Tag Archives: blogger

Have Tacos Any Day at Senior Taquero!

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Rather than Tuesday, Dominic and I had tacos on a Sunday!  While out and about just before the Thanksgiving holiday, we had lunch at Senior Taquero in Sabre Springs Plaza.  The menu is very straightforward, with so many items to choose from!  But we stuck to our favorites: rolled and street tacos.  I had the shredded beef rolled tacos topped with lettuce, salsa fresca, guacamole and cheese.  Dominic came a little bit out of his comfort zone by having birria tacos (shredded beef short ribs), which comes with salsa fresca and guacamole, much to his delight!

We can always count on our 8-year old to be open and honest about what he likes; not only did he order an additional two more tacos, but he gleefully said, “Mom, we have to come back here, my tacos were so good!”  There you have it, out of the mouths of babes, Senior Taquero is a must for tacos anytime!

Senior Taquero is located at 11385 Poway Rd San Diego, CA 92128 and they can be reached at (858) 668 -2467.  They are open seven days a week from 8am to 10pm, and you can skip the line by ordering ahead online at their site here.

Cheers!

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Shredded Beef Rolled Tacos with lettuce, salsa fresca, guacamole and cheese

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Birria Tacos with salsa fresca and guacamole

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Dominic approved!

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FTC Disclosure:  I received compensation to patronize a business at Sabre Springs Plaza.  Although I did receive compensation, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Record Store Day Black Friday & Small Business Saturday

The Thanksgiving weekend is always bustling with family, good friends and even better food, but it also means some kind of sale is going on.  Typically, we’re in Las Vegas and my mother-in-law and I head out in the extreme early morning to take advantage of doorbusters at places like Target or Walmart.  This year, we’re here in San Diego, and last night, my husband and I actually went out after dinner and braved our local mall.  He wanted to take advantage of some Funko Pop exclusives at Game Stop and it was just as busy as if it were a regular weekend.  It was a bit much, and we headed home after just a round at the mall.

Although I won’t be giving into the craziness that is Black Friday, something we definitely have taken advantage of is Record Store Day’s version of this shopping holiday and participating in Small Business Saturday.


RECORD STORE DAY BLACK FRIDAY 2017

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Just like the Record Store Day listing that is put out annually in April, here is this year’s listing for RSD Black Friday 2017:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/recordstoreday/2017/2017_BLACK_FRIDAY_PUBLIC.pdf

Here’s a list of some of my favorite record stores in San Diego.  Share some of your finds in the comments below!

Record City

M-Theory Music

Lou’s Records


SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY 2017

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I am such an advocate of shopping locally and showing the businesses in my local community love and support.  You can do the same by shopping small on Saturday and giving back to the community we live in by participating in Small Business Saturday.

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/

Here are links to a few of my favorite local businesses in San Diego, which have been featured frequently here on my blog.  Show them some love on Small Business Saturday!

Vocabulary Boutique

Wysh Boutique

Carlsbad Village Faire

Bubbles Boutique

Sabre Springs Plaza

Poway Valley Center

Rancho Carmel Plaza

Liberty Public Market

Seaport Village

Poway Valley Center Renovation Update!

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In the blink of an eye, the renovations at Poway Valley Center have made some incredible progress!  Along with the top picture, this is the blog post from just three months ago here.  Compare them to the pictures below that my sister snapped this weekend.  What a difference a few months make!

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All photos by Rholnna Jiao

Mother & Daughter Spa Day at Nova Nails!

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Last week, my sister spent an afternoon at Nova Nails, located at Rancho Carmel Plaza.  Since I couldn’t make it up there due to my busy schedule, Rholnna thought it would be great to take her daghter, Mei-Lin, for some after-school pampering!

Mei-Lin mentioned how wonderful it smelled as they entered, like a fruity-citrus scent.  They both loved the color selection and how attentive the staff was to their every mani-pedi need!  If you are a regular reader of my blog, Rancho Carmel Plaza is just a hop, skip and a jump away from where my sister lives, so they’re both happy to know that Nova Nails is near-by and affordable: both of their manicures and spa pedicures were $72.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

Nova Nails is located at 10175 Rancho Carmel Drive, San Diego, CA 92128 and they can be reached at (858) 487-2467.  They are open seven days a week and walk-ins are welcome, so please visit Nova Nails for a family-friendly nail spa treatment!

Cheers!

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Mom & daughter selfie!

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(All photos by Rholnna and Mei-Lin Jiao)

FTC Disclosure:  I received compensation to patronize a business at Rancho Carmel Plaza.  Although I did receive compensation, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Celebrate ENERGY BOWLS™ Happy Hour at Jamba Juice!

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I drink a healthy shake every morning, and we make fruit smoothies and shakes at home all the time.  So it should be no surprise that one of my family favorite places for blended goodness is Jamba Juice (the picture above is from my Instagram feed)!

From September 12th to 22nd, Jamba Juice will be celebrating their ENERGY BOWLS™ Happy Hour from 3pm to 6pm, and those of us in San Diego can grab one for just $4 with the coupon in the link below!

http://www.jambajuice.com/limited-time-offer/san-diego?alias=sandiego

As an added bonus: If you post a picture of one of your favorite  ENERGY BOWLS on social media with the hashtag #BowlGoals, you can win a chance to get a free bowl on your next visit!  Their social media platforms are listed below:

 Facebook

 Twitter

 Pinterest

 Jamba Juice TV

 Instagram

I can’t wait to try these: The Chunky Strawberry Bowl and the Fruit and Greek Yogurt Bowl.  Look out for my #BowlGoals posts in the upcoming weeks on my Instagram feed!

Energy Bowls 2017

FTC Disclosure:  I received a gift card to celebrate this campaign.  Although I did receive a gift card, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Vocabulary Boutique’s Come Sail Away Event Recap

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At the beginning of August, I attended a fun event by Vocabulary Boutique.  It was a shopping event, with a capsule wardrobe curated by Conni of Art In The Find and Kali of In Spades along with boutique owner, Cecelia, who also celebrated the boutique’s 8th anniversary.  It truly was a unique event because although I have attended a few of their events in the past on location at the boutique, this one was on an Aolani Catamaran where we sipped, snacked and shopped while sailing the San Diego Bay!

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This cake was as delicious as it was beautiful!

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A pretty cocktail next to a cute mini-folding chair (I had to take a picture for perspective)

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I had a fun time shopping on board, and I’ll share the new earrings I bought in a blog post!

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Sharing sunshine and smiles with Kali (photo courtesy of Jenna of Lucky Little Mustardseed)

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With Allison of Fashion Week San Diego, Jenna, Kali and Conni (photos courtesy of Kali and Jenna)

Try-Day Friday: Printed Leggings

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My friends, family and co-workers often comment on my style, saying that I’m daring and different, which I really take as a compliment.  There isn’t much I won’t wear, but whatever it is that I’m trying out for the first time has to fit my edgy style.  I’m no stranger to solid leggings, denim “jeggings” or printed jeans (see posts here, here and here), but I haven’t worn any kind of brightly patterned leggings since the bold floral ones I wore in high school.  I think I feared that a printed legging was too “revealing” because although they were technically pants, they were very form-fitting and felt like tights that should be worn under a long knee-length tunic or dress.  Leggings just hug everything, and maybe they weren’t supposed to be worn by a 40-something-year-old like me and should be left to those leggy supermodels!  Black leggings are easy to wear because they are, you know: black.  But printed leggings were a bit of a conundrum for me because I wasn’t entirely sure if I loved them enough to wear them outside of a yoga class or at-home-lounge-wear.  The athleisure trend is growing more and more in popularity, so integrating leggings into one’s wardrobe has become part of the norm.  After promoting Elastic Wonder’s newest venture (blog post here), and being inspired by the “Try-Day Friday” initiative from plus size clothing company Dia&Co, I thought I’d finally put up this outfit post.

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I worked on this outfit post with my sister months ago, when one of my friends asked me to try LulaRoe leggings because she was one of their “Retailers” at the time.  I decided to finally figure out what all the hype was about because so many of my friends were telling me how soft they were and that the prints were fun.  Being the kind of fashion blogger that I am, I just couldn’t picture myself in kinds of whimsical prints that were available through the collection she presented in her online trunk show.  After viewing many-a-legging later, I finally found a pair that I felt I could style: star printed leggings.

Truth be told, the LulaRoe leggings are very soft and the elastic is comfortable on the waist.  Really, I chose these leggings not only for the star print, but because there were only three distinct colors: silver, yellow and black.  I know that the attraction to these leggings are that their prints are unique and bold, but I would rather wear leggings in a variety of bright solid colors, or a simple bold houndstooth or checker print.

I’d like to say a special thanks to Dia&Co for the inspiration to finally have a reason to share these pictures, not only because we should all dare to try something new, but because I really loved the location my sister and I picked to do this photo shoot: Albert Einstein Academics in South Park.  Let me know if there are any fashion fears you are willing to face and try out on a “Try-Day Friday” in the comments below. Cheers and have a great weekend!

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Outfit:  Forever 21 sweatshirt; LulaRoe leggings; Bodhi “Safety Pin” purse; Altuzurra for Target ankle boots; BonLook “Keiko” sunglasses; Leather wrap Depeche Mode bracelet by Little Treasures by Mir; rings by Wendy Brandes; Earrings c/o Kendra Scott (here); Karl Lagerfeld Watch

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Pins by EmeraldSora, EmojiPins (purchased from Bobby Pins Co) and PSA PRESS

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(All photos by Rholnna Jiao)

Can You Give Me Directions to Mark Hamill Drive?

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Not long after Comic-Con, Dominic and I attended a truly one-of-a-kind event: Mark Hamill’s street sign dedication!  I heard about the event on KUSI News because news anchor Lisa Remillard mentioned she would be hosting the event.  It was a hot day, which made it a tad bit rough on Dominic, but he stuck it out like a (Storm) trooper and we witnessed a cool bit of Star Wars history.  For those of you who are wondering, “Why San Diego?” Mark Hamill spent some of his childhood in the Clairemont area, where the street sign is located.

We originally had a strange vantage point because we decided to grab some lunch nearby, which meant had lost some prime real estate where we would have had a better view. As a result, we had to stand in an awkward place behind the media staging area.  Luckily for us, my cousin Regi and her son Riley had been in attendance and we moved closer to the action right near the actual stage.  I’ve included a couple of videos below, which was Mark Hamill’s speech, the unveiling of the honorary street sign and declaration of July 30, 2017 as “Mark Hamill Day”.

May The Force be With You and Cheers!

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Clockwise from the left: Me, Regi, Riley & Dominic

Elastic Wonder’s Kickstarter Project: The 80 Solid Colors Spandex Leggings & Pantashoes Solution!

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Fashion powerhouse Balenciaga introduced the “Cosmetic Pantashoes” taking the thigh-high boot to a new level by creating a legging/boot hybrid.  I love the look, and it can be worn so many ways, as in the images below from The Daily Mail (article here).  While the look is sleek and very fashion forward, the price tag of $2,850 may be a little more than most of us can afford.

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Balenciaga’s Pantashoes

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Elastic Wonder’s LeggingShoes™

One of my favorite designers, Idil Vice (see posts here, here and here of her rock inspired designs), has a second company called Elastic Wonder, showcasing her amazing spandex clothing line.  To expand her current line, Idil has a Kickstarter project that will offer a more affordable version of the Pantashoe called the LeggingShoes™.

In addition to the fabulous LeggingShoes™, her new Kickstarter project also features 80 fabulous solid colors of her spandex leggings and tights, as seen in the images below.  With fall just around the corner, these leggings, tights and LeggingShoes™ will brighten up any wardrobe!

There are 15 different ways to back this fantastic project, and you know I’ll also be supporting it as well.  Click the link below for the Kickstarter campaign, and check out samples of the the colors Idil will offer of the leggings and tights, including a color card of all of the colors that will be available at Elastic Wonder once we help her hit her goal!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1726153398/the-80-solid-colors-spandex-leggings-and-pantashoe

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(All images, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Elastic Wonder)

Poway Valley Center is Open During Renovations!

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Back in March, my sister and I had a wonderful lunch at Bongiorno’s New York Pizzeria at Poway Valley Center (original post here).  If you’ve been by there lately, there are some exciting changes happening, with completion planned for this fall.  Although updates are underway, all of the businesses are open during renovations!  My sister took these pictures this week, and even stopped by and picked up her favorites at Bongiorno’s.  We have also made plans to come back and try out Don Pollo, and then get our nails done at Glaze Complete Nail Care.

So if you’re in the area, come on in and visit Poway Valley Center because they are definitely open for business!

Cheers!

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All photos by Rholnna Jiao