My $10 Bustier Dress + The Cutest Macarons at Ketsourine

I don't usually like sifting through the clearance racks at F21, but every once in a while, I muster up the patience to fight through and stumble upon a gem.  This $30 dress was on sale for $10 so I scooped it up immediately.  I love bustier-anything so this was a no-brainer in my book!  It's obviously super easy to dress up, but I wanted to wear it casually so I paired it with my fave plaid top and sky-high platform wedges.  A huge thanks to the wonderful Steeze Media for capturing these images! 

Here's a shot of my dress sans top!  Everything here (other than my dress obviously) has been featured on SS before.  I'm the sensible stylista, so I'm all about mixing and matching.  Not all of us have the $$$$ to purchase new stuffs every day so it's important to know how to style various looks with pieces you already own.  In fact, I refuse to buy something if I can't think of at least 3-4 ways to wear it because it'll end up chilling in my closet and gathering dust.  Do you guys have any shopping rules or restrictions?  If yes, what are they?

Shop today's OOTD:

All smiles because life is beautiful, and I'm a giant nerd!  As I'm sure you all know from instastories, I spent a week in frisco with the bf.  He was such a trooper, driving me to all my meetings and helping me take photos of everything.  I'm a lucky girl for sure!  Long distance has been a challenge, but things are SO good.  We had a tough time in the beginning, but we powered through and everything's pretty much perfect now.  When things are right, you just know, and distance seriously means nothing when feelings are strong like this.

ANYWHO, I'm getting off topic - let's tackle noms!  I've wanted to check out Ketsourine Macarons for months now, and I FINALLY got to visit.  I was supposed to come last time, but I was here with Stitch Fix and my schedule was cray so I didn't get to - I'm SO glad things worked out this time around because their store is just as dreamy in real life as it is on instagram.  I remember seeing pictures and thinking, "hm, it can't really be that fab"...BUT IT IS! Everything's on point for reals - the decor's classy + elegant, and the macarons are to die for delish.

A huge thanks to KM for being so kind and welcoming.  There are two cookie sizes available: classic & grande. Classic costs $2.25 and grande's $3.25 a pop.  Classic flavors include pistachio, lemon, raspberry, espresso, strawberry, chocolate, and caramel.  Their signatures are as follows: pecan maple praline, thai tea latte, guava rose, early grey, and more!  

In addition to yum macarons, they sell a ton of nomtastic drinks like teas, coffee, and boba!  Here's a shot of the caramel boba my bf and I tried - we got it with whipped cream and sprinkles for funsies. For those of you interested, they also carry macaron ice creams ($5) so make sure you guys give 'em a try!  I wanted to sample their pistachio flavor, but I was already stuffed from inhaling cookies so I decided to pass.  Oh well, I guess that means I'll just have to come back next time...as if I needed a reason to, ha.

My FAVE yums from my visit though? Their adorable character macaroons.  Omg, I can't even handle how cute they were.  They had a BUNCH of different ones including Pusheen, Pikachu and Jigglypuff.  I seriously spent a good 5 minutes fawning over them through the glass, ha.  

See how excited I am? I couldn't even bring myself to eat them, ha.  I held onto my Pikachu for a good half hour before devouring him - hashtag sorry not sorry buddy!  If you live in the bay area or are visiting, you HAVE to go and try their noms.  Everything tastes just as good as it looks!

Anywho, that's it for today guys!  I hope you enjoyed my latest post.  I'm thinking about starting a new series on here or perhaps on youtube (???) chronicling my weekly adventures!  I compiled and shared a "101 in 1001 days" a while back, but I was really bad about it.  I wrote my bucket list out, but that was the extent of it all, ha.  So, I thought I'd hold myself accountable by possibly vlogging? What do you guys think - is that something you'd be interested in? Let me know by commenting below.

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Getting Medieval Up In Here: Medieval Times with the BF

Thanks to Visit Baltimore, I finally got to check out Medieval Times with the bf.  I live near the castle in Arundel Mills, MD so it was super convenient.  I had heard a lot about the experience from friends so I was pumped to enjoy the food + show.  So imma break it all down for y'all: you purchase your tickets via phone or internet and then pick 'em up at the call window before the show.  We reserved tics to the 7:30 viewing on Saturday and got there around 7:10ish.  The rep on the phone recommended that we get there around 6:30 for pre-show festivities and seats (it's all first-come, first-served), but it ended up being fine!  We sat in the very back, but we could still see everything clearly, andddd we liked the fact we could exit quickly. ha.

Everyone's in character and people get really into it!  There are six different "teams," and you're sorted accordingly so you can cheer for your knight.  As you can see, the bf and I were seated in the blue section.  I was beyond impressed with the setup - the arena was HUGE!  We were pretty hangry at that point so we anxiously awaited noms.

On that note, let's take a look at their 4-course menu!  We started with a yummy tomato bisque - it was nice and hot, served with a slice of buttery garlic bread.  Then we got giant piece of roasted chicken (breast and thigh) for our main with corn-on-the-cob and half of a herb-basted potato as sides.  Dessert was a piece of lemony pound cake.  I'm not a huge fan of lemony stuffs, but this was surprisingly moist so I had quite a bit of it.  Overall, the food was quite good, but it was cooked with a LOT of butter so yeah - the corn was like 70% corn and 30% butter, haha.

Now, since everything's set in "medieval times," no one got silverware.  If you're not a fan of eating with your hands, just talk to your waiter.  He or she will probably tease you about it, but they'll get you some plastic utensils STAT!  BF and I didn't end up getting coffee because we left a little early - I assume they served peeps towards the end - but we got two servings of dranks.  You have a choice between sweet tea and pepsi.  I don't drink either so I asked my waiter for diet pepsi, which they carried.  FYI, they also carry vegetarian options - just let them know before dinner service starts!

The show itself wasn't THE most incredible thing I've ever seen, but it was still a really good time. Big ups to the falcon segment though - the bird soared all around the arena, which was by far my favorite part!  Regardless, I had a lot of fun supporting my team throughout the jousts and duels, even though the fights were kind of corny.

Do I recommend the experience? If you're going with friends and family, for sure.  And a HUGE yes, if you have little kids with you.  We saw SO many munchkins enjoying their time there! There were tons of birthdays going on + hoards of peeps from the military & local colleges there to blow off some steam. 

All the knights lining up to greet the crowd! They all jousted first on horse before engaging in hand-to-hand combat (as pictured above).  

They have 8 other locations (Atlanta, Buena Park Cali, Dallas, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Lyndhurst, Chicago, and Toronto), and there are various ticket packages to choose from.  For those of you interested, group rates are available.  The whole show lasts for 2 hours, and tickets are $59.95 a pop for adults and $36.95 for children under 12.  

A huge thanks to Visit Baltimore & Medieval Times for hosting us.

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Tearing up Phoenix: Part 2

Alright guys, it's time for part 2 of my Phoenix recap - if you missed segment one and want to catch up, clicky here.  Now, it's been a while, but if I remember correctly the aforementioned post ended with me, Mel and Diana passing out at Hotel Valley Ho after a long but very fun day.  We were all exhausted, but we woke up hella early anyways because we wanted to take photos around our suite and eat breakfast before hitting up Usery Mountain Regional Park.  

We ordered a TON of room service and shot a kickass flat lay in bed!  In case you're wondering, we got a fruit smoothie, a yogurt parfait, a vat of coffee, Belgian waffles, red velvet waffles, and a mushroom omelette with toast and taters.  I'm not gonna lie, by the time we shot everything the noms were straight up cold...but luckily still delicious.  We were laughing our asses off while styling this shot (see it on insta here) because we tied Diana's camera to the chandelier to get the best angle possible.  Hashtag creative blogger solutions.  

After scarfing down brekkie, we changed quickly and checked out.  Tai from Boss Transportation was waiting for us out front to take us to Usery.  Anddddd let's just take a time out to talk about Tai for a quick sec.  If you're in AZ and need a ride, hit him up STAT.  He epitomizes professionalism and is cool as hell - he'll get you wherever you need to go on time all day, every day with max comfort. You'll seriously feel like an a-lister riding in the back of his whip.

Anywho, it took us about 20-30 minutes to get to Usery, and I was amped during the entire drive.  I'm a huge fan of hiking, and I had no doubt the views would be ridiculously amazing so I was pumped. Usery Park's located on the valley's east side and takes in 3,648 acres set at the western end of the Goldfield Mountains.  We hiked Wind Cave trail and ended up 2,840 feet off the ground (!!!) It took us a bit longer than expected and we ended up being hella late, but it was worth every minute because the view was spectacular up top!  

Here's a shot of us resting in the wind "cave" - I say "cave" because it's more of a scar-like depression in the rock.  Definitely worth checking out regardless!  Pro tip aka common sense tip: don't go around flipping random rocks and stay on the main trail.  This is the desert after all, and you don't want to piss off the critters (rattlesnakes, tarantulas, scorpions, etc.) that live there.  It's honestly fine, and I don't want to scare anyone, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right? I didn't see anything other than a cute chipmunk and hummingbird, but one of the guides told us she saw a snake on the main path a while back so just be attentive...and smart.

After our hike, Tai drove us to Queen Creek Olive Mill for a tour + tasting.  We got there and were greeted by the most beautiful spread of tapenades, sandwiches, charcuterie, and sweets.  I wasn't super hungry (shocking I know) so I decided to just chill and munch on a cupcake while chatting with my new blogger friends.  They were raving about the food so I'm assuming it was delish - I'm actually kind of bummed that I passed on noms now, but I guess that just means I'll have to go back.  

Diana and I finished quickly so we decided to explore.  We walked inside and sampled rows of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I can't even begin to tell you guys how good everything tasted.  I would've TOTALLY purchased several bottles to go, but I didn't have space inside my suitcase so I had to pass - such a bummer. Their cheese stuffed olives and gelato though? So much yasssss.

The different bruschettas that were waiting for us: Caprese with roasted garlic olive oil, fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, and robus EVOO.  Honey mascarphone, grapes, fig balsamic reduction, and balanced EVOO.  Then a pear one that I can't remember? I think it was seasonal!

Delish cupcakes that were to die for good.

Then we went off to our second lunch, ha.  I was SUPER excited to go to Agritopia because I saw that we were eating at Joe's Farm Grill - it was featured on Guy Fieri's show, "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."  After studying the menu for a solid 15 minutes, I decided to get two dishes that were featured on the show:  the Fontina Burger (made with roasted red pepper, grilled mushrooms, field greens, farm-made pecan pesto, and imported fontina cheese) and Onion Rings (hand-breaded in rosemary-dill panko).

I enjoyed the burger's flavor profile, but for me, the star of the show was def. the onion rings.  They were crispy morsels of perfection, and I just couldn't get enough.  Oh, and did I mention that Agritopia sells same-day harvested produce at The Farm Stand (in their community) in addition to providing fresh ingredients for the diner?  Oh hell yes.

My noms - my presh noms.

After eating aka experiencing mad food coma, Tai escorted us to The Scott Resort where we checked in.  Once again, we were blown away by the facilities, and they made us feel super welcome with cute gift bags!  Mel and I had spa treatments scheduled at 3:30 so we unpacked quickly and power-walked to Jurlique.  She chose to get a resurfacing enzyme facial, while I got a Vichy Nirvana massage (as did Diana).  

This may have quite possibly been one of the best experiences I've ever had, like, in my life. My therapist gave me a medium pressure full body massage while immersing my bod under their vichy shower, and I seriously felt like I was melting...and I mean that in the best way possible.  I came out totally relaxed, but wished it was 90 minutes long instead of 60, ha.  I'd honestly go back to Phoenix just to get pampered at Jurlique again.

Post-spa chilling in my Amiclubwear shoot!

...splashing water because I'm hella playful...

A huge thanks to Brooklyn Hat Company & Lipton PR for sending me this adorable hat!  I wore it EVERY day in AZ because I thought it was the cutest. I still can't get over how adorbs the design is - it has little pom poms (!!!!) See a shot of it here on my instagram.  

Anywho, after chillaxing and shooting pics, we rushed back to our room to get ready for happy hour + a fab culinary reception hosted by The Scott's culinary team.  They hired a new chef recently so they were super excited for us to taste their food - they're apparently revamping the menu and also renovating the resort throughout 2017.  After tasting their noms, I'm kind of sad I didn't get to try their actual dinner menu.  The food and cocktails were so on point!  The girls and I totally "mmmmm-ed" out loud as we sampled everything.  After chatting with the manager for a bit, we ubered to SumoMaya for dinner...

...and died from multiple foodgasms.  Who knew Phoenix was foodie heaven? I've seriously had some of the most amazing food I've ever had in my LIFE in AZ.  SumoMaya's a Mexican/Asian fusion restaurant featuring delish tapas that'll leave you ridiculously satisfied.  We got two different kinds of sangria (rose + red) to start and browsed the menu leisurely before deciding on the following: Spinach + Bacon Salad, the Lobster Mango Roll, Rainbow Ceviche, Rock Shrimp Tempura, Korean Beef Tacos, Pescado Dorado Tacos, Seared Scallops, and Mexican Street Corn.  

The grub was out of this world. If heaven was a food, it'd probably taste like SumoMaya.  As many of you know, I don't eat fish so I skipped the Ceviche and Fish tacos, but everything else was game.  The spinach + bacon salad came with baby spinach, warm bacon, togarashi, walnuts, raisins, asian pear, and pickled egg topped with a champagne vinaigrette.  Everything was fresh, and the flavors complemented each other beautifully.

The roll featured main lobster, crab, mango, okinawa, potato and piquillo chimichurri - super flavorful so no soy sauce necessary IMO.  The korean tacos were seasoned with yakiniku sauce and served with pickled veggies + kimchee - def. one of my faves from the night!  Althoughhhh, it's a tough call between them and the seared scallops.  The latter was seared perfectly and served in a citrus coconut plantain sauce + smoked bacon fufu.  I mean, I can't even. I'm still salivating at the thought of it all.  And the mexican street corn? Made with cotija, spicy mayo and lime, it was a total party in my mouth.  We ended the meal on an extra high note with different kinds of mochi ice cream + chocolate cake & caramel gelato.  

With our bellies full of food, Mel and I concluded that we desperately needed to work out so we powered through Tabata Strength (from the Insanity Max 30 workout) to burn calories before passing out.  Fast forward to day 4: we woke up bright and early again to check out the Desert Botanical Garden.  We had the option of sleeping in, but why do that when there's more to see?  

Tai picked us up and we got our browse on for a good 1.5 hours.  The garden was HUGE (140 acres to be exact) so we only got to see a small portion of it, but everything we saw looked gorg.  Some impressive stats for you guys, it houses 50k+ plants and averages 633k+ visitors yearly.  For those of you interested in visiting, tickets are $24.95 per adult, $12.95 for kids age 3-17, and free for members and children under 3.

Afterwards, we met up with everyone at Phoenix Public Market Cafe for breakfast.  I ordered a latte and a housemade juice ($6.50) to start - it was called the Hulk, and it had spinach, kale, cucumber, apple, parsley, lemon, and celery.  For my entree, I wanted something healthy so I went with their Quinoa Bowl, served with poached eggs, market vegetables (sourced directly from the adjacent farmer's market), quinoa, and pesto ($10.25).  

Management also brought out a platter of housemade pastries for us to share, and it was all super nom.  See that flaky goodness that's topped with strawberry frosting? That's their obscenely tasty homemade pop-tart.  I was half tempted to purchase a few to go, but I resisted my urges (self control FTW).  

Anddd that's a wrap guys!  I hope you enjoyed reading all about my trip to Phoenix.  If you're looking for a fab place to vacation, definitely consider AZ.  The food is phenomenal, the attractions are really interesting, and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, shoot me a message! I'm here for you all.  Before I leave, I want to thank Visit Phoenix for hosting me and my beautiful frands.  A special thanks to Trish Lanteigne for making it all possible.

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Recap: Walters Art Museum & Nom Korean Food + Desserts in MD

Excited to update you guys on my latest adventure!  The BF and I recently hit up the Walters Art Museum for funsies - we got to the Peabody Institute hella early and had time to kill so we decided to mosey on over and edumacate ourselves.  Located in Baltimore, MD, the Walters is internationally renowned for its art collection - 4 floors, baby - showcasing pieces from pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th-century Europe.  Their current exhibitions include:  Ferocious Beauty:  Wrathful Deities from Tibet to Nepal & From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story.

The bf and I enjoyed exploring their extensive arms and armor + jewelry collections!  I was also a huge fan of the roman sculptures & impressionist oil paintings.  I actually want to come back here and do a photoshoot in the sculpture court...if that's allowed, ha.  It's this GORGEOUS space with giant white pillars - I'd feel super goddess-y shooting gown pics in here soooo I'll definitely have to call and ask.  

Anywho, admission's totally free because William and Henry Walters were bamfs, but if you're looking to support the arts (which you totally should), you can donate or purchase stuffs from their shop.  Street parking's a bit difficult in Mt. Vernon, but there are several garages near by so you don't have to worry!

After browsing for a few hours, I took bf to the George Peabody library (housed inside my school, the Peabody Conservatory) and showed him around.  In case you haven't been, the architecture there is ridiculously stunning. There are six tiers of cast-iron columns, decorative railings, and classical embellishments that are touched with gold-leaf. The room itself is 61 feet tall and features a b&w marble floor + ginormous skylight.  I left him there to take pics for his instagram account (@scenicpath) because I had to work - in case you didn't know, I'm a piano teacher there by day.

We were super hungry so we drove to Ellicott City afterwards for noms.  I wanted to get soontofu for dinner at Lighthouse Tofu, but they had closed? Such a bummer because I really liked their food, but it's all good because we got to try a new joint.  A few of my friends had told me good things about Han Joong Kwan so we decided to go - FYI, they specialize in Chinese-Korean cuisine.  I ordered for us and got the following: jjajangmyun (noodles with black bean sauce + pork + veggies), kkangpoongi (spicy garlic fried chicken - pictured below), and tangsuyuk (sweet & sour crispy pork).

The jjajangmyun there was REALLY on point!  The noodles were cooked to perfection, and the sauce was super tasty - it was by far my fave dish.  The fried chicken was also good, but the tangsuyuk was disappointing, which was strange because it was the most expensive dish we ordered.  There was just too much fat and the sauce was too sweet for my taste.  

All in call, I'd go back, but I'd stick with the noodles because they were cheap AND delish ($7 for a big bowl).  I'd be down to try their jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) too!  If you're a fan of asian cuisine, definitely give them a try. Heads up, the restaurant itself isn't decked out - the interior isn't all that great, BUT it's clean - and there isn't much of an ambiance so if that's super important to you, I recommend going elsewhere.  

I bought dinner so the bf offered to buy drinks + dessert.  We stopped by a liquor store and picked up nice wine and Hpnotiq before heading to Tous Les Jours, a french-asian bakery, for sweets.  We got a cup of honey bread (pictured below), a chocolate croissant, and a chocolate pastry to share.  The noms here are usually good, but we struck out this time.  I'll have to do an in-depth review for you guys next time featuring my faves, but for now, I bid you guys adieu.

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Touring Phoenix: A Quick Press Trip to the Valley of the Sun

Oh man, these past few days have been super cray.  If you've been following me via instastories, you already know that I was in Phoenix, AZ with two of my blogger besties, La Belle Mel and Queen Horsfall.  I've been flooding my IG with content from my trip, but I'll be recapping everything for you guys in more detail today + the next post!  

Now, let's start at the very beginning.  I left for the airport around 11 to catch my flight but skipped lunch because I was in a rush.  Luckily, the line for security was short so I was able to get something there. BWI's pretty big so there were a lot of options, but I decided to go with Pinkberry because their froyo's pretty much the best thing ever.  I usually get plain with no toppings but went with pomegranate, mochi, and mango bubbles this time around.

The flight was long but it went by quickly because I slept for the majority of it.  When I landed, I quickly gathered my luggage and headed to Hotel Valley Ho.  When I got there, Diana was already settled!  I've known her for quite a while (we've been instafriends for years now) so I was pumped to finally hang in person.

Our suite was SUPER cute, and I can honestly say that Hotel Valley Ho was one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at!  With a giant kitchen, living room area, two showers + bathrooms, walk-in closet, ginormous deck, and washer + dryer, it felt more like a fancy schmancy condo than hotel.  The decor was SO on point, too.  There was beautiful artwork everywhere, and it was SO clean that you could literally eat off the floors.  A huge thanks to them for hosting me and my frands!  They even gave us adorable gift bags + a nomtastic fruit platter to make us feel extra welcome.

After unpacking, Diana and I decided to get dinner because we were hangry - Mel was getting in late so she told us not to wait!  We were seated quickly and started our meal off with fresh squeezed orange juice + piping hot bread.  

We didn't know what to get, but the waitress was super helpful and gave us some awesome recommendations. We started with the roasted tomato + goat cheese casserole ($13).  Baked in an iron pot with spinach, red peppers, tomato, and goat cheese, this yum dish came with grilled noble bread.  For my main dish, I decided to go with the Filet Mignon ($34).  It was cooked to perfection and came with mashed potatoes, crisp brussels sprouts and yuzu hollandaise.  So much yas - the meat legit melted in my mouth!

What meal would be complete without dessert? To finish things off, we got a chocolate mousse to share between the two of us.  It came with cookie crumbles and a sorbet of some sort (I think it may have been cherry but don't quote me on that).  Whatever, the important thing is that it was delish!  A solid meal from start to finish.

After dinner, we headed back to our room for R&R!  I felt fat from my meal so I squeezed in a quick workout before prepping outfits for the next day.  I completed "Cardio Challenge" from Insanity Max 30 and then called it a day because I had to get up at 3:30 the next morning to get my hot air balloon on.

Fast forward 4 hours later...

We met our guide from Hot Air Expeditions outside at around 4:30 and drove down to the Sonoran Desert together to catch the sunrise!  I have a crippling fear of heights so I was afraid I'd freak the eff out, but I actually did pretty well.  The whole experience was super chill - the ride was extremely smooth, and I got killer views of the desert terrain and mountain ranges which was all kinds of awesome.  

We were only supposed to be there for an hour, but we ended up staying for 2+ hours.  Our balloon landed somewhere totally random so the flight crew had to fish us out, ha - definitely an unforgettable experience on various different levels.  Afterwards, we had a lovely catered breakfast with fresh juice, champagne (I made a mimosa with mine), a veggie quiche, babybel cheese, and a croissant. 

We needed to be at Hotel Valley Ho by 10:15 to depart for our tour at Taliesin West, but we were running super late so we ended up missing it.  Luckily, the kind peeps there were able to squeeze us in for a short 30-minute tour so we still got to see everything.  Before leaving for TW, the girls and I quickly changed because it was getting really hot.  I threw on a cute summer dress from Charlotte Russe + comfy sneakers because I didn't want to walk in heels.

Touring Taliesin West was so much fun - I'm so glad we got to go!  Built by Frank Lloyd Wright and his students in the 1930s, it was expanded and modified until his death in 1959.  They built the estate out of the desert, gathering rocks and sand from the washes to keep everything in balance with the surrounding environment.  The site was one of Wright's greatest masterpieces, and it served as his personal home, studio and workspace.  In the photo below, I'm sitting in one of his famous origami chairs located in the Garden Room.  He hosted fabulous get-togethers there so his students could practice sharpening their communication skills for future dealings with clients.  He was also a fairly accomplished pianist so he enjoyed reading chamber works with his apprentices.

Anywho, after our tour, we went to Farm & Craft in Scottsdale to grab lunch.  The food was ah-maaaa-zing! I ordered their Tocoa Steak Bowl ($15), and it came with grass-fed steak, organic farro, fresh corn, baby heirloom tomato, sweet potato, black beans, caramelized onions, cilantro vegan slaw, and avocado.  For my drank, I got a fresh pressed juice called Carrot Cleanse - made of carrot, orange, turmeric, lemon & ginger.  So much deliciousness for realz guys.  In fact, I'm STILL drooling from the thought of this magical bowl.  Who knew healthy food could taste so good?

After lunch, we spent a good hour or two exploring Old Town Scottsdale with the girls.  We hit up Saba's Western Wear to check out their cowboy boots, Fashion by Robert Black to browse their vintage garb, and a cute souvenir shop to purchase gifts for frands and family back home. Afterwards, we went to Aridus Wine Company to sample a bunch of their wines! Their Rosé and Syrah were to die for delish.  Then we headed back to Valley Ho to get ready for Happy Hour at Zuzu + dinner at Mountain Shadows.

We all decided to get cocktails!  Mel doesn't drink so she got a virgin piña colada, but Diana and I got Hibina Coladas with donQ coconut rum, sweetened milk, pineapple and hibiscus triple sec - definitely one of the best drinks I've ever had.  While sipping dranks, we met 3 new bloggers - the beautiful Sarah & Lindsey from Compass + Twine and the gorgeous Shaheen from Lows to Luxe - and got our chill on before heading to dinner.

Andddd oh my gosh, dinner at Mountain Shadow was crazy good.  We started the night off by touring the resort and enjoying the killer view of Camelback Mountain.  The weather beautiful so we decided to grab a table outside.  I ordered yet another fab drink to sip - the Cherry Bomb, made with effen black cherry vodka white port, lime juice, activated charcoal, and egg white - on while browsing the dinner menu.

Everything looked ridiculously yum so I had a hard time deciding on noms, but I eventually went with the heirloom tomato salad (fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato, smoked maldon salt, and aged balsamic vinegar), Moroccan spiced rack of lamb, and charred young broccoli.  Everything was uber delish....but I was SO exhausted that I almost fell asleep at the table.  We were all pretty tired + stuffed so we skipped dessert and headed back!  

Mel wanted to work out, but I was dealing with a migraine all day so I decided to get some shut eye! Anywhoooo, that's it for today!  I hope you guys had fun reading about my adventure.  I'll be blasting part 2 soon so make sure you all keep an eye out.

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