A Few of My Favorite Things

There are so many things I love about the Traverse. The cargo space helps me transport everything from a six foot table to a big load of groceries. Hands free Bluetooth makes me like talking on the phone because I don't have to search for it when it rings. My son (and I) love the skylight in the back seat - he always tells me when it's raining. The heated seats warm me right up!

Here's a clip of a couple more of my favorite features the Traverse offers! Stay tuned because there are more to come! :)

Favorite Traverse Features from Amanda Bastock on Vimeo.

Toasty Buns!

Well, this week was challenging... I had a pretty bad head cold (which I was finally able to kick just in time for the weekend) accompanied by a lovely case of larygitis. Meanwhile, I worked about 50+ hours and gave a two hour presentation. What's the one thing you hate to be when you have a cold? Being cold!

I'm such a freeze baby. The weather went from beautiful and warm fall weather, to typically cold Cleveland fall weather in the matter of a day. Cleveland is known for the weather changing at the drop of a hat. At lunchtime it's beautiful and sunny - just warm enough for the sun to heat up your car so you're good to go without a jacket. And by 5:00, it's cold again. The sun went away (of course because it's only ever nice outside when you're at work and unable to enjoy it) and now you need to warm up- and fast!

After having worked 11 hours with a cold, sniffles, and aches, I race out to the car in the light rain and fridgid temps. The heated seats warmed me up so quickly I didn't even have time to sit in the car and complain about how cold it had gotten!

Going in the Right Direction

As I mentioned in my last post, I was pretty much worthless all week due to a head cold. So this weekend was pretty busy to make up for all the down time!

First off, this week's mission was to go out to lunch with a girlfriend got some girl time. I can do that! Lucky for me my sister-in-law also happens to be one of my closest friends. We decided to take some time out and meet for dinner.

She hadn't seen the Traverse yet so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to show it off! Her first thoughts? "This is awesome!" My thoughts exactly :) We took a picture to commemorate the occasion!

Then, Friday was my best friend's birthday. We packed up the kiddo (and all his stuff) and made the voyage down to Canton to visit. By the time we dropped the kiddo off and were on our way, it was dark. I've never driven to Canton in the dark. If you're like me (a landmark driver) it's really helpful to be driving in the daylight.

About 45 minutes into the drive I asked - did we pass Lover's Lane? (That's one of my landmark signs because it's so memorable) Apparently we did and I didn't notice... which lead me to the conclusion that we made a wrong turn because clearly, I wasn't paying attention.

We ended up getting on another highway that was going to take u way out of our way. I was already peeved because we were running late, so this was just great. I have a good sense of direction, but it was dark, and everything about it felt wrong...

OnStar to the rescue! This was exactly the quick fix I needed! In just a few minutes I was on my way (the right way) again! Just pressed the OnStar button, gave the representative my friend's address, and the car did the rest! Well, not really, I still had to pay attention and physically drive the car, but the Traverse let me know where to turn with visual help on the display! Such a lifesaver!

Here's a picture I took with all of our stuff loaded in the cargo space. That's a six foot table in there too! Plenty of room left! No matter how full I think I fill it, the back always seems like it can fit so much more... it's huge!

Toasty Buns

Well, this week was challenging... I had a pretty bad head cold (which I was finally able to kick just in time for the weekend) accompanied by a lovely case of larygitis. Meanwhile, I worked about 50+ hours and gave a two hour presentation. What's the one thing you hate to be when you have a cold? Being cold!


I'm such a freeze baby. The weather went from beautiful and warm fall weather, to typically cold Cleveland fall weather in the matter of a day. Cleveland is known for the weather changing at the drop of a hat. At lunchtime it's beautiful and sunny - just warm enough for the sun to heat up your car so you're good to go without a jacket. And by 5:00, it's cold again. The sun went away (of course because it's only ever nice outside when you're at work and unable to enjoy it) and now you need to warm up- and fast!
After having worked 11 hours with a cold, sniffles, and aches, I race out to the car in the light rain and fridgid temps. The heated seats warmed me up so quickly I didn't even have time to sit in the car and complain about how cold it had gotten!

Music to My Ears

Have you ever heard an old song on the radio that you haven’t heard in years, turned the volume up and jammed until the song was over – whether or not you were still driving? I love music. In the morning my favorite songs get my ready for the daily grind. In the evening, music helps me relax and unwind.

When I picked up the Traverse last Friday, I had to make sure I brought my CD book with me. I knew this car would have a great sound system so I wanted to make sure I could really enjoy it by listening to my favorite songs. It’s been 5 days and I haven’t even opened the CD book. I don’t understand how, after all these years, this music fanatic has survived without XM radio!

Right after I picked up the car, I really put it to the test and drove down to North Canton for a visit with my best friend. If you’re from Cleveland, and have driven down 77 South before, you know this drive is not an exciting one. The road is typically lined with orange barrels which means the drive will consist of the speed limit going from 65 to 50, then back to 65, then when you get into Akron, back down to 55.

Chevy seriously thought of everything when putting this car together. One of my favorite features (which means it must be really cool because there are so many!) is the volume “control.” I’m sure there’s a way fancier name for it, but it’s one of those things that makes you go – “why didn’t I think of that?!”

So, I’m driving down the road, approaching the entrance ramp to the highway. You know what happens next: I accelerate and turn up the music since the sound of the engine and the noise from the highway drown out the awesome song that’s playing. Wait, no, I can still hear it… how’d that happen?

The Traverse automatically adjusts the volume when you accelerate! I think this is the coolest thing ever! So when you get on the highway or accelerate, the volume goes up just enough to compensate for the noise. When you decelerate (or when you’re getting off the highway, pulling up the the traffic light on the exit ramp) the volume re-adjusts so you’re not one of those people blaring their music to the high heavens for everyone to hear.

The combination of these two super cool features made my 75 minute voyage to Canton seem to be over in the blink of an eye. I jammed to the 90s on 9 and relived the first decade of the 21st century on Pop2K (yes, I’m a girl who likes the stereotypical pop music). I was having so much fun in the car that I almost didn’t want to get out of it when I got there. Luckily, when I got to my friend’s apartment, she wasn’t quite home yet so I got to hear a few more songs and weened myself from the radio.

Now, if only we could invent a TV that does the same thing for when those loud, annoying commercials come on…

Chevy Mom's Time Out

Well, I'm super excited to officially announce that I'm a Chevy Test Driver for the Northeast Ohio Mom's Time Out promotion! This is such a cool opportunity which has allowed me to drive the Chevy Traverse for a whole month and blog about my experiences. I love, love, love the car already! I think I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on it actually.

Of course my son loves it, too. He's almost 2 years old now and loves trucks. Every time we see one on the road, "truck mommy! Truck!" Which is followed by the "vvvrrrooommm, vvrrroooooomm" sound. It's so cute. So now that mommy's driving this "truck" (as it is to the little people) he just can't wait to get in the car and go! He seems fascinated by all the space around him compared to the sedan I drive. I think he may be just as sad to see it go at the end of the month as I am.

So check out the Chevy NEO blog that will document our fabulous experiences and excursions. You'll also get to see my first attempt at a vlog (video blog). It was not as disastrous as I thought it would be, but it's still kind of embarrassing since i was a video virgin...  :)

The Moms Time Out campaign is being sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Chevy Dealers who gave the chosen bloggers a 2010 Chevy Traverse to test drive for one month and blog about our experiences using the vehicle. Moms Time Out has given us some fun missions and will be providing us with gift cards to accomplish them.