Whenever I go and visit my friend Nicole and her husband, Fred, in Burbank, I always have to stop at my favorite restaurant: La Bamba. I swear, it's addicting and you will always want to come back for more. I feel like this restaurant doesn't get enough talk and it's worth the drive if you [...]
It's time for another contest! This time I am giving away my favorite body scrub and lip balm from Salt Cave Santa Barbara! I first wrote about Salt Cave when I worked as a columnist for the Santa Barbara Sentinel. You can read the full story here. It is 1 of 20 salt caves in the U.S. [...]
I wrote this essay as a pitch for Khloe Kardashian's "Fan Sound Off" awhile back, which allows her followers to write about something that they have gone through in their personal lives or a cultural aspect they are passionate about. I am still waiting to see if it gets published or not, but it explains [...]
When I first moved to SoCal, I had my high moments but my low moments. There were some days where I wondered if I was going to go through my savings, have no money and go back to Minnesota broke. As I stated in previous posts, it took me 9 months to find a full [...]
I adore Valentine's Day and all of the love and mushiness that comes with it. In honor of this special day and since I am so in love with my new SoCal Shuffle design, I am giving away a 6-piece chocolate gift box from my favorite chocolate shop in Santa Barbara (well all of SoCal [...]
When it came time to register my out-of-state vehicle and get my new California driver's license, I was beyond prepared. I had to go through the California DMV website a few times to make sure I wasn't missing any steps and boy, I am glad I reviewed it a few times! The California DMV in [...]
When I first moved to SoCal, it took me about a good year to learn all of the different slang. I also had to retire some of my Midwestern terms, such as exchanging "pop" for "soda" and "semi truck" for "big rig." Before you make your venture out to SoCal, it's important to understand the [...]
I am extremely passionate about California wines. Wine tasting and education is a must if you live in California, you really develop a deep appreciation for the process and dedication that the winemakers go through in making each batch. My goal when I get into my 40s is to open up a wine bistro and [...]
I cannot believe what a whirlwind 2016 was for me and that the New Year is upon us! In terms of the blog, the BlogHer Conference in LA last year was probably the highlight of my year. I learned so many important tips and tricks on how to make the blog more successful and how [...]
Okay, I'll admit it: I am not a brownie fan, but these Bourbon Brownie Bars that my mom makes are to die for. I request them each time I go home to Florida for a holiday visit. My mom usually makes these around Christmas time, but they can also be a hit at New Year's Eve [...]
