Great Cause, Great Workout

At the Light The Night Walk for LLS on September 29th, my team met Diana Caggiano. She spoke, at the closing ceremonies, about her own personal battle. Diana lost her father to cancer when she was only 17, recently lost her brother to lymphoma, and battled Hodgkin's Lymphoma herself. Luckily, Diana has been in remission since January 2010, but she now feels compelled to join in LLS' fight. While speaking with her, we were invited to her annual event, "Great Cause, Great Workout: ZUMBA JAM."

On October 5th, my team, "Miss Staten Island's Angels" attended this fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in support of Diana's team, "How You Doin'?" We, once again, had the chance to enjoy the beautiful personalities of Diana's family members. They bring such a wonderful spirit of life into the room and it's a pleasure to be around them.

The event included 6 Zumba instructors over a period of 3 hours. The gym was packed with Diana's family and friends who were all there to support her and LLS. I was definitely tired by the time it was all over! There were also many raffles and giveaways. It was a great night to be a part of and I'm sure that Diana was able to raise a lot of money.

It was an added bonus to be able to spend time with two good friends, Alexa Moley (Miss Richmond County's Outstanding Teen) and Alyssa DePaolis. We're always laughing when we're together.

Thank you so much, Diana Caggiano, for inviting us to spend this night with you. We had a great time, for a great cause, with a great workout! : ] The new friendship we found in you is wonderful. Best of luck to you and your family.

C & K Dental Boutique

When most people think about the dentist, they probably don't have happy thoughts. I was one of those people. In general, I'm typically not the ideal patient. I'm terrified of needles and I faint at slightest bit of discomfort. However, last Friday, C & K Dental Boutique on Amboy Road gladly took me in and provided me with ZOOM! Teeth Whitening.

Though I entered the beautiful office a little bit nervous, I was greeted by a wonderfully kind staff who eased my concerns. Dr. Cicero & Dr. Kenyon took care of me and explained the procedure. I was also joined by a familiar face (and employee) - Kelly Lam! Her daughter was "adopted" by my sorority as an honorary Alpha Omicron Pi member a few years ago.

After matching the color of my teeth to a chart for reference, we began. A gel was applied to my teeth and all I had to do was sit for three to four 15-minute sessions and watch TV! Dr. Cicero said that my teeth may become a bit sensitive and if for any reason I felt like I needed to stop, we could. She also said that I would probably only do three of these sessions. This made me feel better since I'm not so good with pain.

I have to admit that my teeth were a little sensitive (but remember that this is coming from me - the big baby with pain). I opted to stop right before the third session was completed (nearly 45 minutes in), but it turns out I didn't really need to complete it anyway. When the gel was removed and I had the chance to look at my teeth, I was amazed! My teeth were (and still are) sparkly white! I thought that my teeth looked good before, but this is an outstanding improvement.

One week later, and my teeth still look great! I didn't know that my smile could look like this. Thank you so much to Dr. Cicero & Dr. Kenyon. Want to visit C & K Dental Boutique for your ZOOM! Teeth Whitening? I wouldn't go anywhere else! Call to make an appointment, stop into their office to meet them, and "like" them on Facebook!

C & K Dental Boutique

Address: 5434 Amboy Road, Staten Island, NY 10312

Phone: (718) 356-9700

http://www.facebook.com/CKDentalBoutique

HandiJam Car/Bike Show

On September 30th, Staten Island was supposed to have its Columbus Day Parade. Unfortunately, due to conflicts, the parade was cancelled. I didn't have a day off, though! Previously, at the T.E.A.L. Walk, I was invited by Brielle Von Hugel's father to the 7th Annual HandiJam Car/Bike Show. Brielle was a finalist on American Idol and was scheduled to perform at this event.

The HandiJam Car/Bike Show is held in order raise money to buy Christmas gifts for children assisted by several groups, including: Mission of the Immaculate Virgin, Mount Loretto and Rainbow's Hope. The event featured classic cars, hot rods, and other vehicles from all over. Motor vehicle enthusiasts entered for a chance to win a 1st place trophy.

I'm not an expert on cars or bikes, but I think that they were all amazing! I don't know how anyone could pick just one! I had a lot of fun looking at them and some of the owners let me sit in their cars. From crazy show cars to restored oldies, they had it all. Once again, I saw my "driver," Len Bosso. I was sad to hear that he is selling the car I've ridden in for most of the parades! It was cool to see it in a car show, though.

My favorite car of the day had to be one that was featured on Boardwalk Empire. It was completely original from 1924!

Right before I headed out, Brielle Von Hugel performed. Though she felt a little under the weather, she sounded beautiful, as usual. Brielle has such a unique sound to her voice and it is always a pleasure to listen to her sing. Well done!

It was a fun and relaxing day at the HandiJam Car/Bike Show. I've seen firsthand the effect that organizations like Rainbow's Hope can have on a child's holiday season by bringing so much joy. It is for this reason that I hope a lot of money was raised to give to groups like these. Congratulations on a wonderful event and thank you to Brielle Von Hugel's family & Charlene Raco for inviting me!

Light The Night

On Saturday, September 28th, "Miss Staten Island's Angels" headed to Midland Beach to support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's annual Light the Night Walk. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society is close to my heart because, as I do with many other things, I support it for Dominic.

Thanks to my dear friend, Alyssa DePoalis, and her mom, every walker on my "Miss Staten Island's Angels" team had wings! It was the perfect little touch and I had a lot of fun walking around with my beautiful, sparkly, white wings. I was also joined by Shelley Jain, National American Miss New York Teen, and Alexa Moley, Miss Richmond County's Outstanding Teen.

After checking in and getting my t-shirt, I went over to the tent with the balloons. What makes this walk beautiful is the light-up balloons, which everyone carries. Red is for a supporter, white is for a survivor or patient, and gold is in memory of someone who has passed. I got my gold balloon for Dominic and I was ready to light the night in his honor.

It began to drizzle, but that couldn't diminish our spirits! The opening ceremony was a beautiful way to begin the walk. We all held our balloons and had a moment of silence for those who have passed from or who are currently battling lymphoma or leukemia. We then began the walk. Unfortunately, my gold balloon only lasted for a little while before popping. I think it was just Dom being the comedian that he always was - he knows I'm afraid of balloons! Luckily, my dad had a red one to pass over to me and we continued on our way.

"Miss Staten Island's Angels" walked alongside Midland Beach on the "boardwalk." We stopped for pictures and to read the signs placed along the way. I'm so grateful I had so many wonderful people walking with me.

At the end, we were supposed to tie our balloons to a wall where they would all stay lit together. My team decided, though, that we would let ours go and watch them float into the night sky. It was a beautiful tribute.

At the closing ceremonies, we listened to a woman speak about her own personal battle. Diana Caggiano lost her father to cancer when she was only 17, recently lost her brother to lymphoma, and battled Hodgkin's Lymphoma herself. Luckily, Diana has been in remission since January 2010, but she now feels compelled to join in LLS' fight. We were all so moved by her journey and approached her after her speech. She is such a strong woman! Diana was very excited to meet us and insisted that she take a bunch of pictures with "her beauty queens." "Look I have angels!" she said to her mom. It was so great to meet her whole family. They are all so positive and certainly live every second of life. They know what is truly important. They invited to us to a Zumba fundraiser for LLS (which took place last Friday, Oct. 5th). It was amazing meeting them!

In total, our team raised $742 and the number is still growing! I am so thankful for all of the support I received from my friends and family. I saw some old friends and made new ones. For those who walked and those who donated, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means more than you can imagine that I was able to do this and it's all because of you. YOU ALL ROCK! : ]

Want to see more pictures from my night? Check them out here!

Make-A-Wish at Cold Stone Creamery

Continuing my weekend of appearances, on September 27th I went to Cold Stone Creamery for "The World's Largest Ice Cream Social." During the entire month of September, Cold Stone collected money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is my platform. On this day, though, they were donating money from every medium ("Love It") and large ("Gotta Have It") size order! I joined them in celebrating and fundraising.

 Joined by my family, who couldn't pass up an opportunity to eat ice cream and support my platform, I greeted the customers and enjoyed some treats of my own. My own personal favorite is chocolate ice cream with peanut butter, fudge, and brownies! MMMMM good ; ]

I was even invited to learn how to make the ice cream! I made my own and my dad's. I have to say, it's a lot harder than it looks. So next time you visit Cold Stone Creamery...tip well : ]

I even received a surprise visit from one of my favorite families, the Moleys! Alexa Moley is Miss Richmond County's Outstanding Teen 2012 and throughout this year we've become very close. I always love to see her and her family (3 sisters and 1 brother!). Thanks for always being there!

Though it may seem like a small appearance, it was one that meant a lot to me and I definitely had a lot of fun! Thanks so much to Cold Stone Creamery for supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A special thanks to the Cold Stone on Richmond Avenue for welcoming me with open arms and allowing me see "behind the scenes!" It was great night with yummy dessert : ]