Verizon Wireless Destination Store at Mall of America

Today I was invited by Verizon Wireless as a special guest at the Mall of America

 for what they are billing as a new era in wireless customer service...

Now, I'm not techy and I don't claim to be, but I am however, all about the customer experience, and I do love me a good smart phone, so I was excited about this opportunity.

When I arrived at the Mall of America, the red carpet was laid out, literally, 

and the suspense was building ~ 

People were milling about, gawking, talking...

'Well, that's the Nike symbol,' one woman exclaimed...'but I don't know what they are doing?!?'

OH KAAAY?

The curtain dropped and we media were let inside, to their shiny, new, first of it's kind for 

Verizon, Destination Store at the Mall of America.

The Destination Store is huge with almost 10,000 square feet of lifestyle zones, each offering customers experience and help.

 My good friend Albert from Provident Partners couldn't believe his eyes!

HAHAHA!

Actually, we were testing out smart phone cameras, lighting, and the amazing avatar wall...

The Lifestyle Zones are as follows:

• Get Fit – for the active sports and fitness buff
• Amplify It – for the music aficionado
• Have Fun – for gamers
• Home and On The Go – for home monitoring and energy management
• Anywhere Business – for the mobile professional and entrepreneur

If I'm being honest, the Verizon Destination Store at MOA had a very Brookstone-Esque feel to it. You know that feeling? Where you didn't know just how much you wanted and needed something until you get to actually see it, touch it, feel it, try it out?

Using your smart phone to play games 

(games that aren't actually IN your phone?)

Love this!

COO Marni Walden threw out some statistics about cell phone usage & the one that struck a chord with me is how very little so many of us actually know about how much we can do with the cell phones we are using.

::Raises Hand::

I bet my phone can do soo much more than I know about!

Operating systems, gingerbread or what have you...that doesn't mean anything to me.

You'll never find me waiting in line for the latest, greatest.......

Sure, they are great for this, that and the other thing...

but wouldn't it be great if we had more knowledge about the products we are using?

That's what I'm most excited about with this new retail store design, the smart store.

Not just talking phones here either, for example, in the Get Fit zone, 

test out a Fit Bit while taking the treadmill for a spin!

Any FitBit Force users out there yet?
This is the one I think we are going to get each other ourselves for Christmas...
A little friendly Fit Bit Challenge to get us out of this slump.

I love the hands on experience that this Verizon Destination Store offers.

Tomorrow, November 20th, Selena Gomez will be the retail concept's first customer, and a select number of fans will be treated to meet and greet experiences with Selena, along with receiving tickets to her concert here in town on the 21st!

How cool is that?

Bummed I just missed her, but...I'm not as awestruck as the others in my house, so no big deal, right?

I know a lot of people are unhappy with their wireless carriers these days, but I'm finding it's one of those 'necessities' that we can't be without.

I for one, am thrilled with the innovation and concepts coming with my cell phone provider.

*** I am not being compensated for this post. The above pictures are mine, as are the opinions in this post. I was simply invited to be among the first media to set foot in this new store. *** 

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Severs Corn Maze - Family Fun with Verizon

Every fall, we have a few 'traditions' if you will.

One of those traditions is Sever's Corn Maze!

We just love heading out to Sever's as a family, and this year - 

We brought friends!

Thanks to our good friend Albert from Provident Partners, 

we were able to spend an afternoon at Sever's Corn Maze, with friends.

Albert is someone who likes pictures and videos as much as myself!

Even though I feel like a goof where video is involved...

I agreed to be interviewed, in a corn field!

Albert set up a little tutorial by local photographer Cary Rothschild ~ 

A person can never have too many tips and pointers for taking good photos, 

so we sat on haybale benches and learned a thing or two or ten.

After that, we wandered the corn maze for a pit ~ 

(Fun fact, Corn Mazes Stress. Me. Out!)

Sever's Corn Maze has this amazing Corn Pit.

This may sound weird to some of you, reading in other parts of the country - but here in the great state of Minnesota, in the fall, one of the favorite past times, is jumping in, swinging into, playing in...giant pits of corn!

Albert asks me about my photo taking...

And here's the thing, important things happen in life every. single. day.

For me, it's important not just to document the 'milestones' if you will.

Sure, new Babies, Birthdays, & Band Concerts are important, 

but so are lots of other things...

I'm not always comfortable in my own skin, getting in front of the camera, 

but it's so so sooo important.

I try my best to do it a couple/few times each month, and I document that here.

I cannot tell you how many times I've read back on my very own blog & said 

'oh my gosh! remember that! I totally forgot that!'

That's why this here blog serves such a HUGE purpose for me and for my family.

We can look back and see that we came, we saw, we conquered.

Gone are the days of developing pictures a couple of times a year.

Take pictures every. single. day!!

Anyway - back to Sever's Corn Maze...

The day got away from us, and we ran out of time to do more of the amazing things out there...

But we did stop and visit a few of their cool exhibits...

The day, like the year has also done...

completely ran away from us...

but we had a great time.

And now, on to the next not-so-big but HUGE adventure!

If you'd like to see the finished product that Albert produced...

Here it is!

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*** I was not compensated for this post, however, our admission to Sever's Corn Maze was covered, as was the use of various Verizon 4G phones to snap these photos. *** 

Valley Fair for Family Fun ~

For several years running, we've purchased Valley Fair Season Passes.

This year was no exception.

We started out the year strong, going to ValleyFair for a an hour here, 

a couple of hours there, most weekends.

That dwindled off as life got busier.

Going just twice with a season pass and you've more than recouped the cost of the pass.

With the season quickly wrapping up, we decided to head out for one last mini-adventure.

Both kids have somehow shot up in height...

I love that, because then Mom (and/or Dad!) doesn't have to go on all of the rides with them.

I love that they have each other, and they love to buddy up too!

Besides that, apparently I'm really not allowed to ride all the rides anymore anyway.

PFFFFFFT.

No, it's not the last one, though I'm really not TOO old for that one...

But apparently I'm old enough for this one.

Bugger.

Anyhoo, in the season of living outside the box and trying new things, 

we went in search of great adventure, 

and great memories.

Some of the greatest memories are created in an hour here, an hour there.

Memories that will last a lifetime.

*** All pictures in this post were taken with the Verizon LG G2 - Unedited, camera phone shots on these taken from below swing pictures? That's pretty incredible! ***


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Color Run Twin Cities 2013 - The Happiest 5k on the Planet

For the 2nd year in a row, our family made a family fun event out of 

the Twin Cities COLOR RUN!

The Happiest 5k on the Planet!

You might remember last year...

We couldn't wait to do it again!

Plagued by illness for the previous 7 weeks leading up the the 'run' ~ there was no way I was going to be able to run this thing...

My friend Amy and my best girl Hails stuck together.

Our boy, well, he hugged me goodbye at the starting line and he and Dad were off...

How do you not bring a camera when you are partaking in super fun events like this?

Well, you don't...

But a smart phone?

Yep!

That'll do the trick!

No need to worry about getting 'dust' on the lens, as the 'lens' is a tiny, easy to wipe clean spot on your cell phone! I may or may not have taken a couple hundred pictures via cell phone along the way!

I wish I could share them all with you...

I could, I suppose...but I had a hard time narrowing it down as it was...

And just when I thought I was all colored up and we'd be heading home...

We participated in one last color HURRAH! where little Miss Hailey had a packet of Blue...

and well..

You can see for yourself how that turned out!

13.5 years strong, the two of us...

9.5 of those in wedded bliss.

I love how he goes along with all the crazy ideas I subject him to...

And these two...

oh, these two!

It's a crazy, busy, colorful life, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

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