Conway Bowman wears the Kaenon Trade

As part of Kaenon’s year-long 10^th anniversary celebration, they launched their Celebration Video Series highlighting amazing people and stories.

To celebrate 10 years of family, Kaenon is highlighting Conway Bowman. The professional fly fisherman talks about the lessons he learned from his father growing up about the balance of life and nature. He also talks about how he hopes to pass on what he has learned from his father down to his own son:

About Conway Bowman:

Conway Bowman is a professional fly fisherman and guide from San Diego, CA. He began fly fishing in Idaho at age eight. Since then, he's mastered the river, lake and sea. His extensive saltwater experience includes inshore and bluewater up and down the west coast, including Baja California.

He co-hosted ESPN's In Search of Flywater show and is the current host of Fly Fishing the World on the Sportsman Channel. Conway’s exploits have also been chronicled in various books, Tidelines and Fly Fishing for Sharks: An American Journey and magazines including, Flyfish Journal, Fly Fisherman, The Drake, Fly Fishing Saltwater’s, Field & Stream, Men’s Journal, and SaltWater Sportsman.

Conway is an avid advocate for shark conservation and aids researchers, raising funds for research tagging Shortfin Mako sharks off the Southern California coast through his annual Flying Mako Charity Tournament.

**Source: Kaenon.com

Two weeks ago, my family made the big move from Phoenix, Arizona to New Hampshire. In case you're wondering, it was about 2,700 miles. Now, for those of you who have done a cross-country move before, I commend you! Those 4 days were the most exhausting, patience-testing days of my life. Not only did we have a van full luggage, 2 dogs, and our 10-year- old daughter, but we also had our daughter's harp (why should couldn't play something compact like the harmonica or recorder, is beyond me!), miscellaneous items that we couldn't live without for a week ,and lots of snacks for the long drive.

After going through the ordeal of driving 12-13 hour days with lots of stops along the way, I compiled a list of things from Zappos.com that would have made the drive so much easier:

Kavu Mini Travel Bag - First of all, isn't the pattern the cutest? You won't have to go groping through your entire suitcase for your toiletries, encountering items that you probably didn't want to touch along the way, and everything will stay nice and neat. Love it.

Eagle Creek Sandman Travel Pillow - My neck is still tilted towards my shoulder from taking naps while my husband was driving. I’m definitely using this travel pillow on my next trip!

Eagle Creek Quick View Travel Clock - I hate waking up in the middle of the night in a strange place and madly searching for my phone or watch to check the time. This portable alarm clock glows in the dark, and is perfect for checking to make sure you haven't overslept. And the alarm function is an added bonus to avoid having to remember to call in those wake-up calls, like a certain someone might have forgotten a time or two.

Eagle Creek Travel Ear Plugs - I wouldn't know what it's like at all, but I hear that some people have spouses who snore. These ear plugs might be really good for those people. They're also great for keeping the noise out when catching a snooze while on the road.

Tumi Flashlight Key Fob - I can't tell you how many times we had to run to the car in the dark to grab something essential that we forgot to bring into the hotel room. Of course, it was never my fault that this happened, since I knew where everything was located! It was those other family members who wouldn't listen to where I said this or that was located. But I digress. This flashlight fits easily on your keyring so you'll always have it with you, and will help you avoid falling over curbs. Not that  I did that!

I'm still at the point where I curl into the fetal position upon seeing a car, but eventually I'm hoping to overcome that and take a roadtrip again. I'd love to know what travel accessories are on your must-have list!

Amy Lowe is founder of The Mom Hood, a blog about all her new (and entertaining) experiences living the country life in New Hampshire. She can be reached at themomhood@gmail.com.

Working at Zappos is like working with a big family.  We all feel very at home here and our desks become an extension of our homes. Mine for instance is very messy just like my house, but my neighbor Jerildito's is very clean and organized.  (name changed to protect the innocent). Some are extravagantly decorated with personality dripping off every side and some are covered with pictures of kids or vacations they have taken or dream of taking. 

Although Jerildito's desk is very clean, he prefers the crazy antics that the rest of us decorate with. He once told me a story of when he went to visit a friend at an office with cubicles just like ours.  The only difference was no one could decorate their cubicles like we do and when Jerildiito took a wrong turn in their office, he got lost.  Everything looked the same and he couldn't find his way around! Now, this would never happen here at Zappos HQ.  If someone couldn't find their way we would just say something like “Take a left at the giant blue and white shoe, if you pass the jungle, you have gone too far.” Just one of the advantages of working in a highly-decorated workspace!

Top to Bottom:  ASICS Kid GEL-Nimbus 12, ASICS Kids GEL-Cumulus 12, adidas Kids adiSpeed + K, Nike Kids LunarGlide

With TV, the internet and video games monopolizing more and more of kids’ free time in recent years, it becomes even more important for parents to encourage kids to engage in more physical activities to keep them healthy and keep their weight at a healthy level.

Here are some simple ways to get your kids moving this summer:  

1.  Designate family jogging/walking days: On your days off, plan a family walk or jog at a nice park. It’s a great way to spend time together as well as enjoy a nice change of scenery. For extra fun and multi-tasking, take the family dog with you!

2.  Go for a scenic bike ride: Whether it’s in your neighborhood or along the beach, a family bike ride lets everyone enjoy some fresh air. Don’t forget those helmets and pads!

3.  Go geocaching: This high-tech treasure hunt is great for adventure-seeking parents and kids alike. This also promotes a strong sense of teamwork for the whole family.

4.  Hit the pool: Swimming is an excellent way to get healthy during the hot summer months. Look for a reputable swim school for kids in your area to get them started. You can even incorporate fun water games like Slip N’ Slide into your pool days.

5.  Create a sporty picnic: Get a few family friends together for a picnic and play some fun games like softball, flag football, catch, Frisbee or soccer.

6.  Add some physical activities to family vacations: There are plenty of options for making your vacations more active. Try rowing, hiking, or horseback riding with the kids.

With all these fun activities, your kids will be enjoying themselves so much, they won't realize how much excercise they're getting!

As the summer season approaches, so does the season of road trips. When you’re on that next long car drive with your children and are looking for fun and easy ways to pass the time, check out the simple games:

Punch Bug: Look out for Volkswagen Beetles. When you see one, say what color it is (“Punch bug ____!”) and gently punch the person next to you in the arm.

I Spy: Focus on a particular object or person and say “I spy ____”

Name That Tune: In this game, one player thinks of a song that everybody knows and hums its first few notes. The other players try to guess the name of the song.

Woodchuck: Be on the lookout for cars with wood paneling on them. Keep a tally of who finds the most.

Cheezy Squeezy: Look for yellow cars and squeeze a co-passenger’s arm until they see the car too.

Counting Cows: Look out for cows along the sides of the highway, and see how many you can count as you pass by.

I’m Thinking of an Animal: Have the kids think of an animal and then provide clues to everyone else about the animal they are thinking about. Have the others try to guess which animal it is.

Play Rock, Paper and Scissors: A true classic!

Find a….: One player says, “Find a _____.” The others must find whatever the player is looking for: cows, red signs, etc.

Rainbow Game: Call out a color. Each person must then find something that color. For example, when you call out, “green,” one person might point to grass.

Silly Sound Game: Make up a silly sound effect for each thing you see, and say it each time you pass the corresponding thing. For example, you might decide that the sound for red cars is “beep beep” and the sound for yellow trucks is “honk honk.” You can add animal sounds for animals, “splish splash” for rivers or ponds, “ring ring” (doorbells) for houses, etc. This one is lots of fun!

Tell Tall Tales: One person starts off telling a story. He or she talks for about a minute and stops at an exciting moment. At this point, another person picks up where the last person left off. The game continues with the tale twisting and turning with each new storyteller.

License Plate Math: Have older kids add up all of the numbers in different license plates to find the sum. Or, have the kids write down the numbers from the license plate and read their total aloud.

Guess the Number: One player thinks of a number between a range of numbers, (such as 1–100), and everyone else tries to guess the number by asking questions.

Are We There Yet?: Ask the kids questions about how far you’re traveling. Yards? Miles? Kilometers? How fast are we going? If it’s 3:15 now, and it takes us two hours to get there, what time will we arrive? How far have we driven?

Happy road tripping!

Looking for an easy, budget-friendly special activity to do with your children this St. Patrick’s Day?

I love the idea of having your kids wake up to a clumsy leprechaun’s trail of havoc!  Who could have possibly knocked over a chair, pushed a small (unbreakable) item off of a table, left books all over the living room floor, scattered cookies around the kitchen counter, and whatever other clumsy tricks your leprechaun may have pulled?

Set it up as a few simple “accidents” that happened during the leprechaun’s romp through your house the night before, and let it lead to a special St. Patrick’s Day treat for your kids, perhaps a small bag of gold chocolate coins or a bundle of four leaf clovers?  Green glitter or confetti is a great way to mark the “path” as well, especially for younger kids!  Have the path start at a door, meander throughout your home, and go out a window (or chimney, or dog-door) for a giggle-worthy moment.

It will be a fun way to start off the special day and give the Luck O’ the Irish to your kids this year!

Here in Kentucky, the Zappos Family is busy filling orders and making sure that we deliver WOW every day. During this busy peak season we wanted to say a big thank you to our awesome KY employees for working so hard. Live entertainment, balloons and energy drinks for all! Check out the video below of the Zappos Family getting down to Peak Entertainment!

Here are some Halloween Treasure Hunt Clues for your upcoming Halloween Party that you can use regardless of where you hide subsequent clues. The trick: you must fill in the details based on where you hide your clues.

Happy Halloween To You! Get your glo-sticks to look for the clues, and don’t get scared when the ghosts go Boo!

Look under ______ for Clue #2!

Jump for glee when you find Clue #3. Under the _____
it will be!!

Are you ready to go outside the front door? Sitting on _____ is Clue #4

To the back yard we go, under the ____,
Let’s all look alive as we find Clue #5

Clue #6 is under ______ in the front yard. Don’t worry about finding it as
It really won’t be hard! Are you getting tired yet?

Clue #7 is under _______. Be careful when you look so you don’t bonk your head!

Finally, you must find the treasure itself, but first you must pass through the witches and ghosts!

Happy Halloween Hunting!