Not Another LA Blonde

Tag: Travel

Happy Birthday to ME!!
Alright y’all I went to bed last night thinking that I would talk about the newest BARKBOX I received over the weekend, but when I woke up this morning I decided to talk about myself a little bit on the blog today...

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Katie

Well here we are, another year, another birthday. Yesterday I turned 25. I’m half way to 50. I’m a quarter of a century old. I don’t know how many other ways to say it…I’m getting old.

Last year I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in my 24^th year of life. Here’s the list I prepared a year ago from my “Nobody Likes You When You’re 23” post:

Things to do before I turn 25:
1. Get engaged (I know this one isn’t up to me, but I can hope right?)
2. Buy a new car – I have wanted a new one for a while as my current car is 10 years old
3. Save enough money to move out of my parents’ house – this one is a little unrealistic at my current pay scale but I’ll still put aside money
4. Travel to at least 5 places big or small – I can’t currently take time off with my new job because of a probationary period
1. Follow through on plans I make with friends (It’s always the same…”omg, let’s hang out” and then it never happens)
Here’s the FINAL verdict on my 24th year of life:

Get engaged: Ok, so for those of you who may not know, or just started following me…as of November 2016, I AM ENGAGED. After 5 years of dating and talking about marriage together, the big day finally happened! The proposal was absolutely amazing and everything I could have wanted! You can read all about my AMAZING proposal here.

Buy a new car: As of June 2017, I became a new car owner! This is something that I have been saving for with my own money for about 6 years now. I was previously driving a 2005 Ford Focus (which I loved, btw, but it was time for an upgrade) I had been looking at more luxury brand vehicles and decided (after much research) that I was between the Mercedes C300 and the Audi A4. I actually know a few people who drive Mercedes, but I wasn’t really impressed after sitting inside of it. The fiancé and I went to the Audi dealership and looked at the A4, but he was a little too tall and didn’t fit comfortably inside it. We then went and looked at the new 4-door A5. They are brand new to the US this year as they’ve only ever had the 2-doors here. Since I loved the idea of having something that no one else did, I was very intrigued by this particular model. I think it was fate because the fiancé did in fact fit into the A5 and we happened to get a once in a life time deal on the car. It was too good of a deal to pass up so a few days later (I had to wait for them to get the white exterior with black leather in) we went and picked up my NEW 2018 Audi A5!!! I absolutely love my car and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Move out of the house: HAHAHAHA ok I’m done laughing now, I did NOT move out of my house this past year. In fact after getting engaged, I realized it was for the best if I stayed home and saved money for the next year and then move out as it gets closer to the wedding. While the fiancé still lives at home as well, we can both save as much as we can plus we’re not in any hurry to pay rent every month so why waste money right now when we can both stay home for about 10 more months? This is also hugely in part with the cost of living in wonderful Southern California (where 1 bedroom rent can be almost 2 grand a month and tear down houses in bad areas are selling for $800k).

Travel: I did in fact make it to 5 different places even though some were on the smaller side.
1. Boise, Idaho – September 2016 – My brother goes to school in Idaho, so my mom and I went for parents weekend and I got to check out all the cool scenery Boise has to offer. Boise was really cool because there were a lot of up and coming spots near Downtown. It was also really cool to watch football being played on the blue field.
2. Palm Springs, California – September 2016 – The fiancé (he was still my BF at this point) and I went to Palm Springs for a little weekend getaway. We just went for the night, but it was still nice to get out of our small town, plus we got a great deal at the JW Marriott. The weather was still hot and there are a ton of great places to eat.
3. Seattle, Washington – November 2016 – This was right after we got engaged. I have friends from college that live in the Seattle area, so Robert and I decided it would be cool to go and visit. We stayed with one of my friends and got to go to the Space Needle and have lunch at the top. We went to Pike Place Market, the gum wall and even went to a University of Washington football game (I enjoy a good PAC 12 game!). While we just went for the weekend, we had tons of fun and got to catch up with some of my friends.
4. Manhattan, New York – January 2017 – This was my weekend getaway to The City with one of my BFFs that I wrote about back in January; you can check it out here. I absolutely LOVE New York and if I could go once or twice a year, I would be a happy camper. I’ve been 3 times in the last 2 years (once in September and twice in the winter).
5. Avalon, Catalina Island, California – June 2017 – This is a small island about an hour away from the Port of LA (where the cruise ships leave out of). My family owns property over on the island so we try and go over at least once during the summer. This was just a little one night trip for my mom and I while my dad and brothers stayed longer. I’ve been going over since I was about 6 weeks old, so there’s nothing super new or exciting now. On this trip though I saw Bobby the Deckhand from Below Deck Mediterranean. He was very friendly and chitchatted with us for a few minutes.
Follow through on plans I make: Hmmm…this one is a little hit or miss. While I did follow through on a lot of my plans I made with people, I just can’t bring myself to go out every single weekend and some of my friends want to do exactly that! I like to go out, but after a long day at work, sometimes it’s nice to curl up with my fur baby and fiancé and watch our shows. So maybe this is one that I can continue to work on some more.

All in all, I think that I met my goals that I made for myself last year on my birthday. I’m proud of the accomplishments that I have made (p.s. I’ve officially been at my job for a full year) and the things that I have done this past year. I know that 25 will bring a lot of change to my life, but it’s all good and exciting change. This will be a whirlwind year with planning the wedding, booking a honeymoon, and finding a place for us to live. I look forward to this coming year and know that I will continue to be blessed in every aspect of my life.

I’m grateful for the opportunities that have not only been given to me, but for the ones that I have worked hard for. I honestly couldn’t be where I am today without the support of my parents and my loving fiancé who continues to amaze me every day.

So CHEERS to 25, let’s make it the best year yet!

XOXO
July 17, 2017
Weekend Getaway: New York Style

Hey y’all I hope you had a great weekend! I know my weekend was filled with running around doing errands and then an ALL day cheer competition on Sunday!

So as I’m sitting at work this morning, I can’t help but look back at my pictures and see what a great time I had two weekends ago in my favorite city – NEW YORK! I don’t have vacation time at work yet, so I have to take advantage of long weekends and off days. Since MLK weekend gave me Monday as a holiday, I had Friday and Monday off, I had planned a weekend trip with one of my girlfriends.

I know some of you may be shaking your heads wondering how on earth a girl from SoCal can make NYC a weekend trip!? You get up and go every morning that your there and you don’t stop going until your head hits the pillow at night, that’s how you do it!

But in case you’re still confused, let me break it down for you:

Thursday:

I took a red eye flight leaving at 9:30pm California time and landing at JFK at 5:30am. I personally LOVE red eye flights because I don’t feel like I’m wasting a whole day and I get to sleep on the plane! It’s like killing two birds with one stone. It’s this feeling of getting to your destination before the rest of the world is awake and I personally already feel ahead of the game.

Waiting to board our plane on Thursday night!

Friday:

Landing day: We landed at JFK at 5:30am and headed down to baggage claim to pick up my luggage (it’s January in the City, of course I needed to check a bag!). I personally enjoy taking the train into Penn Station (right by the hotel I stay at), but my friend was not on board to do that. We ended up taking a Taxi (worst experience EVER!!) and it was soo expensive!! (Side note: taking the train from the airport is less than $20 and the taxi was $60+tip) We finally got to the hotel and, if I’m being honest, was hoping that the room wasn’t ready yet (my plan was to have the hotel hold our bags, go grab breakfast, and get started on the day). Our room was ready and of course my friend wanted to nap, so I let her, but then our day got started later than I hoped and I was hungry. We FINALLY left the hotel closer to 11am and found a diner to eat breakfast at and then made our way to Central Park (there are a ton of different things you can do in the park). The weather was crisp, but it was so nice feeling the cool air on my face. We spent a little time in the park walking around and sitting on one of the many big rocks.

Such a picture perfect moment in Central Park

Then we took a little trek to The Met steps so we could sit and of course take a Gossip Girl inspired picture.

Laughing and loving the great weather in the sun

Once we were done with that, we went back to the hotel where we sat and relaxed for a while then walked down the block to get pizza. The big highlight of the day was signing up for a Paint and Sip Night at the Painting Lounge a few blocks from our hotel. It was soo much fun and definitely not something my Mr. ever wants to do! (If you have never been, an instructor takes you step by step through the painting process and you get to drink wine while you do it!) I absolutely love how my painting turned out and being from SoCal, you don’t normally get to paint the NY scenes.

I absolutely love how my painting came out!

Saturday:

Another late start… when we FINALLY left the hotel, we took the subway to the 9/11 Memorial site where we got off in this really cool mall. We made our way across the street to the Memorials where we sat and reflected for a few minutes in silence. That day had such a huge impact on so many people and when you sit and think, it brings so many different emotions to you at once. It makes you think about where you were at the moment you found out about the attack.

There are no words to accurately describe this moment

After reflecting for a few moments, we got in line to buy tickets to go to the top of One World Trade Center. It’s a short elevator ride up to the 102^nd floor where you can see breath taking views of the city below you. You could literally spend all day looking over the city (I love views like this, so I will definitely go back again).

Views from the top!!

Once we were done there, we took the subway down to Wall Street to see the Charging Bull. It was pretty crowded so we didn’t stick around long.

Grabbing life by the horns

It was getting late into the afternoon, so we headed back towards our hotel and got to Shake Shack right as it started snowing!! Lunch was delicious (I absolutely love Shake Shack, but I’ll only eat it in the city) and the view of the snow falling was like the cherry on top of a sundae!

oops, I might have been to hungry to wait for my picture

Later that evening, we headed over to The Rink at Rockefeller Center to ice skate. We had to wait a while to even get on the ice since it was between skate times. While we waited, we saw a man proposing to his girlfriend right there on the ice! It was picture perfect with the snow still falling as he got to his knee. We skated for a while until we were both tired and hungry. We took a short walk to Junior’s for dinner (they have the best cheesecake!!) and then called it a night after that.

Skating through life without a care in the world

Delicious chicken parm and veggies from Junior’s

Sunday:

The final day… I really wanted to get up early and get going, but my friend had other ideas (sleeping lol).But, I finally made it into Brooklyn and got Rainbow Bagels from The Bagel Store!! It’s this tiny little store that you will literally pass if you’re not paying attention. I ordered my rainbow bagel with confetti cream cheese and then ordered 5 more bagels to bring home with me! I enjoyed my bagel so much that I brought 5 home for my family to enjoy too (you can now order online and have them shipped to you)!

basic bagel and bridge picture

Since New York is all about great picture taking, I knew I just had to tote my bagels all the way over to the Brooklyn Bridge for the perfect picture! I made it to the bridge and snapped a picture, but I would have liked to walk all the way across the bridge. We didn’t too much the rest of the day since our flight was later that evening. We took the train from Penn Station to JFK and got there soo fast that we were way too early and ended up sitting at the airport forever!!

Literally couldn’t have asked for better weather on my last day

As always while I’m in the city, I take the Subway everywhere I go. I think that it is an inexpensive way to get around the city and get to where ever your heart desires! I also think that it helps you get acquainted with the city and definitely makes me feel at home when I can navigate the subway system without looking at a map.

This was the view from the street my hotel was on!

While my trip was a short one, I always enjoy my time in my favorite city and I can’t wait to get back there as soon as possible.

Feel free to leave your comments and let me know what your favorite things to do in the city are!

XOXO

January 30, 2017
2016 – A Wrap Up

Happy Holidays y’all!! I can’t believe that 2017 is literally right around the corner! It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating the start of 2016.

This past year has been full of big things and changes for me. As of last December, I was officially done with college and got my Bachelor’s Degree in in Marketing. This was huge for me since it had taken longer than anticipated and finished in a completely different place than where I had started (let’s just say I’m glad to be done with school for now!).

Earned my BS in Marketing

In February, I went on an amazing trip with my then BF (now my fiance) to Chicago and New York. We spent Valentine’s Day in the city and it could not have been more perfect! It was VERY cold while we were there, but so worth it for these 2 California kids. I loved the fact that I got to explore these 2 fabulous cities with my favorite person! This was our first real trip as a couple (even though we’d been going out for 4 years already) and as soon as we got back I couldn’t wait to start thinking about where we would go next. I know that I want to travel to as many different places with my Mr. right by my side!

Bean there, done that in Chicago

The one and only Lady Liberty

In July, I was offered a full time job with the company that I had been an intern with. It was a big step and honestly, I wasn’t sure I was ready for such a big commitment, but I have been here 6 months now and I am starting to see the big picture of things. This is a great starter job that allows me to grow within and there are tons of perks that my other friends don’t have in their jobs! I know that I won’t be in this particular title forever, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Just another day on the job

In September, the BF and went out to Palm Springs as the last hoorah for the end of summer. We got to enjoy some great weather with a fabulous dinner and drinks right at the hotel! It was a great little overnight trip, although I wish we could have stayed longer!

Soaking up the sun in Palm Springs

I also started coaching the cheer team at a local private school where I live. It’s a great little side job and I absolutely love cheering! This position allows me to still be in the sport that I loved doing for so many years, but now hopefully I can make a lasting impression on the girls I coach. I can’t wait for their competition season to start up in January!

In October, I celebrated my 5 year anniversary with the BF (of course I was still wondering when he’d propose). This was a huge milestone as it is half of a decade! It’s crazy to look back on how far your relationship with one person has grown and evolved over time and it makes you appreciate the little things that make you love this person.

Enjoying a nice dinner with my love

Finally in November, BF proposed to me and made me the luckiest girl in the whole world! I’ve known since the day I laid eyes on him that he was the one and now my dreams are becoming my reality. I get to marry my best friend and spend the rest of my life with him. The planning is already underway and I can’t wait to keep y’all updated!

Literally the best day of my life!!!

Later in November, we took a trip to Seattle to see one of my college friends. We had never been to Seattle before so it was really cool that we both got to experience it for the first time together. We did all of the normally touristy things, got to see/experience real fall wether and even went to a UW game. I personally would love to go back in the summer and take advantage of lake activities.

At the UW game in Seattle

Last but not least, in December we had to let our Disneyland passes expire which was sad for both of us. When we lived closer to the park, we would go ALL the time, but now with both of us in full time jobs and not living near there anymore it became too hard to get out there and take full advantage of having a pass. I know that one day we’ll get passes again, but until then I guess we’ll just put the money for a pass towards the wedding.

Last Disney day for a while

All in all, 2016 was a pretty darn good year for me, but I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for me and the Mr. I already know it will be jam packed with all kinds of wedding planning and, more likely than not, some sort of house hunting. It’s going to be a crazy year, but I wouldn’t trade this adventure for anything!

See y’all next year!

XOXO

December 29, 2016