Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.
As you know, this past weekend I was in Chicago for the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Mom Kickoff Event.
I shared my last post that I received a new Samsung Galaxy SIII on the Verizon network that I get to use and review over the next 6 months!
I also mentioned that I already own this phone with another service provider so I am going to compare and contrast in a few posts the difference between the phones on each network.
When I got my Samsung Galaxy from Verizon I had already had 3 weeks to get to know the phone with my current provider however I was A-M-A-Z-E-D at how much better the phone functioned on the Verizon network and how much I LOVE 4G LTE! (My current provider does not offer 4G in our market currently).
I look forward to sharing more about the phone with you over the next few months in addition to the other **TOP SECRET** device I will be receiving somewhere down the road. Be sure to follow me and the other Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms on Twitter by searching for hashtag #VZWSM and make sure to come by the blog for updates too!
In light of recent events, I wanted to take a moment and get up on my soapbox and have a chat with all of you.
As you know, a woman who is very near and dear to my heart and family, was recently diagnosed with cancer. We don’t have all of the facts yet but what we do know if that it started as ovarian cancer. As you may know, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women and it causes more deaths that any other type of female reproductive cancer.
I now have 2 friends in my life who have been diagnosed with this horrible disease after having skipped over their annual exam time and time and time again. One of my friends was lucky enough to have caught it before it spread any further, the other has not been so lucky.
I CANNOT stress enough the importance of an annual physical and exam. Also, for those of you who are older, be sure to get a mammogram and know your breast cancer facts as well.
So, check your calender and find out when your last exam was. If it has been more than 1 year, pick up the phone and make an appointment today!
The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I went away for 4 weeks to a Youth Conservation Camp in the Northwest region of Wisconsin, in a teeny tiny little town called Minong. Before I went, I was terrified that I wouldn’t make any friends or that I would hate it and all I would want to do is come back home.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Those 4 weeks were some of the best times ever. I made life long friends and when it came time to come home at the end, I didn’t want to leave.
Over the years, I have tried to keep in touch with friends that I made at camp and unfortunately, it hasn’t been that easy. If I didn’t remain in constant contact with someone from my camp days, it has become much harder to track them down over 15 years later.
I recently began searching for a few of the old campers using MyLife.com and it has provided me with a few leads. I am hoping that eventually, it will lead me to enough people that we can organize a little reunion.
Fingers crossed that as I continue to search the internet I am able to locate some fellow campers!
Do you use the internet or another web service to help you reconnect?
This past weekend, Zack, Ellie and I made our way to Chicago so I could attend the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms kickoff event along with the 2012 Brands & Bloggers Summit.
Let me start by saying I was absolutely, 100% terrified to drive not just to Chicago with 2 kids by myself but to downtown Chicago at that. You see, I hate to drive in big cities that play host to lots and lots of traffic. I prefer to be able to hope in my car and make it from one side of town to the other in less than 15 minutes, not 2 hours. However, this trip seemed to go off better than I had planned. Thanks to the beautiful 2012 GMC Yukon with a sweet navigation system, I was always prepared for what was ahead. I knew when we would hit construction, when there was a delay and just how much longer we would be until we arrived. It was also really nice that little Miss Ellie slept for all but the first 20 minutes of the ride.
When we arrived in Chicago, Zack couldn’t believe the amount of people everywhere. (The only time he had ever seen the city was from the highway on a trip to Indiana). We sat on the off ramp for over 45 minutes, spent the next 45 making our way too & finding the parking garage and then unloaded and lugged everything over to the hotel.
We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on the 29th floor. Once we were settled in, I made my way to the Prudential Building for the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms Kickoff! Unfortunately, I was late to the party because of traffic but I arrived just in time to receive my shiny and new Samsung Galaxy S3 from Verizon. As you may know, a few weeks ago I upgraded my current cell phone to a Samsung Galaxy S3 (on a different network) so I already had some experience with the phone. Now that I have 2 Samsung Galaxy S3 phones on two different networks I have been comparing both the phone and the service, so be sure to watch for posts from me all about my comparisons and thoughts! After spending the last 4 days with both of these phones in my hands I have already conducted a lot of research, so be on the lookout!
After the Verizon meeting, I met Zack and Ellie back at the hotel and we made our plans for dinner and placed an order for a World Famous Chicago Stuffed Pizza from Giordano’s. This was also Zack’s first Chicago pizza experience! Of course, he loved every.last.bite. We were even lucky enough to bring some leftovers home with us for the rest of the family to try.
After we stuffed our bellies with pizza, we sat around for a bit while Zack showed me the awesome trick he learned while I was away at my meeting. Let’s just say the trick involves a window sill, a big fluffy bed and a somersault in the air.
Before we settled in for the night, we made a quick trip out to the neighboring Walgreens for a few supplies before crawling into our big comfy beds for the night.
Even Miss Ellie approved of the bed!
Watch for more about our exciting weekend in Chicago and the Brands & Bloggers Summit tomorrow! Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product. Verizon also covered my hotel, expenses and conference pass as part of the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program. Also, thank you again to GM for providing us with transportation to Chicago.
In 8 hours, Zack, Ellie and I will be departing Green Bay and making our way to Chicago for the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms kickoff event followed by the Brands & Bloggers Summit on Saturday.
Although we will be leaving in the wee hours of the morning to assure that we will arrive on time, one thing that we do know is that we will be riding in style!
Thanks to GM, we will be traveling in a Quicksilver Metallic 2012 Yukon XL 1/2 Ton – 4 wheel drive SLT!
Yes, that is our mode of transportation for the next week and I can tell you this, I am in love! If I ever win the lottery I can promise you that this will be the car I am driving after!
The Yukon XL is a smooth ride that offers so much comfort for everyone!
Front heat bucket leather seats, air conditioning, adjustable pedals, heated second row seats, dual tv screens, DVD technology, navigation, back up cameras….the list goes on and on and on and on.
I am loving it and cannot wait to hop into it in the morning and make our way to Chicago!
Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Disclaimer: GM was kind to lend us a vehicle to travel to Chicago and home, however they do NOT expect or require me to write this post. All thoughts and opinions about the 2012 GMC Yukon are my own and seriously, if I win the lottery, I am soooo buying one!
