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Time seriously flies, like I can’t believe this season’s coming to an end! I’m super sad that it’s almost over so I’m going to re-live my summer highlights by sharing them all with you today on Sensible Stylista, BUT before we tackle my top 5, we gotta talk end-of-summer goals, frands. There’s still one week left, which means we have a few more days to live it up. As I’m sure you all know, I’m a big fan of lists so I’m going to share things I want to do (or do more of) before the fun officially comes to a close.
- Check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.
- Hike C&O Canal’s Billy Goat Trail with Daisy.
- Roast fun s’mores. I’m not sure how I’m going to make them fun, but they’re going to be fun.
- Have even MORE heart to hearts with frands while it’s still warm outside.
- Spend quality time with my pops on the grill.
- Go stargazing and pick out constellations.
What do you guys think of my end-of-summer bucket list? Do you have anything to add? What are some of YOUR summer highlights? BTW, Jamcellars.com actually published a really cool post with fun ideas on how to elongate summer in their latest, “Butter Ways for a Never Ending Summer.” What do you think of their suggestions? And for those of you wondering, I’m beyond obsessed with JaM Cellars wine because their vino’s under $20 and ri-DIC-ulously yum. They make three easy-to-love, everyday California wines (Butter Chardonnay, JaM Cabernet and Toast Sparkling), and I seriously can’t get enough of them.
The Butter Chardonnay melts in your mouth. It’s no wonder that it was awarded gold medal at the 2017 SF Chronicle Wine Competition and named “Impact Hot Brand” for 2016. The JaM Cabernet, on the other hand, is luscious and berry-licious with undertones of blackberries, black plums, black currant, cassis and more. It was awarded gold at the Texsom Int’l Wine Awards and featured on the Today Show. If you’re looking for delish but affordable wines for a good time all around, definitely give them a try! I seriously cannot recommend them enough. To locate a seller near you, check out their JaM Cellars store locater. Andddd you’re welcome in advance. Now, without further ado, let’s take a walk down memory lane and talk about my summer highlights…
1. Quality mother-daughter time in Orlando. Although this was technically a work trip, it ended up being much more of a play type situation. The fine folks at Blogher comped me an extra ticket to their annual conference so my mom decided to tag along. I was worried she’d be bored, but we ended up having a great time! We were there for about 5 days, and we divided it as follows – 3 days at the conference, 1 day shopping, and 1 day collab-ing (pretty sure I just made that word up but whatever) with Disney.
I vacation in Orlando every year so I know the area pretty well. If you’re looking to shop, the Mall at Millenia + Vineland Premium outlets are absolute musts. I actually ended up purchasing this fabulous crossbody at the mall while I was there! If you’re a fan of designer garb, you’ll love their outlet mall because they have all of the BIG names there for a fraction of the price.
In terms of food, you MUST try Sapporo Ramen (for their ramen, obviously) and Hanamizuki – hands down, the best Japanese food I’ve ever tasted. Remember to save room for Taiyaki when you go to Sapporo. If you want something that’s both sweet and refreshing, hit up Popbar at the outlets for REALLY yummy popsicles. I got green tea dipped in chocolate, and it was seriously nomtastic!
I don’t know much about nightlife because I’m kind of a grandma – sorry not sorry – but my mom and I would have heart to hearts over a bottle of JaM Cellars at night, which was the absolute best. It’s our fave wine, and it’s more affordable than spending a butt ton out. #MoneySavingLifeHacks for the win!
2. Performing concerts with besties. I traveled to Gainesville, FL and the Poconos for fun performances with two of my favorites. I worked on badass viola repertoire with Stephen Fine and to-die-for beautiful art songs with baritone, Thomas Lehman. I, of course, put on a good 10 lbs eating between rehearsals, but that’s ok – you only live once, right? Anddd we may or may not have celebrated our performances with a celebratory glass of JaM red!
Sidebar: I have a bunch of concerts coming up this year with my duo partner, cellist Alicia Ward, so I’m beyond excited to prep. We’re working on an exciting new program so I’m pumped – it’s gonna be gooooood! I’ll make sure to announce our concerts on here or on social media so keep an eye out.
Left: With Stephen playing Brahms || Middle: Hanging out in Gainesville || Right: Post-performance with Tom
3. Vacationing in Rhode Island with the fam. I was only here for a few days with my mom, aunt and cousin, but we saw as much of Providence + surrounding cities as humanly possible. Talk about taking advantage of every minute! We were on the go constantly seeing new things, touring cool places, and eating at awesome restaurants + dessert joints. To see the full recap, check out “The Best of Providence, Rhode Island.”
4. Visiting my hot hapa bf in Frisco. I don’t get to see Robby (scenicpath on IG) very much so our time together’s always extra special – long distance is a b*tch for real. I wouldn’t do it for ANYONE else. Anywho, I ended up going to CA right after my concert in the Poconos because it was his birthday! We got an obscene amount of dimsum at Ton Kiang for brunch and then binge-watched horror movies, ate Giorgio’s pizza (aka the best pizza I’ve ever tasted), and sipped on his favorite Butter Chardonnay to celebrate. Have any of you guys tried distance? If yes, what was your experience like?
5. Launching the Nomtastic Foods blog. I don’t know if you guys know about my second instagram account, but Robby and I launched Nomtastic Foods together a few months ago. Follow for serious food porn and watch us eat our way through the DMV and SF bay area. We’ll be sharing new posts on the blog every Monday and Thursday highlighting the best of both areas so stay tuned!
Anddd that’s it, folks – 2017’s summer highlights! What are some of your memorable moments? Let me know by commenting below.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
