Since I turned 19, my birthday parties are now infamous amongst my friends and family. For three consecutive years now "Alana's Birthday" is one of the parties of the year and everyone we know shows up. It really is such a blessing to have so many friends show up and want to spend their time hanging with me and celebrating at my house. 
I've made so many fun and precious memories at my house parties and I think a lot of their 'success' can be attributed to this list of tips and tricks!

1. Invite good people. Make sure everyone that's invited will be able to vibe with each other without any drama. Also- only invite the people you actually want to be there. It is your day after all!
2. Have lots of cheap and easy food. My party favorites: nachos, pizza, chips. Can't go wrong! And if you run low, people will usually ask what they can bring. 
3. Ask people to bring their own drinks. One thing that I've found EXTREMELY helpful in party costs, is that I'll provide the food if my friends provide the drinks. Obviously, people at parties tend to drink a lot so not having to worry about that cost saves a lot of money.
4. Have designated throw up places. This might seem silly, but since people bring their own drinks, some of them will drink way too much. Of course everyone should know where the bathroom is, but people don't always make it that far. Save yourself some trouble and place some buckets outside or in the corner of rooms. Throw up in the bucket, dump and wash it out, and you won't have to worry about scrubbing the floor in the middle of the party!
5. Pick a theme. My 19th birthday was just a normal dance party, 20th was Mexican, and 21st was inspired by our Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans.
6. Decorations and Photo Walls. People really do appreciate the details and a lot of the time they can elevate the mood of the party to the next level.The decorations and photo walls encourage people to document the night, which makes for a great scrapbook and watching tons of Snapchat and Instagram stories later on.  For 19 we had disco lights and loud speakers; there wasn't enough space for a photo wall, but we still had a great time. 20 was a very basic background with a few streamers and a happy birthday banner, but our food table decorations were off the charts. And for my 21st, I made the best photo wall I could've made, threw our authentic Mardi Gras beads that we saved from our trip all over the house, and had balloons and masks to top it all off. 
7. Outfit Change. It's also become tradition that every year I go through at least two outfit changes throughout the party- it wasn't intentional at first, but now it's basically expected that I do it. 
8. Music. Make sure your music controls the mood of the party, if it starts getting to rowdy, gradually bring the pace of the music down. Go from ratchet songs, to throwbacks, to oldies. Works every time.
9. Make room for the drunks. Unless you know that your friends haven't had anything to drink or you watch them get a Lyft or Uber, make sure you plan to have some people spending the night. Designate a bowl for keys, pull out the extra pillows and blankets, and offer your friends a safe place to stay for the night. Don't drink and drive and always remember that safety has to come first. You don't want your party to be remembered as the last place somebody was alive. 

Not to end on such a dark note, but these are the keys to having a safe, memorable, and absolutely EPIC party that your friends will remember for years to come. We've had so much fun that there are times we've forgotten to pull out the cake until the party was almost over. We've had our fair shares of throw up mishaps, but overall, I can honestly say that everyone has felt safe, happy, and comfortable at my parties. Hearing how much fun they had and seeing everyone enjoy themselves makes me fall in love with entertaining and I look forward to my birthday every year just so I can have these epic house parties. And if you're anything like me, you can celebrate your birthday all month long- dinners, going out, travelling to a new destination! But at the end of the day , nothing warms your heart like a good old fashioned house rager.

Sincerely, 
Alana

Las Vegas holds a special place in the hearts and dreams of almost everyone. But for San Diegans I think it holds an even bigger place since it's one of the shorter road trips that we can make to get away from our everyday lives. A simple 5 hour drive northeast and we arrive in Sin City itself. Although known for the casinos, hotels, and well, being sinful, Vegas is also home to many kid friendly activities. In this post, I talk about my most memorable Vegas trips, including family vacations with my younger relatives and 'grown up' trips with our rave friends. I hope you enjoy!

Baseball Tournaments
Las Vegas is almost infamous in my family for being the place of holiday baseball tournaments. It's a great place to go in general but some people are hesitant to spend the holiday weekends with their kids in Vegas.
Alex was the coach for the Bandits during this particular trip to Vegas. As coach (and the coach's girlfriend) we had the responsibility of taking care of these teenage boys. Was it easy? No- but it also wasn't hard. Kids get excited just to be in Vegas let alone competing in a tournament with other guys from around the country. 
When they're off the field, they're eating, and when they're not eating, they're talking or sleeping. It was fun to watch their up's and down's of being super excited to dead beat tired after a long day of baseball. Vegas is such a magical place to them and it was fun to give them a memorable experience full of candied apples, midnight bowling, In-N-Out runs, and playing ball!

EDC
EDC is one of the biggest raves in the world and is on so many people's bucket lists. I know it was on mine before I even knew what a rave was. Alex and I started raving in 2016 and grew an appreciation for the atmosphere. We definitely went all out in 2016 - 2017 and went to every Insomniac rave there was. Crush, Beyond Wonderland, Countdown, Nocturnal, Escape, and EDC. I will definitely have a separate blog just for raves, but EDC is the only one that is in Vegas, and as such, deserves it's own spot in this post.
The first year we went, it was 100 degrees at 1am. It was crowded during the day, same thing during the night, and it was miserably hot. BUT it was still one of the best raves we've ever been to and the Vegas vibe made it all the more special. We stayed with our group of rave friends at the Luxor and walked the strip on our first day, exploring the Luxor and its adjacent hotels, going to the M&M and Hershey's store, and walking around Cesar's Palace.
The rest of our time in Vegas was spent at EDC, catching up on most of our sleep throughout the day, and spending time at the pool when we were awake and able to enjoy the sun. One of the best things about EDC is that you meet so many people from around the world, get to see things that the other raves don't offer, and then you wake up and do it all over again.
I definitely recommend that if you're going to Vegas for EDC, make sure to spend that first day you arrive doing whatever else you want to do in Vegas, because unless you're staying a few extra days, you will be way too exhausted to explore after an all-nighter of partying under the electric sky. 

This year when we went, EDC changed the date from June to May and as such- the weather was MUCH cooler. Almost too cold at night but still way better than being too hot. Alex and I were able to stay with his Uncle who lives a few minutes away from the strip in Sumerlin. It was so nice not having to pay for an expensive hotel and being able to come home to his Aunt's amazing homecooked meals. We didn't have a planned group to go with like last time, but we knew of friends that would be there and who we would meet up with. We went to Tao's Beach Club, of course bought a giant alcholic slushie from Fat Tuesday's, walked the strip, and explored the Venetian before spending the rest of our time dancing the night away at EDC. Seeing some of our favorite DJ's, meeting our friends, riding the carnival rides, and watching the spectacular fireworks display on the last night - EDCLV 2019 was an unforgettable experience.

Family Trips
Since Alex's Nino moved to Vegas for work, his family now has a new reason to go to Vegas whenever they want. (This is the Uncle that we stayed with when we went to EDCLV19). We just recently went to enjoy Easter with his Nino and family this past April. It's always nice to see how other people celebrate holidays and taking part in their traditions. For the Cervantes', Easter entails a full day of grocery shopping and cooking, dying Easter eggs, finding Golden eggs, and taking family pictures. I introduced them to my family tradition of making egg salad after the egg hunt and they introduced me to new Vegas experiences.
Since it was mine and Alex's first time in Vegas as 21 year olds, his parents, Nino, and Nina took us out to the Piano Bar inside of New York New York. It was such a cool experience to see the aura of the Piano Bar and of course to finally see the wasted side of Vegas. Of course we didn't get hammered, but we got to people watch and laugh at the people who were.
​One thing that I want to emphasize is to always be kind to others. I was in the bathroom when I heard a girl in the stall next to me throwing up. There was no one else with her which for a girl, seemed strange to me. Vegas is pretty scary as it is, but to be drunk and alone in Vegas is a whole other feeling. I walked out of the bathroom and went to the bar that was directly across the walkway and grabbed a glass of water for the girl. I went back into the bathroom knocked on the door and offered her the water. She didn't want me to see her so I slid it under the door along with my number on a piece of paper. I told her to call if she needed anything or felt in danger. She didn't call but she did text me the next day thanking me. It's small acts of kindness that can really go a long way and ensure a person's safety. 

Family trips to Vegas are also a staple in my family. In the past, my family goes for summer vacations, but one of the trips that stood out the most to me was when we went for Christmas. We actually went right before Alex and I went to Countdown in San Bernadino and we made a whole week long vacation out of the two trips for Christmas and New Years.
Our Christmas was so magical because we got to spend it with my siblings who were so young at the time. They were still considered babies in my eyes but this trip, they knew enough about Vegas to be aware of their surroundings and really appreciate the magic that is Vegas.
Seeing their eyes light up and their ear-to-ear smiles makes that time spent together so much better. It really was a pivotal bonding trip with my siblings. Taking them to Glowzone, the M&M store, New York New York, the Coca Cola Store, Circus Circus, bowling, watching them in our hotel room at Excalibur while our parents went out,  and trying new things gave us an opportunity to just enjoy our time without worrying about anything else in the world.

Send us pictures of your next trip to Vegas and drop your favorite Vegas destinations in the comments below!

Sincerely,
​Alana

As some of you might know, I just recently started a new job as the Event Coordinator for AREAA (Asian Real Estate Association of America). I have been working so hard to put together my first official event with them, the Global and Luxury Summit. They hold one every year, and this year's (from what I heard) was over the top and exceptionally well put together thanks to the work of Monica and I. Monica is the Manager of Event Planning, and sadly, this was her last event with AREAA as she will be starting a new job soon. She's taught me A LOT about event planning which is something that I've wanted to do since I was a little girl. 

With that being said, starting this job and having my first successful event was a dream come true. I won't go into too many details about what I had to do, but I will tell you that seeing all your hard work pay off and being able to do something that you've always wanted to try is extremely rewarding. I've felt stuck for a while and this past weekend seeing the event come to fruition and how many people enjoyed it gave me such a blissful feeling of FULFILLMENT. 

Something that I've come to realize with being in school is that you can feel hopeless, or stuck, or stagnant. I feel like this especially applies when you have a job that you're solely doing just to pay the bills. But keep your head up and finish strong because once you find something that you enjoy doing, then it's all worth it. Would I recommend going to school and taking on a job that you could see as your career... honestly no because the amount of stress I've been taking on is kinda traumatizing. Of course take those internships and jobs that you think you might like, but starting a job that you truly want to build a career in can be difficult to balance and be distracting. Don't let the job take over the priority of going to and FINISHING school. But if you know you have the work ethic and drive, then go for it. An important lesson that I've held onto for years now, is that you can always say no. You can always quit and start over. There is no such thing as being stuck or limited if you have the gull and will to do what you want to do. Just make sure that you don't burn any bridges. Be the best version of you at all times because the relationships that you make during your journey go a long way and can further guide you down the right path. 

There's my wisdom for the day! Some details that I think you guys will enjoy about my trip is that it was incredible to experience luxury travel and destinations. Although I was working the entire time and I didn't get the full luxury experience, it was so cool to be able to stay at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, for practically an entire week. The staff was incredible, the location was right on Rodeo Drive, and the food made the experience so memorable. The hotel was actually the place they shot Pretty Woman! I got to eat at some very fancy restaurants including Avra and The Grill on the Alley and even met some celebrities. I got to work closely with our keynote speakers at the event including Alpana Singh, Alan Yang, and Jeannie Mai. The most memorable part of all truly was getting to know our members and making connections. Hearing about what they enjoyed and being able to take pride in what it is that I do. 

If anyone wants to come out to our next event, we'll be in Boston for our National Convention!

Sincerely, 
​Alana

One of my life goals is to own a trailer or RV and road trip whenever and where ever I want. Until that goal is achieved, it doesn't hurt to know people who already have one. Personally, my family is very young and locally not very big. Alex's family on the other hand is basically all grown up and in the process of starting another generation of Estrada's - and the Estrada's are a huge family. But so is his mom's side, the Cervantes'. They're not growing the next generation yet, but they are still a very big, tight knit family. Someone on both sides of his family owns a trailer- his Nino Mario Estrada, the one that we went with to hang out at the Colorado River, and his Uncle Mike Cervantes, the one that we just recently went with to spend some time in Julian, CA. 

If you've never been to Julian, it's a quaint, little town that transports you back to simpler times. It's very home-y, kinda woodsy, and very calming. If you've heard of Julian Pie Bakery or Julian Pies, this is the place they come from (and yes, you MUST visit the pie shop and buy at least two whole pies). 

The Cervantes family, myself, and my little sister Ilima, headed up to their spot in Julian to enjoy a relaxing, one-day getaway. We stopped into town to see all the old shops and buy some pie, came back to the trailer and cooked lots of food, had a bonfire, swung on the tree swing, walk by the ponds, and enjoy the quiet outdoors. When the sun began to set you could hear hundreds of frogs and crickets chirping in the background while all the stars began to peak out from behind the clouds. It gets pretty cold at night so the warm fire, s'mores, and blankets are also very necessary. 

One thing that all of us could agree on, is that it's important to take some time away from our busy lives and just enjoy each other's company. Lots of people say that you don't need to go anywhere to do that, but the whole family and I think that getting out of your normal environment is helpful in managing whatever stressful situation you're going through. You don't have to buy a plane ticket or travel very far- just get in the car and drive to the nearest town, campsite, or city that's DIFFERENT then your typical surroundings.

Our trip might seem simple or short-lived, but it's one that we know we can take again. It's important not so much for the location or the excitement, but for remembering to take care of yourself and your mental health. Everyone needs a break from something. For us, this trip was to take a fresh breath of air after Grandma Lorraine Cervantes' memorial service and take the time to remember her, spend time together, and unwind from all the other stress. We've all been dealing with health issues caused by this stress and it was time to address it. 

Everyone feels stressed, but it's how we manage this stress that makes all the difference. Handle your business, but don't forget to put yourself FIRST! Take the time to assess what's going on in your life, with your body, and in your mind. Be grateful for every moment that you have on this earth and every moment that you spend with your family because you never know where life will take you next.

Sincerely,
Alana

My entire life, I've always heard people say that they're going to the river and that the river is amazing and it's the best part of summer... but I never knew what that entailed UNTIL a couple weekends ago. Alex and I were invited to take a trip to the Colorado River near Parker Dam to celebrate his Tia's birthday.

​I had this image in my head that it would just be a river with some trailers and hotels around and people might drink but that's about it. For the most part, this image was pretty accurate. But it never occurred to me that I have never seen an actual river. We saw part of the Mississippi River when we went to New Orleans but it seemed so industrialized that it almost felt manmade. We've seen the San Diego 'River' but is it really a river? Or just a stream filled with pollution and mostly dried up from the drought? Whether you consider these examples rivers or not, I was not prepared to be in this crystal clear, completely fresh, no salt at all, wide and curving river that carved its way through such beautiful rock ranges.

​It was gorgeous and the perfectly sunny weekend to layout, tan, and relax with family and friends. It was a short 2 day trip but it was such a nice break to get away from the realities of working and school and all the other stresses that we've been feeling overwhelmed with.

​Alex's Tia and Nino recently bought a trailer at one of the river properties, so we stayed in a hotel on the same property and spent our meal times at the trailer. When we weren't eating, we went down to the shoreline and laid out to tan, sip a couple of margaritas, and take a dip in the river. In the mornings, the boys woke up early to fish while the girls caught up on their beauty sleep. In the afternoons, we went out on our friend's boat and sped down the river before jumping off the rocks and cliffs into the brisk waters. Most people innertube or wakeboard off the back of their boats but the one we were on goes way too fast to do either of those two. When we got back to shore we ate snacks, drank a little more, and started grilling for dinner. After a eating dinner we would dance, laugh, and drink some more before going to the Bluewater Casino that was about 20 minutes away. If you sign up for their player card you can get free play which we took full advantage of. We want to go back to the casino during the day though because they have a beautiful water slide area and other places to explore.

​Overall it was an amazing trip filled with even more first times- first time to the river, on a speed boat, gambling, and seeing such brilliant stars. I would recommend bringing lots of food, making sure to bring sunscreen, and making friends with the people around you. Everyone there is super friendly and sociable. The more friends you make, the more good vibes that join in on the river party.

Sincerely,
Alana