Love Chocolate??

I know I do! So when my client, Donna Williams, PhD, told me about her new business, I was intrigued. She is an independent distributer of Xocai...healthy chocolate! Imagine that? Then I tried it..YUMMY! This chocolate is high in antioxidants and is made with the acai berry (plus the blueberry and concord grape!). Here are 7 reasons to eat healthy chocolate:

1. Deliciously decadent Belgian chocolate

2. Highest tested level of antioxidants

3. No refined sugare, milk, or preservatives

4. Curbs cravings for sweets and snacks

5. Diabetic and heart friendly

6. Can contribute to healthy weight control

7. 90% of us eat chocolate....Just trade bad for good!

If you would like to try Xocai, please email Donna at Donna@NeedMyChocolate.com or visit her website my clicking Need My Chocolate. If you would like to chat with Donna about becoming a distributer (and making some great money!), give her a shout!

Obama Dines at Roy's!

How cool is this? My friend Jayne sent me this picture. She is one of the marketing directors for OSI (Outback) in CA. (Sniffle, sniffle...she moved from Tampa over a year ago after working at Bonefish.) Anyway, hours before announcing the Joe Biden VP nomination, Barack and his family dined at Roy's Chicago. He is a big fan and has dined regularly for years. He also spent Father's Day there. This is the first time the paparazzi followed him. Nice pic if I do say so myself! His faves: short ribs and butterfish and of course- the Hawaiian Martini! (And BTW- this is not a "Vote for Barack" thing. Just thought it was neat....) Oh, and if you have never dined at Roy's, you should! It is yummy! Click Roy's to check it out.

The Closing Ceremony....

Well, it has been 17 days of excitement!  I do love the Olympics- and gymnastics and swimming rocked my world!  Volleyball was pretty fun to watch, too- but my heart was with Michael, Nastia, and Shawn!  I have not had time to post my recent options since we have been up so late every night watching- so here is my quick recap:

Micheal Phelps- AMAZING, truly amazing!  The fly?  It was a nail biter. We were screaming!  And the 4 x100- does it get any more exciting?  Lezack was almost a body length behind- he is an animal.  The team was just incredible.  I am definitely a Phelps Phan!  (How can you not be??!!)

Gymnastics- Lastia got robbed on bars.  But I am so glad Shawn on beam.  She is too cute.  I would love to go to London in 2012.  OK, so if you can get me tickets- free portraits sessions- for life! ha!  Time for bed- I have 17 days worth of sleep to catch up on....

Welcome Sophie Rose!

Sophie Rose is finally here. Though I swear her mommy just told me she was pregnant...time does fly- doesn't it?! At just 10 days old, Sophie is already a super model (yes...newborn sessions should happen as early as possible- preferably at 7-10 days old, when they are still all "curly"). And being a model is tough work- especially for mommies and daddies, who get pee and poo showers! ha! Congrats Helen and Tony and Olivia- so happy for the F. family!
:) A

It's Holiday Time....Already!

I can't believe it- but it is time to start thinking about the holidays already! Those of you who were with me last year (my first holiday season!!), know how it goes (and thanks for being on the ball and scheduling your holiday session already!). For my newbies, this is the drill- my holiday cards ROCK! They are 5x7 or 5x5 folded on a heavy cardstock linen or watercolor paper. They are totally customized (images, colors, fonts, text) and will definitely WOW your family and friends! You can either schedule a new session or use images from one of your sessions this year. Your session MUST be scheduled by November 1 to guarantee your order in time for the holidays. I am considering a holiday mini session for clients who already had a session this year- I will keep you posted!
To view some of my holiday cards designs, click here:
www.andidiamond.com/HolidayCards

A Ride over Baghdad!

One of my recent wedding clients, Laura G., just emailed me this picture of her new hubby on his first helicopter ride over Baghdad! And her her words..."Isn't he just too damn cute!!" Thanks for protecting our country, Patrick! Come home safely- and soon!!

It's a Jewelry Party!

I LOVE jewelry! So when my client, Cynthia Fortunato, told me about the new line she was carrying, I was all ears! Her line is called Inspiranza, http://www.inspiranzadesigns.com/, and she is the only rep in Tampa! The line specializes in unique handmade sterling silver jewelry with semiprecious stones and pearls. I encourage you to look at her line OR stop by her OPEN HOUSE party on Friday, August 22 starting at 10am. AND...bring your old gold (you know that old ring from your high school boyfriend? that lone hoop earing??) She will have rep there to buy your old gold! You might even want to consider hosting an Inspiranza party or becoming a rep yourself. Please contact Cynthia at 813-732-4294 or via email at cmfortunato@verizon.net for more info. Hope to see you Friday! Tell her Andi sent you!

Olympic Outrage.

Well, more Olympic controversy! I have to admit that I was very mad last night that Nastia Liukin was not sharing the gold medal on top of the podium with He Kexin of China. After all, their routines scored the exact same! There is definitely a flaw in the scoring system- and as a gymnastics judge, I feel confident in that! My heart broke for Nastia- however, she did claim the biggest metal of them all in Olympic gymnastics- the all around gold! It just seems that the Americans are getting ripped. Did you see vault event finals? Alicia Sacramone's vault not only soared over Chenf Fei, but she landed on her feet!! When I judge, if you don't land on your feet first, the vault is a void- a zero! Seemed to me that not only did Fei fall, but she did not land feet first. I honestly thought she was going to get a void vault- and then she medals?? There is a problem here! Whew- glad I got that out! Anyway, way to go team USA! Can't wait for balance beam finals tonight! And am I the only one staying up all night, every night, watching the Olympics? I gotta get some sleep! ha!

Baby on Board!

Ohh, to look this good when you are 5 days shy of giving birth! ha! Helen was such a trouper. Helen is a great friend of mine- and was one of my first maternity "models" when I started my business. This time we had our session on location in her home. Keep your eyes posted for her newborn pics soon!

And thanks for your patience while I was on vacation these past few days. I will return all calls and e-mails asap! We had a great time at Palm Coast- I will post some images soon. And of course, I will post some more Olympic updates and opinions, as well!

More Olympic Updates...

Are you loving the Olympics??? I sure am! Gymnastics update- the men's team took bronze. Pretty impressive, especially considering that this was the 1st Olympics for all of the team members, and they lost 2 of their best veterans...the Hamm brothers. The women's team struggled a bit, but still managed to grab the silver (amongst controversy that the Chinese competed with under aged girls). I am sitting here watching swimming- with my laptop..well, on my lap- just as Michael Phelps has won yet another gold metal- in the 200IM. The man is incredible! He has 26 individual world records. And he just seems so darn nice! Pete and I are talking about how we want to be in the Olympics- ya' think it might be too late?? Ha! Maybe Ethan will be one day- he is as obsessed with it right now as we are- and he is 2!! More Olympics to come...I'm lovin' it!! Did I mention that already?

And a shout out to all the Gators in the Olympics!! So far, we have athletes competing in swimming (Dara Torres, Ryan Lochte, amongst others), women's basketball, baseball, women's soccer, and tennis. More Gators to come...it's a Gator Nation!!

Olympic Update....

The men's relay was AMAZING!  If you missed it, you have to go online to see a re-cap!  I had goose bumps watching as Jason Lezak (the anchor) charged to the wall- starting the lap almost half a body length behind the French (who had been smack talking the US---in your face, France!)  The team shattered the world record with a time of 3:08.34.  Truly awe inspiring!  Michael Phelps (above) lead the team with an American record in the first 100m, bringing him that much closer to 8 gold metals!
On the other hand, it was a rough start for the US Women's Gymnastics team as we struggled through the prelims tonight.  Injuries, falls, out of bounds...lots of disappointments for our girls.  But, I am confident that we will come back strong- and after the pep talk seen here that the team gave each other, it looks like they can- they know they can- and have to- do better!  Overall, some very impressive gymnastics.  Ethan did a few flips on the couch in celebration!  GO USA!!!!

Spotlight on.....Invent Your Image!

If you received my last newsletter, you probably saw my newest section "Spotlight On..". I am spotlighting one of my clients who owns her (or his) own business every month. This month's Spotlight is Invent Your Image, owner Lisa K. Ford. IYI is my spotlight because I really find it to be one of the best concepts I have heard of recently! IYI heps you to do exactly that- INVENT YOUR IMAGE! Lisa is an expert in the field of color analysis, make up application, wardrobe, style, and professional business ettique. I recently attended one of her Makeup Therapy 101 workshops with my mom and best friend- it was a blast! In about 2 hours you learn:
- why women should wear make up (yes ladies- we can all benefit!!), make up analysis, important make up tools, IYI tips and tricks, and how to apply makeup in 5 minutes or less (a must for me!!). Bring a friend, send an employee, or bring your mom (like I did!). Visit IYI's website at:
www.inventyourimage.com to sign up or to learn more about IYI. It is only $35 and very worth it! Tell Lisa, Andi sent you!
ps. If you are interested in being considered for my next Spotlight, I would love to hear from you!

The Olympics are here! Go USA!!!

I am so excited!!  The Olympics are here!  Of course I am most excited about gymnastics!  I was a competitive gymnast for years and am a level 10 judge now.   The US team is awesome and I wish I could be there!  One of these days I am determined to make it to an Olympics!  We actually were in Athens 5 days before the last Olympics...so close!  Anyway, several friends have been asking me about the Olympic scoring system for gymnastics, so here is a brief explanation:

 A perfect 10 is no longer an option!  This (in my opinion) is both a positive and a negative.  There was always something amazing about achieving that perfect 10!  It was historical- think Mary Lou!  Now there are 2 panels of judges- panel A scores the difficulty of the skills being performed (valued at A through G, G being worth the most).  Panel B scores the execution and artistry of the skills- basically how well they are performed.  The gymnast gets points for each skill she performs based on the value and loses points for mistakes.  Then the 2 panels add their scores together for a combined score.  The gymnasts who are doing the more difficult skills will be rewarded, over the gymnasts who play it safe.  You will see scores in the 15's, 16's, and 17's.  

For all the Olympic highlights and the schedule, go to  http://www.nbcolympics.com/ or http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/index_uk.asp.  Enjoy and GO USA!!!!