Mark your calendars as two Bay Area winery/concert venues have announced their summer schedules.

For a really special evening, something you don’t find just everywhere, check out the concept of outdoor music concerts at at both Wente Vineyards and The Mountain Winery.

With a vast assortment of ways to experience the music, from grass seating to dining/concert evenings that include dinner and wine, you will find a price range for everyone’s budget. There is nothing like the enjoyment of seeing your favorite performers under the stars in settings like these.

Wente Vineyards in Livermore has nine artists lined up this summer. Starting the series off will be The Frey on June 17.

Other performers headlining will include Liza Minelli on June 24, Barenaked Ladies on July 20, Huey Lewis and The News on August 10, Chris Isaak on August 19, ZZ Top on August 25, Earth, Wind and Fire on August 30, Willie Nelson on September 13 and rounding out the series, Harry Connick, Jr on September 21.

Wente offers many dining choices as well as terrace seating.

The Mountain Winery in Saratoga is well known for their summer concert series, which also feature not only musicians, but some of the best stand up comedians in America, inclduing Chelsea Handler. The winery offers their concert dining packages that include a threeicourse prix fixe dinner and choice of wines from their private reserve. Other pre-concert options are available.

Mountain Winery has scheduled more than 60 acts this summer. This is truly a "something for everyone" concert lineup that features classic rock, country western, pop and legends such as Diana Ross and Ringo Starr.Most performances start at 7:30 and again, ticket prices vary.

Go to www.wentevinyards.com/concerts and www.mountainwinery.com for all the info. - SEW

 
A cashier in Safeway noticed my zipper-like bracelet and asked if I was an artist.  I said "no, I'm a wardrobe consultant." Then she said: "Oh, you're a stylist and you dress celebrities, right?"  I said,  "no, I work with real people, people like you."

Then I realized a lot of people think about my service as a luxury only celebrities can afford. Why waste money on such a frivolous service when you can have a good friend fashionista do the same for free? 
 
The media has planted a strong stereotype of the celebrity stylist in people's heads, and the profession of image consultant, or more narrowly, of wardrobe consultant, is often misunderstood.

So what does a wardrobe consultant really do? 
 
A wardrobe consultant solves problems. To give you a better idea, take a look at some real client scenarios.

1. I do a lot of public speaking. I want to look professional and confident but I don't want to wear a classic suit because it doesn't go with my personality.

2. I just turned 50 and even though my size hasn't changed, the clothing I have doesn't fit the way it used to. I don't want to shop in the juniors department but I don't want to look matronly, either. 

3. I recently lost a lot of weight and nothing from my closet fits anymore. I also feel something more than my body has changed, and I want this positive change to be reflected in my clothes.

4. My career is taking off and I want this success to be projected in my image.

5. I have been recently promoted to a manager's position in my department, where I'm the youngest. I want my image to project authority and professionalism, but showing my personality and youth is equally important to me.

6. I'm a massage therapist and yoga instructor and I wear mostly yoga clothes. I want to be known as a beautiful young woman and successful entrepreneur.

7. I have a well-established career, grown kids and I finally have time for myself. I want to travel, date, and enjoy life to the fullest. I want my image to be in tune with how I feel now:  hip, youthful and happy.
 
These are just a few situations where a wardrobe consultant can help. Still, you might ask: why hire a wardrobe consultant when that good friend fashionista can help for free?  Maybe a friend with a fabulous sense of fashion can help you to become more stylish, but to really make a change, one has to start from the inside.
 
“Fashion comes from outside, style comes from within,” says a story in Psychology Today. Since psychology has always been one of my top interests and I have done extensive coursework in this field, my style assessment is psychology based. No matter what the clients goals are, I never skip this part because a big part of success depends on the right start. 
 
How does style assessment work?  Clients are assigned homework, which involves answering questions about themselves and doing some activities. At our first appointment, we have a discussion based on the homework. Since image is visual, we also use photos and home objects to create a vivid and clear picture of the “dream you."  

If you have worked with a financial advisor, you know that if you don't assess where you are now and where you want to go with your finances, the real results won't come. The same goes with your image – you need to be very clear about where you are, who you are, and where you want to be.  This is the most critical step in starting off right.

Existing wardrobe evaluation, closet editing and/ or shopping come later, but the image we create in the first appointment will be carried through all other sessions as our main referral point. We also create a "style recipe" to illustrate that image in words.
 
It doesn't matter what we want to achieve in life, we all know it doesn't happen over night. It is a process that involves some ups and downs. If you have a professional to guide you through this process, the results are achieved faster, with fewer mistakes.

Believe it or not, it will save a lot of money, too. A good friend fashionista can serve you as a great support, but if you're really serious about achieving results working with a professional is always a better choice. And remember: “whatever else it is, style is optimism made visible. Style presumes that you are a person of interest, that the world is a place of interest, that life is worth making the effort for." ~ Hara Estroff Marano

As a freelance wardrobe consultant, Diana Placiakiene, AICI, MBA, works with men and women who are looking to advance their professional and personal image. Most of her clients are professionals who want to take their business to the next level. In her practice Diana combines her business skills, understanding of human psychology, natural visual talents, and passion for fashion to help people have more ease, fun and success.

To contact Diana, send e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also find her though:
www.linkedin.com/in/dianaplaciakiene;
www.facebook.com/pages/ispeakstyle/170261188958; and
twitter.com/dianaPlaciak.

Tonight’s Ride of Silence (www.rideofsilence.org) aims to honor cyclists who have been injured or killed by motorists, while also encouraging drivers to share the road with bikers.

This evening, Wednesday, May 19, cyclists worldwide will ride their bikes in a silent and slow-paced ride (no faster than 12 mph) to honor fallen cyclists and also encourage people never to drink and drive.

In Danville, the Ride of Silence meets at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. ride from Sycamore Valley Park on Holbrook Drive (off Camino Tassajara Road) to out past Diablo Vista Middle School on Camino Tassajara Road and back.

Helmets are mandatory for the 8-mile ride.

The Danville ride will honor John Greaves, (www.Ride4John.com) a 44-year-old Walnut Creek man, avid cyclist and triathlete, who was hit by a car last June while bicycling on Camino Tassajara Road near Dublin. A woman driving a Honda Civic lost control of her car and struck Greaves, a married father of two, north of the Contra Costa-Alameda county line. 

The road where the bikers will travel tongiht iis the same road where Alana and Troy Pack were killed by a drunken driver in 2003. The 7-year-old girl was riding her bike while her 10-year-old brother was riding a scooter on the sidewalk. Their mother, Carmen and friends were walking behind them as they headed to get Slurpees in Danville.

Jimena Barreto, a 45-year-old nanny with four drunken driving convictions on her record, was later convicted of murder in the hit-and-run deaths of the two children. Since then, Bob and Carmen Pack have worked to strengthen the state’s drunken driving laws and raised money for scholarships, traffic-safety programs and an educational DVD for high schools.

The Ride of Silence was first launched in 2003 by Chris Phelan of Dallas in memory of cyclist Larry Schwartz, who was killed when hit by the mirror of a passing bus. 

The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride slowly and remain silent during the ride. There are no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held in May, National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways, organizers said. ---KB

I haven’t quite gotten over the shock of my recent 6.2-pound gain, but last week I had a one -pound loss for a total of 34.6 over the last 29 weeks. I’m not back to my pre-vacation loss of 40.2 pounds, but I'm heading in the right direction again.  

It shouldn't have been such a shock to see the number on the scale, considering that lately I have been ignoring my food tracker and my need to exercise. 

I've basically been living in denial that I have a problem with food.  My experience tells me how disastrous this mind-set can be.  After all, the last time I joined Weight Watchers at work, I fell so far off the wagon I regained all 17 pounds I lost within two weeks of the program ending.  I know the damage I am capable of.  I am not cured, by any means.  I have to give this weight loss 100 percent attention or the weight comes back - quickly 

In this week's WW meeting we talked a lot about support.  Attendees were asked many questions about support systems: the friends, family members, and co-workers we interact with regularly who encourage us on our weight loss journey.

I stayed quiet during the discussion because I was listening intently to the stories other members told about people who sabotage their weight-loss attempts. One member talked about her sister who bakes cookies in advance of her visits, despite the woman requesting fruit. Another person described a family member who said, "you're so thin, your collar bones poke me when I hug you." 

Others said that certain friends often urge them to "take a night off" from the program or "just taste" an unhealthy treat regardless of the member politely saying "no thank you."  Still others remembered friends who get offended when they had made a dessert and the WW member won't try it.

I didn't have much to offer because I don't have any weight-loss saboteurs. Everyone I know is completely supportive of my weight-loss journey. My friends and loved ones encourage me by checking on my progress, sending healthful recipes, providing healthy food at gatherings and suggesting healthy restaurant options when we dine out. My best friend is a fitness nut who plans weekly runs for us. She even slows her pace so I can keep up.

That's why I feel like I'm not just losing weight to look better and live a long, healthy life, I'm losing weight for all my friends and loved ones who are pulling for me. They understand what I'm doing and hopefully respect my decision to take good care of myself. More importantly, they adapt to the new me and are genuinely happy for me.

I couldn't really ask for more.

See you next week.---AV