St. Mary’s “Angels in Paradise” Gala Promises to be a Hit

Aliso Viejo, CA, March 25, 2009 St. Mary and All Angels, a non-denominational Christian school, announced today that its upcoming gala has sold out in attendance. The event, benefiting the school, will be held on Saturday April 4, 2009, at the Fairmont in Newport Beach. Gala chairs and St. Mary’s parents, Gerri Flanagan and Byerlei Strohmeier, are confident the guests will enjoy the theme, “Angels in Paradise” with vacation resort attire being the evening’s fashion.

Festivities include recognizing eighth grade student Liviya James, the recipient of the 2009 Legacy Leadership Award. Each year, the annual Legacy Leadership Award honors a St. Mary’s eighth grade student who demonstrates superior leadership skills, evidence of service, and civic responsibility. Each student in the competition writes three essays and is interviewed individually a panel of judges consisting of local community and business leaders.

Joining James in this prestigious honor is Chris Driggs who is well known in the community for his leadership in youth and school lacrosse. He is the general manager of the Orange County Starz Lacrosse, director of Earthquake Lacrosse and is the Lacrosse coach at St. Mary’s and Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Gala sponsors include Hollencrest Capital Management, Planet Beauty, Mission Hospital, Renaissance Club Sport, and the Orange Coast Women’s Medical Group. The live auction will feature unique items such as a bottle of 1990 Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe wine, an Augusta Masters Golf Package that includes two badges for the Master’s Tournament, golf for two and facilities use at the adjacent Augusta Country Club with three nights at the Partridge Inn, a weekend trip to New York with dining at the Tavern on the Green, and a Saks Fifth Avenue shopping spree in Chicago.

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Contact: Doug Fleischli, Marketing Director

St. Mary and All Angels School

7 Pursuit Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Ph: (949) 448-9027, ext. 328 Cell: (949) 233-5993

Email: doug.fleischli@smaa.org Web: www.smaa.org

Trendy “Aliso Viejo” Mompreneur Captures Celebrity Buzz!

LN Homemaker is owner of Nationally Knowm “Baby Emi” Jewelry Line

Baby Emi is built on a foundation of family love and tradition. As a child, jewelry designer Debbie Savage received treasured pieces of jewelry from her mother and grandparents. When her own daughter received a set of traditional Cambodian jingle bells as a baby blessing gift in 2002, Debbie found a way to share the beauty of her heritage in a glamorous, fun way.

Baby Emi was founded in 2006 to celebrate Debbie’s Cambodian heritage and the culture’s family-oriented traditions. She was also inspired by her grandparents, who made a brave trek to America during a dark time in history, wanting to create lives filled with peace, hope, and promise. Her grandparents and mother taught her the time-honored virtues of hard work, perseverance, and love of family that act as guides in all of her endeavors.

Debbie is blessed with two beautiful girls, Emi and Chloe, and a wonderful husband who offers constant support and love and finds great beauty and depth in her Cambodian heritage.

As her daughters have grown, so has Baby Emi. Baby Emi pieces are regularly seen on celebrity babies and in some of Hollywood’s most sought-after gift bags. They have been featured in Baby Couture, Pregnancy and Newborn, and inTouch, as well as on The View in the Celebrity “Bump” Bag in 2006.

The Baby Emi studios are located in Laguna Niguel, California. Debbie’s glamorous and stylish designs can also be found in exclusive boutiques and on princesses all over the world.

Here’s a letter from Debbie to us and all fo our readers and bloggers.

Dear Friends at and of Aliso Laguna News,

My family and I love getting our Aliso Laguna News and discover the many exciting happenings in our beautiful community for family, children, and businesses. Thank you for creating a fun and informative newspaper!

I am writing you to tell you my exciting life of being a mommy business owner! I own a trendy baby accessories online business called www.BabyEmiJewelry.com and our catchy slogan “is glamour for pint-sized people.”

You may have seen my silver Honda van around town with our pink logo display on the back. I feel that my story would be of interest because I am a local resident of Aliso Viejo and have made a mark in the media world!

The public is very interested in the “Celebrity Baby Boom” and what products these celebrities love. And with the start of Spring..baby showers, baby blessings, and the newest baby swag are the hot topic of discussion for many expectant and/or seasoned moms, grandparents and god parents!

Our famous Cambodian Jingle Bells Anklets have been gifted to many haute new Hollywood moms such as Nicole Ritchie, Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry and Jessica Alba. And just recently our Cambodian Jingle Bells Anklet has been sighted on Heaven Rain daughter of Brooke Brooke and featured inTouch Magazine.

Our anklet is a must-have accessory for active babies and their trendy parents! We have been featured in Pregnancy and Ok! Magazine and was on The View in the Celebrity BUMP Bag for Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s televised baby shower and we gifted the entire audience members (who were also pregnant) with our Cambodian Jingle Bells Anklets!

And the most beautiful part of it all is I am able to share my family’s culture of baby jewelry gifting with our anklets. And pass down a tradition that has been instilled since the beginning of time. For thousands of years, Cambodian families have welcomed new babies with silver anklets adorned with small bells.

The whimsical sounds of the bells were traditionally thought to ward off bad spirits. These days, babies still love the gentle jingling sounds. The stylish and thoroughly modern design is also a treat for parents who are looking for a unique and fun way to track their baby’s movements.

Please visit us at www.babyemijewelry.com to view our collection. Kind regards,

Debbie Savage

Owner | Baby Emi

30262 Crown Valley Pkwy Suite B270

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

P: 1-877-7-BABY-EMI

F: (949) 480-1649

debbie@babyemijewelry.com

www.babyemijewelry.com

“glamour for pint-sized people”

CARLSBAD, Calif. (March 26, 2009) – SEA LIFE™ Aquarium celebrates Earth Month by offering fun, family-friendly craft activities with an environmental message – turning trash into treasure – every Saturday in April.

April 4 – Recycled Shadow Puppets
Every child has made shadow puppets with their hands, but SEA LIFE will show you how to use recycled paper to make shadow puppets that you can use over and over again. Best of all, you will get to demonstrate your puppets along with all of the other children and learn how to make your own “theater” at home using a cereal box.

April 11 – Mosaic Marine Animals
Work with SEA LIFE educators to create fun marine animal mosaics made of paper that could have otherwise ended up as trash in the ocean.

April 18 – Be an Ocean Super Hero
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a SEA LIFE super hero! This fun craft project transforms recycled paper into colorful masks and reminds kids that by helping to save the planet, they are super heroes to the ocean!

April 25 – April Showers Bring May Flowers
Anemones are the “flowers” of the ocean and in this fun craft you will learn to make a beautiful anemone from recycled toilet paper rolls while learning how to be a “greener” gardener.

Every craft participant will receive a “grow-a-note” book mark full of simple tips for being green. After re-using the bookmark time and time again, it can be planted and watered and wildflowers will bloom!

All craft activities take place in SEA LIFE Aquarium’s Southern California Tide Pool exhibit between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and are free with paid admission. For more information visit www.sealifeus.com or call 760-918-5346.

Ocean Institute Offers
Summer Programs for Children

Dana Point, CALIF., March 2009 –¬ Registration has opened for the Ocean Institute’s summer programs for children ages 5 and older. Programs have been designed to utilize the Institute’s various facilities such as the state-of-the-art Ocean Education Center, its research vessel Sea Explorer, its two tallships, Pilgrim and Spirit of Dana Point and the nearby Dana Point Marine Life Refuge.

Programs include:

Week-long, Half-day programs:

Sea Squirts Camp (ages 5-6) – Bring children’s literature to life in the Ecology Learning Center. Highlights include stories, poetry, crafts and encounters with a variety of sea life.

Week-long, Full-day programs:

Neptune’s Nautiloids Camp (6-7) – Similar to Sea Squirts, this camp uses children’s literature to teach students about the ocean world. Examine tiny sea creatures, observe animals in the aquariums, explore the Dana Point Marine Life Refuge and take a cruise aboard the research vessel Sea Explorer.

Lil’ Buccaneer Camp (6-7) – Step into the world of pirates, buccaneers and sailors. Learn what life was like at sea during this exciting week filled with maritime activities, crafts, sea chanteys and much more.

Ocean Discovery Camp (7-9) – Spend a week immersed in the fun and fascinating world of eyes, vision, and the properties of light in the ocean. Learn about moon jellies, work with oceanographic research tools, enjoy a day at the beach and take a two-hour adventure cruise aboard the research vessel Sea Explorer.

Tallship Adventure Camp (8-10) – Learn traditional boating skills of the Golden Era of Sail. Weigh anchor, row, navigate, and sail historic San Juan Harbor (Dana Point), with a crew of fellow sailors. Practice the battle tactics of Lord Admiral Nelson and Sir Francis Drake and learn island survival skills used by marooned sailors.

Coastal Explorer Camp (10-12) – Explore the science of the surf zone. Forecast weather and waves, investigate marine animals and their environment, cruise aboard the research vessel Sea Explorer and enjoy a kayak ride in Dana Point Harbor.

Marine Sciences Careers/Internship Academy (14-17) – Learn about the ocean and careers in marine science. Study intertidal ecology and animal husbandry, conduct shipboard research aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, build ROVs and much more! Successful graduates may qualify to become Ocean Institute interns.

Parent-child Overnight Camps:

Grunion Run Sleepover (age 8+) – Watch as this amazing fish comes up on the beach to spawn. Learn about the grunion around a bonfire, followed by a late night as we try to see this curious fish.

Voyage to Avalon (8+) – Join the crew of the Spirit for a sunset dinner at sea during the overnight motor-transit to Catalina. In the morning, explore the charming town of Avalon and then sail the Spirit home; with the wind! Take part in traditions such as night-watch, story-telling, chantey singing and knot tying, as well as sailing.

Mysterious Lights (age 8+) – Learn about the fascinating world of bioluminescence in marine animals onboard the research vessel Sea Explorer.
Multi-Day Overnight Camp:

Island Bound Camp (11-13) – Voyage to Catalina Island aboard the Spirit of Dana Point. Day 1 is spent at the Institute learning navigation, watch-standing skills and the responsibilities of the crew. Days 2-4 are spent sailing, hiking, snorkeling and learning nautical skills in Catalina.

Parent-child Single-Day Programs:

Catalina Snorkeling Cruise (age 9+) – Experience the waters off Catalina Island onboard the R/V Sea Explorer. Snorkeling, catch-and-release fishing, BBQ dinner.
Blue Whale Safari (age 8+) – Day-long search for the world’s largest animal.

4th of July Fireworks Cruise (age 5+) – Sunset cruise and fireworks onboard the R/V Sea Explorer. Celebrate our nation’s founding to the music of Jazz! FM 88.5 KSBR.

For dates, times, costs, registration and other information about Ocean Institute summer camps, please visit www.ocean-institute.org or call (949) 496-2274.

Open to the Public on Weekends – The Ocean Institute is open to the general public on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Weekend visitors can enjoy special seasonal exhibits, as well as hundreds of living ocean animals, and shark and jellyfish feedings. Cost: $6.50 adults, $4.50 children ages 4-12. Or, with the purchase of a membership, a family can enjoy year-round free admission, benefit from member-only events and receive discounts on all other programs.

Visitors can also board one of the Ocean Institute’s sea-going vessels, the state-of-the-art R/V Sea Explorer or the historic tallship Spirit of Dana Point. Cruises are an additional charge. For information, visit www.ocean-institute.org.

Founded in 1977, the Ocean Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean preservation through education, setting the standard for educational excellence and serving as a leading resource for universities, museums, teachers and all others seeking to increase their knowledge of the ocean.

2008 Business of the Year – The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce has selected the Ocean Institute as Dana Point’s “Business of the Year.” The award recognizes the positive contribution the Ocean Institute has made to the Dana Point community.

Submitted By Jim Graves