24 Hours in Vegas

One of my friends was in Vegas for the annual CES convention, so I decided to be spontaneous and book a flight out to spend a night with her at the Cosmo.  After all, who can turn down free accommodations in Vegas?  We squeezed in a lot in the 24 hours that I was there!  I got in around 2PM and immediately met up with her at the Venetian hotel.  We made our way over to our hotel and squeezed in a quick workout.  Well, I actually didn't work out but I did guide my friend through one of my HIIT workouts!

It was a beautiful clear night and the view from our room was breathtaking.  I really love a skyline view.

Afterwards, we went to dinner at Scarpetta.  We ordered the braised short rib on risotto for an appetizer and shared the lobster pasta, brussels sprouts, and cod.  The food was pretty disappointing to be quite honest, but the bomboli dessert was pretty good.  Afterward, we headed to the Palms resort up to the penthouse for a private party.  I think my friends and I were the only females there.  Keeping an open mind, it was actually a really great time meeting her coworkers.  I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.  

Afterwards, I was craving fries so I stopped by Wahlburgers and ordered the Walburger, tator tots and fries.  Darn, it wasn't as amazing as I hoped it would be and I paid for eating all that grease the entire next day!

The next day, we ate at Wicked Spoon and oh my gosh, it was the absolute worst!  I barely ate my $30 worth.  The buffet was just horrible - wasn't it supposed to be one of the best a few years back?  No wonder there was no line even at 11AM on a Saturday.  I guess you can see the trend by now...we didn't have much luck with food.

Finally, I hit the tables before leaving and lost $80.  Boohoo.  But, my trip was still worth it because I got to spend quality time with my sweet friends!

September Noteworthies

Fall is upon us!  Hopefully this crazy hot weather will start cooling down.  I escaped the heat for a super quick 36 hour trip to Seattle to visit one of my good friends.  Staying at her beautiful home was similar to staying at a resort.  She lives right on Lake Washington and the weather was perfect!  We had dinner at my favorite restaurants in Seattle - Purple Cafe and Potbelly, took an early morning walk to Starbucks, went for a 3 mile run, and had a delicious hot pot meal her Mom prepared for us.

 Taking a moment to relax at the end of the pier that extends from her backyard (seriously!)

Kayaking on the lake!  Her 6 year old had to teach me how, lol!

 View from her living room!

So, BOOK REVIEW.  I read the most amazing book this month, best out of the nine I've ready so far for 2016!  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah!  I had been waiting for this book to become available for over a month now at the library, so I finally ended up buying my own copy, and am so glad I did!

Seriously, do yourselves a favor and pick up this book right away.  It is so beautifully tragic!  The story takes place during WWII in France and centers around two sisters who struggle to stay alive and resist the German occupation of France.  They are both estranged from their Father and have walked different paths in life which extends into the roles they play during the war.  One of them met her husband early on in life and has built a family living simply on the countryside.  The younger of the two is rebellious and spontaneous.  Both do everything they can to persevere through the most trying times, witnessing tragedies along the way, but always finding strength to move forward.  Read it now!

August Noteworthies

This month, I want to start with my book review for a book recommended by my sister in law.

So heartwarming.  This is a story about a man who suffered the loss of his son, is a recovering alcoholic and decides to spend his summer traveling to different national parks with his late son while spreading his ashes along the way.  His RV breaks down and through that event, encounters two young boys who grew up in a troubled household and ends up taking them with him on his journey.  It was so beautiful to see their relationship unfold and how they unexpectedly changed each others' lives forever.  After finishing this book, I feel inspired to rent an RV and drive to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon with Echo (although dogs are only allowed in limited areas at these parks, boo!).  And there was the cutest dog, Woody in the story as well and of course, I pictured him to look like Echo.  If you're looking for a book that inspires you to get out into nature and leave you feeling warm inside and bursting with love, this is a book for you!

This month was all about birthdays.  Happy birthday to my sister-in-law, my brother, J, and most importantly, my Mom who turned 60!  My brother and I took her to Mastros a day before her actual birthday and then we celebrated with the rest of the family on her actual birthday.  

I was also quite spontaneous this month taking two less than 24 hour trips just for the fun of it!  Earlier in the month, I flew up to SF and visited my old stomping grounds from when I used to work up there (i.e., ferry building, Miette's cupcakes).  Toward the end of the month, I went to Chicago and covered all the touristy stuff in one FULL day.  Think Navy Pier, the Bean, Buckingham Fountain, Soldier Stadium, architecture tour, Hancock building....yes, everything!

 The weather in Chicago was absolutely perfect!

Finally, I ended the month with an amazing time at Outcry where Kari Jobe and Hillsong Y+F performed.  I always love worship - it is when I feel most connected and at peace!

Hillsong Y+F. Kari Jobe. Sister in Faith. ❤️ #outcrytour #hillsongyoungandfree #karijobe #trulyblessed

A video posted by Truly Blessed (@trulyblessedssl) on Aug 30, 2016 at 1:23am PDT

Vous Conference

I randomly decided to attend Vous Conference, a conference held by a church led by Rich and DawnChere Wilkerson in Miami, FL this month.  It was the quickest long distance turnaround trip I have ever done, and in many ways it was worth it.  We heard from 4 amazing speakers, and I mean AMAZING where even I wanted to stand up and yell "Amen!" or "Preach it!" all whilst pumping my fist, but of course shy me kept my bum glued onto my seat.  The Vous Church blog gives a great summary of the weekend, but here is my quick snippet and what I got most out of Vous Conference.  All my photos were pulled directly from their blog.

Friday night started out with worship and then we heard from Pastor Rich Wilkerson who preached on the topic of Even If...

 Pastor Dawnchere and Rich Wilkerson

• Sit with someone.  Stand for something because if you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything.  Walk through everything.
• When life heats up, that is when God shows up
• You can't change what you can't tolerate
• Worship from a blessing, not for a blessing
• Favor is not found in where you are, it's found in who you are
• If you are too big to serve, then you are probably too small to lead

On Saturday, we heard from his wife Dawnchere who preached on the topic of "Let It Shine".  Let me tell you, this young lady can preach!

• Most people pray for patience, self control, understanding, etc...but what they don't realize is that these are all fruits of labor from a relationship with Jesus and are not "sold separately".  So we have to ask ourselves, do we want a relationship with Jesus and what do we do to build that relationships?

We also heard from Robert Madu who preached on the topic of "From Water To Wilderness".

• Water was likened to getting Baptized, or the beginning of your walk with Jesus.  Wilderness referred to your life journey after making that commitment, meaning that just because you devote yourselves to God doesn't meant that everything is smooth sailing from there on out
• After you experience in the water, how are you going to win the war in the wilderness?
• You have to know where you are (what season of life are you in?)
• The word is your weapon
• You have to know what's at stake
• Know where your help comes from

Next up was my favorite pastor of all time, Erwin McManus.  He leads Mosaic, a church now based in Hollywood.  He was the first Pastor I ever heard speak and I followed him for several years.  It was such a treat to know that he was making a special appearance at Vous Conference.  It really moved me to see him thanking Pastors Rich and Dawnchere for inviting him there, but more importantly, he professed that until his last breath, he would be forever grateful for their role in his son's life, who had fallen away from God/Church until they spoke prophetically into his life, changing the course of his life completely. 

• What do you want from God and what do you have?  Ask God for what you want and let Him let you know when you've asked for too much.  Don't limit God!

Finally, we heard from Christine Caine, whom I haven't heard of but the audience seemed to really look forward to her sermon.  If I were to pick one moment that resonated with me the most, it would be a moment that came from her message which I've written in blue in my summary below.

• You're going to live out a story for a while before it becomes a testimony.  The devil isn't afraid of a story, he is afraid of a testimony
• Being more than a conqueror means you come out of the battle, then you go back in to bring other people out
• Favor is for service, not for purpose
• God will always interrupt your own plans with His purpose
• What you have to fight is the "what if".  Replace what you don't know about the future with what you do know about God
• Impossible is where God starts

A photo posted by @trulyblessedssl on Jun 12, 2016 at 8:47pm PDT

Chicago

It is amazing what a few days getaway can do you for you, especially when you are surrounded by so much love.

 I went to the Art Institute of Chicago museum and found my favorite exhibit of all time!  Of all the exhibits I have visited around the world, this is by far my most favorite!  There were 68 miniature rooms visible through a small glass window with the most exquisite details and realistic portrayal of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s.

Dinner at RPM Italian was a must try because I am a long time fan of the Rancic family.  I was very impressed by how busy the restaurant was on a Monday night, but more importantly, the food did not disappoint!  Everything was delicious.  I can't wait to go back and try their other restaurant RPM Steak!

My trip would not be complete without playing "stalker" and taking a photo in front of the Rancic's house.  I was hoping I would get lucky and see them taking a stroll in the neighborhood, but I guess it would have been a little too chilly for little Duke.

Venice, Italy

The last leg of our trip was Venice.  When traveling internationally, I expect things to go wrong, but I think it's safe to say that Venice was where Murphy's law took full effect.  It all started with us getting off one stop early on the train ride from Florence to Venice and then having to take the bus to our hotel.  Then, we missed our stop by a 30 mins walk, so we had to drag our luggage in the rain and back track.  We finally made it and after taking a short break in our hotel room, we ventured off into Venice.

We ate at Pontini, a restaurant we found on Yelp.  The waiter was super energetic and the food was delicious!

I finally understand what people mean when they say to "get lost in the streets of Venice".  It is very easy to get lost as you take turn after turn with sensory overload over all the beautiful sites, stores and eateries.

So when it came time to check out, the hotel accused us of not paying our bar bill of 15 Euros the evening before.  I am 110% sure we paid them, but they did not document our payment, so we were delayed by 25 mins and had our train to catch to head back to Rome.  Needless to say, we missed our train and I had to buy 4 new tickets and were delayed by an hour.  I am a big baby and cried after that because I just absolutely hate wasting money and didn't think it was "fair" that we had to pay the price for the hotel's stupidity.  You can be sure I will file a complaint with the hotel to get every penny back!

All in all, I had a good birthday in Italy, but it is truly nice to be back home again!!  I am so grateful that my parents took good care of Echo while we were gone.  They took him to daycare everyday and picked him up after they got off work.  They sent me countless videos and photos so that it would make being away from him easier.  They also bought him a brand new toy and fed him an apple everyday as a little treat - he definitely gets spoiled over there!  I am lucky to have such amazing parents!

Florence, Italy

Our next stop in Italy was Florence.  This was by far my most favorite city.  It was so beautiful there and maybe staying at the beautiful Westin Excelsior helped since it was a very central location to shopping and restaurants.

Every morning, I ran along the river while enjoying the beautiful view which was so very surreal.

 Like the locals do, we visited a local pastry shop for breakfast and drank our coffees at the bar

We took a private tour to Pisa and into the Chianti region to check out the countryside of Tuscany.  The Leaning Tower of Pisa was much smaller in person, but still remarkable to see in person

 Supposedly, the owner (pictured here) of Gelato Donoli won a contest on the food network for the best new flavor of gelato.  Honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference between different gelato places, but the gelato here did taste very creamy

 During our tour, we also stopped by a winery for some wine tasting.  Their tastings are more formal in comparison to what I have experienced in the states where it's sit down with a plate of cheese, prosciutto and crackers and at this particular winery, they offered at least 9 tastings for a total of 20 Euros 

We traveled up the bell tower next to the Duomo and climbed 414 steps for this view.  Every bit worth it!

We actually ate at this local sandwich shop twice because it was SO delicious and cost only 5 Euros!

There were so many dogs in Italy!  I would definitely live in Florence because they are so dog friendly there.  Dogs were allowed in restaurants, supermarkets...everywhere!  We saw a couple dogs who got lost and were actively looking for their owners.  Luckily, Italians love dogs and they were more than helpful in helping the dogs find their humans again.

 

Next stop - Venice!

Rome, Italy

We just got back from a 10 day trip to Rome, Florence and Venice.  All in all, it was a great trip with a lot of sightseeing, pasta eating and traveling.  I feel extra blessed to have been able to travel with my sister and brother-in-law as I know that as we continue to get older, group trips like these will be more and more difficult.  This was my second time in Rome, and I have to admit that none of it looked familiar because it's been over a decade since I last went.  We tried our hand at an AirBnB rental and absolutely loved it!  It was great to have our own bedrooms and kitchen where we could enjoy a delicious cup of coffee in the morning over a home cooked breakfast! 

 Our first meal in Rome at Osteria dei Pontefici

 

Selfie stick photo at the Colosseum

Fun photo spot at the Pantheon

Birthday presents for me from loved ones

At Roma Termini getting ready to hop on a train

Top recommendations & tips: Dinner at Osteria der Belli in the Trastevere area, Buying tickets in advance to the Vatican, Entering the Colosseum via the Pantheon entrance to avoid the long lines, Take the bus everywhere - it's super easy and affordable

Next stop - Florence!

Maui

Over Labor Day weekend, we traveled to Maui with a few friends.  We visited our favorite spots (mostly centered around food, of course) and indulged in spam musubis, shaved ice and shrimp trucks.  We also visited the Haleakala Crater for the first time getting our butts up at 3AM in the morning, making the 2 hour drive up to the top and then waiting in the frigid cold for the sunrise. 

Mama's Fish House

Ululani's Shaved Ice

Ojai Valley Inn Part Deux

Visiting Ojai Valley Inn is starting to become a tradition for us.  This time around we only stayed for one night and surprisingly, it was plenty!  We rented a cabana at the adult pool and lounged for the day then got up bright and early on Sunday for a massage followed by a complimentary breakfast outdoors before heading over to the onsite pub to watch the World Cup.  We wrapped our trip up with a stop at the Camarillo Outlets for some goodies.