Not all of us our online buyers. For me personally, I love seeing and feeling the product before I decide to invest into it. Especially when it comes to an investment like a snowboard or a new, hefty, jacket, I want to make sure it’s exactly what I want and need. I purchased my snow pants online last year, and I swore I’d never do it again.
However, businesses are finding more and more ways to make shopping online easier for their consumers—especially those who want to look online, but buy in store [just like myself :)]. I came across dealer locators through a brand-marketing company, Brand-Apps.
Brand-Apps offers many brand-building services, but their most prestigious is definitely the new dealer locator serivice. Easy to use and a simple set-up, the dealer locator allows shoppers to see exactly where they can go to buy their favorite products from the company of their choice.
For example, when I was looking for a new CAPiTA™ board, I used their site’s store locatorto know which shops around my GPS location offered the board that I wanted.Simply type in your zip code or city, and the app does the work for you. From this page, you can see which shops are closest to where you are, find contact information for those dealers, and you’re that much closer to the products you want!
The dealer locator is a win-win situation for businesses and buyers, because the easy-to-use app allows businesses to amp up their site, inform their customers like they want to be, and in return, customers feel conveniently and accurately knowledgeable about where they can find the stuff they want.
I hope that many businesses gain insight to the use of dealer locators and all that they do for their shoppers. I’d say that most people who are on a mission for specific products would like to know, ahead of time, if certain dealers
even carry the products. Let’s face it, the technology is vastly growing and we are getting closer and closer to eliminating phone calls. If we could, I bet we’d love to just text a number for product information at a particular store. Instead, however, we have the great capabilities of computers.
No more guessing, assuming, and hoping that I’ll like the product I see on a site. Now I feel informed and prepared when I am looking for new hard or soft goods. Thank you Brand-Apps for being brand geniuses!
Currently, I have two great things to be very thankful for: a GREAT man and an awesome mountain within an hour drive.
Since my birthday is in the next coming week, my man has been bugging me and wanting to know what in the world he is going to get me. Because I’m half stubborn and half indecisive, I always reply, “I don’t know” or “you don’t have to get me anything!” (Hoping that he’d take that last comment as a joke and actually get me something. 
Due to the fact that he is an avid snowboarder with a season pass, I guess he automatically turned to the possibility of a snowboarding day for him and I. He knows that I am rather cheap and refuse to pay the day-pass fee of nearly $60, so he used this as an opportunity for quite a lovely birthday present. However, it’s actually a huge change to be thinking about snowboarding at the end of April, because there is usually hardly any snow left up on the mountain! This year was an exception, though, since our mountain snowfall and level was the highest in history for this time of the year.
Looking ahead at the forecast, he knew that there would be a prime opportunity within this last weekend that would serve as a great day of snowboarding. That being said, last Sunday we headed up for our day, (or rather, my day) up on the mountain. When we arrived, we saw people in shorts, no shirts, people only wearing t-shirts, and even a guy in his boxers and skis! It was a whopping 54 degrees up atop the mountain, where it had been 14 degrees the last time I visited in January.
By the end of our day, we had taken off two layers of clothing, and still dealt with a sweaty day of unbelievably hot and sunny snowboarding. As a souvenir, I know have an excellent goggle tan and a rudolph-burned nose to remember my perfect birthday gift.
What are the latest fads when it comes to skate, surf and snowboard shops…ask the kids! That’s right, the youth generation is getting more and more involved with all the latest and greatest trends when it comes to Volcom, Billabong, Quick Silver and more. In the great northwest, a local Gresham store, Gromshop, is focusing in on this specifically and ruling the kids Volcom market.
The store specializes in kids volcom clothing, gear, accessories and anything a little grom could ask for. If you are not from the northwest you can also shop online and find killer deals on anything youth related. Just a few months ago I bought my little nephew a pair DC shoes and a Quick Silver top. It was great to see that I had the option to buy him those styles and he is only two years old!
With the youth being even more involved in these action sports then ever before, it is nice to know you can also keep them up to date with the latest clothing trends along with the sports equipment they need to keep enjoying all their favorite activities. The Gromshop not only is accommodating this market, but also is getting involved with the community. They participate in events such as “Gromfest” with loud music, skateboard contests and enough root beer to satisfy all the kids’ thirst.
On Sunday March 15th I participated in my first community run. There were four people in our group my fiancé, my sister, a good friend of the family and myself. Our day started pretty early my fiancé and I got up at 6:45am and had to be out the door by 7am. When we got downtown the streets were packed with runners. It was amazing to see how many runners there are in Portland!
We got there about 5 minutes before it was our time to run. We all four lined up with hundreds of other people and as soon as the horn blew we were off! Our group chose to run the 5k. I must say the 5k races is a perfect distance for my very first time running in a community setting. About half way through the run I started to get a really bad side ache and had to walk a little, the good news is for the most part are whole group stuck together! We each took our turn where we needed a little bit of walking time, but we all crossed the finish line together, which in my opinion was the best part!
My wedding is 4 and half months away and I really want to stay focused! I am currently training for a half marathon in June. I do not know how I would do with a half marathon but I am willing to give it a try. My training will start tomorrow. I will keep you posted on how my training goes!
Have you ever had an injured toe? I never knew how valuable my toe was until I recently sprained and bruised it! The first question you are probably wondering is how do you sprain and bruise a toe? Well the way I hurt my toe I am sure could happen to anyone!
My fiancé and I had some friends over for dinner and I was putting away the left over food. When I opened the refrigerator a thick glass bottle that was on the very top of our refrigerator dropped and fell directly on my second toe.
Let me tell you is very painful to bruise and sprain a toe! The next day I could hardly walk and I had to keep it elevated and iced all day! My toe turned purple and was more swollen then I have ever seen it.
The pain, swelling and coloring lasted for a few days. After the first rough couple of days I started to feel more comfortable and was able to move around more. It has been two weeks tomorrow since the accident and I am still in pain! I have not been able to run yet and the race is right around the corner 
With the Shamrock run only being a month away it is very important to stay consistent with my training. I have been running 3 miles a day 3 times a week and I am getting very comfortable with this pace. My goal was to run the 8k for the Shamrock run but I am starting to think that a 5k might be a better idea for my first run.
You have to remember that I started running back in November so it has only been right around 4 months since I started training. I was doing really well with my best run being 4 miles at a pace of 9 minutes a mile, but I took about a week off and it really through my running schedule off. When I tried to run again after taking the time off I could hardly do my regular 3 miles. Since struggling I am really trying to not take any significant length of time off again.
I am excited for my run tonight because I think that I am finally getting back to the pace I was at before I took the time off. Hopefully my fiancé will go to the gym as well. Sometimes I have to drag him kicking and screaming and other times he is happy to go.
Last Sunday I decided that I was going to push myself to run 4 miles. If you would have told me three months ago that I would be able to run 4 miles I would have laughed at you. As you can see three months later this is an attainable goal. I decided to do the run on a Sunday because I am not as pressed for time as I am during the week. Well not only did I accomplish running 4 miles but I did it at a pace of 9.30, which for me is a very good pace.
I have had this last week off from the gym and I could not be more excited to get back to it. Due to some medications I am on I was forced to take the week off but I should be able to get back into the gym in the next couple of days.
My fiancé and I are only about six months away from our wedding date so it is time to really start pushing our self’s. We both have a goal to get into the gym three days a week. I usually go four days a week because I enjoy running on the weekends. But we are doing well if we go to they gym three days during the week together. He is a great workout partner and we both have some pretty good goals for the wedding. I will keep you all posted on how we are doing, as the wedding gets closer.
