Things I Love: Half Birthdays

Today I turned 29 & a half.

AND A HALF.

And let me tell you, that half matters. The past 6 months have been a whirlwind (Tornado? HURRICANE?).

And I've gone through probably the biggest life change I have had thus far. My 29th birthday on June 14th marked a year since I sick with pneumonia.

During the two months that I spent in & out of the hospital, I began to reflect on why I was so unhappy with my life and I began to make some changes.

I decided I didn't want to be a teacher anymore. And I took a leap of faith that I could propel my blog into something more then a hobby.

I grew a pair (Mom, just Urban dictionary it) and started going to every party, event and meet up I heard about.

It might look easy, but it's hard to do. Going blindly into an event, party or situation is scary, and I'll be the first to tell you that.

{You don't even know how many times I got back in my car, drove away, and FORCED myself to go back and go inside}.

But I did it, and it paid off.

A year later I go to parties and events several times a week, and I couldn't be more gracious and excited about EVERY single one I attend.

And I am MORE then grateful & blessed with all the new friendships I've made, all the reconnecting I've done with old friends & all the relationships that have grown stronger these past months.

I have met some AMAZING people these past six months, and it's been unreal.

I'm looking forward to my next 6 months and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be celebrating every SINGLE last day that I have in my Twenties.

It was a decade in my life that shaped and changed me into the woman (a Grown Ass one, obvi) that I am today.

I hope you're living the life you love, and if you're not, try to make some changes.

Big & small.

Loving your life is an amazing way to feel, trust me, I haven't always felt this way.

Don't be afraid.

Time to start party planning, my birthday party is going to be a doozy!!

Photobooth's are going to be necessary, duh.

Things I love: SF Blog Friends

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Refinery 29's Fashion's Night celebration party and I had a blast - to say the least. The Refinery 29 team is pretty radical, just sayin. The food was amazing, the drinks were flowing and I met SO many amazing people. It was a good time.

I love going to blog events like last night's because they are fun, informative, and it's great way to network. But most of all I love seeing my friends. I used to call the group of women I see at events "blog friends" but lets be honest after months of seeing them on an (almost) weekly basis these ladies have become my friends.

While I was going through a rough part of my life I would look forward to seeing these ladies. None of them knew what I was going through, and it was nice and refreshing to start clean with them. The friendships I have developed with them are so special to me. I have learned something from all of them and they all inspire me (SO MUCH!). You know who you ladies are and I can't wait to see you all tonight!! xx

My fit.
My fave Free People sweater (similarhere & here).
My new Scout Twill Zip Crop pants c/o Jbrand(LOVE them!! I could wear them everyday if I could get away with it.)
Ash Lotus wedges (another fave)and some other regalia not worth mentioning.

Refinery 29 did a fab job of making us feel more then welcome and special.
I love feeling VIP.

I did not have any but the sushi looked amazing, so I paparazzied it.

Fashiontini, you know I helped myself to complimentary dranks that were being served.

Jeanne and I. I love her and so happy she came into my life. Maybe one of these days she'll invite me over to see her baby =)

Um yeah this fig toast was amazing and it was the only veggie friendly option. Katie(BKA MrsZambrano) and I discussed vegetarianism last night, it's something I've gone back and forth with over the years and am pretty passionate about.

Oh Samantha came out to play.
Last night my friend Tracy asked me if I have always been goofy.
Yes, Tracy, I've always been this way [insert klutzy drink spillage].

Super stoked for Fashion's Night Out tonight!
I hope you are participating in your city and locals I hope to see you tonight in SF!

Things I Love: Blog Meetups

Yesterday evening I headed out to The City to meet up with some of my favorite blogging ladies. I had so much fun at the last blogger gathering and I was very excited for this one. Between the catching up, meeting new friends, snacking on appetizers, and sipping sangria I couldn't ask for a better way to spend a rainy evening. Big thanks to Lindsay and Catlin and the folks at LaLoLo for making sure we had a fabulous time!

Taylor, Alicia and I having a giggle fest.

The fabulous Gift bag and Giveaway prize area. Paige even won a night stay in Napa!

Taylor's awesome accessories. I want her Forever21 bracelet!

Alicia snapping away.

I won a darling pair of Elva Fields earrings.

And some of the fun business cards I picked up!

love these ladies!

Some of the ladies I chatted with:
Sacramento Street
Cheetah is the New Black
Sterling Style
TheArtof Style SF
The Wonder Girl
Catlin Dentino
Like Fresh Laundry
Yes to Carrots
CarinaOst
Thrifty Solutions for an Urban Gal
mission closet
note-ify
deliciously organized
neat san francisco
savvy in san francisco
free honey
shop sweet things
I'd rather be shopping
with style and grace
petit chandelier
*let me know if missed you and I will link you
I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone but that just makes me that much more excited for next time!

Things I love: Share and Share Alike

Eating good food with good friends it one of things that brings joy to my life. While I have been sick these past couple days I have been looking over recent pictures of fun times that I had taken but never made it to the blog.

This particular evening was one spent with Jen and Vanessa at our favorite tapas plate restaurant. It's on the pricey side but their selection of local, organic and unique ingredients never ceases to amaze us. And as produce goes in and out of season the menu changes frequently, so it is always fun to go in because there are new surprises on the menu.

One of the things I love about tapas is that we all share the plates, so we ohh and ahh over the same flavors in unison -- or we find how our palettes differ. I find it to be such a engaging dining experience.

On this particular evening we ohhed and ahhed heirloom radishes with hummus.
We all picked a radish we liked best and none of us picked the same one.
{I liked the pink ones best}

As well as an accoutrement of cheeses.
Vanessa made sure we all tasted the cheeses in the same order.

A tomato dish and flash fried spinach.

And Heirloom tomato gazpacho shooters.

A fabulous night full of good food and friends! I can't wait until I feel up for that again soon!
And thanks you for all the $100 to shopbop Entries!

Look of the Day: You Gotta Get, that, Dirt off your Shoulder

I love easy pieces like this sweater. This sweater is one of those pieces that is so easy to throw on but makes it looks like you tried to pull yourself together. Even when I wore it in LA I got compliments on it. Gosh I miss LA!!! I also love this top because I tend to gravitate to off the shoulder pieces. Sadly this top is rather thick, I really need summer version of this piece, I hope Free People has one coming. =)
Free People Top, Forever21 Bracelet, Frye Boots (similar Steve Maddens here and here)

Feelin no remorse, feelin like my hand was forced

I also received a sweet package from Andi from Saltwater dreams!! How sweet is she? She has inspired me to be more beauty oriented these days and she sent me some samples to kick start this! YAY! Thank you Andi!

Check out Andi's cute business card!

Lastly we lost Casey's Grandma last week. Her services were today and unfortunately my hectic schedule did not allow me to attend, but we will miss her and always think of her
~ Forever Amber

Things I love: Giving Presents

I just got Word that Nicole received her giveaway prize!! I was very excited when Nicole 's name popped up, as the winner because we have been online friends for several years now, way before either of us had blogs ;) So I knew I had to include a few extra goodies for her. Pennie sent something for boots as well.
I just love wrapping up things ot make others smile =)



Perhaps Nicole will share the contents on her blog.