Blo ~ Blow Dry Bar Opening

This past week I was invited to a media and blogger event at the newly opened Blo Blow Dry Bar and Body by Blo in downtown San Diego. I'm always one for a little pampering and this dry bar is the ultimate in a true luxe experience. Not only do they offer beautiful blowouts at a reasonable rate, but they feature mani/pedis and facial waxing, too. I chose to try out their Mini Mani by the talented nail tech Margarita and it did not disappoint!

I'm excited to book a blowout in the future and with their mani/pedis on point, those are on the menu as well. This dry bar is perfect for a girls day, bridal prep or mother/daughter outing. If you're in San Diego and visiting the Gaslamp area, this beauty bar is one not to be missed!

*I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Happy 1 Year!

This past Thursday was the one year anniversary of my little slice of the Internet and I completely bypassed that milestone without any pomp and circumstance! I woke up this morning knowing I had forgotten some important date and it turns out that I was right.

Anyhow, I wanted to celebrate the by saying thank you to anyone that reads this little 'ole blog. I started it with the intention of a place to call my own, and while I wish I could dedicate much more time to it, I'm just glad it's here. Here's to many more posts and another wonderful year in blogging! xo

2 Year Photo Session

All images by Samantha Prather Photography

 Our 2 year wedding anniversary was back in November and I really wanted to get photos taken, but with the holidays and work, nothing seemed to coordinate with our busy schedules. However, a couple weeks ago when we were visiting my hometown, my best friend, who also happens to be a stunning natural light photographer, offered to do a photo sesh with us. I've posted a sneak peek of what she sent me and I'm totally in love with all of these shots! It's so nice to have these photos to show our future kids someday.

New Year's Goals

I will be the first to admit that I'm not good at New Year's resolutions. Every year when the calendar flips to January 1st, people decide to start anew and instantly drop bad habits, pick up good ones and promise to be an all-around better person. Typically that lasts about a month or so and by the time the spring flowers bloom, those resolutions are a distance memory, am I right? For those reasons, I stopped making resolutions long ago and decided to set attainable goals for myself instead. Here, I'll share what I want to work on in 2015.

Being the best version of me that I can. I think I spent all of my 20s trying to be someone I wasn't just because I was constantly trying to emulate everyone around me. These last few months have completely opened my eyes to the real me. I've accepted that I'll never be the loudest person at the table, but I'll always be a great person to listen and offer advice. While small talk exhausts me, meaningful conversations invigorate me (typical introvert). At 30, I'm now mature enough to know that people can't drastically change their personality and it's best to embrace the real you - and I'm okay with that.

Make time to be creative. This may seem simple, but I realized how I don't make enough time to get creative, whether it's in the form of writing, DIY projects, cooking/baking, etc. I seem to have forgotten what an adrenaline rush it is to complete any type of creative project and the high you get from that is just too good to pass up. I plan on getting many more creative "rushes" in 2015.

Learn one new hobby and master it. Last year I started this lovely blog and have loved every minute of it. The year before I trained and ran a half marathon, so now I need to figure out something for 2015. I've been poking around Pinterest for inspiration and will report back on what peeks my interest - who knows, this lady could have the next green thumb!

What are your goals for the new year?

 

Cheers to 2015

Happy New Year to you all! There is so much to look forward to this year and I can't wait to share it all with you. For now, here is a glimpse of what I'm up to right this moment. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Reading. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (for the 3rd time).

Blogs. Design Love Fest

Addicted. To podcasts.

Food. Our delicious mussels and tagliatelle from last night's dinner.

Goals. Working out at least 3-4 days a week.

Words. More time on this little space.

In my Heart. The family time we had at Christmas.

Listening. To Tim McGraw on our old Crosley.

Thankful. For a happy heart, a loving husband and unmatched family and friends.

Quotes. If this isn't nice, I don't know what is - Kurt Vonnegut

Laughter. Is the best medicine.

Things. My new pastry slab - can't wait to use it!

Love. My husband and all the hard work he does for us.

Accepting. That I will never be perfect, no matter how hard I try.

Right now. Enjoying a glass of leftover champagne with breakfast.

Trying not to. Get overwhelmed with my to-do list.

 

Happy Holidays

The holiday season really is a magical one! This Christmas, my husband and I were fortunate to spend Christmas eve and morning with his family and then we hauled ourselves up to Northern California (just a short 8 hour drive) to spend Christmas night with my family. It was the best of both worlds and was so good to see family and friends I haven't been in touch with for a while.

We're keeping New Year's Eve pretty low-key with dinner at a local Italian eatery (featured here) and a champagne toast at midnight. I'm hoping to be productive enough on New Year's Day to get our tree taken down and Christmas decorations put away. While I love the holidays, I do enjoy a fresh start in the new year. Later I share my thoughts for 2015 - stay tuned!

 

3 Things for December

I know I say this about every month, but I'm truly shocked that it's the last month of 2014. While I love the holiday season, I don't love the stress and time crunch that comes with it. And yes, I'm late on this post because it's the holidays! Any how, here's what I'm looking forward to the remainder of this month:  

  

                                

Getting my first box of Wine Awesomeness. I learned about this monthly wine box via social media and what got me hooked is the intro box is FREE (just pay the $15 shipping fee) and includes 3 bottles of curated wine, recipes and music pairing. How cool is that? After that, it's a flat $45 per month, which includes free shipping - so it turns out to by just $15 each bottle, which is a great deal to have new wines show up on my doorstep each month. Wine Awesomeness gives you the option to skip months if you're trying to save cash or cancel your membership at any time. Easy, peasy just the way I like it!

Writing love letters to strangers for 12 days. Yes, the old-fashioned way of communicating with pen and paper may be dying, but you can keep it alive this December (and all year long) by visiting More Love Letters and signing up to receive requests for people in need of a little extra encouragement this holiday season. I'm currently on day 3 and liking it so much that I'll probably continue well past this month.

Cookie fest with my good friend, Jessica this Saturday. Every year my friend and her mom have an entire day in December dedicated to baking delicious Christmas cookies to give out to friends, family and colleagues. I got in on the action last year and was impressed {and a little intimated} with the skill and dedication that goes into this day. By the end of the day we had dozens of cookies that Martha Stewart herself would approve of. This year I'm sharing a recipe for Cranberry Bliss Cookies {so yum}!