Chevy

1 Comment Posted on July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 Uncategorized

2015 Chevy Colorado Maxwell Air Force Base Road Trip

Three weeks ago, our family was able to drive a brand-new 2015 Chevy Colorado crew cab from our home near Nashville (TN) to Montgomery (AL) as we supported our nephew Matt graduated Air Force boot camp.

Though he’s from Sacramento (CA) where my wife is from, Matt’s boot camp was coincidentally assigned in Montgomery, which is in driving distance (about 4 hours) from where we live.

When Chevrolet found out we were going to be the only family members able to see Matt graduate, as the rest of his family is on the west coast, they jumped at the chance to provide a vehicle to help us make the journey.

Chevrolet is a big supporter of our military, providing discounts to Active Duty members, reserves, veterans within one year of discharge – including spouses of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. The discount can be combined with most current incentives. Here’s a link to Chevy’s site for more on their military discount.

I have to point out that the general public was thoroughly impressed by the mere sight of the 2015 Chevy Colorado. During the week I drove it, I had people approaching me asking about it.

Here’s my walk-around video I made:

When you see the truck in person, it’s hard to look away. And not simply because it was yellow; but because it’s very clear this is a tough truck.

I filmed my son’s and wife’s first reaction to it when I pulled in the driveway. I promise I didn’t prompt them to say anything; I just let the camera roll. Their reactions are completely sincere.

On the way to our hotel near Maxwell Air Force Base there in Montgomery, we stopped at Mellow Mushroom to have dinner with our son’s good friend, Sophie, who coincidentally moved away last year from Nashville to Montgomery.

The next morning we attended our nephew Matt’s boot camp graduation. He happened to be at the end of the parade, holding a rifle, next the flag bearers, so I got a good shot of him for my video.

Afterwards, we had some time to hang out there on the base and catch up with him. The Chevy Colorado provided a much needed break from the heat outside, leading up until it was time to eat lunch there at the base.

But first, Matt gave us a tour of Maxwell, showing us on the jets, which my son was impressed to see.

Eventually, we had to say goodbye to Matt; though we should be seeing him again when we make our annual trip to Sacramento, next month.

It goes without saying we are more than proud to see Matt began a career that involves serving in our military. He has what it takes!

The road trip wasn’t complete without a trip back to my hometown in Fort Payne (AL), on the way back to Nashville.

Our niece Calla had her 4^th birthday party! So to make things even more fun, our family shot a couple Jack-Man webisodes.

By the way, Jack-Man is a web series that my son Jack and I do, in which he is the superhero and I am the arch nemesis. For webisodes 14 and 15, the 2015 Chevy Colorado serves as part of the plot device.

So it’s apparent we had a wonderful road trip. We look forward to reviewing more Chevy vehicles in the future!

And now I will close with my video which features the events mentioned above:

2015 Chevy Colorado provided courtesy of Chevrolet for promotional purposes.

Leave a comment Posted on July 2, 2015July 3, 2015 Jack-Man, parenting

Dear Jack: Webisode 14 & 15 of Jack-Man, Featuring 2015 Chevy Colorado

4 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

This past weekend we took a 3 day weekend to Alabama; not only for your cousin Calla’s 4^th birthday party, but also to see your cousin Matt graduate Air Force boot camp in Montgomery; while we were there, we also got to hang out with your friend Sophie and her family at Mellow Mushroom.

We were able to drive a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado pick-up trick to review. So I decided to feature it prominently in our newest couple of webisodes of Jack-Man…

In Webisode 14: “Shadetree Mechanic,” Green Meanie tries to sabotage Jack-Man’s chances of going to Super Calla’s 4^th birthday party by taking a wrench to the Chevy Colorado.

It features my new song, “How’s It Feel To Be The Bad Guy?” which is the 1^st song I’ve ever done that features Mommy singing too:

How’s it feel to be the bad guy?

How’s it feel to be so mean?

When all your best friends are all enemies?

Did you wake up on the wrong side

Of the cot maybe under a rock?

Do you need a hug?

Maybe you should change your approach? Change your approach

And in Webisode 15: “Birthday Party Crashers”, after Green Meanie sneakily hitches a ride in the back of the Chevy Colorado, he meets up with The Juggler (your uncle Andrew), then recruits The Street Sweeper (your Papa) to help crash Super Calla’s 4^th birthday party.

The new song featured in it is “Blow Your House Down.”

I’m gonna blow your house down

Feel my minty breath flowing through your hair

I’m gonna blow your house down

You can call the law but I don’t care

Uh-oh, I want to know what you believe in

Will you believe if you don’t see it?

Like the wind that blows so freely

From my lungs unto your ceiling

Uh-oh, I am not the wind beneath your wings

But I’m the storm with scary lightning

You’re not in Kansas anymore

I am knocking down your door

We also filmed 2 other Jack-Man webisodes as well. I can’t wait to edit them. It takes me at least 3 hours for every Jack-Man webisode I make!

Webisode 16 is about organic, non-GMO produce at Nonna and Papa’s garden, and 17 is a cool chase episode in the woods, leading to a huge rock. I’m really exciting to share them!

I’ll also be writing more about our visit to see your cousin Matt graduate boot camp, after I get a chance to put some videos together for that.

And… this weekend is exciting for Mommy and me because Sunday makes 7 years she and I have been married.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on November 29, 2014 car reviews, parenting, Uncategorized

Behind The Scenes Of My Featured Story On FastLane, General Motors’ Webpage

Back during Columbus Day weekend, our family took an adventurous and somewhat whimsical road trip to the glorious city of Asheville, North Carolina.

I published several stories on the event here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog, as we were reviewing a 4G LTE equipped 2014 Buick LaCrosse in the midst of it:

Dear Jack: Your Drawing Of A Freak Wearing A Backpack

The New (and Younger) Buick, Equipped with 4G and OnStar

Syncing To 4G and Using OnStar Remote Link App On GM Vehicles

Dear Jack: There’s Nothin’ Like Riding Through A Tunnel In The Car

Vegan Friendly Review Of Asheville, North Carolina

Our Visit to the Buchi Headquarters And Avonlea Learning Community

Sky Top Orchard In Asheville, NC: Family Friendly Review

Dear Jack: Our Visit To The Ghost And Skeleton Museum

Typically when I review a car, I publish a story that specifically features the vehicle. This time around, though… I didn’t.

That’s because General Motors asked me to write that post exclusively for their website: FastLane.

Therefore, I now invite you to see the story right now:

Nashville to Asheville in an OnStar 4G LTE-Equipped Buick LaCrosse

It is an honor to be featured as a guest writer on General Motors publications page. I’ve mentioned before, I only endorse companies and products I believe in.

In fact, I’ve now turned down several hundreds of dollars to endorse brands I would be ashamed to associate with.

However, I have a lot of respect for General Motors.

Three years ago, I was able to do my very first car review thanks to them, when our family drove the electric Chevy Volt from Naples to Key West. (See 7 Reasons This Dad Wants A Chevy Volt and My Son The Beach Bum… Not Really!)

They have also flown me to their headquarters in Detroit twice now to see how they make and test their vehicles. (See Rise Of The Dadmobile: The Chevy Traverse and GM Sees Beyond Stereotypes.)

I especially enjoyed my trip there last year when I visited the OnStar headquarters and was able to see a different, more inspiring side of Detroit; not the side you see on the TV. (See Born And Raise In South Detroit… Or I Just Drove Around There and Say Nice Things About Detroit.)

Not to mention, I have now reviewed several of their vehicles here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog:

2015 Buick LaCrosse (4G Equipped): Labor Day Weekend Family Friendly Review

2014 Cadillac Escalade: Family Friendly Review

2011 Chevy Volt: 7 Reasons This Dad Wants A Chevy Volt

Regarding my new story on their website, I was able to feature their innovative implementation of 4G LTE on their vehicles.

As always, thanks for reading Family Friendly Daddy Blog; but as for now, let me redirect you to General Motors’ Fast Lane website again:

Nashville to Asheville in an OnStar 4G LTE-Equipped Buick LaCrosse

1 Comment Posted on September 6, 2014September 6, 2014 car reviews, reviews, Uncategorized

The New (and Younger) Buick, Equipped with 4G and OnStar

While I have been steadily (nearly weekly!) been reviewing cars from a family friendly perspective for a solid year now, it’s something I’ve actually been dabbling in before that; since November 2011.

Last November, GM flew me up to Detroit for the 2^nd time so I could get a behind the scenes look at how OnStar works, as well as to learn about their newly rebranded Buick line. (See Born And Raise In South Detroit… Or I Just Drove Around There and Say Nice Things About Detroit.)

The first time they invited me to Detroit was back in November 2011 to check out the Chevy Traverse (see Rise Of The Dadmobile: The Chevy Traverse and GM Sees Beyond Stereotypes), which marked the very beginning of my now long list of car review stories.

They also sent our family on a road trip from Naples to Key West to test drive the Chevy Volt as a family, back in December 2011. (See 7 Reasons This Dad Wants A Chevy Volt and My Son The Beach Bum… Not Really!)

Plus, I reviewed the 2015 Cadillac Escalade a couple of weeks ago. So over the past couple of years, I’ve become quite familiar with GM vehicles. In fact, my college car was a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

And when it comes to Buicks, my Italian grandfather loved them. He had owned both a Park Avenue and a LaSabre.

But the demographics of who is most attracted to Buicks has been shifting in recent years, as the age of the average Buick buyer has lowered.

So while I did get to drive the new Buick through Detroit last year, I have been eager to try one out where I live in Nashville, TN.

Especially after seeing that very relevant and witty Buick commercial…

Well, I got my wish. Our family had the privilege of getting to review/model a 2015 Buick LaCrosse, which let me point out, is 4G equipped.

I can honestly say that for our Labor Day Weekend road trip from Nashville to Chattanooga to my hometown of Fort Payne, AL, and back, our son (age 3 years, 9 months) has never had a more peaceful ride.

He was too busy playing learning games on the Kindle in the back seat.

Just like any cool coffee shop, certain GM vehicles now have Wi-Fi.

See my recent Syncing To 4G and Using OnStar Remote Link App on GM Vehicles to read what I wrote on how to connect to the 4G in these vehicles. It’s really simple, though.

As for me, I’m an OnStar abuser, if there is such a thing. I know that entering “Whole Foods, Chattanooga, TN” into the GPS is not that much of a chore…

But if all I have to do is press one button (the OnStar button) and ask the friendly Michigan-accented person on the other end to send “Whole Foods in Chattanooga, TN” to my GPS, then I’m going to do it every time.

(And by the way, I like the Michigan accent. Think: Tom Selleck.)

During Labor Day Weekend, I took advantage of OnStar’s help no less than 8 times. I learned not to be shy about it after my last Detroit trip to the OnStar Headquarters.

Needless to say, we had a very fun-filled and random road trip. Be on the look-out for my upcoming story, 4G Equipped 2015 Buick LaCrosse: Labor Day Weekend Family Friendly Review.

3 Comments Posted on July 1, 2014 parenting, Storytelling

7 Reasons This Dad Wants a Chevy Volt

December 9, 2011 at 6:28 am , by Nick Shell

One year.

A life motto of mine is, “The secret to having it all is believing you already do.”

I choose the simple life as much as possible, as an American. The last time I can remember truly yearning for a particular material item was probably back when I was a kid, before the Internet was practical and/or relevant; back when the phrase “cell phone” was automatically linked to “Zack Morris.”

There is so much power in not wanting. It can cause a person to truly ignore advertisements.

With that being said, I am a man who is struggling in his principles right now, because I really, really, really want a Chevy Volt… as much as I wanted a regular Nintendo in 1988.

The folks at Chevy reached out to my family recently, inviting us to go on a road trip in sunny Florida; starting in Naples, adventuring through the Everglades and the Florida Keys, and ending in Key West.

As a 30 year-old dad with a wife and a one year-old son, I represent an important and valuable demographic. By participating in a glorified test drive of the Chevy Volt, my family would illustrate the car… in real life.

So Chevy’s experiment ended up with extremely positive results, because now I share with the world the 7 reasons this dad (really!) wants a Chevy Volt:

1. For the entire 302 mile drive, I never had to fill up the gas tank. In fact, by the time the trip ended in Key West, I’m pretty sure I still had more than 3/4 of the tank left. The Volt goes about 35 miles on its electric energy before switching over to gas power, where it averages around 37 miles a gallon.

2. The car is flat-out cool. For a guy who’s not hip enough to have Internet on my phone, you can imagine what an awesome culture shock it was to use OnStar for the first time in my life. I called them to find out directions to the nearest Starbucks (for my wife) and they instantly downloaded the directions to the car.

Not to mention, I got to experience hands-free cell phone use through the car’s speakers, XM radio, and if I wanted to, I could have watched a DVD on the Volt’s built-in GPS screen. Plus, the one I drove was black with black and red interior. It totally made me think of Knight Rider.

3. It was the perfect size for me. To be the most fuel-efficient compact car sold in the United States, it didn’t feel small. Obviously, we had my son Jack’s car seat in the back, along with all our luggage, including his Pack-N-Play crib; but we still had plenty of room left.

4. The Volt is the perfect status symbol. Driving a Volt says, “I can afford a $40,000 car (minus a $7,500 U.S. federal tax credit) but A) I spend hardly anything on gas and B) I care about the environment.

5. It drives perfectly. Imagine driving a hovering cloud but not hearing a motor.

6. The Chevy Volt is an American car. Born and raised in south Detroit… Plus, I’m pretty sure the Volt is the answer to the age-old question, “What would Jesus drive?”

7. Driving the car makes you part of an elite club of Volt owners. It’s a Volt thing, you wouldn’t understand. Ever heard of the “Volt handshake?” (It involves one of those prank electric buzzers.)

Until the year 2015 brings us the flying car (as featured in Back to the Future, Part II) I will gladly settle for the next coolest car until then, a black and red Chevy Volt.

It actually did kind of remind me of a DeLorean and… and KITT from Knight Rider combined.

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