 | Thanks for visiting La Vie de Laurie! I am participating in the COACH Poppy Project, and am currently ranked #5 among all sites. I would appreciate it if you could click on the colorful blooming poppy images in the left sidebar and send out a tweet with #CoachPoppy and #laurie. That will help me win a $2,500 shopping spree, and you can play the Instant Win Game for a chance to win a COACH gift card. See my post and their site for full details. Thanks so much for your help! xoxo ~ Laurie |
The one where I ask for more favors…
By Laurie | September 1, 2010
I know I’ve been asking a lot of my friends lately. Vote for me in this contest, tweet my hashtag for this, friend this company on Facebook, donate to my breast cancer walk etc. I’m a pest.
BUT… I was recently contacted about a sponsorship opportunity from All Plus Sized Bras who are looking to give $250 to one person who is participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure this year. I entered a short little essay about why I am participating and why I would be a good candidate for the sponsorship, and was selected as one of ten finalists. You have the entire month of September to vote for me and it truly takes less than a minute to do. Easy Peasy. Pinkie swear.
Also, they posted the address to send mail to Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day walkers at camp today. After walking 20 miles on Day 1, you have no idea how amazing it is to return to camp to a handful of letters from your friends and family. You are tired. Broken. Emotional. Your feet might be full of blisters. You’re sore. But opening a letter in which someone says they are proud of you, thinking of you, and routing for you? That is what gives you the motivation to keep going… to walk a second and third day. I still have all of the letters I received during my first event. I read them sometimes when I am feeling down, or am extra worried about making my fundraising and training goals.
I won’t beg (too much), but here’s the address for this year. I would appreciate a little snail mail love if you have a little bit of free time to throw something together:
Laurie Brosius
3-Day for the Cure Post Office
P.O. Box 6244
McKinney, TX 75071-6244
They have to be postmarked by October 25, and I will send a few more reminders with my monthly updates. Thanks so much for all of the support and donations.
Topics: 3 Day, Daily Ramble | No Comments »
Despite everything…
By Laurie | August 30, 2010
Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.
I have always loved that quote by Anne Frank. After spending two entire days sitting in front of Walmart with my best friend fundraising for breast cancer, it is even more ingrained in my head and heart.
I am amazed by the generosity of strangers. Amazed. I realize that not everyone is willing or would want to give money to two sweaty and sunburned women sitting at a folding table decorated in pink and plastic ducks. Even though we wore matching shirts, we didn’t exactly look official. I am inspired by the willingness of others to put trust in us. I don’t think I will ever stop appreciating the collective good that is out there in the world. I am so thankful that my participation in these events has given that gift to me.
We meet and talk to a lot of people. Women who were just diagnosed. Daughters who are missing their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Sons who aren’t afraid to wear a pink bracelet proudly. Husbands who have lost their wives. Nikki says those are the hardest ones for her. The men? They silently drop money into the bucket and give us a thumbs up or simply say “thank-you for doing this,” and continue on their way. Some will add a, “I lost my wife __ years ago.” We see a lot of pain.
In 2008 when we were packing up our garage sale for the day, an older man pulled up and parked along the curb. He walked over to us and told us about losing his wife. He said he didn’t have any cash and that he was going through a hard time, but that he wanted to do something to thank us for what we were doing. He ran back to his car and came back with a package of Pepperidge Farm cookies in a pink bag. He said he had just gone grocery shopping, and that he tries to buy products like that to support the cause and remember her. He insisted that we take them. I am pretty sure I will never forget that. This disease destroys so many lives.
Today a woman and her daughter approached the table. The mother told us that her daughter wanted to donate a few dollars of her own money. She talked to us for a few minutes about some friends and family members of hers who have gone through breast cancer, and asked us about why we were doing it. Then she looked at her daughter, and she said that someday she would be taking our places at the table. Nikki quickly told her that no, there would be no need for that because there will be a cure by then. She told the woman about her own daughter, and that making sure she doesn’t have to go through it is such a big part of why she is doing it too. The woman said she had not thought about it in that way, and said that she was right. I am so proud to be her friend.
Oh, and in my book? The People of Walmart are A-Okay.
Topics: 3 Day, Friends | 2 Comments »
Gold’s Gym Dance Workout for Wii Review & Giveaway
By Laurie | August 25, 2010
If I were making a workout game for the Nintendo Wii, there’s no doubt I’d include the song Good Vibrations. And no, I’m not talking about the 1966 song by the Beach Boys. I mean the 1991 Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch one. You know, the one that goes something like this:
Yo, it’s about that time
To bring forth the rhythm and the rhyme
I’m a get mine so get yours
I wanna see sweat comin’ out your poresCome on, come on
Feel it, feel it
Feel the vibration
 |
Naturally Gold’s Gym Dance Workout completely won me over simply by adding Good Vibrations to the song list. I mean honestly, is there a better booty shaking song? I dare you to name one so I can argue with you. That being said, it only makes sense that I am already a fan of this game. I’ve only played it a handful of times so far (It just came out on August 17), but I am definitely enjoying it. My favorite aspect of the Wii Fit is the step dancing, so I am excited to have another similar dancing activity that I know I already enjoy. Plus I’ve always wanted to learn how to Salsa. |
You can customize a variety of workouts which incorporate Latin dance styles, as well as a selection of boxing-inspired dance routines and mini games. What else do I love? 1) It is compatible with the Wii Balance Board. 2) It supports two-player co-op mode, so even Dave can get his groove on with me. 3) It stores the number of calories burned, body mass index, as well as a complete exercise history so you can track your progress and goals. What don’t I like? It starts off a little fast, especially when you are trying to get the hang of it. 2) The Wiimote sometimes doesn’t register your moves even when you do them correctly, and counts them as a “miss” during your routine. 3) So far besides checking my weight, I haven’t been able to figure out how else to use the Balance Board for actual workout routines.
Overall it is a lot of fun, and you will be surprised just how much you sweat. Trust me, you will feel like you did a full cardio workout and then some when you are done. The chick in the video below says you won’t even realize how much you are sweating, but she’s totally lying, yo. You will, because if you are anything like me, it will be a lot. Feel it, feel it.
Now that you’ve read my review and have seen a little bit of the game in action, wouldn’t you like to win your very own copy of Gold’s Gym Dance Workout? Of course you would! Simply browse their site and tell me something you like or learned and why you’d like to win a copy of the game. (mandatory). To receive extra entries:
1) Follow me, @laurie_pooh, and @UbiSoft on Twitter and send the following message:
I entered to win Gold’s Gym Dance Workout from @UbiSoft and @laurie_pooh: http://tinyurl.com/DanceWorkout
2) Follow my blog using the Google Connect in my sidebar to the right.
3) Subscribe to my blog in a reader.
U.S and Canada only, please. The winner will be selected randomly from all valid entries on or around August 30. You must leave a comment letting me something you learned from the website and why you’d like to win, as well as additional comments letting me know what else you have done to earn extra entries. Please also use your real first name and leave a valid way for me to contact you should you be selected as the winner. You will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail before another winner is selected. Good Luck!
| Disclosure: I was selected by Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective to be part of the Ubisoft Champions social media program. I am compensated for my participation in this program, but my reviews are solely my own and represent my honest opinions. Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective promote Blog With Integrity. |  |
Topics: Giveaways | 87 Comments »
Sweet Paris
By Laurie | August 25, 2010
The new Gymboree Sweet Paris line is probably the sweetest thing I have ever seen, since I love Paris and all. I can just see my daughter in it. You know, if I had a daughter. The little beret is just plain adorable, non? Also… who signed me up to be on their mailing list? Très cruel.
Topics: Daily Ramble | No Comments »
Wisk Away Protein Stains
By Laurie | August 23, 2010
You may remember that a few weeks ago I wrote a post about the new Wisk with Stain Spectrum ™Technology. What the heck does that mean? Well, that’s Wisk’s fancy way of saying that their new formula has even more enzymes and cleaning agents that target the full range of stains on a molecular level for a powerful clean. Still confused? I’ll break it down. It will take care of all of your stains from dirt and grass to peanut butter and chocolate milk.
I mentioned that it has been many years since I had used their product, so I was definitely curious what this new formula could do. The people at Wisk decided to send me a protein-stained swatch, dropping pipette, plastic beaker, goggles, lab coat, bottle of Wisk® Laundry Detergent and instructions to perform a little experiment. All I had to do was supply the scientist(s). Below is a video of what happened:
I discovered several things at the conclusion of making this video. 1) I hate the sound of my voice. 2) I love the smell of detergent. 3) Wisk really did a good job of cleaning the stains. It was also a lot of fun enlisting the help of Taylor and Zach, as well as getting to try the product firsthand. I even let Taylor take the white lab coat outside and rub it in the grass. She brought it back in and we cleaned the stain she made with Wisk. So far I’m pretty impressed, but we are definitely looking forward to the next challenge!
Are you interested in trying out Wisk with Stain Spectrum ™Technology? You can find a $1 off coupon on their website. It usually retails for $5.99 for 50 fl oz. bottles that clean 32 loads. I’d love to hear what you discovered based on your own at-home experiments.
Disclosure: This is the second in a series of sponsored posts I will be writing as part of a campaign on behalf of Wisk and One2One Network. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
Topics: Friends, Tid-Bits | 2 Comments »
