Ahhh....Summer Vacation

 

I just returned to my regular work week today, after 8 wonderful days of sunshine and beach. 

Last Friday, I set out on a 15 hour drive with my boyfriend's family to Florida. We stopped for the evening in my birthplace of Jacksonville. Growing up, my mom always pointed out to my brothers the hospitals where they were born. In my 25 years of life, I've never been able to see that place since I left it. It was super exciting to me to see the signs for NAS Jacksonville and the long bridge that my mom told me used to freak her out, and put my toes in the sand in the same beach that I did at just a week old. 

Saturday morning I woke up super early to catch a sunrise before we left for our final destination:

 

Saturday afternoon, we headed out for the final 3 hour journey to Indiatlantic. 

Indiatlantic is a small town, just outside of Melbourne that is known for its beautiful beaches and sea turtles. Though I didn't see any, June and July are nesting season and the turtles can be seen all over the beaches. Orlando is about 45 minutes away, but this little city seems to be nestled away and there weren't too many tourists on the beach.

I spent most of my days on the beach. We took a few tours of some surf shops and went out to dinner a few times, but boogie boarding and suntanning were just what the doctor called for in my book.

We went to dinner at a restaurant called Squid Lips, that was good, but not amazing. But there was a fun little pier that we walked down after for some photos.

 

We also found this little gem where you could eat just off the beach  called the Beachside Cafe. The intro image is from the balcony where we sat at lunch for 2 days. I had some appetizers one day and the chicken wrap the next. The chicken wrap was DELICIOUS and everyone else left completely satisfied as well. I took a bite of Ricky's lobster Ruben which was to die for. I will definitely visit Beachside on our next visit. We had our goodbye dinner at Petrillos Italian Eatery the Friday before we left. The food here was great too. Ricky and I chose a few pizzas to try out. 

4th of July Ricky and I sat out on the beach all day, while the rest of the family went for an airboat ride. That evening we sat on the beach and watched fireworks being shot off in every direction as far as our eyes could see. 

Besides a little sun poisoning, this was a much needed vacation and I can't wait to go back!

What to pack for a work trip

Next week I am heading to the Big Apple for the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFaNY) shoe show. Packing for a work trip can be a little overwhelming because you want to look professional, but be comfortable standing in an exhibitor hall all day. You also need to be prepared for client dinners and enjoying a night on the town.

AND, since it is a shoe show---my footwear has to be on point, but practical because will be in New York and standing on concrete all day.

This means that in all practicality, I need 2 pairs of shoes for each day and at least two outfits. I hate carrying around luggage, so I try and keep my suitcases narrowed down to two carry-on sized bags.

Here is my go to list for packing, not all of it is necessary, so I cross those items off if they aren't needed:

***Look up the weather forecast

Basics:
  Travel Aids: reading, gum, snacks, bottle water, pillow
  Funds: wallet, cash, credit cards, atm card, checks
  Travel Info: passport/visa, drivers license, itenary, map/directions, travel tickets, travel confirmation, travel guides, membership cards

Miscellaneous:
  Documents: Copies of travel info, copies of credit card, copies of passport, emergency contact info,   medical insurance card, list of prescriptions, car insurance card, contact info, list of               allergies/medical history.
  Bags: Backpack, purse, collapsible tote, money belt, plastic bags
  Other: Business Card, calling card, work documents, supplies, notebook/pen, list of appointments
  Laundry: bags, kit, stain remover, sewing kit, travel iron

Clothes:
 Basics: underwear, socks, bra, pantyhose, swim wear, robe, pj's, dress shirt, sweaters, blazer, dress, slacks, t-shirt, tank top, sweat shirt, jeans, shorts.

Hygiene:
 Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, soap, washcloth, face wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner,  brush, comb, hairdryer, hair irons, razor, styling products, hairspray, mirror, moisturizer, lotion, chapstick, makeup, perfume, makeup remover, nail file/clipper, nail polish, medications, allergy medicine, pain reliever, vitamins, nail polish remover, hand wipes, tissue, cotton balls, qtips, scissors, tweezers, lint roller, first aid kit, bandaids, blister blockers, footpads, feminine hygiene products

Tech:
Phone + charger, ipad+charger, camera+charger, batteries, headphones, alarm clock

Accessories: leisure shoe, dress shoe, sandal, slipper, belt, watch, jewelry, sunglasses

My Top Essentials for ANY travel: a book/magazines, hand sanitizer, mints and hand lotion.

And as you are double checking what you brought...here is a little advice from my mom. Start with your head and cover all of the possible things you would need for that part of your body
Head- do you have/need hats, hair brush, toothpaste, sunglasses, jewelry...
hit everybody part in between. 
Finish with your toes- do you have socks, inserts an shoes.
Don't forget to think about your electronics and Id!

Blessing of the Bikes 2013

Sunday was Freedom of Road Riders, Local 24's Blessing of the Bikes. It is our biggest fund raiser of the year and a really great time. We had about 700 people come for the event which included, food, music, vendors and of course the blessing.

Some religious motorcycle groups, such as Christian Motorcyclist Association, go to each of the bikes and pray that the rider has a safe year. It is a great event for a great cause.

An Event I missed...Vegas

I wasn't blogging when I went to vegas, so here are some images from our Diba True Launch Party.
We held the party at the Chandelier Bar at the Cosmo and it was GORGEOUS!!! 3 levels of crystals, delicious drinks and really fun people.

I might have had a little "too" much fun, but lesson learned and I had a great time.

Some of our Diba Team

Michelle and Katherine from CLD PR

Our owners, Diane and Joe

Jon and Sarah from our Marketing Team

The venue filling up

Some friends from "Diva Box"

The Diba True Blue drink

Bad Luck and the Year of the Snake

I am a huge believer in the Zodiac and how spatial alignments affect human nature.

2013's year of the black snake : "The Black Snake will bring people unexpected changes, instability, and changeability."
So Far this seems to be true. 


So far in 2013:
Pope Benedict is the first pope in more than 600 years to resign from the papacy.
Boston Marathon Explosion
Texas Factory Explosion
Presidential Inauguration
Club fire kills 223 in Brazil
North Korea threatens nuclear war
Meteorite Fragment lands in Russia
Hugo Chavez dies
Same-sex marriage legislation
Gun control legislation
Fiscal cliff

Year of the Snake in History:
1905
Jan 9th – Jan 22th – Bloody Sunday-demonstrators fired on by tsarist troops in Russia
Sep 27th – The physics journal Annalen der Physik published Albert Einstein’s Paper “Does the
Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy Content?”  Introducing the equation E=MC2.

1929
Oct. 29th – Black Tuesday, Stock Market crashes triggers the Great Depression

1941-
Dec 7- Attack on Pearl Harbor

1953
Jan 7th – Pres Truman announces development of hydrogen bomb
Mar 26th – Dr Jonas Salk announces vaccine to polio [myelitis]  

1965
Mar 31st – US ordered the 1st combat troops to Vietnam

1989
Mar 24th – Worst Oil spill Exxon’s Valdez spills 11.3 million gallons off Alaska
Jun 3rd – Chinese troops kill hundred of pro-democracy students in Tiananmen square, Beijing
Jul 6th – The Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack, the first Palestinian suicide attack on Israel
Sep 30th – Foreign Minister of West Germany Hans-Dietrich Genscher’s speech from the balcony of the German embassy in Prague.
Oct 1st – Thousands of East Germans flee to West Germany

2001
Sep 11th – Terrorists hijack two passenger planes crashing them into New York’s World Trade Towers causing the collapse of both & death of 2,752 people.
Sep 11th – Terrorists hijack a passenger plane and crash it into the Pentagon causing the death of 125 people
Sep 11th – Attempt by passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 to retake control of their hijacked plane from terrorists causes plane to crash in Pennsylvania field killing all 64 people on board
Nov 13th – War on Terrorism: In the first such act since World War II, US President George W. Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against foreigners suspected of connections to terrorist acts or planned acts on the United States     

Biker Chick

If you don't know me you may be surprised by a hobby of mine....I ride a motorcycle.

My dad is a biker. Full on fury tattooed grey beard. 

He has ridden a bike my whole life, so biker rally's, poker runs and long road trips on the back of the bike are natural to me. 

I never thought that I would be a biker, but my graduation from my dad and step-mom was my very own big girl bike. I got off to a VERY slow start. One would think that having been on bikes my whole life, I would be comfortable with the thought of riding by myself, but I was terrified.

I rode around the parking lot the first couple of times. Then around the circle in the front of my dad's house for a few weeks. I then spent the next few months riding around the neighborhood and finally took the big step to cross Lindbergh road. I'm still not comfortable on the highway, but I officially consider myself a biker. 

I am also part of a Motorcyclist Rights Organization (MRO) called Freedom Of Road Riders (FORR). "The main purpose of this organization is to guard the rights of all motorcyclists; to keep them informed of the laws that will help or hinder them as motorcyclists; to promote safety, rider education, brotherhood and freedom for all motorcyclists."

The Day I got my graduation present

My very first ride

Some bonding time between me and my step-monster

Hello New York!

Hello Bloggers!

I've worked with a shoe wholesaler and distributor for the last six years. Last year after graduating college, they offered me a full time job in Marketing and PR. It is a very exciting career with expanding possibilities.

For 5 of the last 6 years, I have been stuck doing all the grunt work. Every boring excel sheet, every photo edit, checking in cases in a 100 or 32 degree warehouse.....just short of having to clean the bathroom, if there was a shitty task to do I did it.

Now that I am in this new position, I create all the art work, regularly contact magazines and TRAVEL is even starting to be a possibility! I never knew what I wanted to do growing up. I wanted to be everything from a lawyer to a pirate (For Real). The only thing I KNEW I wanted to do was see the world. All of it. From big cities to riding a horse in Mongolia, I want to see every corner of the world. So in June when my boss told me I was going to New York (and on their dime) you can imagine how freaking ecstatic I was. I spent 4 days in the big apple getting a preview of ALL of the hottest shoes that will be gracing the feet of fashionable women around the world, and seeing the Upper East Side of Manhattan by night.






It was AMAZING.


I just found out I'm going to Vegas in a month. I'm sure this show will be really entertaining.