#MotivationMonday - Get #inspired by @Angela_Bofill + check out #Photo & #Video highlights from her @SmoothJazzNY Tribute!

You may remember that I hosted a reader giveaway for a VIP Experience for the Smooth Jazz New York Encore Sail for the Angela Bofill Experience. While this giveaway is already closed, please remember we are a Media Partner for Smooth Jazz and will be working them again VERY SOON for a fun giveaway, so check back SOON! (If you LOVE Wine, and especially love exploring and trying new Wines, and you are New York City Based, then this is going to be for YOU!)

I left this sail incredibly inspired by the strength of Angela Bofill, the entertainer and the The WOMAN! A two-time Stroke Survivor, Angela not only refused to give up on herself she refused to give up on her passion, her MUSIC. She was incredibly open, honest, raw and shared such an incredibly positive outlook and a perspective filled with humor and a love for life and each moment. When you get the chance to be in the presence of someone who keeps their energy so high and doesn't let any obstacles weigh them down, you can't help but feel inspired. You feel motivated and uplifted. You feel like anything is truly possible. And that's the gift Angela gave me that night. While my VIP experience on the sail was amazing, my nights with Smooth Jazz always tend to be, this one however held a more special place in my heart. A year to the date I was to be on the very same sail, but life veered me of course, and I never made that sail, I never made that ship and I spent a year and a half in and out of the hospital. Overcoming a ton of challenges of my own. I don't really know if I did it with the same humor Angela did, but my quiet Grace got me through. And being on that sail, on that night was already incredibly nostalgic for me. It already reminded me of how far I'd come since last year. And then seeing Angela, and hearing HER tell HER story filled me with renewed hope that there is nothing that can stand in MY way, unless I let it.

Lenny Green of The Quiet Storm Kicked things off during the Smooth Jazz Encore Angela Bofill Experience Cruise in New York City, October 2013!

The concert had an incredible line up! Maysa on Vocals, Alex Bugnon on the Piano/Keyboard and Kim Waters on Saxophone all joined together to pay tribute to the one and only Ms. Angela Bofill. Other artists sent in Video Tribute Messages to her, and she sang and played the cowbell along to some of the songs. She mercilessly teased Kim Waters and kept the crowd, not just engaged, but happy, we were all smiling and cheering her on!

Center: Maysa performing during Smooth Jazz Smooth Cruise Encore Angela Bofill Tribute Experience

Far Left Standing Angela (vocalist), followed by Maysia (vocalist in the blue dress), and far right: Saxophone Player Kim Waters

Center: Saxophone Player Kim Waters,  performing during Angela Bofill Tribute Experience

Left: Angela, back up singer, Center: Maysa who is helping Right: Ms. Angela Bofill to her seat on stage!

Angela Bofill on cowbell and Kim Waters on Saxophone on the Smooth Jazz Encore Cruise October 2013

Alex Bugnon performs at the Smooth Jazz Encore Sail Angela Bofill Experience, New York City, October 2013

Left: Ascending Butterfly Right: Mama Butterfly taking in New York City at Night on the Smooth Jazz Encore Sail, October 2013

Left: Mama Butterfly, Center: Alex Bugnon, Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly - it was so cool meeting Alex Bugnon in person!

Left Mama Butterfly meets Right: Saxophone Player and Jazz Musician Kim Waters!

Left: Saxophone Player and Jazz Musician Kim Waters and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly

Angela Bofill signs CD's for Fans after the Smooth Jazz Encore Cruise October 2013, New York City

Feel like you were there with highlights from the concert filmed on the LG G2 Smart Phone:




 

My Take:

The concert was amazing and I left totally inspired by Angela Bofill, she is a fighter in every sense of the word, and her sense of humor and spirit made everyone smile! It was super touching to see how emotional it was for her when they showed clips of her performing throughout the years.

Butterflies if she can keep pursuing her passion after such major setbacks, why can't YOU?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: Smooth Jazz New York provided Ascending Butterfly with tickets to the Angela Bofill Experience Encore Sail for editorial consideration, all opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may visit our full giveaway and disclosure page for complete policy information.

{CLOSED} Win a Pair of Tickets to the Smooth Cruise Encore Double Bill sail with Phil Perry & Alex Bugnon! Giveaway with 2 winners! Ends 10/04

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Smooth Jazz NY! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Does the idea of a cool night and warm Jazz sound good to you? New York’s premiere summer jazz series is coming to a close for the season! This is the Smooth Cruises’ 14th year aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St/West Side Hwy).

Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the Hudson River taking in fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline. The Cruises feature the world’s greatest jazz acts in an intimate setting. This summer I picked a different sail from last year and got to see Najee in concert, here are the pictures from my last sail.

These cruises are the highlight of my summer, and this will be my first year taking the Encore Sail, and I'm looking forward to it, less humidity will make a for a cool night, with warm jazz! =)

Here's the Skinny:

Where: Departing from Chelsea Piers in Midtown Manhattan.

When: Encore Sail, Friday, October 7th, 2011, There will be two sails, as follows:

Smooth Sunset Cruise:: Board: 6:00pm • Sail: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Smooth Moonlight Cruise: Board: 9:00pm • Sail: 9:30 – 11:30pm

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Smooth Jazz New York would like to provide 2 lucky Ascending Butterfly Followers a pair of tickets to the smooth moonlight jazz cruise for the Friday, October 7th Encore Sail!  4 Tickets total, each winner receives 2 tickets so they can bring a guest! ('moonlight' sail only 21 years of age and older please.) These tickets are non-transferable, and do not include your transportation, lodging or any other expenses to or from New York City where the boat sails from.

Don't you just ♥ Smooth Jazz New York? I know I do

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Tell us Who you are bringing with you on the sail! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA who are 21 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Monday, September 26, 2011 until Tuesday, October 04, 2011 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 24 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Paying attention extra credit: Visit Smooth Jazz and tell us one thing you learned about Alex Bugnon or Phil Perry

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Rate this blog on Alexa (Since we moved to a new domain this year, all our old ratings were lost and we have to start again)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - If you are on Klout, give us some Klout Love by giving @Tracy_Iglesias a +K

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our NEW Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you have our old one, please swap it out, our URL address has changed!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Ascending1 on Twitter (this is Ascending Butterfly's new account, we will soon be hosting twitter parties which necessitates having a second account so we can make updates throughout the entire party!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ @Ascending1 #Win a pair of tickets to the @SmoothJazzNY Cruise Double Bill Encore Sail! #Giveaway 2 Winners!  http://tinyurl.com/42o7nwb

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – ‘Like’ Smooth Jazz New York (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you! I'm sure they'd also love to know who your favorite Jazz artist is) on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @SmoothJazzNY on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - One Time Per Giveaway, Not Daily: Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you entered another active giveaway on Ascending Butterfly? Let me know which one and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you commented on a non-giveaway entry? Let me know which one here and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided tickets to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Sunday Moment of Gratitude! + Winners!

This week, I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - For the Smooth Cruise! I got to see Najee in concert on a Smooth Jazz sail. The weather was awful, it was pouring and no one was able to sit out on deck. For last year's sail, I sat out on the deck the entire sail and I enjoyed that serenity. Great music, great view, great company. This year when I realized I couldn't sit out on the deck, I wasn't so happy at first. I arrived on the ship, looking like a drowned rat, because despite my umbrella, the winds were making it so that I arrived wet anyway. So there I was wet, uncomfortable and forced indoors. But it truly turned out to be a blessing in disguise! I met great people that I would never have met if I sat on deck, and had a wonderful time. In fact, the cruise didn't even feel like it was the full time, because the time went so fast talking to everyone at my table! Spoiler Alert: OK, so it wasn't a movie, so this technically isn't a spoiler, but there will be an encore sail in October, and I'd highly suggest you keep checking our Today's Butterfly, because there may something special coming up for BOTH of us! :)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Help, that movie is a *MUST* see, as you can see Friday I gave you a teaser, and Tuesday I'll have a full review, but for a movie to make my Sunday gratitude list, you know it must be good!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - It was an incredibly busy week this week, between events and errands, I didn't feel like I had enough time to get everything done, but somehow I did. I'm filled with gratitude for my busy and productive week!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for, and the more reasons that the universe will send you to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me on Twitter here (@Tracy_Iglesias) Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field at Twitter:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and Great giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Active Giveaway!

1) Ends 08/08/11 - Jockey Staycool Collection Giveaway - 3 winners!  Enter HERE

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

For those of you who are interested in keeping a gratitude journal this year, here is my recommendation and where to purchase it:

Make this Your Best Day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

BORGHESE GIVEAWAY WINNERS:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Eclairre

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Alicia E.

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: Journal Recommendation uses an Amazon Affiliate Link. We list winners by their ascending butterfly usernames instead of full names for privacy purposes.

Win a pair of tickets to a Smooth Jazz New York Cruise of YOUR Choice Giveaway! - 2 winners Ends 07/19

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Smooth Jazz New York! We look forward to working with you again! The winners have been notified and upon confirmation, follower names will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Does the idea of a warm night and cool, smooth Jazz sound good to you? New York’s premiere summer jazz series is back! This is the Smooth Cruises’ 14th year aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St/West Side Hwy).

Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the Hudson River taking in fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline. The Cruises feature the world’s greatest jazz acts in an intimate setting, every Wednesday evening starting June 29th ending August 31st.

We are happy to be partnering with Smooth Cruises again this year, I greatly enjoyed last year's sail and can't wait to do it again this year!

Here's the Skinny:

Where: Departing from Chelsea Piers in Midtown Manhattan.

When: Wednesdays June 29 - August 31

Smooth Sunset Cruise: Board: 6:00pm • Cruise: 6:30 – 8:30pm

Smooth Moonlight Cruise Board: 9:00pm • Cruise: 9:30 – 11:30pm

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Smooth Jazz New York would like to provide 2 lucky Ascending Butterfly Followers a pair of tickets to the smooth moonlight jazz cruise of YOUR choice!  (You pick the date, just remember it will be for the 'moonlight' cruise only 21 years of age and older please.) Please Note: The July 20th Sail is SOLD OUT, so please do not select that cruise as your choice.

Don't you just ♥ Smooth Jazz New York? I know I do

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Smooth Jazz New York and pick the cruise you would select if you won - You may select from any sail starting from July 27th all the way until August 31st. Leave us the name of the artist(s) in the comment field. (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, July 12, 2011 until Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - You know how much I love finding us both win/wins right? Here's another one: Visit the Degree Women MotionSENSE App on Facebook and enter GetMoving031 in 'Enter Codes' HERE (you'll get an extra 5 MotionSENSE Miles which you can trade in for great prizes including trips, gift certificates, electronics and more!) Enter, share on your wall, and let me know you entered by linking me to where you shared it on your wall, by the way sharing also buys you extra MotionSENSE miles, win/win right? :)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our NEW Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you have our old one, please swap it out, our URL address has changed!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Ascending1 on Twitter (this is Ascending Butterfly's new account, we will soon be hosting twitter parties which necessitates having a second account so we can make updates throughout the entire party!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ @Ascending1 + @SmoothJazzNY #Giveaway #Win a pair of tickets to a Smooth #Jazz Cruise of YOUR choice!  http://tinyurl.com/5wl4jqu

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you! I'm sure they'd also love to know what sail/cruise interests you most!) Smooth Jazz New York on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @SmoothJazzNY on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - One Time Per Giveaway, Not Daily: Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you entered another active giveaway on Ascending Butterfly? Let me know which one and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you commented on a non-giveaway entry? Let me know which one here and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided tickets to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

The Night was Hot, The Jazz was Cool!

I have been falling in love with New York City all over again this summer! I've lived here my whole life and it took this summer for me to realize I had been taking my beloved City for granted. After attending BlogHer last week and watching other people's fascination with "The City That Never Sleeps", it reminded me of just how much there is to actually see and do here.

I've had an incredibly busy summer. More so in fact than I ever remember, but the highlight of my summer was this past Wednesday when I set sail on a Spirit Cruises Yacht around the Hudson River thanks to our friends at SmoothJazzNY. In June we hosted a giveaway with Smooth Jazz and you can see our original post HERE.

Oddly enough, I beleive both of Ascending Butterfly's winners set sail before we did! You can see the coverage on Single Mama NYC of her sailing HERE. She got some great shots!

'The Guitars & Saxes Smooth Cruise' was an amazing (sold out) concert (and I could see why!) that included: Peter White, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Golub and Gerald Albright and it was AMAZING! The concert was fantastic, and with all those musical guns firing I had no doubt it would be. Thankfully my sail companion suggested sitting outside and I am so glad we did. We sat on the upper level with a front facing table with amazing views, and were super stoked about the amazing attentiveness of the staff at Spirit, we availed ourselves of the tableside beverage service (which meant not having to get through the crowd or leave our coveted table!), And enjoyed the amazing views, amazing sounds and time spent just enjoying the journey. I was pleasantly surprised that there were some 'inspirational' songs played, and when the Yacht was returning to the pier, I was a bit sad to see my amazing journey come to an end, but also incredibly uplifted and very grateful!

One of my favorite parts of the concert is when the artists spoke about who inspires them and their sound, and Gerald Albright's funny anecdotes about married life. A jazz artist and a true gentleman with a very romantic spirit, if only he were single! (Any sax playing, romantic at heart, SINGLE men out there left?)

This was supposed to be our 'Sunday's Moment of Gratitude' post, but I actually, get ready to gasp now, took an ENTIRE day away from all things electronic to re-connect with friends I haven't seen since High School to enjoy a girls night out and go see Eat, Pray, Love. And I had a great time!

It had been way too long since I had some 'just me', 'breathe' and relaxation time and then this past week I was blessed with not just ONE but TWO girls nights out, isn't that cool? I'm definitely begining this week in a cup 'more than half full' frame of mind and it's a great place to be!

We definitely look forward to working with Smooth Jazz again next summer! THANK YOU!

Active Giveaway:

1) ENDING TODAY AT 3PM EST - ProFlowers Organic Extravaganza Fruit Basket Giveaway! HERE

Our next giveaway will be for everyone getting ready for Back to School, Stay Tuned!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙