I'm moving...again.
Hi besties,
First of all, WOW. Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. When I first made this, I didn’t know what to expect regarding who would want to subscribe to a newsletter by yours truly. So before we hop into things, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My relationship with Happy Hour
There are two things about me that are worth sharing to give you some context for this newsletter. The first is I am a Happy Hour fiend. If I could choose my favorite pastime, it is Happy Hour. Why? Simply put, the act of going to a local restaurant during Happy Hour feels like an escape from the real world. There are very few things that give me as much joy as the combination of ordering 2-4 discounted appetizers, sipping on discounted drinks, and catching up with friends. It’s my version of cheap fun.
The second thing to note is every time I partake in a Happy Hour outing, I overshare. There’s something about the Happy Hour environment that abolishes my filter. So, because you’ve accepted my virtual invitation to this newsletter version of my favorite time of the day, get comfortable, grab a drink, perhaps a snack(?), and stay for a while.
South Carolina and Arizona
If you have been following me on TikTok, you (might) know that I recently moved about 1 month ago. I was living in Columbia, South Carolina - a place I had literally never stepped foot in until I moved there - which exceeded all expectations. To be honest, I actually had no expectations, I was just excited to experience a new place.
During my time in SC, I traveled to a few nearby cities and found out that I now have a new favorite city in the United States - Charleston, SC. Guys. All I have to say is if I could compile a list of all of my favorite places in the WORLD, Charleston would be in my top 10. There is so much history to learn, great food, and above all else, there’s a never-ending list of things to do. If I could recommend 5 things to see/do there, it’d be the following (in no particular order):
Visit the Boone Hall Plantation
Walk and shop through the Charleston City Market
Grab yourself a dozen biscuits at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit (ONLY at the Upper King location, not the Charleston City Market…trust me on this)
Go for a walk through the side streets to see the houses and stop by Rainbow Row, while you’re at it
Visit Mount Pleasant or Folly Beach to soak in the beach towns (I really enjoyed Folly Beach)
I’m currently living in Arizona, which feels like a second home to me. I went to college at the U of A (now called “UArizona” lol *rolling my eyes*). We (my boyfriend and I) actually drove for this move. Here’s the route we took:
This 3-day road trip included 3 overnight stays ranked below from my favorite to least favorite with no explanation:
Dallas, TX (for dinner, we ate at this place called Taquero and it was slay [insert flame emoji] and for the following day’s lunch, we ate at Cava)
Montgomery, AL (we tried Hattie B’s - also a slay, but tbh I actually like Dave’s Hot Chicken better)
Midland, TX (we ate at the chain, Saltgrass, with my boyfriend’s brother - this was the only highlight in Midland - he plays professional baseball for the Oakland A’s double-A affiliate in Midland, TX and was recently was called up to AAA in Vegas!! Woohoo!!!) - no photo for this experience because it was Saltgrass lol
Grocery Store SOTW
After living in 3 different states this year, one of my favorite experiences is seeing/shopping at a variety of grocery stores - Arizona has MANY Sprouts, which I place in my top 5 grocery store chains (along with Publix). For my snack of the week (SOTW - I just made this up now), I’m featuring these snacks I bought on a whim (tbh, anything labeled “White Cheddar Jalapeño” is an automatic purchase for me): Harvest Snaps White Cheddar Jalapeno Selects Harvest Snaps
They were a slay. BTW, this is NOT sponsored.
What’s Next
Anyway, we plan to take off and move back to California next week and live on my boyfriend’s family farm for the baseball offseason (he works in professional baseball). My bf comes from a family of 4th-generation almond farmers, so get ready for my personal farm-girl era!!!!
I’m very excited about another change of scenery. I’m also excited to experience Safeway again (not in my top 5 grocery chains in case you were wondering, but feels like home to me).
I’m thinking I’ll send out a newsletter twice a month or once a month. If you have a preference, vote below:
“Zoe shared a video” x 5
Before I go, I’m going to share my top 5 favorite TikToks of the week that showed up on my FYP:
Idk what about this is funny to me, but I think it’s the way he drops the egg:
I recently went to a carniceria in AZ and everyone there was speaking Spanish to each other. I was ready to bring out my Spanish and when I greeted them, they switched up and spoke English to me. This video is essentially a replay of me in the carniceria… https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRHJjqy8/
A glimpse into my future during my farm girl era (the comments on this video kill me):
Someone commented “He’s like ‘I gotta drive later so I better behave’” and I think it’s so funny:
I think this guy is hilarious:
That’s all for now. ILY!
Cheers,
Zoe
Can't wait for almond farm content!