Happy 2015 and a Look Back at Where I’ve Been for the Past Month!

Warning: This post will be filled with a TON of pictures taken over the past 3 months. Come on, you know we have a ton to catch up on 😉

“Life is too short to have boring parties”, it’s  my mantra for 2015. Yes instead of making some potentially doomed resolution I’ve decided to live my year by  mantra…and while we’re talking about 2015… Happy New Year party people! I know I know, it’s like 2 weeks into the New Year so you’re probably tired of saying  and hearing it, but forgive me, I haven’t had the opportunity to say it because I’ve been a pretty lazy blogger.

I realize I’ve been away for a while but I have SO SO SO much I want to tell you guys! But first let me start off by apologizing for my blog slackin. While I haven’t been posting to the blog as consistently I should, please know that it’s been on my mind every day. However, I didn’t want to post until it was also in my heart. Since starting this blog I’ve heard of the dreaded bloggers slump that many bloggers  go through. At the time I was so GUNG HO about this blog I couldn’t even imagine it…until it happened to me! To be honest I didn’t feel the same fire that I’d when this blog began and I allowed the happenings in my life to take precedence over this blog. Even still, I felt like I was neglecting my passion and life just didn’t seem right not coming here every day to check stats and read comments and think up posts. So I’m back and this time feeling bit more renewed and ready to bring exciting content filled with new party planning idea’s, inspirational posts and creative ways to show you how you can live your weekend 7 days a week.

But before we look forward I want to take a look back at the last 2 months and catch you up on what’s been going on in my world with the hopes that you can still gather some inspiration for your own.

It kind of all started when I flew to Kansas City  for 3 weeks in December for a certification for my day job.  It was seriously one of those once in a lifetime, you better jump on this because it can do wonders for your career and you may never get this chance again, opportunities that I couldn’t turn down.  But it also meant that I would be away from my family and friends for the majority of the holiday season. However, like my Mama has told me ” anything worth having is worth working hard for”. So right after Turkey day I found myself on said plane headed to Kansas to put the necessary work into my career.

I have a ton of pictures to show you from that adventure but before we get into that I wanted to talk about my Thanksgiving! I was tasked with the decor this year so you know  that was right up my decor loving alley! I don’t contribute much to the holidays in terms of cooking, and my mom and Aunt bust their butts every year (I’m talking cooking for a full 3 days leading up) and I wanted to help in any way I could. So to Pinterest I went. I had a few ideas I’d wanted to try out and I have to say seeing my vision come to fruition was satisfying on a level that’s hard to put into the proper words. Here’s a look at how my holiday went down…

 Right after Thanksgiving I was headed to Kansas. I was equal parts excited, nervous and already feeling a bit homesick after having received multiple invitations to what was to be some pretty epic Christmas parties.

My job had given me free rein to choose the hotel I’d be staying at while in Kansas. TheThe AmeriStar Casino Resort won out over the usual long-term stay hotels that most business professionals prefer to frequent. I couldn’t imagine staying somewhere without 1) Multiple dining choices 2) Some form of entertainment 3) Room service. Call me shallow but I wasn’t into staying at any establishment without the latter because Baby Girl needs to enjoy breakfast (and dinner) in bed every once in a while.

My choice of hotel turned out to be the best choice I could have made.

I went to Kansas ignorantly thinking that it would be a Podunk town with little to do and not a lot of culture (hence me staying at a casino hotel). I couldn’t have been more wrong. I went 2 fascinating museums ( The American Jazz Museum,and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum), ate some of the best food I have ever had (hello BBQ!) at some amazing restaurants (Q39 and The Majestic having been my favs) and enjoyed some pretty amazing wine (I you’re ever in town try Tannin)with some pretty fantastic people. The fact that everything was within a 20 minute driving distance was just icing on the cake.

  It just so happens that a friend of my moms manages The Blue Room– one of the most successful jazz club’s in Kansas and he hosted me for a couple of the nights I was there. I grew up listening to jazz so I felt right at home and was wowed by the artists and the hospitality of the very friendly staff.

 

One of my favorite things to do in a new city is to find a mom and pop coffee shop and sit there for hours reading and people watching. Kansas had a really cozy coffee shop that I was able to do just that in.

 On my last day in Kansas there was a snow storm which I thought was a proper way to peace Kansas City out. I drove around that last day happy for the experience and the fact that I’d passed my certification (HUGE accomplishment for me small step for mankind). As I was driving I saw some kids making a snowman which I’d thought only happened in the movies because let’s be real it’s too cold for alla dat. But maybe people in the snow feel totally different because I actually saw this on my goodbye drive around the city…

On the day that I returned to California I had to quickly get things together for my annual Christmas party. I decided after getting a never-ending stream of invites to the “ugly christmas sweater” party I HAD to do something a little different. After thinking about what I love most about the holidays I realized that it’s the time that I feel most comfortable and relaxed throughout the year. I’m around the people I love, enjoying their company and eating copious amounts of comfort food, and what’s more comfortable than Christmas Pajama’s, comfort food (think chili and fried chicken). Hence my  “Christmas Pajama Jammy Jam” party theme.

See I told you we had a lot to catch up on 🙂 and there is so much more to talk about,  however I won’t inundate you more than I already have. Just know that I’m really excited for what’s in store at Weekends With Winter in 2015. I’ve learned so much over the last year and I’m really excited to continue growing as a blogger and party host and I’m happy to have you along for the ride.