Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Expo!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Ambassadors SE Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

I had an amazing weekend at Disney! I can't wait to tell you all about it...and it will have to be told in numerous posts! Today I'm going to tell you all about the expo! If you've never runDisney and been to one of their expos you are missing out! It is one of the best race expos out there!

The expo is held in Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I got to run in this complex last year during the marathon! It's awesome! This is also where the Kids Races take place.

When we first arrived they had photo opps for each race. I (of course) took pictures for both of my races...the 10K and the Half. My friend Sandi was doing the Half so she jumped in the picture with me!

I always get really excited when I start seeing all the runDisney signs!

Packet pick up was located in a different building from the expo. Since I was doing two different races I also had to pick up my bib in different levels of the building.

Picking up your packet is super easy. You need to make sure to print out your waiver at home (or you can use their computers to print). You locate your bib number on your waiver and that's the desk you pick up your bib from. Luckily we arrived later that afternoon and packet pickup was not crowded at all! We walked in and out in minutes!

TWO race bibs for me!!!! :-)

After getting our bibs it was time to get our race shirts and go to the expo...which was in another building! Disney has no problems requiring you to walk from place to place lol!

We got our race shirts (which the women's sizing this year was awesome) and then we shopped. I headed to the official merchandise first where I got this little guy (and I got the green one...you had a 3/10 chance to get green and a 7/10 chance to get yellow):

And a new magnet to join my others on my car! I was so excited to see the 19.3 magnet since that's what I was running! I also got my "I Did It" shirt which I was unable to get for last year's marathon because they were all sold out.

I also bought some necessities for the race like Body Glide! ;-)

After the expo we headed to dinner. We ate at a restaurant outside of Disney called Bahama Breeze. I got the Fish Tacos and they were amazing!

Then it was time to check in to the hotel. We stayed at Disney's All Star Movies Resort. Check in was fairly easy. We headed to our room and it was past time for me to go to bed. I had a 3 AM wake up call the next morning for my first race of the weekend! I got all of my stuff ready and hit the hay!

This weekend I took over 200 pictures...and all on my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone! I was super impressed with the quality of my pictures this weekend! Some of my friend's pictures during the race were dark and blurry...but mine came out great! I was also so proud to have Verizon service this weekend. My friend has service with a different provider and she had issues posting pictures and texting. But not me! Verizon didn't let me down! I even met a super nice man in our corral before the half. I started talking about how I loved Verizon and he interrupted and said he was glad to hear that. I asked him why and he told me because he worked for Verizon! :-) I've enjoyed being an ambassador for Verizon and hope to work with them more in the future!

QOTD: What's your favorite part of a race expo?

My Top 5 Favorite Things About the Samsung Galaxy S4!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Ambassadors SE Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

I've had my Samsung Galaxy S4 for about a month and a half now and I'm absolutely loving it! I've always been an iPhone lover and wasn't sure I would like an Android phone. But I will tell you that I LOVE it! It does so many things! I want to tell you about my top 5 favorite things about this phone!

#1- Swype

Swype is the coolest thing! It makes texting, writing emails, posting on Social Media, etc. so much faster! What is Swype? You basically enter words on the keyboard by sliding your finger on the first and last letter of the word. You only lift your finger in between words. I thought it would take me forever to get used to Swype but it didn't. I LOVE it! Now when I use the keyboard on any other device I try to Swype...and then get frustrated when I realize it doesn't use Swype! 

source

#2- Huge Screen

I love the bigger screen on the Samsung Galaxy S4! I thought the screen on my iPhone 5 was big but now when I look at it it seems so much smaller. The bigger screen makes looking at things on the phone so much easier! And since I'm getting older and my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be...the bigger screen is great!

#3- Widgets

Widgets are so awesome! They basically show an at a glance view of an app's most important info. Widgets customize your home screen panels. I have several set up on my phone. I love the Bible verse of the day, weather, Facebook Status, Twitter, and Calendar widgets!

#4- Back Button

I love having a back button on the phone! Instead of having to go back to the home screen first...all you have to do is touch the back button and it takes you to the last thing you were looking at on the phone! 

#5- Camera 

The camera on this phone takes amazing pictures! It has 13 megapixels! I love that you can use voice commands (smile, cheese, shoot, capture) to get it to take a picture. There are also several different picture modes you can use: Auto, Beauty Face, Best Photo, Best Face, Sound and Shot, Drama, Animated Photo, Rich Tone, Eraser, Panorama, Sports, and Night! It's a lot of fun to play around with the different modes!

So there you have it! My top 5 favorite things about the Samsung Galaxy S4! Of course there are tons of other things I like about the phone! One of them is that it is so fast! Of course that is probably due to Verizon's awesome LTE 4G service!

I know there are things that I haven't even discovered about this phone! I'm having fun learning it all!

QOTD: What kind of phone do you have? What is your favorite thing about your phone?

Edge Up With Verizon!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Ambassadors SE Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Are you one of those people who likes to have the newest and greatest technology? How about the newest and greatest smartphone? I know I am! I always want the latest model because I know it does something cooler or something my current model doesn't do. But I hate having to wait two years before I can upgrade my phone! So much happens in two years!

Here's where Verizon comes in. They have a new program called Verizon Edge that I can't wait to tell you about!

So...what exactly IS Verizon Edge?

Verizon Edge is a program that lets you pay for your phone over 24 months rather than paying for it all upfront. You only need to pay the first month’s installment at the time of purchase, from then on you’ll make a monthly payment until your phone is paid off completely. Or, after six months, if you've paid 50% of the balance due and after meeting the eligibility requirements, you’ll have the option to “Edge Up” to a new phone without any upgrade fees.

There are 3 basic steps to the Verizon Edge program.

Step 1: Pick a new phone. The full retail price is split into 24 monthly payments, and added to your usual monthly bill.

Step 2: Enjoy your new phone. After 6 months, with at least 50% of your phone's price paid off, you're eligible to Edge Up. 

Step 3: Edge Up. Trade in your existing device and select your new one. 

What are the eligibility requirements for Verizon Edge? Existing customers must be eligible for an upgrade. Customers with accounts less than 6 months will need to go through an internal e-credit check. If you are a new Verizon customer that wants to be eligible for Verizon Edge you must pass a credit check. Unfortunately, prepaid accounts are not eligible for Verizon Edge. 

There are two more reasons why you should take advantage of the Verizon Edge Program:

• Free Activation- New customers who sign up for Verizon Edge, will receive a credit back for their $35 activation fee. WOW!
• One Edge Payment Free- All customers new to Verizon Edge, will receive a credit back for one month's Verizon Edge device payment. WOW!

Verizon Edge doesn't require a service contract. Customers will be on a month-to-month service agreement and device installment agreement. There is no fee to join the Edge program. 

All Verizon Wireless smartphones and basic phones are eligible for Verizon Edge. Other devices, such as tablets and mobile hotspots, are not eligible at this time. 

Sounds awesome right? I'm pretty excited about the Verizon Edge Program and the opportunity to upgrade my phone in six months! 

QOTD: What kind of phone do you have? Are you ready to upgrade?

Introducing Isis Mobile Wallet and Verizon!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Ambassadors SE Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

The holidays are upon us and everyone (at least I am) is getting excited about shopping! I can't wait to shop all those Black Friday deals! 

How about making your shopping experience a little easier? Verizon has just launched a new app called Isis Mobile Wallet! 

What is Isis?
Isis is a mobile wallet app that basically allows you to leave your wallet at home! No more carrying around multiple credit cards! All you need is your cell phone and you can shop anytime! 

How does it work?
First you have to download the Isis Mobile Wallet app (available through the Google Play Store) and create an account. Then you enter any of your compatible credit cards and bank accounts that you would like to use. You can tap to pay with your Isis Mobile Wallet at any of the participating stores nationwide (about 20,000) that have the contactless symbol! When you get to the cash register you enter your pin (chosen by you), pick the card or bank account you want to use, and tap your phone to the terminal and it pays! Simple! 

You can also add your loyalty cards (those that junk up your keychain) AND add your special offers, deals, or promotions so that they will always be with you organized and ready!

More Savings!
Isis has partnered up with American Express Serve! You can get all the benefits of an American Express account with no monthly fees if you sign up through Isis! 

How safe is it?
Your wallet is protected by a 4 digit pin that you choose. If you lose your phone you can be assured no one can access your wallet because of the pin. You can also visit My Verizon to have them suspend your wallet in this case of emergency. 

You know the 3 digit CVC numbers on the back of your credit cards? Isis Mobile Wallet's transactions are secure because with each transaction this CVC number changes.

Your privacy is valued by Isis. Isis will never know what you have bought.

Who can use it?
Currently only Android devices are compatible with Isis. You can go to Verizon's website to see a list of the devices that are compatible. You may possibly need to order a free SE SIM Card to use Isis...you can visit MyVerizon.com to order your free one. Isis Mobile Wallet is free to download through the Google Play Store. 

I'm told that Isis will be available for iPhones soon! 

To see Isis Mobile Wallet in action watch the video below!




I can't wait to use Isis Mobile Wallet when I'm out shopping on Black Friday and this Christmas season! I've already got my loyalty card for Toys 'R' Us stored in the app (shhh...don't tell my boys)!

QOTD: What would you purchase with the Isis Mobile Wallet? What feature do you like best?