It's an "Idol" thought....

Well, seems like this weekend spilled into Tuesday....Good Day everyone !

Gonna keep this one short and sweet as I'm thrilled that American Idol is back. It seems like it's a shortened Season this time around yet I'm enjoying the show just the same.... We had a local gal, Mara Justine, climb her way to the top 14.... Unfortunately, she did not make the top 10 last night !
We are still so very proud of her. Only 16 years old and a voice that is going to carry her far. You may remember that she was also in America's Got Talent and climbed pretty far there as well. She and her voice are maturing nicely and we wish her all the best !

So now, these are my front runner fav's.... I'm still a fan of the VOICE yet I became an "Idol" fan way back in the end of the first Season....I didn't watch the first Season except for the very last night when the first AI was crowned.... As soon as I heard Kelly Clarkson sing one note, I was hooked and picked her to win.  I also like Justin and became a fast fan of the show following the careers of many of the artists.... Now Kelly is a judge on the Voice.... she is really a cool gal to watch !

As the judges said last night, this is a huge platform. Making it this far or even 1/2 of this far has exposed some of this talent to the mainstream. Whether a fan of the show or not, you can't help but hear about some of the talent across the news channels, social media etc.....

With a strong musical background, I just love watching the process. Probably why I like these shows for the most part....

So here are my running fav's.....

CADE

CATIE

MICHAEL

GABBY

CALEB

I was quite happy when these folks got selected.... I also like Dennis Lorenzo although I was partial to Marcio that did not make the cut......

If you watch, let me know who your favorites are.... 

Let's see how it all plays out.... 

Just my personal Idle ( Idol) thoughts ! LOL 

Enjoy !

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Oorah !!!

Good Monday everyone.... so exhausted from our trip to Parris Island this past weekend. Still tired yet ready to bring my experience on a 3 day Marine Graduation to you !

Associated with the Marines, Oorah has come to have several meanings and several accepted spellings over the years....  You can look all that up easily, as I did, yet this blog post is about my experience at Parris Island. I was so honored to be invited by the Villanueva family to attend the graduation ceremonies of India Cecilia Villanueva,

India, was a former 4 A STAR model and according to her Face Book post, she tried several things in life and still wasn't satisfied with her purpose here. She has been thinking about the Service since High School and finally made the decision, without telling anyone including her family, to join the Marines. Of course, once they found out and heard her story they were totally supportive. I even signed her paperwork as a witness and the jouney begins...

 I wanted to share our experience there from the moment we got to Parris Island to the very emotional ceremonies.....  India's family is close and having her gone at boot camp for 3 months was something weighing heavy on the heart of her family. So seeing the emotional encounter after that time, families and loved ones running across the bleachers to see their children... brothers... sisters... girlfriends...boyfriends...etc.... was truly amazing. With us, this is my best friend's Daughter and also my Daughter's best friend !  It is the cousin to our own Mr., Mr. Panting,  and the events were amazing and emotional.  India fully expected to see her Mom and Dad there, yet she was totally surprised that I, my Daughter Brie, cousin Marco and half brother  Foo and his wife Maggie were also running down the bleachers to see her.

Up and out at 4 AM was our schedule for 3 days.... Color running and ceremonies were going on each morning. The 2nd day was "Family Day" and we got to spend a few precious hours with India and hear some of the crazy stories that accompany the start of Marine Corps Life. Seeing her for family day was the first physical encounter we had with her and first time her family has seen her in 3 months....

Visiting the Museum was really cool for me. I only saw a portion of it yet what I did see was totally moving. I was a waterfall before I even got to see India..... it was truly an emotional experience for most of us that were there.

replicated Footprints in the Museum

The real ones out on the base, are where the future Marines set foot for the first time off the bus into formation.....

Once all the ceremonies were over it was time for the long ride back to New Jersey with India in hand, so to say !  She is home for 10 days then is off to her training in Mississippi as she prepares to be an air traffic comptroller for her initial time with the Marines. 

One more stop was at this awesome Seafood place recommended by our hotel staff.... 

India said she was ready to eat anything...... this was the first image when she first came out to us for Family Day.....

I alwasy think "signs" are an important phase in our lives....whether you see them or not, believe in them or not , they are there.... 

So India has been searching for something..... she says this is the best decision she has made in her life so far..... I found it funny, eery, and cool that the graduating companies this session were Company I and Company N.... they represented India/ November

Well, India was there.....and her birthday is in November ! Hmmmmmmm......

All in all, this was such an amazing experience and one I will never forget.

Enjoy !

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ZAVO in the House !!!

Good Monday everyone. Hope you are starting your week off fabulously !

I will be travelling this week and hope to have some great things to share with you by the upcoming weekend.  In the meantime, let's get into it for today.....

New York's East side is chomping at the bit with the new Mediterranean Restaurant ZAVO

 

                             Located at 1011 34rd Ave. and 60th Street. New York, New York 10065

What makes ZAVO so different? ... That beautiful staircase is just one WOW factor at the property.
With the circus out of business in the City now, there is no place to get that exotic, fun, magical experience - elegantly..... until now. 

The upper area of the Lounge is offering Themed evenings. On the Bi-weekly Fridays check out 1001 Arabian Nights. This theme features Fairy Tales of 1,001 nights. See amazing  custom made costumes. The show unfolds with celebrity Artistic Director MARGO VELVET.  

On Bi-weekly Thursdays, check out the Carnival Night running through the Summer. Shows last about an hour and then there is a D.J. and dancing afterwards.... 

Saturdays bring us Venetian Night...Masks, Violins, Saxophones surround us with an evening of burlesque and illusion to top it off....

At dinner, you can even see your drinks poured from above.....

 On top of it all, ZAVO's has several rooms for your dining and entertainment pleasure. The private dining area is upstairs and can be reserved for wedding party events, private dinner and corporate events or just for an evening of relaxation and escape.

Brought to us by the Zavolun family, Ilya is no stranger to the scene. With a handful of locations in catering and dining in Queens, the Zavolun family has taken the vision to new heights with ZAVO. Ilya is there to make sure you get the absolute best in your experience there. 

Ilya comes to us from Vienna Austria with a Russian influence. This Mediterranean cuisine is a must have.  From the falafel to the flatbread you can't go wrong....

 Even the polished wooden tables are imported for that special feeling....

Say hello to Chef Sunil Sharma creating some of the most flavorful and interesting dishes in the City.... Along with Media, Events, and Operations Director Zhanna, this dynamic duo is at the top of their game !

Let's talk New York pricing....

Aside from your private events , you can come into Zavo's for a pre-fixed lunch or dinner that is just amazing....

Lunch 27.00 pp   Dinner  47.00 pp  and for 95.00 pp you can get a 3 course meal and one of the fabulous shows mentioned earlier. Talk about another WOW factor !

There is also a Kosher Kitchen on the premises. Zavo recently hosted 120 people for Passover Dinner and was able to provide a projection screen for them to tell the Seder story.

Upstairs you have rooms that will hold 250 seated or 350 standing. 

Also a table for 2 is not out of the question for your private dining experience.

Find ZAVO at Face Book or email them 

info@zavonyc.com
events@zavonyc.com

or call:  212 753 5500 and of course, tell them Ava sent you !

 www.zavonyc.com

Thank you Richard Simpson Photography, Mr.Panting Productions,  Terrence Kingg, Keelyn,
 Ava Holly, Zhanna, Ilya, Sunil, and the Zavo staff for your participation

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#ZavoNYC