Hello Virginia Beach: Marketing Conference

It's funny how a change of scenery can be just what you need. Last week I went to a marketing conference with the rest of our team. Major perk, the conference was in Virginia Beach. : )

The chilly temps and brisk wind made it feel like fall, but it was the ideal time to head to the beach. The beach was quiet and it was the perfect 'night cap' to end a great summer.

{ The horizon meeting the ocean. Gorgeous. }

{ Strawberry mojitos overlooking the ocean. You can't get better than that. }

{ Hung out with this guy for a bit. }

{ Work wear + coffee. }

Life as of Lately

Hey Friday, fancy seeing you here already. For real, this week has flown by - um, hello almost-September? 
For me, this week has been full of time with friends and that is something I love. A lot.

{ Happy hour with a fellow blogger over bellini's, of course. }

Post-college/being in the 'real world' has taught me that grabbing drinks with friends after work is the equivalent to a dull college night. In the 'real world', it's actually quite wild. Funny how something so small changes after college ends. I mean are we all old now? Can I be 21 again? I miss you, Hokie House. *Crying*

Besides one (or 5)  amazing cocktails (River + Rail's 'Solution' margarita is amaze-sauce), this week has given me time to reflect on where exactly I want this blog to go. A colleague has been giving me so much advice/ideas on the posts that I could feature on here and been pushing me to really give this thing a shot. Let's just say its been a week filled with motivation - I can feel my heart beat a little bit faster because hey, I really think I can do this.
 

{ Late dinners with cocktail hour before are my favorite. }

I have so much I want to do on this blog - everything from makeup reviews, posting my personal outfits, investing in a professional camera, switching this bad-boy to WordPress and actually getting someone to design this thing for me. I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself (because damn, there's so much I want to do on here), but I really don't think I'm going to stop.

I want to make this big. It's about to happen. One-baby-step at a time.

{ Layering bracelets is my new love. }

{ French 75s are back and better than ever. Ask me for the recipe, I got you. }

{ Scrolling through pictures the other day + I forgot how beautiful Roanoke really is. }

Life as of Lately

Fall is almost here. The back-to-school commercials are up and airing full throttle, stores are lined with cardigans, jeans and an infinite amount of Sharpie pens.
 

It’s back-to-school season. How crazy is that, right? Honestly, the older I get the more time seriously jogs by me – actually scratch that, sprints. 

Embracing my older age, a 'big girl' job and the responsibility that systematically comes along with these changes is my newfound duty as an adult. This is the second fall season that I haven’t packed up my car, grabbed a few (ok, maybe the whole pack) paper towel rolls from home and headed toward the most amazing place in the world – Blacksburg. As soon as fall is in the air, I’m immediately reminded that I know longer am a student at Virginia Tech, but an alumnus. Alumnus. The word is even weird. The perks of being a so-called adult are definitely there, but I’ll always miss being a student and the fall season lingering in Blacksburg.

As much as I love my pumpkin spice lattes, flannel button-downs and new lineup of fall shows – there’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush at a Hokie football game or the Drillfield traced with maroon and orange leaves. 

To me, fall lives and breathes in Blacksburg. A place where part of my heart will always belong.

{ The Duck Pond + all its beauty. }

{ A quiet park behind my old apartment. It was my go-to spot for thinking + long walks/runs. }

{ Leaving my mark at The Cellar was an obvious must. One of my favorite Blacksburg bars, gosh I miss it. }

{ Sunday runs at Heritage Park. This trail was a hidden Blacksburg gem. }

{ Exhilarating; probably the one word I can use to describe Virginia Tech football games. }

{ My quaint little neighborhood engulfed in maroon + orange. Walking down these streets is something I'll never forget. }