Pure, Unadulterated Joy

#Joy'sTravelAdventures Announces Partnership with @Serenify - A New Standard for Honesty Online

By Joy A. Kennelly

Travel Startup Founder, Joy A. Kennelly of Joy’s Travel Adventures (JTA & #JoysTravelAdventures), is happy to announce partnering with Serenify CEO/Founder Garrett Gilbertson and Lead Developer/Co-Founder, Jordan LaPointe, who have built the most comprehensive profile verification and certification services on the web and via mobile to include: background checks, credit scores, photo verification services and customizable private investigator verifications, which are just a sampling of the 30+ data points Serenify offers.

“JTA Members will have the option to have their profiles authenticated, verified and certified within minutes using Serenify which is much better than using social media verifications due to all the fake profiles on Facebook and Twitter,” says Kennelly, founder, Joy’s Travel Adventures. “Serenify adds an extra measure of credibility to our member’s travel profiles in a very low cost manner and allows female travelers to feel more comfortable traveling together.”

Serenify is the most up-to-date/comprehensive verification service available right now providing security and privacy which also meets FCRA data handling standards. Members control how their data is shared and Serenify provides access to the best data in the industry through their partnership with LexisNexis. Gilbertson created Serenify after hearing from friends, family, and experiencing it firsthand himself, the negative and sometimes dangerous online dating experiences people have had.

“My brother and I wanted to build something that would create a new standard for honesty on the web. Our goal is to help facilitate trusting relationships for peer-to-peer services like JTA, increase honesty and improve safety in online communication,” says Garrett Gilbertson, co- founder, Serenify. “The great thing is your Serenify verification is portable and you can take it with you. You don’t have to be a celebrity to be verified on Twitter with Serenify.”

Serenify makes online communication safer, more transparent and more successful—now for Joy’s Travel Adventures’ member’s travel profiles. Serenify solves the problems caused by fraudulent and misleading online profiles by serving as an opt-in, third-party, profile verification and certification service. Serenify also provides monthly re-verification to ensure profiles are current using a data filtering algorithm. Member’s verified data is then offered via the Serenify API and hyperlinks wherever establishing trust online is needed.

ABOUT JOY’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES 

Joy’s Travel Adventures (working title) is a multi-channel engagement and e-commerce platform specializing in providing matching services for like-minded females to share travel experiences. Joy’s Travel Adventures’ goal is to provide one-stop social, shopping and matching services, resulting in greatly enhanced overall travel experiences for the target audience. The platform will provide a full range of offerings to enable a successful travel experience, such as travel packages and tours with professional, qualified guides, travel advice, products, information, videos and other resources.

JTA has plans to launch a new website with the travel personality quiz developed by ShoppingQuizzes, member profiles, outside tour operators, and now member online verification by Serenify under a new name.  Current beta site: www.joystraveladventures.strikingly.com

An Android App for Joy’s Travel Adventures is also available on the Google Play Store. Joy’s Travel Adventures’ online travel communities on Facebook and Meetup offer travel tours and special events designed for female solo/group travel experiences in Los Angeles, expanding nationally and internationally in 2016.

Founder/Host Joy Kennelly is an Award-Winning Digital Marketing Strategist and Founder of The Joy Writer PR & Digital Marketing Firm, Goal Gals LA, and now Joy’s Travel Adventures. As an adventurer who has traveled through 27 countries and most of the United States, both on her own and with her family, Joy Kennelly has worked for Alaska and Delta Airlines, the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, high-end hotels both in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

She appeared as an airline expert in “Beating the High Cost of Travel” infomercial featuring Travel Expert, Tom Parsons, and Radio Personality, Casey Kasem, as her first job in entertainment. Her interesting experiences abroad earned her a “Spirit of Adventure” honor from the Youth Hostels of America. Kennelly's savvy, unique and fun travel videos showcase different aspects of any given city including all the best places a city has to offer and how to enjoy a local culture. 

 

A published writer/influencer, Kennelly has covered the tech scene for TechZulu and her page one Google blog, Pure, Unadulterated Joy, as research for building JTA. A Who’s Who in Technology, she ran the Los Angeles Chapter of StartupMind tech group for a year and a half in Silicon Beach, CA which grew from 40 members to over 700 and expanded to include startup events in Pasadena, Silicon Valley, Orange County and Las Vegas under her leadership.

ABOUT SERENIFY Serenify was started to offer people an easy way to represent themselves truthfully online and build stronger relationships online – both professional and romantic. Serenify performs a more in-depth profile verification and certification service by offering customizable background checks, credit checks and customizable private investigator verifications (coming soon). Member’s verified data is offered via the Serenify API and hyperlinks wherever establishing trust online is needed. For more information, please review: https://serenify.com/

Serenify CEO/Founder Garrett Gilbertson is an Air Force Captain and Afghan war veteran with 7 years of government acquisition and management experience. He launched Serenify with his brother Jordan LaPointe and bootstrapped $250,000 in seed funding by building Gilbertsongems.com. A graduate from the United States Air Force Academy, Gilbertson was also recognized as the 2013 Outstanding Student in Entrepreneurship from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.

 

He was selected to pitch at the USC Angel Investor Summit, Pepperdine $5K Pitch contest, a finalist at the recent Silicon Beach Pitch Contest and recently invited to present at the upcoming Tech Crunch Disrupt. Garrett is also a venture partner at LH Ventures an early stage venture fund.

Serenify Lead Developer/Co-Founder, Jordan LaPointe, was previously at Target Corporation, where he worked on several teams that launched Target's first responsive website, completely overhauled Target's marketing email system and created a first-of-its-kind content management system which supplanted a multi-million dollar application from Adobe Systems. Mark Fox, Abraham Bosch and Jared May round out the team.

 

Le @DinerEnBlancLA returns this Thursday, 8/27 to Los Angeles - Secret location! #Foodies #TravelTuesday

This looks fabulous and you're all invited! Get your tickets until noon tomorrow here: http://losangeles.dinerenblanc.info/register

Once again, the elegant white wave of dinner guests will invade one of the most prestigious public locations in the city. Dîner en Blanc returns to Los Angeles, on Thursday, August 27, 2015. For this second edition, close to 2400 revelers are expected at a new and secret location.

The 2013 inaugural edition of this très chic picnic attracted close to 1300 cultural enthusiasts for a memorable evening on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. This annual secret affair, promises another unforgettable evening of elegance, beauty, and magic, as it takes over an undisclosed public space whose location is revealed only minutes prior to the commencement of the event.

 

 

 

 

 Here's highlights of others that have taken place around the world in the video above. Stunning, eh?

“If you were at the 2013 event, you know to circle this date! This event allows guests to enjoy some of the most prestigious and iconic public spaces in the city with elegance and flair,” says Sandy Safi, co-founder of Dîner en Blanc International. “For this new edition, we have once again searched the city high and low to find a venue that will ‘wow’ and render this night unique and magical as well as accommodate a greater number of guests.”

Launched in Paris more than 25 years ago, the original essence of Dîner en Blanc remains: friendship, elegance and gallantry. Now, more than 100,000 revelers around the world give this international event an exciting platform for participants to exhibit their fashion sense, showcase their fine taste for design and elegance, and share their gastronomic delights.

WHEN:      THURSDAY, AUGUST 27^TH  from 7 - 11p.m. – rain or shine

WHERE:     Top Secret Location

The location of the event is kept secret until the very last minute adding excitement and mystique to the evening.  The mystery is part of the original Parisian concept as the Paris event takes place every year without authorization. Secrecy is key to its success!

To maintain the uniqueness of Dîner en Blanc as well as staying true to tradition, guests must observe certain requirements and follow a few key rules:

• Registration to participate happens in three stages: Phase 1 is for members who attended the previous event; Phase 2 is for new members who are referred by Phase I  attendees; Phase 3 is for people who signed up on the waiting list via the official website: losangeles.dinerenblanc.info/register

• Once confirmed, each guest’s participation becomes mandatory, regardless of weather conditions.  This is a rain or shine event.

• Dress code:  elegant and white only.  Originality is encouraged as long as it is stylish and tasteful.

• Table setting:  all white!

• To ensure that the location secret is kept undisclosed until last minute, guests meet at an assigned departure location and are escorted by a Dîner en Blanc volunteer.

• In order to leave the event location as clean as when they arrived, guests are required to leave with all their belongings, leftovers and litter.

 Guests Must Bring:

• A table, two white chairs, white tablecloth.
• A picnic basket comprising fine food and proper stemware and white dinnerware.

o   A catered picnic basket option, which can be picked up at the site, will be available for those who do not wish to pack their own. Guests wishing to do so must reserve online through Dîner en Blanc website during the initial ticket registration.

• Wine and champagne must be pre-ordered through the event. Bringing alcohol is prohibited.

 

For full details on the event’s rules and regulations, please visit the official website: international.dinerenblanc.info/about.

Apothic Wine is proud to be the Official Wine Partner of the 2015 U.S. Diner en Blanc series. Celebrity Cruises is proud to be the Official Modern Luxury Vacation Partner of the 2015 U.S. Diner en Blanc series. Le Dîner en Blanc – Los Angeles gratefully acknowledges Canard-Duchêne as an official Champagne partner of the 2015 Dîner en Blanc – Los Angeles.

About Dîner en Blanc

Launched in Paris in 1988 by François Pasquier and a handful of friends, Dîner en Blanc has become a worldwide epicurean phenomenon. Dîner en Blanc - Paris now attracts nearly 15,000 people each year. What was a “friends and word-of-mouth only” event has grown into an international sensation celebrated on five continents.

While the technology behind the event may have changed over the years, the principles fueling this fantastic event have not: guests continue to gather at a secret location for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of their city’s most beautiful public spaces.  

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Dîner en Blanc International is responsible for developing this secret posh picnic in over 60 cities in more than 25 countries around the world. Each event is headed by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the concept and wanted to bring it to their city, giving this rendezvous a local flair.

About Apothic

Embrace the intrigue of the unexpected.  Apothic® White, the official wine of Dîner en Blanc, blends Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Grigio to create a refreshing, medium-bodied wine with flavors of peach and apricot, that leads to a crisp, balanced finish.  Named from the 13^th century European Apotheca, where wine was blended and stored, the wines of Apothic fuse Old World intrigue with modern sophistication.  Our winemaker, Debbie Juergenson, crafts unique, captivating blends that create layers of complexity.  Taste a White with Darker Motives and revel in the intrigue of Dîner en Blanc.

 About Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 10 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents immersive cruise tour experiences in Alaska and Canada.

About Canard-Duchêne
Canard-Duchêne is a Champagne House, situated in the heart of the Champagne vineyards. It was founded in 1868, and is one of the most prominent Houses or Grandes Marques in Champagne. Canard-Duchêne is unique in its origins, history and style. The brand will be showcasing 3 delicious champagnes at this year’s edition of Le Diner en Blanc – Los Angeles.

To keep up to date on event announcements:

Diner En Blanc - Los Angeles

@DinerEnBlancLA

 For all official videos of Dîner en Blanc around the world, visit YouTube Le Dîner en Blanc

For more info and photos of Dîner en Blanc events from around the world, visit the official website dinerenblanc.info. 

See you there!:)

In light of the new Steve Jobs film here's some stories and comics to make you chuckle #Tech #Apple

By Joy A. Kennelly
Years ago when I was transitioning from one career to another I began catering to pay the bills. I worked for some of the most prestigious catering companies and ate some of the most delicious food I'd ever tasted up to that point which turned me into the foodie I am today.

I also worked during some of the most amazing red carpet events too like the private Hollywood Foreign Press pre-Oscar party, a private party at the home of the Architectural Digest publisher or editor, I forget which, but I do know he had the most amazing art collection and stunning home; numerous Academy parties; a private party at Paramount Studios for Grease; and my favorite, serving Adrien Brody during the Oscar's Governor's Ball after he had so famously kissed Halle Berry.

Having worked the event, I missed the kiss and had no idea who he was, just knew all night long, celebrities kept coming over to congratulate him. If you look closely in the pictures they always take of the hundreds of staff you'll see me.:)

But I'll never forget seeing Oprah when she came into the media tent where I was serving and seeing her up close and personal for a few treasured moments while she stood for photographers shooting her picture. 

The reason I'm telling you all of this is because I also happened to see Aaron Sorkin outside grabbing a smoke after he won an Emmy for the West Wing too and was able to tell him I loved his writing. He was so jazzed and excited I'll never forget him.

Which leads me to the film he just wrote about Steve Jobs| Here's the trailer - it looks amazing! 

 

 

I really wanted to see the sneak preview, but will have to wait like everyone else unless a publicist for the film reads my blog and takes pity on this huge fan and lets me and my Mom come to another one. Mom is the Apple queen - everything is Apple and she's more tech savvy in certain things than me! She's takes almost every Apple online and in person class they offer, watches the press presentations, and tells everyone she meets how wonderful Apple is!

Love her tech fascination. We often sit next to each other sharing what we're learning when I visit. Ironic, eh? A woman in her 70's interested in tech, but those are the genes I have flowing through my blood.:)

Now, because I have to run, and too much typing isn't good for me, here's some fun cartoons I promised earlier. Enjoy!

 

Shaking off last week and ready to blast off this week

Sometimes you just have to muscle through a horrendous week to get to a better one and see the sunshine of the new week.

Lately I've realized I write when I feel I have to convey something and I don't want to keep doing that.

I want to write because I want to.

It's my passion.

It's how I express myself.

It's fun.

It's a way to communicate.

It's artistic and creative.

And it's part of who I am.

So, as long as I can, I plan to write more freely because I need to get back my joie de vivre.

Shaking off last week ala Taylor Swift.

 

Have a great week everybody! I plan to!

So many events, so much work, so little help, but working on changing this asap. #JoysTravelAdventures update

By Joy A. Kennelly

Realizing I can't continue to do this all myself, I've brought in Tomiya Eastlin to assist me with social media efforts and more. We get invitations to events to attend and cover almost daily which makes it hard to keep up with here, in addition to all my technology, videography, writing and fundraising efforts, but we're working on changing that asap.

More later. 

Can't wait to share with you all the fun times at The Forum during Happy Hour and the REO Speedwagon concert. Boston was the headliner, but didn't recognize much of their music since I was more into R & B in high school.:) 

Bumped into good friends Micheal and Nicole of SouthBay Foodies too!

More pix coming soon! Enjoy the sun and hit their outside patio for some refreshments before your next concert why don't you? Here's some pictorial highlights of the food offered to get you in the mood too: https://www.facebook.com/JoysTravelAdventures

Sharlina, another Joy's Travel Adventures member and long-time friend, Nikki, and I were invited to participate in the Volunteer thank you party for Grand Performances which was a blast. Rocky Duwani and Blitz the Ambassador performed. (This pic is of Blitz- Sharlina says he got flow.:)

Here's more pix from that super fun night: Joy's Travel Adventures Facebook Fan Page We post a lot of events we're attending or recommend on our fan page too so like it already ok?:)

Last night was an absolute blast too attending the Mercedes Benz Evolution Tour concert with Bastille.

I wore my Demand Media t-shirt to give them a shoutout and because it's one of the few t-shirts I actually like how it fits.:)

We've also posted highlights on our twitter feeds which you can peek at here: https://twitter.com/thejoywriterx2 and https://twitter.com/TOMIYAMIYA23 

More to come.

Oh, and if you notice my hair has magically grown long almost overnight, I owe this magic to Hairdreams and the wonderful team of David Matthew Reid, Danny & Aubry of Studio DNA. I was first introduced to Danny & Aubry by Yelp when Yelp Elite launched in Santa Monica years and years ago.:)

Here's the formal pic from that amazing night with more pix from my amazing transformation available here and here. Can you believe I won all this glamourizing? Really boosted my spirits along with my hair!:)

There's so many other events I need to share, but gotta run! Happy Hump Day everyone!