Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

September is a great time for traveling, especially in Europe; all the tourists have gone home, and the real 'world-travelers' are there. The weather in Italy, Switzerland, France, or just about any place abroad is perfect for sightseeing, outdoor dining, window shopping or just strolling on the Via Veneto with your special someone. Check the cruise lines for great values on upcoming ocean trips and cheap flights are being offered by so many airlines. Contact Thai Airways for fantastic flights to Bangkok or Korea. The service is the best, food wonderful and travel is made easy by smiling Thai Airways employees.

Our September issue is filled with great stories from my August trip to Thailand, compliments of Thai Tourism and Thai Airways. We will be featuring some fantastic hotel,

restaurant, food and lifestyle stories for your enjoymebnt. W Retreat Koh Samui is one you need to know about, as well as Bangkok hot spot "Sky Bar" and the Hangovertini! Bread & Roses fundraiser for The Fund of Santa Barbara will be at the Quad this month, and your support is appreciated. The International Santa Barbara Film Festival is starting their events for the Jan/Feb 2015 festival, and BookBites sections has some great reads and back to school ideas for September.

Our kids will be going back to school, and we have some cute toy ideas in the Kids K section. Travel section features Thailand Happiness Part I, coverage of my travels in Bangkok; part II will appear in October. "SIPS" cocktail/wine section has new recipes from "Hangover II" film shot in Thailand, along with wine festival news. Our gift guide offers some fall favorites.

ulinary coup covers an unforgetable cooking lesson at Amita Thai Cooking School in a river residence in Thailand. We have great chef news, including Fig & Olive restaurant sponsorship for Doris Bergman's Emmy celebrity & media luncheon with photos.

We have Emmy's

Governors Ball menus and wine selections shown at the LA Convention Center for 2014 and more pre-Emmy celebrity suite sightings from Beverly Hills.

We have a story with recipes for the awards dinner prepared by the Chef Joachim Splichal Team of Patina Group, and news on the Emmy celebrity suites held by event producers for 2014.

Hollywood said goodbye to greatly loved Robin Williams in August, and he will be honored by fellow actor and friend Billy Crystal at the 66th Emmys. Winners for the Emmy's can be found in our TinselTown Tidbits section.

It'd being reported Prince William, Kate and little George have a baby girl in their future. They bring hope and happiness wherever they are seen, and I am grateful for their dedication to goodness and the fullness of life. On the home front, the sensless murder of journalist Jim Foley has us all reeling, and stopping the savages who are perpetrating these monstrous acts is vitally important at this time.

Please continue to pray for our young men and women fighting in foreign countries and all our diplomats serving in the Middle-East. They need our prayers -- they need to come home safely!

Support your local restaurants, hotels and business' and let's give America a renewed strength and abundance of growth. Congratulations to the LA Food & Wine Event producers on a great job!

Additional contributing writers are included on an individual issue basis. Please contact the editor with questions regarding journalist assignments. Email: writebc@aol.com