details in black.

texture and details add oomph to this otherwise plain black sweater from Fevrie. i love simple and unfussy pieces, and this top is one you can throw on with jeans and heels for an easy yet pulled together look.

scenes from the weekend below.

after a long hiatus, they brought back a carnival to our neighborhood...so we went to show our support and get our fill of carnival food.

mini-she being a good sport by riding the

merry-go-round with her brother.

(dress rehearsal)

after four months of late-night rehearsals, we finally got to see mini-she on stage at opening night of her school play. she did great...i'm so proud of her.

(Fevrie mesh & quilted top c/o; Bebe necklace;
Patty's Closet shorts; lips: LAQA & Co. 'Doppelganger')

firm & tone 01. great aloha run (new PR).

it's become a tradition (three years in the making), getting together with friends on president's day for the 8.15 mile great aloha run.

this year, i was just coming off a month-long break from running and had only put in a few 2-3 mile runs before the race, so it was a good test of my current fitness level. i won't get into a lengthy race recap but will say that i was able to maintain a steady pace, run the entire course [walking only through the water stations], and gain a new PR (personal record) for this race.

with an official time of 1:36:10, i shaved off 14 minutes from last year's time. some people assumed that this might be easy after running a marathon. i wouldn't say it was easy, rather it was a comfortable distance. i will admit that it felt great seeing the results of my year of running.

prepped and ready for the early morning wake-up call.

shuffling like cattle to get to the start.

to the finish line.

crossing the finish line.

inside the stadium. 

post-race bloody ceasars. 

bittersweet arrival of UO.

the first and only times i set foot in urban outfitters was about seven years ago when i was on vacay in california. we probably went to three different stores, and i was in heaven each time. the stores were filled to the brim with all kinds of goodness; i was literally that kid in a candy store. i wanted everything.

its arrival here was bittersweet since they are in waikiki. as with other stores that came to waikiki (h&m, forever 21), the likelihood of me going down there just to shop is slim to none. but last week, i attended a class held at a hotel in waikiki, so i made sure to check out our very first urban outfitters.

do you like urban outfitters?

is there a store near you?

i was a little bummed about the clothes - nothing exciting, a lot of the same thing spread out around the store. i was also super bummed about their home section (or lack of, i should say). that was one of the areas i loved when i visited in california.

but i loved their beauty and make up section which was fully stocked with anastasia of beverly hills products, among other cool brands. sephora has limited products, but UO had most of her line. they also had tony moly products which i've only seen online before.

thumbs up for their swimsuit selection, bags, and shoes. lots of cute styles.

overall, i like the store. everyone was friendly and helpful. hopefully there will be a new crop of clothes the next time i'm in the area.

(hollister top; patty's closet shorts; charles david heels)

new year new goal.

after a year of serious running and training for the marathon, fitness became a huge part of my life. but with the marathon over and done with, what's next?

well, after taking a much-needed month off from running, i finally got back on the treadmill and even completed my first race of 2015 this past weekend. i even signed up for the marathon. again. what?! (no pressure this year, though. if i feel ready, i'll do it.) i have genuinely come to enjoy running and will continue to do it. perhaps this year i'll work on speed, and as a side goal, get the minis to join me in a race.

but there was one thing that i assumed hoped would come along with running, and that was toning up. weights were always part of my fitness regimen, but that became secondary to running when my marathon training started. besides, all that running would result in a toned body (at least my legs), right? wrong.

while some have noticed a change in my body, i still have more soft and jiggly parts than i'd care to admit.

so this year, it's all about firming and toning, incorporating weights as well as exercises that result in a stronger body overall. i believe this will only benefit my running as well.

 thanks to those who followed my journey via the marathon chronicles series. i hope that you'll stick around for this new fitness series that'll include workouts and exercises, fitness gear, diet tips and recipes, and, of course, running updates.

happy national drink wine day.

for all you wine lovahs, today is national drink wine day. for those who didn't know (it's ok, i didn't know either...shame on me!), it is always celebrated on February 18th. i couldn't find any true historical meaning behind this day other than to simply rejoice and enjoy your favorite wines. so...go ahead, grab your glass. [virtual] cheers!

in spirit of the day, scroll down for some wine facts, fun gadgets, favorite sayings, and must-haves.

what is your favorite wine?

do you like red or white?

8 health benefits of drinking wine:

1) promotes longevity. 34% lower mortality rate

2) reduces heart-attack risk

3) lowers risk of heart disease

4) reduces risk of type 2 diabetes

5) lowers risk of stroke

6) cuts risk of cataracts

7) cuts risk of colon cancer

8) slows brain decline

source: food&wine

i drink red wine, mostly.

while i prefer a good cabernet, i do not discriminate.

i'll try anything once, but here's what i usually find myself reaching for time and time again:

jordan cabernet, $50

ghost pines cabernet, $20

P|K|N|T. cabernet, pinot noir, merlot, $10

(patty's closet top; sammy dress shorts; lulu's heels; LAQA & Co. on lips)

wine cork usb drive

wine glass holder

wine thermometer

wine wipes

must-haves:

aerator for when you don't have time to let wine breathe.

a great bottle opener - rabbit is by far the easiest.

stemless wine glasses = less accidents.

a wine refrigerator.

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happy valentine's day.

rocking peach...and leopard, of course.

hope your day is filled with love. and chocolates.

hugs and kisses to you all!

(Patty's Closet outfit; Charles David shoes)

tell me all about your plans for today!

ricky's nyc valentine's haul.

warning: cuteness overload.

seriously...how cute are these?

well...what are they, you ask?

who cares, lol! the moment i saw these, i knew they would make great valentine's gifts, regardless of what they were. they were just too cute.

after i got past the cuteness, i clicked thru to Ricky's NYC to find that these were actually facial sprays and lip glosses. i've been looking for a hydrating spray to use throughout the day, so i was excited to try the tony moly pocket bunny moist mist. the lip glosses come in nine flavors, each with a different bunny face. 

(straight out of the package)

first off, i was sent the wrong mist AND the sticker seals on two of the lip glosses were broken. not only broken, but misaligned...meaning the caps were twisted. they were on pretty tight, so i don't think it shifted during shipping. i randomly opened #5 which looked new and untouched, so i figured i'd let it go. i emailed them about the wrong product and within a few days, the correct product showed up in the mail. great quick response.

(does it look used?)

then, about a week later, i was getting ready to wrap up these cuties and my gut told me to check the gloss, and sure enough i wasn't so lucky with #4. i don't know if it was used or tested, but it definitely looked tampered with. how embarrassing would that have been if i gave that to someone?!

if you are physically packing orders, wouldn't you want to give your customers the best? if the seal was broken, give them one that wasn't? at minimum check the product?

but...by the way they responded to my wrong order, i have no doubt that they would have remedied the situation. it's just a hassle, and i wouldn't have received another one in time for valentine's day.

(received: #2, #4, #5)

i did not try these since they were gifts, but reviews were pretty consistent in that they aren't very pigmented and there isn't much of a color difference between the different flavors. as i was typing this, i realized that i had again received the wrong product. you order these by flavors on the website, but the actual product is labelled with numbers. i ordered peach (#5), orange (#6), and grape (#2), but received cherry (#4) instead.

aside from that, the cute packaging is still worth its affordable price and if not for a colored gloss, something that you could use on top of another lipstick for a little shine.

(nude: mid-toned peach; forbidden: peach toned nude)

nudes are just like reds...you keep buying until you have the right shade. i had a bunch of nude shades in my cart, and when it was time to whittle down the choices, i unknowingly (based on the names, not descriptions) ended up with these two very similar shades. hate when that happens, haha!

tony moly moist mist description from website: Formulated with peach, raspberry and apple! Promotes skin elasticity with a sweet and lovely scent! Great for summer! Keep it in your purse to cool off on hot days!

tony moly has a moist mist and a sleek mist. the descriptions on the website are pretty vague, but i gathered [from other reviews] that the moist mist was for dry skin, while the sleek mist was for oily skin. the scent was sweet, not overwhelming. it's not a fine mist, so hold it away from your face to avoid getting too wet. my skin actually felt tight. this might work better on oily/combination skin.

again...i did initially get this for the cuteness factor, and these bottles are refillable. so you can refill them with some of your other favorite products or a DIY face mist.

overall, the products i ordered didn't have any wow factor, but the packaging is cute and still makes for cute gifts. you can find tony moly products at Ricky's NYC and Urban Outfitters.

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still need a valentine's gift? here's a quick and affordable gift for your loved ones: valentine's candy-gram