Big Changes

This post was sponsored by LA Simon Malls and Del Amo Fashion Center, but all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make Headbands & Bagels possible!

Big changes are coming to the Del Amo Fashion Center. Major construction is underway for the next two years and at the end of the month the mall is about to undertake some major work through October of 2015. The entire north side of the mall will be closing down for major renovations through October 2015, which will also align with the grand opening of a two story Nordstrom store. The north side will be getting a second story as well as skylights through the space, brand new stone flooring and more. 

Recently the mall opened a brand new food court which bridges the north and south sides of the mall. The space is bright and beautiful complete with living walls throughout the space and some great food options opening up in the next few weeks. Currently Panda Express, Genghis Kahn and Sbarro are open for business but more options are coming soon, including a Chipotle and a wood fire pizza joint.

New Food Court space

The new floors!

Most stores located on the north side will be relocating to the south side during renovations while they await their newly upgraded permanent spaces. Big things are coming to one of my favorite shopping centers and I am looking forward to all the new stores and shops that will be coming soon, especially that Nordstrom!

All photos by Kellie K. Check her out on Twitter at @kelliepk

My First Bridesmaid Gig

Over Martin Luther King weekend in January, I had the honor of serving as one of my best friend's bridesmaids in her island wedding. This wedding was proof that you can still have huge fun with a really small wedding party. We totaled 8 in all (this included the bride and groom) and honestly I left the weekend wishing we all lived closer so that we could hang out regularly.

The bride's wedding party spanned her life with the Maid of Honor, Carrie, being her childhood best friend, me, from her summers with the Yankees and college days, and Louisa, as the fellow college alum who introduced the two. The groom on the other hand is a Penn State Alum and well everyone who knows Penn Staters can guess that his entire wedding party were his fellow Nittany Lions, which made my husband so excited.

In addition to realizing that your friend's friends are amazing people, I discovered a few things about being a bridesmaid (as I have only ever been a flower girl and a bride before).

The Wedding Party: Tom, Louisa, Me, Hershel, Carrie and Tony

1. Your love of the person you are supporting trumps everything that weekend and you don't care.
Your friend can ask anything of you that weekend and you find yourself not even hesitating. Your love for that person trumps anything else. It's their big weekend and honestly you are just so glad to be a part of it.

2. You hold a lot of power in that bridesmaid dress.
In your bridesmaid dress you can essentially tell anyone it's for the bride and they will oblige. You are like her body guards or secret service throughout the weekend and that authority is even more real during the wedding day. It also doesn't hurt that the bartenders will call you up to the front of the line to order yours and the brides drinks all night.

Our gorgeous flowers.

 

3. It's an experience you will never forget.
No wedding is the same and as a result I can't imagine myself ever saying no to a friend that asks me to be a bridesmaid. It allows you the opportunity to share in the excitement of the big day to a greater level than the rest of the guests, gives you new friends, and results in a weekend that you can never forget. You also end up with some great photos of yourself since after the bride and groom, the wedding party gets a lot of camera time.

4. You realize what an honor being asked to be a bridesmaid is.
Girls will tell each other, when I get married you'll be a bridesmaid, but until it actually happens, its just talk. Yes being a bridesmaid can be expensive and a lot of work but it also gives you the opportunity to reaffirm your friendship with a best girlfriend and learn even more about your relationship. You also realize how close you actually are. I realized this after hosting the bachelorette party and meeting all the wonderful women in Suzanne's life. At the end of the weekend I was in awe that she asked me and that feeling was only reaffirmed throughout the wedding weekend. It's a humbling realization.

Olympic Spirit

The Olympics by preppy-lizzy featuring navy blue hoodies

NIKE what to wear with fleece hoodie / What to wear with red top / Navy blue hoody / NIKE clothing / White ring / Ralph Lauren how to wear ralph lauren hat / Gap Lack Placid Olympics T - Light heather grey

All my friends know I go absolutely gaga for the Olympics. In fact my husband and I started dating during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Some of our first dates were actually spent on my couch watching the games and me giddy over a combination of dating this great guy and catching my favorite sporting event that comes around every other year.

While I love the flash of the Summer Games and its high profile events like gymnastics, swimming and soccer. The Winter Olympics are my favorite having grown up playing in snow forts and skiing all winter long at my family's cabin in upstate New York.

My favorite events are downhill skiing, moguls, bobsled, skeleton, hockey and figure skating. I remember tearing up watching Tara Lipinski win her gold medal to the Anastasia Soundtrack and cheering for Lindsey Vonn in the 2010 games. Johnny Moseley was a god to me powering down the mogul track and throwing insane tricks in there and let's be honest "Cool Runnings" and "Miracle" are two of my favorite sports movies every made (and they are about the Winter Games).

This past summer, I asked my family if our trip to Japan could include Nagano. I was so excited to see the place of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games and found myself posing in front of Olympic posters and giddy over the Olympic manhole covers.

The manhole covers in Nagano

If you are looking for me over these next few weeks I am most likely in front of my TV watching the games. I am also excited that I get to spend a weekend skiing with my family and taking the games in at night on the mountain. What's your favorite part of the Winter Games?

Me in Nagano this past summer.