Respect My Vote

I’ve been a little inspired of late. I unexpectedly launched an Etsy Shop as a side hustle to sell some T-Shirt designs and other items that I have come up with along with my boys. It’s been a nice creative outlet and I am no graphic designer, but if you have an idea, there are programs out there to help you get your words out…literally, which is why I’m writing this post.

Respect My Vote Unisex Jersey Tee with blue lettering and red check mark vote design

Respect My Vote. It sounds like an easy enough concept, right? I’ve never really though of my right to vote being “disrespected,” but sadly, in today’s current political and social climates, I do feel like my vote is a bit threatened. So, I put it on a shirt.

First, I do believe in the power of voting and having your voice heard. Both of my parents were immigrants to the U.S. and they took voting seriously, I recall election days as a young girl, waiting in long lines in my neighborhood so that they could vote. I always thought it was an interesting process to go into someone’s house in my neighborhood (polling place), where there would be a steady stream of people patiently waiting their turn to submit their ballot. All that to say, the act of voting was a big deal for my parents and the house I grew up in, so I take advantage of my right to vote.

Second, all this talk about mail in ballots and voter fraud, totally rubs me the wrong way! I have been voting absentee, which essentially is a form of mail-in voting and until this year, I have never questioned if my ballot was going to get hijacked on the way to being counted at an Election’s Office. I use the right ink for the bubbles, I seal it, sign it and put the right amount of postage or drop in the ballot box near me. I have great faith in the U.S. Postal Service and their ability to get my mail and packages delivered on time and in one piece. Is the the Postal Service perfect? No, but I tend to prefer the USPS over UPS or Fed-Ex…just saying! I respect the hard work the mail carriers and sorters put in, and I trust them to deliver my vote, if additional funding, mail sorting machines and blue post office boxes are taken away, and I have seen photos that suggest this…I find that disrespectful. Never in my life would I have ever thought that would be a thing.

Thirdly, tensions are high, we all know that. People are on polar extremes fighting and arguing for beliefs along party lines. Life is completely uncertain in a pandemic and unemployment, mental health issues creeping up on all of us and here in California, my world is literally on fire. The upcoming Election Day should be the one thing in our control. We have the opportunity to vote, we can choose who we want to vote for, and we should be able to vote using whatever method we feel safe doing so…and the way I choose to submit my vote, needs to be RESPECTED! I’m not going to tell you who to vote for or what to believe in, but I can tell you registering to vote is the right thing to do, it’s part of your civic duty and it’s one ( meaningful) way to enact real change in your community.

Respect My Vote T-Shirt Design

This is why, I was inspired and motivated to create the “Respect My Vote” T-Shirt. I plan to wear mine as we count down to November 3, 2020, and if you want to support me and order an election day shirt of your own, head over to my Shop 53 Weeks Etsy Shop! To see all my shirt designs click here. Also, you can use promo code SHOP20 until the end of August to save 20%. BTW, shirts are available Unisex or a Women’s Jersey Tee, if you prefer something more fitted. There are also two subtle design differences, one has the lettering in all blue with a red vote box check mark, and the other has blue and red lettering with the red vote check mark. But if you do anything, make sure you’re registered to vote.

Respect My Vote Ladies Tee with blue + red lettering and red check mark design

Easy Tips to Improve Virtual Meetings

We all want to say it’s not about the “look,” but presentation and the “look” can go a long way, especially when it comes to virtual meetings! Now that so many of us are working from home and having to use Zoom, Skype and FaceTime as our means for socializing and connecting with co-workers, effective (virtual) communication is important!

For some of us, it’s easy to carve out a niche at home to work and do these online calls, but for others it may be a bit more challenging. Clare Kumar spoke with me about ways to fix up our spaces at home and how to make yourself look and sound better using our laptops and smartphones!

Clare was a great interview and really has easy tips to improve the way we communicate virtually. My biggest takeaways are her advice for finding your “color” and also ways to improve the audio quality on these calls.

I’m Rockin with Rocksbox

In my line of work, appearance plays a big part. If I’m going to be on TV, or make an appearance, heck, for many of us media-types we always feels the need to be “ready to go” and be “on” at a moment’s notice. That being said, one thing I’ve never been is a great accessorizer. I tend to stick with simple and safe, hoop earring, simple bracelet in gold or silver and my same staple, go-to rings. However, I do admire great jewelry and would love to sport them with style.

Enter Rocksbox. Rocksbox is a great subscription service that provides you with a stylist who will select and send you fantastic jewelry to accessorize with, based on your choices in a simple survey. You can also select items into your wish list. Then once you receive your set, you can start to feel a bit more put together with their great selection of jewelry. There is no time limit on how long you can use the items. Just use and return when you’re ready for your next set..and you also have the option to purchase the piece you would like to keep.

So, let me share with you my first Rocksbox!!! My 2-year old toddler couldn’t resist helping me open it…that’s probably the best part, getting a package in the mail and not knowing exactly what’s inside is too fun. I guess that’s why the kids love those surprise egg videos so much. At any rate, I caught the moment on my iPhone if you want to see the big reveal.

Inside I had a brillant blue pair of stud earrings, a sexy statement necklace and a delicate, trendy tube bracelet.

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First up I wore the Loren Hope Sophia studs in seafoam. These were just so pretty on my ears. I wore them with a few different looks, but they worked nice to jazz up a daytime outfit, or compliment a more dressy style. The color definitely popped!

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I paired the Perry Street Addision necklace with a business suit look to add some “bling.” It worked beautifully and added that touch of style to a suited up look.

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Finally, I wore the Gorjana Bali Tubed Curve bracelet. I wouldn’t have selected this for myself, but since I had it, why not rock it?!?! It was a simple, subtle accessory to add to my outfit that day, a delicate and feminine statement on my wrist.

Alright, so if you want to try Rocksbox FREE …all you need to do is visit Rocksbox.com and enter my code aubreyaquinotvxoxo …then you can have all this fun waiting for you too!!!

 

My VIP Tour of Raymond Vineyards

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I recently embarked on my first ever wine-tasting outing in Northern California’s “Wine Country,” and it was so much more than I could’ve ever imagined. I went with a group of ladies, as we were all celebrating my sister Adrienne’s upcoming wedding, so it was a girls getaway bachelorette weekend of sorts. Like I said, I had never been wine tasting, so I asked around for recommendations before finally settling on a VIP Tour Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena. The contact who booked gave me a heads’s up that it was a  non-conservative and atypical of a traditional winery..whatever that is. Honestly I was just expecting a plain room in the middle of a huge field of grapes on a vine and wine barrels. I couldn’t have been more wrong in “stereotyping” a vineyard/winery. This was anything but boring, typical AND oh so perfect for our occasion!

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I instantly fell in love with our VIP host Gina, she was a complete doll! As soon as she saw our group, we got our glasses and popped the bubbly. Then she proceeded to take us for a short tour of their grounds, with beautiful gardens, farm animals and even a “Doggie Winery” if you will. She explained to us that they create their own energy and do their best to be “green.”

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From there, the party started! We went into an indoor facility where they make the wine and this place is almost indescribable, you kind of have to experience it for yourself. It has sexy mood lighting with several Vegas showgirl-like outfitted mannequins…it had a Moulin Rouge feel…lots of “French” influence! There were elaborate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and lounge music pumping through the room..and of course we were surrounded by wine!

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From there we went to another outdoor area where we had an impromptu photo shoot on picturesque white lounge furniture before being ushered in to the “JCB Lounge.” JCB standing from wine maker and owner Jean Charles Boissant. The JCB Lounge is all-gold EVERYTHING! There’s also a huge projection screen and just a very rich, very high end vibe. My first thought was this is the perfect backdrop for a hip hop video! LOL!

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Our last stop on the VIP tour was the private Red Room. Think velvet and leopard fabrics…it was out of this world, the room just sucked you in and invited you to relax. Gina was even kind enough to let my sister pic the Beyonce Pandora station to provvde our soundtrack for the room. All in all, I was blown away by this place..and I’m sure when I return there’ll be so much more to take in that I missed this time around. We may not have went to Vegas for this bachelorette, but Raymond Vineyards made us feel like that’s where we were..and the wines were amazing too! It couldn’t have been a more perfect VIP Tour of the Winery or for my sister’s special outing. We are so thankful we had the opportunity to visit it.

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I would highly recommend this as a stop for anyone’s next jaunt into wine country. It’s nothing short of amazing and didn’t disappoint..both of which I never expected to be saying about a winery.

Live from the MIA

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A good friend of mine is launching a new radio station “LIVE from the MIA!” It’s being billed as “Your Station for Every Generation!” It’ll offer a great mix of news, pop culture, movie reviews, celebrity interview and of course MUSIC!

Check it out at http://livefromthemia.tumblr.com/

WATCH the promo below for a taste of Live from the MIA…

ACHI Magazine Cover Shoot – Sneak Peek

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I recently did a photo shoot for ACHI Magazine. I was very flattered that they wanted to capture this mug for their fashion magazine…and not only that, but I’ll be on the cover of their January issue! The magazine is published quarterly online…

ACHI “Strength in Sisterhood” is a Fashion and Life Style Magazine focusing on women’s interests. ACHI Magazine is “For Women That Want It All.”

On January 31, 2015 at the First Annual ACHI Magazine NFDC they will unveil the January-March issue, featuring me!

Click play below to watch a quick behind the scenes look at my shoot!

Top 20 Under 40, I made the List!

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Who really pays attention to the “lists”?!?! There’s lists and countdowns for just about everything these days and I’ll admit I don’t really pay attention all that often, but I will always browse and glance to see what’s on there…. Well, now that I MADE A LIST, I’d say it’s a pretty darn good feeling! Plus, since this “list” is only for those under the age of 40….my years to make it were running thin! haha!

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At any rate, I am extremely honored, flattered and humbled to be chosen as one of the Top 20 Professionals Under 40 by Brickell Magazine. I must say my nomination came as quite a surprise as I am just now hitting my stride balancing my titles of work and Mommy, and I was thrilled to be selected.

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The photo shoot was lots of fun, as I got to meet some of the other professionals chosen for the May/June 2014 issue (I’m on page 103), everyone has a story to tell and I’m in great company! So, if you’re in and around downtown Miami/Brickell, pick up an issue…or check it out online HERE!!!

PhilanthroFest

Philanthrofest has made a huge impact on the South Florida community. The event, now in its third year, connects 1000’s of South Florida residents to valuable resources and services in the areas of Business & Economic Development, City/County Services, Civic Engagement/Community Improvement & Capacity Building, Cultural/Arts/Humanities, Educational, Environmental, Health/Human Services/Disease Prevention, Poverty/Welfare, Animal Related, Food/Agriculture/Nutrition, Recreation & Sports, and Youth Development & Services.The PhilanthroFest Community Engagement Festival features more than 100 South Florida non-profits and community agencies, art, music and dance entertainment, a kid’s zone, a community stage, healthy living section, and other family friendly attractions.

PhilanthroFest is FREE and open to the public with the goal of connecting volunteers and donors to not-for-profit organizations while creating an environment that promotes civic engagement, deepens community connections and sparks the philanthropic spirit of South Florida.

3 ways YOU can support PhilanthroFest TODAY:

GIVE

Donate to support the PhilanthroFest 2014 Festival and we will include your name on our donor recognition page and donor activation at the festival. DONATE VIA EVENTBRITE!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philanthrofest-2014-tickets-10897953071

VOTE

Cast your vote for PhilanthroFest in the KIND “Do The KIND Thing” Challenge: VOTE NOW! http://projects.kindsnacks.com/project/philanthrofest-2014-civic-engagement-festival/

SHARE

Share your #PhilanthroSMILE with us and be featured in our social media campaign: SHARE YOUR #PHILANTHROSMILE
http://www.philanthrofest.com/philanthrosmile