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Steppin’ Out {#ToyotaWomen Style}

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This week I headed down to LA to meet with Toyota USA and some of the other women that have been selected to be a part of TWIN (Toyota Women’s Influencer Network). After a full day of learning about Toyota as a company, their brand, their passion, driving their cars and touring their campus we headed out to dinner.

Between the end our our day and dinner we had about 30 minutes to get ready. Since I had been up since 3 AM {long story, for another post} my hair was up in a sorta messy bun thing. To try and fix my hair in less than 30 minutes or not…that was the question. Since I’ve been using some new sulfate-free shampoo & conditioner I figured I’d give it a go and if my hair looked like ass I’d just pull it back.

Turns out that new shampoo & conditioner is even better than I had originally anticipated. I call this my “I’ve been up since 3 AM and I just had 20 minutes to get ready” look. Not bad, right!?

Dress: Trulli / Sweater: AT LOFT / Shoes: Moda {borrowed from my seester}

We stepped out to a restaurant called the Depot in Torrance, CA. Their bread basket was amazing. And, even though their menu had TONS of amazing fresh fish options, apparently I was craving something more…red. I ordered a filet mignon. And mashed potatoes. Bacon cheddar mashed potatoes to be exact. They were amazing. After realizing I was sitting at a table with 3, maybe 4 vegetarians, I felt bad for a split second. Then my food showed up. And I didn’t care anymore.

After dinner came dessert…of course! Our server brought our table 4 different desserts to share. Again, amazing. Creme Brulee, Fresh Apple Crisp, Banana Cream Pie and some fantastic looking chocolate-blueberry ice cream thing.

And of course, when you’re eating dinner with a bunch of bloggers, you see a lot of this.

Dinner, dessert and the company I shared it with was amazing. Such a fun way to step out for an evening.

I’ll write more about my time with Toyota later this week. Until then, happy Sunday! And also? A little shot of the bump for you. {Seriously, if I hear one more person tell me “You don’t even look pregnant!” I might snap.} Double also? Holy crap 20 weeks tomorrow!!

I’m linking up with Mandy at The Haps for Stepping Out Saturday!
Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Quick Confession

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When it comes to cars, I can hold my own…I’ve spent enough time under the hood of the Cruiser with Andy to know what’s what. I can change my own oil. Swap out an air filter. Change a flat tire with freshly manicured nails (true story). And I’m pretty confident I could even jump a car if the need arose.

But theres one thing I’ve never done that I’ll admit, I’m kind of freaked out about…buying a car.

Now,  I know what you’re thinking…Kat, don’t you guys have like 37 vehicles? What do you mean you’ve never bought a car!?

Well, let’s review…

My very first car, a 1993 Nissan Sentra, I “bought” from my sister. More like, she was getting ready to move across the country and needed a better car that would make it so I just took over payments on the Sentra.

My second car, a 1998 Chevy Blazer, I bought from my grandma in 2004. It had 27,000 miles on it. No brainer.

The Jeep & Buick that we have now we inherited from Andy’s grandparents.

And the rest of our vehicles? Well they were either vehicles Andy had “pre-us” or they’re vehicles I could really care less about (ie the Suburban & farm truck).

So here we are, on the verge of actually need to buy a new/new-to-us car sometime in the next 12-18 months and I’m super intimidated by the mere thought of it. Of course I won’t be going it alone to buy a car, but still, I’d like to have some useful insight and not just rely solely on Andy when the time comes.

As it stands right now? I’m no more than a glorified tire kicker.

I’m actually really looking forward to learning more from my trip to Toyota about the car buying process.

But I also want to know more from you…What’s the top one or two things you look for when you’re buying a car? What tips do you have for me!?

I’m can’t wait to hear your tips/advice.

I’m off to LA in about 3 hours!! And it couldn’t be better timing here folks. I woke up to snow this morning. SNOW. The day before March. Dumb.

Not going to lie…I’m looking forward to sipping on some iced coffee in some sunshine and not in my 33 degree car waiting for the snow to defrost off.

You can follow along with my trip by following me on instagram (@LilMissRysMama) and following the hashtag #ToyotaWomen.

Also? Happy Leap Day!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Wait, is this real life!?

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Life has been a whirlwind lately. As per the usual, I suppose. But there’s something about traveling for 5 days that really throws things off. I was thinking this morning about how this week has seemed ridiculously LONG, then I realized it’s because I’ve worked for the last 12 days straight. Sure there was a leave early and show up late thrown in there for good measure, but yea…lots of work. Good thing I love my job, no?

So about that trip I took. Last Thursday I headed across our great country to good old, Hershey, Pennsylvania for a tradeshow for work. It was a good show. I love the industry I’m in…everyone is so nice and helpful and fun. I learned something while I was there…if you’re 17+ weeks pregnant and pack a pair of non-maternity slacks that you haven’t worn in 2 weeks, you should probably try them on before you go, because there’s a STRONG likelihood they won’t button…or even zip. I am SO glad I decided at the very last minute to throw in my Bella Band because yea…I used it.

I didn’t eat any Hershey’s chocolate while I was there. FOR SHAME, I know. But, I did get to have dinner with the amazing Krista. Seriously, she and her husband drove THREE hours one way to come have dinner with me on my last night there. Amazing. And I did bring chocolate home for Rylee.

I got home late-ish Monday night and since I’d worked through the weekend, I figured I deserved a little bit of a sleep in on Tuesday. Any by sleep in, I mean I got up at 6:15 AM. Rylee and I had a leisurely morning of cartoons and breakfast before I dropped her off at preschool and headed to work. On the way to school we passed the same park we always do and she mentioned wanting to play there so when I picked her up that night and it was still light out and not raining, I decided that we’d head to the park to play for a bit…or at least until Andy called to let us know he was on his way home. It was freaking cold, but so heart warming. I love the pure joy that comes from little ones with something as simple as going down the swirly slide.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur to be honest with you.

This weekend Andy, Ry & I are headed up to the outlets to do a little shopping because this funky in-between stage I’m in of my pregnancy is lame and I’d really like to have some cute clothes that actually look like they fit me to wear next week. And BONUS! My sister is going to meet us there and have lunch with us!

Speaking of next week? Oh holy crap I am SO stoked about next week. Have I told you what I get to do?

A few weeks ago I received an email with an invite to TWIN Camp {remember that partnership I have with Toyota?}. So anyway, next week Toyota is flying me, and some other amazing women, down to their headquarters just outside LA, to tour their facility, meet with the Totyota team, talk about things like branding, product life cycles, in-car technology, the car buying process and do some product testing/test drives. When I figured out that I’d be able to swing the trip I got excited. Then today? Then sent me the itinerary. I am STOKED!

You guys…they’re having a driver pick me up from the airport. Like, straight up one of those dudes that wears a black hat and holds a sign with my name on it! Ok, truth be told, I don’t know if it will be a dude, or if a hat will be worn, but still…I feel like freaking JLO or something!

The hotel we’re staying in? Beachside! The restaurants? Well, let’s just say when I visited their websites I started drooling! They will be a pregnant lady’s nirvana.

And not to mention I am genuinely excited to learn more about the Toyota brand, meet their team and test drive their vehicles!

I am really excited to share more about it all when I get home.

I mean really…is this real life? Am I really getting flown to LA for this amazing trip/workshop just because of the words I type on the little blog?

So, see what I mean? Whirlwind.

Throwing up on siblings, making out with boyfriends and epic surprises…

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So, as part of my deal with partnering with Toyota and their TWIN project, we were asked to go check out The Camry Effect.

I started checking out the site, watched the video and immediately thought what a fantastic marketing campaign it was. I mean, even though I’ve never owned a Camry, I have so many amazing memories tied to cars throughout my lifetime…

Like the one time my sisters, mom and I were on our way down to visit my Grandma, driving along in our sweet tan station wagon that backfired. We must have been driving the back roads, because all I remember is getting super car-sick, and throwing up red Kool-Aid all over my oldest sister’s mint green pants and my mom having to pull over.

***

A few years later, in the same station wagon, my mom had taken my sisters, some friends and me up to the water slides one super hot summer’s day. I remember sitting in the “way far back” with the rear facing seats with my best friend and making faces at all the people we passed. Then on the way home, just blocks away from our friends’ house, the station wagon totally over heated and we had to pull over on a busy road and walk the rest of the way to their house.

***

We finally ditched the station wagons (yes, plural, we had not one but TWO!) when I was 5 or 6. We ended up with a new Ford Explorer, manual, of course. A few years after we got that car one of my sisters started learning to drive. We were on our way home from the coast, as a family, and she was driving. Well, we came to a stop sign, on an incline, for a railroad crossing…my sister must have killed it no less that 6 or 7 times trying to cross this incline when the cars started piling up behind us and she got so frustrated that she got out of the car and switched places with my dad. I still laugh every time I think of that…though I’m pretty sure she doesn’t.

***

I’ll never forget my first ride in one of Andy’s 78 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers. It was before we were even dating, I even had another boyfriend at the time, he was picking me up to take me to the local community college to show me around campus, take me out to breakfast and basically woo me into dating him. He drank Pepsi for breakfast and I thought he was crazy…some things haven’t changed a bit.

***

Mine & Andy’s first official date was not too long after that college tour. We went fishing. In his ’89 Corrola. He had that thing forever and I used to tell him I married him for his Corolla…well, that and because obviously as a teacher, he was going to be RICH someday. I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit sad when we sold the Corrola…we had some good memories in the thing. Yes, maybe even including a make-out session or two (or maybe even more, I’ll never tell)  while parked outside my dad’s house. {Sorry Dad!}

***

We drove away from our wedding in one of Andy’s ’78 FJ40 Cruisers…the lifted one. The one with the bikini top. The fancy one that he painted in our garage the week before our wedding and the one he was up until 2 AM putting back together the day of our wedding. We got some crazy looks driving through town (and the DariMart drive-through for Pepsis) all dressed up in our wedding clothes.

***

And probably my very favorite memory to date…the look on Andy’s face when he got home from 12 days in Alaska only to realize I schemed with our mechanic and got his beloved Cruiser running after sitting broken down in the garage for over 4 years. I still smile every time I picture his face. I’m still waiting for my wife of the year award for that one.

***

It makes me wonder what Rylee’s favorite memories will be…will she remember her first ride in “that Orange Thing”? I mean…obviously she won’t be making out with boyfriends in their cars. At least not until after she married. ;)

So, what about you? I know you’ve got to have a favorite memory or two tied to a vehicle. Let’s hear it!

 

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Flashback to Myspace: More About Me!

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My girl Alicia, from Life with the Ladies, slash one of by favorite ladies on the interwebs tagged me in a little game. And, while I’m not tagging anyone else, because at this point, I swear everyone I would have tagged has been (I’m a little late to the party), I thought it’d be fun to still play along at least a little bit!

And seriously? This totally reminds me of my days on myspace and how I could spend hours filling out those survey question things…and by “could” I mean I did. So, I couldn’t resist.

So first, the rules that I’m not completely following:

  1. Post these rules
  2. Post 11 random things about yourself
  3. Answer the questions set for you in the post you were tagged in
  4. Create 11 new questions for your tagees to answer
  5. Tag them on Twitter, Facebook or your blog

11 Random Things About Me:

1. I’ve broken my elbow, my nose and my ankle (in two places). Not all at once, but when I was younger, I was pretty much an accident waiting to happen.

2. I worked at Cold Stone Creamery for 4+ years. Every year I’d attend the annual Franchisee Meeting in Las Vegas.

3. I graduated high school when I was 16. No, I wasn’t “really smart”, I just started out my Junior year w/ enough credits to be a senior, so I decided to graduate a year early. Coincidentally, I graduated college with my bachelor’s degree when I was 20.

4. I tried boogy-boarding once.

5. I hate shrimp and crab and all things shell fish.

6. I got into a physical fight with my oldest sister with I was in high school.

7. I took horseback riding lessons when I was in the 5th grade.

8. When I was younger, I wanted to marry Randy Travis. My love affair started when I was 5 years old when I first heard his cassette tape while staying a weekend with my cousin.

9. I have this obsession with cracking Andy’s toes. Seriously, it’s kind of a sickness. Whenever he puts his feet on me, or if he’s just resting his feet on the coffee table, I will pop them.

10. I went to Rome for a pilgrimage when I was 16 and even though it sounds cliche, it totally changed my life.

11. Broccoli has been my favorite vegetable since I was a little kid.

Questions I was asked to Answer:

1. Did you have an imaginary friend? What was his/her name? Sort of. I had this friend at day care named Carey Anne. She also happened to be my imaginary friend at home.

2. I’m interviewing you for your dream job- how do you get me to hire you? Clearly, my charm and wit and beauty should do the trick. Clearly.

3. Is there a song that makes you want to cry every time you hear it? I don’t think so. But the summer between my 8th grade and freshman year, my mom’s best friend dies of a brain tumor and at her funeral they played “I will remember you” by Sarah Mclachlan and for years, every time I heard that song I’d start sobbing.

4. What is one personality trait of your partner’s that you wish you had? His patience. That man has the patience of a saint.

5. Go-to website for sure-fire hilarity? http://www.pinterestyouaredrunk.com/

6. What’s your favourite childhood memory of a grandparent? So many. I don’t remember my grandfathers because they both passed away before I was even a toddler, but my grandmothers? They were great…I can’t pick just one favorite memory. But one funny memory? One of my grandma’s used to ALWAYS ask me if I’d had my daily BM. o_O

7. You see a mom at the playground. She’s on her phone while her mouthy kid stuffs sand down his pants and smushes his chewed gum in her purse. What do you tweet about her? Oh man, I have no clue. I’m so not witty about things like this. It’d probably be something obvious like, “Holy crap, just saw a kid stuff sand down his pants while his mom talked on the phone”

8. Describe a moment in the very recent past you wanted to give a self-high-five? I made it through the day last Saturday without taking a nap. Does that count?

9. How long does it take to get from your house to Windsor, Ontario? According to Google Maps: Driving: 39 hours, Walking: 31 days, 19 hours, Bicycle: 9 days, 4 hours

10. Do you remember what you wanted to name your kid when you were younger? Boy name and girl name. Girl: Zoe, Boy: Ira and/or Ezra

11. If you could only dip your vegetables in one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Normally I don’t dip my veggies in anything, but if we’re talking a FOREVER thing? I’d have to say ranch, just so I at least have a back-up.