As a Dad of three, I have started a diary for each one to document events of their life starting on their birth date.  Sometimes it is a daily effort other times it is weekly, but I always highlight the big moments like rolling over, crawling, walking, first words, etc. Recently my wife and I had a chance to go back and read some of the entries, some of the entries are hilarious and others touching.  We have some great promotional diaries available to document your next life changing event... or others just to make sure you know what day of the week it is. 

Over the past few weeks, I'd been having some trouble with my iPhone 5.

First, the lock button started intermittently failing -- not good for my phone's battery or for my privacy. Then, my lightning cord refused to charge the device. Once that happened, I realized it was time to make an appointment at the Genius Bar.

I was a little nervous about what kind of response I'd get. Maybe Apple's tech support team would assume any damage to the phone was my fault to evade warranty coverage. Who knows?

But I'm happy to report that the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Most importantly, nobody made me feel like they thought I was trying to rip them off, like I was trying to swindle them into giving me a brand new phone. Because I really wasn't! My six-month-old iPhone 5 fell apart, and I deserved a new one.

I was in an out of the store, brand new phone in hand, within 15 minutes on a Friday night. How is that even possible?

So here's to Apple and its awesome customer service. If it were up to me, you'd get all the business awards! But it's not, so instead you get this blog post.

This past Thursday January 26th, Ken, Laura, Samantha and myself attended the SAAGNY winter showcase 2012.  The plethora of trade show items were amazing.  Any promotional product you could think of was there.  Any item you may want imprinted they had on display.  It really makes you think about how many of these items you come in contact with every single day.  We all had a great time walking the show and are looking forward to selling many of these item to our customers!

Last year, my mom, who works for a local credit union, launched a company-wide wellness initiative.  I don't think she understood at the time how much she was really taking on -- while we all say we want to be healthy and fit, getting hundreds of people to stick to a wholesome diet and regular exercise regime is tough. 

Over the past year, she's worked harder than anyone I know.  She put all of her time -- weekends, holidays, and even vacations -- into researching and organizing an effective wellness program.  She brought guest speakers into her workplace, booked offsite wellness seminars, brought in catered healthy lunches for her coworkers, and more.  And yesterday evening, it all paid off. 

When I got home last night, I was greeted by the most massive trophy I've ever seen.  Where had the brilliant business award come from?  My mom, on behalf of her company, won the 2011 Action Long Island Wellness Challenge, a "wellness program for the businesses and organizations of Long Island, put on by Action Long Island and the American Heart Association each year, in which companies compete against one-another to have the highest percentage of participation."

I am immensely proud of my mom.  It takes someone very special to keep a company's entire staff active and eating right.  She's come out of her shell in the past couple of years, and she's proved to herself and everyone else that she is a true leader.  Please join me in congratulating her!