Find New Roads

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chevrolet's sponsorship of Listen To Your Mother, but opinions are my own.

One of the best parts of living in the Chicagoland area is our proximity to so many other cities and destinations. I'm telling you, I spent 1 week on the island of Kauai and by the 7th day I was all "Ok. I've seen it all here! I've driven every road (literally) and am already starting to feel trapped."

ON KAUAI. Can you believe it? I felt trapped in paradise.

I am obviously a person who needs the wide open spaces of the Midwest and the ability to just DRIVE without hitting a natural barrier every 25 minutes.

On Sunday, my "platonic lobster" and co-producer for the Chicago Listen To Your Mother Show, Melisa Wells, and I took to the road in a Chevy Volt. We were headed to the Milwaukee #LTYM show in support of our fellow producers and also to have a fantastic time promoting the Chevrolet campaign, #FindNewRoads.

 We decided to take that as a reason to visit The Cheese Castle in Kenosha because, obviously, CHEESE.

Gosh, we're cute. AmIright? We need to carry wind machines with us 24/7. And also, cheese.

I love that Melisa felt the need to cautiously inform me that it's a castle that SELLS cheese, not a castle MADE OF cheese. I laughed at the time, but now I'm wondering if she felt the need to tell me that because she actually believed that I MIGHT ACTUALLY THINK it was made of cheese?

Fully loaded up on cheese and "trail mix"*, we be-bopped our way to Milwaukee's venue and had a great time just hanging out with the many friends we knew there.

Me, Kari Wagner Hoban, Melisa Wells, Jennifer Evers, Shannon Duffy, Ann Imig

It doesn't get much better than laughing hysterically while you re-create a BETTER "Oscar Selfie," does it?

The Milwaukee show was so excellent! It was fun to just experience the show without the behind-the-scenes influence that being a producer carries. We laughed; we cried. We nodded and said "Me too."

Getting cozy in the Volt with Melisa and LTYM founder, Ann Imig. This one picture required 43 attempts with instructions on how to hold the camera at the best angle and not make it appear as though one person's head was 5 times larger than the rest.

 This was the best result. 

I'm still laughing.

Melisa, Tracey, Alexandra, Ann Imig, Jennifer

Man, I was having a blast! Melisa and I cruised over to the after-show party which was totally chill and cozy at a local bar and grill. We made sure to eat plenty of cheesy foods (because DUH, WisCONsin!) while we got to know the cast and reconnected with fellow producers from Milwaukee, Alexandra Rosas and Jennifer Pody Gaskell. I was so grateful for the opportunity to just get out and away from the craziness of homeschooling 2 kids and the final days of preparation for the Chicago show. Laughing with friends, driving the open road, eating cheese, and truly feeling the connection to this massive entity that is Listen To Your Mother... It overwhelms me. 

Still, after all of that driving and laughing and listening to mothers and laughing and cheese-eating, I realized, as I pulled into my driveway that night, exhausted but elated, that no path or road or adventure is ever as wonderful as the path that leads me back home. Yes, I love to Find New Roads, but only one road leads me back to these faces:

That truly is the best road of all.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chevrolet as part of their sponsorship of the Listen To Your Mother Show 2014 season. Learn more about their sponsorship at the Listen To Your Mother Show website.

*Melisa learned how to make "trail mix" from her mother in law. It is the best trail mix in the world as it contains every type of delicious chocolate, dried fruit, chocolate, nuts, chocolate and pretzels in the world. She also throws a little extra chocolate in there, just to be sure that you never run out of the chocolate. I believe that I groaned "OH MY GOD" in sheer joy 487 times on that car ride...

The Spark in Chicago

Introducing The Spark by Chevy.

It's a lil car with a lil price but super comfy and way more space than the outside leads you to believe.

The colors are fabulous and fun. My photos don't do them justice (my flash isn't working right now) but they are vibrant and unique. In fact, you can see their youthful personality on display at any of the Color Run 5Ks as the official ride of the Run.

 I also just really like the name. It's cute, right? I am thinking about trying to convince my husband to consider this vehicle for his next ride. It's inexpensive (starts at about $13K!) and decent on gas. But the real question: Is it manly enough? Honestly, I don't know... I do know that it fits a very tall man in just fine. (Not some random man on the street. I did a test drive with a Chevy spokesperson and he had ample leg and head room!) And I do think that he would enjoy driving it (handled well, decent acceleration and braked on a dime when I almost hit several Chicago drivers on Randolph. I HATE RANDOLPH!)....

Maybe it's more MY speed? A cute little car without a big price tag? Though I couldn't fit all 3 kids into the back seat (trust me: this is a FOUR SEATER). So one of them would have to stay home all the time... Or boarding school?

I feel like such a Gear Head...

...But in a GOOD way because I adored "my" Chevy Traverse that was on loan for a week and nearly wept when the meanies came back to reclaim it. :( Corinne actually DID protest when she realized that she could no longer watch Ice Age with headphones in the 5 minute ride to ballet...

Between checking out the Chevy Traverse, attending the Chicago Auto Show and then test driving the Chevy Volt, I must appear to be really automotive-savvy.The Volt! Drives like a regular car but is mostly electric!! This car may not be big enough to be a large "family car" but it's fabulous for commuters or families with only 1 or 2 children. There were tons of cool features (keyless, comfortable, attractive, safety precautions) but the best point of it, in my opinion, is the main feature:

You plug it in.

You are no longer 100% dependent on gasoline. The emissions you emit are practically non-existent! If a new sedan type car is what you are looking for, I highly recommend that you check out the Volt.

~~~

I am not a gearhead. This was quite evident the instant I wandered onto the floor and exclaimed to Barb, "Oh look! I like THAT car!"

"Yeah. That's because it's a PORSCHE, Trace."

Aha. Yes. I knew that. Still, have you seen a Porsche? Quite snazzy.

"Ooh! Then how about this one?!?"How about this one, Barb? Can I pull of the Christie Brinkley look?If I drape myself across the Camaro, do you think I'll look like a car model?!?

Hmmm. I'm sorry to say, but I think that THIS car is more my style. Isn't it CUTE?!? A little Fiat! And I just wanted to cuddle it and squeeze it help it build a leaning tower of tires!!

Actually, THIS is what I want for my birthday. This or the Traverse, ok honey?