Tuesday’s Tunes

This weekend singer/songwriter Jesse Ruben was in his hometown of Philadelphia and put on two performances. Friday night he was at MilkBoy in the city and Saturday at Mad River in Manayunk. He was raising money for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and his endeavor to run the New York City Marathon next month.

There were raffles, prizes, music and drinks – what more can you ask for? Check out pictures and videos from the weekend on his Fan Page, and continue to follow along his budding career!

(Song performing: Unbreakable >>> He wrote it about his father; has great lyrics that most people probably can/could relate to sometime in their lives)

Truthful Tuesday

I’m going to take a quick minute today to point out something that is underrated in life, and I personally can attest to it: Balance. People too often allow only one aspect of their lives to define who they are, when really we should all strive to be well-rounded. A few things have led me to this consciousness:

1. Having some personal realizations dealing with my career and private life within the past year that made me step back, take a breath and reevaluate.
2. Speaking with a few people who aren’t from this country, rather from a place that’s not so job-centralized and there’s more focus enjoying life as a whole.
3. Trying to view situations in a non-traditional angle and attempt to put things in perspective.

With that said, I really enjoyed reading this blog (link below) about balance. It’s just the tip of the iceberg, but Michele has a few good suggestions on how little changes could help acquire some balance, or as I’d like to say, clarity in your life. Take a look:

Healthrough Action: Holding Life in Balance


**One thing I would like to add to her list is re-examining the people in your life. Moments are precious, so spend your time wisely with those who matter. And as hard as it might be, try to separate yourself from, or at least recognize the ones that seem to have toxic and negative influences on your life.

Financial Friday

The importance of financial literacy cannot be overstated, especially for young people. Students in general can be vulnerable to taking on excessive debt in credit cards and loans. If you can learn at a younger age, it is more likely you’ll make sound financial decisions when becoming an adult.

Lincoln Investment presents Mission Possible: Financial Literacy for the Next Generation, which is a free workshop series designed to inform young adults how to manage their money.

Besides the financial literacy aspect and educating the public, Lincoln Investment’s products and services include: Leader in 403(b) retirement plans, retirement solutions, mutual funds, annuities, insurance products, risk management services, individual securities (stocks, bonds, CDs) and planning services.

They specialize as I said in 403(b) plans as I mentioned, so if you are an employee of a school district or another non-profit organization, this is what you’re looking to invest in for your future. Again, if your financial future is something you’re concerned about, especially if you work in a school district, I’d suggest you check out Lincoln Investment. Follow along on Facebook and on Twitter for interesting posts and videos about embracing your future.

Tuesday Tint

Those who know me are familiar with my slight <ehem> obsession with nail polish. It has become quite the accessory over the years, though some trends are a little too much for me, such as animal prints and bedazzling. There are many different reasons to pick a color and a few are your mood, the season, an event coming up, a specific outfit you’d like to compliment, or even for a special someone. Sometimes it’s even a mixture of a few reasons.

The weather (in the northeast) is getting chillier, as the season just changed from Summer to Fall, therefore many people switch over to darker shades. What color are you sporting today, or plan to get in the days to come? I’d love to hear your reasons behind it as well, so please share!

Thanks, and I’ll post a picture of my current color below…

 (color is Essie's: Over the Top)

West Ave. Wednesday

For those who are from and/or live in the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia and love brunch as much as I do, you must have heard of West Avenue Grille by now. For the people who aren’t familiar, let me assist:

West Avenue Grille is owned and run by a wonderful family and no doubt has that local mom and pop feel. Take my word about brunch: it’s the best, from caramelized strawberry pancakes, to challah French toast, extravagant omelet’s, the works! I’m just salivating thinking of it. They also serve lunch of course and are unveiling a new dinner menu this week so stay tuned.

This week is busy for them, along with the new dinner menu, there are specials going on (drinks and appetizers) during the Phillies playoff games, and it’s Yom Kippur Friday-Saturday If you observe the Jewish holiday, West Ave. is providing delicious break-the-fast trays for Saturday, and if you order them by tomorrow (10/6) you get 10% off! I’ll post the picture below.

Of course you must follow them on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the new menu additions and other special events to come. Bon Appetit!