This past Thursday, we were excited to have Jason Paulsgrove, one of our retailers, drop by our new digs in Santa Monica. Jason is the owner of Midwest Uniform Supply, with two stores in Peoria and Galesburg, Illinois. Jason picked a great day to visit. We were having a photoshoot for an upcoming catalog. In addition to helping out with our photoshoot, Jason got an early preview of our Spring line, sampled some of L.A.’s famous Sprinkles cupcakes, and joined us for lunch at Santa Monica Pier. We had a great time with Jason. To our friends in Illinois, if you’re in the Peoria or Galesburg area, we recommend you stop by one of Jason’s stores. He’s got a great selection of koi.

Above: Jason (third from left) of Midwest Uniform Supply and our lovely koi models this past Thursday at a photoshoot for an upcoming catalog. 

Summer’s just officially started, but we thought you might enjoy a sneak peek at our Fall 2010 collection. We’ve added many new styles and prints we think you’ll love. Look for these new fall styles at your local koi retailer—coming soon!

koi founder Kathy Peterson took a quick trip to New York City this past weekend. Here’s her travel blog:

“I love New York City. It’s so full of life and activity. I was glad that I could fit a quick trip there this past weekend. I saw a great exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the history of American women’s fashions, starting from the 1800’s. You can view an online version of the exhibit here. They also have an amazing costume library. It’s worth seeing if you are in New York City.

“I also got to see the Addam’s Family on Broadway. I really enjoyed it. It was a fun musical starring Nathan Lane. Seeing the show made me miss the TV series.”

“I’m not a big boxing fan, but I got to see a boxing match at the new Yankee Stadium, which just opened last year.  It was my first boxing match ever and the first at Yankee Stadium in over 30 years. It was pretty exciting.”

“All in all, it was a fun trip. I even spotted a few celebrities on the plane ride there.” 

Here are some photos from my trip:

Above: Some of the fashions on display at the Met.

Above: A tile memorial in New York in memory of 9/11.

Above: One of the plush, stylish and comfy chairs at the Soho Grand Hotel.

 Above: Some cool graffiti I saw in Soho. 

As many of you koi faithful know, koi founder and designer Kathy Peterson is an active participant in koi’s year-long “Healthier, Happier You” weight-loss campaign.

Here’s Kathy’s monthly “Healthier, Happier You” update for June 2010:

“It has been about a month since I joined a new gym. I love this new gym. The classes are really challenging. I took a bootcamp class last week that left me sore for 4 days. The amazing part of this class was that most of the students were older and they all did a great job of keeping up. I was the one struggling to finish:) This just shows you that age is a state of mine.

I haven’t lost much weight but I am happy to report my stomach is getting flatter and I see the promise of a 6 pack forming.

Keep on working toward your goals. Lasting results take time to achieve.”

—Kathy Peterson

To the contestants who are participating in the “Healthier, Happier You” Contest, keep at it and stay committed to your goals. It may be tough at times, especially when you’re not seeing as much progress as you’d like, but it’s worth making the effort because you’re worth it.

If you haven’t submitted your June weight and measurements, please turn in your updates by June 10th to shiningstar@koihappiness.com. Thanks!

We’d like to acknowledge the good work done by Northwest Disaster Relief and Development and New Life Foursquare Church, which recently sent a medical team to Haiti to provide medical care and disaster relief to those in need. This was their second trip to Haiti. While there, the team stayed at an orphanage and worked at several clinics and hospitals.

We truly admire the sacrifice and selflessness of these committed medical professionals and we were happy to donate some scrubs to help their cause. Thanks to Robyn Lang, RN, a member of the medical team, who provided updates and photos of their mission in Haiti.

While the disaster relief efforts no longer dominate the headlines, there is still great need and much rebuilding to do in Haiti. We encourage all our friends to continue to do what you can to help the relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

Note: koi is still offering a free pair of Karlie pants to those who make a tax-deductable donation of $30 or more to the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Haiti. It’s for a great cause so we’d love it if you’d take us up on this offer. For details, go to http://www.koihappiness.com/pages/donate_to_red_cross.html.

Above: Robin Lang, RN and one of the volunteers of this medical mission, with a child the team helped rehydrate at a Haitian clinic.

Above: The team of medical professionals who went to Haiti on a mission sponsored by Northwest Disaster Relief and Development and New Life Foursquare Church.