Christmas Eve for others

I joined the set up crew for the Christ the King Church’s Christmas Eve service in Dover, N.H. The service took donations for the Strafford County Therapeutic Community Rehab Center (http://www.co.strafford.nh.us) , and the Southeastern NH Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (http://www.senhs.org) which rose over $2,500 for individual needs. I headed up decoration with other volunteers at Woodman Park School (http:www.dover.k12.nh.us) where Christ the King Church holds there weekly meetings. Here with Becca Pope after finishing all the decorating! It looked beautiful!

Toy Drive

A few days before Christmas I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Salvation Army Toy Drive in Manchester, N.H.! I spent the day organizing many fun-filled toys into different age groups for infants through teenagers. The following title holders were also in attendance that day: Miss New Hampshire, Miss Hooksett, Gate City, Seacoast, Greater Derry, Bedford, and Londonderry! I’m sure many families and children were blessed by the work of the Salvation Army volunteers (http://www.salvationarmy.org)!

Rochester Holiday Parade

I saw many familiar faces in the streets of downtown Rochester, N.H. during their annual holiday parade! My wonderful designated driver was Mr. John Demers from Midway Buick (http://www.midwaymotorcars.com). The afternoon went by so quickly with lots of Christmas excitement in the air! Visit www.rochesternh.org for more Rochester events.

I spent another wonderful evening this month helping Amy's Treat! This time the fundraiser was held at Flatbread Company in Portsmouth N.H. Portions of food sales that were purchased that evening went directly to Amy's Treat along with a table full of silent auction and raffle items. It was a privilege to help Rachel Shafman, and Lenore Rogers (Executive Director, and President respectively) sell raffle tickets to many people coming through the door! For information on Flatbread Company fundraisers go to http://www.flatbreadcompany.com!

Dover Holiday Celebration!

I had the pleasure of being in the Dover N.H. Holiday Parade recently! Local police, fireman, children from St. Mary Academy, among many others, all came out to participate in this great event. An extended thank you to all the volunteers from the Dover Chamber of Commerce committee that helped make the parade such a success for Dover! Visit http://www.dovernh.org for more local happenings.

Pink Pilates

I recently received a new pilates certification from Master trainer Pam Garcia in Hanover, M.A. for Peak Pilates Systems II. Within the next year I plan to obtain my Comprehensive certification through Peak to continue to help the everyday person to the serious athlete get in the best shape of their life. Be on the lookout for Passionately Pink Pilates coming in 2010! Posing here with Pam Garcia, owner of Pure Pilates in Hanover M.A and with my three other classmates after completion of our course. Check out http://www.peakpilates.com for the leading source in classical pilates education!

Oneblaze Conference!

In November I was asked to be one of the guest speakers for a Christian youth conference called Oneblaze which was held in Alton, N.H. at Camp Brookwoods. There were over 80 teenagers in attendance from all over the Northeast, including Canada, who came for spiritual refreshment, guest speakers, and time away to visit with friends across the Northeast. For more information on Oneblaze conferences visit http://www.oneblaze.net. Here I am with just a few of the chaperones from the weekend, Phillip Curtis, Sherry Grammatic, and Ben Childs who all volunteer many hours in youth ministry. Can you find Miss Strafford County in the group?

Story Time

Introducing Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig. Written by David Ira Rottenberg and illustrated by Lesley Anderson. I had the pleasure of attending a special reading at Barnes & Noble to benefit Northeastern Ballet Theatre. To learn more about this wonderful story visit http://www.cedarcrestbooks.com/