My Last Weekend Update Before Australia

This weekend was spent, packing, stressing, packing, then stressing some more. Why? Because today I am off to Australia for three weeks.

But before we talk about today, let's talk this past weekend. Mine started off on Thursday (mentally) because I booked a flight to Chicago!! I'm going to stay with my lovely Weekend Update co-host Dana, and Sami, my other equally lovely Weekend Update co-host will be there, too! Talk about the ultimate Weekend Update! Sami threw around a the idea of a vlog featuring us three hosts so hopefully that happens. While I'm there we get to hang out with one of my favs, Chris of Chubbette Tales...Life After Spanx and hopefully I'll get to see more Chicago ladies like Stephanie of Bourbon and Glitter! So.Super.Excited.

On Friday I went to dinner with IRL-friend-turned-blogger, Kathrin of Shop.School.Sleep., in our hometown for sushi. Much needed after my brutal work week, and my upcoming trip.

My Friday outfit

Saturday I got my hair done. Thanks for everyone's opinions, ultimately I decided to go back to blonde, and re-dip dye my hair when I return if I am still into it. So many foils were needed to get rid of the blue! I am loving being a complete blonde again.

Before and After

 

And now I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for Australia! While I'm gone I have some great posts in store. Here's the schedule for the rest of the week:

Tuesday - guest post by Shanna Because Shanna Said So

Wednesday - guest post by Chris of Chubbette Tales...Life After Spanx

What did you do this weekend? Link up with my co-hosts Sami of Sami's Shenanigans, Dana of five30three, and me and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Add the badge (below) to your post.

3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

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The Ultimate Weekend Update

This past weekend the three Weekend Update hosts met in real life! I traveled from LA, and Sami from Denver, to Chicago to stay with the amazing hostess, Dana. Such.a.blast.

Dana was the most gracious of hosts. She's seriously the sweetest and planned a great weekend. And Sami is really is full of shenanigans. Girlfrand busted out in song and dance during a boat ride we took! These ladies are amazing.

We were lucky enough to have Chris of Chubbette Tales with us all weekend as well. Chris in two words: hilarious and fabulous. It was great having her and Dana show us around all weekend! And because the trip was above and beyond we also got to hang out with Paige of Little Nostalgia all day Friday and Mary of Little Bit of Class Little Bit of Sass for dinner Saturday.

The view from Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower) | Sitting on the Skydeck - 103 stories high -facing my fear of heights | with Paige on the Skydeck

Sami, me, Chris, Dana, Paige!

The Bean |  Famous Chicago sign | Me in front of the Wrigley Field

Dinner at RPM (Giuliana and Bill Rancic's restaurant) | lobster caprese salad | Sami & me | Me, Chris & Sami

The Chicago skyline during the day, at sunset, and at night

Unfortunately I didn't get any great pictures of the three of the Weekend Update hosts together, or even a decent one of Dana and me. I think Dana did though so I'll have to steal her photos ;)

Thank you all for linking up with us - weather it's every week, every once in awhile, or this is your very first time. We really do love hosting and it amazes us how many people link up. I love getting to know fellow bloggers and this has been the perfect opportunity. So when you're linking up, don't forget to say hi! So many people are joining us that it's hard to keep up but if you leave a comment I'll be sure to stop by your blog.

What did you do this weekend? Link up with me and my co-hosts Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Add the badge (below) to your post.

3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

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A Weekend Update...Update

Sad news this Monday morning :( Today is the first Weekend Update without our beloved Dana. She's retired from hosting the linkup. Girlfrand is a busy lady and although Sami and I are upset going to miss her not hosting with us, we are happy for her to be able to spend the extra time with her little guy who turns 1 this month! She'll still blog, but just not as frequently.

Since it's just Sami and I, we have a new button, created by the talented Aubrey of Kinch Life Designs! Please be sure to use this button for future linkups.

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Now onto to my oh so exciting weekend! I got a root canal Friday and today go back for the second half of the procedure, the temporary crown. As a result, I didn't do much this weekend. I did get my hair done at least, though. After my blue ombre hair, I was feeling bored with blonde. For a second I considered going dark but decided against it and went with ombre. That satisfied my indecisiveness since my new 'do is brown and blonde.

What did you do this weekend? Link up with me and my co-host Sami of Sami's Shenanigans and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend
2. Add the badge (above) to your post.
3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

Concert + Wine Tasting

This weekend was pretty darn epic! I spent some quality time with two ladies I have been friends with since jr. high. The fact that our friendships are still alive after all of these years is pretty impressive.

To kick off the weekend I received an amazing package from my Weekend Update co-host, Dana. She's the BEST! She sent me a "Keep Calm and Drink On" book and sticky tabs to take note of my favorite drinking quotes.

How sweet is that?! It totally set the tone for a great weekend.

Let's start with Friday night. Tiffany, who you may recognize as the wonderful woman behind Polka Dotted Cats, and I had a 90s reunion - the Summerland Tour. Sugar Rey, Everclear, Gin Blossoms, Lit, and Marcy Playground all in one night at The Greek Theater here in LA. It was a bit cheesy at times but it was fun and I'm really glad we went!

Then on Saturday, our friend Kathrin joined us for a surprise birthday gift to her - a trip to Agua Dulce Winery near Santa Clarita for some tasting and lunch. Before we headed to the winery we stopped at Saddle Ranch on the Sunset Strip for breakfast. I guess it's customary to give out HUGE orders of cotton candy to guests so we had fun playing with the sugary goodness.

Finally we headed out to Agua Dulce where we did a wine cellar/tasting tour. It was really cool! As we talked about the wine making process we were given 4 tastes along the way. Then we were able to sample the wines again before deciding which one we wanted to enjoy with our lunch (which they provided).

Lunch was a sandwich, potato salad, and cookie and we were really impressed. It was pretty good! After completing our meal we did another tasting for free then decided to check out the animals on the property. I fell in love with an adorable mini horse, baby goat, and ram, all of which let me pet them for several minutes. I wish I'd gotten pictures with them but I didn't :(

If you live in the Southern California area and want to go wine tasting I highly suggest Agua Dulce Winery. Just let them know you want to take advantage of their Groupon deal: $20 a person for a tour, tasting, and lunch. Great value!

What did YOU do this weekend? Join the Weekend Update blog hop hosted by me and my lovely friends Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans! Just PLEASE follow these rules: blog about your weekend, link to the specific post, include our button in the post, and add your name to the list below. Pretty easy, right?

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The FIRST Weekend Update Linkup!

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It's here! The first ever Weekend Update hosted by Dana of five30three, Sami of Sami's Shenanigans, and moi! Since this is a blog hop, we want you to get in on the action. If you're posting about your weekend, add your link to the list below. Our goal is to publish on Sunday nights and leave the linkup open until Fridays, so there's plenty of time each week to submit a post.

Simply link up then visit other bloggers on the list. It's a great way to make new friends!

Before I get to my weekend, I want to let everyone know that I'm guest posting over at the wonderful blog Henning Love while my friend Meg is on vacay. Be sure to stop by and check out my summer outfit idea!

OK, OK now onto my weekend. Of course since this is the first link up, it was a super low key Friday - Sunday. I visited with family, played with my pups, and ate.

Your turn! If you're blogging about the weekend, grab our thumbnail above, add it to your post, and link up!

Bright Blue

Announcement: due to Labor Day next Monday we're pushing next week's Weekend Update link up to Tuesday, September 2. Be sure to join us a day later for the blog hop!

Now let's focus on this past weekend for Weekend Update with my co-hosts Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans. My highlight: getting my hair re-dyed! This time I went a bit darker, added more color, and had my hairdresser throw in some dark purple pieces. I love the way it looks when the colors are fresh and vibrant.

BTW, I don't randomly spend hours taking pictures of myself. I just wanted to get some good shots of my hair :)


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What did you do this weekend? Link up and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Add the badge (above) to your post.

3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

Pretty easy right? Once you link up be sure to visit other blogs and make friends. Some pretty awesome people link up each week!

A Bottle For Me, a Bottle For You

Have you entered my blogiversary giveaway? Five great sponsors with five wonderful gifts to celebrate my five years of blogging! Enter here!

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Merry Christmas Eve! With New Years Eve next week, we'll be skipping Weekend Update next week (January 1) and resuming in two weeks on Monday, January 7. Feel free to use that week as a recap Christmas, your weekend, or both - whatever you prefer!

As for this weekend, my highlight was wine tasting in Temecula. Located just over an hour east of LA, and not too far north from San Diego, it's a great place to get away for a day. This weekend I treated my friend to a few tastings and a bottle of wine from our favorite local winery, Baily.

I used to be strictly a red wine drinker, until I tried Baily's Riesling-Dry. Now whenever I go to Temecula I go there to buy that wine. If you live in the area or visit Temecula you must try this wine!

Then we went to another winery, Frangipani, for another tasting to end our afternoon.

In other news - I need your help! This weekend I also entered in a Model of the Month contest hosted by Brooke Louise Photography. Brooke is a talented photographer, and also my IRL friend and blogger over at Chelsea Grey, and she hosts a monthly contest where one winner gets a photo shoot. To vote for me, please leave a comment on my photo here. And I get two votes if you like the Facebook page. I'm way behind so it's a long shot. Thanks so much in advance!!

What did you do this weekend? Link up with me and my co-host Sami of Sami's Shenanigans and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend
2. Add the badge (above) to your post.
3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

 

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Weekend Update: Vegas Baby!

After a few weeks of planning, this Saturday we pulled off a great surprise party for my friend/sorority big sis! She lives in Vegas so me and a few of her friends loaded into a car, drove to her place and waited there while her sister got her out of the house for a few hours.

When she walked in and saw her friends and family there she was completely surprised! It was pretty awesome. We spent the rest of the day and night celebrating.

What did you do this weekend? Link up with Dana of five30three, Sami of Sami's Shenanigans, and me and tell us! Joining the Weekend Update blog hop is a great way to discover new blogs and make friends and it's easy to get involved. Please follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Grab our button and add it to your post.

3. Add your link to the blog hop below.

That easy! Please, please follow the rules so we don't have to delete your post. We promise we're not mean, people have just been abusing the link up and not using it to talk about their weekends and/or visit others' blogs. If you ever have any questions about linking up, feel free to ask!

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