back in february my parents and i escaped to maui for a week for a little family getaway. maui is one of my favorite vacation spots. it holds a lot of memories for me and i'm always excited whenever i can get back to the island. this trip we took it a bit more mellow with a lot of beach time and relaxation. but of course we had to fit some of my favorite to-do's and must - see's in throughout the week, as well as a few new things! and you can bet i had my camera with me the entire trip! 

one of my favorite little towns in maui is paia. it's a small hippie town on the north side of the island just a short drive from the airport. paia reflects its heritage as a unique hawaiian plantation village that originated in the latter half of the nineteenth century.  now, paia has become a laid back town with local businesses and a coexistence between longtime residents and those attracted by the area's windsurfing. the unique blend of shops, boutiques, and restaurants that make up paia has become a destination in its own right, nestled along some of maui’s best beaches and still surrounded by sugar cane.

a must do when in paia is to eat at milagros, a great little restaurant in the heart of the town.  their fish tacos are delicious and one of my favorite things to eat on maui.  plus, they have a great selection of local craft beer and some over the top margarita flavors!  after lunch, you gotta head up the road to hookipa beach, a world famous wind surfing beach.  the beach is gorgeous and it's always fun to watch the surfers catch some big waves!  be advised - it gets windy so leave your hat in the car!

explore orange county // anaheim packing district

a while back my friend and i went on an adventure to the anaheim packing district to explore and check out what all the talk was about. the packing district includes the restored packard building & former car showroom, farmers park and the restored citrus packing house, and the backyard, an outdoor event area with a fireplace and orange grove. the packing house features 20+ artisan eateries and they even have live music every weekend!  the vibe is laid back and modern, painted with different personalities deepening on which eatery or bar you are visiting.  it's a great place to get together with friends for happy hour, dinner, or even dessert!  i'm looking forward to heading back and getting to know the packing district a little better!!

wine tasting at hamilton oaks winery

there's a cute little house on the outskirts of san juan capistrano that's home to hamilton oaks winery tasting room. owned by the city of san juan capistrano, the historic farmhouse sits on 2.6 acres and is surrounded by valencia orange trees.  step inside and it's like stepping back in time to the early 1900's.  hamilton oaks winery and vineyard is located just a few miles away and have opened the "swanner house" for tastings and events.  

ashley and i headed to the "swanner house" for an afternoon of wine tasting.  we tried five different wines (we got the 5th free since we liked them on Facebook!) and agreed that we were fans of the chardonnay.  we took our bottle and our picnic out to the patio and enjoyed ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.  the view is gorgeous, the weather was perfect and it's so nice that you can bring your own food to enjoy during your visit.  i will definitely be paying the "swanner house" another visit real soon!

drink // raspberry mexican mojito

this delicious looking thing is my take on a mexican mojito - which is basically a mojito made with silver tequila instead of light rum.  i am a huge fan of silver tequila (it's my favorite liquor) and am always trying different ways to incorporate it into fun and refreshing cocktails.   i wish i could write down the exact recipe for this bad boy so you guys can replicate it in your own kitchen, but i suck at recipes and just add a little bit of this and that until i like how it tastes.  but, i'll give you the main points and let you experiment to fit your taste buds.

what you'll need:

2-3 lime wedges, cut in half

4-6 mint leaves - this depends on how "minty" you like your mojitos

4-6 raspberries - you could substitute with any berry you like

1 packet of your favorite sweetener (i like truvia)

silver tequila of your choice

sparkling water

place mint leaves and 2 lime wedges into your glass.  use a muddler (or wooden spoon) to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice.  add 2 more lime wedges, raspberries and the sweetener and muddle again to release the lime juice. do not strain the mixture.  fill the glass almost to the top with ice.  pour in your desired amount of silver tequila over the ice and fill the remainder of the glass with sparkling water.  stir, taste, and add more of whatever ingredient you want if needed.  garnish with a lime wedge if you please!

then, just grab your drink, a fun straw, and head out into the sunshine to enjoy the warm weather!  cheers to summer being just around the corner!  

stone brewery // escondido, ca

one of my favorite places in all of southern california is stone brewery.  i have written about it a couple of times on my blog in the past and i will never tire of sharing my love for this place with you guys.  the brewery grounds are beautiful and the brewery itself is amazing.  this trip, we went for lunch and a brewery tour.  we ended up getting pretzels with stone beer cheese and a hummus appetizer to share.  we loved the pretzels so much we had to order another round after we polished off the first!!  we sat outside in the garden and enjoyed a couple beers each before our tour.  the tours at stone are a great way to learn more about how beer, specifically craft beer, is made.  plus, tours are only $3 and you get 4 tastings and a souvenir tasting glass to take home with you.  the brewers are knowledgeable about beer and really love their job.  after the tour you get to taste some beer and chat with the tour guide.  this place is right down the street from lost abbey & port brewing company, so you can hit both in one day!  but if that's your plan - be sure to eat a little more than just pretzels and hummus ;)

#veev // a better way to drink

with summer in full force, there is nothing i love more than enjoying a refreshing cocktail at a bbq with great friends.  i recently received a perk from klout to try one of veev's vitafrute cocktails.  now, when it comes to cocktails and adult beverages, i'm pretty set in my ways, but when i read that veev is sustainable and organic, i knew i had to branch out and give it a try.  veev is a sustainable acai spirit and their new line of ready-to-drink cocktails come in three different flavors: cosmo, margarita and lemonade.  we tried the organic lemonade and it was perfect for our summer bbq!  i cut up a lemon and poured the organic lemonade cocktail right into the pitcher. i served it with soda water and garnished with a lemon wedge. the cocktail was refreshing and light and i was pleasantly surprised with the results.  i will definitely be trying the other vitafrute flavors!  can't wait to share more fun recipes for these delicious cocktails with you!

* i received coupons to purchase the veev spirits at no cost.  it was not mandatory to review this product on my blog.

Primp & Prep with Hpnotiq!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hpnotiq. All opinions are 100% mine.

hi guys! today i wanted to share a fun new website from Hpnotiq that's all about us ladies! Primp & Prep is where girls can go to get all of their beauty, fashion, style tips, gossip, music etc. before they hit the town for their girl's night out. 

this website is great for that extra little inspiration before hitting the town.  i love all the different drink recipes that hpnotiq shares!  i always enjoy trying new cocktails and hpnotiq is one of my favorite liquors so the variety of recipes is great! 

plus there's a new addition to hpnotiq's "girl's night out" crew - harmonie! harmonie is a regreshing blend of premium french vodka, infused natural fruits, flowers and a touch of cognac.  "Hpnotiq Harmonie's vibrant violet color and delicious blend of infused berries, violets, and lavender set it apart from the original we all love. Best served chilled by itself or with your favorite mixer – we recommend splashing in lemon-lime or club soda, mixing with Champagne, or adding to a vodka cranberry for a sexy new twist."

if you're not a drinker, no worries! Primp & Prep has great makeup and hair ideas for your night out on the town! from how to master the perfect cat eye or what's the best nail color for your horoscope, there's tons of great tips and tricks.  hpnotic has even partnered with pandora for your very own hair down music up! pandora station that plays all the best hits to get ready to! 

so what are you waiting for? head on over to Primp & Prep and see what the fun is all about!!

You must be 21 years or older to drink alcoholic beverages and as always, please remember to drink responsibly

drink: honeycrisp apple sangria

As soon as I saw this recipe I decided I'm going to attempt it for Thanksgiving.  It seems like such a fun twist on the usual fruity sangria and definitely appropriate for fall.  Cheers!

Honeycrisp Apple Sangria:

recipe from nutmeg nanny

2 Honeycrisp apples

One 750-milliliter bottle unoaked Chardonnay

1/3 C. peach Schnapps

1/4 C. pisco 

1/4 C. honey 

2 oranges- 1 quartered

1 lemon – quartered

1 lime – quartered

2 cinnamon sticks

2 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger

3 whole cloves

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Ice

Club soda

Mint sprigs – for garnish 

Peel, core and chop one of the apples. In a bowl, combine the Chardonnay, Schnapps, pisco and honey. Add the quartered orange, the lemon, lime, cinnamon sticks, the chopped apple, ginger and cloves and refrigerate at least 4 hours. 

Strain the sangria into a pitcher. Peel, core and finely chop the remaining apple. Peel, section and chop the remaining orange. Mix the apple and orange in a bowl.

On a small plate, blend the sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the rims of wine glasses and dip in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Fill the glasses with ice. Pour in the sangria until three-quarters full. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a spoonful of the chopped apple and orange and a mint sprig.

recap: so cal blogger meetup

Ok so if you follow me on twitter or saw my weak excuse for a post about the meet-up, you will know how much fun we all had at the event. It was so much fun to meet all the fabulous bloggers who joined us. Now it's time for some pictures, courtesy of the wonderful Karina Irene, who joined us and snapped photos all night! Kai was even lucky enough to win a free photo sesh from her in the raffle - such a lucky girl (wonder who gave you all that luck - ha!).

Sip at Flavor Del Mar was kind enough to host all of us girls for the night. They provided us with a fantastic spread of appetizers and a champagne toast, as well as happy hour prices at the wine bar all evening! Nothing like a bit of liquor to get everyone chatting! We had dessert donated by Sprinkles and tons of fun raffle prizes from our sponsors. Overall, the night was a great success!!

If you want to read more posts from all the lovely ladies who attended, hop on over to Tammy's blog and check out the link up! If you want to join us at our next meet-up, please let us know! We are hoping to hold the next one in January! And last but not least, a very special thank you to all our fabulous sponsors. Without you, the event would not have been as great as it was! 

byAimee.com

Mama Mandolin

J Public Relations

Karina Irene Photography

Lululemon Athletica

Studio 12-20 

The Dry Bar

Marine Parents

The Altered Chain

SIP at Flavor Del Mar

Sprinkles Cupcake

Sweet Bea's Baking

Reina Jewelry

VAVi Sport & Social Club