Favorite things: Recent San Francisco blogger events and link love

Yo! How’s it going, team? Have I ever called you team before? I don’t think so. I frequently say that in the group fitness room, as you can imagine. So it’s nearly the end of the week, and I’m here with a dose of my latest favorite things. Sit back, relax and enjoy …

But first, what am I up to this weekend? Hitting up a work Christmas party, cheering on Dave as he tackles his first ever half-marathon (he’ll rock it, in spite of the pending rain and low temps), making sweets with my lady friends and perhaps some time horizontal on the couch. Balance, people. 

Latest favorite things 

I went to quite a few blogger events in San Francisco in November and never reported on them. (Unless of course you caught some of the action on my Instagram stories during the event.) And so today, we’re going to do a catch up!

Favorite event: POPSUGAR Conversations

The highlight of this event was going inside the famed POPSUGAR headquarters. I’ve been reading POPSUGAR since it was nothing more than a pop culture website, and now it’s a massive media company with offices allover the nation. The San Francisco corporate offices are just as cute as you would expect. The entry is the signature blue and white, with a whole lot of white space. White floors. White walls. White furniture. There are no individual offices with doors, and everyone sits out in the open, even the founders Lisa and Brian Sugar, to encourage an open and collaborative environment. Love that.

This particular event, held on a Thursday night in the Financial District, was for lifestyle bloggers. After socializing and snacks, the POPSUGAR team announced some changes to Collective, the way bloggers and influencers monetize their social accounts and blogs (which is how I make my clothing widgets on the old blog, by the way). Lisa Sugar was on hand to chat, as were tons of lovely POPSUGAR team members and so many local bloggers. It was great to see Christina, Brandy and Elise, and check out our cute shoe shot below …

I was one of a few healthy lifestyle bloggers in a sea of fashion bloggers, and my flat brown walking boots were a far cry from the heels and fabulous outfits adorned by a good portion of the crowd. Whoops! However, I still had fun, and I came away that night with the November POPSUGAR Must Have Box …

Although this is last month’s box, it’s not too late to get the December gift box as a gift for someone special in your life. Curated goodies all shipped in one package. You can’t beat that. Thanks POPSUGAR, for being an inspiring presence for women and for being so kind to A Lady Goes West!

Favorite event: Lindsay Olives party

So I went to a dinner all about olives. Well, not just about olives, but also about celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand, Lindsay Olives, and debuting some new products. There was a chef there, who guided a few of us party attendees in making appetizers. I saw Kelly there, and we paired up to make some smoked salmon bruschetta bites.

I learned a little bit about Lindsay Olives, which is apparently headquartered in Lafayette here in the East Bay of San Francisco and I loved exploring the event space, Parties that Cook. We got to see some awesome party offerings that Lindsay Olives makes, such as pre-skewered cocktail combinations of olives, which you can buy for your next shin-dig.

Lindsay Olives also makes all sorts of delicious flavored olives, like the ones shown above. I took a platter of these to the wine-tasting party I went to last weekend, and they were a hit. Thanks, Lindsay Olives! 

Favorite event: Kit and Ace visits

Have you guys heard of Kit and Ace? You may have seen my Instagram stories from the fitting room of the Kit and Ace in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek a few weeks ago. That was my first time being introduced to the amazing brand of technical cashmere, basics and super high-quality goods designed for an active life. Although, it’s not actually activewear, mind you. That day, I made friends with my local Walnut Creek store and will be hosting an event in early January on a Saturday, and I’ll share more about that soon. But here is the softest dress I’ve ever worn from my style session in Walnut Creek …

A couple of weeks after that first Kit and Ace visit, I then got to spend time at the Kit and Ace on Fillmore in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco just this week. My blogger friend, Kelly, who was also at the Lindsay Olives event above, invited me and a few other bloggers to hang out at Kit and Ace and see how great the clothes work for travel, especially during the busy holiday season. Here are some of those soft basics …

We looked at clothes, chatted, had some delicious treats and stayed dry from the rain outside on the dark city streets. I came home with a gorgeous Kit and Ace tee, which you’ll be seeing on me very soon. Overall, I’m loving the Kit and Ace stuff. While it’s definitely not cheap, it’s the softest fabric you will ever feel and will last. More details on my event coming soon, but keep your eyes and ears open for this brand.

Okay, I think we’re mostly caught up on blog events for now! Whew! 🙂 How about one more cute picture totally unrelated to all things in this post? A moment from Thanksgiving, when Dave and Rudy and I visited Big Sur. Cue the Lion King music …

Favorite recent reads: Food, fitness and more

Did you miss the latest on A Lady Goes West? 

• Class review: The Bootybarre workout
• Holiday gift guide: The best gift ideas for a fit girl who has everything
• Wine-tasting party fun, Christmas cheer and my weekly workout report

And more things worth reading/watching …

• This is BY FAR my favorite article of the week. I’m lucky to have tried a few of these wellness trends for 2017 (like the infrared sauna), but there are others I plan to start doing soon (like taking medicinal mushrooms). Check out MindBodyGreen’s take on what you’ll see next year.
• I first saw a glimpse of this dance step instructor on Facebook, did a quick YouTube search to find more videos, and 30 minutes later had spent a lot of time mesmerized by his choreography, which is unlike any other step routine I’ve seen. I happen to LOVE step, but sadly, it’s not really a thing here in the Bay Area, so I’ve only done it once in the past four years. (And that time with Susan Renata teaching it at the Les Mills office, WOOHOO!) But seriously, if you like dance or step, check out some of the videos from Yoav Avidar.
• I know I shared this on Facebook a while ago, but just watch it again.
• Want to work your legs and booty? Check out these unique squat variations by Women’s Health Next Fitness Star Selena Watkins. So fun!
• I discovered Helene in Between via Megan’s weekly Link Love posts, and Helene is a social media pro. She offered a free Instagram tips video series, and I watched it this week. Instagram is my total pain point in the blogging world, because it’s so important, and I can’t crack the code! Not following me? Find me here. 🙂 Pretty, please.

Have a great weekend, my friends! Move around, nosh on healthy food and be nice to others!

Take a minute to enjoy these fun #favorites about #blogging in #SanFrancisco by @apstyle and the BEST links to read ... Click To Tweet

Read more Favorite things

To see more favorites, visit Heather‘s blog or my older “Favorite things.”  

Questions of the day

What’s something you’ve been loving lately?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?