Do you have them? A guilty pleasure, or two…. or five? They might be the thing that you do that you don’t talk about with colleagues, or banter about at a cocktail party, but most people have them.
A few years ago I was at a professional conference speaking with a woman who I greatly admire and who is very successful professionally and personally. And somewhere in the conversation she revealed that the Real Housewives series is a guilty pleasure. I was awe and dumb struck at the same time. And so of course I then shared my own feelings for the show – her guilty pleasure was mutual.
These are some of my guilty pleasures, and some are not mine (hello, Twilight). But, it is fun to think about all the things, big or small, that we enjoy wasting time with.
Do you really feel guilty about your “guilty pleasures” or do you just chalk it up to having fun?
What is your vacation style? Do you like to relax on a lounge chair, book in one hand, cocktail in the other or are you a go-getter, exploring new locales with sunblock applied and sneakers tied tight?
I try to do a little of both. We just went to Huntington Beach with friends and we did the most awesome hike at Crystal Cove State Park. The day started out a bit overcast and cool but by the time we reached the top of the ridge the sun was out and I have a burnt nose to prove it!
Trail Map
The great thing about this hike is that if you’re more of a cocktail and lounge kind of a gal at the end of the hike you can justly reward yourself with a sweet sip, a salty bite and this view at the Beachcomber at Crystal Cove.
Crystal Cove State Park
Vacation should be the best of both worlds, don’t you think?
Last weekend I went on an impromptu trip to Florida to see my parents. We cooked, hung out, and relaxed. It was wonderful.
One of the perks of the weekend was enjoying true spring weather and seeing the sun – we haven’t had a ton of sun in DC this winter. Another plus was being able to gorge on fresh Florida spring fruits like strawberries and blueberries. Not flavorless like they are here, and not super tart they were perfectly sweet.
And so, my berry snacks have inspired me for this weekend.
There is something so lovely about the freshness of a new season and the first crop of sweet fruit. I hope you have a beautiful weekend with lots of sweetness and joy.
This weekend the peerless Whitney Houston passed away. I never saw her in concert, I don’t think I owned many CD’s, and I am sure I wasn’t actually allowed to watch her movies. But I did love to sing her songs.
One of my favorite songs that she sang was When You Believe, for the Disney movie, The Prince of Egypt. Written by Babyface and Stephen Schwartz it was performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
Her lyrics spoke volumes of the strength of a woman, and the pain a woman could try to endure, and to the hope of something better.
I hope that she has found something better, more peaceful.
In the life of a woman I think there are a few must have ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and if you’re luck you’ve had a few really great Valentines.
First is a little girl’s dad, my dad is a great card giver.
Then come a series of puppy-loves, and their Whitman Samplers.
Then come the girlfriends, the rose wine, the shared meals at The Cheesecake Factory, and teary movies.
Then comes true love. My forever Valentine is always filled with surprises and his thoughtfulness comes through in small gestures and grand ones.
Mark and I have had so many great Valentine’s Days and dates. But, the truth is, we try to make each day special, and make every day Valentine’s Day if you will. This year (next week!) Valentine’s Day is a Tuesday – smack in the middle of the week and so it calls for a cozy night at home.
This sweet little inspiration board is just perfect, something sexy, something soft, something cozy and a lot of somethings that are sweet.
What is your favorite Valentine’s Day memory? What makes your day – are you a homemade cards and cookies gal, or champagne and a little box kind of a gal? Or maybe somewhere in between?
Last night was the Super Bowl (duh!) and similar to how I let other blogs talk about the movies on Golden Globes and Oscar night, I’ll let other sites talk about the game. I am here to talk about the commercials. Super Bowl Sunday is the only night of the year when people DVR the commercials.
This is the first year in a while that I really enjoyed the commercials, wasn’t offended by them, or wasn’t grossed out by the humor. So, with that said, here are my favorites:
The NFL Timeline was great. I love a sports montage and so this hit the spot for competitive nostalgia.
This KIA Dream Car for Real Life was really enjoyable. I think in previous year’s the husband’s dream would have ended differently but I really liked how KIA “grounded” the commercial in real life.
The Bridgestone Performance Basketball commercial was also really funny and a great cameo performance from some NBA greats on the NFL’s biggest night.
Budweiser’s Here We Go commercial really made me laugh. I know that some people will be unimpressed by the way the dog was treated but following the commercial conversation on Twitter, this Budweiser ad started some great conversation about rescue dogs.
The Budweiser Eternal Optimist commercial was like a 1 minute party spanning 80 years. The costumes, dancing, and music were fun, and the optimistic theme was great.
My favorite commercial of the night was the Chrysler It’s Halftime in America commercial. What a great surprise to see Clint Eastwood, the former mayor of Carmel, California, in this stoic, gritty and inspiring commercial for Chrysler, Detroit, and America.
The interesting thing about Super Bowl commercials, played when more Americans and the international community are watching the same thing on American TV than any other night of the year, is the positive tone so many of the commercials took.
Yesterday was Mark’s birthday. We’ve been celebrating for nearly a week and have a few more celebrations yet.
But this was a bigger birthday and as we often do, we talked quite a bit about the meaningfulness of birthdays, milestones and markers in our life.
We were talking about chapters and how sometimes you don’t realize that one chapter is ending and another one is beginning, and sometimes you’re acutely aware of it.
Mark thinks he is on the precipice of the next great chapter in his life – which is a really exciting concept to think about.
And, of course sometimes the chapters surprise you. One such experience we laughed about is that when you’re graduating from college you think that the graduation moment is the real “chapter change.” But, really its a few months after college, when you’re figuring out what’s next, more independent, perhaps with a job that you realize the significance and gravity of the “chapter change.”
Do you think that milestones can change the chapters in your life?
At the midpoint of this winter season I am struck with a real case of wanderlust that the typical stay-cation doesn’t seem capable of curing. DC’s cold, windy and gray days have me longing for a some salt water and icy drinks, instead of salty sidewalks and icy windows.
The New York Times puts out a list of “must-see” places for each year, and they are all across the spectrum and all around the world. That’s a good start for inspiration, but I already have a good sized list going.
What places are on your travel wishlist?
Paris!
Greece!
South Africa!
Maldives!
These are just a small handful of the world I have yet to see and explore. Where are your Top 3 travel destinations?
Two years ago today Mark and I were joined by our families and friends as we exchanged vows and became husband and wife. On that day we joined two families, we toasted each other and the people we love, we danced, we sang, we kissed.
And I got to marry my best friend. Happy Anniversary, Mark. I love you.
This weekend our favorite Yogi, Eoin Finn, is coming to DC and we are maxing out on yoga-time with a session tonight, two tomorrow, and one on Sunday. If that doesn’t have someone feeling the bliss, I don’t really know what will.
I am really excited to have the weekend to unwind, to connect, and flow.
In honor of our yoga weekend, and with a bit of a sense of humor, I share with you this funny video about yoga culture from Lululemon.
I'm a marketer by day, a lover of all things food, fashion and style by day and night. This is where I share my favorite recipes, trends, and sparkle moments everyday.
I love infusing a little extra something into everything I do; it is apart of branding it with sparkle.
The Daily Batch 