Sunday, May 15, 2011

When I'm 64

In case you are new to my blog, I love The Beatles.

My mom lived in England in the 60's when they were just getting started and was a part of Beatle Mania. She introduced me to them.

For the past...I don't know...decade or so, I've wanted to make a video for my mom's 64th Birthday to go along with the Beatles' tune "When I'm 64."

This was the year - today is the day - my mom is turning 64! For the past few weeks, I've been putting together a story board and it was SO much fun to watch it come to life! My dear, sweet and very talented husband was all about it. We had an absolute blast taking pictures, editing the video and laughing hysterically the entire time.

Please click HERE to see the finished product. Enjoy!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Z is for...


Z is for Zoo, Zippers and Zebras!


A few years ago, we went to the Virginia Safari Park. It was SO much fun, and is probably my favorite thing in this area. I highly recommend it.


It's also been called the "drive through zoo" because that's exactly what you do - you drive through the zoo and feed wild animals out of your window.

There were Camels:



emu:


(please note the horrified expression on my face, those things were terrifyingly vicious!)

llamas:


And my favorite, the zebras:


It wasn't until we were on our way home and Andrew was looking through the brochure with all of the warnings (probably should have read that part first...) that we learned you are not allowed to feed or pet the zebras.


We did both.


Of all the animals there, they seemed the most like a "normal" animal. Aren't they just striped horses? I used to ride horses and they are easy to feed, so I followed the same "keep your hand flat" rule and all went well. What a strange rule to have...


I'm sad that this A-Z blog challenge is now over :( I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Y is for...

Y is for Yodelling, Youngsters and Yum-yum sauce!

I had a really hard time thinking up something that started with a "Y" to write about! Then I remembered yum-yum sauce.

This is a white sauce served at Japanese restaurants, for those of you who are unaware. It...is...delicious! I'm sure it's insanely unhealthy, but it is irresistible as well.


You can dip anything in it, really, but I think shrimp work the best with it. I usually pretend to accidentally drop one in when I'm trying to dip...because then it's completely smothered in the yum-yum! Andrew simply pours it all over his rice and whatever else he's dining on at the time.

At take out places, you can typically as for as many containers of it as you want. This is amazing because then you can either use it all in one sitting and be a total glutton, or save it to try as a dipping sauce with various veggies (which, in turn, makes them rather unhealthy...still gluttonous, but with it.)

I need to stop because I'm salivating. Anyway, if you haven't ever had it - go out right now and get a meal from Yamazoto's or Tokyo, or Koto's and enjoy the heck out of it! And also, bring me some...

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

X is for...

X is for Xavier, X-Men and X-rays!

Long story short - there's a titanuim rod in my leg. A few months ago I had it x-rayed and here it is!

X-rays absolutely amaze me. They seem somehow magical and I, for one, am appreciative.

Monday, May 2, 2011

W is for...

W is for Wendy, Winning and Water.

In 2005, Kelli and I started a hydration campaign. We got ourselves a couple of $1 water bottles from Target's dollar bins and, since our offices at the AHA were right next to the bathroom, we drank ourselves silly on h2o.

This lasted a few weeks...but we gave it our best shot.

Since then I've tried to start up a hydration campaign on my own again without much success. That is until last November/December when Jaime and I made a trip to Ollie's for a couple of Eddie Bauer water bottles. They cost $3 and have changed my life. I don't know how I ever survived before my little blue bottle. It goes with me to work, and I use it constantly at home to hydrate myself. For a while, Jaime and I were drinking 4-5 25oz (ok, mine's 23oz) bottles a day! We decided there may be such a thing as over-hydrating so we've since cut back.

We've overcome many obstacles, my little water bottle and I...first there was the time I left it my car and then it snowed and I had to literally dig my car out to get to it...and more recently, the school where I work stopped providing us with filtered water. I had no choice but to bring in bottled water from home and refull it myself. (Ghetto? Maybe - but it's that or drink water from the water fountain shared by 300+ 12-14 year olds, which makes me want to vomit.)

The benefits of hydrating your body are endless. It helps to flush out toxins, improves the quality of your skin, and help you sleep at night!

Do yourself a favor - add more water to your routine! You won't regret it.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

V is for...

V is for Violins, Veracity and Virginia!

I was born in the great state of VA and am happy to call it home again. I've spent a total of 23 years living in this state, with a brief, 7-or-so-year hiatus in Ohio. It was cold and miserable, and minus the great friends and great shopping, I hated it.

So we moved back to VA in 2006.

But it is the weather that is driving us further south, in the hopefully-near future. Virginia, I have loved you. You have mountains, ocean, beautiful fall foliage and some of the most wonderful people in the world. I'll miss the excitement and hope of snow days, hiking through the hillsides with Samson, and the alligator-free lakes. But I look forward to warmer weather, being close to the ocean and my family, and the threat of hurricanes (ok, maybe not that last part).

VA, it's been real.

Love,
Wendy