It has been quite a while since I had a chance to share a few articles that Craig and I have found interesting. I thoroughly enjoy reading a round up of links from the week by other bloggers. I find that no two lists are ever the same and I have never seen even one article the same as mine or anyone else. It illustrates the point of just how valuable this curated content really is! If you don’t share it, no one will find it!
My friend Kim shares links that she loves and I follow Modern Mrs Darcy and she always offers information that I am unfamiliar with and frankly probably would never have discovered. Love technology!
If I don’t post any photos on Facebook or Instagram of my wonderful tropical vacation while we are there, did it really happen? Ha! Of course it did!
How often do you just put away the phone and abstain from checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, ESPN, CNN or other news apps? For an hour? How about a day? What about a week?
I can guarantee that if you are a social media participant on a regular basis, walking away for a week would be a challenge. For those of you who just check periodically, this post is probably not going to speak to you.
No Social Media on Vacation ~
Craig and I left for Kauai yesterday and I decided NOT to use social media for the entire time we are here. I will answer texts if the kids or our parents need us, but otherwise, no.
This decision does pose a fairly important problem for me as a travel blogger/writer. Being active on social media is part of my job, but we all need a vacation from our jobs sometime don’t we? Most of the destinations we visit are cities which require daily touring and activities. They are not the kind of places you would want to just sit. Too many things to see and do, so it is simple to share on social media while it’s happening!
This amazing city has EVERYTHING! Chicago has a rich history, spectacular architecture, incredible museums, wonderful restaurants, lots of places to walk, a beautiful skyline, shopping… wow the shopping! If you are a sports fan, they have several great sports teams and many top notch colleges nearby as well.
The Los Angeles Times annual food and wine festival is uniquely Los Angeles. Perfectly named The Taste, it is our third time attending and we loved it just as much as the first two experiences. We chose to attend the day and evening events on Saturday, but The Taste LA actually began Friday evening with the Opening Party, two events on Saturday and two on Sunday. In the past we had purchased a pass for the weekend, but our schedule wouldn’t allow it this year.
Our kids joined us (finally) and they only had so much time to give and wanted to relax at home with us as well. Lucky us, I will take a visit from them whenever they want and wherever they want!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened just a few months ago at Universal Studios Hollywood. I haven’t been to Universal since Alex was a young teen. I can’t even remember the day, she said we went for a birthday party.
Just for Labor Day weekend, our nest will be full! Oh happy day, our kids are coming home for the weekend and I am over the moon. How lucky are we that our busy, adult children want to come home to visit, hang out and attend an event with us.
Partly because there was a free airline ticket, partly because there will be free delicious food and free handcrafted cocktails and partly because they really do love us and want to come home!
Can I get a woo hoo? So often Craig and I attend a really fun event which usually involves very special food and drink and we say to each other, “I really wish Alex and Nick were here to experience this with us.”
The Taste
We said this a couple of times when we attended The Taste, a culinary extravaganza on the backlot (which is super cool) at Paramount Studios. Craig and I have attended this Los Angeles Times event twice in the past four years and missed last year.
We thoroughly loved the experience so much and the kids were able to arrange their schedules to come down to LA and join us this year. Yay!
Sometimes you just have to say yes and figure out the rest! That is how I decided to go all the way to New York City to attend the Blogger Block Party given by HGTV Magazine – A blogger adventure!
Can I just tell you how lively, invigorating, colorful and fun it was? I honestly had no real idea what it would be like, but had complete faith that HGTV does everything right, so this (free) event would be no exception.
How I learned about the HGTV Magazine Blogger Block Party –
A little back story…
As you know Craig and I have been living the downsizing/renovating house adventure of our empty nester lives! We sold our larger home in Orange County and moved to Pasadena to be closer to our families, find a smaller home and a new fixer upper project.
Southern California weather is so warm so much of the time, that it allows us to wear flip flops all year round. Summer fashion is uber casual so virtually everyone wears flip flops/sandals with every type of outfit.
Rhea Footwear contacted me recently to see if I was familiar with their patented no slip footwear. I was definitely not aware and really happy for the connection!
Ironically, I actually have a fear of falling and/or slipping! I was the perfect candidate to take a look at their innovative products. Because of a trip planned to the Northwest, last month I tried out the adorable no-slip black boots first. Not only were the boots fashionable, but super comfortable and gripped the ground without feeling clunky. The no-slip sole is especially important for traveling in wet weather and on unstable surfaces. Do you worry about slipping like I do?
Now that it is summertime, I wear flip flops at home everyday. I am constantly chasing after my dog Rocco and tossing the ball with him in our back yard. Our yard is mostly concrete, so the no slipping feature is such bonus for me. I can run after him with no fear of slipping and look cute while I am doing it (LOL).
A walk through Central Park is always a necessity when visiting New York City. Even in the snow, even in the rain, even in the sweltering, muggy, damp, crowded summer!
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