<\/div>\t<\/div>\n\n
Christina Anton<\/p>\n
With a passion for helping children, Harbor Island resident Christina\u00a0J. Anton, Esq. has devoted time, energy and resources to one of her\u00a0favorite local charitable organizations: the Junior League of Tampa. As a\u00a0member of Junior League, Christina has the opportunity to work directly\u00a0with needy kids and see firsthand the impact she\u2019s making. Along with\u00a0being an active member of the community, she\u2019s also a partner at Anton\u00a0Castro Law and a third-generation Tampa native, making Christina one\u00a0of our top choices for blu\u2019s 10 Leading Ladies of 2011.<\/p>\n
How did you become involved in Junior League?<\/p>\n
I was looking for a place to further my contributions to the Tampa\u00a0community and several of my friends suggested Junior League. As\u00a0soon as I learned about their mission I knew I had found my match.\u00a0Since then I have been impressed with their commitment, energy and\u00a0sense of duty in working to make Tampa a better place for everyone.<\/p>\n
What is one of your favorite memories when working with Junior\u00a0League?<\/p>\n
One of my favorite memories was organizing last year\u2019s Halloween\u00a0party for children. As a co-chair, I dressed up and led a children\u2019s\u00a0parade around the League headquarters. It was great to see so many\u00a0happy children having so much fun.<\/p>\n
What is one of your favorite charity events in Tampa Bay and why?<\/p>\n
One of my favorite charity events is Miles for Moffit. I love running\u00a0and am passionate about the wonderful work Moffit does. I have\u00a0participated in the Miles for Moffit race the last several years, and last\u00a0year my team was one of the top three fundraisers for the event. It\u00a0was such a rewarding feeling to see all the cancer survivors we helped\u00a0called on stage after the race.<\/p>\n
As a leading lady, what is one of your proudest accomplishments?<\/p>\n
I am most proud of starting my own law firm before the age of 30. It\u00a0had long been a dream of mine, and what most excited me was the\u00a0ability to integrate my love of people with my knowledge of the law.\u00a0In essence, to be able to connect with people facing difficult situations,\u00a0hear what was really important to them and lend my skills to helping\u00a0them.<\/p>\n
Who do you most admire in Tampa?<\/p>\n
Rhea Law is a woman who I greatly admire. She paved the way for\u00a0women in the legal field at a time when it was not easy to do so. In\u00a0addition to being a phenomenal attorney she has also contributed a\u00a0great deal to our community and many local charities.<\/p>\n
Outside of charity work, what inspires you?<\/p>\n
My inspiration comes from my many wonderful family and friends. I\u00a0am a people person who loves being engaged with others and derives\u00a0a lot of inspiration from those connections.<\/p>\n
Now that we\u2019re entering the holiday season, what is one of your favorite\u00a0memories with your family?<\/p>\n
My favorite holiday memory is time spent with my extended family\u00a0at my grandparents\u2019 house on Christmas Day. Our family has always\u00a0enjoyed being together, and we have kept those traditions alive even\u00a0though some of the elders are no longer with us in person. Thinking\u00a0about them only makes me treasure the limited time we have to spend\u00a0together even more. The tradition has not changed but we now get\u00a0together at my parent\u2019s home every Christmas Day. The love and\u00a0enjoyment are still abundant.<\/p>\n
What are a couple of your cherished holiday traditions?<\/p>\n
I greatly enjoy accompanying my immediate family in picking out\u00a0a Christmas tree each year and then bringing the tree home and\u00a0decorating it. Christmas Eve is another cherished memory. Each year,\u00a0all of my extended family has a great celebration. Young and old sing\u00a0Christmas carols, exchange gifts and look forward to Christmas Day.\u00a0It is one of the occasions where grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins,\u00a0siblings and parents are all together in one place every year. I am\u00a0grateful to be part of such a close and loving family.<\/p>\n
What part of the holidays do you most look forward to?<\/p>\n
The whole season is magical and people always seem happier and\u00a0kinder. I think that the spirit of giving brings out the best in people and\u00a0the air seems filled with Christmas cheer. I love the festive nature of\u00a0the holidays and the excitement of picking and exchanging gifts.<\/p>\n
Which Bay area spots do you take your out-of-town guests to really\u00a0show off our city?<\/p>\n
Our beaches! We have some of the best beaches in this world.<\/p>\n
What are your favorite kinds of gifts to give and receive?<\/p>\n
I love sentimental gifts! Framing a great picture that is meaningful is\u00a0always a great gift. Thoughtfulness is probably the greatest gift of all.<\/p>\n
What advice would you pass on to younger generations?<\/p>\n
Dream big and have the passion to transform those dreams into\u00a0reality. Dreams focus your passion and energy, and if they come from\u00a0the heart, they have the power to change you in the process.<\/p>\n
What is your favorite hero of fiction?<\/p>\n
Wonder Woman. She is beautiful, powerful, and can take care of\u00a0business! Most of all she seems to be energized by confidence based\u00a0on knowing who she is and how to use her natural given strengths.<\/p>\n
If you had one wish this holiday season, what would it be?<\/p>\n
I would wish for all to have health and happiness, because at the end\u00a0of the day those are really the only two things that matter.<\/p>\n
What is your motto or words you live by?<\/p>\n
Live a life that makes you proud.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Magnolia Banana Pudding<\/p>\n
Ingredients<\/p>\n
Yields: 12-15 servings<\/p>\n
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk<\/p>\n
1 1\/2 cups ice cold water<\/p>\n
1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)<\/p>\n
3 cups heavy cream<\/p>\n
1 12-oz box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (recommended brand)<\/p>\n
4 cups sliced ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)<\/p>\n
Instructions<\/p>\n
1. On medium speed of a stand mixer or in a small bowl, beat\u00a0together sweetened condensed milk and water until well\u00a0combined, about 1 minute. Sprinkle pudding mix over the liquid\u00a0and beat well until all the powder has dissolved, about 2 minutes.\u00a0Cover and place in refrigerator until completely set, about 3-4\u00a0hours or overnight.<\/p>\n
2. On medium speed of a stand mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks\u00a0form. Gently fold in set pudding mixture until blended and no\u00a0streaks remain (the mixture should be a pale yellow color).<\/p>\n
3. In the bowl you wish to serve the pudding in, arrange 1\/3 of the\u00a0wafers on the bottom of the bowl, they may need to overlap to\u00a0fit.<\/p>\n
4. Then one third of the bananas as the next layer.<\/p>\n
5. Then one third of the pudding mixture, repeat three times in\u00a0total, until you fill the serving dish.<\/p>\n
6. Save any bits of the wafers for garnish. Cover tightly and place\u00a0back in refrigerator for 4 hours to chill. Garnish with crumbs and\u00a0bits of the wafers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Christina Anton With a passion for helping children, Harbor Island resident Christina\u00a0J. Anton, Esq. has devoted time, energy and resources to one of her\u00a0favorite local charitable organizations: the Junior League of Tampa. As a\u00a0member of Junior League, Christina has the opportunity to work directly\u00a0with needy kids and see firsthand the impact she\u2019s making. Along with\u00a0being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,5,1768],"tags":[1467,1466],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}