I've been amazingly blessed this past year as a mom, wife, and yes, even a blogger. You may have seen me sporting this profile pic on my Facebook page over the past several months:

Well, I remember first hearing about the #midwestmoms campaign several months ago and thinking, "that is TOTALLY me!".  I was eager to learn more and see what Verizon Wireless was all about. 

And I never expected to feel as tied to a brand or company as I do with them.  And never in my wildest expectations would I have felt like I've gotten so much out of knowing a great group of my fellow midwest mom bloggers as I do now!

These chicks

and these chicks

fuuuuuhhhreakin' crack me up!  I had THE most fabulous time with all of them this past summer in Chicago at Midwest Moms Media brands & bloggers summit.  We connected about our families, our blogs, our lives as mothers, and of course — our techie gadgets!!

I even got to meet another real, live Candy!!  This NEVER happens!

Over the past few months I've shared so many laughs with these ladies online and I truly have a special place in my heart for ALL of them! 

And the folks at Verizon and at their agency, Rauxa, have been impeccably professional to work with and have gone above and beyond with the #midwestmoms campaign.  I am humbled and honored to have been a part of it all!

And yes, things have certainly changed a bit around here.

It's awesome that I've been able to share such great technology like the Motorola Xoom and my Droid Bionic smartphone with my kids.  They now have hands-on experience with tablets, smartphones and understand the basics of apps, 4G LTE, WiFi, hotspots, and other fun techie stuff.  I am such a firm believer in teaching kids to embrace our technology, not to shield them from it.  The way I see it, the jobs of their future haven't even been invented yet, so any advantage I can give them on various technologies that exist will work in their favor one day. 

My oldest now LOVES to play Words with Friends with his Grammy who lives two states away.  Not only is he experiencing technology and what it brings to this world, but he's able to use it to engage with her even when she's not visiting.

So to my peeps at Verizon & Rauxa — as we close out one of the most awesome years, I want to say "THANK YOU!!"  for inviting me to be a part of this fun #midwestmoms experience!  It has been wonderful beyond measure, and more than I could have ever imagined!  I'm sad this campaign is coming to an end, thankful for what it has been, and dreaming of when our paths will cross again!

 

 

 

{Disclosure: I am part of the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms project and am being compensated for this series of posts, however, the opinions expressed herein are those of my own. No one's the boss of me!}