One Busy Bee

I said it before and here I am saying it again. I AM going to go on this incentive trip! I have been a Stella & Dot Stylist for almost 8 years. It has always been a side gig and for fun to wear jewelry. Now they have handbags, accessories and clothing. Every year, they offer a chance to earn rewards. Yes, I like free product and what not. But this One Busy Bee Travel Agent loves to travel. Last year they were sending folks to Hawaii. Yes, been there. This year, they are sending folks to Mexico. Yes, been there too BUT, this ties into my new year's goals . I love killing two birds with one stone. Make sales, earn commission, save more money to put down for a down payment for that Maui real estate goal. This allows me to also earn a free trip. It's a win-win. I obviously can't do this alone. The dates of the trip would be February 20-23, 2020. It just happens to fall on my best friend's birthday. If I reach the top level of the rewards with 60,000 points, I...

The first thing to look forward to is ALLLL the travel ahead! Helloooo, 2019. What do you have booked so far? Maybe our paths will cross someday at a bar with swings as bar seats in Mexico or having a crazy amount of whiskey at a pub in Ireland (planned for September 2020) or sipping on some limoncello in neighboring beach chairs on the Amalfi Coast. You just never know! I love meeting people from all over the world. Here is what is happening in 2019. Want to join in on the fun? More the merrier! January - Walt Disney World - Orlando, Florida I will be participating in my first half marathon at the Happiest Place on Earth with my good friend, Nelly, running it with me and our two chEARleaders, Sandra and Kim. I am letting Kim lead the itinerary as I have never been and she can show this Certified Disney Travel Agent all I need to tell my guests. The one thing I wanted to do was dine at Be Our Guest, but we missed out on getting reservations. Oh, I also want to meet Thor. We met Ca...

This One Busy Bee has only seen her favorite band, Los Lonely Boys , once this year. That is absurd as back in 2008, I saw them 14 times! But life as an entrepreneur requires some sacrifices. Perhaps the next time they're in Hawaii, I'll go. I took the day off from work to go up to Petaluma, California on a rainy day. Unfortunately, I was the only one to represent the SF Bay Area group of La Onda Street Steam but was happy to have my dear friend, recent Bride and fellow entrepreneur, Nikki , join me. She is bilingual and has started a school teaching Spanish. This concert was perfect for her as LLB and the opening act from Oakland, Bang Data, sing in both English and Spanish. It's always a good time with her. I started my day with dropping off a trunk full of donations to Goodwill . The gents that helped lighten my load behind the building were super friendly. Just a couple miles down, I was downtown Petaluma and was looking to explore and work using a local resta...

That Southern Hospitality is real! And you'll feel it the instant your eyes meet Chef Stephen Pyles from Dallas, a fifth generation Texan. I have a love for Texas. My dog is named Bevo after the Texas Longhorns and my favorite band is from San Angelo, Texas, the Los Lonely Boys . I just returned from visiting five cities in the South. I fell in love with Charleston. And you'll feel warm and welcomed when you sit across the table from Chef Pyles if you have the chance. I can still vividly remember his smile. Comfortable with sitting across from this talented chef on Media Day at the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival on Maui, we get to it. This is a man that has a weakness for travel. Inside I scream, " Me too !" Fellow Chef Wolfgang Puck also encouraged him, he says. Chef Pyles has opened 22 restaurants in five cities and has a new partnership with Delta Hotels by Marriott . His partnership with Benchmark Hospitality also has him running a culinary program. ...

Sometimes my Filipino-ness comes out. I'm not one to have rice with every meal, I don't have plastic on my furniture to protect it from wear and tear and I honestly don't hang out with many Filipinos. But sometimes, this 100% Filipina (thanks Ancestry.com) I crave an awesome Pancit Palabok and Shanghai Lumpia. In my attempts and recent joy of cooking , I make a pretty good chicken adobo, adobo setaw and bibingka. On our way to the Charles Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace , Kim, my roommate and I, needed to eat. I hit the gym in the morning and she was down for brunch. Not so much a brunch option but we ended up at Goldilocks in Daly City, the city where I just happened to have been born. We enter the restaurant, look over their menus, eye the tins of ready made dishes and were given descriptions. Kim was lost so we ordered her something she knew - adobo and rice. She loves pork buns (as do I, from China Live ) so I got one of those for her to try too. I w...

As an Event Planner and Coordinator, there is absolutely no way we would know or have worked with all the thousands of vendors available. I have compiled a workbook of wedding and event vendors I have come across and worked with over the years. It has their contact information, important notes such as where their costs start, what they offer, how they are different from other vendors and how we met. With my love for Hawaii and the goal to one day have property there, I am lucky to have my father, AKA my Papa Bear, and stepmom living on Maui and sending me photos of venues they come across. For instance, this is The Mill House . They visited the property as they explored their island and noticed they had event space. They sent me photos I posted on my Facebook page even though I haven’t personally been there, yet. When I asked my Papa Bear what we were going to do the day before I had to work the Hawaii Food &Wine Festival , he asked me what I wanted to do and of course, I w...