Restaurant Radar| One | Kona Grill

Hello Loves, 

For 2017 I wanted to introduce to my life as a Blogger living in Baltimore, Maryland. Maryland hosts some of the best restaurants in the country. Specifically in Baltimore, our central hub, we can pretty much have any type of food we want every night of the week. 

My goal is to lead you through 52 restaurants this year, one per week. As the year has already started and I am a little late with this post, I plan to play catch up (excitedly). I am going to do this without looking at any Baltimore Restaurant guides or reviews. I am just going to be a Foodie/Humble (but damn good) Cook exploring the depths of her city with her camera and notebook in hand. 

My first restaurant of choice was Kona Grill. It sits on our beautiful Harbor in central downtown Baltimore. It is a Sushi Bar and Asian & American Restaurant.

On a personal note, I love Sushi (cooked) that is, but I am willing to try anything. So much so, that I had watched "The Rachel Zoe Project" so much that as soon as I landed in LA I ran to Sushi Roku in Beverly Hills and was so underwhelmed.

As this is my first blog post, I forgot to take pics of the name and oh of myself!!! So here goes nothing.  

I started with a Tropical Long Island.

The Dragon Roll 

Of course, I started my meal with a bit of Sushi. I ordered the Dragon Roll and let me say that it was definitely a healthy portion. They get a thumbs up from me for this one. 

Chicken and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

The second thing I ordered on the menu was the Chicken and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps. Now let me say that I am not a huge fan. I like it enough to share a small portion with someone and I like the spicy punch that it gives off. But there is something a little off about the taste. I can't put my finger on it. I would choose the ones from P.F. Changs any time. 

The Ultimate Chocolate Martini

I ended this night with a Chocolate Martini. It was absolutely the best liquid dessert ever (insert laughter). 

Now I know that this is not the best take on this menu, but I will say that I didn't have the biggest appetite when I arrived, and this was the best I could do for that night. I promise the next Restaurant Radar will be a little more plentiful. 

Until Next Time My Lovelies!!

XOXO Love

The 16 Things I Learned in 2016

As I stand here and reflect on how my 2016 really went. There literally was a lot of crying, a lot of laughing, a little bit of heart break and a ton of cooking. There was also loads of learning, teaching and just embracing where my life is taking me. 

As a woman, when you enter into your 40's you start to get really nervous. Nervous because you thought that your life would go in a certain direction. You thought that you would be a little more financially stable. You were going to be married to the love of your life and be blissfully happy. You may have even thought that you would be living in another country. 

And while for some, these things happened, it didn't happen for most of us. But guess what? It's okay. I'm okay with it and you should be as well. Your path is different. My path is different. And I refuse to give up my cinderella moment fearing that it may never happen to me. 

I decided that on December 31, 2016. 

So today I am opening the gates and sharing my really personal thoughts and battles of 2016. I didn't accomplish any more than 30% of what I really wanted to do, but I also didn't expect to launch a youtube channel. That was a complete surprise. But I am in love and I can't wait to see where it takes me. 

One: I learned about Vlogmas. (Christmas is my favorite time of year and for 2017, I plan to be ready)

Two: I learned how to really get photographed for my blog .

Three: I learned a great deal about photoshop. Not sure why I kept straying away from it, but I am here willing and ready. 

Four: I learned to be okay with sharing my life with everyone on my blog and my youtube channel. 

Five: I learned how to really be a blogger, how to build out my content and to not be overwhelmed because people think that this isn't a job.

Six: I learned how to laugh at myself harder and be okay that I am just uniquely loud. 

Seven: I learned how it is super okay to be a work-a-holic.

Eight: I learned how to be a better mother. (This may seem cray, but it is nothing like feeling like you are a bad mother for not managing it all so perfect.)

Nine: I learned how to really be happy. (And that it is contagious.)

Ten: I learned how Moscato is the SPAM of wine. (I didn't know that I would eat SPAM, but I guess I will)

Eleven: I learned I love to Vlog. 

Twelve: I learned a little bit more about my style. 

Thirteen: I learned how to just love people for who they are.

Fourteen: I learned that it really will take a little bit longer. 

Fifteen: I learned how to love harder. 

Sixteen: I learned that if you wait long enough you can find it on sale.

Thank you Loves so much for reading this post. Make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel here, follow my blog and comment and share what you learned in 2016 as well. I would love to read all of your comments. 

My Top Nail Polishes for 2016

Dear Loves, 

You may not know this if you have just met me, but I give good nail color. I pride myself on giving everyone in my life recommendations as to what polish they should be rocking in any given season. 

Below I am sharing with you, my top nail colors of 2016. Most of these will follow me into 2017 but I am truly excited to explore more. 

This list will be include my favorite At Home Gel polishes and other brands. I usually carry my own colors to the salon or I do my manicures myself. 

I will put one disclaimer out there. I haven't found my new favorite white polish. 

Nail Color #1

Color:  Shock Wave

Nail Color #2

Color: I Need Sunglasses

Nail Polish #3

This is generally my summer color. I wear Big Apple Red, and Red My Fortune Cookie and just interchange the three of them all year long depending on how festive I feel. 

Color: Fashion A Bow

Nail Polish #4

Color: Coney Island Cotton Candy

Nail Polish #5 & 6

Side Note: I usually wear this as a combination as I feel like I am way to old to walk around with glitter nails. So I will do like 2-4 accent nails in the glitter with the green as a base first. 

Color: Act Your Sage & The Glittering Night 

Nail Polish #7 

Color: Tidal Wave 

Nail Polish #8

Color: Flip Flop Fantasy 

Nail Polish #9

Color: Blue Hue 

Nail Polish #10 

Color: Lincoln Park After Dark 

The B in my Baggage!!!

Hello There Loves, 

December is upon us and may I say that it is my favorite month of the year. I am not sure if they can put my face next to the definition of Christmas in the dictionary, but I am sure it belong there. I mean I buy gifts for everyone. I over decorate (even though this year I am not). I over do everything just a little.

This year for the first time, I put up a gift guide for men. One that I can consider very baseline because I wanted to give men a look inside the psyche of a woman who likes to receive gifts. If you haven't viewed it, check it out here. 

So for the month of December, I choose a new refreshing, strong and vibrant scent, B Balenciaga. The premise behind the scent is based off of a woman who unveils her most essential self. The more she reveals, the more intriguing she becomes. 

What better description and better fitting scent to end the year besides this. The scent is powerful and speaks volume without words. It is absolutely one of my most favorite scents. I will keep this in my daily/weekly must haves for the next few years. 

As irony would have it, the wind was crazy when we shot this look. I paired this December scent with a tee shirt dress that spoke volumes within itself as well. But as I unveiled my inner strength to get through this cold windy day, it was a great companion. 

As an ending note, my manicure did not hold up in the weather as I tried to do it 45 minutes before the shoot. 

Links

Dress/ Saks Off Fifth~ Parfume/  B Balenciaga ~ Bag/Aldo ~ Shoes/ Shop Fashion Junkie

Be Blessed Loves!!
xoxo Love