With the year coming to a close, some people might be looking for a great organization to donate to and I wanted let you know about a phenomenal organization that does so much good, Stars For Stripes.  In my opinion, I do not think that Stars For Stripes receives enough recognition, publicity and/or financial support. Stars For Stripes is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides quality, celebrity entertainment to remote overseas U.S .military bases.  In more than 700 such remote bases around the globe that isolation can eat at not only the morale of those stationed there but also their basic psyche which can have a direct impact on their ability to accomplish their mission. Reducing that impairment is the mission of Stars For Stripes. I have learned over the years, if you do not publicize; no one will know. And if you do not ask; no one will give. So here I am doing both. Of course, I can talk about a hundred more worthy causes and a handful that I donate both time and money to that are just as worthy of a blog post, but unfortunately, this would make for an extremely long blog. In full disclosure, I am on the Board of Directors for Stars For Stripes but I have been involved with Stars For Stripes a lot longer than I have been a board member. I met Stars For Stripes President Judy Seale while I was the Executive Director of a nonprofit SemperComm that too supported U.S. overseas remote military bases by providing communications and entertainment equipment to the troops.  Right away we clicked. We both were supporters of the military and we both believed that regardless of where service members are stationed and how remote they were...

  A year and half ago, I discovered Rent the Runway (RTR) in my favorite weekly gossip magazine Us Weekly.  As most new moms can attest, you do not always feel beautiful after giving birth due to weight gain, body changes and major life adjustments.  For the majority of moms, we also do not have the time or energy to shop. My first experience with RTR was five months after giving birth to my son. My grandparents were having their 60th wedding anniversary party and like most moms and women, I waited to the last minute to decide what to do about a dress.  I had been thinking about it for awhile, but procrastinated too long. I wanted something new, but I only had a week to buy something and I really did not want spend too much money.  The concept of renting a designer dress for minimal cost intrigued me.  After visiting RTR website and reading more about the concept – brilliant by the way – I decided that I was going to give it a try even though the word “rent” does not always say classy, clean, chic, etc. to me or most other people I know. I worked with the stylist online, which was much more fun than expected and did not take much time to find something that would fit my personality and style.  I placed an order for your dress two days prior to leaving on my trip.  They shipped me two sizes for free (RTR’s common practice, if both sizes you choose are in stock), which is great because I found in almost designer piece of clothing the sizes varying from one designer to the next.  I received the dresses at my hotel the day before the event,...