Blogger Meet Up

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a blogger/Instagram meet-up with six lovely ladies whom I had never met before. We ate brunch in downtown San Diego at a former Top Chef contestant's restaurant called Searsucker. I was extremely nervous because I get social anxiety, even around people I know! My husband did the usual "just relax and go" speech that morning as I was contemplating backing out. There is no logical reason for my nerves, and I am perfectly aware of that. So I went, and I had a great time. All of the ladies were friendly, down-to-earth, and easy to talk to. Putting myself out there is difficult, but I never regret it. Think of it like going to the gym. You may come up with excuses as to why you can't go, but as soon as you're there, you are proud of yourself and you feel so accomplished afterwards. I definitely feel like I've made some new friends and I hope we all keep in touch. Connecting is honestly the best part of blogging. It may terrify me, but it's also a great way to network with like minded people.

I hope you'll take a look at their blogs and Instagram accounts. Here they are in order from left to right:

Jean - @ThePreppyPHD

Alyssa - @AlyssaGutten Blog: Alyssa with an A

Norma - @NVCampos She also makes jewelry: normavcampos.origamiowl.com

Crystal - @Caligirl_Fashions 

Megan - @mkashing Blog: A Stylish Start

Sara - @skashing Blog: A Stylish Start

I had the crab eggs benedict and it was heaven. I'm a benedict addict, and if it's on a menu, I'll always order it without fail. 

After the meet-up, we all parted ways and my husband and I caught up with our best friends. They live in Little Italy, so we spent the rest of the day people watching since it was comic-con week in San Diego. I hope we have more meet-ups soon, starting with my lunch with Gina this coming Monday :)

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Back To School

Wearing //

Express shirt

Loft jeans

J.Crew Factory sandals

Express bracelet

Chanel bag (jumbo double flap in caviar leather), similar

Stella & Dot engraveables necklace (BG24)

I went back to school last Thursday night. As a perpetual student, the idea of sitting in a classroom once again excited the hell out of me. I miss college. It's been over four years since I graduated with my Bachelors's degree, and although I keep telling myself I should go back to get my Master's, time has been passing too quickly and I still have yet to apply for grad school. So when I was invited to Rewardstyle's school night in sunny San Diego I was elated to attend and learn more about using social media and other tools to improve the quality of my blog. I met so many lovely ladies! I'm not in touch with San Diego bloggers, as most of my close friendships are with those of you on the east coast and beyond. It was great to touch base and see just how many of us SoCal girls are out there blogging about beauty and style. I even got to meet one of my favorites, Gina from On the Daily Express. I had no clue she lived in SD (I thought she was an OC girl). I'm so thrilled I got to speak with her in person. She's gorgeous by the way, and very sweet and down-to-earth!

Gorjana was the guest speaker, and her beautiful jewelry was on display. I'm definitely going to add a couple of her pieces to my wardrobe. I love her motto of "live, love, layer".

I loved our "school supplies". Everything was so well done! The Gorjana team even gifted us with a gold bangle, which I happily wore all weekend. 

This is my favorite photo of the night. Can you spot me in the front row? I sat next to Jodi, and she is also such a sweet person. 

The event was held at UCSD in La Jolla. Hubby caught this picture of the sunset. 

On a more personal note, I'm very proud of myself for going to my first blogging event. I've written about my anxiety before, but it's been awhile since I touched on it here. My social anxiety often prohibits me from putting myself out there and meeting new people. I even contemplated not going to school night, even though I was fully prepared all week. I almost backed out. My husband was super supportive and wanted me to go no matter what, so he took off from work an hour early and drove me to the event.  He dropped me off and grabbed dinner at one of our favorite Mexican spots while I became a student again. It would have been so easy for me to back out and stay home, but I didn't let my fears get the best of me this time. I'm so glad I just went because I would have regretted it. So...a blogging conference might be next on my list? I'm ready! Sort of.

Have you attended a blog event? They seem addicting!

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