Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Outing: YOLO** Girls Brunch

Tank Top: Navy Tank
Skirt: Handmade, Hand me down from my mom. This wrap skirt is literally 30+ years old
Shoes: Steve Madden Latelly ON SALE!
Location: Shore Club
Hair: Ombre done by me. I know its terrible and I will be getting it color corrected soon.

**I hate the acronym YOLO, but it was very well suited for this unexpected Sunday Funday.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Charity Event to benefit GIA Foundation for Rett Syndrome

Dear family & friends,

               For the past few months I have been on the search for connections, contacts, answers and help. For what you ask, well Maria-Claudia (my little cousin) who is 6 years old and lives in Cuba and was diagnosed with Rett syndrome at just a few months of age. If you are unaware of the syndrome, as I was before, Rett syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects the way the brain develops. It occurs almost exclusively in girls.

 Babies with Rett syndrome seem to develop normally at first, but symptoms surface after 6 months of age. Over time, Rett syndrome affects the brains functions that are responsible for cognitive, sensory, emotional motor and autonomic functions. These can include learning, speech, sensory sensations, mood, movement, breathing, cardiac function and even chewing, swallowing and digestion.  Unfortunately, in Mari’s case, she suffers from all the symptoms listed. Rett syndrome is a developmental disorder, not a degenerative disorder. These young girls will never have the ability to speak.

 Last year, I had the pleasure of finally meeting Mari. My heart melted right away. Her eyes say so much, yet she is unable to communicate. She’s a beautiful little girl and her condition is truly heart breaking. The scarcity of medical advances in Cuba has taken a heavy toll on her health. Since then, I have made it a personal goal to help Mari and her parents, in any way that I can. In my mission to find help, I found Gods Innocent Angels Foundation for Rett Syndrome (501c3). A beautiful foundation created in 2011 by Gisel “Gigi” Gonzalez and Teri Rios. Every year, GIA hosts a Halloween Extravaganza, themed “An Enchanting Evening in the Royal Palace”,  to benefit the foundation in raising funds for research and a center to assist children and families with this rare Autism spectrum disorder.

 I am very excited to say that I will be attending the spooktacular party which will be held at a private Estate on Saturday, October 12 2013 at 9:00pm. Ticket prices for General Admission are for a Donation of $ 50.00 or $ 75.00 at the door. There will also be VIP tickets sold for a $ 100.00 donation (no vip tickets will be sold at the door). Tickets include drinks, food, prizes and entertainment. Although I would love nothing more than to share this evening with you guys, I fully understand that we can’t always commit to these financial contributions and will include the information in case you would like to donate in the future or your own chosen amount. All denominations are accepted and 100% of the proceeds go to this charity event will go to the foundation.  

 Every penny counts for these little girls.
I have also included a beautiful video where you can see Gia, the beautiful little girl that inspired this foundation and a video from last year’s party.


 
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me and please, please forward this information to your family and friends.

Please donate to God’s Innocent Angels Foundation and you will be giving a Rett Syndrome family the voice of their child.

Checks should be made payable to : Gods Innocent Angels Foundation and may be turned in to me or mailed to:
PO BOX 291858
Davie FL 33329
Email: godsinnocentangels@gmail.com

 
 
Sincerely,
Jessica M. Castroman
I am Maria-Claudia’s voice.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Haullelujah - My wallet is hurting

HAUL-lelujah
 
How was every ones weekend? Fantastic I hope.
 
My weekend was great and although some of my plans shifted a bit, it was a total success.
 
On Saturday, I conquered a very stressful Ikea trip with my 7 month pregnant sister, my 2 year old angel of a nephew, my cray cray son and the reason my son is cray cray, my hubby. I'm in the process of updating my closet and needed to figure out the shelving situation. The design "idea" was inspired by the amazing Aimee Song and her brilliant closet. Check her out Here. I cant wait to finish (or start) this project and share my closet journey with you.
 (BTW, Measurements, numbers, and a pair of banana 3 and 32 year old is not a good combination at Ikea. Just sayin.)
 
Sunday was supposed to be a Girls Paddle Board day and due to the rain, it was cancelled and turned into a freakin shopping spree down Lincoln Road (Major Damage and I was loving it). We stopped at just a few stores, but we packed on the purchases. H&M, Lush, Forever.
I also took advantage and purchased a few birthday gifts, which I didn't picture because they aren't for me :0(
 
Lastly,  I won my first bid on EBay this weekend. Needless to say, I am now hooked and have purchased several statement necklaces. Ill also do a post on my EBay accessory bid wins once i receive them.
 
Any whooo... here are the goodies I scored and after reviewing them again for this post, I love them even more.
Did you go on a shopping spree this weekend?
 
PS. Can I just say that Target has beautifully designed clothes. I can shop there every day and for almost every occasion.
I LOVE YOU TARGET!!
 
PSS My camera has been on the I don't feel like working train lately, which is why all my pictures are from a website or my iPhone. I'm hoping to get it repaired soon in order to start sharing my outfit posts and my own photography with you.
 
PSSS There is no link for item #4 because I purchased it online, and it is now out of stock.
 
 
 

1 // 2 //  3, 6, 7, 12, 13 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 14 // 15 

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

9/11 I will NEVER forget

9 11 heroes
Today, like every 9/11 for the past 12 years, I spend most of the day in silence, angry, sad, tearing up and reliving the fear I felt on this tragic day.
I was in a parking lot going over my resume, as I was just about to be interviewed for an administrative position with an airline company. I was listening to Y-100 when I learned of the first crash; it was 8:46 am . My immediate thought was, "OMG what a terrible accident". My head was filled with fear and sadness. I kept putting myself in the shoes of all those passengers and what they were feeling, knowing they were heading for what was possibly the end for them.
I walked into the office where I was to be interviewed, a little distracted, I did my best to concentrate on what laid ahead.
As soon as I returned to my car , I turned the radio on again. Expecting to hear "It’s all been an accident, a few hurt but everyone survived" I hear that there was a second crash. At this point, I think "this is def not an accident". Something was very wrong and I was very afraid...afraid of what was coming next. I immediately called my family to make sure they were ok and to ask if they knew what was going on. Everyone was at work and I didn’t want to be alone, so I drove to my best friend’s house. She had been watching the news all morning and went on to give me details of the attacks.
 
Our world was at war and I had so many questions and thoughts. Are there any survivors? There is a daycare in one of the buildings! and the biggest question, WHY?.
America the free had been invaded, attacked, and a lot of innocent people had just lost their lives. How cruel, how selfish and what dark hearts do these attackers have. No value for their own lives. No respect for the gift of life and willing to give it all up for WHAT?
Needless to say, and I know I am not alone when I say this, I was really scared. The months following the attacks were stressful for me. The sight of an airplane put me into a panic. I refused to fly or visit any tall buildings. However, there was something very beautiful developing, UNITY. It was beautiful to see everyone pitch in to do whatever they could to help.
 
America started to rebuild.
 
 Land of the brave. Firefighters, Police Officers, Emergency Medical Teams, and People. We are the land of Hope, Love, Opportunity and NO ONE was going to bring us down. Yes the pain remained  but together we stood.
So, here I am 12 years later hugging my son a little tighter, telling my family that I love them a few more times and thanking whoever it is that’s upstairs and the Universe for always keeping me and my family safe.
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we are blessed to have today, so make it count. Release the negative, don't sweat the petty stuff and give love.
Grow into love no matter where life has taken you and always be kinder than necessary. Someone next to you is probably fighting their hardest battle and your smile is probably all it takes to give them one too.
 
Sending you all an endless amount of Love and Light,
Jess
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Fall Wish List

Fall Wish List
 
I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and took advantage of some of the amazing sales out there. I did have a great long weekend, but I didn't do any shopping. Wahhhh True Story.
Instead, I did some online browsing and added a few items to my ongoing Wish List.
Usually, when I add an item to my wish list, it is a staple piece and more expensive than a Target run find, so I add it to my list and keep my eyes peeled for any possible savings.

 Do you have any special buys in mind for the upcoming season?

Update: I purchased the denim biker vest. It has an additional 20% off for Labor Day (Code: LDTREAT) and I scored free shipping for spending a little over $ 40.00.
The Mossimo blue floral print jacket is no longer available, but they do have a purple & black printed one and it is on SALE!!!