Sponsor Spotlight: A Southernly Belle Vie

Today I want to spend some time getting to know my lovely sponsor, Alysse! She is so sweet and I am excited for y'all to learn more about her! While she takes over Blog with the Browns, I will be over at A Southern Belle Vie answering her questions! You can get the basic info from this...

 

But I want you to hear more! Here she is!

1) If you could describe your style in a few short words what would you say and why?

 My style could best be described as, Jackie-O with a touch of country.  Very rarely will you catch me without my pearls on.  Whether it's an early morning work out, a dinner date with my handsome, or in the duck blind with the guys.

2) How did you and your boyfriend meet? 
Funny story.  Christian and I met on Facebook.  We actually didn't know each other from Adam but we had mutual friends who knew each other.  We still laugh about it to this day... we've been inseparable ever since!

3) Besides photography, what do you do for a living? 

My full time day job is with the Elections Balloting Division for Louisiana.  We assist, coordinate, and support all 64 parishes.  We build elections, ballots, and everything in between.  My job is very challenging but the reward is so worth it.

4) What are your top five favorites: color, food, song, movie, and number?

Color to Wear: Teal and purple
Color in General: Pink
Food: Boiled Crawfish or a Turtle Sauce Piquant
Song: Look At Us by Vince Gill
Movie: The Guardian
Number: 14

5) If you could travel anywhere, where would you choose to go and why?

I would probably travel to Alaska.  I'd die and go to heaven if I had the chance to go on a big game hunt up there!

6) Tell me about having a boyfriend who works offshore at any given notice?

To be quite honest it takes a strong woman to stand behind a man who earns his living in the oilfield.  Christian has traveled around the world twice.  Traveling to places like Thailand, Egypt, and Africa.  You have to be able to fend for yourself and kids if you have that blessing.  Even though he misses 80% of life most important happenings, I wouldn't trade this lifestyle for the world.  He's the most dedicated and hard working man I could ever meet {besides my Daddy, of course}.  Christian absolutely loves being a diesel mechanic and it's something I would never in a million years try and take away from him.

7) What made you start blogging?

I'm getting at the age where a lot of fun things are happening.  I wanted an outlet where I could express my creativity and share my little slice of heaven with y'all.  Sure, I could of used Instagram or Facebook, and I plan on continuing to use those outlets, but I wanted something more... a place I could connect with other bloggers!

8) How do you find time to blog with everything going on?  What keeps you going?

I try to keep a balance between my hectic schedules.  When I get home in the evenings, I have a home cooked dinner to prepare, dishes to wash, and clothes to fold.  At any given point you would probably assume that spare time is not in my vocabulary; which 85% of the time you are correct.  I've been really good about planning out my blogging post with what's going on that week.  I'm a planner so I feel much more at ease and confident with my choices if I have a mapped out plan A and plan B.

9) What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I've always been a creative girl.  So anything dealing with crafts + art comes as second nature to me.  I've also gained the nick name, Betty Crocker.  You can bet your last dollar that you won't ever leave my house hungry.  Instead you'll probably leave stuffed like a tick.  I think it's partly because of our southern culture and nature.  We're kind hearted people down here.  We sit on our front porches in the evenings and bow our heads when a funeral is passing down the road.  Down here in South Louisiana we also love our outdoors.  Like I always tell people who meet me for the first time, don't let the pearls, hair, and makeup fool you... I LOVE to hunt, fish, and be outdoors with the guys.  Louisiana is known as God's country, so why not enjoy it?

10) Lets say your boyfriend just proposed, what is the first thing you will book when planning your wedding?

Not you too? Haha.  Christian is an absolutely joy to be around.  He's my prince charming that rode in with a cowboy hat and dirty boots.  Lately A LOT of our family and friends have been teasing me about le ring.  I get butterflies every time I think about it!  I guess I should expect it since it's the "next step" in our relationship {being that we just purchased our first home together} but I'm so completely content with life right now that I would wait 10 years for a ring.

If I had to pick the first thing I would book, I would definitely say the Church.  Christian and I are both Catholics.  We were raised in Catholic homes and will raise our children in the same manner.  Being the good Southern man Christian is, he continuously provides for us and our future family... not only money or material wise, but he provides the path and foundation of a loving Catholic household.  Every night before we eat our dinner we say grace and each Sunday that he's home we attend Sunday morning mass.  It's one of my favorite qualities about him.  We joke about our future wedding and have guestimated that our wedding guest list is around 450 people...not kidding!}

11) What are one {or some} goals that you are working toward this year?

My goals for this year is to be a better friend, listen more, and give back more.  I also have a goal of "unplugging" from devices and social media more.

12) Describe your ideal day. 
My ideal day would be one of two things... waking up before the sun rises on opening day of duck/deer season and killing our limit of ducks/a nice buck. The thrill of getting the first shot on either of those hunts is absolutely indescribable. Now before y'all go all anti-gun and anti-hunting on me, we do not kill to kill animals.  We hunt to provide meals for our families.  If you were to look in our freezer right now you'd probably find one pack of chicken breasts and one pack of ground meat.  We were taught how to live off the land and it's something I'm adamant about teaching our future children.  OR a day spent at the beach, standard!

13) Tell me all about Alysse Guidroz.
Well for starters, I am 5'4" with red hair and bright green eyes!  I'm a Christmas baby, I love a good glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, and I am a die hard Yankees fan.  As you already know, I love to hunt and fish, but I also love to spend time with my family and friends.  When I was a child, getting ready to start Pre-K, I had a speech problem that had to be fixed with lots of speech therapy.  To this day there are still words that I cannot pronounce.  I'm also ambidextrous, I can do absolutely everything and anything with both of my hands.  I may be tiny but I come in full force, I'm determined, compassionate, and I wear my heart on my sleeve.  I'm a girl rooted in my Southern beliefs, morals, and culture.

14) What is your go to meal to cook for you and your boyfriend?

Christian, thank you sweet baby Jesus, is NOT a picky eater.  So anything I cook for dinner he eats.  But some of his favorites are: smothered pork in a gravy, or as we call it down here, Griads, he also loves shrimp fettuccini, crawfish etouffee, corn maqushoe. and sautéed asparagus.

15) What is your favorite blog post?

My favorite blog post would have to be my very first blog post!

16) Turning a house into a home is so much fun.  What are some of your next big projects?

You're so right!  I absolutely love playing into the housewife roll.  Hopefully one day my dream of being a stay at home mom will come true!  Some of our next big projects are little things throughout the house like painting, finishing our master bed room, etc... Christian would like to build a brick pizza oven/fire place outside as well as install a nice grill and bar for outdoor gatherings!  I keep joking with him that he has to be home for longer than a week for that to happen! haha

17)  How did you come up with the title of your blog?

Being from Cajun Country my southern roots run deep.  And so does my Cajun French Heritage.  I can't count how many times I get called out on my accent! Throughout K-8th grade I was enrolled in a program called French Immersion.  It's a program where students take every subject in, well, French!  As the years progressed I became very fluent in franglais!  It's a cross between French and English and a term I clearly coined myself ;-)  Eventually a light bulb went off in my head and A Southernly Belle Vie was born!  To translate it means a southernly good life!  Half French and half English!

18)  If you could have one super power, what would it be?

If I could have one super power it would most likely be having the ability to visit loved ones in heaven!

19) What have you gained from blogging?

I've gained SO much more than I could of ever imagined from blogging.  I've gained new friendships from all across the United States as well as a better understanding of myself.  I'm certainly glad with my decision to begin my blogging journey!

20) Everyone has that "one" thing they always have as an interesting fact about them in their back pocket ready to pull out at any time.  What is yours?

I don't know that most people would find it interesting, but, I had a full ride softball scholarship to a college here in Louisiana before I blew out my shoulder my Senior year.  Softball was a MAJOR part of my life.  I played SS and had the arm to go with it.  To say those were my glory days would be an understatement.  Hearing those words from a doctor your Senior year in high school is heart breaking but being that determined and "don't take no for an answer" kind of girl that I am, I finished out my Senior year.  I also managed to break my nose and dislocate two fingers that year.  I was destined to NOT finish out the season but I had another vision.  I prayed to the good Lord above and he helped me through it!  It's kind of like I turn into a fierce little girl when I step onto that field, nothing can hold me back... not even diving for an out of play ball.  In order to finish my high school career I had to adjust my hitting habits.  I slapped and quick bunted on the left hand side a good portion of the season.  When the season was over, I was awarded 1st team all district short stop, academic all state, and all state.  Oh what I would give to relive those days!

21) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself married to that sweet, kind, handsome, God-fearing, man of mine.  Hopefully with the biggest blessing, on the way, that God could ever give us.  Christian and I have decided that we would LOVE to have 3 children but we will take how many God feels is right for us.  If I had it my way we'd have 5+.  But in all reality, raising 5 kiddies while you're husband is away most of the time could and would probably get a little tough to handle!  Who knows, maybe in five years I'll be living out my dream of a stay-at-home Mommy! Ohhhh wishful thinking ladies!