Just a friendly reminder that there is still time to enter my giveaway for one of 2 Lane Bryant gift cards (see my post from earlier today), but if you want to have another shot at some holiday gift cards, then you might want to listen up...

There's a super fun Twitter party coming up where curvy gals can talk about getting all gussied up for the holidays. Maybe it's that fabulous company soirée or a family event where you want to dress to impress. Whether your favorite look is glam, modern, edgy, flirty or comfy chic, Lane Bryant has it all. You may get some ideas on how to put together amazing holiday looks. It may be cold outside, but you can still be smokin' hot, ladies!

Plus Lane Bryant has amazing special offers everyday, which you can learn about on their Facebook page.

So, join the @LaneBryant “Holiday Fashion Fun” Twitter Party this Monday, 12/17 at noon PT/3pm ET! Fab prizes! RSVP to win prizes, including $30 Lane Bryant gift cards! RSVP: http://clvr.li/128tjBx

The Details:

• What: Lane Bryant “Holiday Fashion Fun” Twitter Party
• When: Mon 12/17 noon PT/3pm ET
• Where: On Twitter! CleverTweets: http://clvr.li/SYaCNf
• Follow: Hashtag #LBHoliday @CleverGirlsColl @LaneBryantRSVP here: http://clvr.li/128tjBx
• Prizes: 18, $30 Lane Bryant gift cards

I hope to participate even though I will be on the road. Yay for technology! :)

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

So, yeah, my goals of looking like Jessica Alba didn’t pan out this year. Nor last year. Nor the year before that.

I think as I get older I learn that beauty isn’t tied to a number, whether it be weight or dress size. Luckily, stores like Lane Bryant also agree with me, and they make gorgeous clothing, accessories and shoes for the modern plus size woman. Shopping in their stores is always a treat because of their friendly staff and beautiful dressing rooms, and this weekend’s shopping expedition was no exception. Lane Bryant stores leave me feeling happy and confident. I don’t want to be feel ashamed when I just want to feel pretty.

I’m trying to convince my husband we should finally DO something fun for New Year’s Eve and the holidays, so I am hoping this cute blouse, shoes and earrings will help convince him!

I already have a pair of Lane Bryant classic black pants that I can pair with my sparkly blouse, and those heels are actually very comfy. I’m so not a heels person, but they are truly gorgeous.

Lane Bryant is having tons of special surprise offers just in time for the holidays, and today’s special offer will rock your socks. Here it is:

That is a GREAT special offer. Essentially you can buy a blouse and add on shoes for $1. Or a dress and get a cute sweater for $1. That’s a lot of value, just in time for the holidays. I’ll probably head back to a Lane Bryant store today just to take advantage because I love their pants and blouses for work. Confident, comfy, chic—that’s how I feel in their clothes. And with special surprise offers like these, I have no excuse to not splurge a little. Right?

And, because I want to spread some holiday cheer, I am giving away TWO $30 Lane Bryant gift cards to 2 very lucky people. It’s super easy to win, not complicated at all…

To enter to win one of the $30 gift cards, just pin your favorite holiday look(s) from the Lane Bryant website and include the #LB12Days hashtag in the caption, and leave me the link to your pin in the comments section of this post (not the link to your pinterest account, but your actual pin URL, one entry per person regardless of pins). Also leave me your email address so I can find you and mail you this fantabulous prize.

Contest is open from right now until December 18 at noon. 18+, US only. I’ll draw a winner on the 18th, and I’ll contact them via email. They’ll have 48 hours to respond before I give up and choose another.

With so many great special offers, Lane Bryant is a great choice for beautiful, curvy gal clothes this holiday season. Happy pinning!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

It is no secret that I love, love, love my dog. His sassy attitude translates extremely well in photos, which makes me the crazy dog mom who cannot take enough photos of him on Instagram.

When I learned that I could turn some of those literally hundreds of photos of Pee Wee into works of art, I was eager to learn more. Here are the 3 Instagram photos I turned into SnapBox prints:

 

So, let’s talk about SnapBox. It’s a service that takes any photo, even Instagram pics, and turns them into canvas prints in a box…hence SnapBox. They stand on their own (as seen above) or they can be hung on a wall.

People…they are GORGEOUS! I was nervous about the quality of my Instagram pics, but I obviously had no need to worry because they are stunning. The ordering process could not be easier—I literally ordered from my phone while laying in bed. You email the photo to snapbox@snapboxez.com, they reply within like 2 minutes with previews of what your photo would look like at various sizes, you add to cart/pay and you are DONE. In about 5 business days you have them at your door (or you can pick them up at a participating store near you), beautifully/safely packaged and they are beyond amazing.

Only FIVE days! Perfect for those last minute holiday gifts. (Note: please order by December 17 to ensure holiday delivery).

I got them as gifts for family, because everyone loves Pee Wee. No seriously. The square photo is of Pee Wee cuddling with my mom’s dog Elmo. They usually ignore each other, so that photo is truly a rare moment in time. My mom is going to LOVE that print. The next photo, seen below is of Pee Wee in the back seat of our car; we had just taken him to an outlet mall where he was just SO EXCITED to get to walk around and smell new things. The expression on his face is priceless, and it’s probably my favorite photo of him ever. His smile makes me so happy. Incredibly happy.

And the other photo is of Pee Wee just cuddling here at home in his favorite blankie. I think if Pee Wee could have chosen any photo to give to Daniel for Christmas, it’d be this one below. Daniel and Pee Wee can often be found cuddling, so it seems fitting.

The sharpness in the photos is perfect, and the prices are so affordable. People, you get these amazing prints without having to have fancy cameras or special software. These photos are straight from my Instagram feed (I even emailed them to SnapBox right from the Instagram app).

I am in love. Head over heels in love with the quality, price, ease of ordering and how quickly they got to my door. I’ll be ordering lots of these, I just know it.

So, in the spirit of giving, I am giving away a set of 3 SnapBox prints! You choose your 3 photos in any of the sizes they offer. Even shipping is included!

You can enter below using the Rafflecopter form. Contest is open from now until Friday, December 14, 2012 at midnight. Code will be emailed to winner Saturday, December 15, 2012 so that you can order in time for the holidays if you’re the lucky winner. US only, 18+, good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

 

I adore Thanksgiving because it gives me an excuse to try new recipes. My favorite recipes to try out at Thanksgiving time usually revolve around 2 of my favorite dishes: potatoes and desserts.

For these recipes that I’m going to share with you today I was asked to swap butter and use a Unilever spread instead. I chose Country Crock, and I was super pleased with the results. You’ll also be happy to know that the recipes were tested on a 13-year old boy and a 30 year old guy and they both LOVED recipes.

Because they’re that good!

First up is a super easy potato side dish that is sure to please! The end result looks fancy, but I swear it doesn’t require a ton of effort.

Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes: Serves 4

Adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

1. 4, 4-5 oz. potatoes (weight is before they’re peeled)
2. 3 oz. of cheese (1.5 ounces per cheese type, grated) I used gruyere and white Vermont cheddar
3. 1/2 cup of Country Crock Spread (melted)
4. Salt/Pepper to Taste
5. Bowl of water with dash of lemon juice

Steps:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 425-degrees. Rinse and peel potatoes, then soak in water with lemon juice. This keeps them from browning.

2. Once all your potatoes are peeled, thinly slice each potato about 3/4 of the way through in 1/4 inch slices like this:

I am so not a chef and my knife skills are not fab by any means, so just do your best!

3. Get your 1/2 cup of Country Crock Spread and melt it in a bowl large enough to fit your potatoes. I microwaved the Country Crock for about 30 seconds. Add a dash of salt and pepper and dunk each potato in the melted Country Crock mixture. Make sure all that yummy goodness gets into the potato layers. Reserve remaining melted Country Crock for later.

4. Pop your potatoes in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Take them and sprinkle generously with your grated cheese and drizzle remaining melted Country Crock onto the tops of potatoes. Cook for another 15 minutes, or until fork tender and cooked all the way. Cool about 5 minutes, then serve! You end up with these wonderful potatoes that are slightly crispy on the outside, yet ooey and gooey on the inside.

So, now that you got your potatoes, you want dessert right? These 2-bite white chocolate pumpkin snickerdoodles will do the trick. Now I call these 2-bite snickerdoodles because they don’t flatten—they stay bon bon shaped! They’re dense, but have a lot of flavor and are great bite sized treats!

This recipe is also so easy that you can definitely get the kiddos involved. Look at the look of pure joy on my 13 year old brother’s face. Love that guy!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bites: Makes 5-6 Dozen

Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Country Crock Spread
2. 1/2 cup shortening
3. 1 cup white sugar
4. 1/2 cup light brown sugar
5. 3/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
6. 1 large egg
7. 3 1/4 cup of flour
8. 2 tsp of baking power
9. 1 tsp of baking soda
10. 1 cup white chocolate chips
11. 1/2 tsp salt
12. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
13. 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

Topping:

1. Cinnamon + sugar mixture (optional)

Steps:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the margarine, shortening, sugars, pumpkin, and egg. I used my KitchenAid mixer, but you could also use your hand mixer or some elbow grease. Make sure to use a large bowl though because there’s lots of dough made from this recipe (which can easily be halved).

2. Once those ingredients are mixed, incorporate remaining ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and white chocolate chips). REALLY mix it well! You don’t want to end up with cookies that have a flour aftertaste, so make sure to really work all the ingredients together well.

3. Put your dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This makes it easier to work with, especially if you’re using a cookie scoop, like I did.

4. Once your dough is chilled, use a cookie scoop or your hands to form into little balls. If desired, roll them into a cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. I did this on about half of my cookies, and I do think it helped amp up the flavor a bit, but you can omit this step.

5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. They likely will not flatten, so don’t fret! Pumpkin puffs them up, but they’re still tasty. Unlike other cookies, I feel like these taste even better the day after. Once they’re out of the oven, let them cool and enjoy!

I didn’t taste or notice any difference when omitting the butter in favor of using Country Crock Spread by Unilever. It’s nice to know I can easily make that swap without sacrificing flavor. Now I know my Thanksgiving dinner will go off without a hitch!

What dishes could you use Country Crock Spread in this Thanksgiving?

Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Remember last month when I wrote about my $500 bathroom makeover plans? Well, I got started!

There are 5 ways to make sure your bathroom makeover dollars work smart and hard. Here’s what I learned while making over my guest bathroom. Over the summer we have family come over, lots of get togethers, game nights, etc. and it’s always nice to have a clean, fresh, gorgeous bathroom.

Ours was SO not that when I started on this project.

As you all can see, I removed ALL the wallpaper! YAY! Removing the wallpaper instantly brightened up the bathroom.

Here are the 5 things I felt made the most impact for little money:

1.) Paint: I painted the wall and ceiling. People forget the ceiling, but for about $60 you can give your bathroom a whole new look in a weekend.

The paint color I ended up choosing is Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams.

2.) Accent Wall: I used a stencil to create an accent wall. This is fun in this particular space because the mirror faces that wall, so it sort of feels like I stenciled 2 walls, if that makes sense.

3.) New accessories: Use what you have! A simple DIY project is taking satin ribbon + Glue Dots and adding it around vases or apothecary jars you might have on hand. Using Glue Dots makes the DIY project non-permanent so you can easily re-use accessories for the holidays, etc. Also, a decorative bag of potpourri can give your bathroom a fab smell + you can use the potpourri as vase filler like I did below. Another tip, use votive holders or even toilet/paper towel rolls to put in the center so you don’t need quite as much filler. No one will ever know!

4.) New towels: Towels can be as cheap or expensive as you’d like them to be, but nothing beats the feel of a fancy towel. We bought the white ones seen in the photos at Marshall’s for about $4-$6 a towel and they are heaven in a towel. Or if you don’t want to buy new towels, maybe check out the awesome Kleenex hand towels. They come 60 to a box, and are perfect for guest bathrooms. My sister-in-law sometimes stays over and she has a 3 year old and 1 year old…they have to wash their hands a ton! Kleenex hand towels make it easy on all of us. I don’t worry about random kiddy things on my nice towels and she can wash their hands up to 30 times a piece before I run out.

The nice thing about the Kleenex hand towels are that they easily fit on a normal towel bar.

5.) New light bulbs! Yes, new light bulbs. With the affordability of CFL’s these days, there’s no excuse not to get some that either create bright light, daylight, warm light, etc. So many options, and an easy way to bring new light to your space. Literally. These silver items always had a yellow cast to them before we switched to the CFL’s. Now it’s bright and shiny.

And bonus tip: Clean! This one is so obvious, but there’s nothing like a clean bathroom. Your fixtures will look brighter, your sink will sparkle. Such an easy fix, and if you have kids, you can bribe them to do it.

Hope those tips help you get your guest bathroom ready. Remember, the holidays are only a few months away…better start on these projects now!

I’ll be back with more photos of my bathroom makeover sometime soon. I could only get this part done in time, so I still need to revamp the other half of the bathroom which contains the shower and toilet.

What do you do to make sure your guest bathrooms are guest ready?

Join the 14 million people who have already joined the Clean Hands campaign by using Kleenex Hand Towels, and click here for savings and more!           

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.

The kind people over at Clever Girls have given me another opportunity to talk beauty with you all. Lucky me, right? Well, given that I’ve written a 2 part series about frugal ways to avoid beauty disasters, I am thinking I need to write about something a little different.

I love weddings, and as a woman who got married back in 2009, I totally remember the stress about the big day. Weight, skin, armpits (yup, armpit issues again!), hair, makeup…it can get overwhelming. So with bridal season underway, I thought it’d be fun to revisit some of the products that helped me on my big day.

Aww, memories!

1.) Wax strips: Now, I know many women may have hair on their face that they don’t like or heck, maybe you need a touch-up between eye brow waxings. These are fab! You warm them up using the palms of your hands and you’re ready to go. About $6 a box at most drugstores.

2.) Rollerball perfume: These handy little things are small and narrow making them an ideal choice for a bridal clutch. Easy to reapply as needed.

3.) Advil: Inevitably, all the stress, painful heels or lack of eating may lead to a huge headache.

4.) Soft touch/natural hairspray: Don’t pick one that will leave your hair crunchy. You want to tame crazy flyaway hairs while maintaining a beautiful hairstyle. Snag one of these in a trial size!

5.) Eyeliner & mascara: My eyeshadow stayed put throughout the day, but I remember wishing I had an eyeliner on me to touch-up my eyes a bit. Mascara also helps, especially if it’s waterproof! On my wedding day it rained a TON and I wasn’t very prepared for that.

6.) Deodorant: So imperative to not be stinky as you shimmy and shake on the dance floor. Back in 2009 Dove didn’t have their clear tone deodorant, but now that they do, I’d recommend it to all brides. It’s invisible, doesn’t clump up, smells divine and is so affordable.

Those are some of the tips I have that are less obvious than the usual band-aids, safety pins, bobby pins kind of things you see mentioned.

What helped you on your big day? Do you have any tips for brides?

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

So sorry for the lack of updates lately. As many of you know, I recently got a new job at the community college I’ve been working at for about 4 years now. It’s demanding, lots of hours, and I am utterly exhausted when I get home.

And then I don’t get to blog as much. However, behind the scenes, I am working on both bathrooms and getting my DIY list ready for fall, Halloween and holiday crafts.

I am that looney woman who is thrilled that Hobby Lobby has Christmas stuff already. Swoon!

But today, I am back to finish up my frugal beauty tips post. I posted the first half last week. This week, I am focusing more on beauty/makeup. I often Instagram photos of myself when my makeup looks particularly fabulous. I haven’t done that quite so much lately because my eyebrows..oh lord. It’s terrible. I need them waxed like 6 weeks ago.

The horror.

 

Often times I get asked about beauty products I use to create lovely neutral, smoky eyes or how do I get my eye make-up not to crease all day. Honestly, it’s by splurging a little on good products that last a long time, but may cost a bit more upfront.

1.) Eye primer: This stuff may seem totally unnecessary, but if you have oily skin (as I do) and live in a hot/humid environment (as I do), this stuff can help your eyeshadows stay on all day without creases. In the long run this will help you not have to re-apply eyeshadow/eyeliner, which can save money. Furthermore, many beauty brands offer shimmery finishes to their eye primer which will help your run-of-the-mill eye shadow look glittery and more dimensional.

2.) Make-up setting spray: Again, as a woman with oily skin, make-up setting sprays have saved me this summer. I didn’t want to spend the extra money on it, but I find myself not blotting as much with powder or blotting sheets during the day. My foundation stays on all day, my skin stays almost totally matte and it even reduces my pore size. Not to mention it literally takes 4.7 seconds to spray this stuff on your face. Because of my oily skin I use it before and after foundation application.

And finally, I have some tips for your nail tips:

3.) Use Vaseline around your cuticles/nail area to help easily wipe excess nail polish when painting your finger nails. I tried this for the first time last weekend, and I am hooked. I usually try to wipe off the extra nail polish ASAP, then I ruin my entire nail…or I use a q-tip afterwards and get fuzzies on my nail. Vaseline works well and is SO cheap.

4.) And much like with my DIY painting projects, a good surface always helps…so ya gotta use a base coat. I know, I know, it’s like a whole extra step, but think of it like priming a wall or furniture- it helps the paint stick on much better and you need less coats. Same concept.

Those are some of my favorite beauty tips that don’t cost a fortune. However, I need sometimes step back and remember that we’re all beautiful. Even with chipped nail polish, acne, huge pores, uneven armpits, hairy legs and anything else we all obsess about.

So while we all want to want to mask, fix or hate ourselves because of our imperfections, maybe the best beauty tip I can give you is to love yourself. :)

You’re fabulous!

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

I’m about to admit something that I don’t really like to admit. Well, I did admit it on twitter once, and many of my tweeps empathized with me, so here it goes…

I hate my armpits. I am ashamed of my armpits.

I was at Hispanicize in April, and I went into a beauty suite, and Dove was there with many of their fab products. One of them is their Dove Clear Tone Deodorant. For many Hispanic women, our armpit/underarm is darker and not all nice and even toned. Major bummer, and it leads to armpit envy. For instance, I was watching the Katy Perry movie in 3D, and I was thinking…

She has nice armpits.

What is wrong with me?! But it is a subject many women are uncomfortable about. And it’s not even an issue of hygiene; it’s genetics. At Hispanicize, Dove was doing piti-cures to show you how to properly exfoliate your underarm area + use their Dove Clear Tone Deodorant to help get a more even skin tone in that area. I refused to participate because I hate my armpits. I will not show them. I begged the rep to please give me a sample of the deodorant, but please do not make me do the piti-cure session.

She obliged, I was happy!

But, I have been using Dove Clear Tone Deodorant since April, and I have seen improvement. Not like 100%, I am gonna fling arms in the air like I just don’t care kind of improvement, but enough to make me believe that with continued use it’ll keep getting better. The scents are lovely, they’re affordable. Fab.

Besides deodorant, there are other beauty disasters that I’ve been through lately that I have 3 quick, cheap tips/products that will help you out.

1.) This is probably totally obvious, but nothing dries out an incoming monster of a pimple better than toothpaste. Put a dab on the blemish and it’s gone over night. And on the same topic of blemishes/acne, I also suffer from acne scarring/hyperpigmentation on my face. I’ve been using a moisturizer with SPF in it under my makeup because sun damage can make scars appear quicker/darker, and it’s a great way to remember to protect your face from sun damage daily. Because I have oily skin (I am a hot mess, aren’t I?) I put on the moisturizer, let it sit on my face for about 5-10 minutes as I do my eye makeup before applying foundation. This way I am protected, non-shiny and my makeup lasts longer because it has the moisturizer under it to help it “stick”.

2.) Dove Nourishing Curls Whipped Cream Mousse: This product helps me from looking like I just got electrocuted when I wear my curls au-naturale. I have very frizzy, curly hair, and this product makes my curl look shiny, bouncy and frizz free. A little goes a long way.

3.) Whenever my pores look huge (around my nose/cheeks) grab an ice cube, rub over the pores and wait about 1-2 minutes before dusting with face powder. The ice helps close the pores temporarily, so overall their appearance is reduced for a bit. It seems weird, but it totally works.

I’ll be back with 3 more beauty tips next week, but I’ll also be back with some tutorials on removing wallpaper + repairing the damage to drywall that can result from it. If you have wallpaper in your home, you won’t want to miss it!

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

Words cannot express how extremely grateful I am to get to go to Hispanicize in Miami next week. Mostly because I really hadn’t planned on going, but it appears that I was meant to go because everything fell into place.

With that being said, I must cue the song that I have been indulging in ever since I found I was going for sure last Friday:

Don’t judge.

This will be my second blogging conference, and as a blogger, of course I feel the need to write about it. Today’s post is all about tips for people attending Hispanicize/blogging conferences. Also included is what I am most excited about and what I am most nervous about. And then I get all mushy and thank people at the end. Sound like a plan?

My top 3 tips for people attending Hispanicize. Now I am not going to go into obvious things like pack comfortable shoes, rest, eat, sleep, etc. Those are a given. I’m going to tell you 3 things that I wish someone would have really hammered into my head before I went to BlogHer last year.

1.) I was at a training for work recently, and the speaker said something that really resonated with me: “You can only be known by what others know about you” How this relates to blogging is that you have to let people (i.e.:brands/bloggers/contacts) know what you and your blog are about and what you can offer them. Quickly. As in try to get it down to under 30 seconds; that may be all you have. At BlogHer this is known as the elevator pitch, but it really works no matter what. Furthermore, don’t be shy about what you do. For a long time I kept my blog a secret to those who are around me everyday, but again, you can only be know by what others KNOW about you. Let it be known exactly what you do that makes your blog yours.

Brag. Be succinct. Be prepared. Be you. Be proud.

2.) Write down information about the brands/PR reps you talk to on their business cards. Don’t do this as you’re talking to them, unless you’re jotting notes, but do try to get it done within 15 minutes of meeting them. I have a stack of business cards from BlogHer last year that all are identical, but with different names on them. Heck if I know which brand Jennifer or David worked for/were representing, although they both do work at the same PR agency. Yeah, no clue. I should have written down the brand they were with, what we talked about or something that would allow me to put a name to a face. Or at the very least a memory to a business card. Now, this issue isn’t so big for blogger business cards since they usually filled with relevant info like blog URL, Twitter handle, yada yada.

3.) Let it be known that you are attending the conference so you can find people to hang out with. For me, this whole Hispanicize thing is very sudden. I won a pass, asked for help, got the help and BAM I am going. After all that sunk in, I was thinking, “Oh my gosh. I am going to be all alone.” I am just not down with that, at all. So, I went to all my networks and groups to let them know I was going. And now? I have several girls who are looking forward to hanging out with me, and we’re going to have cupcakes and go on a Chevy Landmark tour and party it up. Together. You’ll feel so much less intimidated if you just find some people who you can connect with. Get cell phone numbers, put them into your phone and make sure to keep in touch with them.  A conference buddy is just a text away if you follow those steps. I am so looking forward to Carolyn being my BlogHer pal again this year. We truly bonded at BlogHer last year. She was the person I’d run around with or go to the room and chat with as we looked at all our swag. It’s amazing the friends you can make if you put yourself out there.

Now moving on to what I am most excited about at Hispanicize:

Image Credit: Monsters & Critics

1.) Cesar Millan. Not going to lie, I am hoping to stuff him in my carry on and bring him back with me to Texas so he can make Pee Wee stop licking his paws. I am totally joking and mean no harm to Cesar Millan. He is a doggy genius, and just to be in the same room with him is a dream come true. Much like meeting Bob from The Biggest Loser at BlogHer was last year. These conferences are great for meeting people you admire.

2.) Connecting with brands and other bloggers. When you get that many people in a gorgeous location with all the creative energy moving through the air…it’s bound to be amazing. I hope to meet people that can help me take my blog to the next level. And I want to meet other bloggers that can share tips and advice. Furthermore, I want to let loose and have so much fun.

3.) I look forward to all the events being put on by Hispanicize and their generous sponsors. I’ll be attending a yacht party by McDonald’s and a fun event by the Latina Mom Bloggers. Besides being able to have a fiesta, these events are great to have longer conversations, take lots of photos and make special memories you’ll cherish. And blog about.

And although I am not a total conference newbie, there are things that make me nervous about Hispanicize:

1.) I hope no one tests me on my Spanish skills. I totally understand it, I can read it, but speaking it…oh lord. I am a bit rusty on it. I do know the words margaritas, fiesta and siesta. Hope that doesn’t disqualify me at still being classified as a Latina! ;-)

2.) Miami humidity. Will straightening my hair prove to be a waste of time?

3.) Feeling like I know no one. Even though I know I will know people, it’s still a little intimidating, but I am sure I’ll have a lovely time.

And now I’d like to thank some very special people/companies for helping make this trip a reality:

Eva Smith & Zelma: They are awesomesauce. Eva helped me try to find a flight sponsor, and she answers all my dumb questions via DM. She is what Hispanicize is all about-- helping others succeed and feel included. Zelma is my conference buddy and a total sweetheart. So blessed to have them in my life. <3

I’d also like to thank the Clever Girls Collective for my free conference pass, Southwest Airlines & Hispanicize for the free airfare and Collective Bias’ Courtney Velasquez for letting me crash with her for 2 nights.

See you in Miami!

If you’d like to tweet with me, follow me @monicabenavidez and if you’d like to e-mail me you can do so at monicawantsit@gmail.com

To see what sessions I’ll be at during the conference, check out my schedule here.