The following post is sponsored by FitFluential, LLC on behalf of Verizon Wireless. (And it features a seriously rockin’ giveaway!!!)
Lunch at Stella’s Modern Pantry
Today is flyin’ by!
After I published my morning blog post, I headed out the door for a quick workout before I had to train a client and attend a lunch meeting for the Taste of Ocala. I wish I had time to shower in between, but hopefully the patrons at Stella’s Modern Pantry can forgive me for showing up looking a little worse for wear.
I’ve popped into Stella’s a time or two before, but just to browse around their eclectic kitchenware and gourmet food products. This was my first time dining at the casual restaurant and I was really impressed with the food.
I ordered the salad of the day that came with pine nuts, fresh Parmesan, roasted peppers, marinated onions, olives and sundried tomatoes. It was fantastic!
I also had a cup of mint tea because it was quite chilly inside.
Our meeting lasted a little less than two hours and then I took some time to browse around before driving home. Stella’s always has such fun stuff and I figured I might be able to find something for Christmas for the hard-to-buy-for people in my life.
My friend Jennie and I thought these Rewind candles smelled fantastic.
I love that they are made with recycled wine bottles. Too cool, huh!? (They also come with a hefty price tag.)
I ended up leaving empty handed but I have a few gift ideas in the back of my mind that I may go back for at some point this weekend.
Once I said goodbye to everyone, I headed home to type up this afternoon blog post which includes one heck of an amazing giveaway.
Are you guys ready for this!?
Yes, that is a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4!!!
I am pretty sure this is one of the most valuable – if not the most valuable – giveaways ever offered on PBF. I am so, so, so thrilled to be able to feature this on the blog today!
Verizon Edge
This amazing giveaway is possible thanks to a campaign with FitFluential and Verizon Wireless. I am honored to be able to offer this giveaway – especially right in the middle of the holiday season!
After I applied to be a part of this campaign, I received a bunch of information about Verizon, who has been my service provider ever since I had a cell phone. One of the most recent developments within the company is the new Verizon Edge program.
Verizon Edge allows you to get a new Verizon phone this year, and every year after that with no upgrade fees and no long-term service contract.
Here are the highlights of Verizon Edge:
- First, pick a phone! The full retail price of the phone you select is split into 24 monthly payments, and added to your usual monthly bill.
- Use your phone for six months and, with at least 50 percent of your phone’s price paid off, you are now eligible to upgrade. you’re eligible for upgrades
- Now you can “edge up” and trade in your existing phone for a new one.
One question I asked was whether or not you had to stick to a certain brand and the answer is no! You can choose an Apple iPhone and use it for six months and then “edge up” to the Samsung Galaxy S4 the next time if you want to try something new.
iPhone 5s
Another development within Verizon that I’m sure many of you already know all about is the launch of the Apple iPhone 5s and 5c. I recently upgraded to the 5s and have been incredibly impressed with the quality of the camera.
Of course Sadie is my number one photography subject.
That picture, as well as all of the pictures from my lunch featured in the beginning of this blog post were taken with my iPhone 5s and were not edited in any way.
I love the camera and can absolutely tell a difference in the quality of my photos from the original iPhone 5. The new phone has a slightly larger sensor (1/3 vs 1/3.2 inch) and seems to produce better images in very bright lighting. I’ve also noticed that it seems to snap photos faster which is key for photographing moving subjects like Sadie (or me on a wedding dance floor).
So now let’s move on to the part of this post I am sure you’re all most excited about… The giveaway!!!
Samsung Galaxy S4
One PBF reader will have the chance to win a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, equipped with a 13–megapixel, premium point–and–shoot camera and 5–inch full HD display!
There are two ways to enter this giveaway:
1. Comment below telling me why you want to win the Samsung Galaxy S4
2. Tweet some variation of the following: Hoping to win a Samsung Galaxy S4 from @PBFingers and @verizonwireless!!! #vzwff <— Don’t forget to leave a separate comment below, letting me know that you tweeted so I can be sure to count your tweet!
A winner will be randomly selected on Friday.
Twitter Chat Tonight
Verizon and FitFluential will be giving away another Samsung Galaxy S4 tonight! Be sure to check out the Twitter chat this evening at 9 p.m. EST, using the hashtag #VZWFF. Every single hashtagged tweet that goes live during the chat has a chance to win the Samsung Galaxy S4!
P.S. For those of you in the market for a new tablet, Verizon also has a promo on their 4G LTE tablets right now. You can get $100 off any 4G LTE tablet with a two-year activation.
Karen Rose says
I would love to win this phone! It would be the perfect gift for my daughter’s 13th birthday!
Elena says
I just tweeted about the giveaway! 😉
Katy says
I’ve only really had iPhones so it’d be fun to try something else 🙂
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I am in desperate need of this phone. I still have an old-school phone. No smart phone for me yet! This could be my chance! 😉
Pam Cook says
I have finally decided to upgrade from a “dumb” phone to a smart phone so this would be awesome for me!
Stacy says
I would love this new samsung phone!! I unfortunately do not even have a smart phone, so I am in major need of an upgrade!
Katherine @ the kats meow says
My mom is in need of a new phone desperately and I would LOVE to win the phone and give it to her, she does so much for me it would be nice to give her something that she could get a ton of use out of.
Ashley @ Life and Fitness says
I would love a new phone with a better camera!!
Katherine @ the kats meow says
I tweeted (katherine_welch)!
Nancy says
I so need a new phone. This would be a great gift especially at Christmas time.
Ashley @ Life and Fitness says
I tweeted @ashleybri55
Ashley says
I would love to win this for my husband!
Em says
I would love one for the amazing camera!
Mandy says
I would love to win this as a Christmas present for my boyfriend! He’s been wanting one of these for ever! (Right now he has a pretty sad phone with horrible resolution and like a .00004 megapixel camera).
Aneeta D. says
I would love a new phone…I have been saving money and holding off especially because of the holidays. This would be so special to win!
Cat says
My mom’s been wanting a smart phone, and this would be a perfect Christmas gift for her!
teresa says
Ive already got the samsung galaxy 2 and am so impressed with this line of phones that it would be super sweet to upgrade!
Jaspreet says
I would love to win this for my mom because she is looking for a smart phone to buy!
Kaylin says
I would love to win this phone for my mother.
Indra says
Hi Julie! 🙂
That’s a really nice giveaway and I would love to win it for my mum as an Xmas gift. I feel that I haven’t done much for her lately and I think that this would be an excellent gift to try and make up for it.
Thank you! 🙂
Regina says
Boy is this a useful giveaway as my phone is currently on it’s last leg and I’m 5.5 months pregnant with our 2nd son. Nothing like having a failing cell phone when you’ll be going into labor in a few short months 😉
Sarah says
I need to join the smartphone world!
Amanda B. says
Hi Julie! I’m hoping to win the Galaxy S4 because I currently am using the S3 and love it, but my screen is cracked and I would love a new one! Verizon Edge would be perfect for me because of my track record of bad luck with breaking my phone!
Maria@TheBrooklynFig says
I’d want to win because I’d give the phone to my mom. She’s been through a lot this year and her phone (which is pretty much falling apart) has really not been a priority. It only works on speakerphone, which is interesting if you call her in a store haha but I’d love to win to be able to give it to her.
Maria@TheBrooklynFig says
Just tweeted 🙂
court says
I’d love to give this to my brother for christmas–he’s been holding out for a smart phone forever! plus– the camera is great!
Rose says
I would like to win this for my fiance!
Kristen says
I woul love to win so I could use the camera on it to take picture of my two babies!
Jessica R. says
I would love to win the phone for my husband. I actually have the Samsung Galaxy (not sure which version?) and I love it! However my husband has been using his older and sometimes malfunctioning phone for a while now, and I know he would be thrilled to have a new one.
onlyhalfcrazy says
would love this! i dropped my iPhone IN the otterbox and it shattered; even with insurance it’s still over $150 to fix which i simply cannot afford. a new phone would be awesome!
Andrea says
I think I am the only person on the planet without a smartphone so I would love to win.
Erin says
Id love to win this for my Mom, she is desperate for a new phone!
onlyhalfcrazy says
tweeted.
Lydia says
Thanks for hosting the giveaway. That phone it awesome! Would love to win it for an upgrade!
Angela A. says
I would love the Samson Galaxy 4S! I no longer have an actual camera, and would love to see a better image quality. Fingers crossed, this is super exciting!
Wendy says
I want to win because I just lost my phone and in desperate need of a new one!
liz @ www.sweat-happy.com says
I want to win because I had the samsung galaxy 2 before and loved it so this version would be even better!
Laura K. says
I’d love to win this because my phone is old and needs to be replaced!
Rachel says
I’ve had my eye on this phone for a while now, and love all of its cool features! I am definitely in need of an upgrade!
Lindsay says
I am in desperate need of a new phone! My iPhone committed suicide about 6 months ago and I haven’t been able to afford a new one so I’ve been using my ancient old droid that pretty much does nothing but call and receive some email (when it feels up to it). Didn’t realize how much I depended on my iPhone until it was gone….so sad! I’m dying for a new “real” phone so I can organize my life once again 🙂
erin says
My phone has been on its last leg for months. I tend to spend my money on experiences so I have been putting off buying one. This would be the perfect way to have a phone that doesnt take 20 mins to load a website or phone a friend 🙂
Laura C says
I’d love to win this phone because mine is barely holding on! I’m not due for an upgrade until March so this would be fabulous. 🙂
Sara @ LovingOnTheRun says
I would love to win this phone! It looks amazing!
Sara @ LovingOnTheRun says
I tweeted about the giveaway as well: https://twitter.com/LovingOnTheRun/status/413467848166490112
Nicole says
I would like to upgrade from my iphone 4s to this!
Jess says
I would love a new phone because my phone is old and has 16 months of baby slobber on it. Momma loves you anyway baby girl!
Heather B says
I would love a new phone because my current phone screen is shattered. I was running with my puppy when it fell. Happy dog but a sad phone.
Tiffany Fargher says
I have the galaxy 3S & verizon, love their service! but I slipped last week and my phone went down hard, I could use a un-cracked screen greatly!
Chelsea says
I am in desperate need of a new phone!! It would be especially nice to get one for Christmas this year :):)
Jess says
Aaaaandd I tweeted about it too!