My Valentine’s Day Playlist

Some Of My Favorite Romantic Songs

Tank- Next Breath
Savage Garden- Truly Madly Deeply
NeYo- Let Me Love You
Sixpence None The Richer- Kiss Me
98 Degrees- I Do
Brian McKnight- Back at One
K-Ci and JoJo- All My Life
Rascal Flatts- Bless The Broken Road
Bryan Adams- Everything I Do, I Do It For You
Steven Curtis Chapman- I Will Be Here
Luther Vandross- Here and Now
Whitney Houston- I Will Always Love You
Edwin McCain- I’ll Be

What are your favorite romantic songs?

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I’ve been enjoying using my Windows Phone 8X by HTC to play music. It has Beats Audio. Here’s a little more about what makes it amazing according to HTC:

The 8X has a dedicated amp built right into the phone, so it pumps more power to your headphones than ever. Plus, Beats Audio is coming to Windows phones for the first time ever. Take that combination and transform your listening pleasure with deeper bass, crisper vocals and detailed high notes for music, games, movies and videos.

 (Disclosure: I am a member of HTC’s Troop 8X and received this phone to review. All thoughts are my own.)

My Favorite Apps On My Windows 8X Phone By HTC

Since I wrote about my new Windows 8 phone last week I have discovered a ton more apps that make my life easier. Here are some of my favorites:

1) Starbuck’s Finder. You all know that I run on Starbuck’s so this app is a must! I know where my local Starbuck’s coffee shops are but when I head to the city and beyond I have no clue where I can get my coffee fix.

2) Temperature. I love having the temperature displayed right on my home screen. In the morning when I’m rushing to get the boys out the door I don’t have time to check the weather on my computer or the television so it’s nice to just glance at my phone and know what weather Chicago is going to have that day. (Seriously…last week we had one day that was in the 50s or 60s and then had some snow on another day. It’s crazy!)

3) Me. Not sure if that’s the apps real name but that’s what it says when I click on the picture of my kiddos. It has all my social updates and emails in one spot. It could replace all of the individual apps for my social networks but I like having the option of checking them individually in their “native” app if I have time to waste or using this app to view them all at once to get an idea of what’s going on in my network.

4) All Recipes. Having a recipe app on my phone is great because when I’m menu planning I can search for recipes using this app and when I’m at the grocery store I can use it to make sure I don’t forget any ingredients I need.

5) The Bible. Gone are the days of carrying around a big, bulky Bible. Having it on my smartphone lets me read the Word anytime, anywhere I am.

6) Pinspiration. It’s an app for Pinterest so I don’t think I need to explain why I like it ;)

What are some of your favorite phone apps?

(Disclosure: I received a phone from HTC to review but all thoughts are my own.)

Windows Phone 8X by HTC

I recently got the new Windows Phone 8X by HTC and have enjoyed testing it out for the past week. I normally go for a plain colored phone but I like the bright blue color of this one. I also like how it runs Windows 8 like my computer does so I found the phone pretty easy to use.

Here are some of my favorite features of the phone so far:

  • It’s so thin! I think it’s the slimmest phone I’ve ever owned. I think this is a great plus for those who like to stick their phone in their pocket.
  • There’s a great variety of apps. I thought Windows wouldn’t have that many apps since the Windows store hasn’t been around as long as the iPhone and Android stores have but I found a lot of apps I love in the store. My new discovery is a Starbucks finder app that tells me where the closest Starbucks is and lets me pay via my phone. I am so excited to try it out.
  • Bright colors on the screen. The screen is so bright and the colors are so vivid. It’s nice to look at.
  • Family Room. I can easily share my calendar, photos, notes, and have a group chat all conveniently on my phone by setting up a “family room”. All I have to do is invite my family members or close friends. So easy to stay connected and I can see so many uses for this.
  • I like being able to “slide” from screen to screen easily with just a flick of my finger.
  • Easy to locate apps and information on the phone. I like the boxes on the main screen but there is also a list of apps for people who prefer that.
  • It’s fast! I’m impatient when it comes to technology and don’t like to wait when I push a button so I’m happy that this phone can keep up with me.

Overall it is a fantastic phone that’s easy to use and I look forward to discovering more features that make life easier and more enjoyable.

(Disclosure: I am a member of HTC’s Troop 8X and received this phone to review. All thoughts are my own.)