Would You? Wednesday...

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope you're all having a wonderful week and are managing to keep cool! I on the other hand, decided it would be a good idea to go running the other night...in 102 degrees! Obviously that run was cut short and left me thinking, how in the world did I just run 13 miles last weekend!? Ha. So in order to feel less like a lazy bum with all this heat I decided to move my workout indoors...and then I signed up for Bikram Yoga! I know, my thinking is a little deranged! I thought my goal was to escape the heat? I've never tried it before so I'll let you know my thoughts next week.

Anyways on to WYW! Today I'm featuring one of my favorite summer sandal styles, huaraches! They leave me with a craving for a Mexican vacation! Right!? I think I may have decided on these! What do you think, would you? 

Other options I love:

DSW Love this color! $49.95

 UO $39
 UO $39

Not sure if these qualify as Huaraches but regardless, Asos $47.52
F21 $24.80

Now let's take a minute and admire how cute Dani looks in hers.

Sí? Ok, now go get yourself a pair! ¡ándale! Hope you have a great week! 

A Dose of San Diego...

Here are a few pictures of some of our post-race fun!

On Sunday after the race we all enjoyed lunch by the water at Tower 23 Hotel. There may have been some pomegranate mimosas involved. :) We also a did a bit of shopping and then a much needed nap of course.

That evening we decided to celebrate with sushi at a local spot in OB, The Joint. Oh so yummy!! And then we got caught by a waitress taking selfies in the bathroom mirror. Busted! She laughed, we laughed, and we carried on.

 So thankful for this girl! If it wasn't for her convincing me to sign up for the race, I probably never would have done it. Thanks Meg.

Meg and Lindsey (aka LG) 

 We ended our last day there with breakfast Cafe 976. It's an adorable old house with a perfect outdoor seating area and some amazing specialty coffee drinks. Perfect after a night of too much sake err, sushi.

 Afterwards we met my family at Seaport Village. Brinley experienced her first "pony ride". She wasn't sure about it at first. I think it made her a lil dizzy. But it was the cutest thing.

 We did some more shopping and Brinley found a cute sock monkey she couldn't part with. So of course Grandma had to buy it for her. And then she wouldn't let it go the entire day!

My mom, sister and Brinley (and sock monkey). 

 My favorite girls.

 So in awe with the baby ducklings.

 And finally, see that adorable little face up there. ^That cutie turns 1 today and I can hardly believe it!? She has made me the happiest auntie ever! I'm so in love with her sweet, sensitive, girly, curious, silly, smart, sometimes shy and sassy personality. Happy Birthday Brinley! I love you. You were such a sweetheart the entire trip! xoxo

A Dose of a Race Recap (Rock N' Roll San Diego)...

I did it! I finished my first half marathon! And it was the best.feeling.ever!

We arrived in San Diego on Friday afternoon and Saturday we headed to the San Diego Convention Center to check out the race expo and pick up our race packets. We arrived around 12/1 pm and didn't have any problems waiting in lines or dealing with traffic. With over 30,000 participants you can imagine the crowds but we seemed to luck out! We checked out some vendors, did a lil shopping, snagged some free samples and picked up our parking pass. Since we were staying in Ocean Beach (not downtown where the race start was) I was really glad we purchased a parking pass to avoid road closures and the early morning parking issues. The rest of the afternoon was spent having lunch by the ocean, relaxing, and ordering some Italian take-out. 

 Race Expo

 Carb loading with a view.

Race morning was finally here! Strangely I wasn't nervous or anxious at all. Just really excited that it was finally happening! My family arrived at 3:45 in the morning (ouch) to pick us up. I was so happy that my mom, sister and niece were able to make the trip for the race. We arrived downtown at about 4 am and made our way to the shuttles. We had to wait in line about 10 or 15 mins and it was kinda chilly. Poor Meg didn't bring any sort of jacket or throw away shirt. :( But after the sun came up it was so nice out and slightly overcast. We made it to the start line with plenty of time to relax, stretch, and use the bathrooms. I was so worried with such an early start time that we may be cutting it close but everything went so smoothly! My family managed to find us among the masses of people and we took some pictures and then at 6:45 am we were off!!

Nike Free's, Nike shorts, Adidas top (with a handy side zipper pocket!), Pro Compression socks, and Sweaty Bands headband.

Waiting in line for the shuttle.

4 am and we're ready to Rock N' Roll!

Brinley was such a lil trooper!

 Ready to cheer on Auntie Lou Lou!

Meg and I decided beforehand that we would start in the same corral together and then each run our own race. My plan was to start slow and hopefully increase my pace as the race went on. Miles 1-3 were slow (maybe too slow) but I was so happy in the beginning that I actually had to tell myself to knock it off cuz I was already getting emotional about the whole thing! ha! Oh I'm such a sap! But before I knew it, miles were flying by. We made our way through some cute little neighborhoods and through Balboa Park and then ended downtown. The course wasn't as scenic as I'd hoped but I was barely paying attention to my surroundings anyways. There were a few unexpected hills (mile 8 and 11 I remember) but nothing too horrible. I actually was surprised at how awesome I felt the entire time! I took some water at mile 4 and 8...and ate a couple Honey Stingers chews at mile 7 and half a GU gel at mile 8 but never stopped. The end was mostly downhill which was awesome but it was crowded! It was difficult trying to run hard the last couple miles while dodging people. I made it to the finish line feeling fantastic! 

2:13:26

I was secretly hoping for 2:10 but since it's my first race I'm happy with how everything turned out. Even though looking back I think I ran it maybe too conservatively. I know I had more in me! But I guess being a newbie you don't really know what to expect. Meg and my sister even teased me at the end, saying it looked like I didn't even break a sweat. It was a learning experience for sure but so much fun! I'm just so happy that I did it. I stuck to my training for 12 weeks, never missed an early Saturday morning run and proved to myself that I could do something I never thought possible a year ago! I'm already looking forward to my next race! 

 Meg also had an awesome race finishing in 2:01:??

My Nike app splits.

That mile 11 hill screwed up my negative splits. ha.

I gotta thank my best friend Nick for all his help with training and being such a great motivator. I felt so well prepared because of him. I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He was the reason I started running in the first place! And my family of course for making the drive, waking up at ungodly hours and being just as excited as I was about the whole thing! :) Love them!

So congrats if you made it through this entire post! :) Check back later for more to come about our post race fun!

Tell me, have you ever ran a half or full marathon?? Will you do it again?

P.S. Happy National Running Day! 

A Dose of To-Do's (Summer Edition)...

Summer To-Do List 2013

Run Rock N' Roll San Diego

I've mentioned this a few times now but it's finnnnally here! This Friday I'll be headed to San Diego with two of my girlfriends to run my first half marathon! I'm so excited. The nerves haven't really kicked in yet..I'm sure Sunday morning will be a different story. But I'm actually feeling quite confident and well prepared. Wish me luck. I'll be posting a recap sometime next week and of course, Instagramming like crazy! :)

Go Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Last summer my list included wakeboarding (which I finally conquered!) and this year I want to attempt SUP. I've heard it's so much fun and a great workout! 

Attend a summer concert..or two.

 Concerts are always on my to-do list come summertime. Next week I'll be seeing the amazingly talented Mumford and Sons. Can't wait! 

Attempt some healthy summer dishes

With all this running I've definitely noticed some positive changes when it comes to my body. Now if only I could get my diet on the right track! So I want to make an effort to cook more healthy dishes and this summer salad looks too de-lish to pass up! But let's face it, I'm never giving up my love for Mexican food! :)

Escape the heat

When the temps are over 100 here summer can really seem to drag on and on!  So I'll be looking forward to hitting the road, hopefully to the nearest beach or mountain! I guess I'll actually be checking two items off my list this weekend!

 Now what about you guys? 

Do you run? Any races coming up?

Have you ever tried stand up paddle boarding?

Any fun concerts on your calendar?

Do you have any summer recipes you wanna share?

Vacation plans?

Do share! I'd love to hear it!

Would You? Wednesday...

Hello ladies! I hope everyone is having an awesome week so far. Hopefully it's a short one considering the holiday! Mine will be really short since I'll be leaving for San Diego on Friday! Yay! Can't wait! More on that later though. So, today's WYW trend up for discussion is the glorified "fanny pack". Or as they're calling them now, the "belt bag". :) I've seen a few stylish bloggers rocking this accessory and I imagine it would be great for traveling or sightseeing in some fabulous European destination! However, I really don't see myself ever wearing this on any typical day. What about you? Have you spotted this trend around your town yet? And more importantly, would you?

via

Would You? Wednesday...

After a lil break last week, WYW is back! Let's call this one WYW Summer Edition! Today's topic is swimwear, specifically, the high-waisted variety. I seriously love this trend on every gal I see. It can be very flattering actually! As for what the male counterparts might think of it...well, who cares really! Because we all know bloggers don't dress for guys! ;) So I say if you're still on the fence about this look, just give it go! I think you might actually end up feeling very Marilyn-esque. Because it's like they say, less is more. So, would you?

via

Some cute options I've got my eye on:

Topshop $20

Asos (tons of prints/colors to choose from!) $27.15

Asos $67.88

UO $68

Mara Hoffman (on sale!) $77

Asos $127

Hope you're all having a fantastic week!

A Dose of #ABC13...

Finally a recap of the Arizona Blogger Conference 2013! So.Much.Fun! Our hosts, The Phoenix Style Collective, did such an awesome job! The event was held at The Hotel Palomar in Downtown Phoenix. I wish I had some photos of the space but I loved the contemporary, swanky decor! The night started off with some food, drinks, a bit of mingling and some fun pop-up shops! But before I get ahead of myself, the outfit! 

 What I wore, Dress: LuLu*s Shoes: Zara

 At check in we received an adorable sparkly tote from Hello Apparel filled with tons of fun swag! 

Then of course, there was some photo booth fun to be had!

After all this funny business we had the opportunity to hear from some really inspiring bloggers! Jessie of Style and Pepper, Danielle of Sometimes Sweet, Sarah of Emma Magazine, Sara from Frances Vintage (If you're in PHX, Frances is a must visit!), and Summer of The Girls with Glasses. 

Overall, my favorite part of the night was just getting to meet other local bloggers. It's just so cool to be able to chat with all these talented, sweet girls in real life! And I gotta say, the best business card award goes the The Chic Spy. Girl had an iPhone case to match her cards, so cute!

To cap off the night, Marci and I enjoyed some champs at the hotel's rooftop bar! I can't wait till next year and I hope I get a chance to hang out with some of my new blogging friends soon! 

For even more photos, be sure to check out Marci's recap here.