For many young Connecticut professionals, Saturday March 7th marked a turning point in local entertainment.  Attorney Corey Brinson & Businessman Earl O’Garro, President & CEO of Hybrid Insurance Group hosted the first CTSuccess Event at the prestigious Hartford Club- and a success it was indeed.  With the women in white and men in black, the young professional people of Connecticut united for a Celebration of Success.

The night was complete with a performance by reggae artist Baby Cham (above) and the Cultural Dance Troupe of the West Indies of Hartford Connecticut.  Sponsors included The Action Audio Store, Jenilee Wirtz, MD Tech Team, Signature Insurance, The Law Offices of Deron Freeman, and more.  Be sure to check the CTSuccess site for information on upcoming events!

Earl & Corey, thank you for a phenomenal night!

Elisa and Nathan Bond’s life seemed perfect. Not long after their fairy-tale wedding, they had a beautiful baby girl who was growing into a happy toddler. Outside of a few extra pounds Elisa wanted to shed, she couldn’t think of a single thing wrong with their lives.

But on Valentine’s Day, the fabric of their existence started to unravel. Nathan, 38, learned he had Stage 3 colon cancer and only a 65 percent chance of surviving the next five years.

They were still absorbing the news when, just nine days later, 36-year-old Elisa received an even worse diagnosis: the lump in her breast was malignant and her cancer had already spread. She had Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and her chances of surviving another five years are just 16 percent.

Elisa has only one request for those following her family’s story, she told TODAY: “If you envision our circumstance, don’t envision the cancer, envision the healing. Envision us playing with Sadie when she’s 5, when she’s 10… arguing about the keys to the car when she’s 16. That’s what we ask.”

Read the full story & watch the video clip from the TODAY SHOW here!  To donate to Elisa & Nate, visit their blog.

If you or someone you know is “putting off” the decision to fund a life insurance policy, please share this story with them. 

For more information on New York Life Insurance Company, the products we offer, or for a free consultation please contact Jenilee Wirtz at 860-716-9899 or jfwirtz@ft.newyorklife.com

It’s delicious; thought I’d pass it on!

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

Mix together. Marinate pork chops for 1 hour.

Cook Pork in sauce at 375 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes.

Enjoy! :  )

Action breeds confidence and courage.

If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.

Go out and get busy.”

- Dale Carnegie

A true story of the bond between man & his best friend.

The body of a British soldier shot dead in Afghanistan was being flown home Thursday – alongside the loyal dog who died of a seizure after his master was killed.

Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker, a dog handler with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Helmand Province last week. Theo, his bomb-sniffing springer spaniel, suffered a fatal seizure hours later at a British army base.

The 26-year-old soldier and the dog had been in Afghanistan for six months, uncovering roadside bombs. In February, the defense ministry announced that Theo had been so successful – finding 14 hidden bombs – that his tour of duty had been extended by a month.

Please keep Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker’s family in your thoughts and prayers.  May Theo and Lance rest in peace.

Read the full article from Eye Witness News 3 here. 

If you’re not getting the zzZZzz you need, find out when you should wake up for the best possible sleep.

Thanks to Stumbleupon I found this AWESOME sleep calculator….Try it!

Click the picture above or click here!

Experts on eastern Long Island are caring for a newborn seal that was found on a beach at Montauk State Park.

Robert DiGiovanni, of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation , says the seal has a slight respiratory infection.

It still had its umbilical cord attached when it was found on Feb. 12, 2011.

The gray seal pup is about 3 feet long and 35 pounds. Adult males can weigh up to 800 pounds.

Check out the full story @ Fox 5 here!

On Saturday March 5th New York Life will PROUDLY be bringing the New York Life CHILD ID Program to the Coventry CT Puzzlethon!  This event, the ASCONN Puzzlethon, is a unique fundraiser created especially to benefit the Connecticut Autism Community.  Check out the event’s FB page here!

So what is it? It’s like a Walk-A-Thon, except participants raise money by doing puzzles: jigsaw, crossword, sudoku, word search, any times of puzzles!

Why Puzzles? The puzzle piece is the most recognized symbol of the autism community. Many individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder excel at doing puzzles. Through Puzzlethon TM, persons with autism can enjoy meaningful and therapeautic social interactions doing puzzles with non-autistic individuals.

How it works – Individuals or teams are sponsored for participation, for each puzzle completed, or for a fixed amount.

When is it? – SATURDAY, MARCH 5TH, 2011 12 noon to 4pm at Coventry High School.

Sign up your school, community group, employer, service organization, family and more for this outstanding project!
All proceeds from Puzzlethon TM will benefit the programs and services of ASCONN.

For more information, please contact:

Kristen Bilotta-Brzozowski-860-989-0738 kris10bilo@aol.com or Carolyn Dionne-860-985-3558 cdionne@primeres.com

Can’t attend but you’d like to help?

We are looking for Puzzles!!! Call for info if interested in sponsoring a Table or Game, donating food & drink items, or donating to ASCONN.  All are welcome!  There will Puzzles of all kinds, games, facepainting, and plenty of food & drinks. Don’t miss it!  Tell your friends!

This is only an excerpt; please read the full article here!

I wish I could show to every man who has not bought life insurance, or enough life insurance, how fearful those left behind without enough money are, and how relatively comforted and grateful those who have enough insurance are.

If husbands could take a moment to foresee what their potential widows’ lives would be like without their regular paycheck or pension check, their very next call would be to their insurance agent.

Of course, times are tough. We all know that. Almost everyone has been hit hard. I know I have been. But what is more of a necessity than keeping your loved ones secure? What expense is more responsible and adult than sacrificing now to take care of those you love down the road when the inevitable happens?

I don’t work for an insurance company or agency and no one in my family does. But I see the look on my wife’s face when she’s napping beside me, and that’s enough to say what I just said.

These are very powerful words; well put Mr. Stein!

For more information on life insurance, please contact Jenilee Wirtz at 860-716-9899 or jfwirtz@ft.newyorklife.com.

“The inches we need are everywhere around us.”

-Vince Lombardi

I am not a Green Bay fan (nor am I a Steelers fan), but it is very neat to see the Vince Lombardi trophy heading “home” with the Green Bay Packers. 

In a year when “Lombardi” is a hit on Broadway, it is altogether fitting that the trophy that bears his name is headed back home.

No rewrite was needed for this script, and all the actors played their parts to near-perfection last night as the Packers made history and added to their own rich history.

They jumped ahead early in Super Bowl XLV and led the entire way. But in exhausting fashion, they had to hang on for dear life after their 21-3 lead was repeatedly cut into by the determined Steelers, who kept coming and coming but came up short.

In the end, the Packers made one final defensive stand for a 31-25 victory at Cowboys Stadium.

“The Vince Lombardi Trophy is finally going back home,” coach Mike McCarthy said.

To read more from the New York Post, please click here.