An Intro to My Life! :)

Hello Everyone! :)

Thank you to everyone out there who is taking the time to read my blog. Hopefully, I won't bore you to tears too much!

Just a short intro about myself (try and hold back the excitement).

I'm Alexandra, Alex for short, and I am a recent grad of Villanova University and recent PR professional, who loves to travel, spend time with friends, workout, walk the dog (I have an 88 lb lovable greyhound whose quirks surpass any person I know!) and enjoying life as much as I can. As long as I am doing what I love everyday, I cannot complain.

Which brings me to the holidays! We tend(or at least I do) to get caught up in the little things and forget what the holidays are really about, which is GIVING. If each one of us remembers that, Christmas will be a much more enjoyable time for everyone. Not trying to sound too preachy or anything, but it is something that I have learned throughout my 23 yrs of living!

I have a great gift idea, which probably isn't all that unique, but its something that we don't always think about when we are buying gifts for family and friends. Because the holidays are all about giving and giving back, giving/donating to a charity in someone's name or even signing them up as a volunteer (with their consent obviously) is an absolutely awesome gift idea. Its not something that normally crosses all of our minds as we are frantically running around like a chicken with its head cut off to find that "perfect" gift. It makes us all take a step back and really think about what the holidays actually are about. Its not about the money, gifts. etc., its about giving back to the community and spending time with those you care about.

I have listed below five charities/organizations that are near and dear to my heart. (You don't have to give to these, these are just ones that are important to me)

1) Greyhound Adoption of Greater Rochester: http://www.greyhoundadopt.org/

2) Southwest Indian Foundation: http://www.southwestindian.com/

3) National MS Society: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx

4) American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

5) Special Olympics New York: http://www.specialolympicsny.org/

So, if you need a good gift idea for someone this xmas, give to a favorite charity or local charity in the name of a family member or friend. It will be one of their most memorable xmas gifts this holiday season!

Also, you can follow me on twitter! www.twitter.com/AlexMangione.

That's all for now! Merry Xmas!!! :)