Gennifer Rose blog
Welcome to our California Travel and Lifestyle blog where you’ll find our collection of all the content we’ve created. Whether you’re planning your next California vacation, searching for some new healthy recipes or seeking seasonal style tips, you’ll find that perfect blog post here.
This page allows you to filter to your interests or browse everything the Gennifer Rose Blog has to offer. You may discover something new!
Take your tastebuds on a trip around the world without ever leaving Sacramento. This blog post is filled with all kinds of global cuisine, some of them are traditional authentic and others are inventive fusion foods.
We moved to Sacramento in 2017 and we’ve seen California’s capital city become a coveted foodie destination with so many new restaurants opening up. I have to constantly be updating my Sacramento guides because the city is growing so fast!
Read MoreMy husband and I moved to Sacramento with two goals in mind, to buy our house and start a family. We’ve been living here in Sacramento for over five years now and we have a toddler and baby. We love exploring our city and finding new and engaging ways to entertain the kids.
Sacramento is a great place for families to both live and visit, with plenty of activities to keep children of all ages thoroughly amused. In this guide, we've put together some of the best things to do in Sacramento that are perfect for families. From visiting tourist attractions like the California State Railroad Museum to enjoying the great outdoors at one of the city's many parks, there's something for everyone in Sacramento.
Read MoreThe list of reasons why people loved to visit lavender fields is literally endless. Amazingly scented and full of olfactory delights, a visit to the vast fields of purple blooms is nothing short of time well spent.
Besides their captivating floral fragrance, the alluring beauty of lavender fields makes them picture-perfect as well as a great source of photography inspiration. But there’s more to lavender fields than just being the perfect backdrop source for your next Instagram post. Visiting a lavender farm is a wellness and holistic experience.
But when is the best time to visit California’s lavender fields? What are some of the best fields to visit, where, and what are they like? Read on to see our comprehensive list of visitor-friendly lavender fields in both Northern and Southern California.
Read MoreThe scene at Yankee Jims is totally picturesque with turquoise clear waters surrounded by rocky mountains and a vintage style suspension bridge hanging way above. The water is a little chilly when you first get in but on a hot summer day it feels amazing. Between June - August the summer temperatures easily reach the 90’s to the 100’s.
Read MoreThis pasta salad may be easy to make, but it really delivers when it comes to flavor! You’ve got the tangy and creamy ranch sauce, smokiness from the bacon and a dash of fresh zest from the veggies. The protein from the chicken really makes this a hearty side dish, and it can even be a quick leftover main dish lunch!
Whenever I have a BBQ gathering coming up, or I need to make a potluck dish for work, this is one of my go-to recipes. If you have a busy schedule, you can make it ahead of time and leave it the refrigerator overnight. It can be served warmed up or at room temperature, either way its delicious!
Once you’ve got all the ingredients purchased, prep work for this recipe just requires chopping up the veggies, cubing the chicken and mixing up the sauces. Next it’s time to cook the pasta and bacon, chop the bacon, and then mix it all up. If you’re working diligently, you can make this recipe in under 30 minutes, and it yields a large amount of pasta salad to feed a crowd.
Read MoreIf you are looking for a fun day out with the family, then Funderland is your place. This small amusement park inside William Land Park in Sacramento, California is perfect for families with young children. Funderland is a long-standing family-friendly destination that’s been providing wholesome entertainment for kids since 1946!
This guide was made to help Funderland first timers plan their visit and come prepared for a day of fun. Learn about all the things you can do inside the park and what kid ages are best.
The day that we took the photos in this blog post, my daughter was 3-years-old and my son was 1-year-old. If you have super young kids like mine, I will tell you what you can do with them at Funderland and if it’s worth your time to visit. For older children over the age of 5-years-old there’s plenty of rides for them.
Read MoreYou may be surprised to learn that Sacramento's budding foodie scene is actually quite noteworthy and worth a visit. Sacramento has become America's Farm-to-Fork Capital with an emphasis on the region's local food production.
Read MoreSacramento is centrally located in Northern California, making it the perfect basecamp for exploring all that the region has to offer. My husband and I have lived in Sacramento for over 5 years now and we quickly discovered how incredibly convenient this prime location is for road-trips.
Within a 2-hour drive of the city, you'll find plenty of scenic places to visit, including top destinations like Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, and San Francisco. So whether you're looking to enjoy the great outdoors, experience some of the best wine and dining in the country, or want to explore a big urban city, Sacramento is the perfect starting point for your road-trip.
Read MoreFairytale Town is the perfect affordable, and fun place to spend time with your kids or grandkids, keeping them from watching too much TV or video games during school breaks and getting them out and about in the great outdoors.
It's ideal for the little ones to run around and enjoy themselves while exercising their brains with fun literacy games and colorful play sets that challenge them to use their imagination and keep them entertained for hours.
In this blog I'll take you through some of the best things you can do and all you need to know about the park. After this quick read you’ll be prepared and ready to maximize your day of family fun in Fairytale Town.
Read MoreIf you haven’t guessed it by now, I am a huge fan of the TV show The Office - as evidenced by this massive guide you’re about to read. My friends and I decided to completely geek out on a trip to Los Angeles and dress up as our favorite The Office characters while we went on a self-guided tour to many of the filming locations in Southern California. I was dressed as “3-hole-punch Jim”, Kara was Dwight and Brianna was Kelly.
The Office show takes places in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but in reality most of the show is filmed in Los Angeles. The most commonly used cities for filming locations is Van Nuys, Panorama City and Studio City - which are commonly known as “The Valley” to LA locals.
Read MoreSan Diego is a desirable vacation destination for many reasons. The weather is excellent year-round, the beaches are pristine, and San Diego is home to two of the most world-famous animal parks.
Both the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park are enormous parks filled with a huge variety of rare and endangered wildlife. You can easily spend an entire day exploring each park, which leads to the conundrum of how to decide which park to visit during your trip. Hence this guide!
My husband and I are former San Diego residents, and my entire in-law family still live there. We’ve spent many family vacations exploring both the animal parks with our kids, and we can provide both a local and insider perspective.
In this comprehensive guide you’ll find detailed information about both animal park’s exhibits, top animals to see, location information, baby and kid-friendly pointers, and even what to eat. We’ve left no stone unturned and you can use all these tips to help you make an itinerary decision.
Read MoreYour 30th birthday is truly a milestone event unlike any other, especially if you celebrate it while pregnant. When you enter into your 30’s era, your life tends to shift and your priorities change. You begin to settle down and focus on big picture life changes. This is all particularly true when you’re about to become a parent to a new baby.
If you happen to be celebrating your 30th birthday while pregnant, you may be wondering how you can still commemorate this special occasion. This particular birthday is known as the “Dirty Thirty” which can imply partying with alcohol and shenanigans. Well obviously the pregnant birthday girl will be responsible and not partake in any unruly or unhealthy exploits. But don’t worry, you can still live it up and have plenty of fun.
This guide is filled with pregnancy-friendly party and activity suggestions. All of them are great choices for any point in your pregnancy, no matter what trimester you’re in during your birthday. I myself have done all of these things during my own pregnancies so I speak from experience. Trust me when I say that you can enjoy plenty of get togethers with friends and family to make your birthday memorable without compromising your baby's health.
Read MoreCalling all the foodie content creators out there, it’s time to step-up your video game. Whether you like to share recipes, show off your expert cooking skills or just really enjoy eating yummy food - there’s plenty of videos to be made.
This guide is for both beginners and the seasoned veterans alike (don’t mind my foodie pun!). If you’ve already been making food-themed content but are feeling like you’re in a rut and need some fresh inspiration, I’m sure you’ll find some new ideas listed below. Here are 10 of the best foodie video ideas that would be perfect for TikTok and Instagram reels.
Read MoreYou may know me as the blogger who travels all over California, but I actually do have a full-time office job working as a Marketing Manager for a Northern California surrogacy agency. I wanted to write this blog post because there are so many questions and concerns that potential surrogates have and the information available online is very limited.
I’ve seen so many happy families with their surrogacy babies and I know there are many more women out there who would make excellent surrogates. In general there’s a shortage of qualified surrogates compared to the amount of Intended Parents waiting to get matched.
So buckle up! All of the conversations I’ve heard happen behind closed doors I’m putting in this blog post because information is power. Your top 50 surrogacy questions answered with all brutal honesty I can muster. If there’s something holding you back from filling out a surrogacy application, hopefully I can address your concern and put your mind at ease.
Read MoreThis light and aromatic cocktail recipe is a delight for the senses. The blood orange adds a sweet and tart zing, while the lavender and vanilla are fresh and botanical. For the for the piest de resistance, we used fresh lavender that cut ourselves on a California lavender farm.
This summer cocktail is perfect for any warm weather gathering such as the 4th of July or a grown-up birthday party. Your guests will love this smooth and refreshing cocktail which you can serve with a small food bites on a charcuterie board.
For this cocktail recipe we partnered with the expert mixologists from The Mixer who helped us deliver this elegant and elevated cocktail (and mocktail) recipe.
Read MoreLocated inside the Kimpton The Sawyer Hotel in Midtown Sacramento you’ll find Punch Bowl Social. This venue can be best described as an entertainment and amusement hub featuring old-school meets modern games, arcades and billiards.
Inside the two story 25,000 square venue there’s bowling alleys, foosball table, giant versions of favorite board games, darts, vintage video games and more. Not to mention there’s a restaurant and multiple bars for crafted food and cocktails.
The aesthetics and decor are quirky and modern with large glass windows showing skyline city views of Downtown Sacramento. This is an ideal place for date nights or friends girls and guys night out.
I’ve been both in the daytime and at night to Punch Bowl Social. During lunch hours it’s very calm and low key lounging. But when the sun goes down the energy level kicks up and there’s twinkling lights everywhere and a buzzing scene.
Read MoreOne of the highlights from this summer was our Highway 1 road trip from Sacramento to Carmel-by-the-Sea. We added a new twist to our road tripping adventures by swapping our hybrid car for a completely electric Chevy Bolt car rental. We have considered purchasing an all-electric vehicle so this was the perfect opportunity for us to get some real-life experience driving one.
Our Chevy Bolt EV gets over 200 miles on a full charge, which makes it ideal for California road trips. There are a plethora of charging stations sprinkled all over the state, making it easy and cost-effective to drive between major cities.
In this guide we will share our learnings and tips from our experiences driving an EV vehicle on long road trips. While some may seem like common sense, I’m sure there’s at least one point you’ll find as helpful advice for your own future road trips.
Read MoreSacramento is quickly becoming one of California’s favorite travel destinations, thanks to the thriving farm-to-fork foodie scene and modern stylish surroundings without the big city price tag. Sacramento is also one of the few places in California where you can really experience all the seasons. In fall the foliage turns beautiful autumn colors, summer is very hot and ready for pool swimming, winter is cold and spring is full of April showers and sweet blossoms. During the cold days of winter you bundle up in your home, but once spring rolls around you’re ready to breath fresh air and enjoy some time outdoors… hence the raincoat and boots!
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