NASCAR Kids Charity Video Game Tournament

On Saturday, Nov. 19, NASCAR will be making history by hosting the first ever Battle of the NASCAR Kids Tournament at Homestead Miami Speedway.  Event sponsor, Activision, is donating a check to The NASCAR Foundation for $25,000 on behalf of the child participants, while the winning driver will be awarded an additional $5,000 for the charity of their choice.  Retail partner, Game Stop, will serve as the mobile marketing sponsor for the event which will be hosted at the race track. 
Here is the line-up of competitors and the charities they are competing for:

6-year-old Faith Yeley, daughter of J.J. Yeley, will be racing for The Jake Raborn Foundation (www.jakesfoundation.org)

6-year-old Sebastian Montoya, son of Juan Pablo Montoya, will be racing for Formula Smiles. (www.formulasmiles.com)

8-year-old Carson Kvapil, son of Travis Kvapil, will be racing for NASCAR Dreams.  This program offers seriously injured and chronically ill children and their families the chance to experience a NASCAR race including meeting their favorite NASCAR Driver, attending pre-race ceremonies and watching the race from a VIP seat.  (www.nascar.com/foundation)

11-year-old Todd Gilliland, son of David Gilliland, will be racing for Sherrills Ford Optimist Park.  This facility suffered a massive fire over the summer destroying trophies, gear and uniforms stored in attic of the clubhouse.  Over 100 children from the local neighborhoods rely on this facility for everything from football, baseball, softball, cheerleading and more.   (www.leaguelineup.com)

17-year-old Ryan Blaney, son of David Blaney, will be racing for the Alzheimer's Association.  (www.alz.org/northcarolina)

GameStop’s #20 driver Joey Logano will also be on hand to coach two wild card racers. He’ll pick two lucky individuals from the crowd to compete in the battle, and, if they should win, they’ll take home $5,000 in addition to the charity donation.

For more information on the event or about NASCAR Unleashed, please visit www.ActivisionUnleashed.com or join us on facebook.com/NASCARUnleashed.

Janet Bolin

Bridal Market Week Recaps: Claire Pettibone

Happy Halloween, dolls!  This week, you're in for a real treat (no tricks!) as we go back to take a look at mid-October's Bridal Market Week in NYC.  Bridal Market Week is like Fashion Week for Bridal Collections. So, here's a look at some of our favorite's for the Fall 2012 Collection. All you future brides, prepare to be amazed by the intricate lace details and modern, romantic, and whimsical designs of Claire Pettibone:

Image Credits: Thomas Iannaccone via Brides.com

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Last Minute Costume Ideas

The clock is ticking to choose a Halloween costume for this weekend and for those of you who have a party to go to tonight, time has nearly run out! We know some of you may have planned costumes way far in advance, but for those of who you who live on the edge, here are some costume ideas that you can put together last minute.

Okay, we know being a cat for Halloween is a bit played out, but like Saira's mom always says, "beggars can't be choosers!" Throwing on a pair of cat ears and clipping on a cat tail is sometimes all you need. It's quick, easy, cheap, and suitable for family friendly parties as well as sexy midnight soirees. Just throw on all black, paint on some whiskers, and you're set.

Unless you've been living under a rock these past 2 years, zombies are all the rage and are sure to be the biggest costume trends this year. The best thing about dressing as a zombie is that you can be a zombie anything. So take out your inappropriate Princess Jasmine costume from a few years back, throw some blood on it, and voilà, you're zombie Princess Jasmine. Or you know, a zombie nurse, zombie Spiderman, zombie tennis player, etc.

Okay so we're a little reluctant to share this one because Saira's been waiting to whip this costume out at some point, but we love you, so here you have it. James Bond movies always feature super villains and super sexy women, so why not combine both and be a super sexy villain! All you need is a hot evening gown / cocktail dress and an eye patch and you'll be the hottest bad girl around.

We love-love-love this cereal killer costume idea. Just wear a box of cereal somewhere on your body (the head is too cute) and carry a fake knife, and you're set! It's incredibly simple, requires almost no new purchases, and is very punny.

We love Lady Gaga's music, but sometimes she rubs us the wrong way. While we weren't big fans of her whole Jo Caledrone character, it does make a pretty sweet and easy to make costume. All you need is an old tee shirt, black blazer, jeans, a lot of hair gel, and some black eye shadow for stubble.

All you'll need for this costume is some white gloves, face paint, and black eyeliner. Pull your black (or black and white!) t-shirt and black pants out of your closet and you'll be all set. Of course you'd likely need to remain silent most of the night, but hey, you can't have everything.

 For more ambitious projects, make yourself into a DIY hot air balloon or the house from the movie UP! Find a cardboard box, rig it around your body, add some fake paper bag weights, and top it off with bright, helium filled balloons. Just make sure your party will have a lot of wide open spaces!



Happy Halloween!



XOXO

Jen & Saira

Women's Expo

The 14^th annual Times-News Women’s Expo was a fun-filled 3-day event that encompassed everything a girl loves: food, fashion, and fun! This past weekend our organization, Jurnee’s Journey, set up a booth at the expo. We sold Paws-N-Claws jewelry, t-shirts, did face painting and showcased kittens and puppies available for adoption from the Sullivan County Humane Society/Kingsport Animal Shelter. Thousands of women paraded through the event and every single one of them stopped by to see the precious furry friends!

Setting up for the busy weekend!

Our volunteers were hard working!  Our good friends Katie Edwards and Catherine Hensley painted incredible designs on little faces while Michael Harr and Zack Irby helped behind the counter. Special thanks to my Mom & Dad, Robin Porter, and Michelle Hensley for all their help too!

Our face painters, Katie and Catherine, are incredibly talented! Katie painted this dinosaur on my little brother, Daxx!

Catherine painted Hello Kitty!

Katie painted a tiger!

1 puppy, 1 cat, and 6 kittens were adopted from the Jurnee’s Journey booth during the event!  Jurnee’s Journey was able to donate the funds to help 3 families adopt! Helping animals find loving, forever homes is our mission!

(L-R): Zack Irby, Michelle Hensley, Michael Harr, me, Congressman Roe, Katie Edwards, Catherine Hensley, Whitney Carr (my mother!)

U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, a fellow animal lover and friend of mine & Jurnee’s Journey, even stopped by our booth! He chatted with us about his own dog!

Another adoption!

Volunteer, Katie Edwards, and another kitten who found a home!

The weekend was such a blast and I am so grateful for the support of my family & friends and the community. Remember, don’t shop-adopt!

Jurnee Carr

National Wear Red Day

National Wear Red Day ® is the first Friday in February.  In 2012, it will fall on Friday, February 3rd just two days before Super Bowl XLVI  There are three ways to be involved for the annual Wear Red Day ® celebration: (1) Visit GoRedForWomen.org to obtain free promotional materials, (2) Create a fundraising page, and (3) donate instantly, online.

Corporations can create a Wear Red Challenges and rally employees to support the effort, while learning valuable lessons on how to be heart healthy at any age.  The free promotional materials offer a wealth of knowledge in a fun, easy to read format.  And, you can support the effort by attending local events such as Go Red Luncheons, Local Galas and Benefits, Heart Walks, and more near you.  It’s all online at http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/

If you are a planner like me, you’ll want this save-the-date in your day planner now so you won’t miss the big event!

Janet Bolin

Color Day: White Pumpkins

Fall is one of our favorite times of year!  Some people think we like the smell of the leaves or the colors, which is true, but what people don't know about is our insane love for all things pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin bars and cupcakes...the opportunities are nearly endless.  Orange pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns are a staple of Fall and Halloween.  But, orange isn't for everyone.  Enter the white pumpkin.  Light, romantic, and somewhat majestic, these little beauties are neutral and help you add a little fall charm no matter what your color scheme.

White Pumpkin Inspiration Board

1. Brides | 2. The Knot | 3. Martha | 4. Two Sugar Babies | 5. & 6. Engaged 2 Ever After |

7. Paper and Pigtails | 8. Funk Me Design | 9. Paperbird | 10. Martha (again) | 11. Angel Court | 

12. and, another Martha! | 13. Farmhouse Wares |

Zanesville, Ohio

I have fond memories of school field trips to the Columbus Zoo.  With Jack Hanna in our backyard, we had endless opportunities to learn about all the beautiful animals from around the world.  They are all God's creatures and they are absolutely beautiful. 

With the unfortunate events that unfolded last week, I am incredibly thankful my Grandma and other immediate family members, classmates and long-time friends who live in Zanesville, are safe.  My Grandma, who lives just miles from the private animal reserve, was not unlike any other scared member of the community.  My mother, who lives less than 30 miles from the private animal reserve and adopts animals all the time, offered some humor in texting me, “I suppose I can take in another one, but not sure if I have room for them all.”  All I could picture was my mother and her little dogs going out for the morning activities and without warning, turning into an appetizer for one of the escaped animals.  (After all, cheetahs run fast.) 

So many things in life happen without warning, so I ask that any efforts or energy focused around this unfortunate event be used for good.  Donations can be made to the The Wilds (www.thewilds.org), World Wildlife Federation (www.worldwild.org), Care for the Wild (www.careforthewild.org), Wildlife Rescue (www.wildlife-rescue.org) and/or your local zoo.  I will be visiting The Wilds in the coming weeks.

The Wilds is the largest wildlife conservation center in the world

The Wilds spans over 10,000 miles in southeastern Ohio

Janet Bolin

Travels in Thailand

We're back, dolls! Sorry for the brief hiatus, but we've been very busy with moving, vacations, weddings, halloween related events and more.  The jet lag knocked Jen out of commission a few days longer than expected, but to get us back into the swing of things, here's a few shots of what Jen and her hubs were up to in Thailand.  Thailand is a beautiful country with lovely people and delicious food.  If you ever get a chance to visit, here are some things you can look forward to:

Stamped Silver at the amulet market

Guardian at one of the wats

Golden, glitzy, and sparkly things galore!

Gorgeous Krabi beaches and traditional longtail boats

Sea kayaking and snorkeling

Food boats that make delicious pad thai and fried rice

Crazy fish that nibble on your legs

Bad monkeys!

Fire shows

Resorts surrounded by moats

Elephants!

and Tigers!

Hope you all enjoyed your past few weeks!  We're glad to be back!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Dove Movement for Self-Esteem

Growing up, Friday nights were always family nights which might have involved either grocery shopping, watching our favorite TV Show (Night Rider), playing board games or attending a high school game. Either way, we were always together and having fun. So it was heartwarming for me to be part of a very special event involving mom's and daughter's this past Friday night.

Over 150 girls registered to take part in the first event to empower girls in Charlotte to grow up with positive self-esteem and the confidence to be beautiful. So many beautiful young ladies full of hope and excitement! This free event extends throughout the weekend and Friday was just the beginning. Each attendee received a bingo card so they could visit five different self-esteem stations. My role was polishing nails at the "Hope" station. I loved it. And, I signed "Mrs. Int'l" on the bingo card which the girls thought was cool.

I am still in awe of the numerous smiles and excitement my crown brings to others. Before the event started, I took a ride in the elevator to the lobby to help distributing name tags and as soon as the elevator doors opened there were 4 little girls standing there who had been talking and giggling and they just stopped and staired. (That scene in Monsters Inc where the squeeky toy gets picked up by their "leader," the claw - that was the look in their eye.) So I quickly bent down to their level and started talking with them and let them touch the crown. I still get the question,"Do you have magical powers," so I think that means I'll have to learn a couple magic tricks that kids would think is cool?

Looking ahead, I'll be at Day 2 of the Dove event and then heading to Talladega to spend race day with Joey Retherford's mother and family. More pictures to come!
 
Janet Bolin

Get Your Pink On

Who doesn’t love to wear pink?! If you’re a pink fanatic like me, you can show your support for breast cancer awareness by sporting your pink gear all month long! October is national breast cancer awareness month, so break out your pink and show your support!

Looking for super cute pink gear? Shop Komen has fabulous clothing! Not only does this clothing line elude pink, all the proceeds go directly back to breast cancer research, such as Susan G Komen. I had the opportunity to wear some of my favorites from Shop Komen on Daytime Tri-Cities!

The show aired live while Komen representative, Kevon, and I talked about Shop Komen and the upcoming Tri-Cities Race for the Cure.

Check out our segment here: http://www2.daytimetricities.com/lifestyles/2011/oct/14/1/get-your-pink-on-11014-vi-31451/

This coming Sunday is the Tri-Cities TN/VA Race for the Cure! I am so excited to be volunteering at the Survivor Tent and as well as kicking off the Kid’s Dash! I can’t wait to wear my pink and see the community supporting this fabulous cause!

Jurnee Carr