Hitting a Wall

 As I am sure most of you have seen on social media lately, we are all beginning to hit a wall.  The new year did not bring quite nearly as much motivation to us as it has in years past. This is obviously due to Covid-19 and things remaining pretty much the same.  Good news is that people are beginning to be able to get the vaccine which is great!  But I am still skeptical of how quickly things may go back to normal....

So since I have been living in my apartment with my boyfriend (of 5.5 years) for almost three months now, it is starting to feel like home.  Of course, the bills are something to new for me and I am desperately learning how to budget and eat more leftovers and cook more frequently.  I seriously love having my own space.  He is a frequent video-gamer and my classes resumed three weeks ago, so the spare bedroom has gotten a ton of use lately.  I rarely would go in there over Christmas break, but it is nice to have this space where we can each get our own alone time. With school, it is necessay. For him, it is a leisurely escape haha!

Next weekend, I will be going on my first bachelorette party in Savannah, GA.  I am the maid of honor (!!) and did a lot of planning for the weekend.  I am excited to get to spend the weekend with my best friend and the other bridesmaids in a city that is new to me!  Just to humbly brag, I worked extremely hard on the goodie bags and I am so happy with how they turned out and cannot wait for everyone to open them!  Of course, I put face masks in them!  I am also excited for this trip because this is my first vacation since I went to Boston and Orlando in the same week in December 2019.  Boston was for work in which case I did not get to see a lot of it and Orlando was to see my best friend who was living there at the time.  I have gone on a few family trips to the beach since, but I have not experienced anything new like Savannah in a long time.  Hopefully I will be able to share my planning tips on here after the weekend comes to an end!

A Little Update

 Hello, hello!

Since the last time I posted, I left my job, was unemployed for two months, and then started a new job.  Now, I am preparing to move in two weeks! Wow, finally moving out of my mom's house into an apartment.  From attending community college and living at home, to living in Chapel Hill for the shortest (and somehow the longest) two years, to living at home again for another year and a half, I am so ready for this change. I'll be honest that I am sort of nervous because I will be paying for everything and will have to cook and I am no chef. 

I honestly... sort of... enjoyed quarantine.  Thankfully, COVID rates in my area were low.  I am definitely staying home more and am very picky about events and gatherings that I attend. Not that there are that many to choose from, but you get what I mean.  I think quarantining has been a little bit harder with fall because I am missing football games in Chapel Hill which has been a huge part of my fall Saturdays from a young age.  

On top of the new job and moving, I've also started grad school.  It hasn't been THAT demanding, but I don't adjust to change well so it has been difficult to balance everything when I'm at my office for 10 hours a day and training.  My last assignments are due during the weekend that I move so I am trying to be diligent about working on these last few assignments beforehand and this post is a form of me procrastinating lol.  

I know I am sooooo quiet on the blog like it's pretty sad.  But, I am always reading blogs each and everyday (not exaggerating). I use my time on bloglovin' as time for me to either unwind or find a little bit more motivation in me.  I check my blog instagram account daily (@baileysbulletin), I don't post up there really but I love having a separate place to follow all of the bloggers that I have loved for so long and am always discovering new ones! 

Sorry for the brain dump, but I hope each of you enjoy your weekends and have a Happy Halloween!

How I've Been Feeling During Quarantine

There is only one word to describe this time as... weird.  Truly no one knows what they're doing some days.  

When schools closed a little over a month ago,  I wasn't sure of how to react.  In some ways, I was relieved because I had a lot of overwhelming events to plan that ultimately were cancelled.  I was scared because I didn't know what quarantine would look like.  I was also stressed from the adjustments that I had to make while working from home.  The first two weeks of it were pretty awful.  Not in the sense of not be able to go anywhere, but just the fact that there was so much unknown and I didn't know how to communicate those feelings.  Then, the third week rolled along and I had a better understanding of what was going on and why we were social distancing.  And it most certainly helped that more and more people were sharing these exact same feelings as me.  Now I am on my fifth week of social distancing and it has become to feel like the new norm...

I do want to address how blessed I am to be able to continue to work and get a paycheck.  The longer this goes on, the more thankful I have become.  This time at home has given me more time to look for new jobs (I am optimistic!) as my service year comes to a close.  I have a little less than two months before this becomes a pressing issue for me,  but I know that there are others out there that are under a lot more pressure. 

I find it so interesting to see how some people are reacting to the quarantine.  I live in an area that has a low population density, so there are a wide range of reactions. Some are social distancing more than others is all I will say on that.... My school is on "spring break" this week which has been a nice reprieve from working even though I am not going anywhere. But with work, I have been able to keep myself somewhat busy throughout the days and not giving me the opportunity to get completely bored. I have been using this time to exercise more regularly through walks, pure barre classes, and youtube.  I also am trying to do a one second everyday video and am using Duolingo to brush up on my Spanish (not that I've ever been fluent, but I did take 4 levels in high school and 3 in college!)

How are you feeling in the midst of all of this? 

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend a Champagne dinner at the Chef and the Farmer.  This is my hometown's claim to fame as it has had its own TV show on PBS and there will soon be a spin-off from the same show capturing food in the south.  This four course meal was different, yet phenomenal.  I have only recently begun to like wine and champagne, so this was going to be an adventure. I attended this dinner with my mom and my bf's step-mom which made for a fun girl's night out.

As soon as we walked in the door, we greeted with bags of popcorn. Duck-fat popcorn to be exact. This was paired with the champagne of beers, Miller High Life.  I am not a beer drinker at all, nor have I tried this beer before but the combo of the popcorn and the champagne glass (tbh) made it go down pretty easily. 

The first course was probably my favorite overall as I enjoyed both the rose champagne and the entree equally.  Rose champagne is always so fun to drink as it is pretty to look at! Pork Belly Skewers are always my weakness when I go to Chef. These did not disappoint in the slightest and it was topped with cotton candy! There were major carnival vibes at this event for an added flair!

Y'all, let me tell you... this was probably THE BEST ENTREE. I probably will not eat a crabcake ever again after having this lobster corn dog. It was topped with a champagne dijionaise and spicy tomato ketchup with chow chow on the side (also, DELICIOUS!)  It was lobster formed into a cake as a crab cake would be, but it was breaded in corn meal.  The southern hospitality came over me and I devoured the entire dish! This was my favorite regular champagne that we had as it was the right combination of sweet and dry.  (I'm no connoisseur when it comes to drinks, although I might be a self-acclaimed foodie)

I was most looking forward to trying this bucket-o-....quail.  I have never had anything other than chicken when it comes to poultry cuisines and I especially have not had it fried.  The quail were small, but they filled the basket up! There were probably about eight pieces per plate.  The three of us could have just split one plate, to be quite honest.  The breading had a honey glaze to it which really added to the flavor.  The ranch on the side was really good with the quail. We were also served french fries underneath the quail which were good... I mean its pretty hard to have a bad french fry.  The champagne with this entree was probably my least favorite as it was the most bitter one we had.  Of course, this was my mom and bf's step-mom's favorite because it was bitter. 

The fourth course was super adorable! The funnel cake was served with toffee apples and marscarpone ice cream topped with powdered sugar and it truly felt like I was at the fair.  The champagne was a blanc de blanc and it was very, very sweet.  I liked it the most out of group for that reason.  

This was such a fun night with great people! I hope I get to attend another themed dinner at the Chef and the Farmer again in the coming months!

Mid Week Wisdom

Although this is a later post, I thought I would share this quote. More and more lately, I have been thinking about how kind I am.  Working in a school can test my patience sometimes and this quote is a reminder that I am trying to achieve something good with my students and that I need to show them grace more often.  Patience isn't my strong suit, but I am working on it.  So here's to finishing the semester by being good to those around me by doing a good job!

My Newest Hobby

As y'all know, I am living at home while doing a service job through UNC.  Honestly, living at home can be lonely and often boring.  We have a gym membership that I take advantage of, but the classes are full of older people and are not the same energy as the classes I took on campus.  

I decided the best way for me to get work out classes in, in addition to the gym, was to go to one of the studios in Greenville and what better way to do it than with a friend!  My friend, Hannah, is a student at East Carolina University and lives in Greenville which is about 40 minutes from my house.  A few weeks ago, we decided to go to Pure Barre.  I have been wanting to join and had been afraid to do it alone.  This has allowed me to socialize with a friend and get a full body work out in once a week!

I wish I could do twice a week, but the drive can be a lot when I wake up at 6 every morning and by the time I leave work I hit the 5 o clock "traffic" (Greenville  has a terrible infrastructure imo). 

Pure Barre is a lot of fun. It's nice to go work out and no one really know who you are.  I am feeling more confident in my body already! I can't wait to see the results as I continue this journey.

PS If anyone wants to get some of their cool socks for Christmas, I'd appreciate it ;)

What's on My Christmas List

In the spirit of "vlogmas", I am going to be attempting to do blogmas here at Bailey's Bulletin and will be posting for the next 25 days.  Not sure how this going to go since next week I will be in Boston, but I have plenty of time to prepare.  

This is my first Christmas not in school.  It feels weird not having finals to worry about and at the same time I feel like I am having an identity crisis! I don't feel old enough to be done with school, but I am still too young (and broke) to buy every single person on my list a super nice gift.

Anyways, back to our regular programming, here are some of the things I am asking for this year. I have asked for a lot of clothes, but that can get repetitive as it just become pictures on pictures of sweaters!

David Yurman Crossover Ring - I received the matching bracelet to this for graduation this year and my mom and I talked about getting the ring to match as a Christmas gift.  I wear the bracelet almost everyday and I am sure I will do the same with the ring.

Barrington Gifts 'Kent Keyring Wallet' - I have loved Barrington Gifts for years now and still have yet to purchase anything from them as I have soooooo many nice bags as it is I haven't asked for one.  But lately I have been switching between my purse and work bag and ultimately forgot my wallet the other night.  I guess its time to attach my wallet to my keys.

Maui Jim Ah! Dang Sunglasses- I have been eyeing these since the summer and now its time I ask for them!  I have had my Ray Ban wayfarers since 2013 and they are starting to get a little beat up through daily wear and tear.  These are a classic look with more modern vibes and they aren't too big for my face!

Make Up Eraser - My grandma bought one of these from a vendor at one of my dance recitals in HIGH SCHOOL and I thought it was cool then. Now, I am seeing a lot more bloggers and influencers share this product all of a sudden.  It is really cool because you just wet the towel and wipe off your make up (then use a face wash to clean your face!!!) I think this simple tool will go a lot further than those single use towels. ;)

Starbucks Gift Card - Ever since this spring I have become a HUGE ICED COFFEE SNOB. I am not sure why??? It started because of school and I guess I finally acquired the taste for it.  I still cannot drink hot coffee unfortunately.  I have been spending a lot of money at Starbucks lately so why not stock up on some gift cards!?