A Weekend in Palm Springs

Okay, so if you didn't already get annoyed by the past couple posts know already, I went to Palm Springs this weekend with my friends. It was sooooo hot, like 106 degrees, gosh!! Just thinking about it, makes my sun burn  hurt. 

We got there on Saturday morning. It was about a 2 -3 hour drive from L.A. Once we got to Palm Springs we found out we still had about 2 hours to spare before we could check in. So we went to eat breakfast at Pinocchio's, and started off our trip with some bottomless Champagne. Yes, I said bottomless.. It was yummy. 

We went back to the room, pre-party with some more mimosas and changed to get ready for our first pool party. 

We ate some yummy mexican food at Las Casuelas, which had a live band. And had some margaritas to drench our thirst. 

We were super sun pooped that we slept for most of the night.. But we finally did make it out to explore the night life for a little bit. 

We had a blast. And we must definitely need to go back. 

Fashion Thoughts {Palm Springs Edition}

I'm back to reality. Like I mentioned last week, me and a couple of my friends took a girls trip to Palm Springs, CA about 2 hours from where I live. And it was so fun. I just want to go back. Come back tomorrow to see some of the pictures we took of our trip. But today I bring you another Fashion Thoughts post, and is totally inspired by the different outfits me and my friends wore to Palm Springs, it is totally summer, fresh outfits. 

Summer - Palm Springs Edition by lovelyadri1 featuring a fit and flare cocktail dress

P.S - Is anyone obsessed with Polyvore.. I just started using it and I love it. //one//Crop tops. Love them. I'm on the bigger side, and never thought I could rock them but I finally found one at Forever that I loved!!//two//This summer, whether you will be going to the beach or the pool, a swim suit is always a must. My friend had an amazing crochet one-piece, it looked great. :) //three// I'm still a little shy about my body when wearing swim suits, so a cover up is definitely a must. Plus, they are so easy if you will be hopping from pool party to pool party. ;)//four//Flower headbands are a great accessory to make any outfit pop. //five//Dresses. Here in Cali it seems like its going to be a pretty warm summer, so dresses are a must have for this summer. //six//Sandals.  I can wear sandals all year if I could,, they are my favorite. //seven//Glasses. Keep your beautiful eyes shaded from those sun rays.//eight//Shorts. Be fresh  and get a tan at the same time. 

What are you must-haves for the summer?

Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick {Summer Reading Challenge Review}

This post is sponsored by BookSparksPR in honor of their 

4th annual Summer Reading Challenge. Check out all the details here.

Hi everyone. I'm bringing you another awesome book today. I hope you enjoy the review. 

Title : Cure for the Common Breakup

Author: Beth Kendrick

Publisher: NAL Trade

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Summary from GoodReads:

Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as "the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup." Home to Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.

Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.

Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn't be kissing him. She definitely shouldn't be falling in love.

After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything

Quotes:

"You know how everyone around here is always saying, 'Don't be bitter - be better'?" "Well, when I first got here, I thought that was bull. I wanted to be bitter. I aspired to it. Because I thought that would protect me. I'd never get my heart broken again, because I'd never be stupid enough to get close to anyone again."

My Take: This book was such a great book. I recommend it to anyone who loves chick lit,  fun summer reads, anyone who loves a good, funny story. Basically everyone. I could not put it down. 
I fell in love with Dutch the moment that Summer ran over his roses. I loved the little sister, Ingrid. I wished I could be friends with the whole town of Black Dog Bay. And as for Summer, I wish that she was my best friend, or that I could be her. 
Summer is a sassy, gorgeous, outspoken, and stubborn. She gets what she wants. For the most part I loved her outspoken personality. But at other times I just wanted to slap her out of her bitterness and make her realize that love does exist. 
Call me naive, but I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, and Summer is anything but that. This beautiful, world traveling flight attendant, has not been able to keep a boyfriend for too long. And she admits to being bitter as a way to protect not only herself but her heart. She has been hurt in the past and she will do anything to protect her self from "real" love. 
But when the last flight she worked on, has to make an emergency landing and catches on fire, it scars her for life. She heads to Black Dog Bay, known as best place to recuperate from a breakup, not really knowing what to expect from the tiny town. She never expected that she would fall in love with the town, the residents and Dutch. Summer taught Dutch to have fun  and to let go and Dutch taught her to believe in love. Will he be the one that actually makes her settle down. 
The book was a fun, light read. Perfect for a summer read. I highly recommend it. :)

Rating: 4 out of 5

My other Summer Reading Challenge reviews: Thank you BookSparks for letting me a part of this Summer Reading Challenge Book tour. Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan
Find my other reviews here: Book Thoughts

Road Trip Essentials!!!

I'm so excited to bring you this post today. I was recently contacted by RelayRides to participate in their "Road Trip Essentials" campaign.

RelayRides is the nation's largest peer to peer car rental marketplace, with vehicles in over 1,900 cities all across the country. We efficiently connect people who need a car with owners whose vehicle would otherwise go unused, backing each reservation with a $1M insurance policy.

And I'm excited. I love going on road trips as long as I'm not by myself. hehe. And in honor of this weekend's Palm Springs trip I'm taking with my friends,  I got some input from them and these are the things we absolutely must have on our trips.

Road Trip Essentials by lovelyadri1 featuring a water carafe


iPhone
My phone is the first thing I pack when I'm heading out of the house. And it is definitely a necessities on a road trip, whether it is to find something to eat close by, checking a map, playing some music, even playing some games. The iPhone has it all.

Camera
Whenever we are packing for a trip, our first thought it a camera. The camera is an essential in all our trips so that we can capture some of the fun memories we have.

Music
Everyone needs a great playlist while traveling the road. So music was an must-have for all of us. Our likes in music ranges from Rap/Hip-Hop to EDM, so there is something in there for everyone.

Snacks & Drinks
Before we get on the road we stop to stock up on our favorite snacks and drinks, Doritos, Hot Cheetos, Sun Flower Seeds, Gummy Worms, Gatorade, Water, Coke, Coffee. 

Reading Material
Cosmo is my favorite magazine to take on road trips. And I also like to take a book with me, but it is rarely when I pick it up and read in the car, the car ride is definitely more exciting than the book.

Shades & Sandals & killer outfits
When on the road, I like to wear sandals and something comfortable. But killer outfits are a must-have to pack for when we finally arrive to our destination, so we can party in style.

Drinks (alcoholic)
And once we get to our final stop, we like to celebrate with some wine, champagne and mimosas. P.S - This is only when you have arrived at your destination, please do not drink and drive.

People (friends and family)
And finally the thing that makes a road trip and any trip fun, is a fun group of friends, who will  double as a co-pilot, game host, chatting buddy, therapist, reader, DJ, etc.

We are so excited for our Palm Spring trip. Make sure to come back next week for an update.

What are some Road Trip Essentials that you must take with you?

Literary Junkies {May Edition}

Its time for some book talk!!! Yay!! This month's Literary Junkies.

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it! I'm currently reading Cure for the Common Breakup as part of my Summer Reading Challenege through BookSparks. Stay tuned for a review on it on Friday!!! :) 

Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.

Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn't be kissing him. She definitely shouldn't be falling in love.

After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything. - from GoodReads

2. Do you judge a book by its cover? What cover elements make you not want to pick up a book?

So bad, but yes I do judge a book by its cover. The cover has to look professional, if it does not, I will not pick it up. 

3. Do you participate in any other bookish link-ups? Tell us about them so we can join next time!

No this is my only bookish link-up but I would love to join some other ones!!! :) Tell me, which ones do you participate in?

4. Have you ever watched a movie that was better than its book version? Explain yourself!

I always prefer books than the movies. And I have not seen a movie that I like better than the book. 

5. Summer is here! Do you read more often during any particular season?

Summer reading is the best. I like to grab my book and sit outside in the backyard, or take it with me when I go to the pool or the beach. I do try to read more during the summer. 

6. What is the worst book you've read this year? Why?

I don't like to say that I've read bad books. Every book is different, but not all books catch my interest. 

What are your answers?

Liebster Award Fun!!!

Ahhh so excited to be nominated for the Liebster Award. Okay but I must confess something. I have been nominated for it in the past. But that's okay right? I can do it again, right? I just feel so blessed to have people read my blog and nominate me for it.  So basically what is the Liebster Award? It is an award given to small blogs, bloggers that have 300 or less followers, in order to showcase new blogs for the blogsphere to read. Yay!!  The person who nominated you asks you a set of questions, and then you ask you nominees a set of questions they answer. 

So today I have been nominated by Valerie over at Indecisively Restless.  But in the last couple month I have also been nominated by Gina at Gina's Agenda, and Alexa over at Pretty by Alexa. Thank you ladies!! If you haven't checked their blogs, I highly suggest you head over.  I wasn't sure if I could be nominated multiple times but I decided to finally make a post in order to promote some of my new fave blogs.
Questions from Valerie:
//one// What do you like the most about yourself?

Ooohh this is a hard question. I think the most thing I like about myself is that I try to help everyone. I love helping out. It's very rewarding to know that you were there when someone needed help, even if its a small thing. 

//two//

What is your all time favorite book?

I absolutely love reading, as if you couldn't tell by my book infested posts last week. But whenever they ask me about my favorite book, its too hard to just choose one. But there are a couple of books that have made me view the world a little differently or who have shaped me in some kind of way: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Great Gatsy by Scott F. Fitzgerald, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Always Running by Luis Rodriguez, among many more.

//three//

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would go to Italy. I have always wanted to travel to Italy and learn Italian, and eat Italian food, and date Italian men.. hehe. 

//four//

If you could have any job in the world, what would you do?

Fashion Designer. Although I have not sewn much in the last couple months, designing has always been that far-reaching dream that I've had since I was little. 

//five//

What is your biggest pet peeve?

gahhh, people eating with their mouths full. Ewww. Just no.

//six//

Do you have any siblings? 

Yes two younger brothers. 

//seven//

Do people know you are a blogger?

My best friends do. My mom does. And slowly I've been trying to get it out there a bit more. 

//eight//

Who has made the biggest impact in your life?

Definitely my mom. She has always supported us through everything. The unconditional love that she has showed for us is always comforting. Love her so much. 

//nine//

What can you not leave home without?

My phone, and my wallet. And a book. lol. 

//ten//

You can take one celebrity and one friend with you on a desert island, who would go with you?

I would create one person from all my friends lol. I can't choose one. gahhh.. okay.. I would choose my cousin Vane, and Romeo Santos from the bachata group Aventura to serenade us when we get lonely. lol.  

//eleven//

What do you hope blogging will help you accomplish?  I hope that blogging can help me be more open about myself personally, and creatively.    You are supposed to choose 11 blogs to nominate, but that's too many. Here are my 5 picks Laney over at Night Owl Venting Carly over at Carly Blogs Here Kate over at Kate Elizabeth Elizabeth over at Always a Jersey Girl at Heart Daisy over at Jetsettin Daisy
Questions: 1. Why do you blog? 2. What is your favorite thing to do on your down time? 3. What are you looking forward to for the second-half of the year? 4. What is your greatest fear? 5. What makes you the happiest the most? 6. What was your dream job as a child? How does that compare to now? 7. Favorite memory of all time? 8. If you could travel to one place, where would you go? 9. What's your go-to outfit? 10. What are some things on your bucket list? 11.  What is your guilty pleasure?

Bout of Books 10 {Wrap Up}

Well ya'll, I survived Bout of Books 10. Although not my best reading week, I'm glad I participated.  I was able to finish a book for the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge: Love and Other Foreign Words and write my review.  Woot Woot!!
Here is my last Bout of Books post until August, when the next one will happen. :) 

Wrap Up: Time Devoted to Reading: Read at least 2 hours a day: I totally forgot to time myself. But there was some days during the week, that I know I didn't read 2 hours. 
Goals: - Complete 2 books: I did it!! I finished reading Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan (check out my review) & Keeping the House by Ellen Baker - Participate in at least 4 challenges: I came 1 challenge short. I participated in 3 {check the out here}
Books Completed:

Love and other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan Keeping the House by Ellen Baker
Updates: Check the rest of my updates here Friday:

What I've read today: N/a

Number of pages read today:  0

Total number of books completed: 1

Total number of pages read: 336

Read-a-thon thoughts: Today was not a reading day at all. I was called in to work for the day. And in the evening, my cousin graduated from college, so I wasn't able to sneak in any pages. 

Favorite quote: N/A

Mini Challenges: 0 out of 2

Saturday:

What I've read today: Keeping the House by Ellen Baker

Number of pages read today:  130

Total number of books completed: 1

Total number of pages read: 466

Read-a-thon thoughts: Yes!!! Such a great day for reading for me. I was able to almost finish this second book. I do hope I finish reading it tomorrow.  Only about 120 pages to go. I must say this book Keeping the House is a 500 page book. Eeek. I had already started it a couple weeks ago, but haven't been able to finish it.  

Favorite quote: N/A

Mini Challenges: 0 out of 1

Sunday:

What I've read today: Keeping the House

Number of pages read today:  133

Total number of books completed: 2

Total number of pages read: 599

Read-a-thon thoughts: Yayaya!! Another successful day!!! I was finally able to finish Keeping the House. wooot woot woot!!! Soo happy. 

Favorite quote: N/A

Mini Challenges: 0 out of 1

Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan {A Book Review - Summer Reading Challenge}

This post is sponsored by BookSparksPR in honor of their 

4th annual Summer Reading Challenge. Check out all the details here.

Hi okay. So I'm really excited to bring you this post. So summer is coming. And I get most of my reading during the summer. So when I heard about BookSparksPR Summer Reading Challenge I knew I had to join in. I will be participating as a reviewer of 13 amazing books, from today all the way to August. So excited, it's my first time. And you know me, I love books, and I especially love to recommend books. So here is the first one up. 

Title : Love and Other Foreign Words

Author: Erin McCahan

Publisher: Dial

Release Date: May 1, 2014

Summary from GoodReads:

Perfect for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell, Love and Other Foreign Words is equal parts comedy and coming of age--a whip-smart, big-hearted, laugh-out-loud love story about sisters, friends, and what it means to love at all.

Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?

Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue--the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word--at least not in a language Josie understands

Quotes:

So what is love...? It is a connection, almost like a private language between two people, or an invisible dance. It is an invincible force that binds us to one another and can never be broken.  Stretched and tested, even worried about, but never temporary, never fleeting, never broken.

My Take: I really enjoyed the book. And I think it was mostly because of Josie. Josie is funny, witty, smart, sarcastic and she had me giggling throughout the book. 
The book follows a very smart high school student who is also a sophomore in college. Her family calls her the "gifted" because she is very smart, and pretty much questions everything about life, and knows everything about life, well almost everything. Except about one thing.. Love. 
When her closest sister, falls in love and gets engaged, Josie freaks out and sets out a plan to break her sisters engagement apart. She didn't understand that her sister was really in love, all she saw was that her sisters fiancee, a guy names Geoff, whom Josie cannot stand, was taking her confidante away from her. 
When her sister tells her she knows nothing about love, Josie sets out to try to find out what love is. She goes out with a boy named Stefan but fails to fall in love with him and ends up breaking his heart. She then has this out of body connection with Ethan, which she claims was love at first sight, but realizes that it is not so.    Josie realizes that everyone has their own language. And she has become a pro at translating different modes of speaking when she is with different groups of people, from her Volleyball friends, to her best friend Stu, to the language of high school and college, to her home's language. She has been able to translate all of them to her own language, Josie. But the one language she fails to translate is that of Love. She has a hard time grasping it. But who doesn't, I know I have had and still have a hard time grasping the idea of Love and I'm 24. 
At the end, this over-thinking, witty, sarcastic teenager, realizes that Love is a language on its own. Love has multiple meanings. But most of all it is a language between two people. She admits, which by reading the books you will know that Josie will hardly admit that she is wrong, that she doesn't understand what love is, but is open to explore it. 
I liked  the book. Like I said it was witty and smart, and funny. Sometimes Josie frustrated me by being a little selfish, and other times I sided with Josie and agreed with everything she said. I think this book would be a great for Summer Reading. 

4 out of 5

Find my other reviews here: Book Thoughts Thank you again to BookSparks for letting me be a part of this Book Blog Tour for amazing books. 

What does love mean to you?

Bout of Books {Updates #2}

Here are some of my updates for Bout of Books. How is everyone else doing in the challenge?

Monday:

What I've read today: Keeping the House by Ellen Baker  and Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

Number of pages read today:  100 pages (49 of Keeping the House; 51 of Love and other Foreign Words)

Total number of books completed:  0

Total number of pages read: 100

Read-a-thon thoughts: Not the best day of reading today. I got called in to substitute today, so I didn't have much time to read during the day or the afternoon. I couldn't participate in the challenge or the Twitter chat, because of work. By the time I got to reading at night, by eyes were giving up on me and would not stay open. I'm hoping I have better luck tomorrow. 

Favorite quote:

"Now we have a hero in the family, he thinks. Strange, though: In his mind's eye, Chase is still ten years old. John simply cannot conjure a picture of him any older than that. Amazing thing to contemplate, a ten-year-old war hero." - Keeping the House page 156

Mini Challenges: 0 out of 1

Tuesday:

What I've read today: Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

Number of pages read today:  123 pages

Total number of books completed:  1 -{Love and Other Foreign Words}

Total number of pages read: 223 pages

Read-a-thon thoughts:  It was slightly better reading day today. A little bit better than yesterday but not the best. I did finish reading one of the book that I had started, woot. Look out for the review of Love and Other Foreign Words here on Friday. :) I also participated in a mini challenge, which was fun, it was coming up with a list of books we are looking forward to reading. And I also participated in a Twitter reading spring, in which we read non-stop for an hour. It was great, and got me into the reading mood. Hoping that I get more reading in tomorrow.  

Favorite Quote:

"So what is love..? It is a connection, almost like a private language between two people, or a invisible dance. It is an invincible force that binds us to one another and can never be broken. Stretched and tested, even worried over, but not temptrary, never fleeting, never broken..." - Love and Other Foreign Words page 305

Mini Challenges:  1 out of 2
Shannon over at River City Reading asked us to come up with a list of books we are looking forward to reading. I was able to bring it down to 10: here they are. 

1. The One and Only by Emily Giffin

2. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

3. Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

4.  Insurgent by Veronica Roth

5. Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

6. Cure for the Common Break Up by Beth Kendrick

7.  Girls in white Dresses by Jennifer Close

8. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

9.  My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

10. Tell the Wolves I'm home by Carol Rifka Brunt

What are you looking forward to reading?

Wednesday:

What I've read today: Keeping the House by Ellen Baker

Number of pages read today: 46

Total number of books completed: 1

Total number of pages read: 269

Read-a-thon thoughts: Not a good day. I think I've been getting down on myself lately on not reading as much as I would like to. But I did see a Tweet from Bout of Books Twitter, that said, as long as you are reading you are winning. So I know I haven't had much time to read, but I should be happy that I got at least a bit of reading done. 

Favorite quote:

"'You will be his,' her mother has gone on, ' but he'll be his own, and the only way you really have anything is to have your children.'" - Keeping the House page 163

Mini Challenges: 1 out of 1

Anmiryam over at My Overstuffed Shelves asked us to think about the perfect pairing, whether it be another book, a movie, a drink, or whatever, that goes perfect with the book we are currently reading or one we have read before.  I choose to pair up Keeping the House with a cold lemonade. Today reminded me of a hot day that the ladies in the book described, and thought that a lemonade would be the drink of choice for them.

Thursday:

What I've read today: Keeping the House by Ellen Baker

Number of pages read today:  67

Total number of books completed: 1

Total number of pages read: 336

Read-a-thon thoughts: Today was a little better in reading. yay. Tomorrow I have work and not sure I'm I'll get any reading done during the day, but I will try. I'm hoping Saturday and Sunday will be the best days. I had fun participating in the mini challenge, I debated whether to spell out my whole name or just Adri. I decided the whole name and it was challenging. :) 

Favorite quote:

Mini Challenges: 1 out of 1

Kim over at Kimberlyfaye Reads challenged us to spell any word with different book titles. 

Are you participating in Bout of Books, how was your week been going? If you are not participating, what are you currently reading? 

Green Vest {Fashion Thoughts}

I've seen cute army green vest around the fashion world lately, and I so wanted one. But I never thought I could pull it off. Once I saw one at Old Navy, I knew I had to get it.

 I loved pairing it up with the maxi dress. I think it pulled the look together. 

What I also love about this vest, is that you can wear throughout the year. Pair it up with a dress or shorts in the summer. For fall and winter, pair it up with long sleeve shirts and jeans and even leggings. Definitely a good item to have in your closet. 

Maxi Dress {Forever21} // Vest {Old Navy}

Belt {Target} // Sandals {Old Navy}

I'm still getting a hang of these mini photo shoots. And if you ask my cousins, you will definitely know I had some awkward poses. But I did have fun.

What do you think about these "army vests"? What is one thing you think everyone should add to their wardrobe this year?