I’m an Alexandria Pineville Ambassador – Living Outside the Stacks

$Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_Alexandria Announcement {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador$

Thirtysomething years ago, The Hubs and I met and married at Fort Polk, where we were both stationed with the U.S. Army. My time at Fort Polk was centered around my family, Army life, and the most amazing food I’d ever eaten…

My favorite time of the year was {and still is} crawfish season. On my way home from work, I’d stop on the side of the road and buy the most delicious 5 lb bag of crawfish, corn, and potatoes from this gruff older gentleman with an accent so heavy I sometimes had difficulty understanding him. I’d get home, change out of my BDUs into a tee and pair of cutoffs, and stuff myself while watching random shows on TV. Good times.

When we moved away, it never occurred that we’d find our way back here.

But we did.

Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_VW Bug {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador #Cenla — Iconic VW Beetle that used to sit in downtown parking garage until it was moved to make way for a city revitalization project.

We’ve been here a little over eight years now, and my life centers around my family, Bobcat life, and the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten…

I no longer buy crawfish, corn, and potatoes from the back of a white pickup truck, now I buy it from a restaurant called Debarge’s. And it’s as delicious as my pickup truck meals. I also frequent food trucks and gas stations {until you’ve eaten food from a Louisiana gas station, you have not truly lived}.

Alexandria has become my home. I love the small town atmosphere, the community events, the friendly waves, the coffee shops where people know my name.

I say all that to say, I’ve been selected to be an Explore Alexandria Pineville Ambassador.

Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_Alexandria Street Art {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador #Cenla — This mural, on the side of the Ugly Mug marketing business, is updated every few years. Visitors and locals a like use this wall as a backdrop for some of the most beautiful pictures.

ABOUT THE EXPLORE ALEXANDRIA PINEVILLE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

$Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_Alexandria Announcement {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador$

The Explore Alexandria Pineville Ambassador program is hosted by Explore Alexandria Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. The group is made up of about 20 people who were already committed to uplifting and celebrating our community; now, we’ll be working alongside the visitor’s bureau and each other. The team at Explore Alexandria Pineville plans to host events where we can get BTS looks at local businesses, provide us with information about upcoming events, and share resources that’ll be beneficial to long time residents and people who are moving into our neighborhoods.

Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_Tamp and Grind {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador #Cenla — The Alexandria, LA version of Central Perk. This is where community members gather to talk business, play games, study, relax, and more.

When I saw the call for ambassadors, I immediately sent in my name and contact information because I wanted to give back to a the community that has given so much to me. Like I said, The Hubs and I have lived in Alexandria for eight years now, and I’ve made so many connections and participated in quite a few leadership programs that helped me to see how much this community has to offer.

Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_Zoo Boo {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador #Cenla — Just about every year, my college participates in Zoo Boo; this was a picture I took of some of the decorations. Local businesses and community members come together to provide a safe trick or treating alternative for families with littles. The event is hosted by the Alexandria Zoological Park.

Additionally, I don’t want to be one of those people who just complains about the area, I want to help shape it into what I need it to be. I want to live in a community that is:

safe
culturally rich and diverse
supportive of small, locally owned businesses, and
provides educational and workforce training opportunities to help support growing families

I want to live, work, and play in a place that I can be proud to call home.

That being said, I’m not naïve, I know that the Alexandria Pineville area has its issues; I will work to improve the lives of my neighbors. I will vote for people who have the best intentions for those of us who live and work here. I will spread the word about the good that I see in our community and I will speak out against injustices.

MY FIRST PROJECT: Fall Bucket List

I found the Alexandria Pineville Fall Bucket List on the Explore Alexandria Pineville website and thought it looked like fun. Also having a little activity planner never hurt anybody, ya know? I know probably won’t do everything on this list, but, I do want to check off as many things as I can. I’ll write about my experiences here on the blog and share photos and videos on Instagram and Threads. Even if you don’t live in the Alexandria Pineville community, I hope you’ll follow along.

BOOKISH THINGS

Bookshop.org – Shop for books selected by me, for you!

NetGalley Professional Reader – I receive free ARCs from NetGalley to review on my blog and share on Instagram.

The StoryGraph – A reading app that shares all the nerdy details of my bookish life.

THANK YOU

$Alexandria Pineville Ambassador_Alexandria Announcement {living outside the stacks} Follow @DaenelT on Instagram #Librarianotographer #Alexandria #Pineville #AlexandriaPinevilleAmbassador$

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new. If you like what you read, please consider sharing this post on Facebook or Pinterest. While I pay for many of the items I share on this blog out of my own pocket, some items are gifted to me {I always disclose those items}. If you’d like to connect on a more regular basis, I’m on Facebook and Instagram.

Come back soon,

LET’S CONNECT

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AFFILIATE INFORMATION

As the blogger and photographer behind Living Outside the Stacks, I independently select and write about stuff I love and things I think you’ll enjoy too. Living Outside the Stacks has affiliate and advertising partnerships so I get revenue from sharing this content and from your purchase. Thank you for your support.

Reading and reviewing books brings me a great deal of happiness. If you’re a reader, I’d love for you to visit my online bookstore, Living Outside the Stacks, to make your purchase. If you purchase from my shop, I’ll receive a small commission and you’ll also support indie bookstores. If you need help staying organized, but want to keep it pretty, I invite you to give Artful Agenda a try. It’s a digital planner inspired by paper planners. Use my code: RD1191716. Artful Agenda connects effortlessly to your Google and Outlook calendars and works across devices.

ABOUT THE EXPLORE ALEXANDRIA PINEVILLE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

MY FIRST PROJECT: Fall Bucket List

BOOKISH THINGS

THANK YOU

LET’S CONNECT

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