Armed Forces Foundation Dinner in Richmond, VA; May 17, 2013

Returning to McGuire Veterans' Hospital in Richmond, Virginia was an incredible experience.  I really enjoyed speaking to a patient from the central plains.  I wish I had more photos, but this patient and I were busy discussing and solving the world's problems.  His background gave him unique insight and perspective.  It was a great conversation.

After the dinner, I was able to grab a few shots with some other volunteers.

What I Wore:

Coral Dress by Gianni Bini available at Dillard's.  I love how comfortable this dress is, but the sleeves were too hot for the Virginia humidity.

Shoes: I wore flip flops while serving the meal because you need to be comfortable and able to move quickly.  But, the shoe that matches this dress is by Antonio Melani (also from Dillard's).

Jewelry:  Sabika makes an appearance (heck, I am always mixing my Sabika with my other jewelry).  Below is a close up I snapped on the car ride.  I am wearing the Sabika Garden Party choker, cross pendant, and flower pendant.  These items are classics and are available to purchase.  The second necklace is a rainbow necklace purchased from Europe.  The heart pendant was purchased from Blessed Inspirations (search that name to friend request her).

Ever want to help the troops by serving a meal in Richmond?  Email me at marci@papageants.com

Mrs New Jersey United States 2013

It was so much fun to return again to the Mrs. New Jersey United States Pageant and watch another great production by Chris and Michelle!

I always love being treated to Michelle's melodic voice and it was especially exciting this year because she is pregnant!

Congratulations to Joy Carmack, the winner.  Special Congrats to Melissa Smith - she was again the first runner up (and was 3rd runner up at the Mrs. PA International Pageant with me this year).  I love Melissa and was so excited to see her; she looked beautiful and performed flawlessly on stage!

I used Studio Vivarant Into the Night scrapbook kit to create these pages.

What I wore - Pageant Headshots

LINK UPs:  

Watch Out for the Woestmans
The Pleated Poppy

Get Your Pretty On

I posted some new headshots on facebook and received many lovely compliments on the headshot.  The dress and jewelry were popular too!

So, I wanted to share information about the jewelry and dress in the photo.

Photo by Clay Spann (www.clayspann.com)

Earrings:
Purchased from The Competitive Image (they were less than $30) (www.thecompetitiveimage.com/)

Dress:
Bridal Suite of Johnstown - Mori Lee Style 9213 (www.bridalsuitejohnstown.com)

Necklaces:
The necklace where you can see the purple beading is from Sabika (email me if you want to order Sabika Jewelry; I have a great consultant; www.sabika-jewelry.com).  My necklace is from the Spring 2011 collection and is available via Sabika Trade groups on facebook and/or ebay.

The other two necklaces were purchased from Greece, however, I more recently found two hobbyists in the United States.  I feel that the hobbyists create custom necklaces that are better quality than the ones that I ordered from Greece.  All the necklaces are made with Swarovski Elements.

To get your own custom created necklace, I recommend Sarah C Jewelry (https://www.facebook.com/SarahCJewelry) and Blessed Inspirations (you must privately friend request her on facebook).  Both of these ladies make terrific jewelry and could create similar pieces to what I am wearing - and both offer very reasonable pricing (ie - less than what I paid!).

Congratulations Mom and Bob

Family and friends gathered to celebrate my mom and her significant other, Bob!  A great time was had by all at more than several dinners throughout an incredible weekend!

I can't wait to visit Blowing Rock, NC in the future - such a beautiful town!


Thursday Dinner - Pig Roast in the parking lot of the Mountainaire Inn.  There was a lot of fun, a lot of food, and a lot of wine!  Check out the fireplace mantle design - we love going to this inn because the owner is just so creative with her decor.  My mom and Bob have become friends with the owners over the years and they were invited guests to the festivities!

Friday - Mystery Hill - don't waste your money; go Gem Mining next door
My husband and brother used the IPhones to measure the "vortex" phenomenons - like the water that flows uphill.  There is absolutely nothing great about this place except that it was built so that your eye deceive you.  IPhones checked the actual angles and no water was flowing up hill....

By way of further explanation, the vortex is a room built on a steep angle; as a result, gravity takes over and you feel like you want to fall down in the room (no different that standing on a steep hill).

 At least there was a free museum to attend; I thought the piano was very cool!  There was also an old time dental studio set up (so yes, there were some redeeming qualities).


Friday - Ceremony at the Mountainaire Inn, Blowing Rock.  The ceremony was held outside the cabin where my mom and Bob stayed.

 The reception was held at another incredibly beautiful hotel (sorry - forgot the name).  We had a fantastic wine dinner (did you get the impression yet that our group loves their wine!).

Alex (my brother's girlfriend) caught the bouquet

Saturday - Wine and Chocolate Cooking Class; visit to the Blowing Rock, and Gem Mining

Definitely recommend visiting the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock to see if the chef includes any of the dishes taught in the Chocolate and Wine Cooking Class.  Pork tenderloin covered in coffee grinds and drizzled with a dark chocolate sauce was a "to die for" meal!

Hailee and Marissa LOVE Uncle David and Alex