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Showing posts from March, 2016

April 2016 Blogging Goals

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March has been a good month for hits on this blog. I have a goal to double my hits for the month of April. Perhaps with that, I can take inquiries for sponsored posts for May. As mentioned in a previous post, my photos I take will no longer be shared on Yelp . They will be posted here on my blog, on my Instagram page or my personal Facebook page. I will continue to be posting at least once a day, hopefully sharing content readers find interesting. I am learning from other bloggers, constantly networking and marketing myself and the many organizations I am a part of and support. Thank you for your continued support. Please comment below with your social media links and I will follow and like as a sign of appreciation. To April and reaching goals! Cheers! At the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas, NV - March 2016 Update: Halfway thru the month. Hits are on track to almost double last month's hits. Thank you for visiting and for your support! Say hello below i

Countdown to Italy!

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CANNOT WAIT!!!

#250KChallenge Week 11

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One week ended in a trip of indulging in Vegas and then a week of babying a cold and taking it easy working out. Then it was time to get back to it. I needed to get more cardio in so I had two days of just cardio. I also took my Shredz to make sure I sweat like crazy. Holy sweaty boobies! Haha, sent this one to Courtney. And now the whole world can see it. Y'know, that Adidas sports bra was my very first one that I bought in high school. I love it when things last! Ewww Tuesday, my foot started to act up and cramp immediately after I got off the bike. I had to go home. I don't live very far from my gym and I had to pull over because my left foot was cramping. I was massaging it for at least 10 minutes before I felt it was safe for me to hit the road again. Once I got home, I thought I'd use the roller on it but it only made it worse. I massaged it a bit more then I thought I would soak it in hot water. My roommate has the tub in the condo so I

My Photos on My Blog Only

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I loved being a Yelp Elite for seven years. From my Stripped post , the title was taken from me once I became an owner of DW . I took photos of my food, the space and wrote reviews. I would post most photos on Yelp versus any other social media site. My photos are the world thru my eyes and they belong on my blog. Call it exclusive content. I do all of the social media for DW and though I have only taken one photography class back in college, I get so many compliments on the photos I have taken and posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+ to promote DW . No need to pay professionals to take photos of our food or space unless it's needed in high-resolution. Media takes them for free and are used in the press. I will be doing the same thing. All photos unless otherwise noted on my blog moving forward will be owned by me. Permission may be granted for use of the photos. Sorry, Yelp , I love you but photos will be here. I am working on the 2016 100 Review Cha

Now What?

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So you've decided to start your own business. You have this great idea. You don't see a future in your current position. And you are willing to take that risk and invest in yourself. Now what? I have been entrepreneurial since I had my first website, A Page Just for Kate. I saw Titanic in the theaters during high school three times because I loved Kate Winslet , who played Rose, opposite of childhood crush, Leonardo DiCaprio . I even went to the movies for the first time by myself in Berkeley to see her next film, Hideous Kinky . To build my website, I shopped eBay (Ophelia16 - over 500 positive remarks) for international magazines for rare photos and articles we don't have in the States. I would buy a magazine, tear out the pages that I needed and asked my father to scan them so I can post it on my webpage. But what about the rest of the magazine? There had to be other people in this world that would love to have the other articles and photos I am not interested in. A

Whiskies of the World 2016 - San Francisco

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I am looking forward to today's Whiskies of the World event at Pier 3 onboard a Hornblower boat. DWSF will have a table and we will be serving up Bruichladdich Port Charlotte whisky with a foie gras torchon with candied bacon.  This will be our first booth at an event and it reminds of me my days working in advertising with my various clients. This should be a really fun event, especially that I am absolutely loving whisk(e)y recently. I have yet to start my own log but I have been lucky to try so many hard to find batches. Please follow me on Snapchat (bappletree) for a behind the scenes look at the event if you cannot attend. We look forward to meeting everyone! --------- This is #3 of 30 daily blog posts as recommended by a fellow blogger.  Color U Bold  says her views have tripled over a month due to posting everyday as step 1.  I am attempting to create more content. Thanks for following this journey.

Will I EVER Stop?

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I turned 35 and a half on Tuesday. I don't feel it. I don't think I look it but that 4-0 is getting a little bit closer every day. I have gone thru personal challenges and survived. I have to say I am decently successful and have my sights on a goal that will allow me to enjoy life with my feet in the sand and be surrounded by beauty. What is inevitable is my body aging. Do I have control over that? I can definitely slow the process and age gracefully. I signed up to be an Ever Skincare Specialist this week. I just don't take the time to take care of my face and skin like I should. Thank goodness I have been blessed with great genes but I'm seeing some things I want to fix and keep looking young. I don't wear foundation or powder and wouldn't know how to properly apply it. Besides my jet black liquid eyeliner and occasional burgundy lips, I don't do too much in terms of make up or hide my natural skin. I feel natural beauty is much more attractive.

Mi Sonrisa

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" Sonrisa ?" " Si, mi corazon ," he says with a smile when he stops using the broom in his hands. His baseball cap is backwards and his white chef coat just a mess. I nicknamed him Sonrisa because he used to get so mad at our staff for a number of things. My way to make things better is to lighten the mood by making people laugh. Because everytime I would see him, he's so mad! Now he chills out when I joke with him when my servers aren't up to his expectation. " Why are you mad again, Sonrisa ?" " Why do you work so much ?" He is always willing to help with anything we need. He has three different sets of responsibilities with us now. Well-rounded. Without hesitation, " I want to retire when I'm 50. I don't want to be old and still have to work, so I'm saving what I can now. My father told me, work a lot and hard and you can retire early. He's over 50 now, back home it's hard to save so he's still

#250KChallenge Week 10

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I slept thru the entire flight from Las Vegas and stop in Los Angeles and then home. I was exhausted. I only had a total of 11.5 hours of sleep all weekend. I even slept thru the turbulence. As soon as we landed, I knew I was not only exhausted, but I was sick. The reason why I picked the 6:20 am flight was so I could pick up Bevo in West Oakland and then head into  work. That plan did not happen. I  picked up Bevo and I slept the entire day. It was amazing. Remember me mentioning the Bodybuilding.com article of taking a week off after 6-8 weeks? I did it. Only because I was sick. I didn't go the gym the entire week. I did light body work and core at home. I didn't want to get anyone else sick at the gym. Not good gym etiquette. Oh how the shadows help me see changes in my body, but my shoulders have always been the easiest to see definition. The belly! Oh, that's a challenge. I concentrated on work. My Service Manager challenged me to make $70K in new event

#250KChallenge - Week 9

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Oh, dear, this was the week that ended up in Las Vegas for a girls' weekend (separate post to follow) and seems so long ago now that I am in week 11 as I write this. Monday - it was a full day as my Sunshine took the day off. So no work out that day. The week was full of hitting the weights at home and a lot of core work with The Beeves. He encourages me with kisses and bringing me his toys. Eating right was needed. I absolutely love fruit. DW doesn't have much fruit besides the grapes that come on our charcuterie platters so I go next door to The Market and pay astronomical prices by ounce just to get my fruit fix on almost a daily basis. Thank goodness I get a 10% discount as a Market Square partner and my credit card is registered with the Thanx app which gives me $10 for which seems for every $1,000 I spend at The Market. But I also get Hawaiian miles for every dollar I spend. I do get something back but good heavens! On average, I spend $10-$12 on fruit eac

Must-Meet Women: Melyssa Green, Co-Owner of On-Point Machining

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Thank you for viewing the first 'Must-Meet Women' post. As I write this, the Democratic Debates are airing live from Flint, Michigan and the first possible female president, Hillary Clinton , duels Bernie Sanders . Like every person, man or woman, Hillary started some where. She was the co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Families and Children in 1977, she was the first female chair for the Legal Services Corporation in 1978 and she was the first female partner at Rose Law Firm in 1979 ( Wikipedia ). At 68, she continues to make history. Melyssa Green , Co-Owner of On-Point Machining in Pittsburg, California, has been a part of my history since day one as my only sister. As a CSU Hayward, now CSU East Bay , alumni, National Guard Soldier and mother of one, she also has a bright future ahead being one of the few women owning and working in a machine shop and manufacturing pieces in America.  In a male dominated industry, there are very few female machinists