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Month: April 2014

Who’s Joining the Nerd HQ Army with Me…and Zachary Levi?!!

/ Entertainment, Social Media

If you haven’t heard of Nerd HQ, it’s not too late to jump onboard and pretend like you already knew about it! I promise that’s ok! It’s exactly what I did! It involves Zachary Levi…you know, “Chuck”? Or for all of you Disney friends, need I say any more than the words “Flynn Rider“? #swoon

Hold on….here come’s the smolder!

Seriously though….Nerd HQ is a this amazing & FREE event that takes place in San Diego, over the duration of the Comic Con weekend, but is in no way affiliated with Comic Con. It was designed to afford fans the opportunity to interact in a relaxed and fun setting with some of their favorite celebrities, some of which also appear at Comic Con. The 4 day event includes celebrity panels, photo opps and signings, video gaming, technology and some pretty crazy dance parties! (from what I hear) Although the event, itself, is free, Zachary and his company, The Nerd Machine, are actually raising money at the event for Operation Smile, since he’s an ambassador for the organization. (OMG he’s cute, nice, talented AND enjoys helping others?) 
Check out the following clip which features Zachary Levi, himself, as he explains Nerd HQ in guy lingo…short, sweet & to the point! 

Just watch this, Ok? 
Seriously, how down to earth is he? He says it like it is and you can just tell his heart is in this! Why WOULDN’T you want to help him out? 
A few weeks ago, some of my social media girlfriends had the opportunity to meet Zachary, have lunch with him and chat about his Indiegogo campaign and they said he’s exactly how he appears on the video, just a super nice guy who truly wants to produce a great event for the fans. He’s beyond sincere, which is why I joined Nerd HQ and contributed too! Even donating $5 will help! 
I think you need to go do what I did and “Get Your Nerd On!” What are you waiting for? 

Our Bunny Photo Experience

/ Uncategorized

When I see the Easter Bunny makes his debut each year at the mall, it truly makes me happy because it signifies that spring has sprung and we’re well on our way to summer, which is my most favorite time of year! Our yearly tradition is to visit the bunny at The Shops at Mission Viejo, a Simon Mall, which is very close to our home. 

Their Bunny Photo Experience is run by Noerr Programs and is decorated so beautifully. I must admit that the fact that their Easter Bunny is a very friendly and welcoming one, unlike some other mechanical bunnies we’ve encountered in past years, brings me relief because there’s nothing worse than a scary bunny that sends your kid running for the hills!

Every year, Emily gets excited to go shopping to for a new spring dress for her bunny pics. It’s very important to her that she coordinate with his setup. 

Perfectly coordinated with the bunny’s setting, she’s ready to go pay him a visit….camera bag and all!

This year the Bunny Photo Experience is offering something new….RESERVATIONS! Yes, you read that correctly! I was ecstatic when I walked up to see the sign!

It basically means that I could check in with my phone, go online and choose a preferred time, and then we could spend some time shopping instead of standing in a long line. What an amazing offering! When it was our turn, or appointment, to visit the bunny and take photos, we simply entered in the return line and we were next. 

Even though I was skeptical about this new system when I first saw the sign,  I found this process to run smoothly. I am excited for Santa photos next year because they’ll also be offering the same reservation program! This is going to be a game changer for so many, especially families with small children who have a difficult time waiting an hour to see Santa or the Easter Bunny!
The bunny greeted Emily with a hug, a few high fives, and even did a little bit of a dance with her, before he sat down for photos. I think this type of interaction helps alleviate any hesitation a child may have about taking pictures with the bunny. I loved the bunny’s costume and the background that they had and I especially LOVED the way Emi’s pictures turned out, don’t you? 

Having these keepsake photos to look back at year after year is something that’s important to me, as a mother. I know Emily will appreciate having them to show her own children, one day too.
Noerr Programs offers a variety of affordable packages which are priced to fit a family’s budget. We purchased keychains in addition to our package, which were an inexpensive add-on. 
With the purchase of a photo package, they’ll also allow you to snap a picture with your own camera, so we took the opportunity to go where most have never gone before….we took a selfie with the bunny! I’m pretty sure Emi thinks I’m nuts for making her do this!

I guess we can cross THIS off our Bucket List!

They also send you home with a link for online sharing of your pictures, which makes it easier to share with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. They also send you home with some coupons for Gymboree and Crazy 8! 

We LOVE these 2 stores AND The Shops at Mission Viejo has them BOTH!
Gymboree is the sponsor this year 
for the Bunny Photo Experience.

If you haven’t made your way over to a Simon Mall to visit their Bunny Photo Experience, then hop on over before Easter! For a list of Simon Malls click here.

My Fabulous Night Out at Elements Massage Costa Mesa

/ Beauty & Pampering, Lifestyle

When I received an exclusive invitation to attend the 1-year Anniversary for Elements Massage Costa Mesa, I jumped at the chance to spend a night getting pampered with some of my social media friends. 

Erina Buckley, owner of Elements Massage Costa Mesa, and her wonderful staff!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)

Upon arrival, I was checked in and immediately scheduled for a complimentary mini massage, which is one of the services they offer as part of their Wellness Program. You can count me “in” for anything that involves the word massage! Not only was I entered into a drawing for some fabulous prizes, but I was also one of the first 20 guests to check in, and therefore got one of the amazing swag bags filled with goodies inside from Philosophie, AlternaVites, LeBrisa, Violet Love, and COCOMOCORN! 

Raffle prizes were provided by Elements Massage, SkinAgain, Dermasuri, Pursecase, Violet Love, and Clean Cocktails!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)

I was excited to meet up with my friend, Alma and also have the opportunity to mingle with some others who I also consider to be fabulous social media superstars. 

+CidStyleFile, +FieldTripMom & I representing the SoCal Lady Bloggers!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)
Hanging out with some fun ladies!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)

It was fun to see that Michelle from The Suitcase Studio! She just happens to be one of my favorite photographers and was there to capture this fun event with her magical camera! 

Michelle is so tolerant of my “selfie with friends” policy, too! Aren’t we cute?

At the reception, in the lobby of the spa, there were some amazing cocktails being served by Clean Cocktails and a delicious, healthy snack being provided by My Fit Foods. LeBrisa Designs was also there displaying some of their latest pieces, which we had fun trying on. The ambiance was just so relaxing and inviting, which is what I like about this location. 

Samantha from Clean Cocktails serving up some deliciousness!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)

Healthy AND delicious!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)
Just some of the beautiful pieces by LeBrisa
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)

It was inspiring to listen to Erina Buckley speak about how she came to be the owner of this Elements Massage location, just a little over a year ago, after first being an Elements Massage client, herself. She told the story of how she exited the corporate world to do something she felt far more passionate about and how she wanted to do something that has a positive influence on others in their journey for overall wellness. 

Erina Buckley, the owner of Elements Massage Costa Mesa. Such a fabulous and passionate female entrepreneur!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)

I love the idea behind the concept of this spa. What they refer to as the Elements Way is something they created to help individuals achieve overall health and well-being through relaxation and rejuvenation. They use a holistic approach and strive to deliver a personalized program for each individual, connecting health and massage. It’s a truly unique program that you won’t find at other spas or massage places. 
When it was my turn for a “mini massage” I followed the masseuse back to one of the rooms, where he proceeded to ask me some questions about the areas I thought needed most attention and what type of pressure I preferred. He also asked if I got massages often and when the last time I got a massage was? At that point, I think you could hear crickets in the room, as I truly couldn’t remember! I explained to him that I’m a mom and I don’t have very much time for myself, especially not for things like this. He then gave me some very important advice and explained the importance of taking time out for myself, in order to do something to make ME feel better. He said that my excuse of “being a mom and not having time for myself to do these types of things” was even MORE of a reason why I needed to do so! It felt like I’d melted into the table after my 15 minute mini-massage! I think I’m going to take his advice and get back into Elements Massage Costa Mesa for a full massage right away! That 15 minutes felt like a paradise vacation, so I can only imagine what a full hour will be like! 

A post-mini massage group selfie! We sure do all look relaxed! Thank you Elements Massage Costa Mesa!

In honor of their 1 year anniversary, Elements Costa Mesa is offering a special month-long promotion. You can book two 55-minute massages at $69 for each appointment, regularly $99, between now and May 31, 2014 and receive a complimentary upgrade to an 80-minute massage during your second appointment. This is a total of $100 in savings! Mention the promotion “Anniversary” when booking, to redeem this special offer. Both services must be redeemed by May 31, 2014. 
Elements Massage Costa Mesa is located at 2701 S. Harbor Blvd, Suite E-3 in the Mesa Verde Center. To book your appointment call 714.850.0500.

It’s amazing how easy it is for me to drink water when it looks like this!
(photo by The Suitcase Studio)
So, can YOU remember when the last time was that you did something for yourself? 
If not, then you really should change that!

 

Our Perfect Day at the Irvine Park Railroad’s Eggstravaganza

/ Family Fun, Irvine Park Railroad, Lifestyle, Orange County

We had so much fun spending an afternoon at the Irvine Park’s Easter Eggstravaganza, which is located inside of Irvine Regional Park. 

In addition to the beautiful natural scenery, it’s all decorated for Easter too! Everywhere you turn, there are adorable children, dressed up in their best spring outfits. It’s the perfect setting and occasion to photograph some precious moments, that’s for sure!

The Eggstravaganza features so many different activities to choose from that we weren’t sure where to start. 
The activities include: 
     *Easter egg hunts
     *Photos with the Easter Bunny
     *Train rides
     *Hay rides
     *Cookie decorating
     *Face painting
     *A bunny bounce house
     *Various picture stands for photo opportunities
     *Carnival games

So, we basically decided to do them all! 

I loved how organized the Easter egg hunt was. We first obtained a wristband for the age-appropriate time for Emi. They created very fair rules for the children, first sitting them all down together, to explain the rules for the hunt, discussing how many eggs they could “find” and take home in their baskets, as well as other candy they might find on the ground. The kids were so excited to get started and sprinted at the cue to begin. 

Although we remembered to bring our own basket, they do have baskets for sale there, as well. 

Emi was mesmerized by how much candy there was in the egg hunt area, in addition to the eggs! 
After the egg hunt, we strolled over to visit the Easter Bunny. He was extremely interactive with the Emily, first playing peek-a-boo with her, which helped make her unafraid to sit with him. That’s something that might be a relief for parents with hesitant children. 

Pictures like this, melt my heart!

Apparently visiting the Easter Bunny makes you hungry, so we stopped by the snack shack for some freshly popped popcorn, before heading on over to the face painting area!

The artists in the face painting booth that would create each child’s ideal design for them. Emi let her artist know that she preferred more of an arm design, as opposed to having her face painted. 

She loved her “tattoo” so much, that I think she hid from the water in the shower hitting that arm for as long as she could! 

I loved all of the different photo opportunities there were throughout the area. Emi tried to convinced me to get in this one, but I let her do the honors! 

I love this one! My little chick!

I was most startled by this one..it shows how tall Emi is getting! She’s only 8! Wow! 

Next, we hopped aboard the train, which for me, is the best part of the entire thing. There’s just something about trains that reminds me of childhood! Emi chose to sit directly behind the engineer! We took the token “train selfie” as we relaxed on the long ride.

For our finale, we visited the cookie decorating booth, where Emi got her very own sugar cookie to decorate with colored frostings and sprinkles. What more could a kid ask for? 

It was such a fun afternoon. 
Head on over before the fun ends on April 19th! 



Farrell’s is Teaming Up with The American Red Cross to Help!

/ Food
There is nothing scarier than experiencing an earthquake of a significant magnitude, in addition to several aftershocks, like the residents of Southern California did this past weekend with the 5.1. It really makes you think about important things such as having a plan of action for your family, in case of an huge earthquake or other disaster and just having overall earthquake preparedness at home. It’s not something that any of us like to think about, but we DO need to be ready, in case of the unexpected. 
As if a 5.1 earthquake wasn’t scary enough for many of us to experience last weekend, we then watched news of a deadly 8.2 magnitude quake that hit Chile yesterday, resulting in such great loss and devastation! It’s difficult to watch things like this on the news! It makes you feel helpless, in the sense that you can’t make it better or directly help the people who are affected. 
It makes my heart happy when I see businesses I support and frequent, come forward to make efforts to reach out and help people in need, like the people of Chile. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Farrell’s, and it makes so proud to spread the news about what Farrell’s is doing to help with this recent tragic situation. Farrell’s has teamed up with the American Red Cross to raise earthquake preparedness awareness in the wake of these recent earthquakes. 
Beginning today, Wednesday April 2 through Sunday April 6, all 7 Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour locations will be offering a limited edition “Quake Shake” for $4.99, with 100% of sales going to the American Red Cross. In addition, you’ll also receive a handout about earthquake preparedness, with instructions on how to be ready for a large magnitude earthquake.
Locally we were all very fortunate not to have suffered any major damage or injuries as a result of last weekend’s Southern California earthquake, but the people of Chile weren’t as fortunate. The Farrell’s family is making this great effort to help the American Red Cross reach people and areas in need. These kinds of situations remind us how important and essential it is to be prepared and we should all do our part to make sure organizations like The Red Cross are funded and ready to assist those in need, when a disaster like this occurs. 
Please support this effort by visiting your local Farrell’s and enjoying a “Quake Shake“, which is a Rocky Road flavored shake, made with rich chocolate ice cream, marshmallow swirl and topped with whipped cream, almonds and a cherry. Remember, 100% of the sales from this $4.99 “Quake Shake” will be donated to the American Red Cross. In addition, monetary donations will also be accepted at each restaurant. 
For more information, visit FarrellUSA.com or for direct donations visit RedCross.org
photo courtesy of Farrell’s