Gifts - Horsing Around In LA

Flowers, And Candy And Hearts, Oh My

By Erin

Vaelntine’s Day can be a sticky subject for many. People either love it, hate it, or could just care less. Those that have someone to spend it with may love it. Those that are single may hate it and have Anti-Valentine’s Day Parties or refer to the day as “Single’s Awareness Day.”

Being single myself, I can’t really say the day has much meaning to me right now. I am my own Valentine.

The times I have been in a relationship though, I haven’t minded it. It was nice to have someone to spend it with, but I would rather have my Valentine 365 days a year for the rest of my life. Not just on one very commercialized holiday to do something special to show my Valentine I care and to tell them that I love them. It should be something you do throughout the year because you want to and truly love and cherish the one you’re with. Not because some holiday tells you that you are supposed to do this.

In conjunction with the whole #putitintheuniverse idea, this is me putting it out there, on the things I’d love my future Valentine to do for me or with me any day of the year.

Until then, I’ll just be treating myself to a few of these things when I can.

1) Spa Day

What girl doesn’t love a good spa day? A day filled with relaxation, a facial, massage, manicure and pedicure sounds wonderful to me!

Burke Williams has a package that pretty much covers this. 😉

True Love

Indulge in a Spa Pedicure with a 50-minute Pure Relaxation massage with enhancement -and- a 50-minute Spa Style Facial with peel. Just $259 (regularly $328), $279 in San Francisco (regularly $360).

Glen Ivy Hot Springs is also a wonderful place to spend a spa day laying out by one of the pools, enjoying some spa treatments, and a healthy snack or lunch.

2) A Special Meal Together (Dinner, Brunch, Lunch)

Wether it’s dinner, brunch, lunch or breakfast; as long as you’re together to enjoy a great meal at a place you love or are curious to explore is sure to create a special moment. Here are a few of my favorite places (I have MANY favorites!!) that I have had the pleasure to be able to dine out at. From left to right: Club 33 at Disneyland, Darren’s in Manhattan Beach, and Dominique’s Kitchen in Redondo Beach.

3) A Getaway Weekend

Taking a drive up the coast to one of the central California cities of Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cambria, Carmel or San Luis Obispo is always a special and romantic weekend in my book. The beach, amazing food, wine tasting, horseback riding, shopping, just exploring to see what new things you can find, whatever your hearts desire, you can probably find it somewhere around one of these places. Santa Barbara, San Diego, Mammoth, Big Bear, the river, and Vegas also make for some fun quick getaway weekends in California. No matter where you live though, each state has it’s own unique places and cities to check out. What are some locals you enjoy visiting?

A couple of my favorite places to stay at for a weekend away include:

The Madonna Inn: A very quirky and unique place, with an amazing steak house and spa complete with infinity pool. Each room is different, no two are alike.

Blue Dolphin Inn of Cambria Inns: For an amazing ocean view and for some equally amazing sunsets; stay at the Blue Dolphin Inn. With breakfast, fireplaces, and the ocean just outside your door, you won’t want to leave this beach paradise.

4)Flowers

I’m always a sucker for a beautiful arrangement of flowers. I love nature and pretty things, I spend much time in my own garden, taking care of the roses, flowers, and fruit trees. It’s nice to be able to take some of this beauty and bring it indoors, even if it’s only for a short bit. My favorite place to ever have gotten flowers from is Disney Floral & Gifts. A little bit of magic and pixie dust just makes it that much more special.

5) Chocolates/Favorite Candies

A sweet treat can brighten up any day. One of my favorite kinds of Chocolates I’ve EVER had is from this place, called Pure Madness Chocolate. It’s heaven in a box…. seriously.

6) Wine/Beer Tasting

Wine or beer tasting always leads to a fun adventure. Find some new favorites or revisit some old loves. No matter where you live, you should be able to find a winery or a tasting room not too far away. One of my favorite places to go around here is to Malibu for some wine tasting. It makes for a beautiful drive, and there are many wonderful wineries and eateries (since you’ll need something to go with all that wine or beer 😉 to choose from. A little bit farther away, but still doable for a day trip in Southern California, is in Temecula, there are many great places to choose from there as well. Cheers!

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

By Erin

Here is the start of my picks for the ultimate Horsing Around LA’s gift guide for the Holiday 2014 season! If you need a unique gift, something for the person that has everything, look no further. I’ve got some great gift ideas for everyone coming up here!

First up is Karma Go with portable WiFi!

Karma Go is the new, pocket-sized mobile hotspot that lets you take WiFi with you everywhere. It has no contract or monthly fees. You simply buy the data you need and only add more when you need it, just like you’d refill your car when it’s low on gas. Even better, your data never expires.

Pre-order your Karma Go during Cyber Week for only $99 ($50 off the normal price of $149).

How much does data cost you might be asking?

Karma offers portable WiFi with none of the fine print. There are no contracts and no monthly fees—just an easy pay-as-you-go service for as little as $10/GB when you buy in bulk.

For the Wine Lover in your life. 😉

With the 2014 holiday season at our doorstep, wine lovers are turning to the Original Wine of the Month Club® for their holiday gift giving ideas—from gift baskets to the latest wine gadgets. With its unique, hand-picked selections of robust and flavorful wines paired with savory gourmet snacks and sinfully sweet accoutrements, convenient online ordering, free shipping and gift-giving ideas starting at $24.99, holiday shoppers are only a click or call away from the perfect gift for family members, friends and clients.

For the Coffee Lover in your Life

At Marley Coffee, they are committed to sourcing the finest quality 100% Arabica coffee that is sustainably grown, ethically farmed and artisan roasted. Proudly offering single serve Keurig compatible capsules, as well as bags of ground and whole bean coffee, makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for your favorite coffee lover.

Sourcing coffee from all around the world to create a unique, flavorful and full lineup, whole also being certified USDA Organic or Rainforest Alliance ensures the highest levels of sustainability. Determined to deliver an intoxicating aroma and rich smooth flavor into each cup, Marley Coffee will have you Stirring It Up this Holiday Season.

Learn more at marleycoffee.com/coffee

For the Traveler

If you don’t already have a Packing Cube set from Planet Tor then you are in for a real treat. These durable, lightweight bags are a huge step in hassle free travel. Designed for the globe trotter, the trend setter, the hiker, the biker, the large family vacationer, the weekender or whatever way you enjoy to travel, Planet Tor packing cubes will put organization and convenience into your adventures. Everything you need will always be right where you want it. You can group garments together, pack per family member or even compartmentalize your clothes by the day. The mesh top panel allows you to compress the air out of the bag and increase ventilation and visibility of your items. You can keep your charger, cables and electric gear all in one place and stash those items that always get lost at the bottom of your travel bag. No more wasting time unpacking, you can simply slip your cubes out of your bags and straight into the drawers and then head of on your next adventure. Overweight bags at the airport? Just remove a cube and take it as a carry on. These packing cubes are on sale for $29.99!