Birthday Dinner on Broadway.

Dress: Marshall's {Similar here} // Shoes: DSW {Similar here} // Crown: {Similar here} // Sash: {EXACT one here} // Purse: Forever 21 // Bracelets: Kate Spade, c/o Taudrey // Lips: Almay Smartshade Butter Kiss Lipstick in Pink Light/Medium // Nails: OPI in My Boyfriend Scales Walls 

     This is the fun little number that I wore for my birthday dinner on my recent trip to Myrtle Beach! Techinically this dinner was the night before my 21st birthday, so I couldn't drink anything at dinner, (but that turned out to not be a problem since many more festivities came after midnight ;-) ). My girlfriends and I went to a restaurant in Myrtle Beach's popular Broadway at the Beach entertainment area, which is where these photos were taken! If you aren't familiar with Broadway at the Beach, it's a large outdoor area with tons of shopping, restaurants and attractions. There is definitely something for everyone at Broadway at the Beach, and it's the perfect place to spend an evening it after a day spent out on the actual beach!

     I have had this adorable floral dress for over a year! I love it so much that I'd been saving it for a special occasion. I had originally planned to bring it to Kentucky with me back in May and make it my dress for my second trip to watch horse racing at Churchill Downs, but sadly I accidently left the dress at home and it never got packed! I decided after that happened that I would save it for my 21st birthday.  This is very much of a classic "Annaliese" dress- haha! It is bright, full of a fun floral print, and it's sweet in the front and sassy in the back! The best part is that when I purchased it last year it was $20- Marshall's has such fantastic deals sometimes!



      I didn't take as many photos in Myrtle Beach as I usually do when I travel- most of the pictures that I have are either for this outfit post, this post  (shared last week!), or funny selfies with my friends. But I will try and pull from what I do have and write a little recap post summarzing the whole trip sometime soon- I had an absolutely wonderful time in Myrtle and I would say that it's the perfect Southern destination for a long weekend or birthday (which in my case happened to be both!).


      Hope that y'all are having a great week!

      xoxo Miss ALK

The cutest coffee mugs you'll ever see.

Shirt: {Sorority t-shirt} // Shorts: J. Crew Factory // Shoes: Jack Rogers // Necklace: c/o Cardinal Gift // Sunglasses: TJ Maxx // Mug: c/o A Cup of Quotes 

     How adorable is this fun mug from A Cup of Quotes? I have been obsessed with collecting fun mugs for the past couple of years- I drink a lot of tea here at school and drinking hot beverages out of cute mugs just makes everything better! This mug is definitely the perfect addition to my growing collection! The saying on it is so sassy and funny- and the truth be told I actually really don't like eggs! (The smell and taste of them kind of grosses me out, and when I bake a recipe if I can find an egg-free version, I'll always do that!)

     A Cup of Quotes sells so many other fun mug designs as well! The "Let's Blog Some @$%!" mug that I featured a couple of months ago in my Ultimate Blogger Gift Guide post is from A Cup of Quotes! 

     The best news is that the founder of A Cup of Quotes, Ann (who is also a blogger herself!), has been so generous as to sponsor a giveaway here on Southern Belle in Training! You could win your own version of this fun How Do I Like My Eggs mug. Enter the giveaway below! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



     Be sure to enter the giveaway above to try and win the cute mug that I have! But if you happen to fall in love with one of Ann's other fun designs, use discount code BLOGANDCOFFEE for free shipping on your order with A Cup of Quotes!!


     P.S.- these blog photos were taken by my sweet Charlotte blog bestie Morgan from How 2 Wear It! One of the best parts about being back in Charlotte is getting to see all my southern blog buddies again!



     xoxo Miss ALK

Wine Night.

Top: c/o Oakleigh Rose Boutique {styled in this blog post!} // PJ Pants: TJ Maxx // Ring: Charming Charlie // Glasswear: c/o Top Shelf Glassware

     I was quite honestly never a big drinker before I turned 21. Neither of my parents drink (for various reasons), and they always taught me from a young age about how alcohol is truly a drug and not just a drink. My high school friend group wasn't into drinking, and the college that I went to my freshman year was actually a dry campus school! And both for legal and moral/faith reasons I never had any interest in having a fake ID. 

      But now that I'm finally 21, it's time to enjoy some good ol' fashioned adult privileges!! I haven't been going crazy or anything. ;-) But so far this week I have been enjoying making my favorite "cocktail" (recipe to come soon- super easy!), and also enjoying having wine in my dorm's mini fridge for the first time! So of course my collaboration project with Top Shelf Glassware truly couldn't have come at a better time! 

      Top Shelf Glassware makes the cutest glasses and other drink accessories on the market- I swear! When my package arrived with all of the wine glasses inside, there was also a catalogue of all of their merchandise, and I have been continuing to oooh and ahhh over it. (My thought process reading their catalogue is literally "A best friend wine glass? Need that for my besties! The Boston wine glass? I'm from Maine so close enough! The 30th birthday wine glass? So cute.... and that's only nine years away!") I was sent a selection of 21st birthday wine glassware to review, as well as a fun glass that says "Shhhh... there's wine in there" which I'm holding in the first photo! I am absolutely obsessed with all of Top Shelf's 21st birthday glassware! Everything is totally blinged out and features really fun and bright colors, and I know I'll be enjoying wine nights out of these pretty things all year long! These glasses make even the simplest Wine Night fun... for these pictures I was actually just hanging out in PJs in my suitemate's room, enjoying some girl time with her and our bottle of Moscato! 

     Top Shelf's products aren't currently available for sale through their direct website, but Amazon carries a large selection of their glassware! Top Shelf glasses are also carried at many independent gift shops and boutiques across the country. I am a fan of shopping local when I can, so check out this handy store locator guide on their website to find the store nearest you that carries their line! 

     Lastly- do y'all have any wine recommendations for me? Or really any drink recommendations? Being not a big drinker before I turned 21 means that I am completely clueless when it comes to knowing my alcohols- ha! All I know is that the next "adult" thing that I do will be to buy some rum and bake a rum cake... rum cake has been my favorite for years and I've always been frustrated that I couldn't buy the main ingredient! 

     Happy Weekend! Cheers!

      xoxo Miss ALK

"White sand, cold can, koozie in my hand..."

Bikini: Forever 21 // Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters // Kimono: {Bought on my trip to France, Similar here} // Hat: Forever 21 // Sunglasses: {Old and knock off version, Real version here} // Belly ring: Piercing Pagoda {Almost identical here} // Necklace: {Charlotte local boutqiue, Similar here} // Nails: OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls // Koozie: Lilly Pulitzer // (I'm drinking Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade) 

     

    First off, a disclaimer about the title of this post. Since this was my first time ever using a koozie (for an adult beverage), it was a no-brainer for me to title this post after the popular Jake Owen song Beachin'.  But I'm actually not a country music fan at all... nor do I even really like the song Beachin'! Haha!! But I just had to (even though my drink was bottled and not canned- forgive me!) 

    Spending Labor Day Weekend in Myrtle Beach was the perfect opportunity for me to break out my most summery outfits for one last go-around before the season ends! My girlfriends and I spent two full afternoons at the beach, so I made sure to pack more than enough of my favorite bathing suits. This was the outfit that I wore to the beach on my actual birthday, which was on Sunday. I bought this gorgeous kimono when I was in France earlier this summer, and other than wearing it to my summer job a handful of times, I had been saving it anxiously for my beach trip! I have been looking for a great kimono for a long time- I wanted one that had pretty colors, was a flattering fit, and wouldn't break the bank since kimonos are a trendy piece! I never thought I would find what I was looking for in Europe, but I'm so glad that I did! It's become one of my favorite souvenirs. 

      I'm also equally obsessed with this Forever 21 bikini. For both the top and matching bottoms (not pictured) I spent under $25, and the quality of this swimsuit is fantastic! I bought a few things from Forever 21's swimwear department this season and I was very impressed with the quality- I think they're definitely stepping things up for their swimwear! 

      And lastly, you can see in these pictures that I enjoyed taking advantage of Myrtle's open container laws on my birthday. :-) The ABC stores closest to our hotel were all closed on my birthday since it was on a Sunday (SC has stricter alcohol sale laws then some other states), so I didn't get to go to any stores to by alcohol. But I sure had fun drinking hard lemonade out of the Lilly koozie that I've been saving for this occasion, and also ordering my first legal drink at dinner that night! 

     Are you sad to see the end of summer and saying goodbye to beach attire? Or are you ready to embrace Fall with open arms?

    xoxo Miss ALK

Midweek Ramblings + Recent Purchases.

{Via my Instagram @miss_alk}

     I'm really starting to look forward to writing these weekly recap posts! It's such a nice little breath of fresh air in the middle of my busy weeks!

Ramblings: 

• Myrtle = perfect party town: As I've said for my last many posts, my 21st birthday was this past weekend, and I was lucky enough to get to spend it on a little girls' getaway trip with two of my besties! We headed to Myrtle Beach for the weekend, and honestly this couldn't have been in the more perfect location to turn 21 in. Lots of cheap food and entertainment options, great beaches (with warm water!), and awesome nightlife. I'm not sure if Myrtle is the type of place that I'd want to go for a long vacation, but it was the perfect holiday weekend destination! I definitely want to go back for another weekend in the future. More blog posts to come!
• Mama is coming: My mom is going to come visit me for a weekend in here in Charlotte next month! It will have been two years since her last visit to see me at school. My dad comes down every Fall and Spring to help move me in/out of school, but other then that neither of my parents have been to visit me since the start of my sophomore year. They thought about coming to visit me last year, but I had such an insane junior year schedule during the months that I was at school! It was always easier for me last year to just fly home to Maine a couple times. But since so many new and exciting things have happened in my life since I was a sophomore, I'm really excited to have my mom come to visit soon! 
• Coffee + blogging: Going back to school after a long weekend out-of-town is always a little rough, but my Tuesday morning motivation definitely came from the fact that I had a little coffee date here in Charlotte with one of my absolute favorite bloggers! I first met McKenna Bleu at an event that she co-hosted with Caitlin of Southern Curls and Pearls here in CLT around this time last year, and it was so wonderful to see her again, and to get some first-hand great blogging advice from her! If you aren't following her amazing blog, change that now!! It's seriously my favorite blog ever (and I read a LOT of blogs ;-) ). 
• Second time's a charm: Another thing that I've also mentioned in recent blog posts is that I'm currently in the middle of sorority recruitment with my chapter of Alpha Delta Pi. This is my third year in the sorority, and my second time going through the side of recruitment with my chapter! Last year it was a little bit of a hard adjustment for me to get used to all of the recruitment practices and learning everything that goes into the sorority side of things, but I'm pleased to report that this year things are already going much more smoothly! Anyone reading this post who is or was a sorority member can probably relate- make the transition from going through recruitment to being apart of recruitment can be difficult! I look forward to sharing a Bid Day and recruitment recap at the end of the month! 

Purchases:

• My friends and I made sure to take advantage of the Labor Day Weekend sales on our last afternoon in Myrtle Beach! One of my favorite purchases was this gorgeous necklace, which was on super sale in-store on Labor Day! Even though I have a ton of necklaces, I didn't previously own anything that looked like this. I love it so much that I already wore it this week! 
• Another thing that I bought while out outlet shopping on Labor Day was a chic cape for Fall/Winter! (My exact one isn't online yet but this one is from the same store and similar.) A co-worker of mine at my retail job at home had a black cape last winter that I would always steal from her for long shifts when I was home last Christmas- capes are seriously so warm and cozy! So happy to have one of my own now, and I don't think this will be the last one that I'll get! 
• I actually purchased this during my last week home in Maine, but this is one of my new favorite nail polishes! It's also my first nail polish that I've ever bought in this color. I wore it on both my nails and toes for Myrtle Beach. I found that it chipped pretty quickly on my nails, but has continued to last well on my toes.... a mystery that I will try and solve at a later date. :-)

     Happy Hump Day!

     xoxo Miss ALK