What Makes YOU Happy? – (Part 2) Rainbows!
If you are a fan of Opie and Anthony like me, you’ve heard a lot about “double rainbow guy” these past few days. Between this guy and Mr. Magoo DJ, I’m convinced that there is still plenty of happiness, bliss, delight and passion left in the world. It’s just kind of hard to find it sometimes.
What makes you happy?
Good for Another 1000 Miles: Artie Evans Turns 90!
The Birthday Boy, Artie Evans
There are a lot of reasons why I still drive 30 minutes to workout at the West Morris Area YMCA when there are plenty of gyms much closer to my house. Like a lot of things in life, the people who you surround yourself with make all the difference.
I met Artie as he was coming out of the locker room a few years back. He must have had a great workout because he had a nice spring to his step and said, “good for another 1000 miles!” as he passed by.
It was one of those When Harry Met Sally moments when you say to yourself, I’ll have what he’s having.”
Artie has a lot of fans at the YMCA. That was evident by the large group of friends and staff who stuck around this morning for a little birthday celebration in his honor. Being a fan isn’t too hard. Artie seems to have plenty of positivity and charisma to share with everyone.
I had the chance to chat with Evans today about his thoughts on life and his secrets to longevity. He credits his wife of 60 years, Ruth, as being his foundation and thanks her for keeping him “in line” and “out of trouble.” “She is the most wonderful wife in the world.”
mp: What were some of the most challenging experiences over the years?
AE: “I made it through the war and the depression… I remember putting cardboard in my shoes when the soles wore out.” Then we both agreed.. “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
Since Artie looks like he is only 70 instead of 90, I figured he drank juice mixes like Jack Lalanne or something… but his actual drink of choice took me by surprise;
“A Manhattan! With 2 cherries. One with the stem and one without the stem.”
When I asked Artie if he wanted to share any health and wellness tips with my fellow fitness enthusiast readers, he answered without hesitation. “The Jacuzzi!”
The Artie Evans Fan Club
After warming up with cardio and hitting the weight machines, Evans and his pals talk about the stock market while treading water in the pool and then cruise over to the jacuzzi to flirt with the ladies who just got done with their aqau-aerobics class. 
Finishing up his routine with a hot shower and shave, you might catch Artie on the way out saying, “good for another 1000 miles.”
Happy Birthday sir. The Celebrate Life Team wishes you continued health and happiness! -mp
“When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to some: Life is Fun!“ – Benjamin Hoff The Tao of Pooh
From The Crystal Point Yacht Club to Disney World: The Fairytale Comes True for Erin and Paul
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon filled with sunshine down at the Jersey shore. The gorgeous bride, Erin, was ready for the day she had been dreaming about since she was a little girl. The groom, Paul, who looks he could be Michael Buble’s brother, was ready for the day he’d been planning since his romantic proposal on the beach in Mexico. If you don’t appreciate true love, romance or rainbows and butterflies, it’s a good thing you weren’t at the Crystal Point Yacht Club last week because Erin and Paul filled the day with everything that would keep the owners of Kleenex and Kodak in business for a long time. You can check out their Wedding Day Movie Trailer and Love Story from Creative Video Editing below. The Trailer features highlights of the day that Michael and Michelle from CVE captured and transformed into a short film. The Love Story is an in-depth featurette that was filmed prior to the wedding that lets every guest at the reception know how and why these two awesome families are celebrating life together in honor of Erin and Paul. We decided to show the feature about half way through the main course on our projection screen as a “dinner and movie” presentation. Judging by the collective “oohs”, “ahhs”, tears and laughter from the 250 guests, it was definitely one of the reception highlights. One of my favorite parts of the video clips were the vow exchanges, these simple yet significant hallmark-worthy lines stood out…
Paul to Erin: …”when it’s just the two of us, I promise to always be able to share a laugh and to talk about anything and nothing”… Erin to Paul: ...”you are my soul mate, my one true love and the best friend I ever had”…
The guests also enjoyed seeing both Erin and Paul’s parents dance to their wedding songs later in the evening. As part of our design session protocol, we like to find out as much information that the guests of honor are willing to share in order to personalize the occasion and therefore create fun, sentimental and memorable moments. Another reception highlight was seeing Paul and Erin dance to a special remix of I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. It was special because they heard it at a tavern on the Seaside Heights boardwalk called the Saw Mill a few years ago and loved it… but never heard it again. With a little research and a little help from Facebook, I found out that a good friend, DJ Mike West, produced a mash-up using I Want You Back and Bartender by T-Pain in his sets a few times back in the summer of 2008. Mike was gracious enough to dig it up and e-mail it just in time for the reception. Watching Paul and Erin bust a move to one of their favorite songs reminded me once again how much I love what I do…. - make people happy and help them celebrate life. On the subject of happiness, where do newlyweds like Paul and Erin go for their honeymoon after having one of the best days of their life? Disneyworld! Of course. Special thanks to Janine Mincieli from the Crystal Point for her hospitality and professionalism. This was our first time working at the venue so she took the time to accommodate our request to do a full site survey and review the production agenda details with Erin and Paul present. Our goal is to confirm all of the event logistics like; the equipment load in, power supply, menu timing and special feature execution in the weeks prior to the reception so everyone is on the same page the day of and everything runs smoothly. Janine, a 17 year veteran, has the same intentions when she works with her clients and vendors so we made a great team. I’m looking forward to the next MMP Entertainment & Crystal Point collaboration. Special mention also goes out to Chris from Marconi Photography. He was kind enough to share some of his artistry for this entry. Chris was showing a bunch of great shots from his laptop on the seating chart table throughout the reception… these were a few of my favorites; 
And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson: Wendy Gathers Top NJ Photographers at Her Studio
(from Left) Dan Epstein, Maurico Lemonk, Camila Otero, Javier Seclen, Ellen Quentzel, Kurby Brown, Eric Kazmirek, Karen Farber, Artie Pellarano, David Patiño, Kerry Pratzon, Eileen Noelle, Joshua Lipnick (front) Carolina Wahnish Rivera, Wendy Robinson and John Peters
I was invited to join Mallus Award winning photographer, Wendy Robinson, and notable colleagues last night at her West Orange studio. For those who frequent our blog, you’ll recognize Wendy’s name and her business partner, David Patiño, from our recent collaboration at the Park Avenue Club. We are also the preferred vendor at several of the same New Jersey venues like the newly renovated Orange Lawn Tennis Club.
Mauricio Lemonk was also in attendance; he and I have teamed up on many occasions including this memorable event at the Grand Summit Hotel that was featured on the MMP blog last summer.
Whenever I mention photographers in our event recaps, I always stress how having a great personality is just as important as their artistic ability. The tri-state area is home to some of the best photographers in the industry so finding one who will capture your significant moments with deftness is the easy part; it’s finding a skillful professional that knows how to put the subjects at ease, be unobtrusive and make great conversation throughout a session that makes the search so challenging.
Wendy Robinson and Marcello Pedalino
Last night, Wendy assembled an eclectic group of seasoned aficionados that fit the bill. In addition to the expected exchange of pleasantries, networking and business idea nuggets, light-hearted conversation topics included: the World Cup, Costa Rica, quitting smoking, the BP fiasco, the under-appreciated pleasure of a short commute to work, what it is really like to be a teacher in NJ, giving up Burger King and McDonalds cold turkey (that was mine) and the awesomeness of Pandora Radio on your smart phone.
In my opinion, a great photographer, like any highly sought-after professional, needs to be able to simultaneously do their job and make their clients and guests feel comfortable. The vibes last night were definitely indicative of these qualifications. As far as their individual talents go, check out some of their sample portfolios online and judge for yourself.
Dan Epstein, Maurico Lemonk, Camila Otero, Javier Seclen, Eric Kazmirek, Karen Farber, David Patiño, Kerry Pratzon, Eileen Noelle, Joshua Lipnick, Carolina Wahnish Rivera, Wendy Robinson and John Peters (Photo Lab).
Special thanks to Wendy for the invitation and her hospitality. She’s opening a sister office in Morristown with David and Joshua Lipnick that promises to be as prosperous as their West Orange location.
I wish you all continued health, happiness and success and look forward to our next collaboration.
Franti Delivers the Sound of Sunshine
This article was tailor-made for the Sunshine Club! Mike and Kelly turned me on to Michael Franti last year. His music, lifestyle trends and positive vibes found a new home here at the Celebrate Life headquarters.
