My wife and I just got back from a mini vacation to Lake Tahoe, CA.  We went snowboarding at Heavenly Mountian.  It was a great time even with the lack of snow.  The " Tahoe " sun was out all 4 days.  A suntan was the last thing I was thinking about when I went snowboarding, so I was not prepared.  As lunch time rolled around.. I took a look at myself in the mirror and realized I was going to be in for a world of hurt.  I headed directly to the shop and picked up some promotional sunblock.  They were cool they were branded with the mountain logo and cool image of a snowboarder and they had a sport clip so I could clip it to my board bag and never be without it.  and of course I paid a premium being @ 10,000 feet.  The good news is they even threw in some promotional candy to help heal the pain of the sunburn.

With yesterday being Valentines Day many treats were going around the office, and ofcourse many are hesistant on eating that 2nd piece of promotional chocolate, trying to hold onto their New Years resolution.  Well not my daughter! She indulged in Valentines Conversation Sweethearts, , chocolate truffles and cupcakes. What was even better is that she wanted to share these things with her little cousin, ( I believe that was partial to me telling her about the dentist and what happens when you dont take care of your teeth). All in all, we had a great day! We learned to share, try delicous treats, and learned about the dentist.

People suffering from Bieber fever all over the world are quite jealous of one little girl this morning.  Six-year-old Avalanna Routh, who's battling a rare form of cancer, scored a date with the highly sought after pop star just before what's arguably the most romantic day of the year:  Valentine's Day.

According to MSNBC, the young Boston girl was flown to New York City [Monday] to spend the day with Bieber "after an online campaign and a report by NBC Boston affiliate WHDH caught the eye of the pop star."

Their interaction was one of mutual admiration; MSNBC reports that the two signed autographs for one another, messed around with Bieber's hair, and played promo games. Afterward, Bieber felt compelled to Tweet:  "That was one of the best things I have ever done," he wrote. "She was AWESOME. Feeling really inspired right now."

Routh, who continues to fight an aggressive yet rare form of cancer called ATRT, claims she's loved the teen heartthrob since before she was born.  That's why she's affectionately referred to as "Mrs. Bieber" -- a term which spurred worldwide trending of the hashtag #MrsBieber once news spread about their special rendezvous.

Ah, the beloved Google Doodle.  It's helped us celebrate the holiday season, New Year's Day, and even Jim Henson's 75th birthday.  But today's Doodle is extra-special; it sends out a message about true love this Valentine's Day.

The adorable animation shows a boy who's trying his hardest to court his crush.  He showers her in gifts, but to no avail.  How does he finally win her over?  Check out the clip below to find out!

Perhaps what stands out most is the video's finale:  All sorts of relationships, including one same-sex couple, are represented as animation pieces come together to form a collage.

What do you think about the special-edition Google Doodle?  Share your thoughts below!

We're closing in on Valentine's Day, and singles everywhere are scrambling to find a last-minute date.  Where do you turn for potential love connections?  Some will ask their friends to set them up with that guy or girl they've had their eye on, and others will end up at the local bar or pub, hoping to spot that special someone.

But if you're thinking about looking online for a date, you might want to think again.  According to one fraud protection agency, online dating scams increased by 150% in 2011.

Mashable reports that Iovation analyzed several online dating sites' hardware and software, and found that last year, "3.8% of all transactions it processed for online dating sites were fraudulent."  The fake accounts attempt to acquire personal information, redirect users to phishing sites, harass users, and more.

So if you're looking for love online this Valentine's Day, proceed with caution!  Otherwise, instead of receiving Valentine's promotional candy from a sweetie, you could end up with a big ol' mess.

Have you been contacted any shady Internet dating profiles?  Share your story!

I am a huge sports fan and love football and baseball.  The bleak few months after the Super Bowl are especially boring for me.  I don't watch too many t.v. shows and the cold weather makes it difficult to go to any outdoor establishments. I try to dabble a little in basketball and hockey but  it does not do much for me.  Thankfully, I have recently discovered Words, Scramble and Hanging with Friends.  I put my promotional iPad case on my iPad and I was ready to roll.  I have to admit, at first I wasn't sold, but after a little while I was hooked. Think I can't handle 20 games at once? No big deal!  Give me my promotional water bottle and a comfy chair and I'm all set. Thank goodness for a worthy distraction until my Mets are finally back!

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away, and if your sweetheart is a fan of country music, you might want to check out this sweet treat.  Country pop music group Lady Antebellum's online store features a very special Valentine-themed promotional item for all the Lady A fans out there this month.

The Sweet Treat "Just A Kiss" promotional chocolate CD is the perfect Valentine's Day gift for any Lady Antebellum-enthusiast.  And, according to the band's Web site, if you order by February 6 it's guaranteed to be delivered by February 14! 

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!

To sum up all that a great man did in one blog post is an impossibility.  Therefore, I won't even try to explain all the reasons we celebrate and commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today.  Maya Angelou once said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."  And while I may not have lived at the same time as Dr. King, his words have certainly affected me.

Today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite MLK quotes.  Let's take a look at some of his thoughts and visions about inequality, love and hate, and protest, which are still relevant today:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"A riot is the language of the unheard."

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'"

I find these passages extremely powerful; I hope that Dr. King's words resonate with you, too.  Feel free to jot a few down with your favorite custom printed pen, and glance at them whenever you need inspiration!  What's your favorite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote?

My brother loves his iPad.  For him, there's no other tablet even worth considering.  He's got every iPad app, every accessory, and more promotional iPad cases than he knows what to do with.  My dad, on the other hand, is obsessed with his new Kindle Fire that he received for Christmas.  He never wanted an iPad, and yet the Kindle seems to be a perfect fit.

And that's exactly the problem Apple is running into worldwide.  As more and more devices are introduced, the iPad is inevitably going to lose some of its market share.  Some believe it's already losing it; one analyst, Tavis McCourt, told investors "that the Amazon Kindle Fire robbed Apple of 1 million to 2 million iPad sales" this holiday season.

The iPad starts at $499, while the going rate for the Kindle Fire over the holidays was just $199 -- considerably cheaper.  Will Apple be able compete with these new, more reasonably priced tablets?