The Sights of San Francisco: Samsung Imagelogger Trip Day 2

Yesterday was the first real full day of the "Real Time Explorer" Imagelogger trip. Imagine a full day of taking pictures of some of the most famous sights of a picturesque town. I've also gotten to know my fellow Imageloggers a little better. While there are only four of us from the US program, we have been joined by Imageloggers from Italy, Korea and Hong Kong. All of my campions are professional photographers, being the sole "mom blogger" of the trip, it quickly became evident that I bring a different skill set to the table. My photos are focused more on people and food - I've dubbed myself the party photographer of the trip. It was a long, but amazing day....

DISCLOSURE: This was an all expense paid press as part of the Samsung Imagelogger program. All images in this post were taken with the Samsung NX300 SMART camera. Samsung provided me with a camera to participate in the #Imagelogger program. All opinions and photographs are my own. Over the next few months I will be sharing images taken with the NX300 SMART camera on Twitter, Facebook and here on my blog. If you want to follow along and check out some of the images the other Imageloggers are taking - just follow the hashtag: #Imagelogger.   

Life’s A Beach with D6 Surfskimmers and HangTen

{The following is a charming little story, made possible through sponsorship by D6. It is all true, which makes it even better. And? Everyone lives happily ever after.}

The Belmar Beach Party was a highlight of the #JerseyLove trip this past June! The day was designed to be the main social good component of our press trip to help restore New Jersey tourism after Sandy did quite a number on it last year. We were thrilled to sign D6 as our social good sponsor and even more thrilled when they suggested we throw a beach party with the opportunity to check out their newly launched surf skimmers and (not yet available) Hang Ten surf boards. 

Then the big day arrived and it was soggy. Tropical Storm Somebody was pushing through and dumping warm rain on our parade. Instead of beach umbrellas and sunblock, we moved inside the iconic Djais to hang out, have a bite to eat and stay dry. The weather was not going to stop us from having fun and even though it was raining, we were still going to attempt surfing.

Then…the shark report came in. 

Moms wearing wetsuits that make them look like yummy seals + man eating sharks = NO WAY. I'm a California girl. I can surf almost any day of the week - on non-shark infested water days. But these girls? They be Cray-Cray. 

They all kept saying that they wanted to get in the water because of the chance to surf with the classic beach brand HANG TEN and try the innovative new D6 surfskimmers. That, this was a chance to do something rare and even a little dangerous. But honestly, I think the hot surfer dudes served as the best motivation.

The only real bummer was that we didn’t get to do much surfskimming with the kids. I do know a little insider info about the boards, designed for kids ages 5-12:

• It is a must-have innovative skimboard introduces action sports to beginners who have always wanted to shred like their idols, (or their moms if they were on the JerseyLove trip.)
• It’s is a fun, innovative skimboard with gripper technology designed to give kids a chance to skim and advance quickly within minutes on the water; because we all know that a kid’s attention span is about 5 minutes max. Ease of use and fast learning is ESSENTIAL.
• A first-of-its-kind product, the SurfSkimmer is a skimboard with a detachable arm extension and handlebar that allows kids to run and glide without losing balance.
• Nothing is worse than trying to clean a sandy injury and get a band aid to stick while at the beach. Avoiding injury is a good thing.
• Once kids are ready to ride without the handle, they can remove it and skim just like the pros. Plus, the failed attempts make for hilarious YouTube content! ;-)

It is like learning to surf with training wheels! Take a look:

Since we didn’t have a chance to really try it out, D6 was kind enough to offer us a discount on the boards once we got back to our homes and respective beaches! Not only that, but you can all get one at a discounted rate too. Yup, we can all be cool parents for 20% less than retail price. Just use: jerseylove at checkout and prepare to be the most coveted parent on the beach. You’re welcome.

Despite the crummy weather and fear of being shark snacks, we had a blast. Life really is a beach, rain or shine, when you have D6 and Hang Ten to make it fun! 

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored content as part of my agreement as a participant of the #JerseyLove event. 

Staycation All I Ever Wanted: Four Seasons Westlake #Imagelogger

My girl Andrea is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. This Sunday, her and her family are moving to Costa Rica... YES. They are picking up and moving to Costa Rica. She's living the dream. 

Over the past few years of conferences and press events, Andrea, Kim, Romy, Candice and I have become a great little group. We've all traveled together, roomed with each other (sometimes all of us in one room!), teamed up for day trips and supported each other both online and in real life. As the days to Andrea's departure started to whittle down, we got to planning. What could we do to send our girl off in style? We needed one last hurrah before she leaves us all for the Central American tropics.

How about a day in the Luxury Spa Suite at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village? 

Um. Yes PLEASE. 

Located just north/west (Directionally, not Kim Kardashian's baby's name..) this Four Seasons is a little paradise where you wouldn't expect it. Fabulous grounds, a super lux spa, warm sun and champagne made this a send off none of us will ever forget. 

 The day was amazing. Lots of girl talk. Lots of tears. Lots of champagne. 

The Four Seasons in Westlake Village was the ideal spot for our little getaway. Huge thanks to everything they did to help us make this time perfect for Andrea. Here's to hoping that the next time we see Andrea, it will be at her new "local" - The Four Seasons in Costa Rica. 

*Disclosures:

The Four Seasons Westlake provided us with rooms and the luxury spa suite and food during our stay. Opinions are my own. 

All images in this post were taken with the Samsung NX300 SMART camera. Samsung provided me with a camera to participate in the #Imagelogger program. All opinions and photographs are my own. Over the next few months I will be sharing images taken with the NX300 SMART camera on Twitter, Facebook and here on my blog. If you want to follow along and check out some of the images the other Imageloggers are taking - just follow the hashtag: #Imagelogger.