May 1st-May 14th - Senior Ball, Mother's Day, Photo Shoots & More!

Tuesday morning Tony, Mike and I got up and got ready to check out of the hotel. I thought it would be good to get something to eat before the long drive back to Rochester, New York so I called Maialino where I work and asked them to get the three of us in for lunch. Of course they were so nice and said yes so we headed over and each ordered delicious pasta dishes. The chefs were generous and brought us out a complementary plate of cheese and vegetables! We had a great time and enjoyed the amazing food!

We had a fun road trip home and then Wednesday I had a very busy day! During the day I had a photo shoot for Next Step Magazine. I had modeled for the magazine about six years ago so it was nice to work with them again and the team was so nice! It was a beautiful day outside and we shot on the Pittsford, New York canal which was fun! 

Later at night was my best friend Elizabeth's senior ball that she invited me to go with her! We went to Scott Miller to get makeovers and they did an amazing job like always! Afterwards we met Mike at Plum Garden and had dinner before getting ready to go to the ball! We went back to Liz's dorm and got our dresses on and headed downtown to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. 

When we got there we had some h'orderves and talked with friends. Then Liz was eager to hit the dance floor and we danced all night long! We had a such a good time and I am so happy that I got to celebrate with her for almost being done with college!

The day after I spent time at home and my Dad finished painting our kitchen. Then we went for a walk at Turning Point park by my house and I took a nap with my kitty Cookie Dough!

The next morning Mike and I went to IHop because we had not been there in a while and of course we got pancakes. Later I listened to Mike work on a new cool song in the studio and then spent more time at home at night.

May 5th was Cinco de Mayo but it was also Liz's Graduation day!! I went downtown to the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial and met Liz's family there. The ceremony was very nice and I was so proud of Liz as she walked across the stage and accepted her diploma! 

It was weird to think that was me graduating a year ago and that Liz is already done with college! Afterwards we went to her house and had a party with her family and it was very nice. There was great food and yummy cupcakes! I felt bad when I had to leave but I had to pack to head back to the city. When I got home my Mom who owns a dojo was making karate cookies which is actually an idea I told her about that I saw on Pinterest. 

The next morning my Dad and I left for Nyack, New York where some of Mike's family lives. Mike was visiting them and I wanted to be there to visit too. When we first got there we met them at the Chuang Yen Buddhist Monastery. It was such a beautiful site and I was not expecting the monastery to be that breathtaking. 

My Dad stayed at the Monastery for a while longer before heading to Connecticut to help my Grandma around the house. Mike and I spent time with his family and some friends and it was very nice! I felt bad but the next morning I had to be at work so we woke up early and they drove me to my apartment and then to work. 

The next day when I was working actor Ed Begley Jr and his family dined with us again and actor Dominic West stopped in to say hi to his wife Catherine who was having coffee at our bar. On Thursday Lauren  "Lo" Bosworth from MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills came in for lunch with some girlfriends. ESPN's SportsCenter anchor and sportscaster Stuart Scott also came in that day.

Also that week Ritz invited me to go to Philippine entertainer Sam Milby's send-off party since he was going back to the Philippines and her husband was going to attend so she wanted me to meet him. I met her husband who works for Gucci and he was very nice, as well as many other friends of theirs including Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. She was an actress on Hannah Montana, Camp Rock and Fame, had toured with the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato and is now in Godspell on Broadway. They were celebrating at Qi and I just stopped by for a few minutes but it was a cool restaurant. In the bathroom there was a hologram on the  mirror that I had never seen something like that before. 

Sunday was Mother's Day and I worked at Maialino in the morning. It was a little hectic but I loved watching all of the families having a great time together and I love the feeling of helping guests have a great experience just like each time that I work. During the day Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner who is married to Ivanka Trump (one of my role models), came in and we were fully reserved but luckily a party in our front bar area canceled and so I told him that we had a table available for him and he was very nice. 

I was very excited that after work I was going to be flying home to see my Mom for Mother's Day! The next day I was hired for a photo shoot for Scott Miller Salon and Spa and so it worked out perfectly to be able to see my Mom as well! I flew home and my Mom picked me up and it was so nice to go home and have dinner and play board games together! I have the best Mother in the whole Universe and I love her so much!

The next morning the crew and I got together early in the morning for the Scott Miller shoot and I was so excited! 

Carin Lilja the stylist came with racks of clothes and the makeup and hair was all set up so after a quick breakfast we began! Silvana Gulino is Scott Miller's head makeup artist and she is incredible. First she started with a more natural look and while she was doing my makeup the photographer was setting up lighting. I have worked with the photographer Carrie Mateosian before and it is always an honor, she is so sweet and her work is top-notch! 

After makeup, Scott and his assistant Alysse blow-dried and styled my hair for the first look! He makes my hair look magnificent and I wish that he could style my hair everyday! Alex Miller's boyfriend Jon McLean was the videographer and he took videos of me getting hair and makeup done.

I won't say details yet but the different outfits for the shoot were so cool and consisted of pieces by Prada, Chanel, and Burberry. Also during the shoot the stylist took out the exact dress that Kate Moss wore on the cover of W Magazine! Carin used to be a buyer for Chanel and she had friends who had worked on the shoot with Kate. Putting on the dress was so exciting and I was in shock that Kate had modeled in it! We didn't end up using it for the shoot because it was tight on top so I can show you which dress it was!

Throughout the shoot Helen and Alex helped direct it and Mike held the light reflector sometimes as well as cheered me on :) After the shoot we went to P.F. Changs with my Mom to have dinner with her which was nice. Later even though I did not want to leave, I had to pack to head back to the city the next day.