted blazer is a professional girl's wardrobe's BFF. I own several blazers and used to wear them more days out of the week then not in Charlotte! Now- I rarely wear blazers as they don't really fit my Vermont lifestyle. My favorite one that I own is from this retailer- theirs aren't the cheapest, but they will last you awhile! It's good to have some staple ones like black and navy, but also play around with some in fun colors or patterns such as tweed! 

     I'm amazed that you've still been posting so much on your blog and Instagram since you moved to Vermont! How do you balance your blog with working full time in radio? I'm actually planning to write a full blog post on this later this fall or winter! It's an answer that I think is a little long for a Q&A blog post! But the short answer is- you prioritize things that are important for you! The second part of the short answer is I don't have the same social life that I had in college, so even though I sometimes have weird hours/work a lot at my day job, I don't have the same social schedule I used to have last year, so I have more time outside of work to blog. But again, more of this to be explained in an upcoming post. It is 110% possible to blog regularly and work full-time, and I think it's much easier to do both of those things than be in college and blog honestly! 

     Since you ended up moving back to New England after broadcasting school, would you ever move home to Maine? Errr... probably not. It would have to be for a really good, like "can't pass up" radio job type offer. While living in Vermont has given me a new appreciation for my hometown and home state than I never had in the past (and I am thankful for that!), the appreciation just isn't strong enough to make me move home for good. Even though I was only in North Carolina for five years, I truly consider it to be just as much my home as Maine. 😉 (Although with an entry level radio personality salary... I will say sometimes moving back in with my mom sounds quite tempting instead of paying rent for a year, haha!)

     What's your favorite memory from 2017 (so far)? Hands down, the day that I told everyone in person at my broadcasting school (staff and fellow students) about my job offer in Vermont! I literally drove to school straight from the airport, and I had a 6 am flight, so I was a bit deliriously tired, but I was too excited to wait any longer to share the news! We had a tradition this year at broadcasting school where during a winter workshop, a lot of students made vision boards, and hung them on a big wall in the break room. The opposite wall was where people moved their vision boards when they got a job in the radio or TV business. I gathered everyone in the break room that day and screamed my happy news as I moved my board to the other wall! 

      What are your favorite fall trends? I actually just wrote a blog post about that this week! Riding boots and floppy fall hats are always two favs year after year. 

     What are your favorite Lilly Pulitzer purchases? AH! Tough question!!! Well- shopping the famous Lilly for Target brand launch in Charlotte in 2015 was an experience that I'll never forget, and I still love and wear my dresses that I bought from that collection regularly in the summer months! I also have a Lilly skort in Let's Cha Cha which amazingly I don't think I've ever worn on the blog, but it's a very special purchase to me! A few summers ago, my dad took me out shopping to some of my favorite local stores in my hometown, and when I fell in love with this skort he bought it for me on a whim, which was such a lovely surprise! Let's Cha Cha was also one of my favorite Lilly prints ever. 

     Favorite airline? I really like this question! I have flown the most on American Airlines (formally US Airways), as Charlotte is one of their largest hubs, so that's always what I took to get home in college. However, probably my favorite flight experiences have been on JetBlue and Delta! I know that Southwest is a popular airline, however I have yet to fly on them, but I'd definitely like to! 

      Thanks so much again to everyone who sent questions! Hope y'all enjoyed this post, and that you're having a great week! Vermont's week-long, record breaking heat wave came to an end today, and traditional fall weather has returned. I'm trying to stay positive about the cooler weather and embrace fall, ha!

     P.S. - if you follow other fashion bloggers you might know that there is a big Shopbop sale going on right now! Shopbop tends to be a pricier retailer so it's not usually one of my go-to stores, but they do carry all of the designer brands that I like such as Tory Burch and Kate Spade! I'm sitting this sale out, but I thought I'd share a few wishlist picks that are under $200:

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese (or Charlotte XO on-air!)