Up, up & away my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!

It is 4 a.m. on Saturday morning and I am jumping out of bed with major excitement. Excitement at 4 a.m.? You bet! I was a couple of hours away from one of the most unforgettable rides of my life. Destination: Europa Village Winery for my first hot air balloon ride with A Grape Escape Balloon Adventure.

I have been wanting to ride a hot air balloon for quite some time now, but I never had the time or the perfect opportunity to go. Given that this month I am celebrating my birthday, I made it a top priority to finally check off something from my birthday wish list. I am more than glad I did, the experience was peaceful and serene. I went alone but met some wonderful people in my group.

Not only was that day unforgettable to me, but it was also unforgettable to many other people as well. Two couples in my group were celebrating their 15th year anniversary. One couple got engaged and another couple got married! Love was literally in the air.

As everyone checked into the winery, we were given a group and each group departed in their own van. We drove for about 10-15 minutes trying to leave behind us the heavy fog that was engulfing the City of Temecula. When we arrived to our destination, it took approximately 15 minutes to set up the balloon, and before we knew it, we were climbing into the basket and taking off. The scenery was enchanting, the ride was as smooth as ever, the weather was just right and the whole experience was absolutely priceless. Highly recommended.

Photo Session by ador.bol Photography & Design

I had the honor of working with two amazing photographers from ador.bol Photography & Design and I could not have been more pleased. Johanna and Rodney were fun, creative but most importantly, professional. This dynamic duo had me laughing throughout the session and made me feel so comfortable that the three hours of shooting, literally seemed like minutes.

I must confess I have no sense of direction when it comes to posing for pictures. Believe it or not, I am extremely camera shy. I much rather be behind a camera. Thankfully, Johanna and Rodney were there to direct and help me look my best.

We started the session on the rail road tracks in front of my home. I had been longing to take pictures there but my photographer (little brother) has been too scared to try. One of my favorites would have to be the picture where I am sitting down and dusting off my pink heels. Don't you love how the color just pops?!

As the afternoon progressed we moved locations to a local college. The campus was empty, which gave us the liberty of shooting freely without any interruptions. I had an amazing time and I hope you enjoy the pictures just as much as I did. Another big thanks to ador.bol Photography & Design. Don't forget to check out their website, blog and facebook page to see even more of their amazing work.

Rain, Wedges & Miami?

Although the rain has been coming down hard since this morning here in Southern California, it does not keep me from thinking of the warm weather approaching. Technically, this weekend is the last weekend of Winter and the rain makes a lot of sense, besides, we need the rain. It has been awfully dry lately. Are you ready for Spring? I am!

Yesterday afternoon I received some BIG news. While on my lunch break at work, I received a call. It was coming from a blocked number. I answered and I recognized the voice! It was one of my favorite DJs, Holly, from the radio station Exitos 93.9FM in Los Angeles. I met her earlier this week and as she was talking to me and was asking questions, I thought to myself, I don't remember giving her my number, but it is so nice of her to call me...then it hit me. The radio station was giving away a trip to Miami that included a meet and greet with the one and only Queen of Latin Pop, Gloria Estefan, and they were going to announce the BIG winner during "Holly's Hits" Friday, March 16! I had registered online but never did I think that I was going to win that trip...

"Veronica, GANASTE!" - Holly said.

I won. I could not believe it, so the most natural thing for me to do was to scream and continue saying "I can't believe it" for about 100 times. What an afternoon. I have not been to Miami, but I am super excited! I get to take my mom with me :)

I am already planning my outfits and while looking around online, I found something incredible! Those of you who follow fashion bloggers must know who Dulce Candy is, she's such a fashionista, and last year she purchased these Aldo wedges. Very cute. Price? Not so cute...they were about $100.

I waited for them to go on sale, but by the time they did, the wedges were not my priority...not until now!

I found the SAME exact wedges at Go Jane for....are you ready for this? Brace yourself. Are you sitting down? Ok. $23.50! That is correct ladies...$23.50. These Peep-Toe Espadrille Wedges are identical to the Aldo wedges Dulce is wearing in this picture. Just like Thalia says in one of her songs: "Ten paciencia, el que esperera desespera pero tiene su recompensa." Good things come to those who wait!

These wedges come in three different colors and there are plenty of sizes left. Go get them!

Go Jane: 20% off regular priced items at GoJane.com with code: Lucky20r. Valid through 3/22/12.

Find them here too:
Energy01 Ankle Strap Espadrille Wedges from Make Me Chic, $27
ELLE Platform Wedge Sandals from Kohl's, $34.99

Have you been to Miami? Let me know about places to go eat, to see, things to do. I will greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

Convivencia VIF con Jesse y Joy 1ra Generacion: Los Angeles!

Cuando algo me apasiona de todo corazón, lucho por ello y hago lo posible por obtener lo que quiero. Un “no” para mi solo me da mas motivación para pelear en conseguir un “si” definitivo. Y créanme, yo soy testigo de que cuando en verdad quieres algo, lo dices en voz alta, y lo CREES…se te cumple sin duda alguna.

La música me apasiona, pero mas me apasiona los artistas con talento genuino que no necesitan de un mega espectáculo para mostrarle al público lo que pueden llegar a alcanzar con su talento. Fuera vestuarios, fuera luces, fuera el escenario que parece set de película y fuera todo lujo innecesario. Queria conocer a dos hermanos talentosos y lo logre! Jesse y Joy, voz y guitarra = talento 100% real.

 En el mas reciente disco de Jesse y Joy titulado ¿Con quién se queda el perro? la canción “Aquí voy” menciona lo siguiente: “ Y si, resulta que si, que ahora cantan tan afinaditos cortesía de auto tune…” Me alegro saber que Jesse y Joy no necesitan de la ayuda de auto tune para cantar increible.

 Tuve la oportunidad de conocer a Jesse y Joy y convivir un poco con ellos gracias a la emisora Éxitos 93.9 FM de Los Ángeles. Los minutos pasaron rapidísimo pero pudimos disfrutar de algunos de sus éxitos, especialmente el sencillo que esta sonando bastante fuerte en la radio: “Corre” que también lo a hecho popular la telenovela mexicana “La que no podía amar.”

Al llegar al salón de conferencias donde sus fans los esperaban, saludaron y repartieron los gafetes VIF. Bromearon, nos dieron la oportunidad de hacer preguntas y de cantar con ellos. Nos tomamos fotos y firmaron nuestros CDs, gafetes (y mi guitarra!)…en fin, fue una experiencia única e inolvidable. No tuvieron la oportunidad de cantar una de mis canciones favoritas de su disco mas reciente, pero les dejo el video al final para que disfruten de la cancion.

Gracias a Jesse y Joy!

Hay planes de grabar un disco en ingles y a finales de este año, saldra un especial que hablara de la trayectoria de su carrera.

¡Que emocion!

Y a continuación…las fotos!

Match the Celebrity: Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian and sisters Kendall and Kylie, dedicated some of their Saturday shopping away on Melrose Avenue. Kim's sleeveless flare dress was perfect for LA's hot weekend weather.

This dress accentuates Kim's tiny waist perfectly and the flare gives her a fun and feminine look.

Get her look for less here! Topshop's Structured Sleeveless Skater dress has exactly what Kim's dress has: flare and femininity. Care for a more casual look? Check out the Flippy Hem Dress for only $24!

...and the shoes? As seen here before on my blog, the Mary-Jane's from Fancy Steps are almost identical and affordable.

Do you dress up to go shopping? Are you the type of person that needs to feel comfortable to shop? Let me know! I am both. I enjoy shopping all dressed up but the heels can be killer. Which reminds me, I need to invest on some emergency flats.

Hope you had a terrific weekend. I definitely did. A few surprises to come!

Have you checked out my store on eBay? Click here!