After being sick for a week, I was ready to “get back on horse” as they say and kick butt hiking.  I was on my own this week and didn’t want to hit an all-new spot, so I chose the Sycamore Crest Trail.  This trail is the backside trail...

Frank and I have 6 kids and each of them at one time or another has expressed an interest in cooking or baking in the kitchen. I LOVE that!!! Frank and I recently discovered Dream Dinners and have enjoyed preparing dinners together at least once a mont...

Thanks to Mom Central, I had the opportunity to attend the 2013 Sprint Blogger’s Event in the Bay Area.  I headed to the Sprint Collaboration Center in Burlingame, California and hung out with bloggers (like Margaret of Margs World, Dawn fro...

  Last year I had to travel to Los Angeles to participate in my first mud run and absolutely fell in love with the concepts fun runs.   I am so happy that Run or Dye is coming to the Central Coast in May that I’m tickled pink!  ...

Last week, Arleena and I climbed a mountain – literally – we climb a freaking mountain!!!  In all my years since I’ve lived here on the Central Coast, I’ve always looked at Bishop’s Peak saying, “one day, I’ll hike up that mountain.” And I cannot even ...

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with this past week’s hike.  Arleena chose for us to hike the Stenner Creek Trail; I think mostly due to being one of the closer and shorter trails on our list. In the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains ne...

Objective:  Hike at least once a week.  Whether the hikes are big or small, long or short, with or without kids, I want to actively engage my body and enjoy this beautiful world we live in.  There are so many places to go (free places to...

Grover Beach Boardwalk/ Monarch Butterfly Grove Let me start off this week by saying that I love California and it’s weather!  I’m watching the news and hearing about the cold snaps and snow that’s occurring all over the US right now.  And I’m sorry to...

Imagine this.  The baby is relaxing and happy and you have 15 minutes all to yourself.  Gasp!  What would you do if you had an extra 15 minutes to yourself.  I know for me, when my kids were babies, I probably would have been checking my emails or Face...

 Ok, don’t hate me, but it wasn’t until this past weekend that it started getting chilly here on the Central Coast of California.  I mostly grew up in South Carolina where they have recognizable seasons, and while I listen to the ...

As most of you know, I’m pretty new to the blogging world and social media.  So as you can imagine, I was so thrilled to participate in this past weekend’s Fitcation, which was held right in my backyard of Paso Robles, CA. Leah Segedie of Mamavation cr...

Do you live on or near the Central Coast?  This weekend, Moo La La Boutique will be having it’s Semi-Annual Sale in Santa Maria, California.  This is my second time consigning with Moo La La because I had an amazing experience earlier this year! ...

I am so excited to have Featured Blogger Friday back!  As a blogger who’s been in the business for 5 years, I love “giving back” by putting other bloggers in the spotlight.  It also gives me a chance to get to know other bloggers out there in...

I am so excited to have Featured Blogger Friday back!  As a blogger who’s been in the business for 5 years, I love “giving back” by putting other bloggers in the spotlight.  It also gives me a chance to get to know other bloggers out there in...

When I first moved to the Central Coast, I enrolled in General Education Courses and a Beginning Golf Course at our local community college.  The Golf Course was a lot of fun, even when I swung with all my might and missed the ball!  Then I got to play...

This year was my first time to attend the Mom 2.0 Summit in Laguna Niguel, California and it was an amazing experience!  I had the opportunity to meet with reps of a variety of brands and learn more about their products and the roles they would li...

I love to travel and have been traveling since I was in junior high.  The first trip I took was to the gorgeous island of Maui (one of my Happy Places).  There I met a girl from Canada and we became friends and pen pals – which led to my next trip to A...

This past Thanksgiving, Frank and I and  his kids headed down to Southern California to spend the holidays with family.  While I love my family, I still wanted to have our own personal space in the evenings.  Thanks to Hilton, we had the opportunity to...

We had the opportunity to stay at Embassy Suites in Valencia, and the experience was amazing! Let me tell you, I haven’t eaten that much food for breakfast in a long time. That was one of my favorite features of the hotel. I also loved the friend...

I recently had the opportunity to participate as an Embassy Suites Hotel Ambassador with Mom Central and loved it!  My boyfriend, his kids, and I recently visited Magic Mountain and stayed at an Embassy Suites Hotel in Valencia, California.  The hotel ...