Doing a cartwheel in front of the 10.10.10 Style Wall!

The rumor mill is churning, and yes I admit it is true. I have recently accepted a new employment opportunity and am parting ways with Lehigh Valley Style. My last day is October 15.

An overwhelming amount of bittersweet feelings overcome me as I type this. Style has been very good to me. You, my blog followers and readers, have been very good to me.

I began my journalism career with Style fresh out of college and have grown and matured both creatively and professionally. During my time with Style I have had the great fortune of meeting such influential and incredible people. I got to style beautiful fashion shoots and try the latest beauty trends. I’ve worked with fantastic photographers and gorgeous models. Somehow I even ended up on the cover of our April 2010 issue. And the events! I’ve attended lots of great local events and parties. Who knew I’d even land a radio gig? I definitely did not! These experiences will never be replaced.

It’s time for me to turn the page and begin a new, exciting chapter in my life and my career. Thanks for the memories!

Friday, October 8

The Rocky Horror Show comes to Civic Theatre in Allentown and now’s your chance to catch one of the showings. Tickets are $26-$31. Tonight’s show begins at 8 p.m. For info, click civictheatre.com.

Saturday, October 9

Visit Historic Downtown Bethlehem for the 5^th Annual Bethlehem Harvest Festival from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wristbands are available for purchase for unlimited beer tasting. The Harvest Soup contest and sampling is only $5. Open air produce market. Delicious food. Coca Cola pong tournament. Grape stomping. Harvest Pie contest and much more. Visit bethlehemharvestfestival.com.

Sunday, October 10

The event of the decade is finally here! Join the Style staff as we celebrate our 10^th Anniversary on 10.10.10. The party goes down at 5 p.m. at 74 W. Broad Street in Bethlehem at the Liberty Street Center above American Hairlines. DJ Cyn and DJ Sweetlife will be spinning on the 1 and 2’s. Lots of dancing! Stylish contests with prizes. A photo booth. Delicious food from some of the area’s finest restaurants. Cash only cash bar, please. The Styletini is the featured drink of the night. Dress to impress! There are a limited number of tickets still available at lehighvalleystyle.com. Don’t miss this! Proceeds benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley.

Saturday, October 2

Eat, drink, and stink! The Easton Garlic Fest at the Farmers’ Market in Centre Square is back again for another year beginning at 9 a.m. Enjoy all things garlic all day! Food, drink, music events, and garlic-inspired contests. Visit eastongarlicfest.com.

Saturday, October 2

‘Tis the season for pumpkin ale! Welcome in the month of October in Allentown with the Third Annual West End Oktoberfest beginning at noon. Six live bands, a selection of food vendors, arts and crafts, and lots of beer. Proceeds benefit West End Alliance and Lehigh Valley Arts Council. For more info, visit westendoktoberfest.com.

Sunday, October 3

Build a biodegradable cardboard boat to race in this year’s Float Your Boat Race at Sand Island in Bethlehem beginning at 1 p.m. The course is 250 feet on the Lehigh River. Rain or shine. $10 entrance fee. Spectator are free.

In an effort to offer thoughts and insight into my real-life experiences and trials and tribulations, I decided to reveal a rather sensitive subject. I’m 24 years old and my skin and I have maintained a love-hate relationship for the last year or so. It has gone through what I like to call a metamorphosis of sorts, and quite frankly I wish it would just settle down already.

My frustrating combination skin is prone to breakouts, an oily T-zone, and redness. As I write this, I sort of feel as though I am slightly overcoming the embarrassment that comes with imperfect skin.

I have relentlessly searched high and low for products or a combination thereof that work together to make my skin look perfect. Perfection? Now that’s a word I would never use to describe my skin. I’m absolutely one of those girls who has tried just about every brand of facial soap and moisturizer stocked on the shelves of my local drugstore. I have tried numerous high-end lines found at Sephora or ordered through QVC. Yep, I’ve tried Proactive. To no avail…

When none of that worked, I turned to a dermatologist–two, in fact! Feeling broken down and simply plain old broke (dermatologist appointments and prescriptions aren’t cheap, ya know?), I began to lose hope and decided beautiful skin wasn’t achievable–at least not for me anyway.

A few months ago, I was poking around Apotheca Salon & Boutique in Bethlehem and owner Amanda King offered me a trial packet of Somme Institute. She explained the skincare line to me, told me it was made with natural ingredients and a system that released five highly engineered vitamins into the skin using MDT5, a patent-pending molecular dispersion technology.

I’ll be honest I was half listening. I’ve heard this before. Yadda yadda yadda. That’s what all the brands claim. I left the salon, packet in hand, and headed back to my apartment where I shoved it among a mountain of other products that haven’t worked. Out of sight, out of mind, I thought.

I confessed to Amanda that I didn’t feel comfortable trying a 5-step skincare regimen while on my prescriptions. What if it didn’t work and I was back to square one? After much persuasion–much persuasion–I caved. I decided I would give Somme a shot.

For the first time in a very long time my skin feels softer and smoother, has a more even tone, and my breakouts are not as often. Within the first few days, the redness I frequently found around my nose had significantly diminished. I was truly amazed. I admit I have large pores, but since using Somme they have become much smaller and less noticeable.

The 5-step program smells incredible; it’s fresh unlike some of the clinical brands that reek of medicine. My typically oily skin drank up the “A-bomb” moisturizer, but it doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy. The Transport exfoliating pads are like a daily facial but in the comfort of your own home. I have honestly witnessed how my skin’s appearance has changed in such a short amount of time.

I always claimed that I would spend any amount of money on my skin. I was a slave to it, but I no longer feel those same sentiments. Hands down I am so happy with the results of Somme and will absolutely continue using it. One day, I swear I’ll get to leave the house without putting a pinch of makeup on. One day!

As we launch our annual Women’s Health issue in October, my skin seemed like an appropriate topic to discuss. It’s important to take care of it. I’m incredibly satisfied to have found a system that finally works for me. My doctor recommended taking a fish oil pill in addition to my daily multi-vitamin, and I also believe that has helped my skin.

What products do you use? How do you keep your skin looking fresh and young? To learn more about Somme Institute, click the link and discover. To purchase Somme products locally, visit Apotheca Salon & Boutique at 101 E. 3^rd St., Bethlehem, or TC Salon & Spa at 61 W. Walnut St., Bethlehem.

For my dad’s birthday, my sister and I purchased tickets to NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” live tour at State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton featuring the top five comedian finalists.

I admit I never followed the show. For one, I don’t have cable and two, the only comedians I’ve ever thought to watch were the ones featured late night on Comedy Central. The show, however, sounded like something my dad would be into. Who doesn’t need a good laugh every once and awhile? As third-place finalist Mike DeStefano put it, you don’t even have one funny friend; you have to pay to have someone make you laugh. (I paraphrased there, folks.)

The night began with host Roy Wood, Jr. and I honestly thought he was by far the funniest of the night. Sorry, Felipe Esparza. You may have won first place on the show but your Mexican jokes only got you so far.

Roy Wood cracked some of the stupidest yet funniest jokes (in my opinion) about Easton’s bar Drinky’s to DUI checkpoints to prank phone calls over the radio. His line about going to Drinky’s to get drunky was hilarious.

Overall, I thought the night was filled with lewd, crude humor. And there was a lot of cursing–I mean, a lot of cursing, especially from Mike DeStefano. I’ve never been to a comedy show before so I didn’t know what to expect. I guess a lot of cursing? I was slightly embarrassed by half of the jokes being made mainly because I was sitting beside my parents.

But then at intermission, I looked around the theatre and it was filled with people ranging in age from about 10 to 75. I found that quite amusing. The renovations State Theatre recently completed are beautiful. I hear the bathrooms were remodeled, but I didn’t check them out. Oh, and last night was the start of the new 2010-2011 season at State Theatre. Can’t wait to go to another show!

Were you at “Last Comic Standing” last night? Who was your favorite comedian? What did you laugh at the hardest?

Saturday, September 18

Hop on the bus! The Downtown Bethlehem Association presents Loopapalooza from 2-8 p.m. featuring food, live music, special shopping discounts, and more. The event is a hop-on, hop-off The Loop bus between North and South sides and is to encourage people to use public transit. Also check out the Go Green Indie Mart with vendors, arts, crafts, and more. Advance tickets are $10 or $15 on event day. Purchase them by calling 610.841.5831 or myloopapalooza.com.

Sunday, September 19

Love your heart! This year’s Lehigh Valley Start! Heart Walk steps off this Sunday at Lehigh Valley Industrial Park IV in Bethlehem at 8:30 a.m. Walk begins at 10 a.m. The 2.4-mile non-competitive course is great for families and is stroller- and dog-friendly. Register for free at americanheart.org/lehighvalley.

Sunday, September 19

After the Heart Walk, make your way to Sand Island in Bethlehem for Paws 4 a Beat from noon-8 p.m. This benefit concert event will feature live music from local bands, a silent auction with great items from local retailers, and a meet-and-greet with dogs from The Center for Animal Health and Welfare. A $5 donation will be taken at the door.

Friday, September 10-Sunday, September 12

Tonight kicks off the 33^rd Annual Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (Exit 310 off I-80). Enjoy an entire weekend filled with jazz performances, strolling musicians, arts and crafts, food vendors, storytelling, and so much more. Find info at cotajazz.org.

Saturday, September 11

Gone, but never forgotten. In honor of the 9/11 victims, Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Burn Recovery Team presents Community Remembrance Day honoring 9/11 at Starters on 378 in Bethlehem from 1:30-5:30 p.m. This must-attend fundraiser event benefits LVHM burn survivors and will feature Audio Dynamikz DJs, free arts and crafts to send to our troops, fire education by The Burn Prevention Foundation, silent auction, a butterfly and dove release, and more. Food specials, goodie bags, event t-shirts will be available.

Sunday, September 12

If you like good food and want to support sustainable agriculture, head to Taste of the Valley 2010 at Melt at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley from 1-4 p.m. Taste test a selection of savory foods and beverages from more than 20 Valley restaurants and purveyors. Proceeds benefit Buy Fresh/Buy Local Lehigh Valley. $30 tickets are available at Melt or online at puresprouts.com.

View of Bethlehem Steel from Fahy Bridge.

I had a rather interesting Labor Day weekend. It was pleasantly relaxing, but surprisingly eventful, too. My extended weekend began with a walk around the South Side visiting the usual characters for a lively First Friday.

After popping into some of my favorite shops, my sister, Jess, and I walked down to Northampton Community College’s Fowler Family Southside Center on Third Street for the opening reception of “More Serious Business” featuring some 55 well-respected artists from in and around the Valley including my friend Josh “NoNo” Novak of the LVAN.

The place was a maze! From one room to another, people shuffled in and out viewing works from photos to oil paintings and even 3D stuff. My sister, having been a Fine Arts major at Kutztown University, ran into several of her former professors. I spent a few moments chatting with Anthony of Connexions in Easton.

To start my Saturday off, I headed to Art n Soul Studios in Allentown to finish a new tattoo with Curtis Richter. Nothing like the sensation of a tattoo gun to wake you up (I love it!). After an afternoon family picnic, I retreated to the South Side and found myself at Molly’s (formerly Lehigh Pub and Bridgeworks) with Jess and a few of Homebase’s finest.

Where’d we go next? The Bookstore, of course! The motley crew (sarcasm!) and I sat around a candle-lit table and mulled over the menu and the “rules,” which I don’t quite remember from previous visits. Perhaps a new addition? Check them out the next time you’re there. Number 5 is silly!

The original crew had come and gone but was replaced by Aaron from B104 and his girlfriend and Cap Cee of Audio Dynamkiz and his fiancée. Our waitress spilled one-and-a-half drinks across our table, but apologized profusely the moment the first glass tumbled. No worries!

At 2 a.m., Andy, the group, and I decided to check out one of the new hookah lounges. Has anyone else noticed that they’ve been popping up all over the Valley lately? Sultana Lounge was far too club-y for our liking so we walked down the street to Essence Hookah Lounge, but there was a $5 cover charge–something none of us wanted to pay. I’ve never been to a hookah bar before, but I’d assume it’s much nicer on a chill night without dance-y beats and loud bass. The group agreed and we all parted ways for the night.

That leads me to Sunday. Did anyone attend Sophistikate’s grand opening celebration on Friday night? This new soho-chic boutique is located on Main and Broad streets in North Bethlehem. I couldn’t make the opening (I admit, it took me far too long to choose an outfit that night) so I decided to take advantage of the beautiful afternoon and walk there. Knowing that it was supposed to be open until 5 p.m., I timed my walk for plenty of time for boutique browsing.

Only, apparently I didn’t. According to my trusty iPhone, it was 4:40 p.m. when I arrived, but the double glass doors were locked. A woman came to the door to announce that she was closing and handed me a flyer. I’m sorry, but I thought I had 20 minutes to shop. Instead of saying something, I took the snub, turned around, and patronized Moravian Book Shop. I purchased Little Bee and walked to Wired Café for a smoothie then sat outside at a little table to read in the sun–the perfect way to spend my day.

Then, I found myself at the bar at Hotel Bethlehem with friend and former LVS intern (now contributor) Amanda Harding. We both opted for the Hotel B Sweet Tea–a much better version of a Long Island Iced Tea–and chatted for a good hour or so before I left for my journey home to the South Side.

OK, it’s not really a journey. The walk is about 20 minutes or so. As I crossed the Fahy Bridge on that gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Bethlehem all over again. It was the prettiest day. The sunshine and crisp, blue sky made every detail on every tree and building stand out so vividly. The river sparkled below. The movement of the city was alive and I was a part of it.

In a flash, I straightened my hair, changed my shoes, and found myself at a late dinner at White Orchids. It was my first visit and I left feeling satisfied. Thai isn’t exactly my favorite food, but my curry chicken dish was yummy albeit a bit too spicy for my bland palate. Beautiful place, though!

My Labor Day weekend concluded with a girls’ day/night with long-time friend Erin, who recently moved into a condo at Riverport, and a friend from high school who I haven’t seen since we graduated. I Skyped (is that even a verb?) for the very first time with two good friends who are traveling Ireland. We ordered a large half plain, half Hawaiian pizza from Lehigh Pizza. We gossiped, drank wine, played dress up, took photos, and totally vegged out. It was perfect!

Have I mentioned that I love living on the South Side? For obvious reasons, some aforementioned, Bethlehem surely helps to make my weekends lively and exciting.

Friday, September 3

First Friday in Bethlehem has recently received a facelift and now it’s better than ever! There is so much going on tonight on and around Third and Fourth Streets on the South Side including the opening reception for “More Serious Business: Art of the Valley” at Northampton Community College’s Fowler Family Southside Center on Third Street featuring more than 55 local artists. For the rest of the lineup, visit firstfridaybethlehem.com.

Saturday, September 4

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Cedar Crest College Butterfly Garden, the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley will host The Wings of Hope Butterfly Release. Free and open to the public. Help release 250 butterflies in honor and memory of those who have faced a cancer diagnosis. Crafts, raffles, refreshments, and more.

Sunday, September 5 & Monday, September 6

Get your last Great Allentown Fair fix in on Sunday and Monday. Catch the Jeff Dunham show on Sunday and the J & J Demolition Derby on Monday plus so much more (including my favorite part: the petting zoo!).

Truthfully, seafood is one of those topics that I know very little about. And rightly so–I don’t have much of a taste for it so I don’t eat it. It’s definitely a texture thing, for one. But I’m also a picky eater with a rather bland palate. When my friend Marty Desilets invited me to a benefit dinner for the Gulf to help support clean-up efforts for the worst oil spill disaster in our history held at Starfish Brasserie in Bethlehem, I admit I was a bit hesitant.

Aside from the five-course menu and optional wine pairing, both a world-famous sustainable seafood chef and a guest speaker were attending. That piqued my interest. Maybe it’s time I learned a little more about where some of our seafood comes from.

Thanks for taking a snapshot of the menu, Marty!

My co-worker, Denise Conlin, attended the event alongside me. I was excited that she could enjoy an evening of delicious seafood dishes while I soaked up the ambiance and sipped a vodka tonic. Although I had Marty mention to the chefs that I would not be partaking in the dinner, I still found myself getting hungrier by the minute after the Seaweed Seared Yellowfish Tuna and first course, the Crabcake, had arrived at our table.

Not to worry, though! To my pleasant surprise, a specially made vegetarian sushi roll plate landed on my placemat. I savored every delectable piece–quite a feat for me, as the last time I tried sushi I hated the seaweed taste.

My next course, a filet over caramelized potatoes, was cooked to perfection. Denise and guests enjoyed Amberjack. (I should quietly mention that I have given up beef for several months now; however, I couldn’t possibly stand to send the plate back since they had been so kind about accommodating my other food restrictions. I guess I’m allowed to cheat every once and awhile, and what better time to do it than this event.)

Music by Dan DeChellis.

For those following the menu, the fourth course was Drumfish. My final course was pork loin atop braised tomatoes, chorizo sausage, and fresh ricotta grits (yum!). I even tried a sliver of pickled okra, too, for the first time. Didn’t like it, but at least I tried!

Before dessert (French Lemon Yogurt Cake) was served, the co-founder of Sea to Table, Sean Dimin from Brooklyn, NY, briefly spoke about the importance of serving sustainable seafood. His family has sought out sustainably managed fisheries and for years has provided a direct connection between those fishermen and chefs. This means, the chefs know who produces the food they serve and the how and where of its harvest.

Sean (Sea to Table) and his girlfriend Bethany.

The evening’s guest chef and head chef/owner of Miya’s Sushi in New Haven, CT, Bun Lai, spoke next and said something that really stuck with me: The Starfish Brasserie is one of the top 10 sustainable seafood restaurants in the country, and head chef/owner Kristofor Sandholm has helped Starfish achieve this honor. From the seafood to the ingredients and even the wine list, Kris has maintained an eco-friendly, sustainable farm-to-table and sea-to-fork establishment. No need to travel far for big-city ambiance and outstanding taste; it’s right in our very own backyard!

Although Denise and I skipped the dessert (shocking on my part, I know!), we’re sure it was delightful. Thanks, Marty, for the invite and thanks to Kris and his friendly staff for having us and preparing a meal suited for my diet. I do enjoy a good Coquettini martini at the Star Bar, so I’m sure you’ll see me there again soon!