VEGAS WITH THE GRANDPARENTS

My grandparents have started a tradition where they take their grandchildren to Vegas when they turn 21. My cousin, Brock and I are only 8 weeks apart so we got to go on the trip together. Our trip was relatively fast but lots of fun.

The highlights of my trip included ...

A must is going to the atrium at Bellagio to see the exhibit. This was a summer exhibit with an ocean theme.

There was a mermaid.

And a turtle. The neat thing is that everything is made out of flowers.

We also went to the stratosphere. If you know me you'd know that I love adventure but not thriller adventure. I am low key afraid of heights and get motion sickness. Therefore, crazy roller coasters are not my thing. But it was nice to watch my cousin do them and get a spectacular view.

We also watched the Bellagio water show. 

The two buffets that were amazing were Bacchanal at Caesars Palace and Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan. My favorites at Bacchanal is the udon/ramen bar, prime rib, gelato bar, made to order crepes and shave ice and pizza. My favorites at Wicked Spoon was the gelato bar and made to order seafood station. Buffets in Vegas are always a good idea.

Another thing I always look forward to is getting a massage. There is a place we go to in Vegas that have great $22 massages for 1 hour. It is cheap but has great quality. 

But of course, this trip was all about the gambling. We all went home winners luckily. Our favorites on this trip was Treasure Chest, Wheel of Fortune, 777 and Video Poker. 

This was a great trip. Not only because I went home a winner but I got to spend time with my grandparents. This was rare that I went on a trip with only them and it was a great first. I've come to the realization that time is so short so it's always good to spend time with your loved ones.

Thanks to these two for an amazing trip. 

xo. Laur

DAY IN MYEONGDONG, KOREA

Day two in Korea is all about eating and shopping. Today we got up a little later since it's Sunday and everything opens later. We decided to go to a hip, popular city called Myeongdong.

There is a whole couple of blocks (5 blocks in width and 7 blocks in length) that is filled with shops, boutiques, eateries, street food, face shops, etc. Pretty much everything you can imagine. There is so much foot traffic during the day and more at night.

The first place we stopped at was a church. I mean it is Sunday after all.

Next, I ate a 32cm long green tea soft serve cone. I mean holy heaven. This absolutely made my day. I am a green tea lover so this was right up my alley. Can you believe that it was only $2? So cheap. My mom and I did have to share because it was so big. There were other flavors such as strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, etc. This is a very popular treat in Myeongdong. I will be dreaming about this cone until my return.

The next thing we tried was a Korean malasada. It looked like a malasada but was filled with cream cheese and the outside didn't have any sugar rather nuts. My mom loved it.

Myeongdong is known for their street food. So we also got a strawberry mochi, which was made to order.

There are so many fresh pressed juice stands in Korea as well. Right up my alley. Pineapple, pomegranate, orange, lemon, watermelon, korean pear are some fruits for example.

But the fried stuff is what they're known for .. Tempura, fried calamari, fried vegetables, etc. Anything that can be fried is on this street.

My other favorite part of the day was shopping .. of course! I am obsessed with Korean face shops after this trip. I had a love for it prior to going but I am coming back a believer. There is a face shop on every block. There are so many to choose from but my favorites are skin food, missha and innis free. I like the face masks, nose strips, face wash, some make up products, etc. Everything is quality and rather reasonably priced. I bought as much as possible since I wasn't sure when I would be back.

I also loved the little boutiques. I found so much cute and reasonably priced clothing while in Korea. Anything from pencil skirts for work to joggers for everyday living. I want some of the Korea brands to make it to Hawaii or at least jump on board with me for my new project :) hint hint.

After a long day in Myeongdong, it was off to the airport for our flight.

It's been real Korea! Until next time.

xo. Laur

SOUTH KOREA DAY 1

After a catching up on some sleep, I was energized and ready for the day. Korea is a day ahead of Hawaii. So when it is 10 am in Hawaii it is 5 am in Korea. So my sleep schedule was rather off to say the least. So I got up at 6am and got ready for the day. Seoul is a night city. What I mean by that is the city doesn't wake up until 10 am and is up until at least 1 am. Something that is interesting that you would never see in the US is that some Starbucks stores are closed until 10am. I mean wow.

So around 8 am my mom and I ventured around our hotel, which was located in Namdaemun. We stayed at Ramada Hotel, which was a great choice. The rooms were reasonably priced and a decent size. The shuttle from the airport is around an hour and cost about $16 and takes you right to the hotel. The hotel also offers a free shuttle to popular parts of the city. So this was super convenient.

My mom and I ate a light breakfast at Paris Baguette. Coffee and pastry shops are very popular in Seoul. There is a coffee shop on every corner. We tried the Paris Baguette and it was adorable. There was an array of warm pastries to choose from, coffee and cute milk cartons (random I know). I got the milk pastry, which was a warm roll filled with a milky glaze. My mom got a breakfast sandwich with egg whites, ham on a toasted english muffin. She got a latte and I got a chocolate milk.

Next, we caught a cab to Gyeonbokgung Palace. Taxi fares are rather cheap .. Our fares ranged from $3-$5max. The palace costs about $3 for admissions.

The palace was a very peaceful and educational.

We saw everything from places of worship to spiritual ponds. It was a nice peaceful time to walk and cleanse your mind actually.

The property also had a children's museum. But it isn't just for kids. The museum shared information such as the different types of kimchi, what houses were traditionally made, what traditional clothes were worn to a certain occasion, etc. It was a great learning experience about the Korean culture.

After the palace we took a short 10 minute walk to a city called Insadong. This is a long street filled with stores, eateries and traditional street food. My favorite thing to see was the different tea shops filled with green tea, ginseng tea, etc. I am obsessed with tea so this was very neat and educational.

We also stopped for some horn ice cream. I had a friend who did a study abroad in Korea so she was helpful in pointing out the must try places when we were in Korea (this being one of them). Horn ice cream is a normal cone (like the one you get at mcd) but it is about a foot long. It is shaped like a horn in the sense that it is a straight line then hooks at the bottom. I found that this makes it easier to eat because it doesn't drip. I got the vanilla and chocolate mix. There are other flavors such as mango, strawberry, etc. Yummy!

While in Insadong we went to Galbijim Restaurant, which came highly recommended. This meal was big enough for two people so my mom and I shared. It was a short rib that was braised in soy. It was soft and falling off the bone. This came with two bowls of rice, a warm seaweed soup and 4 different kinds of kimchi. I take after my Papa Jim and love love love kimchi. It wasn't to spicy, which was good. I am not traditional Korean so I can't handle the big boy stuff. But this meal was probably our best.

After our long day, my mom went to the Cheonggyecheon River. Believe it or not this river was located right in the middle of a hugely populated city. It is basically the central park of Korea. It was a nice, peaceful walk and a good outlet from city life.

After this walk, we went to the Lotte Department store. This is the place to be .. trust me. There is so many cute Korean shops, face stores, eateries, etc. It was my shopping heaven. My mom and I ate here after our long day. We got a pork cutlet curry, udon and green tea mochi. After out big lunch, we just wanted something small to share.

Bed time until tomorrows fun filled day.

xo. Laur

HNL to ICN 2015

Hello to my faithful followers. I am still alive and I apologize for not posting. On the bright side, there is a lot of great things to look forward to in the near future. I have a huge collaboration project coming up that I can't wait to share with you. I am also going on lots of trips throughout the summer and I have so many new places, ideas and adventures to share with you. So please stay posted xx

But on another note .. I finished finals so it is finally summer. I am extremely excited for the next three months. Right when finals finished, I jetted off to South Korea with my mom.

My mom and I went on a short girls trip to celebrate the ending of my junior year of college. The flight was 10 hours long. Yes, you read correct. 10 HOURS! Needless to say I got to catch up on my sleep, watch lots of movies and read all about South Korea.

What was amazing about flying Hawaiian was the amenity packs that we received on the flight. It was a Manuheali'i bag filled with goodies needed for a 10 hour flight. Things such as a toothbrush, earphones, toothpaste, eye mask, tissue, pen, etc. This was very unique and very Hawaiian. 

Surprisingly for airplane food .. It was yummy. I had a dip and rusk bread for an appetizer. Then for soup/salad course I had a good potato soup and a shrimp salad. 

For dinner there was three options but I chose the ahi of course. It was prepared with vegetables with a caper sauce and mash potatoes. I ate it all might I add. 

For dessert I had a sweet potato haupia tart, which was a nice ending to a filling dinner. 

Also there were snacks throughout the whole flight such as a bowl of warm ramen .. My fav!

Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy our second meal due to the turbulence on our flight. I do get motion sickness so this was not fun for me. But we arrived in Korea safely.

Stay tuned for my day 1 in South Korea.

xo. Laur

1989

I am completely obsessed with Taylor Swift's new album 1989. Taylor Swift has always been one of my favorite artists for her sweet personality and wonderful songs. What sets her apart is her relatable lyrics. 1989 is unlike any album she has ever made. I am so obsessed with her and her album that I bought tickets to her concert. The concert is on August 8 at Centurylink Stadium in Seattle, Washington. I wish Micah would come with me to the concert but he would much rather watch the Seahawks play instead of Taylor. But nonetheless, I am so excited to see her perform and spend the weekend in Seattle. Seattle is an amazing city, which makes me even more excited. I love the pier, farmer's markets, fresh air, beautiful scenery, wonderful sites, yummy food and great shopping. I am counting down the days. August come quicker!

xo. Laur

OREGON VS. STANFORD

I always try to make it a point to go to at least two University of Oregon Football Games. So it was a no brainer to choose the Stanford Game as one of the two. If you are a football fan, you would know that Oregon has lost to Stanford two years in a row but I wanted to watch them beat those odds this year.

So my mom and I flew out of Friday for the Saturday Game. We made the long two hour drive down to Eugene from Portland. We had to stop at Panera Bread on our way. We both got their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte and I must say it was delicious. I actually liked it better than Starbuck's PSL. Oops sorry Starbucks lovers. But this is definitely a must try if you are a Pumpkin lover like myself.

After the long drive and only a short time before kick off, I wanted to explore the area a bit. Being from Hawaii, we only have one season all year round. And that is 80 degrees give or take with either sunshine or rain. So experiencing true fall weather is always fascinating to me. I love the nippy weather and when the leaves change to a red, orange and yellow color. I was the only silly Hawaii girl out there playing in the leaves but I didn't care. It was beautiful and I wanted to take the time to appreciate something that I don't get to see on a daily basis. I mean come on now, if this doesn't get you into the holiday spirit I don't know what will.

So off to the game we went. We got to the game about 2 hours early to experience the football player march and cheer performance. It is always fun to see my sister and watch her do what she loves. Watching a really good football game is always a perk as well. 

If you didn't know, Oregon beat Stanford. FINALLY! It was a great game to watch and experience live. There is nothing like watching the game live with the fans and high energy. Oregon fans are like any other. Scoducks as the Oregonians say.

xo. Laur

6 HOURS IN VEGAS

Third time is truly a charm. My mom, sister and I were trying to get to Vegas by 8 p.m. on Saturday for the Bruno Mars Concert. We have been dying to see him live in concert but couldn't get tickets to the Hawai'i show so figured why not see him in Vegas. But we had a bit of flight difficulties due to Storm Ana and United flight delays, so we couldn't get out til Saturday morning. But we landed in the knick of time at 7 p.m. on Saturday and made it to the concert on time.

The Bruno Mars concert was at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. This is a smaller venue compared to others. There are two levels in The Chelsea. The bottom floor is mainly standing room only and the second floor is all VIP seating that is very limited. We were lucky enough to get VIP tickets and it was worth it.

Bruno is an amazing performer who really knows how to captivate his audience. Songs from all different genres and time periods were performed. For example, Show Me (Reggae) and This is How We Do It (90s). A lot of Bruno's hit songs were also performed such as Locked Out of Heaven (My personal favorite), When I was Your Man, Treasure, Just the Way You Are and much more. This is a concert I would recommend to anyone because the singing is real (no lip singing) and the show is to die for. 

After the concert ended at 11 p.m. we headed to In-N-Out, where I got a cheeseburger, chocolate shake and fries. I know so unhealthy but it is so yummy. This was my first real meal all day and I devoured it. Then my mom, sister and I headed to the airport for our 1:55 am flight back home. I told you, I was literally in Vegas for about 6 hours. It was a crazy adventure but the concert was worth it. 

xo. Laur

'ILI COFFEE SCRUB

Recently, I have been obsessing over my Frank Body Scrub that I previously blogged about. It exfoliates your skin while getting rid of skin imperfections. But while on Kaua'i I found a local Hawaiian skincare coffee body scrub called 'Ili Scrub that is very similar to Frank so I had to give it a shot. The 'Ili Scrub is sold all over the state of Hawai'i and is around $22 per bag. What I like about the 'Ili Scrub is that it is made with all organic ingredients from Kaua'i. The scents smell amazing. I chose to start off with the lavender mint scrub but I heard the ginger scrub is equally as divine. Both are such soothing scents after a long day. Support local and give this scrub a try. Your skin will thank you.

xo. Laur

DUCKS VS SOUTH DAKOTA

Today was game day and let me tell you, the Ducks and their fans come out to play. The Oregon bookstore is jam packed with people getting the latest gear for the games from panchos (since it was rather overcast) to white jerseys/T-shirts (since it was white out night). But best believe, everyone had Oregon something on. Not to mention, the football players outfits are always on point and the fans always match what the players are wearing. 

 My family and little cousins came to the game as well, which made it 10 times more fun. They recently moved to Washington so it was fun hanging out with them and I am glad they made it to a game. 

As I previously mentioned in a previous post, my sister is an Oregon cheerleader. She was on the Oregon Dance team this year but has upgraded to the cheer team. It is weird seeing her as such a hot commodity. Everyone wants to take her picture or get autograph .. I was not used to that. But nonetheless, we are all super proud of her.

My parents and I try to make as many games as we can to support her. So it was only fit we go to the season opener to show our support. Ducks football is amazing to watch especially since there are some Hawai'i players on the team. But Oregon is a huge college town and Ducks football is everything. The fans are loud and high energy, which makes watching the game amazing. We will definitely be back to watch the now 1-0 Oregon Ducks hopefully take the championship this year. Fingers crossed!

xo. Laur

PORTLAND RUN

Once again, I find myself back in Oregon. All thanks to my sister that is. Lindsey made the University of Oregon Cheer Team so my mom and I flew up to support her while cheering at her first football game. We arrived early Friday morning after flying in from Los Angeles. We had a full day in Portland ahead of us, which started with breakfast. We were starving after a full night of traveling.

Our first stop was Pine State Biscuits, which is said to have the best biscuits in town. We went to NE Alberta location, which is a cute town filled with lots of cute shops and eateries. My mom and I got the biscuit with apple butter and marionberry jam (Oregon fav). Our drink of choice was Stumptown coffee for my mom and organic chocolate milk for me. This small meal totally hit the spot and was the energy boost we needed for a long day. What I love about Pine State is they only use fresh, local ingredients and boy can you tell the difference.

The next stop on our list was Ikea. Ikea is a department store where I can literally spend hours in. There are so many amazing pieces for such a great price. Hawaii needs an Ikea ASAP. But we found a lot of great pieces for my sister's new apartment such as a coffee table, desk, storage and much more. The other purpose of our trip is to help my sister move into her new place and boy did we.

After spending some time getting some apartment stuff, we sure did work up an appetite. My mom and I went to a joint featured on Diners, Drive ins and Dives called Blueplate in downtown Portland. It is a small hole in the wall that features homey comfort food. I got the grilled cheese and tomato bisque soup and my mom got the sliders. It was a great size and filled us right up. It was fun exploring downtown Portland.

Next we headed to Salt and Straw, which is a unique ice cream joint native to Oregon. I never come to Portland without stopping here first. Salt and Straw makes super unique flavors of ice cream with fresh, local ingredients.

This time my mom and I got Rocky Road (made with Oregon Hazelnuts), Coconut Petunia with Caramel Bars and Stumptown Coffee with Bourbon. What did I tell ya? Pretty off the wall. My favorite at Salt and Straw is the Honey Lavender but I decided to try something new. I have never been disappointed at Salt and Straw so be sure to give it a try. 

Across the street from Salt and Straw is a bakery called Two Tarts that makes yummy sweet treats with fresh, local ingredients. We always stop here to get some sweets to go for later. 

Now it is time for the 2 hour drive to Eugene, which can be a drag. But we stopped at Woodburn, which is a huge outlet mall in Oregon. Theres always time for a bit of a shopping break. After finally getting to Eugene, we got to see my sister. We all had dinner together at Chipotle (of course) then crashed out. It was such a long day but an even longer day is ahead. Game day tomorrow.

xo. Laur