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AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving!

June 10, 2016 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving!

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AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving!

AwesomeBox knows that you have to stay on your toes when you are married! You see, as anyone that has ever been married knows, after many years of marriage sometimes finding the right gift is harder than it is in previous years. I know that I have always looking for any unique gift for my wife to keep her, and me on my toes. This is where AwesomeBox comes in!

AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving!

With AwesomeBox, there’s a creative way for the whole family to show the people that you love how very loved and appreciated they are.

AwesomeBox transforms photos, sentiments, and stories into an eye-catching package filled with memories they’ll treasure for years to come.
When I started to create the AwesomeBox all I had to do was create an online portfolio where I, or other friends and family could upload favorite pictures and messages. I could even invite people that live far away which was really cool! Best of all the people that come can even pull from their own personal Facebook feed to find images for the AwesomeBox that is being created!
AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving! AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving!
Once you are happy with the cards that have been created you simply let AwesomeBox do their work designing unique, beautifully printed cards your loved one can turn to time after time for love, inspiration, and a smile.
Initially I was told that it would take a few weeks to get this but I was very surprised to get it in only a few days (talk about fast!). I took a peek at my creation, still hiding it from the eyes of my lovely bride and found that the cards were simply beautiful!
I tell you, this is a foolproof way to create a heartfelt gift someone will cherish forever.
AwesomeBox Lets You Amp Up Your Gift Giving!
I could also see these as being great as surprise gifts for so many special occasions! With an AwesomeBox starting at $19 for a 10 card box you can truly create a memorable gift that will keep on giving for years to come! 

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Filed Under: product review Tagged With: Anniversary, fathers day, gift, gifts

GiftySong Gives You A Timeless Gift You Will Treasure Always!

July 20, 2015 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Giftysongtitle
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Sometimes when you have a special or event you may be looking for a gift that is completely unique. I know that this is definitely the case for me. My wife and I celebrated out 17th wedding anniversary this year, but also she has a very large birthday too. When these large events role around, I sometimes know exactly what I want to do though there are times when my best efforts may be for naught and I come up emoty when it comes to great ideas for gifts and that is where GiftySong comes in.

GiftySong

I had never heard of GiftySong until recently when I started listening to the 48 Days to the Work You Love Podcast. Earlier this year, on that Podcast, they started playing a song to close out the show, a song written by the husband & wife team over at GiftySong. This talented couple do an amazing job at taking the answers from questions that you answer and turn this into something your own, completely unique and definitely special. Best of all in the end you have a beautiful song that you can download, share and sit back and wait for joyful results

This is the song from the 48 Days Podcast I mentioned (I could listen to this over and over again!)

GiftySong

As I mentioned, the process is started  by a short list of questions, which are used by the owners of the company. They use these answers to start the bare-bones composing for the song you will receive. After complete, they will contact you with a draft version to listen to and reflect on. If you are good with the song, want to change anything, this is the time. They will work with you until you are happy with the results, and depending on your level of package, you may or may not have a limit to the number of changes that you may desire.

giftysong

Giftysong is an amazing way to create a lasting gift that you and your loved ones will treasure for years to come. Todd and Emily make the process easy and you truly get something in the end that is timeless, and something that may bring happy tears to the eyes of the person you give it too (it did in the case of the song I had written). I cannot say enough positive things about the process and about this amazing couple – take advantage of this great company and what they have to offer!

Below is the song I worked with them to create for my wife!


So who would you create a song for? What event would you create a song for? You can start the process easily enough. They will start by asking you only 3 questions and you are on your way!

 

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Filed Under: fatherhood, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anniversary, gifts, giftysong, Giftysong.com, Music, singing

Grand Rapids Michigan is One Cool City @experiencegr

July 2, 2013 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

All opinions expressed in this post about Grand Rapids are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Being from Michigan I can say that I love my State and for the most of my life have lived within its’ borders. Growing up on the east side of the State I never really spent much time on the West side of the State, but since I have gotten older I have definitely spent more time exploring all of the State. This past weekend my wife and I celebrated our 15th anniversary by exploring my State’s second largest city, Grand Rapids thanks to the great people at Experience Grand Rapids.   I currently live about an hour and a half from Grand Rapids and the drive is an easy one. In exploring the Experience Grand Rapids site before coming to the city I have to say that I was very impressed with the wide array of things to do in this city. Not only are there more restaurants than you can know what to do with, but the city is strewn with museums, artwork and more.

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel: This picture shows th...

We stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, an extravagant hotel in downtown, and we were placed on the Pantalind side of the hotel. This is the older side of the hotel which used to be the old Pantalind Hotel which opened originally in the early 1900’s. There is also a much more modern glass tower side of the hotel which is on the river too, but we loved our room with its’ old style charm. The hotel has a ton of restaurants within it including Cygnus (at the top of the glass tower – talk about great views), Ruth Chris Steak House, Benthams Restaurant and more! We loved how centrally located this hotel was to all of downtown!

Picture I took of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI fr...

The first night we were in town we decided to go to dinner at an amazing restaurant called San Chez, which is a Tapas Bistro in downtown Grand Rapids. We ended up meeting some friends from the area there for food that was out of this world and Sangria that was to die for. The great thing about this restaurant is that there is so much on the menu that you can choose from and then share with one another. The restaurant not only provides you with flavor that will bring you back for more but also encourages you to share so much more than food and simply talk and have a great time. 

Grand Rapids, San Chez Bistro Grand Rapids, San Chez Bistro Grand Rapids, San Chez Bistro

 

After dinner we went to a building called The B.O.B (Big Old Building) which has a ton of restaurants/Bars within it, but also has a comedy club called Dr. Grins Comedy Club. I have not been to a comedy club for a long time, but this looked like fun and the headliner Lachlan Patterson sounded good as well! I have to say that for the three acts that we saw, two of the three were great and Lachlan was definitely worth the wait! We had a great time and I would definitely come back again for not only the great comedy, but also the great wait staff as well.

Grand Rapids, The B.O.B Grand Rapids, The B.O.B, Dr. Grins Grand Rapids, The B.O.B, Dr. Grins

 

On Saturday morning I ventured out into the town looking for breakfast. I decided to job around the town and see what I could see, as well as find what was open. I was surprised to see how alive the downtown area was and then found that there was a bike race in town that morning. I felt completely safe in the downtown area and ran across a number of restaurants that were open at the time. I also found some great artwork around the city as well, both installed on property and painted on the side of buildings. This made a lot of sense, especially knowing that this city is the home of ArtPrize, a art competition that I would love to come back to see in the future! I ended up just stopping to get something small from Biggby Coffee so that we could get started for the day.

Grand Rapids, Art

Grand Rapids

Our first stop of the day was the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. This President grew up in Grand Rapids and the Museum was right across the river from where we stayed. This museum was so interesting! This was the President that my wife and I were born into and I have to say that we both learned so much about the short Presidency of this man and what he did to heal a nation after the scandal of the Nixon Presidency. We spent quite a bit of time in this museum and even visited both his and Betty Ford’s grave.

Grand Rapids, Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum

Grand Rapids, Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum SAM_0344

 

From there we went to the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). Again, this museum was only a block away from the hotel and I had heard great things about it. What I loved about the museum was that it had a bit of everything all in one place. My favorite floor was probably the third as it held artwork from Picasso to more Michigan-based artists and art that ranged in age from the 1500’s to present. They even had a few pieces that were recognized from previous ArtPrize competitions including the one below that just blew my mind. You may not be able to tell, but this is not a photograph, but instead was a pencil drawing – it was simply stunning!

Grand Rapids Art Museum

Grand Rapids Art Museum

 

Saturday night we went to Hopcat, one of the restaurant/micro breweries in town. I recently learned about the fact that Grand Rapids was recently named one of the top Beer Cities in the United States (who would have known). In the down Grand Rapids area, Hopcat along with a number of other micro breweries have started up and are providing customers with amazing blends of beer. At Hopcat, they had 64 beers on tap – yes I said 64, talk about crazy! The food at Hopcat was great – you have to try the Crack Fries and the atmosphere was loud and fun!

Grand Rapids, Hopcat Grand Rapids, Hopcat

Grand Rapids, Hopcat

 

Sunday was our short day as we had to check out by 11 and had to pick up our girls as well. We had found a pizza place named Georgios Gourmet Pizza on Friday and decided to come back for brunch seeing that it had a remarkable number of different pizzas (including a Mac ‘n Cheese pizze, a Salad Pizza, Taco Pizza and more). The pizza was definitely worth the wait as it was one of the best tasting pizzas that I have tried in the past. On top of this the crust was just right which not every pizza place can claim. What was even better though was that we found out that there are two other franchise restaurants near where we live outside of Lansing, so guess where we will be going in the near future.

Grand Rapids, Georgio's Gourmet Pizza Grand Rapids, Georgio's Gourmet Pizza

 

We just scratched the surface of this city on this trip, but rest assured we will be back. This is an amazing city with so much to offer everyone (not just adults). If you are looking for a great city that has things for all ages, food to make your mouth water, art that will dazzle and natural beauty that is awe-inspiring, Grand Rapids is the place to visit!

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Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Anniversary, Experience Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Michigan, michigan, travel, vacation

Getting Away To A Great City and Hotel Helps Parents Reconnect ( @hotel71chicago ) #Dadchat

July 4, 2012 by dadofdivas 24 Comments

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to get away with my lovely bride of 14 years to escape the chains of reality and instead to simply let go and have fun without the kids! I have to be honest and say that we have not been the best examples of balance when it comes to finding our own time as parents, so this was a lucky treat and after spending the time with her I have to say that it was something that we should have done a long time ago! We decided to spend our 14th anniversary in the town where we had our first trip as a couple some 16 years ago, the windy city, Chicago. I had had some CityPASS tickets that were provided to me in the past so we were planning to try and use some of them so that we could go and see some of the local museums as well as take in the sights, sounds and tastes of Chicago.

We decided to take the South Shore Line  of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District into the town as we had found out that it would cost us about $49/night to park the car in town, so we wanted to save a bit of money. For both of us it cost about $30 roundtrip from Chesterton, Indiana and the parking was secure and the ride was pleasant and comfortable without any noticeable delays or issues. The train brought us to Millenium Station and from there is was only about a 3 block walk to where we were staying.

I was so excited to try out Hotel 71 as I had heard some amazing things about it, as well as seeing it in movies like “The Dark Knight” and “Transformers” Located directly in the heart of Chicago, it is so well situated between the Magnificent Mile and things like Grant Park and Navy Pier that you cannot go wrong. The other great thing was that it was located right on the Chicago River (or at least right across the street) and with views of this as well as the Trump Tower, Wrigley and Tribune buildings, you cannot get much better!

In walking into the building you are introduced to a modern looking hotel with a pleasant feel. The first thing that I noticed was the smiles on the faces of the front desk staff. I was immediately welcomed by Jessica, an employee who had recently graduated from College and was a transplant from Michigan. Jessica was easy to talk to and made me feel like I was the only customer that she had to work with all day (talk about feeling welcomed). What particularly was nice was the fact that every time that I saw her she remembered who I was and used my name to greet me and to ask how she could continue being of service which was amazing.

The check-in process was simple and we even could check into our room early (which was a pleasant surprise).

When we got to the room and opened the door we were very pleased at what we encountered. The room was very like luxurious, with a king sized bed desk and then tables as well as a minibar, microwave and safe. The bathroom provided his and her sinks as well as a separate restroom with soaking tub and disconnected shower. Inside the restroom was an additional television for you to be able to watch something on television while soaking in the tub. The linens on the bed were of high quality and the pillows were such that you simply sank into them and did not want to get up (or at least I didn’t). Everything in the room was pristine and the housing staff did a wonderful job at keeping the room looking the way that the hotel wished it to be. The view from the room was wonderful and spotlighted the Chicago River,TrumpTower, Wrigley and Tribune buildings. As a photographer I love to be able to take pictures of the river and the individual bridges that you typically do not get to view from the angle of a hotel room.

 

I explored the hotel and decided to work out and was pleased to find a fully stocked workout room with three rooms filled with equipment ranging from cardio too weights, there was a little bit of everything for everyone.

My wife and I decided to explore the city a little bit on the first day and went to the Shedd Aquarium in 14 years. Thanks to CityPass we bypassed a long line and found that the pass itself that we had provided us with complete access to all of the aquarium, and instead of having to pay for extra exhibits and shows we were provided full access without additional charge. The aquarium was amazing and offers so many varieties of aquatic life. The shows and additional exhibits are worth the extra money as the staff of the aquarium have done a remarkable job of working with the animals and the habitats of the animals to make your experience as real as can be without being in the water yourself.

The only downside to the day was public transportation, as we had purchased one day passes to save some money in regards to transporting ourselves to and from our hotel. While the transportation was less expensive it didn’t take but a bit longer and we found that by staying until after the aquarium had closed, it was also a bit unreliable. We ended up walking back to the hotel from the aquarium which was about a 25 to 30 minute walk on a warm day.

 

By the time that we returned to our hotel we were pleased to find that the staff had provided us with bottled water and fruit to accompany our stay (I am guessing this may have something to do with my review of the hotel, but it was a very nice gesture nonetheless).

Our stay at Hotel 71 continued to be a great one over the two full days and two nights that we were guests. On the second night of our stay we also ate at the restaurant which is a part of the hotel called Hoyt’s Chicago. The restaurant was elegant and provided an urban feel to one’s dining experience. For both my wife and I loved about the restaurant at first was the laid-back dining atmosphere that was provided to us. We had the opportunity to sit and eat outside (though it was too warm for us) or inside.

We actually had a table sitting overlooking theChicago River (which we both loved). Our server was friendly and talkative (not overly so) and was ever-eager to assist and please. My wife and I got to know him a little bit better in about what brought him to the city, and he was comfortable in sharing his life with us which is something we always enjoy.

 

The restaurant knew that it was our anniversary, so they surprised us with a bottle of sparkling wine which was a nice surprise! We ended up deciding to try out the homemade pretzel appetizer first. When this came out, it came with both a chorizo cheese sauce as well as a stone ground Dijon mustard, both of which were very good. I even tried mixing the two and found that they went well together.  After this my wife ordered the hanger steak and I the skirt steak.

When the meals arrived I have to say that the kitchen had done a fine job at displaying the meal. We each tried each other and I have to say that though both were mouth watering, we both preferred the hanger steak as it had more flavor overall and the mix of caramelized onions brought forth an addition complex component of flavors which the skirt steak was lacking.

This is not to say that the skirt steak was bad, far from it, but it was simply lacking a bit of flavor that a sauce would have helped (as the horseradish cream was a bit mild for my taste.

After our main course we ordered the Oatmeal and Nuts Apple Crumble and it was definitely worth it. Talk about a delicious way to end our meal.

All-in-all the meal at Hoyt’s Chicago was a very pleasant one and I would say that if you are looking for fine dining in a urban feeling, semi-casual atmosphere, you too should go and try the wonderful food and service that they provide.

Everyone that we met at Hotel 71 made the experience both special and memorable and from what I could see, they treated every one of their guests with the same respect and professionalism. I would definitely satay at this hotel again if given the chance and I would highly recommend that you too consider the same if you are looking for a fun way to reconnect with a loved one, or if you are simply trying to get away for a weekend!

 

 

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Filed Under: parenting, travel Tagged With: Anniversary, connection, marriage, parenting, relationship, relationships

10 Years – An Evening Out!

June 29, 2008 by dadofdivas 4 Comments

Just thought I would share… J-Mom and I got a rare evening out thanks to our Neighbors! We had a wonderful dinner!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anniversary, Celebration, J-Mom

10 Blissful Years

June 27, 2008 by dadofdivas 8 Comments

Today is J-Mom and my 10th Anniversary. I took Jeremy from Discovering Dad’s lead and used One True Media to put together something of a compilation (of pictures) to celebrate the day. I could not ask for a better friend and partner through the past 10 years of marriage and 12 years of being together. I love you J-Mom and hope others of you enjoy this tribute!


Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anniversary, Celebration, J-Mom

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