Saying Good Bye to 2012!

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Jamie

Looking back on 2012 I am in awww.  My first full year of blogging and writing.  And let me tell you, it has led me to some amazing opportunities and experiences in my life.

This is my recap of the past year.  I will be sharing pictures from things I’ve done to places I’ve gone to posts I’ve written.

January 2012:

I was on a mission to make my blog the best it could be.  I just wasn’t quite sure on how to get there quite yet.

I was still exploring around LA too and this is where one of my favorite posts from January came to be.  Museums around Town.  This was my experience with Exposition park for the first time.

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February 2012:  Every February I am reminded about Heart Awareness Month for women.  And this year I was on a mission to bring awareness to it.  I did a series of posts related around this.

Well, lo and behold, one of my posts.   Healthy Eating for the Heart took off on me.  I was still so new to blogging so when my stats quadrupled in one night I was left asking myself, “what happened?”  lol.  I was in disbelief that something I wrote could have done that.  It opened up my eyes.

oldpicturespc 18951At the end of February I was at a Travel Engagement put on by Jetset Extra where they brought in top travel experts to discuss social media and much more.

March 2012:  I went to ExpoWest, and this is what truly helped change the direction of my blog entirely.  Food products, Natural products, oh my, a very good overwhelming experience.

oldpicturespc 22501Oogies: One of my FAVORITE food products from 2012!

I wrote a series of posts about Expo West:

 

Best Drinks:

Best Gluten Free Products:

 

My Top 15 Food Picks:

oldpicturespc 21805And I had an opportunity to take photos of an amazing dance group at the end of March.  Mandala DanceWorks.

April 2012: In April I really focused on writing out some pretty thorough posts on Photography.

Check these out:

 

Aperture Does What?

What is ISO?

 

 

Choosing the Camera for You

I also did a fun post on Cell Phone Photography asking for people to submit their photos.  I was so happy when people actually did!

 

 

Cell Phone Photography

Cell Phone Photography Part 2

 

May 2012: In May the Solar Eclipse Happened, Met up with some fellow SoCal Lady Bloggers, and had my first costume review:

Solar Eclipse 312The Solar Eclipse!  Pretty awesome to see.

Solar Eclipse 390My South Sea Siren’s Review

June 2012: June started out GREAT with a weekend trip away to Arizona with the girls, an interview and sneak peek of the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts.  June was a GREAT month overall:

The River 198Hello Kitty Tattoos!

The River 443Us girls at the Road Runner!

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Sneak Peek from this past year’s Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach.  Otherwise my first experience with the arts program that truly goes into it.  Very Eye Opening, and a great experience via Life in LA

So that’s what the first half of my year looked like.  Come back tomorrow to take a peek at the second half of the year!!

 

 

 

 


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Looking for a new sparkly for New Year’s Eve? Domaine St. Michelle is the perfect pairing. #spon

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Jamie

Last week a lovely packaged appeared on my doorstep.  When I opened it up I was delighted to find Domaine St. Michelle Brut and Brut Rose.

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With the #TGtaste Twitter Chat happening this past Wednesday I couldn’t wait to try out these sparkling wines, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  A time to celebrate with the holidays, and a time to welcome in a new year up ahead.

Because we all know when it comes to New Year’s Eve we all need a little sparkly to toast to.

But was Domaine St. Michelle worth it?

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First up to try was the Brut.  After first taste with nothing else, the sparkling wine was on the dry side, however, the minute you added almonds to the Brut, it brought out all of the flavor.  It was the perfect combination.

The Brut didn’t work so well with cookies.  Trust me, I tried.  But a little bit of salt, and it tasted divine.  Very light and crisp.

brut roseThen on Christmas Day we brought out the Brut Rose.  This one was recommended to go with berries, melons, and refreshing fruits.  So I pulled out some blackberries, and the sparkling wine.

I wasn’t a fan of the Brut Rose.  It was strong, and had those fruity undertones, but the full taste just didn’t fit in with my palette.  However, during the evening of #tgtaste there were definitely some fans out there.

However, the Brut truly won me over which even surprised me considering I usually go for more of the fruity type wines.

Disclosure: I was provided with samples of the Domaine St. Michelle Brut and Brut Rose wine on behalf of #tgtaste and Thirsty Girl.

 


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Review: Heely’s Shoes

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Jamie

You know those shoes with wheels on the back of them?  Well, it was always my secret desire to own a pair of them.

When Heely’s Shoes showed up in my inbox, I got really excited then went to their site and realized, “oh, is this just for children and grew deeply disappointed.  A week later I went back to the site and grew excited when I realized that YES, adult’s could use Heely’s too.

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Heely’s has a variety of different shoes to choose from.  Shoes for boys, shoes for girls, shoes for adults.  Find your favorite pair on the site and choose your favorite.

When I saw the shoes above, I knew, because of the flower where the clasp goes I had to have these.

When they first arrived, the shoes come with covers so you could really use the shoes for everyday walking.  The wheels come unattached,  but with a simple snap into place, you’re off.

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Unwrap the wheels and the stickers around them then place into the back slots of the shoes in the “heel” area.

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Heely’s recommends when you first put them on to grab something near you and practice rolling on your heels.  I did that a few times.  They also recommend wearing helmets and pads to protect you.  It does take a bit to get use to.

And this past weekend I wore them everywhere I went to get a feel for them.  I need a ton of practice on the rolling part.  I’m just not all that good at it.

But I can definitely see where this would be fun for children with their grace and less weight.

As an adult, the Heely’s are a little more difficult to utilize.  More weight weighs them down, and makes it a lot harder to balance upon.  However, I am not giving up.

I find when I hold onto my partner as we’re walking I have a little more luck with utilizing the rolling heel portions.  By the end of the month I will be a pro, and will showcase more photos, that’s a promise!!

For more info on Heely’s check out their website!

Disclosure: I was provided with a pair of Heely’s Shoes for review purposes.  All opinions stated above are my own 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Life, Product Reviews | 7 Comments