Recent Happenings

These past few weeks have been so busy, I need to catch up on documenting it all!

-While I was home, I got to see 2 of my favorite people ever. Rachael is one of my best friends from high school, and she's also the cutest little thing you'll ever meet!

I also met up with Ashley (from Run With Me) again and I just adore this girl. She is one of the sweetest people I've ever known, and we talk non-stop each time we hang out! If you don't already follow her, do yourself a favor and head over there right now! Not only is she sweet, but hilariously sarcastic...such a good combination :)

My birthday last week may have been the best one yet! Ashley and I grabbed a Crumbs cupcake on our way to Jimmy Kimmel. The dulce de leche did not disappoint!

(Thanks Ashley for some of these pictures!!)

We had priority tickets, but apparently getting there at 5:01 instead of 5:00 meant that we had to go to the BACK of the general line. We were not happy about that (and neither were the 10 other people who had to do the same thing!) but I told the guy it was my birthday and asked if he could at least get us good seats! We were some of the last people to enter the studio, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had reserved us 2 seats in the front! The staff there is SO nice, and every person that walked by me said "Happy Birthday!" It was really sweet :)

Kristen Chenowith and Jimmy Johnson were the guests on the show, and after the taping, they led us outside to a private concert by Neon Trees! (I didn't know who they were at first, but Ashley told me they sing that song 'Animal'....I'm sure you all know this...I'm really out of the loop when it comes to new artists. I know the songs but have no clue who sing them!) Anyways, they were awesome.


After the concert, we headed over to Westwood to meet Britney for dinner at Palomino. It may be my favorite new restaurant out here- I reeeeally want to go back for their pizza and pomegranate margaritas! We had such a great time, it's so nice to have real friends out here! (Ashley- I'm still angry that you are leaving in a week! Boo!)

For dessert, we walked over to Diddy Riese for their famous ice cream cookie sandwiches. Oh my goodness, it was heavenly!


Y'all, this cost $1.75. Unreal!



My celebration with Doug consisted of getting Diego on Saturday, and going to Harrah's in San Diego on Sunday. Such a great weekend!

-Lastly, Maisy and Diego are now best friends. It's so precious.


I got a cute little video of Maisy and Diego. Maisy is SO sweet and gentle with him...she makes me so proud! :)

Las Vegas: The Fun

I want to document a few more details of our Vegas trip before I forget! You can see Part 1: The Strip here.

We got to Vegas on a Friday night and checked into our room at Harrah's. Doug's dad's friend is somewhat of a high-roller there and was sweet enough to get us a free room! This is the view from our window-

We ate dinner at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. It was delicious and made me feel like I was back in the south! It had been waaaay too long since I'd had fried okra.

We also enjoyed the 32oz margaritas in mason jars :)

(Sidenote: I always try to do the "skinny-arm-girl" pose but I'm pretty sure I look ridiculous doing it. What am I doing wrong!?)

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the buffet. Ohmyword, it was gooooood. I eat like a man, as you can see. I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kinda girl.

And I can throw back some dessert with the best of them! I believe you have to get your money's worth in a buffet :)

We walked the strip and gambled for all of Saturday afternoon, then got dolled up for a big night out! Doug and I aren't so much into nightlife, but we made an exception for Vegas :)

I wore this adorable dress that I've had and loved for years, but I only brought one pair of shoes to wear with it. These.

I lasted about 30 minutes in them, before I had to go back and change! haha I'm a wimp when it comes to heels, and these were way higher than any I've worn!

We headed over to the Rio for dinner and drinks, and that's where I ran into Jake Pavelka! 

And this was probably the highlight of our trip- the dad that I nanny for is a poker player, and he has a good friend that works at the Palms. He asked me if we'd like to be on the VIP list at Ghostbar, the nightclub/bar there....to which I said of course! It was such a cool experience, probably the first and last time I'll ever be on a VIP list! :) 

When we got there, we walked past the long line of people waiting to get in and told the bouncer our names. He put us in a separate line, where we didn't have to pay, and we went right up, to the 55th floor!  See that white overhang right above where it says PALMS on the side? That's the club! 

It has an amazing outdoor area that overlooks the strip.

And these are the suites that Hugh Hefner owns. You may remember these pools from a Girls Next Door episode!

I think that's all of the details I can remember! Lots of good food, poker, and sights made it the perfect getaway weekend! We are already planning our next trip to Vegas :)

Another New Addition!

Somehow, for my birthday, I convinced Doug to let me add another little one to our family :)

Meet Diego!

Diego was terrified of Maisy at first, but they are now best buds. Pep, however, is less than thrilled that a new kitty is in the house. He'll warm up to him eventually! 

And Doug has been the biggest surprise so far. He didn't really want to get another pet, so I told him to give it a week and he'll be in love with this new fur ball. Well, it turns out we were both wrong. Doug was smitten with Diego as soon as we got in the car to take him home! It's so adorable. He had no idea how irresistible kittens are! (This is Doug's first kitten, since Pep was grown when he came along!)

See Diego on Doug's legs? They all fell asleep like that...melts my heart!

I love his gorgeous eyes!

 My favorite picture :)

Maisy is SO good with him. She really is the perfect dog!

Buddies

That was a lot of pictures, I know, but I managed to trim 300 down to 20! We are just in love with this little guy!

PS- Have you entered my sneakpeeq giveaway?

Giveaway- sneakpeeq!

I have been contacted before to do reviews or giveaways, but until now, I have turned them all down. I wanted to be picky, and the last thing I want to put on this blog is something that I don't believe in. Luckily I have found something I love and I am so happy to announce that I'm hosting my first giveaway! 

Sneakpeeq is the largest and fastest growing social shopping company on Facebook. Basically, they show you amazing new products for an incredibly discounted rate. After they contacted me, I signed up and was immediately rewarded with FREE pearl earrings. I was sold!

I also have a $10 voucher waiting for me to use, just because I'm a new member. So if you aren't signed up yet, I suggest you fix that ASAP! You will find some gems like these:

Regularly $29, you pay $14!

Regularly $78.20, you pay $29!

 (lace top) Regularly $102.50, you pay $54!

Regularly $25, you pay $15

When it comes to The Smitten Mintons/sneakpeeq giveaway, everybody wins!  Sneakpeeq is giving away 20% off your next purchase just for entering, plus a chance at the Grand Prize:  one winner will receive a $15 gift card to use on your favorite food, style and home products—that goes a long way in sneakpeeq’s amazingly low-priced boutiques!

Come see all the things you love but haven’t discovered. Sneakpeeq only has New Products that you have never seen before!

(This giveaway is limited to the US, and new sneakpeeq users only)

How to Enter:

-You must be a follower The Smitten Mintons on Google Friend Connect.

-Simply join sneakpeeq by clicking ON THIS LINK. (Note- you must use this link to enter, so we know you came from my blog :)

-For an extra entries, you can:
-- like The Smitten Mintons facebook page, and leave me a comment telling me you did!
-- post about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog and leave me a comment telling me you did!

The winner will be announced on my blog on Friday, March 30th!  

PS- I have exciting news, I'll be dishing on it tomorrow!