When I initially thought about going on a hot air balloon ride, I envisioned a cute summer dress and wicker basket. (I also did not envision a proposal, which you can read more about on this post.) I am glad I didn’t entertain that thought for long since Armando had booked our sunrise flight, where we would start our flight a 6 AM and the high altitude suggested we should probably wear plenty of layers.
Travel
Love is in the Air – Our Engagement Story
It’s been a year since Armando proposed to me, but I haven’t had a chance to share on the blog how it all happened. It all started with a purse, Kate Spade purse to be precise.
Oahu, Hawaii Travel Diary
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had some fun photos from my recent trip to Hawaii that I just had to share! Hope you enjoy this quick recap of my trip.
Day 1: Checking in to the Pacific Beach Hotel; Walking along Waikiki Beach; enjoying a Mai Tai and a seafood buffet at the Oceanarium Restaurant in the Pacific Beach Hotel.
Day 2: Enjoying breakfast by the beach at the Barefoot Beach Cafe; The view from the cafe and a look at my Steve Madden sandals I wore on the trip; Sunbathing by Waikiki after a day of shopping and eating a rainbow snow cone; Eating Tacos from Tiki’s Grill & Bar; (Not pictured: Complimentary viewing of Tales of Pacific after dinner at the Pacific Beach Hotel.)
Day 3: Breakfast at Eggs ‘n Things; Shopping at the Ala Moana Mall and noontime performance; Dinner and a show at Germaine’s Luau
Day 4: Final breakfast with a view from Lulu’s Waikiki; Spending all day at the beach, Sampled Malasadas and Pao Doce from Leonard’s.
I loved this vacation since I was able to spend it with my mom and sister and because we pretty much relaxed by the beach during most of it. Next time I plan on doing more while I am in Oahu, but this was a great break from everything and a great opportunity to tan! Hope you enjoyed my quick recap of my trip!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |
Sea Urchin
Sea Urchin for You Print Dress Lilly Pulitzer for Target (here) | Seahorse Necklace Lilly Pulitzer for Target (here) | Sea Charm Bracelet Lilly Pulitzer for Target | Gold Bracelets LE TOTE | White Leather Cross Body Bag Coach | White Sun Hat Wet Seal | Aviator Sunglasses H&M | Gravee Nude Sandals Steve Madden | Photos by Nicole S.I am back! I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Hawaii and for the first time I felt I went on a real vacation. Going on trips for a vacation is one thing, but going somewhere with no plans and doing nothing but relax is something I rarely get a chance to do. I spent a lot of time at the beach and got a nice tan.
I picked up the Lilly Pulitzer for Target dress and pieces of jewelry during the release of this collection Target’s website. It was an intense shopping experience, struggling to checkout and having the server unreachable, but I felt I got most of what I wanted. There were 2 other bracelets I would have wanted to complete this look, but I am happy that I had these pieces specifically for my trip.
I wore this during our second day in Waikiki. We had breakfast at Egg’s ‘N Things, shopped at the Ala Moana Shopping Center, and then headed out to Germaine’s Luau. While my mom, sister and I spent a lot of time at the beach, going to Germaine’s was one of the few touristy things I felt we needed to do during our time in Hawaii.
I plan do to a quick little recap of my trip my next post in case you didn’t catch what I was up to on Instagram, so stay tuned for that!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |
Harajuku and Ameyoko
Saturday (or Day 6) was spent recovering in my sisters dorm from all the walking we did at Dsiney Sea the day before. We decided to go out Sunday for some breakfast and shopping in Harajuku before I returned home for the holidays on Monday. Despite the cold, the street were packed with tourists and younger people in amazing clothes. I tried to capture some of that in the photos I took.
Before even making our way down to Takeshita Street in Harajuku, we stopped by Kiddy Land. It was a 5 story toy store and my sister and I toured through each one. We spent a good chunk of our day here but it was worth it to see all the various stuffed animals of mascots and toys that were popular among the adults and kids. We made our way to Takeshita Street and the fashion scene still continues to blow my mind. I am not camera shy but I still find it daunting to ask someone if I can take their photo. I think on my next trip I will finally be able to articulate “May I take your photo?” in Japanese with more confidence. I did do some shopping after eating some delicious crepes and came home with 3 coats. As I mentioned in a previous post, Fur, real or faux, was everywhere and my 3 coats feature faux fur detail that is also removable. (The weather as of late in the Bay Area has been unseasonably warm so who knows when I’ll be able to wear them and style them.) They were perfect for the cold weather there and I recommend buying a coat when you travel somewhere that’s cold because it will be suited for the climate.
After our time in Harajuku, we made our way up to Ameyoko. I had done a search on Youtube for what to do in Japan and visiting Ameyoko was on the list. I was intrigued by the name. Ame means sweet in Japanese and can refer to all the candy stores that used to be located in this area. Ame is also short for America and can allude to the fact that this area was a type of underground market after WWII and even today sells imported and American goods at some pretty high prices. My sister was excited to spot pinto beans here, so she bought some from one of the vendors and resolved to bring her roommates next time in case they needed imported food.
There are a variety of stalls in Ameyoko, and it is near a bustling downtown area with large department stores. It is also known for its fish market and insane deals. My sister and I happened to witness a type of auction for about $10, you could get all the items being thrown into the bag. I thought it’d be best to share a video of what that looked like and you can recognize some parts of English words.
This last location with all of its import goods was a good way to end my time in Japan for the winter. Before heading out from Ameyoko my sister and I made sure to buy some sweets from a store and stocked up on a bunch of goodies to bring back as souveniers. If I learned anything from this trip is that it makes sense to bring an empty duffle bag so you can check in your suitcase on the way back and have the duffle bag be your carry on. Especially if you need to fit 3 coats you had not planned on getting and extra sweets.
Hope you enjoyed my travel posts! Now back to business with my first beauty product review coming tomorrow and of course and outfit post coming soon.
Until next time Japan,Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |
Disney Sea
Nicole and I spent a rainy Friday with a couple of friends at Disney Sea. On our last trip we made our way to Tokyo Disneyland, but we didn’t get a chance to visit Disney Sea in the summer. It was such a difference due to the weather and since it was Christmas themed. It was less crowded and there were less people around towards the end of the day due the rain.
The park was decorated for Christmas and we spotted a bunch of different with Ariel’s being my favorite. While it rained heavily we spent our time going on rides and watching a show in Triton’s Kingdom. The show was interesting mixed with English Songs from the Little Mermaid but the dialogue was in Japanese.
We toured the streets of Agrabah, took a Journey to the Center of the Earth, went 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and toured the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull all while eating the various flavored popcorn in the park. I loved this park and would definitely want to visit again when it isn’t raining to enjoy more shows and attractions.
We are almost wrapping up with my travel segment. My final post will feature what my sister and I saw in Harajuku and Ameyoko, so stay tuned!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |