Five Things Friday . 007

01. KIA CADENZA PROGRAM|

[Disclaimer: This was a sponsored campaign with Kia #ad #Cadenza17] Yesterday I took an at-home test drive in a second gen in the new 2017 Kia Cadenza. A luxury Kia at that! A trained Kia representative literally came to my front door, rang the bell (Alfie went wild as you’d expect) and off we went exploring in San Jose for 90 minutes! The last time I drove a Kia was around this time last year, it was the Sedona so although it was a bit fancy-pants too, it wasn’t anything like the luxury of the Kia. I know I know! Kia + Luxury together doesn’t really go together in my head either. But SO much has changed over the past decade with this brand, and trust me – it feels like you’re sitting in a higher end name brand vehicle.

I kept saying “Oh whoa, cool” with the features that were shown to me. Too bright out your back windshield? No problem, hit the remote control on the center console and boom a little sun visor comes right up from the rear window and you have yourself a little less sun exposure. Wild right? I got it on video if you have IG stories and want to see it before it disappears (spiffykerms on Instagram).

The at-home test drive is a unique experience that I’ve never really had before. I didn’t feel pressured to talk about what other vehicles I was interested in, or whether or not I’m interested in purchasing said vehicle. I felt quite comfortable with it all, and even had a laugh or two as we were driving around the Bay Area. The at-home test drive is currently available in these cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, San Francisco (Bay Area), and Washington DC. As for the dates you can choose this weekend or Friday June 16.

Perhaps you’re in the market for a new vehicle and you’re not sure what to narrow down. Don’t want to be hoppin’ all over the farm going from dealership to dealership – do the at-home test drive man! I bet it’d be incredibly quick and convenient for so many people and families. You can sign up for your own test drive here. 

02. FATHERS DAY GIFT IDEAS|

Holy smokes, Father’s Day is coming up quickly. I was at the mall a few days ago getting my wedding ring inspected (and they took it from me again to get ‘fixed’ – another story, another time, and yes I’m beyond angry) and I overheard a Mother and Daughter shopping for Father’s Day presents. Last year for Christmas was the first one without my Daddio, but I have a brother and a lot of nephews! For the older boys and my Brother, I gifted them a Harry’s razor set – and now Harry’s Razors have come out with a Father’s Day limited edition set which come with a little block-stand for the razor, extra razors, and . I think Harry’s launched not too long ago, found ’em on Instagram (thanks to Target Does It Again), and have been purchasing them for myself ever since. I don’t know why but it seems I can always get a closer and smoother shave with a men’s razor. Plus, mine’s orange and I kinda love it.

03. TRIP TO PORTLAND|

My trip to Portland with Heels and Wheels driving event, then spending time with my pal Megan was fantastic! I cannot wait to finished editing my photos of the second part of my trip, so I can post it up for yee guys asap. Let me tell ya one thing though, I definitely ate my entire few days through Portland. So many great places to eat, and excellent lattes. I swear it wasn’t because I was on vacation-mode, but the lattes were truly the best I’ve had in my life. Portland, I’ll be back for ya. 

04. MIZUNOS|

I’m still working with, and running in Mizuno’s. These are the newest additions to my ever-growing running shoe collection, but they’re still my favourite line of shoe at Mizuno, the Wave Rider’s. These are perfect for the June Gloom weather as they’re made of Gortex! 

05. DIY HAIR ELASTICS|

DIY hair elastics. I made them back in 2014, or 2015 and now I have no idea where the rest of the one’s I made disappeared. I bought them on eBay this time as it was so much cheaper than the other website I used a few years ago. It’s SO easy, literally cut to whatever length you want and bam, you got some swanky little hair ties. Just search for ‘5 yard fold over elastic’, and I paid $3 + free shipping for these three bundles. :) 

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San Francisco weekend with Kia

This post is sponsored by Kia Motors America; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Next weekend will be another quick trip up to San Francisco. I still cannot believe that we live so close to such an amazing city. Then again, San Jose is pretty fantastic to explore all the time too — don’t get me wrong!

Kia Motors invited me up to check out the Kia Soul EV (EV stands for Electric Vehicle) and to write a blog post about it to create some awareness to those in the Bay Area who’d also like to attend. The Kia Soul EV never takes gasoline (what a world we live in!). It’s 100% all-electric and 100% gas-free. That wasn’t around when I was looking at buying my first vehicle, actually in fact — the Kia Soul was one of the cars I had in mind when I was looking to purchase my very first car. So it’ll be kinda cool to hop back into one of the Souls again after 8 years or so especially now that there’s an EV version! Fun fact: The Kia Soul EV can be recharged by plugging the car into your standard household outlet. Literally… the same one you’d use to charge your phone, can charge your freakin’ car. Crazy hey?!

2016 Kia Soul EVPhoto from Kia Motors America website

It’s National Drive Electric Week, and while I haven’t had the chance to drive an electric vehicle yet, there are PLENTY on the roads here in the Bay Area. You guys. California still amazes me. You’ll see fancy cars everywhere you look on the roads here, so wild. California is the Electric Vehicle capital of America, which isn’t surprising to me considering how innovative the Bay Area is. So many inspiring people, everywhere. Now that my own vehicle is starting to get old and tired (so sad!), it wouldn’t surprise me that we’d start looking at EV’s next considering it would lower our carbon footprint in a huge way.

So if you’re around San Francisco, pop by the PIER 27 on the Embarcadero next weekend (Saturday October 8 and Sunday October 9 from 11a-5pm both days), and enjoy a free ride and drive in the latest electric vehicles. How will a Kia Soul EV fit into your lifestyle?

Disclaimer: To keep things honest and crystal-clear: I was provided compensation for this blog post. But I’m actually pretty pumped about heading to SF next weekend and checking it out in person. Stay tuned to my twitter as I’ll be tweetin’ out pics when I’m there (keep a look out for the hashtag #bestrideEVer)!

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Legion of Honor, Cycling in Santa Cruz, & Rich Hills of Saratoga

Header-Kia-SorentoUsually when I have a vehicle for review, I often take it to different places I’ve never been before, and simply go out and explore.

Alfie-SelfieI’m ready. Alfie’s ready. We’re off to explore!

Kia-Sorento

Saratoga-SorentoLike always, the first day that I had it, I went exploring the rich homes in the hills of Saratoga with Alfie (see my video) to take some photos of it while it was still sparkly and shiny. A few days after that I packed up my specialized bike in the Sorento and drove to Santa Cruz to bike around for the day, solo. It was grand!

Cycle-gearMy little Mazda (I’m so proud of it. It’s my first car and I paid it off in no time because of my hatred for being in debt), but for the past year or so it’s been giving us troubles. Not enough to sell it or to let it go, but enough to where my husband doesn’t want me driving it such long distances, in case anything happens. Like, the suspension busting off on a highway or something. Joking!!!

Bike-Start-Bike-FinishIt’s been a while since I trekked down to Santa Cruz. Not a far drive, but a curvy one down Highway 9, so I like to go super early to beat any traffic. I went solo this time because I wanted to park the crossover, and go cycling a bit down there.

Santa-Cruz-Peace

Bike-routeYou know, have a bit of “me time” even though I’m constantly exploring independently on my own, it’s still fun to dedicate a morning or a day to it, ya hear me?

Bike-against-fence

Kia-Sorento-trunkSo, I didn’t bring Alfie. He missed out on this adventure, but I’m sure soon enough he’ll be in the passenger seat going down the road with me, with his smiling face like this one.

Alfie-SorentoWhen I think of Kia vehicles, I honestly don’t think anything but an affordable, and not-super luxurious. But ba-bam, it may look boring from the outside but it’s all bells and whistles on the inside. The last time I was in a Kia was probably the late 90’s! This Sorento was fully-loaded and I have to tell you, it’s really impressive and I”m surprised to say that myself. This Sorento with all the bells and whistles MRSPs at $46,495.00.

Front-Camera-Kia-SorentoThe things that impressed me regarding the 2016 Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD:

  • a SEVEN seater
  • huge ol’ moonroof on ‘er
  • the trunk opens up on its own when you stand next to it!! (ie: with a cart full of groceries)
  • that front view mirror when you’re in drive going < 5mph
  • heated steering wheel, cooling seats, heated seats
  • dual temp control

Like, seriously if you’re not into brand names of cars, you’ll definitely get a lot for your money with this one. I can tell you one thing, that I cannot believe I’m saying this, but it’s honestly one of the fanciest cars I’ve ever driven. The interior could’ve easily fooled me for a Lexus. It’s super nice and fancy inside. And while I’ve said in the past, I’m not a car reviewer by any means (I know little about vehicles if we’re being honest). It’s a bit difficult to drive given the fact it feels like a monster truck from the inside (and from the outside it simply looks like a 5 seater regular sized crossover/suv/truck. It definitely helps that the Kia Sorento has an overhead view when you’re in drive to see where you’re going if you want to fit into a parking space, or making a tight turn. The moonroof is just gorgeous and I had it open every single time I went for a drive.

LegionOfHonorSo enough about the car! Let’s talk about more fun adventures Mr. Spiffykerms and I did this weekend.

The-ThinkerWe checked out the Legion of Honor museum for the first time, and saw a ton of Rodin bronze sculptures (the Thinker!!), some van Gogh, and even Monet was on display there.

Selfie-and-The-ThinkerSelfie time with Thinker! Lol. Do you like my lightweight sweatshirt? I love it, it’s from Chaser!

Legion-of-HonorThe building itself is absolutely stunning.

Cali-sweaterI could have easily stayed here most of the day and just sit outside to people watch in this gigantic entryway. Have you been there? I can’t believe how gorgeous it is.

Delores-Park-SanFranI’m not sure my husband had ever been to Dolores Park in San Francisco before, so after the Legion of Honor museum, I drove us over there but first with a quick stop to one of my acai bowl places for a snack. It’s packed on the weekends in the park! Guess that’s city life for you.

Alfie-ignoringWell that’s it folks, a lot of fun touring around last week. And I’ll leave you with one last photo to show you that Alfie doesn’t always cooperate with me taking photos. He’s clearly ignoring me here, ha!

Thanks to Kia for letting me 2016 Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD for a week which led me to all these adventures!

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