Alpha Delta Pi Recruitment & Bid Day 2014!

      I feel like a free woman again! Sorority recruitment is officially over! Our Bid Day was yesterday, and my chapter welcomed home 15 beautiful new Alphas (what we call our new members :-) ). I go to a small college so having a pledge class of 15 is excellent numbers for us! I am so proud of how well my chapter did during recruitment. This was my first time being apart of a sorority through recruitment, as just a year ago I joined ADPi. All of the recruitment practices and preparation was hands down one of the most stressful things I have ever gone through in my life!! Hence why my poor blog has been very neglected lately. I have barely had time to do balance my homework, internship, and all of my sorority commitments. And I took some babysitting jobs in the little free time that I did have, so I felt very over-extended! But everything was 100% worth it. Once recruitment started it was a lot of fun! Our Formal Recruitment has three rounds (Wednesday-Friday), and then Bid Day was on Saturday. I can't wait to share all of my pictures with y'all! :-)

The reason I had cowboy boots on during second night! ;-) 

     The first round of recruitment focussed on sisterhood, the second on our philanthropy, which is the Ronald McDonald House, and the third round was preference night (which is the most formal).

     And then Saturday was Bid Day, which this year was America Themed!

ADPi Juniors!

Everyone right before we welcomed our Alphas home! 

     I got the privilege of shirting an Alpha and welcoming her home!! :-)

All of our sweet Alphas!

Our whole chapter!! Yay for silly pictures. :-)

      Lastly, here is a little video showing all of Bid Day that our PR chair just made! It really captures not only the spirit of the day, but the whole spirit of our sisterhood. :-)

    

     I am so blessed to be apart of the First and Finest sorority! I have 47 beautiful sisters and a special Greek home on campus. I can't wait to get to know our new members more during the rest of this semester!

    

      But now that recruitment and Bid Day have finished, this means that I can finally spend more time on my blog again! ;-) Be expecting more regular posts from me, and also for me to be a more active member of the blogging community again. I am super pumped to be going to a blogging meet-up hosted by two of my favorite fashion bloggers at a boutique here in Charlotte this coming week! Blogging world- it is GOOD to be back!

     xoxo Miss ALK

Current shopping lusts.

     On Friday night after I got out of my internship, I went to Target to get some groceries. (I was so out of food in my room that I had to eat Ben and Jerry's for breakfast on Friday morning. I mean- I love me some Ben and Jerry's as much as the next girl, but I was in desperate need of food, ha!) While there, I happened to take a quick peak at some of the new Fall clothes that are out, and the most adorable skirt caught my eye. I actually had a Target gift card that had been a birthday gift, and it didn't take much for me to decide that this adorable little thing had to come home with me!

     Buying this skirt made me realize that it has actually been quite some time now since I have shopped for fun. I have been really good for awhile now about saving my money instead of spending it, and honestly since coming back to school I have just been too busy to even think about going to the mall or doing online shopping! But as soon as recruitment ends I know that I definitely want to use some of my birthday money and build this year's fall and winter wardrobe a bit! I have started looking online at some things, and here is what I am loving so far:





     1. Plaid Scarves:  All over Instagram and the blogging world I have been seeing the famous Zara plaid scarf (and this cheaper look-alike version from Julianna's Boutique!) that seems to be the "it scarf" for Fall 2014. I am highly considering buying the Julianna's Boutique scarf if they don't sell out though.... so cute! While browsing around online I also found this darker H&M plaid scarf that I also really like as well, so I linked it here (plus it is super affordable!).  Few things seem as cozy to me for the cooler months as a nice plaid scarf. (I actually bought a Scottish Tartan plaid scarf druing my trip abroad to the UK last winter!)

     2. MAC Lipstick (in a nice Fall shade?): It's no secret that I love my drugstore lip products. I am quite loyal to Revlon's super lustrous lipsticks (I recently misplaced my signature shade, Demure, and I can't find it at any drugstores!! And I haven't had time to go to Ulta {I know they sell that shade}... so sad!) and have some other favorite lines as well. I do love to splurge on some high end make-up products, but lipstick has never been one of those items. I am determined to change that this Fall though! Soon I am planning to get at least one Mac lipstick, and I would like for it to be in a shade that is soft enough for everyday wear, but still dark enough that it implies "Fall is here!" Hopefully someone at the local MAC make-up counter can help me with that. :-)

     3. Kendra Scott Earrings: I have had my eye on Kendra Scott earrings for quite some time, and this pair is just too pretty! They are a bit different then the traditional Elle or Danielle styles, but still capture that classic Kendra Scott look. I think the white color would look perfect with both summer and winter whites so they could be worn at all times of the year! These are definitely more of a lust item for me right now (#collegestudentbudget) but I can still swoon over them from afar!

     4. BaubleBar Statement Necklace: This is a cute variation on the popular floral statement necklace design that has been very popular in recent months. I love the dark blue colors!! I can totally imagine pairing this with a chambray shirt and riding boots for a perfect Fall outfit. The price point on this isn't terrible either.

     5. J. Crew Factory Pleated Mini Skirt: This is a Factory staple item, and I might just have to bring this home soon in one of its great Fall colors. I can literally think of endless ways to wear this; dressing it up for sorority chapter meetings, church, and going out, dressing it down for class, and all of the ways to wear it in between. :-) I think my favorite color is the khaki, but I like the darker colors that it's sold in a lot as well!

     In my most recent blog post on Friday, I told y'all how busy and overwhelmed I have been in the past few weeks with all of my new classes for this semester, sorority recruitment practices, and everything happening at my internship! That is all still the case and it will only get busier this week, and  actual Formal Recruitment runs this Wednesday-Saturday at my college.  I am getting really excited to see who ADPi's newest sisters will be... but I am a little nervous because it seems like my professors are throwing a ton of school work and assignments out for this week, and it's going to be tough to balance that at the same time as recruitment! (I have a group project AND a huge French test on Tuesday alone!) So it's safe to say I will definitely be in need of retail therapy when everything is done. ;-)

     xoxo Miss ALK

BRB...

     So you may have noticed that things have been a bit quiet here on the blog this week! I am here to report that sadly next week will be a quiet week on Southern Belle in Training as well. :-( As y'all know, I started my junior year of college a few weeks ago, and along with my full class load I also went back to my amazing internship at the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. My classes are going well so far this semester but are very demanding, and I still love my internship more then anything but that is also a time commitment! And on top of all of this, my chapter of Alpha Delta Pi is right in the middle of sorority recruitment practices, as our Formal Recruitment is actually next week! (And in addition to all of this...there have been some other exciting things happening in my personal life lately... :-) )

     But with all of this stuff happening (plus lots and lots of homework!) I have had absolutely no time to blog! It literally breaks my heart. I am not exaggerating at all when I say I have had no time to blog. The other night I was up until almost 3 am doing homework and it was just regular assignments, not even a big paper or project (because I had been so busy during the earlier part of the day that so late at night was my only time to do it)! I had really hoped to blog during these few weeks, but it simply comes down to the fact that I might need to take a little pause. I am learning that sometimes it's important to remember that real life does need to come first.
   
     But do not fear- Bid Day is Saturday, September 20th, which marks the end of the crazy recruitment season, and I will be back in the full swing of blogging as soon as that is done! I have missed y'all!!!! :-) Hopefully I will have some fun fall outfits lined up by then!


     On a different note, a highlight of my busy week was that I met Ed Sheeran at my internship yesterday!! (We also met the opening act on his tour, British band Rudimental). You can see a little video clip of him singing his hit song The A-Team on my Instagram (follow me @miss_alk!).


     Hope that y'all will be having an amazing weekend! It's my last free weekend before Formal Recruitment.... and I will be spending it doing homework and actually staying overnight at the hosue of a family I babysit for! But I absolutely adore the family so I am really looking forward to it, and it will be nice to get off campus for a little bit. :-)


     xoxo Miss ALK

OOTD: Turning 20 in Lilly!

     Dress: Lilly Pulitzer || Cardigan: J.Crew Factory || Shoes: Aldo || Sunglasses: LOFT || Necklace: Silpada Designs {old} || Bracelet: c/o BStamped || Ring: c/o Soulful Ceramics || Lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blushing Mauve

      Well y'all, I am officially 20 years old!! I still can't believe that my 20s have begun... I feel so old!  Haha! Anyways, my birthday was this past Saturday. I would have loved to wear my birthday dress earlier in the week and do these pictures earlier so I could have had this post up on my birthday, but I had the most insane week with school. :-( I did manage to not to do any homework on my actual birthday which was nice though! My birthday started out with a sorority recruitment practice in the morning (less than two weeks to go until Formal Recruitment begins!), and then in the afternoon some sweet friends from my former college came into Charlotte to have lunch with me in the city! My sweet roommate also joined us. I was so excited to finally wear this beautiful Lilly Pulitzer dress, which was an early birthday present from my parents this summer, and has a story that goes with it!

     So I first tried on this dress back in 2013 when I got to visit the Lilly Pulitzer at the King of Prussia mall in PA on my roadtrip home to Maine after my freshman year of college. I fell in love with this dress, but at the time it was barely marked down, maybe only 10-20% off, which wasn't very much for an expensive Lilly dress. I was just coming home for the summer so I didn't have any work money saved up yet, and my dad said absolutely no way. I did end up getting something from the Lilly store that day, but sadly it wasn't the dress of my dreams. Anyways, this print was already retired and I kind of lost all hope for ever getting this dress....

     Well this past July I stopped by my local Lilly Pulitzer signature store in Maine (also with my dad in tow haha) to get a 2014 agenda. Just for fun I decided to peak at their clearance racks... and what did I find? This beautiful dress, the exact dress I had fallen in love with over a year earlier (the print is called Tossing the Line by the way!), waiting on the clearance rack! There was only one left, it was my size, and it was 50% off!!! I couldn't believe my luck! I tried it on again and it looked even better then I remembered. The color blue of the dress is like my favorite color, and the cut and style of it made me feel like a cupcake (I mean that in a good way). :-) 

     My dad ended up getting it for me for my birthday present! It was so hard not to wear it for the rest of the summer, but I wanted to save it for my birthday to keep it special. I still can't believe exactly how it worked out for me to find the dress that I loved so much at a much better price... just a year later. Eeek! Do any of you have any similar amazing shopping stories like that??

     On a different note, be sure to take a peak at this beautiful ring that I am wearing (which also matched my birthday dress perfectly!). The ring is from Soulful Ceramics, which is the newest sidebar sponsor here on Southern Belle in Training, so y'all will be hearing more about them soon! 

     And lastly, my birthday is also the same day as my blogiversary! This means that Southern Belle in Training is officially two years old! Thank-you so much to all of you who read and follow my blog, and to all of you who have become more than just readers... those that have become friends. :-) Blogging truly has changed my life for the better and is such a blessing to me! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring for my little corner of the web!

     xoxo Miss ALK

OOTD: Scallops on my skirt.

All photo credits to A. Lemieux photography (aka my mama :-) ) 

Top: Talbots || Skirt: c/o Oasis || Blazer: Forever 21 || Sunglasses: Le Chateau || Earrings: Claire's || Bracelet: {Local boutique} || Ring: Kohl's || Purse: Vintage Chanel || Lips: Maybelline ColorSensational The Vivids in Neon Red 

     If there's one thing that I have to say about my sense of style, it's that I like things to be colorful. The more color, sparkles, florals, or prints the better!! Spring and summer fashion are my favorites over fall and winter fashion because I much prefer the fun, bright color schemes. So this outfit that I put together for this post for my collaboration with British fashion brand Oasis was definitely out of my comfort zone! But I think I actually liked it... ;-) 

     You might remember that a few weeks ago I did a blog post letting all of my Southern readers know about an awesome music festival happening in Raleigh, NC this weekend, and a sweepstakes sponsored by the British clothing store Oasis that could get you free tickets to the festival as well as a big Oasis shopping spree! I worked on this blog post with Jacki from Style House Public Relations, and she was able to arrange a fashion collaboration for me with Oasis as well! 

     The item that I chose to style from their collection was this darling scalloped black pencil skirt. Every girl needs at least one black pencil skirt in her closet- this is such an essential staple item! I love the scallped detail on this one, it adds such a fun feminine twist! There are endless ways that I could have styled this skirt, but for this post I wanted to step outside of my fashion comfort zone and do an all black and white outfit. (And continue to be outside my comfort zone with bright red lips! I almost never wear red lipstick.)

     I think that this outfit would be perfect for the office for any working girls, or for fellow college girls this would be a great sorority chapter meeting outfit or perfect for acing a job or internship interview! I felt so professional while wearing it. :-) I can't wait to see what other ways I will style this fun Oasis skirt in! 

     Below I have shared some of my other favorite Oasis fashion pieces for y'all!! Even though Oasis is a British based fashion brand they ship to the US and over 20 other countries!

All pictures credit to Oasis

xoxo Miss ALK