The Siberian American

Monday, January 23, 2017

California Road Trip: Five Things You Must Do in San Diego

Lately, I’ve had a new series of posts I want to do on my mind. I know many of us don’t get to spend as much time traveling as we’d like, so I want to share five things I think you must do in my favorite cities, starting with San Diego. San Diego was such a nice surprise on our California road trip. I had been to California many times, but it was my first in San Diego. Now all Chris and I talk about is how much we would love to go back! I’m so excited to share five things I think you must do in San Diego with y’all today. It was hard to narrow it down to just five things because I think San Diego has so much to offer!

Old Town San Diego
We loved visiting Old Town San Diego with its historic buildings and amazing restaurants. To really get a feel for Old Town San Diego and the rest of the city, I recommend taking the Old Town Trolley Tour. It was such a great way to get an overview of the city in a short amount of time.

Related Posts: Exploring Old Town San Diego and Old Town Trolley Tour

La Jolla Cove
A trip to San Diego isn’t complete without a visit to La Jolla Cove to see the sea lions and the gorgeous views!

Related Post: La Jolla Cove

Coronado
We didn’t have much time to explore Coronado, but it’s high on the list for a return trip. The area is full of cute shops and the beautiful Coronado Beach.

Related Post: Old Town Trolley Tour

Balboa Park
Balboa Park is full of gorgeous Spanish-style buildings and amazing museums. I really want to visit the San Diego Natural History Museum, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Japanese Friendship Garden, and the Museum of Photographic Arts.

Related Post: Old Town Trolley Tour

San Diego Zoo
I must admit that I am not the biggest zoo person in the world, but the San Diego Zoo is absolutely worth a visit. I loved seeing the pandas and had the best time on our private tour of the zoo.

Related Posts: San Diego Zoo Tips and San Diego Zoo Private Tour

Catch up on our California road trip:

Quick Thoughts

Seven-Day Itinerary From San Diego to San Francisco

Exploring Old Town San Diego

San Diego Old Town Trolley Tour

La Jolla Cove

San Diego Zoo Tips

San Diego Zoo Private Tour

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Views from Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle Grand Rooms Tour
Hearst Castle Upstairs Suites Tour and Roman Pool
Pacific Coast Highway Tips
The Most Beautiful Spot in Big Sur

Have you been to San Diego? What is your favorite thing to do in the city?

Friday, January 20, 2017

Announcing the 2017 Galentine's Blogger Gift Exchange

I am so excited to announce that Mattie and I are hosting our second annual Galentine's Blogger Gift Exchange! We had so much fun doing it with y'all last year, and I am so glad people love it as much as we do. I've had several people reach out and ask me if we're doing it again, which is super exciting. Whether you are new or did the exchange with us last year, I hope you decide to join in on the fun with us!

The Details:

What:
Our Galentine’s Blogger Exchange is a fun opportunity to get to know another blogger! We will also be having a linkup, so everyone can see the great gifts you picked out.

When:
1/27: Signups close
2/10: Deadline to ship your package
2/24: Show off your gift by linking up with us!

How much will it cost me?
We have set a minimum of $20. If you would like to spend more, you are more than welcome to do that, but please don’t expect anyone to spend more than $20.

Am I sending to/receiving from the same person?
No, this is a Secret Santa exchange. This way, you get to know two people!

Should I contact the blogger who is my partner?
If you need to contact your blogger, please do it through the Elfster site. We want your identity to be a surprise!

How do I tell my partner what I'd like?
Elfster has a great wish list tool where you can add items to your wish list! You can also send a message to your partner through Elfster without knowing who she is.

Is the exchange open to international bloggers?
Yes! If you are a US blogger, please let us know when you sign up if you prefer to ship to only US bloggers!

Click here to sign up for the Galentine's Exchange.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

January 2017 PopSugar Must Have Box Review

Hey, friends. I meant to show up here yesterday, but this weekend was a tough one with spending time with my best friend and going to her mom’s memorial. Thank you for all of your kind words on her passing.

Today, I wanted to share the contents of my PopSugar box. This was one of those months with a high value item I loved, which made everything else feel like extra. Overall, it was a nice combination of fun and useful items.

Note: This post contains referral links. If you decide to purchase a PopSugar box, I would love it if you used my link.

GOLDFADEN MD Fresh A Peel Multi Acid Resurfacing Peel ($85):
I have heard so many good things about the GOLDFADEN MD brand, but at $85, I could never justify the price. I am so excited to try this peel. My favorite part of it is it only takes one to three minutes to work.

Manduka eQua Mat Towel in Playa ($38):
I don’t do yoga, so I didn’t even know you need a towel for your yoga mat. I definitely think I can repurpose it, though, because it’s so soft!

May Designs Desk Calendar and Notecard ($25):
I was so excited when I saw this item in the box! All of the designs are adorable, and I love that you can flip the card over and cut on the dotted line to turn each page into a notecard. Items like these are why I love PopSugar so much.

Daily Concepts Your Hair Wrap Towel ($18):
I’ve never really used a special hair wrap towel, but this one says it helps eliminate frizz, so I am willing to give it a try.

Dean & Deluca Peppermint Loose Leaf Tea ($10.75):
I love tea, but I don’t like peppermint tea. I’ll probably pass this on to my mom.

Sourcebooks Inc Instant Happy Notes ($8.99):
This little book includes 101 sticky notes you can tear off to brighten someone’s day! I can’t wait to use these.

Special Extra: Glade No 3 Coconut and Beach Woods Candle ($4.99):
This item is a special extra, which means it doesn’t count towards the value of the box. I am sensitive to a lot of strong smells, and I really hated this one. That said, it doesn’t bother me that this was in the box since it doesn’t contribute to its value. I’ll definitely pass it on to a friend who will enjoy it!

The total value of this PopSugar box was about $186. That’s a huge value for a box that only cost me $20 during the Black Friday sale.

If you are interested in a PopSugar subscription, PopSugar is currently offering $5 of your first box with the code “MUSTHAVE5.”

What was your favorite item in my January 2017 PopSugar box?

Friday, January 13, 2017

Five Recipes We Love This Winter

One of my goals for 2017 is to get better at meal planning. I’ve always been terrible at it because I hate picking, and Chris will pretty much eat anything. When he had a day off recently, we sat down and browsed through many recipes together. We found several recipes that will be added to our weekly rotations, so today I wanted to share some of our favorites with y’all!

Asian Steak Bites

We found this recipe two weeks ago and have already made it twice. It’s so simple to make, and the marinate is delicious. I hate leftovers, but I’m not lying when I say I could eat these every day.

Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta

I’ve never had Bang Bang Shrimp before, but I have heard many people talk about it! If what we made is anything like the original, I can see why. The sauce is so delicious!

Cuban-Style Slow Cooker Shredded Beef (Ropa Vieja)

I love ropa vieja at Cuban restaurants, but I have never tried to make it. This was another easy recipe that tasted amazing.

Patty Melt

A patty melt felt like the perfect meal on a cold day. I couldn’t tell y’all the last time I’ve had one, so it was nice treat!

Juicy Lucy Meatballs

These are meatballs stuffed with cheese. I repeat, these are meatballs stuffed with cheese. Stop reading this post and make these now. They’re that good.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

California Road Trip: The Most Beautiful Place in Big Sur

I still think about our California road trip all the time. I’m usually a person who prefers new experiences, but I would love to repeat this trip in the future. Our day driving up the Pacific Coast Highway was one of my favorite days ever. Every view was incredible, but my favorite view of the day was of McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

There’s something truly spectacular about seeing an 80-foot waterfall cascade into the Pacific Ocean. I am always on the hunt for waterfalls (I can’t wait to share some of the ones we saw while in the Smokey Mountains with y’all!), and the McWay Falls took my breath away.

Tips

To get to McWay Cove to see the falls, you need to park on the side of the road. Park in the first open spot you see, as it’s almost always crowded. It’s much harder to turn around in that area if you completely miss the parking area then to walk a little bit longer to the falls. To get to the lookout for the falls, you walk a half mile on a dirt path from the parking lot and pass through a tunnel underneath Highway 1 to get to the overlook.

The best view of McWay Falls is actually a little before the overlook itself. Once you get to the overlook, the waterfall is further away. Still, you will get many stunning images of striking cliffs, palm trees, redwoods, and the Pacific Ocean.