Not Another LA Blonde

Category: Personal

  • Mammoth Trip

    Mammoth Trip

    Since today is hubby’s birthday, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about one of his favorite places! MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN! Last year for his 30th, I asked him what he wanted to do and his pick was to go snowboarding in Mammoth. My hubby loves snowboarding and I am not the best at it (the last time I went was before I had knee surgery, so before 2015). We left early March 1 (Mammoth is about a 5 hour drive from where we are in Los Angeles) and drove straight, only stopping for gas/bathroom break.

    Of course I had to take a pic of my outfit before we left the house! Outfit linked here

    Once we got up the mountain, we stopped at a restaurant called The Stove. The food was good and I would definitely go back!

    After eating, we stopped to pick up my rental board and then went to the hotel to check in. We stayed at the Westin Resorts – Mammoth Lakes. The hotel was in the perfect location because it was right across from the Village which is where the lifts are to go snowboarding/skiing.

    Here are some pictures of our room! I wish we had been able to stay longer, the room was nice and had a fireplace! They also had a little kitchenette area.

    After getting settled at the hotel, we decided to go walk around and check out the Village. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty cold and had started snowing at that point. This SoCal girl was not prepared for actual snow fall!

    We had dinner at one of the restaurants there in the village. I honestly can’t remember the name, but the food was just ok and they were setting up for a live band (we aren’t huge fans of being right next to that). I would recommend looking for other places to eat, but this was convenient for us since we just walked across the street.

    The Village lit up at night reminded me of Christmas time. It was so beautiful!

    The following day, March 2 (hubby’s birthday) was snowboarding day! I took a lesson so that hubby could go and do all the hard runs he wanted to while I was in class and learning how to snowboard. I will say that the class was 110% worth it. By the time class was over, hubby was done with the big lifts and we did a couple “not so hard” runs so that I could keep practicing. Since we knew we had to drive home that same day, we didn’t want to stay too long and get tired. We snowboarded for a couple more hours and then called it a day. I wish we could have stayed one more day since I was doing really well.

    This was my first time in Mammoth, but it’s one of my husband’s favorite places to snowboard. We can’t wait to come back (hopefully next winter) with our baby boy! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! Please keep in mind that with Covid, I don’t know what the protocol is for dining or staying so that is something to keep in mind before going.

    XOXO

  • Catalina Island – 4th of July

    It’s another TRAVEL TUESDAY over here at Not Another LA Blonde! So for those of you who are unfamiliar, Catalina is an Island about hour boat ride from the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. My family and I have been going pretty much every summer since I was just a few weeks old. My grandparents have 2 houses on the island, so we always have somewhere to stay.

    Hubby and I went over with my dad for 4th of July in 2019 and met my dads brother (with his wife and daughter) and my dads sister (she lives on the island part time and works there) over there. I can’t remember why my mom and brother didn’t come with us.

    July 3:

    We left out of the Port of Long Beach (you can leave out of either port but Long Beach tends to have more boats and better hours) and upgraded our tickets to sit in the Commodore Lounge on the Catalina Express.

    We got there at about 9pm and dropped our bags at the house and went to grab some dinner with my aunt. We ate at the Lobster Trap and all 4 of us enjoyed our dinners. After dinner we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousin at the El Galleon where they do karaoke after 9pm.

    July 4:

    Hubby and I took a walk out to the casino before meeting my dad for breakfast at Toyon Grill (this is where my aunt was working at the time).

    I got the avocado toast with bacon & egg and my dad and Robert got the Toyon Bay burrito (breakfast burrito).

    During the day, the city of Avalon puts on a parade so we watched for a little bit before going to find a space on the beach. Hubby and I spent the rest of the day on the beach getting some sun before heading back to the house to meet up with my dad.

    We bbq’d with the family and then went to watch the fireworks on the rooftop of the restaurant where my aunt worked. She reserved us a table and met us when she got off of work.

    July 5:

    We spent the day at the beach and then decided to go parasailing. My dad didn’t want to go up so just Robert and I did it, but luckily he was able to come on the boat with us and watch.

    We ate dinner at Bluewater Grill which is located right on the water. We sat outside and had an amazing view. We took the last boat out that night and headed home.

    There are so many great places to eat and to stay in Avalon. I highly recommend going once things are safe and open again. A lot of the restaurants are closed right now during the winter months and won’t open again until mid March. This is a great place for a weekend getaway or even a day trip if you plan it out right! I also highly recommend the Descanso Beach Club if you want to spend the day on the beach but have the resort experience. You can rent a day bed or a cabana where you can enjoy food and drink all day on site.

    If you need any recs on things to do/places to go/food to eat, feel free to ask! I’ve been going every summer with the exception of summer 2020.

    XOXO

  • Best New Years Sales

    Ok, so I officially think that Holiday gifts should be exchanged after Christmas. There are sooo many great sales going on it’s crazy. Think about how much money you could save if we all exchanged gifts after the actual holiday. Or you could buy more for less for your loved ones. Ok, rant over…here are some really great sales going on right now.

    NORDSTROM – The Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale is here! Up to 50% off sitewide. Valid through 1/2

    NORDSTROM RACK – Shop Clear the Rack and get an extra 25% off Clearance. Now trough New Year’s Day.

    LULULEMON – We Made Too Much sale still going strong!

    MACY’S – Take 20% off your purchase with code JOY.
    Valid through 1/1

    DSW – Up to $60 off with code HAPPY2020.  
    Valid through 1/1

    LULUS – Take 15% off + free shipping when you shop through the App with code GET15APP.

    AMERICAN EAGLE – Take 25% off jeans and joggers. Plus take 60% off clearance items + an extra 10% off.

    AERIE – Take 60% off clearance items.  
    Valid for a limited time.

    ABERCROMBIE & FITCH – Winter Sale – take up to 60% off, plus 25% off entire purchase with code 14990. Valid for a limited time only

    TARTE COSMETICS – Up to 70% off, plus an extra 20% off with code SALE.  Valid through 1/2

    VICTORIA’S SECRET – Semi Annual Sale 40-70% off 1800+ Styles.

    UGG – Up to 60% off new markdowns. 
    Valid through 1/2

    ANTHROPOLOGIE – Take an extra 40% off sale items.  
    Valid for a limited time.

    URBAN OUTFITTERS – Up to 40% off intimates. 
    Valid for a limited time.

    LOFT – Select styles on sale for $20.20.  
    Valid through 1/2

    GAP – Up to 75% off sitewide, plus an extra 60% off markdowns with code MORE. Valid through 1/7

    OLD NAVY – Up to 75% off sitewide. 
    Valid through 1/1

    ATHLETA – Up to 60% off sale styles. Valid through 1/1

    KOHL’S – Take 20% off with code GOODBYE19. 
    Valid 1/1

    FINISH LINE – End of Season Sale up to 50% off sitewide.
    Valid through 1/14

    SAKS FIFTH AVENUE – 15% off sitewide, plus 10% off beauty and fragrance with code SAKSNYE. Valid through 1/1

    SAKS OFF 5TH – Extra 30% off select clearance items with code ENDOFYEAR. Valid through 1/1

    H&M – Up to 60% off sitewide.  
    Valid 12/25-1/3. 

    NYX COSMETICS – Up to 50% off markdowns. 
    Valid through 1/1. 

    REVOLVE – 20% off final sale items with code YEAREND20. 
    Valid through 1/1

    VERA BRADLEY – 50% off all sale styles. 
    Valid through 1/26

    NET-A-PORTER – Up to 70% off select styles. 
    Valid through 1/13

    BODEN – Up to 50% off sitewide.  
    Valid through 1/1

    SPLENDID – Get 40% off select styles with code HOLIDAY40. 
    Valid 12/24-1/3

    COS – 50% off sitewide. Valid 1/2-1/8

    EQUIPMENT – 40% off sale styles with code WINTER40. 
    Valid through 1/5.

    Happy shopping babes!

    XOXO