The Shores Resort & Spa is offering luxury front row seats to the last-ever night launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor on February 7, 2010 at 4:39am. Guests of The Shores Resort, which is located 70 miles from the Kennedy Space Center, will have shoreline seats and enjoy the following perks for the blast off:

• - Overnight deluxe accommodations
• - “Shores Coffee”, a variation on Irish Coffee or “Shores Hot Chocolate”
• - “S’Mores at Four” at oceanside fire pits
• - Breakfast treats, including Tang
• - Champagne toast at launch
• - Memento photo

The “Shuttle Launch” package starts at $169 per room.

To reserve visit The Shores Resort & Spa website.

On Veteran’s Day (Wednesday, November 11), Cosmo will drive around New York City collecting kisses for our boys overseas. Participants can kiss a postcard with Maybelline-provided ColorSensational lipstick, and then add a note of support to a deployed soldier.

For every kiss, Cosmo and Maybelline will donate $1 to the USO organization.

Via: Cosmo

Wondering what you’ll be this Halloween? How about a zombie? Every year, Thrill the World hosts a global event, inviting the world to dance to Thriller at the same time. The 2009 event is scheduled for this Saturday, October 24 in the U.S. (8:30pm EST, 5:30pm PST) and is expected to be the biggest event yet.

The goal is to set a new Guinness World Record, so to participate, register at the Thrill the World site, learn the dance and show up as your favorite zombie for the event in your area.

Via: Thrill the World | zombie make-up tips

Flagstaff is one of those towns not many people know about, but is definitely worth a visit. Located just an hour and half north of Phoenix, Flagstaff is a quaint college/ski town set in the mountains. Because of its high elevation, its summers are much cooler than Phoenix and it offers good skiing in the winter.

A group of us spent the 4th of July weekend in Flagstaff and we knew we’d made a good choice when we arrived on Friday evening. Although the downtown is small there are plenty of restaurants, hotels and activities to choose from. The town’s central park was our first stop, where the lawn was filled with people relaxing and listening to a rock band performing. Since it was the first Friday of the month, the art galleries were hosting ArtWalk where people are encouraged to go gallery hopping and can enjoy refreshments along the way.

After a Mexican dinner at San Felipe’s we walked around the corner to a Michael Jackson dance party tribute at the Orpheum. Hundreds of people were there, some in full Michael Jackson attire, and all were dancing to his greatest hits.

On Saturday morning, after stopping in at Late for the Train for much needed coffee, we made our way to the town’s 4th of July parade. It was a perfect small town parade, featuring a dog drill team, vintage tractors and several distinguished veterans including the Navajo code talkers from WWII. That evening the symphony played in an outdoor amphitheater followed by fireworks at dusk. All in all, a great place to spend the 4th of July.

Summer is in full swing and the calendar seems to be packed with festivals, sporting events and summer concerts. In the past week and a half we’ve seen Tosca in the park, listened to live music at two street festivals and cheered on with thousands of spectators as 2,000 triathletes swam to shore from Alcatraz.

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to pack a picnic and enjoy an evening performance in the park. Or better yet, stop at Whole Foods on the way to the park and choose from their great selection of ready-made items.

Here’s a sampling of this summer’s free performances happening around the country:

(more…)

Tomorrow is Earth Day — a day to celebrate our earth and value its natural resources. With all the spring flowers in bloom, it seems like the perfect time to show appreciation. The idea for Earth Day was the inspiration of Wisconsin U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson back in 1970 when he became concerned about our planet’s future. This day is celebrated on April 22 each year — now globally, by over 500 million people.

In honor of Earth Day, here are my top 10 suggestions to help sustain our planet:

1. Celebrate Earth Day everyday
2. Park your car and walk or bike to your destination
3. Think about the landfill waste impact before you buy products
4. Recycle and reuse whenever possible – use thrift stores, craigslist, freecycle.org, garage sales, building material salvage, etc.
5. Shut down appliances and lights when not using; buy energy efficient light bulbs
6. Encourage your friends and family to recycle and reuse too!
7. Support green businesses who are working to make their manufacturing process more earth friendly
8. Buy local food when possible from a farmers market (find your local market)
9. Reuse your grocery bags
10. Look into alternative energy sources for your home, such as subsidized solar panels or cool sun tiles.

Related links: localharvest.org | storyofstuff.com

 

     

Calling all hula hoopers!  In case you haven’t heard, tomorrow (August 8, 2008 or 8/8/8) is World Hoop Day.  World Hoop Day’s goal is to bring hoops and a little joy to children living in extreme poverty and underdeveloped neighborhoods around the world.  Events are planned in major cities all over the country with the biggest event in San Francisco. 

This year is the 50th birthday of the Hula Hoop and despite its age, the hoop is becoming increasingly popular for adults with hoop clubs forming in various cities. As a girl growing up, I remember spending hours each day during the summer hula hooping with my neighborhood friends.  We’d try to break the current record for most rotations or see what new trick we could come up with.  New fans of the hula hoop use it for exercise and as a form of expression.

If you’re looking to buy a hula hoop today, you’ll find that besides Wham-O’s hula hoops, many avid hula hoopers are creating and decorating their own hoops or buying hand-crafted versions. 

Links: World Hoop Day Events |  About Hula Hoops