Posts Tagged ‘friends’

February 19, 2015

Munzee Player of the Week: Mary Ellen Labrecque

This month Munzee has been supporting American Heart Month, from raising money via Candy Heart Virtuals to hosting a heart awareness week with Eventzee. Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men in the US, so it has been important for us at Team MHQ to help promote healthy living. This week’s Player of the Week is Mary Ellen Labrecque who is currently battling heart disease. That hasn’t stopped her from Munzeeing though, as she uses it to keep active during her down time. Mary Ellen’s story inspired hope within us and we hope it does the same for our players.

Mary Ellen is currently in the hospital so her friend and fellow Munzee player Tracy Bergmann (MARTES) has helped transcribe Mary Ellen’s responses.

This is my dear friend and fellow Munzeer, Mary Ellen Labrecque. She just came home from the hospital, this week, after having a heart transplant in September 2014. She hasn’t been home in over 5 months! Mary Ellen has a blood clotting disorder which clotted off her heart (heart attack) in March 2013. She was in a coma for weeks, until they implanted 2 heart pumps internally in her chest, called a Bi-VAD. This pump came out of her abdomen with 4 hoses which attached to a 40 pound pump on a wheeled cart. This kept her heart pumping and kept her alive for 18 months while she awaited a heart transplant. During that waiting time, she was advised to decrease her weight/BMI index, so I introduced her to Munzee, as a way to make our walks fun. I started deploying in areas where we could walk with her “heart on a cart”. This is how she got hooked on Munzee. As complication would arise and I would drive her the 3 hours to the hospital, she would be sitting in the passenger seat checking her phone and capping any virtuals on our route. Our mid way stretch break at the rest areas, truck stops and Dunkin Donuts had to have Munzees or I would deploy one for her. I even noticed she capped 2 virtuals we placed for her on her way home 3 days ago. She hadn’t been home in 5 months, but detoured for her “heart donor” Munzees! She is just amazing and has survived amazing odds, obstacles and complications to survive this transplant and live for her 4 adopted special needs children. She gets the biggest smile when she hears that “ding”. MHQ, I thank you for contributing donations to The American Heart Association. Also, please consider being an organ donor so that people like my very dear friend, Mary Ellen, can survive and wait times for organ transplants can decrease.

My wish is that someday there will be an artificial heart pump which is able to replace a damaged heart. This artificial pump would be mechanical and therefore not carry all the risks of rejection. You see, once a person has a heart transplant, life doesn’t just return to normal. There is the constant daily battle with rejection of the heart because it is “foreign” and the body tries to attack it. This requires large doses of steroids to be used to fight this rejection. These steroids cause our immune systems to be suppressed, thereby making infection a huge threat. A heart transplant is an absolute second chance gift of life, but does have complications and side effects for life. I hope with more research, there will be major advancements made in transplants, heart pumps and aftercare.

Who are you?

Mary Ellen Labrecque

Where in the world do you live?

I live in Lewiston, Maine. My heart hospital is in Brigham & Womens in Boston, Mass.

What do you like about Munzee and how did this help you during your whole experience with heart disease?

I really like that Munzee got me out of the house and kept me from having to sit in front of the TV all the time. It allowed me to exercise and lose weight. I am not in it for the points or badges, I just like to look for them to hear that “ding”. I just love that! I tell everyone I ride with about Munzee because I can only cap virtuals right now. I can tell you that I am constantly looking at the map while I am riding, looking for virtuals. Oh, and you can’t cap them in the Life Flight helicopter. I have even tried from the ambulance! My goal is to be strong enough to be independent by this spring, so I can drive myself to find and cap all the Munzees around here. There are so many now and it will be good exercise for me.

How do you feel about Munzee donating a portion of money from the sale of virtual hearts to the AHA?

That is so wonderful and just so amazing. What a wonderful donation that would be. Thank you Munzee. I feel so blessed as an individual that people would think so much of others. They have no idea how much encouragement and empowerment that provides for men, women, children and healthcare professionals’ education. There is so much education that goes into the level of care I received. A whole team has to be trained on the heart pumps and then a whole nursing unit of staff and then the care givers who have to be your back-up for the pump when you go home. For me, I had to travel three hours away to a hospital which was trained on my pumps. Even the ambulances aren’t trained. My trained staff at home had to provide emergency care during times of complications and teach the local staff. When I was in the local hospitals, my own 3 trained family and friend RN’s had to staff me until I could be transported to the hospital 3 hours away. So much more education is needed.

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com and let us know just why this person is outstanding in the global Munzee community!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

February 16, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 13: All You Need Is Love

Our 13th videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2013.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

Eventzee Heart Week
New Munzee badges
Munzee Valentines

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page,

February 12, 2015

Munzee Players of the Week: Shannon Hutchison and Caley Fox (WhompCanada)

Munzee promotes staying active through adventure. We’re proud of Munzee’s ability to get people to investigate unknown areas, learn about the game and grow the map. This week’s Players of The Week challenged themselves to bike across Canada and interact with strangers along the way and what better way to do that than to Munzee? We proudly sponsored Celaey Fox and Shannon Hutchison in their Whomp Nation Canadian Coast To Coast journey. Read on to learn more about WhompNationCanada!

Who are you?

Shannon Hutchison and Caley Fox. We met at Rocky Mountain school of Photography in the summer of 2012.

Where in the world do you live?

Shannon lives in Calgary, AB, Canada and Caley lives in St. Louis, MO, USA.

How long have you played Munzee?

Caley has played Munzee since 2011, and when we decided to start Whomp Nation we created a joint Munzee account in March 2013.

How did you find Munzee?

Caley found out about Munzee when he was shooting photos for his sister and happened to see a QR code in a tree. He’s become very enthusiastic about it ever since.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

We enjoy Munzee because it gives us an excuse to get out and explore strange places. It was also great meeting all of the Munzee people we met as we travelled across the country!

Tell us about Whomp Nation:

Whomp Nation is a project Shannon and Caley made to discover more about Canada. We shot off in April 2013 to pedal across Canada on two tandem bikes joined together and ended in mid-September. We documented the people we met, the land, and participated in fun Canadian events. It was an interactive experience that people could follow via social media each week.

What spurred you guys to start this?

Shannon originally wanted to walk across Canada, but we decided on our crazy Tandems so we could pick up Hitchhikers! We figured why not and it inspired us to go on this crazy trip.

How did you incorporate Munzee into this trek?

Munzee was a great way of tracking where we had been during our trip. It also lead to amazing Munzee hunting in Quebec!

Tell us about yourselves:

Shannon and Caley are both professional photographers. Shannon also work as teacher.

What’s Next?

We’re really hoping to do another trip like this last one, just not sure to where yet! (Editor’s Note: May we suggest a trip down south? Perhaps McKinney, TX?)

WhompCanada included their Social so cap away!

Whomp Nation also produced a time lapse video of their trip, so give it a watch. You can also look back on their whole experience at www.whompnation.com.

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

February 11, 2015

From Corporations to Crops: A Story of #HeartHealth

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States, so as we celebrate American Heart Month it’s important to listen to the stories of those around us. The following story is from Kevin Becker, owner of Shutt’er Down Ranch- a partner of the Munzee Marketplace. Although Kevin may work in the fields all day raising chickens, building greenhouses and maintaining the ranch, it wasn’t always this way.

“I spent my entire adult life in the middle of corporate America. Each week was two or three new cities with no sleep, no exercise and a room service diet,” Kevin said. “All this changed on one of those trips in 2010 when my 49-year-old heart decided that enough was enough.”

Two days later Kevin’s three children watched as their father headed into open heart surgery. The surgeon explain that there was a 25 percent chance that Kevin wouldn’t survive.

“I decided right then and there that I was going to take control of my health,” Kevin said.

He kept that promise and a year later Kevin, Seth Thomas, and Cory Sparks started Shutt’er Down Ranch in Farmersville, TX. It’s been five years since that wake up call and Kevin is 50 pounds lighter and his heart is as healthy as ever. Kevin attributes his success to changing the way he eats. He altered his diet to all natural or organic foods whenever possible, and now runs a business producing the very same food he eats.

“I had no idea that it would be so difficult to find all natural foods, not to mention the outrageous costs,” Kevin said. “I’m so excited to be a part of Shutt’er Down Ranch and helping change the way people eat organically.”

The Munzee Marketplace is proud to partner with Shutt’er Down Ranch and bring healthy, cost-effective food to the people of North Texas. The Marketplace already has a hard time keeping SD Ranch’s cage-free, organic chicken eggs in stock and there are plans in place to expand this partnership even further. One of the first steps in living healthy is looking at the food you eat, so take Kevin’s story to heart and take care of yours.

February 9, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 12: Rob V. Bob

Our twelfth videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2012.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

Eventzee Launch
Eventzee Specials are on the Munzee map
Candy Heart Virtuals are no longer on sale, but they’ll be on the map through mid-march
Clan Wars Update

January 31, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 11: Munzee <3 Eventzee

Our eleventh videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2011.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

Rob is back from Australia, Dylan is mimicking his 14 hour flight back- on the road.
The Yuma trip has been cancelled due to unforeseen Eventzee commercial filming.
Candy Heart Virtuals go on sale Sunday and all proceeds will go to the American Heart Association.
Candy Hearts will count as Mystery Virtual Munzees in Clan Wars this month.
Eventzee will launch in the first week of February, and to celebrate Eventzee pins will be on the Munzee map.

January 29, 2015

Munzee Player of the Week: Ari Gempäsch (TheUglyHari)

Munzee may be very popular in certain parts of the world, but there are many areas where the game is still small. The responsibility falls upon our players to grow the map and we’re indebted to their hard work. This week’s Player of The Week helps keep Munzee thriving in Austria- despite trouble finding Clan War teammates from time to time. We thank Ari Gempäsch (TheUglyHari) for his hard work and we’re excited for the day when he has people lining up to be in his clan. Read on to learn more about TheUglyHari!

Who are you?
My name is Ari Gempäsch (TheUglyHari).

Where in the world do you live?
I live in Linz, Austria. A small country in the middle of Europe with a small amount of munzers.

How long have you played Munzee?
I have been playing for two years. But I really started 18 months ago with deploying a lot.

How did you find Munzee?
I colleague of mine told me about munzee. We started together (with a few colleagues). But they all stopped playing according to problems with the app and the change of rules. (Editor’s Note: Maybe you should tell them to start playing again. The game has changed at lot in two years!)

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
To be outside and deploy (I am a top-30-greenies deployer). To play in the only active clan in Austria (it is always a challenge to find ten active players – thanks to BettyLou, Malof, SineUsa and a lot of other players which supported us a while). I have also learned a lot about my own home-town.

What is on your wish list?
1) I would like if everything was inside the app. It shouldn’t be necessary to visit the blog, the store, statzee, the hp…. to find the right information, to buy something or to deploy some weapons, motels, hotels etc.
2) Focus on the basics: greenies – at the moment – are undervalued.
3) More time to organize the clan.
4) A chat also for clans within the app.

Tell us about yourself!
I am 39 years old. I have three children and enjoy my life with them. I am working as a SAP-consultant and have to travel a lot. So it is really a good way to play Munzee to avoid a lot of hotel bars.

Other hobbies include:
Skiing in The Alps in the winter. Swimming and relaxing in the Salzkammergut during the summer. To play and to care about my children.

TheUglyHari included his Social so cap away!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

January 23, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 10: Rob goes Down Under, so Scott goes Behind the Wall

Our tenth videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2010.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

Rob is in Australia, so Scott helped out
Eventzee has been submitted for approval
Trail Munzees
We’re working on a new side app for Munzee points

January 22, 2015

Munzee Player of the Week: Zack Barnett (ZandK)

Munzee is perfect for the whole family. It gets you outside, pushes you to adventure and explore with your loved ones. Every day we see new Munzers brought into the game following their parents in the hunt. This week’s Player of The Week thought the game seemed silly when his parents introduced it to him, but now he’s hooked. Zack Barnett (ZandK) now has his own daughter out searching for munzees and she’s sure to follow in her father and grandparents’ footsteps. Read on to learn a bit more about ZandK!

Who are you?
Zack Barnett aka ZandK

Where in the world do you live?
I currently live in Ogden, Utah. However, being active duty Army I move often, which allows me to spread the Munzee wealth.

How long have you played Munzee?
I started playing Munzee in February of 2013.

How did you find Munzee?
My parents; Michael and Kelly; 2psnapod1 and 2psnapod2 started talking about it. I thought it was the dumbest thing ever, who wants to walk around and scan a little sticker? Reluctantly, I downloaded the application. Within a few days I learned that Munzee was an excellent way to make monotonous runs fun. Immediately I started planning running routes that allowed me to capture the munzees in my area. A few weeks later I started deploying as I had already cleared the Munzees in my area!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I enjoy that Munzee can be done anywhere. I typically travel a lot without my family, Munzee allows me to fill in that void while I am away and pass the time. Munzee is also an excellent way for me to exercise and stay in shape for my Army duty. Adding the Fitbit to my Munzee addiction allows me track the benefit of the game. I really enjoy the “urban” aspect of the game, I can always get a chance to capture or deploy no matter where I am going. I enjoy the ability to get quick points while passing through airports via virtuals but I enjoy walking and running from light pole to light pole or gator to gator most 🙂 Even though I focus on the “urban” aspect of Munzee, the game has still taken me to many neat areas that I wouldn’t have typically experienced had it not been for Munzee. Some of my favorite places have been the Troll under the bridge and the gum wall in Seattle, Washington.

What is on your wish list?
(1) From the inception of the clan wars I have always wished for a separation of clans either by country or by level. Much like intramural sports where the clan would sign for a level. For example we would have divisions such as an “A” division, a “B” division, and a “C” division. The clan wars would still utilize the same requirements but they would compete for the top spot amongst their division, this would allow some of the lower clans without big point opportunities the ability to win their division. If they won the lower division they would be required to then compete in the next higher division the next war.

(2) I would love for Fitbit or similar fitness trackers to be implemented into the game more. Of course badges for activity levels would be very welcomed.

(3) Restructuring of point levels. After level 100 it is much more difficult to level up.

Tell us about yourself!
I am happily married to my awesome wife Kelsea (KandZ) and have two children, Paityn and Cameron. Paityn is also an avid Munzer but only plays with Momma and Papa. I am an Active Duty Army Captain and am currently in my 11th year of service. I followed in the footsteps of my father who retired a few years ago with over 28 years of service! I am originally from Wisconsin and even though I have lived in many states I still call Wisconsin home. Go Packers, Go Brewers, and go Marquette Golden Eagles! Oh, and the Badgers when they are not playing Marquette. 😉

One of the greatest areas I have played Munzee in is Washington State. With help from a fellow Munzer Divernick and KandZ we created a Munzee trail spanning two states at length greater than 7 miles. The trail included every munzee type possible. The trail starts in Vancouver, Washington and crosses the I-84 bridge in to Portland, Oregon. In March of 2014 I was blessed with the ability to travel to California for Munzee Madness III. This was an awesome time in which I was able to meet most of team Munzee (the old team). This only solidified my addiction of Munzee and made me want to play more and more.

In the Summer of 2014 I was moved by the Army to Utah. When I arrived the Munzee population was strong, but not quite as strong as Washington/Oregon. So I started growing the map. In order to draw more and more players in the area I organized the states first Munzee event the “SLC Meet and Greet.” We had 11 attendees, 2 of which had just joined the game! Since the event the area has grown tremendously.

Other hobbies include:
In addition to Munzee I am a very family oriented man. I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my family as I am often away for long periods of time. I also am a very avid sports fan. I love watching all sports live or on TV. Playing sports (basketball, golf, bowling, softball, etc) is also something I enjoy greatly. Playing Settlers of Catan (Seafarers, Cities and Knights, and Traders and Barbarians) with friends and family also ranks high on my hobby list. Other hobbies I enjoy frequently include; woodworking, winemaking, and fixing things.

ZandK included his Social so cap away!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

January 16, 2015

Trail Munzees are available now!

For those who made it through all 5 episodes of Rob’s adventures in the “Tale of Trails” web series, we’re sure you’ve been on the edge of your seats waiting for more information about the new Trail Munzee. Well the time has finally come- you can buy your 5 pack of Green Trail Munzees in the online store now! For $5 you get one complete Green Trail made up of 5 Trail Munzee credits. Each of the munzees can be deployed within a 5 mile radius of the starting point. Each munzee must be deployed at least 1000 feet from other Trail munzees.

The Trail Munzee is a credit applied to your account and used for conversion of regular “greenie” munzees. A previously deployed greenie can be converted to a trail munzee only if it has had zero captures. You can see your available credits at www.munzee.com/credits.

For more information on the conversion/deployment process check out this video with President Rob Vardeman:

You will receive 5 points per deploy of a trail Munzee, but your trail will not become live until you deploy all 5 munzees.

When capping a trail only the first munzee will be visible on the map, but as you capture each Trail Munzee the next in line will appear for your to follow. If you stumble upon a Trail Munzee that is not next in line you will receive an error message.

As you cap the trail the points you receive will increase as you progress.

Stops one and two are worth 5 points for capture and owner cap on.
Stops three and four are worth 10 points for capture and owner cap on.
Stop five is worth 30 points for capture for completing the trail, and 30 points for owner cap on for creating a good trail.

The goal of the Trail Munzee is to move beyond the light pole, the street sign, and the parking lot. Create a trail that leads other players to something worth seeing. Lead them on a tour of your favorite local places. Take them to places that are off the beaten path. This purchase will allow you to blaze your own trail!