fashion forward friday

One of my favorite pairs of shoes growing up was a super cute pair of black bow flats from Sam & Libby {which I am wearing in the picture below}. I was absolutely in LOVE with them and I wore them all the time. Sometimes I wish I had held on to that pair because it reminds me so much of my childhood. I loved the simplicity of it and the fact that they were adorned with adorable bows, which by the way, I am STILL a fan of.

 

You can imagine my excitement when I found out that one of my favorite shoe brands as a child has a collaboration with Target, another favorite of mine! Yes, Sam & Libby and Target have an affordable shoe line launching on May 5th. It's amazing when Target has a collaboration with just about anybody, but this will be simply awesome. And yesss...there will be bows! :)

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

my first hike - check!

If you told me 5 years ago that I'd actually be experiencing a hike, I'd call you crazy. I can't stand the thought of camping so I'm not much of an outdoors person. Over the last several years, my fitness and personal goals have changed a bit. I'd like to be able to say that I did something adventurous at least once in my life. {Maybe turning 30 this past January has something to do with it.} I made a goal to be more active and to participate in more active events.

So yes...I can sit here and tell you that I just went on my very first hike!

Four of my friends and I headed over to Mission Peak in fremont on Sunday and began our hike. I don't think I knew exactly what I was getting into because I was already sweating and huffing and puffing on the first incline. Soon after, we all could feel it in our thighs and calves. Hiking up to to the top would definitely NOT be easy. We finally got to the last stretch and that part was tough! It was a rockier terrain so it was a challenge just getting to the top.

As soon as we made it to the top safe and sound and stepped foot on the very top of the peak...it was exhilirating! Looking down at where we started to where we were standing at that moment felt like an amazing accomplishment.

Of course, I am paying for it today with a sore body. But hey - no pain, no gain!

wordless wednesday



{my first mud run!}

top 10 things you didn't know about iPhone cases

I've used an iPhone for almost five years now and I have to say that I don't think I could use any other phone. I use it every day and for everything you can imagine - taking photos, checking my email, texting, music, Instagram, updating my calendar, running, blogging, you name it! It's become my trusty little sidekick and such a necessity in my daily life. I honestly can't live without it {my boyfriend can attest to this} and because I use it so much, I have to make sure it's protected with a case. 

I wanted to share an infographic from Shutterfly on iPhone cases. Whether you use a case or not, this is something you should check out.

This infographic is provided to you by Shutterfly, a leader provider of photo books, custom iPhone cases & more!

happy easter.

Easter has always been a favorite holiday of mine and every time it rolls around every year, I'm reminded of the fun memories I had when I was younger...

The excitement of shopping for a new Easter basket every year because there was no way you could use the old one from the year before.
The joy of getting together with my family and spending quality time with my cousins.
The smell and taste of the delicious food.
The pastel-colored outfits that our parents made us wear.
The impatient waiting we had to endure while the adults went and hid the eggs...
The even more impatient waiting we had to endure while the adults made us sit together and take pictures...in our pastel-colored outfits.
The rush of excitment when we finally were released to begin our search for eggs.
The chocolates, the treats, the money. The pure fun and joy of it all.

I truly do miss being a kid, especially around Easter time. What makes it even more joyous for me now is creating the same memories for my son. Seeing how much he has come to love the holiday as much as I did as a kid warms my heart more than he'll ever know. Happy Easter, son!

 

 

 

 

late post: the croods

Tuesdays are usually a school night for my son, but we had free tickets to watch a movie screening of The Croods in San Francisco. We couldn't pass it up since both he and my boyfriend wanted to see it. It was a perfect night for some family QT! 

I have to admit, I wasn't as excited as they were to watch the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining and heart-warming the story is. The Croods is definitely one of the best cartoon movies I've seen in a while! Any movie that can make me and my boyfriend laugh and put a smile on my son's face deserves a high recommendation from me! This is an absolute must for any age!

 

Disclaimer: This is my personal blog and the views expressed on this movie are mine alone. I was not influenced nor did I receive any compensation for my opinion.

a clean home makes mommy happy.

Spring time calls for Spring Cleaning!

I've never been much of a "Spring Cleaning" type of gal, but I told myself that it was going to happen this year. Cleaning itself has always been therapeutic for me and that is exactly what my Saturday consisted of.

It's such a cleansing feeling to purge and reorganize everything. I absolutely hate clutter in the home and I refuse to hoarde things that we don't need. The best part of my Spring cleaning day was organizing my son's toys. Did I mention that I hate toys, too? My son has this obsession with trains and cars, specifically Hot Wheels. I didn't know how bad this was until I laid out all his toys on the floor...

It was the attack of the toy cars and my life was taken over by them. Thank goodness my wonderful son was out of the house for a couple of hours. What he won't know won't hurt him...

 

fashion forward friday

My go-to shoes for winter are obviously boots, but I am so over this fashion staple. I'm ready for Spring and longing for some cute flats, strappy sandals, dresses, and a pop of color in my daily wardrobe. I live in the Bay Area so Spring is always lagging behind. Come out, sunshine and warm weather!

my weekend in photos

{Happy} Monday! I can't believe how fast the weekend goes by sometimes. It feels like yesterday was just Friday. My weekend was fun-filled and eventful, which I love. The countdown to Friday begins again...

little man... <3

Tuna Melt, BLT, and two Chai Tea Lattes :)

I LOVE MARSHALL'S!

Happy 30th Birthday, Airiane and Beverly!

the BFF & the BF

getting ready for Spring and Summer!

i heart running

A few years back, I placed "Run a 5K Marathon" on my bucket list. I'm happy to say that I have checked that off my list...twice actually. A couple of weeks ago, I completed my second 5K run in Napa Valley and it was a successful one! Comparing to my first run, I was able to shave 7 minutes off my time. Yay! Of course, it isn't the ultimate goal of mine but I was still very happy with it. 

My goal when I started running was just to get it off my bucket list. But since then, I have found an extreme love for it. Running is now a part of my lifestyle and it's something that I need to do every week. I've tried different work out routines from Yoga to Pilates to TaeBo, but I've fallen in love with running. The feeling I get from it is like no other. 

Last night, I was in a little funk and feeling extremely tired. I had two choices - sleep it off or go for a run. It was past 10pm and I should have gone to bed, but I knew that wouldn't help so I went for a run at the gym. Afterwards, I felt so much better and my mood had changed. Writing has always been my therapy and now running is right there next to it.

do you really need that?

They say kids say the darnest things. And it's true...they really do.

I was lucky enough to have the day off on Monday and of course, I spent it with my little man. He was excited to have some QT time with mommy as was I with him. After spending some time at Chuck E Cheese and having lunch, we decided to head over to the Dollar Store since I needed to pick up some essentials...

My son's new thing is throwing unnecessary items into the basket or cart when we're shopping. So he was up to his usual behavior as soon as we walked into the store.

"Don't just throw things into the basket, Dylan."

He still continues to put random items in the basket so I finally say, "Okay, these are things that we don't need so let's not put things that we don't need into the basket."

This is something that we are trying to teach him when we go shopping - our needs vs. wants.

He puts what he was holding back down, looks at me {with a little smirk on his face} and says, "But Mommy, you put chips in there. Do you NEED chips???"

I swear, this kid is too smart for his own good.