This post is sponsored by the Roseville Visitor’s Association. As always, all opinions are my own.

Two weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to fly to beautiful Minnesota and check out one of their most popular events, the Minnesota State Fair. After checking out the MN State Fair, I have come to realize what is the most important thing about fairs: THE FOOD and the Minnesota State Fair does not play.

The Minnesota State Fair began in 1854 and has been going strong ever since bringing in local folks as well as folks from all over the world. Over two million people crossed off the Minnesota State Fair from their bucket list and this year, I was involved in helping break a new record for attendance: 2,126,551 people!

There is so much to see and do including going on rides, shopping, visiting the animals, enjoying live music but my favorite part of the fair was all of the food and drinks available!

Check out 9 of my favorite foods at the Minnesota State Fair recommended by friends, the Roseville Visitors Association and the Internet. And yes, half the video is me just super excited to eat EVERYTHING! Enjoy and let me know what else I need to try!

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There has been a series of events, questions, conversations and self reflection that has led to this post. I am the type of person that likes to share my passions (Exhibit A: Why I Started Running And Why I Still Run) and in order to really get to know who I am, I feel that I must share the origin story of another one of my biggest passions: travel.

The question most often asked by friends, family, and strangers on the internet is ‘Why do you travel?’. There are SO MANY reasons why I travel but it’s not time for me to write a book (yet) so I will try to keep this as concise as possible. Check out 14 reasons why I started traveling and why I still travel. Let me know which is your favorite.

And before you ask, yes, this post has already inspired a future ‘Why YOU Should Travel’ post so stay tuned for that!

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This post is sponsored by Paramount Pictures. As always, all opinions are my own.

I don’t know about you but I am loving the latest trend of bringing amazing animated films to the big screen as live-action remakes. The latest addition is Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which tells the story of a beloved character from my childhood and her adventures in the jungle AND in high school. I had the pleasure of attending an advanced screening of this film as well as the opportunity to interview the legendary Eugenio Derbez who gave us some inside knowledge on the making of the film.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect…I figured I would enjoy the movie because of the nostalgia. Dora and the Lost City of Gold blew me away. Check out six reasons to watch this film by yourself, with your significant other, friends, family (bring your primos), neighbors, everyone!

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I have always said time and time again that I am very lucky to have the friends I have. I strive to surround myself with people who make me better and who I genuinely enjoy spending time with. Last weekend was a weekend full of my favorite people and one of those faves (#ThanksValarie) actually #sponsored a day at Universal Studios for all of us in California!

I’ve only ever been to Universal Studios in Florida and it was amazing but I spent the majority of my time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter because I am a superfan. This time, I decided to explore more of Universal Studios and I was lucky to have the best guide! I started writing this as an Instagram caption but decided it would be way too long, so we have a blog post now! I’ll be sharing my experience as well as lessons learned so that the next time you find yourself at Universal Studios, you know exactly what to do to have the best time! Enjoy!

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What a weekend friends, what a weekend. If you were following along on my Long Beach (LB) or Los Angeles (LA) Instagram stories, you’ll know that I was in California these last few days at the incredible #WeAllGrow Latina summit! This summit is one of my faves for so many reasons but the main reasons are because I am able to connect with phenomenal Latina bloggers/influencers/entrepreneurs, I learn a ton about blogging (stay tuned for exciting new things coming to the blog and to my social media), and the most important: I walk away so inspired and empowered.

This year, instead of doing a recap blog post (you can see past recaps here), I’ve decided to share this inspiration with you along with some fun photos of my newest friends and my favorite inspiration walls. During the last four days, I wrote down every inspirational nugget that either resonated with me personally or that I felt would resonate with all of you. The quotes are listed in the order that I heard them. Enjoy!  

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I’m currently working on the Ultimate Arizona Bucket List and you better believe that hiking is going to be on that list! One of my favorite hikes in the state is Piestewa Peak, home to one of the most popular trails in Arizona referred with love as ‘Nature’s Stairmaster’. Check out 13 of my favorite photos to inspire you to hike this epic trail!

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This post is sponsored by Visit Phoenix and The Phoenician. As always, all opinions are my own.

Summer is finally here in Phoenix, Arizona and for many people that means it is time to slow down life a little bit. A few weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to partner with the folks over at The Phoenician to check out their amazing spa and was blown away! I am here to tell you that a relaxing spa day needs to be on your bucket list, whether you are stressed or not. And since I am here to help, I will also let you know that a spa day is a fabulous gift for Mother’s Day! Let me know if the four reasons below convince you to treat yo’self!

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Happy Thursday friends! I am back from Colombia, and as much as I loved it (it is seriously such a beautiful and colorful country), I am happy to be home! As usual, I am having the post vacation blues and as I’ve said time and time again, the best way to overcome this is to reminisce! Today, I am sharing 6 of my favorite photos that showcase Colombia’s incredible street art scene! Keep reading to see amazing murals in Bogota!

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I just got back from my first visit to Rocky Point (also known as Puerto Peñasco in Mexico) and I am so inspired. I loved this destination so much and I have so many people asking questions about what I did that I figured I might as well publish a post! This might be the fastest I’ve ever written about a destination and it is for a good reason: Rocky Point is seriously the ultimate road trip from Phoenix, Arizona!

Y’all need to add Rocky Point to your bucket list for so many reasons: beach, adrenaline filled activities, affordability, location, food, and the night life! Today I will be talking about the food but stay tuned for a post with more information on all of the other reasons why you need to visit Rocky Point!

I asked for recommendations on Instagram and you all definitely delivered. My favorite restaurants are listed below with #1 being my favorite. Enjoy!

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I crossed off a major bucket list item and it was an incredible experience: hiking Havasupai Falls. You can check out 7 Photos To Inspire You To Hike Havasupai Falls if you’re not quite sure what this incredible place in nature looks like and you can also check out my Phoenix training plan to help you get ready physically! This item took me a little while to cross off because I wanted to train for the 10 mile hike and I needed to buy/borrow all of the equipment.

I learned a lot about what I should have brought and what I should have left behind. My backpack was huge and I realized it could have been SO MUCH LIGHTER. But it’s okay, you live and learn…and if you have a blog like me, you teach others! So, I’m here to help with the ultimate Havasupai Falls packing list!

This list was created based on googling, a blog post recommended by a friend, asking friends who are avid backpackers, and then kind of just guessing and hoping for the best. Lucky for you, I have a lot of lessons learned so I will be including what is necessary, what I wish I had brought and what is nice to have if you have space. Enjoy!

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