Post-Super Bowl Thoughts, From a Seahawks Fan

Sigh.

Like most of America, you are probably going about your night after watching Super Bowl 49, and you probably saw the Seahawks lose to the Patriots off of a baffling final play call. Ugh, it hurts. What a heartbreaker. I've been going through all the stages of grief and back again since the end of the game. I couldn't wait to get home so I could cry in the shower. We watched the game at my aunt's place about 45 minutes outside of Seattle, and the ride home was all the more excruciating with traffic. Even the traffic felt somber, confused and angry!

I thought for sure I'd be ugly crying it out when I got home. I did have one good ugly cry, but enough travel time had passed for me to absorb some of the players' tweets and sound bites from coach Pete Carroll's post-game interview. I feel like the Seahawks are handling this better than I am! My shower tears were sad for a minute, then for some reason, I just started smiling and laughing to myself.

Maybe I'm delirious from shell-shock. I don't know. I just started thinking about what an incredible season this was and I can't help but be happy and grateful. We have a classy team full of stand-up guys who love and respect each other, and we have every reason to be so proud of each and every one of them.

I've spent almost every Sunday (and the occasional Monday, Thursday and Saturday) watching these boys and live tweeting my emotions with an inimitable community of fellow 12s.

Tweeting with fellow Seahawks fans is probably my favorite reason for being on Twitter nowadays!

The magic we've all felt in the city the last couple of weeks is palpable, and it's something special to be able to feel part of your community in this way. The Seahawks have brought the fun and the swag to civic pride for sure, and I couldn't be more proud to be a fan and a Seattleite. What are we going to do for the next few months?

I love this team so much.

They remind me to push myself every day - 1-0 Championship mindset every day. They remind me to always be classy and graceful, even when trolls try to prod and argue with you on social media. They remind me to 'love your brothers' - your team, your family, your people. They remind me to be loyal. They remind me to rise above all the negative noise. They remind me that humility in your confidence is crucial. They remind me to always stick to my guns. I normally look up to women in various fields, but this team stays with me; grows with me as they grow themselves.

I'm so excited for what's to come in the future. The Seahawks are a young team, and we are just getting started!

I LOVE YOU FELLOW 12s!!! THANKS ALL FOR AN AWESOME SEASON!

I'm looking forward to chatting all offseason and sharing our agony as we wait for next season to start :)

Thoughts From a Seahawks Fan on Super Bowl Eve

Y'all. I have not been able to concentrate all week. Unless you're something Seahawks-related, I'm not really f'ing with you this week. I'm sorry. My focus is failing me.

Does this team even understand what it's done to this city?

The energy on the streets is different this week. Everyone is smiling, high-fiving strangers, starting random SEA! HAWKS! chants, doling out thumbs up & nods of approval at one another's Seahawks attire. The city is alive, and blue and green is coursing through its veins. The undeniable adrenaline is what's making it so damn hard to do anything else.

Photo by Joshua Trujillo for Seattle P-I Seahawks Facebook covers

This season was a roller coaster. Nobody expected the Seahawks to make it back to the Super Bowl except for the 12s. Why would they? Nobody's ever done that before. That seems to be the outdated and horribly out-of-touch M.O. of a league that doesn't seem ready for a team like the Seahawks to be so dominant. Too young. Too short. Too inexperienced. "F" grade. Fifth-round picks. Too mouthy. Not mouthy enough. Not black enough. Even for a team that proved themselves by going all the way last year, the league doesn't seem to want the Seahawks to succeed. The national media announcers' commentary through every game will tell you everything they think about the Seahawks in so many words.

If they don't support our team, we'll just have to support them more.

Not that it's hard to. These guys are so damn easy to love. Uncle Pete (Carroll) runs the kind of ship any Seattleite can get behind: be yourself, work hard, keep things positive, and love your teammates. The national media stay trying to call them thugs for talking too much or not talking enough, but we know better. Their philanthropic efforts are bountiful and genuine; they love their team but they also love and support their communities, here and in their hometowns. They're just good dudes the whole city can be proud of.

And goddamn can they play some football!

I normally keep things all positive here, but I have to say, I feel sorry for all the candy that isn't Skittles. I wonder what those sales look like this week, especially here. I feel sorry for the people calling any 12th fan a 'bandwagoner' - for every one of those, there are at least a dozen more who'll happily give you a high-five for that blue and green. Why be that unhappy or worked up over someone else's happiness anyway? I feel sorry for Troy Aikman, Joe Buck & every commentator who loves picking against the Seahawks at all times. I feel sorry for non-Seahawks fans living in Seattle. I feel sorry for any non-football fan following me on Twitter. I feel sorry and send good vibes to anyone using the "Anyone but Seattle" phrase or hashtag. I need you to know that this energy and excitement is all love, and if your team were in the Super Bowl, I'd hope you'd feel just as high.

You need to watch this. Marshawn is a national treasure.

I am so grateful to to be a Seattleite and a Seahawks fan. I'm so excited for tomorrow I can hardly stand it. GO HAWKS!!!

Evening Magazine: Super Bowl XLIX Seahawks Style w/Fresh Jess 2015

Remember last year when Kim Holcomb & Evening Magazine were kind enough to have me on the show for a Seahawks style segment? Well, in between tears of joy and disbelief following this year's NFC Championship game, Kim and I coordinated to do another style segment this year. Here it is!

Article with links and full text here

It's still surreal to be on a show I've watched since I was a baby, in this beautiful city where we've put in many years of misery and no hope of coming close to the Super Bowl, to talk about my own way of sharing the pride I feel for our boys going to defend their championship title. The magic is alive in the Emerald City and it's in the hearts, smiles and blue & green sleeves of all the 12s out there.

I'm not sure how I'm focusing on anything else this week. Is it the Super Bowl yet? 

SEA! HAWKS!

Thank you endlessly, Kim, Howard & the Evening Magazine team for having me again!

U Mad Bro? A Lesson In Internet Mean Girls

"Words have vibrations." - Danielle LaPorte

I was going about my Friday morning, in the first of a day full of meetings, when I stopped for a hot second to check Twitter. I've turned off all push notifications for social media, so I was surprised to see so much activity in maybe two hours since I'd last checked. "What's happening? Why are my mentions blowing up?" I thought to myself. As it turns out, everyone's favorite outspoken athlete, Richard Sherman of our Super Bowl Champion Seahawks, tweeted this photo out:

AHHH! I posted this Instagram (and here on the blog) months ago, and I was stoked to see his team decided to use it for a #FanFriday post. I'd seen tons of other fans' sporting their Richard Sherman gear in past weeks, and I was so excited to see my own face there among them. I shared it with my own Twitter and Facebook friends, and just sat for a second in amazement. I love the Seahawks and I'd had fun styling different tees all season, and Richard Sherman noticed! How cool! 

My excitement brought me over to his Facebook page, where he'd also posted the photo. What was a big smile faded back a bit as I started to read some of the comments underneath the Facebook photo.

My friend  Howie posted this for me :)

I know, I know. Never read the comments. Easy advice to take when the post in question isn't about you. Since this post was all me, I couldn't help myself, and took in each and every comment one by one. The tee says "You Mad Bro?" (Sherman's infamous phrase) and so most of the comments were from guys saying something to the effect of "Not anymore!" Honestly, the guys' comments overall weren't disrespectful. What really got to me was that the meanest, most critical comments were coming from other women. They tore apart everything from my body size and type, my outfit choices, my intelligence, my lifestyle and called me all kinds of names. I was labeled an desperate attention-seeker and a bad example for said women's daughters. All from this one photo!

Even the strongest and most self-confident might not be immune to all of this shit-talking. I certainly wasn't. As a blogger and someone who's active in social media, I put a lot of thought and care to how I put myself out there. I want to be inspiring and exemplary; a strong, powerful female who's gracious, conscious and purposeful with a thirst for knowledge and opinions of her own. How funny is that a single photo could shake that foundation. I started to doubt myself for posting that photo, and for tagging Sherman in it all those months ago. I even thought about asking his team to take the picture down just so I wouldn't have to read all these stupid comments anymore. The rest of that day, I'd get a pit in my stomach every time I logged into Facebook.

I felt the need to explain myself. That I'd taken that photo because I was feeling in great shape; that I was feeling particularly flossy that day; that the shirt looked better with boyshorts than full pants; that I took it in the comfort of my own home, where I watched the game (that I didn't go anywhere looking like that.) Then I decided, "You know what? These losers don't deserve an explanation. I'm proud of the way I look, I'm not naked and I would take that picture again!" I planned on just not saying anything further, but my family was sharpening their teeth and claws ready to get into wars of words with these haters. I told them not to waste their time, and ended up posting this response with as much grace and poise as I could muster:

I closed the book on my curiosity for their opinions then, and I haven't checked back for any new comments since. 

I don't encourage getting into it with trolls, because that's what they want. After spending way too much of my Friday thinking about them, I knew deep down that their opinion had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with them. Their words were criticism rooted in wells of insecurity, jealousy and negativity. It was their choice to put that negative energy out there, as if deflecting it onto me would somehow make them feel better. I know for sure I would never want to function on their level, so why stoop to it? I didn't do anything wrong, and he chose my photo. I don't know him personally, and while he's easy on the eyes, I have a boyfriend who I happen to think is quite handsome and irreplaceable.

I will never apologize to anyone for how I look, how hard I work on my body and what or how I decide to put it out there. 

via  Danielle LaPorte's Pinterest

They tell you not to even acknowledge or engage haters like the ones I encountered on Friday, but I felt the need to speak up to my fellow ladies. I wanted to encourage them to stop and think about why they needed to cut down other women, and how so easily. To take responsibility for the words (and actions) they put out there, whether that's in the digital space, in front of their children and other Facebook friends and to people they may end up meeting one day. I wanted to remind them that all women are beautiful, and they would be too if they didn't put out so much hateful energy out there. It's annoying that I even had to say these kinds of things to grown women, but you can't teach maturity. I won't stand for women bringing each other down when we have much bigger fish to fry out there. I encourage all of you to think positively, and be conscious of how you treat others in real life or in the digital space. It's all a reflection of you and how you think of yourself. It's way easier to turn that negative energy into fuel to work on bettering yourself through health, fitness or just positive thinking than to try and make others feel bad. 

Lastly, I want to say thanks to each and every woman who had something critical or negative to say about my Richard Sherman photo. You make me work that much harder on my 6am workouts and superfood eatin' right each day.

GO HAWKS!

Super Bowl XLVIII Champions Seattle Seahawks!

Like many of my fellow Seattleites, I'm writing this with a sore throat, bloodshot eyes and delirious exhaustion from watching our Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII last night. I didn't partake in any drinking or #HowSeattleRiots gatherings (click on that hashtag BTW. So funny!), but I did my fair share of screaming, jumping up and down, hugging my family members, and pacing around the house. I didn't want to go to bed last night, and shot right up less than five hours later. Turns out the first Super Bowl win in franchise history is better than Christmas and my birthday COMBINED!

I don't need to relay the sad plight of the tortured Seattle sports fan here. History and the lack of love and attention from national media will tell you all you need to know. That perpetual heartbreak we've felt in this city from close calls and "not quite"s from the Sonics, Mariners, Seahawks and Sounders alike is one that, although painful, is something we've grown to live with. I have vivid memories of fogging my glasses up (LOL) from sobbing after the Sonics lost to the Nuggets in the first round of the '93-'94 playoffs.

Image via Nike

So forgive us for basking in our moment - because we will, for weeks to come. Finally, tears of joy and elation! Our boys not only played in the Super Bowl, but dominated a team that was supposed to trounce them. As the underdogs! Who would've thought that a team with 21/53 undrafted or unsigned players would make it to the top? They did, and we did too. It's so weird how much the national media played up the other team's everything and doubted the Seahawks' everything at the same time. It was almost enough for me to have some anxious doubt, but no matter what, the confident anxiety won out. The nation got a taste of just how good our team is when every piece of the puzzle comes together and goes off without a hitch. Young, hungry, with everything to prove and nothing to lose. I cannot be any prouder for this team.

I watched this Super Bowl with my big ol' Filipino family, and there's nowhere else I would've rather been. This morning, since I couldn't sleep anyway, I got up and drove out to get my Super Bowl Champions tee and commemorative newspapers. I'll be soaking up all the articles I can about the mighty 2013 Seahawks squad, and all of the excitement (parade!) to come this week. Probably the sweetest thing in all of this is that this is only the beginning. Russell Wilson and most of his squad are in their twenties. They have so much ahead of them...maybe even a dynasty in the works!

THE SEAHAWKS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!! GO HAWKS!!!

Fresh Style: Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII Edition

Whatever happens today, this NFL season has been especially magical in the city of Seattle and all Seahawks fans. A week ago, Sarah Lovrien and I decided to collaborate on a Super Bowl weekend style shoot. One football field, four outfits and less than 24 hours later, here's our final product. For me, this shoot was just one more way to show my civic Seahawks pride in a style that's all my own. You saw my everyday looks on Evening Magazine, and this is my take on more fashion-y ensembles to take far beyond the tailgate. Sarah captured a few different aspects of my life in this one - the glam, the Jem (truly outrageous), a little boho (aka thrown together like "Let's see if this works") and the fitness. This shoot is such a testament to Sarah's impeccable photographic eye, distinct aesthetic, attention to detail and texture, and her unyielding work ethic (she had these out to me at 6:00a.m. this morning!)

Thank you to the entire Seahawks organization for bringing this city together in a way we've never seen before. You can literally feel the energy bouncing off the walls and in each passerby's smile. Thank you for allowing us 12s to express our love, gratitude and support of you in our own, individual way.

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Christy's wool hat / vintage coat / Richard Sherman 'You Mad Bro?' tee / One Teaspoon distressed boyfriend jeans

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Shearling drape jacket (similar) / Seahawks classic logo v-neck tee / Kimchi & Blue booties (similar) / Alive & Well beanie / vintage maxi skirt

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Vintage coat  & hat / AllSaints sequined skirt / Homefield Sporting Co. sweatshirt / Zara booties

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Fresh Jess-Seahawks Style-Sarah Lovrien

Russell Wilson jersey / Casual Industrees hoodie / Artlete 'L.O.B.' tee / Nike running capris / Nike Pegasus+ 30

Peep more shoot photos on my Facebook page and Instagram.)

Also peep SarahLovrien.com for your next shoot!

GO HAWKS!!!

Fresh Reads: Seahawks Edition

I can't get enough of all the Seahawks media coverage post NFC championship and leading up to the Super Bowl. I'm a voracious reader and would have to say that 85% of all the articles I've read these past two week have been about the Seahawks in some way, shape or form. I'm learning so much about this team and the individual talents that make it up, and loving them that much more after each read. Oh my God, there's so much to sift through, but I've rounded up some of my favorites here. If you've got some time on this fine Saturday, kick back and learn why we love our boys like we do.

ESPN's "The adoration of Russell Wilson" captures perfectly how I (and many other Seattleites) feel about our QB. I'm so proud this human being is the face of our team and I pray to God Niketown Seattle doesn't put him on top of their store building, thus cursing our city by driving him away eventually.

This nerd loved this breakdown on USA Today of Richard Sherman's life, infographic-style. They forgot to mention all of the stats he's #1 in this season though :/. The media attention around Sherman after the NFC Championship was insane and filled with so much hate and negativity. I loved reading the commentary around what the internet's reaction to Richard Sherman teaches us about ourselves, especially from Sally Jenkins at The Washington Post and Rembert Browne at Grantland.

The Legion of Boom waxing poetic on their bond:

Earl Thomas will be wearing these extremely fly Jordan cleats on Sunday. I'm not a big Jordan but these are sick! Not only is dude mad stylish, he's an excellent writer too. Check out his Area 29 blog on EarlThomas.com, with his recent post on thoughts after the NFC Championship game.

Doug Baldwin might be my favorite undercover firecracker on a team of undercover firecrackers. I mean, he's part Filipino (PILIPINOS!) but he also wears that chip ('boulder') on his shoulder proudly. He's been on a tear ever since he went undrafted, picked up by the Seahawks in 2011. Now he's one of our brightest stars. Don't call him a pedestrian!

Wanna know how I know you're a Seattle nerd? When you sport Google Glass at Media Day. Peep Golden Tate's GG experience over at Bleacher Report.

Marshawn Lynch pretty much dominated this week's coverage with his lack of interest in being involved with the media in any way, shape or form. Here's his mom talks raising Beast Mode & keeping it real with The Seattle Times. She reminds me a lot of my mama!

A couple of interviews Marshawn obviously enjoyed: talking candy with NFL Japan, and this amazing segment for SportScience:

Let's end this post with a remix of Marshawn's Media Day interview with Deion Sanders, featuring Geo from Blue Scholars:

GO HAWKS!!!

Fresh Picks: Super Bowl Weekend in Seattle

Happy Super Bowl weekend! Some of my favorite Seattle businesses have some fun stuff going on for the 12th Man right now, so put your Seahawks gear on and head out to one of them before the big game to get you even more hype for our boys!

Go Beast Mode on that Lil Woody's 12th Man burger:

Lil Woodys 12th Man burger

Image via Lil Woody's Facebook page

Get your nails did with a Gene Juarez fanicure, makeup and hair ties, available at all Gene Juarez locations. 

Gene Juarez fanicure

Seahawk French Fanicure ($40 regular - $53 shellac): Traditional French polish utilizing Seahawk colors with a white accent between green and blue.

Image via Gene Juarez.

Gene Juarez fanicure

Seahawk Ombre Fanicure: Traditional polish fade of colors using Seahawk colors. Available in glitter (shellac) ($60) or basic polish ($40). 

Image via Gene Juarez.

Gene Juarez fanicure

Seahawk Accent Fanicure: Solid nails with either glitter (shellac) or no glitter. Options include: alternate green and blue, all blue with one green accent, or all green with one blue accent. (Prices vary due to shellac or glitter.) 

Image via Gene Juarez.

Gene Juarez Hawk hair ties

Hawk hair ties: Ponytail holders from "Love Me Knot" are fabulous, hair-friendly and chic knotted elastics. $12 

Image via Gene Juarez.

Gene Juarez Seahawks eye makeup

Eye makeup: Mirabella and Gene Juarez have teamed up to select eye shadow inspired by the Seahawks. Get a "All about eyes" service ($30) or purchase your own shade ($10 each) 

Image via Gene Juarez.

Stock up on some Kukuruza Beast Corn, available at all locations & online. ($13/gallon)

Sweeten things up with

Trophy Cupcakes' Super Bowl cupcakes:

Trophy Cupcakes Super Bowl XLVIII Cupcakes

Image via Trophy Cupcakes Instagram

$4.50 each/ $44.50 dozen. Available at all Trophy Cupcakes locations or call 206-632-7020 ext 1 to order. 

Plan the drinking game you'll have with your Hilliard 12th Can Pale Ale:

Hilliard's 12 Pale Ale

'The 12th Can' has less alcohol content than many craft beers allowing consumers to enjoy it before, during and after the game. Brewed with Cascade Hops ,along with Maris Otter and Crystal Malts, the beer has an unmistakably Northwest flavor, and as Hilliard's says, it "pairs well with victory." I HEARD THAT! Hillard's 'The 12th Can' pale ale is sold in 12-packs of 16-ounce tallboy cans for $20 per pack and can be found throughout the Pacific Northwest or at HilliardsBeer.com.

Also, peep Visit Seattle, Fresh Picked Seattle and Yay Today for their Seahawks / Super Bowl picks around the city. Sarah Lovrien and I have something fun coming for you this weekend. The blue & green party don't stop!

GO HAWKS!!!

Fresh Jess' Seahawks Style on Evening Magazine

Last week, Kim Holcomb of Evening Magazine asked me to style some of my Seahawks pieces in a segment that aired last night. It was the perfect intersection of some of my favorite things - the Seahawks, hometown pride and personal style. I've grown up watching KING 5 and Evening Magazine, and to actually be on it was surreal! I had a lot of fun showing my 12th Man pride in the days before the big game. Being a Seattle native, there's never been a time when the city has felt so connected, swelling with support for our team. We know we have an extremely special squad this season, and it's been absolutely magical - and yet strangely natural - to see them get to this point. Football in February is the sweetest Valentine yet!

"I'm just 'bout dat action, boss" :P

Thanks Kim & Evening Magazine for having me!  

GO HAWKS

Seattle Seahawks' Derrick Coleman is Awesome

One of the most interesting things about this year's Seattle Seahawks squad is that it's quite the band of misfits. Undrafted. Free agents. Young talents flying under the radar. All of them wanted a chance, and Uncle Pete (Carroll) and his staff gave them one. Our fullback, Derrick Coleman, is no different. His commercial for Duracell* reflects on his strength, will, and persistence in overcoming adversity. He's fought hard to get where he is, and now he's headed to the Super Bowl!

*I've only watched this commercial once. I was bawling and know for sure I'll do it every time I watch it again.

Since this commercial debuted a couple of weeks ago, Coleman's become a hero to so many out there who are deaf. One little girl in particular wrote him a letter thanking him for inspiring her and her twin. Dad tweeted the letter out to him, and Derrick (new to Twitter as of this week!) responded with a tweet & photo of his written letter response:

@Seahawks@DC2forlife you've inspired my little girls in a way I never could. THANK YOU! #Seahawks#SuperBowlXLVIIIpic.twitter.com/lhpJfCPOSD

— jake kovalcik (@JakeIsMobile) January 21, 2014

@JakeIsMobile Your girls are awesome! Read them my letter back when you can! Thank you for the support! Means a lot! pic.twitter.com/9x5tQQwNbk

— Derrick Coleman Jr (@DC2forlife) January 22, 2014

How could you not ride for a guy like that?

GO HAWKS!

Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman for Nike Flyknit Lunar2

Yesterday in Seattle was incredible. Our Seahawks secured the NFC Championship after an amazing game against the Niners, and are SUPER BOWL BOUND! The energy in this city was (and is still) electrifying. Everyone seems so happy. It's like Christmas all over again! I had a hard time going to bed, and woke up super early still on cloud nine from the game. Although I'm making solid efforts to not be on social media so much, I couldn't help myself from devouring all of my friends' updates and photos of their own 12th Man excitement.

Of course, the whole world seems to be focused on one post-game interview by one Richard Sherman. If you didn't know who he was before last night's game, you definitely do now. We in Seattle know and love our extremely intelligent, quick-witted and calculated cornerback. Rather than add another thinkpiece to the quickly overpopulated pool of opinion on the interview, I just want to kick off the road to the Super Bowl with his latest campaign for Nike. One of my favorite boys and my favorite brand? You know I gots to. RS joins Kobe Bryant and others for Nike's latest iteration of the Flyknit Lunar - the 2.

Richard Sherman-Nike Flyknit Lunar2

Richard Sherman-Nike Flyknit Lunar2

Heyyyyy

The commercial:

You can also peep behind the scenes at InsideNikeRunning's YouTube.

In case you couldn't feel it from the rest of this post, the next two weeks will be very Seahawks-heavy on this blog. If there's anything I've learned about the Seahawks, it's that the rest of the country outside of Seattle hates them for reasons they can't even explain. No one knows how amazing this team is outside of our wonderful city - so I'm going to help make it easy for you to see exactly what we see in the days before the Super Bowl. 

GO HAWKS!

Stylish Seahawks Gear by Seattle's Homefield Sporting Co.

For those of you looking for some very stylish and non-corny gear for tomorrow's Seahawks game, head down to Tarboo (608 2nd Ave in Pioneer Square) for a raglan, hoodie or tee by Homefield Sporting Co.! They're open til 6:00p.m. today and 11:00a.m. - 2:00p.m. tomorrow before the game.

Peep my Seahawks Selfie Sunday post for other fun Seahawks gear ideas, and hit me up on Twitter or Instagram if you have any questions on any of said gear. I'm out and about all day and not checking blog comments until tonight!

GO HAWKS!

Thanks Grace Kelly for the heads-up! 

Homefield Sporting Co. on Instagram // Tarboo Inc.

Seattle: Get Fresh with the Microsoft Surface 2 (Event & Giveaway!)

Hey Seattle! Want to win a Surface 2? Then meet me at the Microsoft Store in Bellevue Square for the Surface 2 launch event, tonight from 10:00p.m. - midnight!

A year ago almost to the day, I traveled to NYC with Microsoft for the launch of their pop-up store in Times Square along with the launch of their first Surface tablet (Reminisce here!) It's follow-up, the Surface 2, is faster, thinner and lives longer (battery-wise) than its predecessor. The Surface 2 is touted as a powerful laptop packaged neatly in a tablet, and the buzz is already starting around its improvements. I'm excited to check it out tonight, and so pleased to share the fun with you! 

Microsoft-Surface 2-Fresh Jess

I'm hosting a launch event scavenger hunt to give away this Surface 2. This is all going down on the social mediaz, so you MUST do these two things in order for each of your entries to count in the contest:

• Follow us on Twitter:  Follow @MicrosoftStore and Follow @JessEstrada
• Include the hashtags #Surface & #FreshSurface

Here are all the different ways you can win:

1. Tweet us a Surface selfie! This can be you in line for the launch, in the store with a Surface 2, whatever. Show me you're there!
2. See a cool pair of shoes or a smart shirt at the launch event? Tweet us a photo showing some Surface launch event style.
3. Tweet a way a new Surface device can help you stay productive.
4. Meet someone you don’t know and find something you have in common. Make sure to mention their handle in your tweet!
5. Answer this trivia question: How long is the Surface 2’s battery life?
6. Check in on FourSquare at the event, and share it to Twitter.
7. Share this blog post on Twitter! Tweet #FreshSurface

Microsoft-Surface 2-Fresh Jess

So how can you do more with the Surface?

Here are some of the key features of the new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2:

• A 10-hour battery life that keeps you charged throughout the day.
• Ultra lightweight, at less than 1.5 pounds and just 8.9 mm thick.
• A more powerful, always-on processor, so it’s ready to go when you need it. 
• Office 2013 RT is pre-installed with touch-optimized versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote - so Surface 2 can go from plaything to workhorse right out of the box.
• The Docking Station for Surface Pro delivers the power you need so you’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. Charge your Surface Pro and a cell phone, and run your external hard drive while making a Skype call on your USB headset, and you’ll still have plenty of power to work with.
• Whether you’re a business executive needing to power through important business or a student looking for the ultimate portable device to tote around campus, there’s a storage option to fit your needs.

Microsoft-Surface 2-Fresh Jess

What's happening at the launch event, you ask? Well...

• There'll be a DJ, food & beverages and swag giveaways (hats, tees, gift cards, etc.) throughout the night;
• Microsoft Store will also be hosting a series of challenges for a chance to win a trip to the Orlando store opening, complete with a live performance by Pitbull. 
• The winner will be whisked away the following morning (10/22) for VIP treatment at the event, including a meet and greet with Pitbull. 
• Seattle Seahawks' All-Pro Cornerback Richard Sherman will be also be in attendance to meet and mingle with fans. He’ll also be giving out autographed photos to the first 150 guests at the event! 

Microsoft-Surface 2-Fresh Jess

RSVP on Facebook. Good luck!

This is a sponsored post, though all opinions and editorial direction are my own. 

Read the official rules for the Microsoft & Fresh Jess Surface 2 giveaway.