WENDY CITY

can't stop those kids from dancing, but why would you want to?

2010-07-21T21:08:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure you've guessed from my ghastly-long blogging hiatus, I have been a very busy woman. The first weekend in July David and I had our first garage sale ever. Let me just tell you: it was more than necessary. My grandparents came the second day of the sale, after about 50% had sold, and commented on the overwhelming amount of all our stuff! At a mere 24/25 years old! That's after 2 purges, as well (one when we left for Korea, another when we moved back to the States). Whew, baby!

The weirdest part about it all was that most of it was stuff we never, ever used. Seriously! I was sad to part with a few things (like my vintage toilet!) and some DVDs (but I never watched them), but it feels good to have gotten rid of so many things.

Let's see...this past weekend we went back to Goshen/Middlebury for one last visit before we move. Although I'm sure we'll be back to visit many, many more times. :) We had lunch one day at the Southside Diner in Goshen with David's parents/brother and then I spent Saturday afternoon with my madre in Shipshewana. We ooh'd and aah'd over vintage/antique goodies at the antique stores/markets and even purchased a few things. If I haven't told you before, my mother is like the smartest person in the entire world. She knows enough trivia to create 5 unique games of Trivial Pursuit. That makes her an excellent person to go antiquing with (I learned a lot!). A few pics from our day:

Passed by this beautiful old door with pretty flowers growing along it.

JoJo's Pretzels in Shipshewana (this is the coffee shop side)

JoJo's

Seriously: Best. Pretzel. Ever.

And that leads us to this week. Today is Wednesday, which means in approximately ONE WEEK we will be on the road headed SouthWest! Hard to comprehend how fast the move has come. David and I are beyond excited and have aligned most of the details. My Aunt Clara, who lives in Phoenix, has been sending us a picture every day, counting down the days until we leave!! Here is today's:

Isn't that the cutest gnome ever? :D

Speaking of moving, we're super pumped to move into our new apartment. I will gravely miss our stunning hardwood floors and quaint fireplace, but the new place has a lot of cool features, too. :) (Like a giant walk in closet - hehe). We've decided to re-furnish the entire place, which is really exciting for me. See, I've accumulated a great deal of wonderful trinkets (David has, too), but a lot of stuff is a hodgepodge collection of stuff without much of an aesthetic connector.

I've been reading a lot of design books and checking out design blogs like crazy (my favorite, by far, is Design*Sponge) for inspiration and ideas. It's up for discussion, but so far I'm leading more toward a modern interior with a healthy twist of vintage/industrial. David prefers it (by a tenfold) over my former ultra-girly, shabby-chic inclinations.

Because I know I can get great deals here on vintage/antiques, and because we had a bit of extra space, I went ahead and purchased a few things in Indiana. I also wanted to make sure I had a few things that were Indiana-specific to bring to AZ for good luck tokens. Call it silly, but I know that glancing in the direction of the few Indiana things I picked up will bring a grin to my face while sweating it out in the desert. :)

Obviously, I have pictures:

These are from my mother. Vintage pharmacy bottles!

How cool are these? Also from my mother! Vintage "poison" pharmacy bottles.

Antique mirror with shabby frame. $2

Picked up this vintage tool box that reads, "LUKE" on the top for a mere $3.

All the tools were included. :) Can you see me using those whatever-they're-called's?

Vintage, bright blue perfection stove! 'Bout 3 feet tall.

My heart sung when I saw the modest $20 price tag!

3 planters. $4 total.

How cool! This is a vintage, mid-century heater that totally works. However, I will not turn it on in the AZ heat. :) $8

The colors/body are too awesome for words.

Vintage kids' ABC stool. :) $3

Vintage scale with a rad glass reading gauge. Love this! $3.50

Mid-century adjustable lamp. Definitely works. I think this was David's favorite thing I purchased. :) $3

These two, early 1900s books will be a nice addition to my growing collection of vintage/antique books. $1 each.

Sweet tin car. $3 in Goshen!

1959 Indiana TRUCK license plate. Love the colors! $5 (Goshen)

This is an authentic copper/wood tea kettle. Reminds me of my mom (who collects vintage copper items). $5

Mmk, so the colors on this 1950s Fisher Price "Peter Pig" toy grabbed my attention immediately. I snagged it for an easy $3 and looked it up online when I got home. Turns out it's a somewhat rare collectible worth ~$60. Good find. And a keeper!

Cute butt!

I paid a lofty $9.50 for this sucker, but it says Goshen on it and I couldn't resist. Plus, my mom gave me a whole history lesson on Goshen Farms, increasing its intrinsic value. :)

Whew - -that's all for now. I can't promise another update before we leave (I'm already spinning in circles, after all). However, I do want to do an update focusing on career-oriented things. Some exciting things have occurred this month, including signed contracts and lots of photo shoots!

Stay positive,

Wendy

open your heart and let the good stuff out

2010-07-05T17:41:00.002-04:00

Well, I've been nibbling on honeycomb all day long. You know what that means. :) David and I shadowed a beekeeper! We had a blast doing it and a learned a lot more than I expected to. I think I even overcame my fear of bees (permitting they don't fly near my face!).

We went to Hunter's Honey Farm, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It's a family-run business and the owner is the one who showed us all the ropes. I was surprised because he said we didn't need the protective gear because his bees weren't very aggressive. So, we walked out to the hives in the clothes we came in (camera in hand) and began.

They are kept in these wooden boxes and literally just fly in and out all day long. There is one queen bee (who we saw in this particular box!) and then the rest are female workers. Occasionally a drone, or male bee, will zoom in and do his business. After all, 2000 or so bees from the hive die every day, so there need to be replacements ready to go.

Some of the female workers take care of the larvae, some make the wax and others make the honey. And here's a little nugget of information: the bees eat the wax and honey they create! Not all of it, of course, but enough to keep them buzzing around.

The bees that we met today were quite docile. In fact, the beekeeper put a dab of honey (from the hive!) on my finger and then stuck my hand into the mess of bees! I was a bit hesitant about this, but a few started licking my finger to eat the tasty stuff and no harm was done. David even petted a few of them (seriously)!

Here are a few more pictures:

Rad, huh? :)

On our way out to the honey farm (we got lost...) we ran into an airport in the middle of cornfields. Truly bizarre. We saw two tiny planes land -- one looked like an Eagle. I wish we weren't running late, otherwise I would have stopped and snapped a photo or two.

Anyway, that's another item scratched off our list. So:

~~shadow a beekeeper~~

In other list-related news, we've begun our quest to accomplish this beast:

don't eat processed food for 30 days

It began today and already we're thinking differently about food! We're somewhat careful of what we eat anyway, but this will force us to become a little more creative in the kitchen. For example, it looks like we'll be making our own ketchup soon, making a lot more bread, etc.

Anyway, I figured I'd also include a few more things in this update. First of all, we're less than a month away from our move to Phoenix. Our official leave date is July 29th and we move into the new apt. Aug 1st. We're in the process of packing things that aren't necessary to our livelihood and we're also labeling/sorting things like crazy for our upcoming garage sale (Fri-Sun, this weekend, 8am-6pm-ish).

Saturday we drove to Elkhart to visit my papa and brothers. David sold his car to William (bittersweet to say goodbye to that trusty car) and we grilled a few things, played in the pool, lit some fireworks and I took pictures of the boys. I think the pictures turned out well. Enjoy!

The front yard

Side/backyard

Pool/Deck!

And a few of my favorites of the boys:

Allen Lewis

William McMahan

That's all she wrote, folks.
Wendy

feel an ocean breathing waves, feel them licking at my face

2010-06-20T21:32:00.007-04:00

Well, I promised in the next update that I would talk a bit more about our move to Phoenix and our new apartment and all that uber exciting stuff. I'm not one to disappoint, so here goes!

We ended up signing a lease with Trillium Residential apartments, a "modern, luxury apartment complex" that we had been eying for quite a bit of time beforehand.

We were sold on the sense of community and all the perks associated with living there. In addition to a sweet pool and workout facility (goodbye $25 gym bill!!), they have various activities planned for residents there.

For example, there's a weekly spin class (totally partaking), spa, coffee bar and various community tournaments, grill outs, pool parties and hiking expeditions. There's even things like book clubs and studio dining where you watch a chef learn how to make a meal (that you also get to eat)! I think I sound like I'm selling this place to you. :) Really, though, we are very pumped. We wanted to be able to meet people easily, and this place seems conducive to that.

Here are some sneak peak pics. I'm sure I'll have a ton more for you once we move. Speaking of which, the official move IN date is August 1st. We leave Indiana July 28 to drive the 25 hours. :P

We're obviously pretty excited! To prepare, we've gone through a bunch of our belongings to sort out what to keep/leave behind. Let me just tell you, we had an entire basement full of stuff. Some things which haven't seen the light of day in (I'm embarrassed to say it) a good 4 years. Why I continued to move boxes around with me without ever opening, I'll never know! Anyway, we went through every single last thing and have an astounding pile of items that we'll attempt to sell at a garage sale mid-July.

We've also decided to say buh-bye to our furniture and a few other "major things." We'll end up saving over $1000 if we leave it behind, plus I plan on spending that money on redesigning our new apartment. I've been soaking up design blogs and catalogs like an eager puppy these days! :)

Clearly, things are all moving toward the big move. I can't believe it's all happening so fast! Still, though, we're soaking up our remaining month or so in pretty naptown. This past weekend we had a grill out with some friends and our lovely neighbors. Also, we accomplished a few more things on our 2010 bucket list. Look here:

~~go strawberry pickin' (PICTURES BELOW!)~~
~~buy a $20 lottery ticket (Goodbye, $20. It was nice knowin' ya)~~
~~go a week without air conditioning in the summer (never again)~~

We did have an appointment to shadow a beekeeper today, but the storms last night were torrential and continued throughout the morning. Plans were foiled by mother nature! We'll reschedule for next week, probably. :)

Pictures of our strawberry picking adventures. We went to Spencer Farm in Noblesville and also picked some black raspberries and blueberries. YUM!

Found a heart. :)

What a dainty berry!

I devoured the blueberries that very night, nibbled on the raspberries and then we made cupcakes in icecream cones and topped them with (from scratch) strawberry whipped cream frosting. It was amazing!

Maybe next time I'll have pictures of us in bee gear. :)

Choose positivity,
Wendy

Tiger lillies love the dandelions

2010-06-15T20:29:00.008-04:00

David and I have been pretty busy the past few weeks. In addition to planning our move to Phoenix, we've had a number of family-related events. It may sound kind of geeky, but hanging out with my family members is one of my favorite things to do. I don't think I tell them enough how much I appreciate them (maybe I'm not alone), but I definitely do.

Last weekend my sister had a modest graduation party with the family at my grandparents house. Seriously...my family has some outstanding cooks. It was a pitch-in of sorts that highlighted caramelized carrots (by moi, thank you very much), baked salmon and homemade shortcake with strawberries and whipped cream. Does it get any better? :P

Later that week, for her graduation present, I treated my sister to a cute dessert/tea time afternoon at the Heidelberg Cafe. For those who aren't privy to such an outstanding, authentic German eatery, it's on the SE side of Indy off 465 exit 42 (heading toward Lawrence). I'd been there once before to shoot some photographs for NUVO Newsweekly, but this time I sat and indulged in a few treats. Pics below.

In other family-related news and events, this past weekend my two handsome brothers graduated from high school. I'm so proud of those little dudes. I still picture them as tiny twerps running around with baskets on their head screaming at the top of their lungs. Now they're all grown up - a couple of studly men with bright futures. I have some snaps from that, too (below)!

Pictures from the Heidelberg Cafe:

I see a gnome sittin' on the can.

I got a multi-layer red velvet (I simply can't resist red velvet). My sister opted for a tasty danish.

Are you drooling?

We put a few pennies in here...couldn't make it work, though. I believe it was supposed to inform me of my future.

Enough German kitsch to get us through 2020.

Bear stein?

Gnomes, gnomes, everywhere!

Painted on the exterior. :P

Another exterior shot

Near the entrance.

And, one more group of photographs. These are from my brothers' open house this past Sunday:

Sweet William and Grandma

Handsome Allen and grandparents

William and grandparents

Hey good lookin!

Now there's a handsome stud.

BRAVO! Congrats, brothers.

Next update: I'll talk more about the Phoenix move. Stay tuned...!

Adios!
Wendy City

they saw a big rainbow; it glided down the sky

2010-06-06T19:21:00.009-04:00

The past week or so it's been so humid/muggy that I came within an inch of dying. Thursday evening David and I decided to head out into the thick of it and walk around the neighborhood. Swear on my life I got shot with a paintball gun by some kid. I didn't care. (Side bar: People get angry about silly things too often). Anyway, the whole time we were walking about, I thought to myself, "Gee, why didn't I bring my camera?"

So, Friday night I was supposed to hang out with my dear sister and mum, but plans collapsed and I ended up entertaining myself for the evening. What better to do then skip out the door and treat myself for a follow-up stroll with camera in tow? Aside from feeling engulfed by a swamp of invisible water and dodging potential paintballs, I had a jolly good time. ^^

I present to you middle America, my friends:

The house across the street from ours. So pretty.

a bit grungy

Our backyard.

And some of our garden supplies. :)

What a way to kick off the month of June, eh?

In other news, David and I signed a lease for an apartment in Phoenix (woo! Details later), went to the Indy 500 last Sunday (soooo hot, but fun), had a mini dance party last Friday night, had an awesome meal with family for my sister's graduation yesterday and drew pictures on the sidewalk with chalk today! That's a lot of stuff!

So, here we are:

~~go to the indy 500~~
~~have a dance party~~
~~draw on the sidewalk with chalk~~

And, because today is your lucky day, I snapped a few pics of the sidewalk chalk drawings. :D

David drew this one. It's a portrait of him and me. :)

We colored while grilling some mahi mahi and corn on the cob...

Goguma and Lamia (arrows point to drawings of the cats David did, haha).

Rainbow kitty!

Stompin' all over that rainbow.

*Goguma totally has a pink stomach right now from that chalk. :p

The weather couldn't have been more perfect today. Just lovely!

See ya later!
Wendy City

A thousand miles seems pretty far, but they've got planes and trains and cars

2010-05-16T17:31:00.002-04:00

What a muggy week it's been, eh? My hair has been serving as an indicator of the humidity percentage as of late. Afro, anyone? David and I have been in an A/C battle over it, too -- I'm all about fresh breezes and thick air, but on occasion it's nice to feel like you're in a refrigerator (especially throughout the night).

Anyhow, today I finished my work up a bit early --love it when that happens. I'm also caught up with The Hills and The City (don't judge), so I thought to myself it'd be a perfect evening for a blog update.

First thing's first: Updating "the list." After all, my dear lassie, we are six whole months into the year. Uh...June in 5 days!

~~build an igloo~~ (pictures here)
go strawberry pickin'
make tofu
write a lover letter to each other
don't eat processed food for 30 days
read a book together and talk about it
make ice cream
~~try a new restaurant~~ (we hit up the Red Lion Grog House in Fountain Square - yum!)
~~pull an all nighter~~
color a picture
~~grow a garden~~
~~buy a bike and ride it~~
go to a museum
host a dinner party
pay off a credit card
sell something at a farmers market
go fishing
go to a music show
go to noraebang (karaoke)
make wine
shadow a beekeeper
~~walk in a park~~
go bowling
no technology for 3 days (including phone, computer and TV)
draw on the sidewalk with chalk
go to a festival (any kind)
go camping w/ no whining from wendy
~~make homemade ravioli from scratch~~ (pictures here)
take a road trip
~~try a restaurant from diners, drive-ins and dives~~ (pictures here)
take a class on whatever
go to the indy 500
practice our german and spanish
bring food to our neighbors
buy a $20 lottery ticket (don't judge)
try miracle fruit
~~make our own pizza from scratch~~
go to the zoo
~~go to a place that makes cheese~~ (pictures here)
go to the shipshewana flea market
volunteer somewhere (animal shelter?)
move out of the state
have an international skype party
make a play jungle for goguma and lamia
have a picnic with wine/cheese
go a week without air conditioning in the summer
have a dance party
take a nice picture together
~~repurpose a piece of furniture from flea market/garage sale/craigslist~~ (picture here)
don't drive for 1 week

Looks like we still have a bunch to catch up on...! It'll get done, promise! :D

Mmk...I have a bunch of odds and ends photos to put on here. I apologize for the hodge podge. Though, come to think of it, hodge podges are kind of nice. ^^

Lamia chillin' in the grass. :D

The startings of our garden. A few things never germinated (bah!), but we should have lots of yummy zucchini, tomatoes, green beans and herbs!

David got a new grill for his birthday.

Hello, gnome! This little guy is from a college friend (Jamie!) who saw me lamenting on Facebook about my lack of gnomes. I was surprised in the mail with him a few weeks later. :D

Goguma and Lamia like him.

A few weeks ago Amy ran her first mini-marathon with Jayson. Jayson finished in 1 hour and 16 minutes and Amy finished in 2.5 hours! Both are SERIOUSLY impressive times, so cheers to them. PS. I totally made that sign and screamed like a dope as Amy crossed the finish line. :)

David and I hit up Creation Cafe (which I'm going to again tomorrow with an old high school friend!). It's so so cute! We had brunch. :P

It's like this weird collaboration of modern industrial, sophisticated chic and ultra homey-ness.

David and I made a pizza from scratch (well, the dough and sauce. :P )

My sister still has one kitten to give away (lemme know if you're interested) so I took a photograph to help it find a new home faster.

It seriously loved me so much. I wish we could have a million cats!

And last...

David and I made our first yeast-based bread from scratch.

Seriously. YUM.

Okay...I obviously need to update more often. I just crammed a months worth of activities into one post. :x

Later gater,
Wendy City

i thought i would sing some notes, so that maybe you would slow dance with me

2010-05-11T23:06:00.007-04:00

Shalom, m'dear.

Well, it's high time I announce our "big news." Perhaps it's not really that big after all, but it will be a change for our lifestyle and whatnot, that's for sure! No, we're not moving abroad again (though perhaps someday?) and no, I'm not with child (that'd be scary!). No, I'm not training to become a female body builder (can you imagine?) and no, David is not pregnant with twin kittens (you wish!).

The big news? We're moving.

To the desert.

In early August.

Phoenix, Arizona, to be exact. For those who are curious as to why, here's our ultimate reasoning:

When we moved to Korea in the fall of 2008, we couldn't wait to see what Asia had in store for us. We loved traveling around, exploring new cultures and relished the unique experiences we were having. We also met a lot of English-speakers from around the world, including people from the United States. After talking to these people and pondering things, we realized that there was a lot of the US that we really haven't touched. Landscapes that are as beautiful as they are weird, subcultures that are worthy of exploring just the same as their international counterparts. You get the idea.

For those who know us well, you already knew that we've planned on moving out of Indianapolis for the past, I don't know, 8-9 months. Basically since we got back from Korea. It's nothing against Indiana (lots of friendly folk ;P ), it's just that there's a lot to see outside its perimeters!

We seriously contemplated Charleston, SC for its beautiful ocean-side views and charming, candy-colored streets. We also briefly considered San Diego, NYC, Austin, Portland, Seattle and other lovely cities (who knows, we may get there sometime ^^ ). But then we considered lovely Phoenix and the possibilities that existed by living there. After all, its location is within driving distance to many hot spots and natural, noteworthy landmarks: The Grand Canyon, the Arches, various parks at the four corners, Las Vegas, California coast, Mexico, etc.

So here's the plan. Before we move (and perhaps it'll be ongoing), David and I will compose a mini bucket list. One that lists every single natural landmark and neighboring city we want to see in the next 1-2 years. Then, we're gonna do it all. ALL of it. Just watch. And don't worry, I'll take lots and lots of pictures.

I mean, seriously folks. Check out this gorgeous scenery (and here's a taste into what our list will include):

Grand Canyon

Las Vegas
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Arches National Park

Black Rock Desert

Monument Valley
San Diego
Tijuana, Mexico

You get the picture (literally!).

Are you excited for us? Because we are truly, truly pumped!

PS. Hello, palm trees. :P

Bidding you goodnight,
Wendy City

When the sun did shine such a glorious light; How the harmless birds did sing

2010-04-27T16:31:00.007-04:00

Holy wow. Two blog updates with less than a week separating them? This might just be better than your favorite icecream showing up in your freezer (which totally happened to me yesterday). I'm not sure what's prompted the sudden desire to update, but I'll go with it. Maybe my subconscious is attempting to persuade me to make my April quota. Who knows, lads.

Anywho, I figured that this beautiful April 27th would be the prime opportunity to tell you a little story. Listen carefully:

Earlier this month, I would gander a guess that says with in the first week of April, I found myself rushing off to pick up the most perfect bike ever. Before picking it up, I needed to get some cash (who carries cash?) to pay for it.

I was running a bit late, so I dashed into the local Walgreens, beelined for the Chase ATM nestled in the corner and shoved my card into the machine. With cash in hand, I came to realize that I didn't have exact change for the bike. Thinking quickly, I opted to purchase a bottle of water: the perfect solution to a parched throat and need for smaller bills. Unfortunately, I was held up in line by the guy in front of me who needed 4 quarters for his one dollar bill so he could hop on public transportation. A simple plea, really. Right? Too bad the cashier was a mega b-word and declined the favor. He sauntered outside, likely displeased at the situation.

Anyway, I paid up and then ran out the door. To my surprise, the man was sitting outside, looking a bit disgruntled. Without even thinking, I shoved a $1 bill in his hand and insisted it was fine. I didn't really wait for a thank you, but I smiled and ran off to make sure I wasn't more late than I already was.

Simple story, right? One dollar bill. Who needs it? Well, obviously that guy, but who else?

So get this. About 1 month before that moment (March 10, 2010 to be exact), I actually found a dollar bill in the street myself. Since I'm obsessed with take pictures, I documented my happiness:

Anyway, let's fast forward to now.

Since that moment, I've been finding myself with all this extra cash. I mean, I'm not inundated with dinero or anything, and the money is finding itself spent on all sorts of necessary things (ew to renewing license plates). But it's kind of weird. According to my calculations, I've received about $400 that was completely unexpected.

Why am I sharing this tale with you? Because it's the UNIVERSE, people. My theory is that when I found that dollar bill, it was not mine to take. So when I threw that $1 back to the universe in the form of a man needing to hitch a ride home, I would dare to say that the Universe decided to thank me. Either that or it just liked that I was being unselfish. Call me as crazy as you want. At least I still have an extra $400 this month.

With that said, I'm going to try an experiment. I have a really crisp $1 that I need to get rid of. Hopefully I find myself in the position to give it away again. :P And, of course, I encourage you to release your paper money to the universe the next time you're in the position to do so. It's all about timing, baby.

Anyway...

While I'm updating, I figured I should post some pictures. It wouldn't be a true update if I didn't.

A few weeks ago I wondered over to the Flying Cupcake on Mass Ave. They have one on Illinois street about 30 minutes from my place, but this one is downtown and only 10 minutes away. A dangerously sweet place, indeed. But quite easy on the eyes. :D

Love that paper mache deer!

Talk about pink! And that wee mushroom sitting there was also spotted at Meijer. :D

Red Velvet Elvis = heaven on Earth.

Details make a difference!

I'll take some flower roses in that jar, miss.

Mysterious #4

Too blue for school!

Ahhh. Super cute face.

Somehow, some way -- that Harley sign fits right in.

Spot Wendy's feet.

I covet this chair.

Thats'a ginger cupcake. :)

Exterior view.

Sweet shirts!

The ultimate reason anyone ventures inside of The Flying Cupcake is to buy something from that case.

It's taking all I've got to not run downtown to buy one. :x If there's one thing The Flying Cupcake teaches us, it's that even in economically pressing times, most people can still budget for a $3 cupcake.

Cheers, lassie.
Wendy City

Hey, baby, I just might take the chance

2010-04-25T21:40:00.006-04:00

This weekend was a cathartic one. I re-discovered things, learned to let go of things and celebrated life. I cried over happy things, I cried over sad things. I woke up and thought it was all a dream. I can honestly tell you that this weekend has changed my life, my perspective on life. I know it sounds ridiculously phony, cliche, whatever you want to call it.

There are exciting details I want to relay to all you loyal readers (all 12 of my lovely subscribers...haha ^.^), but those will come in due time.

First of all, I want to talk about my grandfather, who this weekend was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Indiana Society of Anesthesiologists. I always knew my grandfather was a wonderful male figure in my life, a great doctor and a wise human being all around. Kind, caring, considerate - the perfect father, grandfather, co-worker, doctor. I think I can honestly say he was probably the strongest father figures in my life and for that I am quite grateful. I love my own father dearly, of course, but I'm being honest here.

Anyway, Grandpa graduated from Northwestern University and then moved to Indianapolis to practice at Wishard Hospital. There, he made advancements in the field of anesthesiology (some patented), worked with residents, was a gifted anesthesiologist and then later taught at IU school of Medicine.

I took this picture of him before I moved to Korea, Summer 2008.

So, congratulations to my grandfather -- a true inspiration in my life and, I'm sure, in many other lives.

Because of grandpa's award, a lot of family was in town. Saturday night we had dinner at my Aunt Grace's house (so delicious!) and then played games like old times (Outburst!). I loved seeing my Aunt Clara there, who I haven't seen since 2007. Then I sauntered over to my sisters apartment and talked into the wee hours of the morning. Cathartic indeed.

Speaking of my sister, a few weeks ago her cat, Zoey, had kittens. Believe me, she's getting spayed very soon. Jessie asked me to come over and take some pictures so that she could find them homes via Craigslist and other sources. I guess all of them are spoken for now, so that's great! ^^ I had a lot of fun taking pictures:

(favorite picture/kitty)

My goal was to capture their personalities. I hope I did. :) It makes it easier for the right pet owner to choose their pet if personalities are exposed, right?

I do have a few more pictures to share with you in this update. A few days after I visited my sister and her kittens, David and I went to Goshen/Middlebury to visit our friends and family. I was able to meet up with some longtime childhood friends, including miss Synda Marie and Alissa Tepe. Great people. :P

David and I also made a point to do more touristy things. We also crossed two more things off of our "2010 to do" list. Those include the following:

~~try a restaurant from diners, drive-ins and dives~~
~~go to a place that makes cheese~~

Picture Proof:

This is the South Side Soda Shop in Goshen. Who woulda thunk we only needed to travel to our hometown to see a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives! You can see the video here.

We went with David's parents!

We went at an odd hour, hence the emptiness. :P

Famous Philly-Chili in that sundae cup.

I ordered a tuna hoagie. Yum!

In Middlebury (where I grew up) we found a cheese-making factory. Guggisberg / Deutsch Kase Haus is well-known for its delicious cheese made in-shop and has even won a bunch of awards. It felt great to be in Amish country again inhaling manure and enjoying the scenery while waiting to pass a buggy. ^^

Jams and what-not.

More Middlebury-shots:

Blue skies.

Where I grew up. That backyard = lots of roaming in the woods, eating berries, secret forts, mushroom hunting. I miss the space.

Adios, kiddos.
Wendy City

I tried to call your satellite, but baby you would not receive

2010-04-12T21:33:00.003-04:00

Well, I figured tonight would be the perfect time to update THE LIST that David and I created at the beginning of the year. I have to admit - we haven't crossed off nearly enough things considering we're 1/4 of the way through the year (still having a difficult time fathoming that time lapse!).

Here we go:

~~build an igloo~~ (pictures here)
~~try a new restaurant~~
~~grow a garden~~ (we're currently in the process - pics soon!)
buy a bike and ride it (okay, we can't technically cross this off yet...David doesn't have a bike yet. However, I did buy one for myself and I have ridden it -wee! Pics below).
~~walk in a park~~ (we've done this a few times - no pics though. ^.~ )
~~make homemade ravioli from scratch~~ (pictures here)
~~repurpose a piece of furniture from flea market/garage sale/craigslist~~ (pictures here)

Whew! We still have 42 things to do! I promise you, they will get done! :P

Anywho, as I mentioned above and in another post, I finally found a cute retro bike that suits my fancy! I paid a healthy $50 for this pretty lady: a 1960s pink and white Hollywood edition Schwinn. I went out on Saturday to explore part of Irvington. It was picture perfect, I swear! Winding roads, budding gardens, sweet critters frolicking in the greenest grass you've ever laid your eyes on. I can't wait for David to find a bike he likes so we can have bike dates together!

I think Goguma makes an appearance in every blog post...

Ooh, also, David and I have begun working very diligently on our flower garden. We're also going to start growing some veggies and stuff in the back yard. I'm hoping to have that project finished by the end of the week. Then it's just tending to it and harvesting! I'm not sure which part I like better. Once there's something more aesthetically stimulating, I promise I'll have pictures up, dear.

Speaking of photographs, I have a few more I want to share with you today. I think it was last Thursday I got the sudden urge to just go out and buy things. (Sidebar: This happens periodically. More often than I think is healthy. By the way, I recently read that purchasing things releases endorphins. So maybe it is healthy? So long as you have a healthy bank account...which, let's face it, could always be healthier. Dilemma.) Fortunately, the things I purchased were cheap Goodwill finds. I went searching for a cute, retro dress but instead came back with two pairs of heels, a mug and a few other odds and ends. I have pictures of two things:

I'm thinking circa late 80s, early 90s?

Seriously...how adorable!

Ooh, and I can't forget to post my new earrings that Mr. Mailman delivered at the tail end of last week after I ordered them from I'm Your Present on Etsy (visit her shop and try not to drool). I ordered one pair, the pink ones, but she sent me a freebie pair. Aw. ^o^

(wearing this now!)

Goguma and Lamia are so jealous right about now.

Mmk. I'm out. Enjoy this gorgeous weather, lassie.

Wendy City

She fell in love with the drummer, another then another

2010-03-31T23:13:00.003-04:00

One thing I love about being a freelance journalist is the ability to manipulate my schedule (most of the time, anyway). So, when I woke up to a Cinderella-esque theme with bluebirds singing outside my window and sunlight pouncing on the hardwood floor in our bedroom, I naturally decided I'd take the day off. (It also helps that I'll be working on Saturday - aka covering the Final Four tournament shenanigans.)

Oh how I adore an open day in the middle of the week. I convinced David to come to the gym with me today, where we played racquetball for a good 30-40 minutes. It's been a while since I've played -- seriously...best workout ever. I was the kind of sweaty that a lady shouldn't be.

Anyway, I also pleaded for David to come with me to the Eagle Creek area (NW side of town) to pick up a bike I found on Craigslist that was made for me. I really think it was made for me. It's a 1965 model, pink/white Schwinn with a little bell. Oi! I don't know if I want to fix it up a bit or leave it a little rustic. There's a certain charm to it as is. Decisions, decisions. Anyway...I'll post pictures later.

Speaking of fixer-uppers, though, I finally decided to treat myself to a shopping spree at Traderbaker's Flea market in Franklin. That's my favorite flea market ever. Ever. I always find great stuff there, and this time was no different. My favorite find was an older mirror that was a steal at $24.50. Here's the before shot:

As you can see from the photo, I decided to do a little re-painting. The finished product is lovely, lovely, lovely! ^o^

I shabbied it up a bit, too. Then hung it in the bedroom. PS. those pumps are retro finds, as well...but from a shopping trip long, long ago.

Uh...adorable, right? I feel slightly bad for David (it's kind of a girly blue/green hue), but I think he's used to my colorful ways.

Here are a few of my other wonderfully vintage finds:

A vintage kitchen scale ($10)...eeps! Here's the "behind" shot (it has a nice behind, eh?):

I think I'm going to use this old spice tin as a mini flower-holder.

Retro kitchen bowl. $2.50

Each of these books was a modest $1. They're from the late 1800s, early 1900s. My favorite is the one on the bottom, entitled, "The Sexual Life" and published in 1929. A random excerpt I literally just turned to (the entire book is this way):

"The female bust has always been considered one of the great feminine charms and its development to a proper degree of convexity adds much to a woman's shapeliness."

And because I obviously like taking pictures of myself.

Another retro bowl...I think I'm going to house fresh berries in this one! Also $2.50

Pretty old frame. I was hoping I'd be able to replace the photo, but the picture was glued to it. Not sure what I'm going to do with this, now. Time will tell...

This was another fixer-upper. Originally it was a horrid, sun-stained yellow. A bit grimy, too. But for $1 I decided to take it into my care. Goguma prefers its spiffy version, I think. :D

That's all for now. Upcoming blog updates include a photo spread from the new Flying Cupcake on Mass Ave, the new bike and...who knows.

This is me blowing you a kiss,
Wendy

And everybody wants a hand, but I'm too busy holding up the world

2010-03-24T15:34:00.004-04:00

Holy month of March. I can't believe that it's already March 24th. I mean, seriously people, who pushed the fast forward button? I thought it was still February until this morning when I turned my head, glanced at my cute calendar and did a little spazzy freak out! My, my my...how time flies.

The past week I've been waiting for the flowers to bloom and enjoying spring temperatures. A few days ago I ventured outside and cut a few pretty yellow babies. I think they look lovely in this jar:

Anyway, last Wednesday was St. Patrick's day. Now, I'm going to be very honest here: I typically do not celebrate St. Patty's day. Every other year I've forgotten to wear green and haven't paid attention to March 17th. This year, however, was a bit different. David and I were invited to a fun party (that we've been planning to attend since last St. Patrick's day when we heard raves) at our new friend, Bobby Sponsel's house. He lives in Irvington, too. In fact, that fellow grew up in Indy's East side neighborhood and loves it here. When I lived with Amy a few summers ago he and his girlfriend moved into the bright orange house across the street:

Since then, I've been dying to go inside. So a few weeks ago he gave us a tour. Um...amazing. I can't believe this 24-year-old guy (hey, that's my age!) and his 22-year-old girlfriend have purchased and flipped (in the process of flipping, rather) this old, old abode. It definitely needed it since it used to be four apartments! I took a few pictures. I'm hoping to get some more later.

Living room

Entryway/staircase

One dining area (there are several).

Anyway, as I was saying. They held a fun, Irish party that started at 7 a.m. Yes. 7. In the morning. David and I were up and roaring to go. After the parade downtown, we all ventured to the Golden Ace (Indianapolis' oldest Irish pub). Pics from the day:

(In Bobby/Stephanie's back yard)

On our way to the Golden Ace (literally 5 minutes driving distance away), we had to make a stop because the driver's tire was on fire. hahahaha. Prime opportunity for a Church's Chicken pose?

Finally, happy to be at Golden Ace. The weather was more than perfect.

David and Chris

David, Chris and Bryce (handsome Goshen clan)

I found a goat. Aww

Performance by Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones

Green hair.

Dog with tie.

And then there was lots and lots of socializing/dancing/having fun:

David looks genuinely confused about why he's holding two drinks (one was mine...I snuck wine in).

"The gang:" Amy, David, Me, Chris, Bryce, Aubrey

Ti-say-oh. (Finishee, in Korean).
Wendy City

Everybody else's dreams are Freudian clues

2010-03-09T23:23:00.002-05:00

Oi! That's how you say 'ello in Portuguese, which, by the way, is only spoken in two countries. Can you guess what they are? (Brazil and Portugal, friends)! ^0^

Anyhow, I'm beside myself with happiness this week. Miss Mother Nature has blessed me with sunshine, chirping birdies and weather that doesn't require several dozen layers of clothing. I even went out and purchased a few really cute pare of shoes and a spring-inspired dress! Pics? Okay:

They're irresistible items, right? :p

I also helped myself to these:

Anyway, I also went in for a trim at Savvy in Broadripple. My poor hair was in major need of some texture and defrazzled ends. I was very pleased with the final look!

Woo! :D

AND...right after I returned from the salon, I was informed that David, Amy and Y were going to Rock Cola Cafe, a 50s diner on the East side of Indianapolis (maybe 10 minutes from our apartment). I've always meant to stop in, but just never found the chance. Anyway...we indulged in some delicious food and sultry scenery. How could I not snap a few pics? Enjoy:

sweet ride!

How amazing is that ceiling? Please!

Classic menu.

Root beer float, anyone? This was Amy's and I didn't work up the courage to steal a taste. Made my mouth water nonetheless.

Spot the floating plate. PS. That is one giant pork chop sandwich.

David and I shared this tantalizing concoction.

Quaint!

!!

Dead.

It's a tiny establishment, but cozier than any place you've ever been! :D

Hit the target, mate.

I'll leave you with this last photo. It's one that I can hardly comprehend. Why? Because it's a picture of a lady bug! I can't believe I saw a lady bug this week! My life is truly, undeniably perfect.

Tchau!
Wendy City
(your secret admirer)

she kept spiders in her pocket

2010-03-04T16:16:00.003-05:00

Hello, hello, hello! This is a very brief update. As some of you wonderful readers know, I have an unyielding passion for dessert photography. Tuesday, on my way to a photo shoot-out for NUVO Newsweekly, I stopped by Roll With It bakery, a new bakery in Irvington.

For anyone in town, I recommend it whole-heartedly. There are so many inexpensive treats and the bread is fabulous. Anyway, as a sweets lover, I purchased a few blondies and mini-brownies for David and myself. They were priced at a modest .50cents each, and well worth it, too! ^o^

Pictures for your taste buds to salivate over:

And, since I'm at it, I figured I'd dig around for some pictures I took while living in South Korea (seems like ages ago, by the way). I purchased this cupcake not to eat. The soul reason for buying it was for picture-related purposes. Once you get a glimpse, you'll know why. :P It's from the bakery down the street from our old place and David devoured it after I was finished snapping away.

I hope this inspired you to grab something delectable. ^b^

Wendy City

he knows how many freckles she's got

2010-02-28T20:19:00.005-05:00

Hello, my precious little lovelies. The world, the universe, planet Earth -- it has been good to me. Perhaps inspired by my dearest Amy-Roo, I've been trying to tune into the world at a much deeper, more personal level as of late. I've taken to reading my horoscope. Not to adhere to it in a strictly fashion, but instead to let it gently inspire, and dare I say, guide me. David thinks I'm crazy for it, but I think he's used to my odd ways.

Anyhow, just as my stars predicted, the career aspect of my life has been pretty steady. This month I signed a contract with Asylum.com, a mens' interest website run by AOL. I've also done some other things for AOL and have had a few gigs via NUVO Newsweekly. Just for giggles, I'll share a few of my favorite pieces:

NUVO Newsweekly: Regina Mehallick's Honor
Spinner.com: Interview with The Black
Spinner.com: Interview with Jackie Oates
Spinner.com: Interview with Somi
Asylum.com: Modern Museum of Tweets
Asylum.com: Hip Hop Caucus & Biz Markie
Asylum.com: Correspondent Eats 'Live' Octopus
Holidash.com: Five Amazing Engagement Stories

As you can see, I've been quite prolific! Hoorah. ^o^

Let's see...how else has the Universe shown its appreciation for me? Another lovely femme friend of mine (Miss Holly Essex) decided, on a whim, to invite David and I to a super awesome cabin getaway at the end of March. We'll pack our bags and head down to Tennessee to relax in this gem of a place:

Ooh, and this week I also had the pleasure of dining with a good friend from college (Julia Nathan!!). It's been so long since I laid eyes on that woman and I'm super thrilled to have reconnected! This week there are definite plans of Asian stir fry and scrabble. Funfunfun!

Let's see...what else can I share with you in this final post of February, 2010. Oh - I know! THE LIST! In my last update I posted a list of 50 things David and I would like to do in 2010. We've been able to cross off a few things, so far. Here they are, with pictures:

~~build an igloo~~

~~try a new restaurant~~ (we hit up the Red Lion Grog House in Fountain Square - yum!)

~~make homemade ravioli from scratch~~

*We even made the sauce from scratch! :D

While everything we've crossed off has been pretty cool, the coolest yet has to be our super awesome igloo! The igloo beckoned to us the weekend it was completed. Naturally, we hosted a mini-party within the snowy walls:

(whatta catch -- amiright ladies?)

Catch you on the flip side, sweetheart.

Wendy City

Those waxen wings melt in the sun

2010-02-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

Well, it sure has been a while, huh? I've been getting pestered to update this blasted thing, so I s'pose I may as well tell you what's been happening in my life for the past month or so!

First of all, happy February, folks. I hope that this short little month brings you prosperity and happiness. Smeriously. Anywho, so much has happened since I last posted. I'm just gonna run down the list. Consider it a super smattering of jovial do-dads. Perfect snack for a Sunday afternoon.

To begin, I thought I'd share with you my new years resolution (sorry if I already did this). I kind of kept it to myself because failure is embarrassing. I didn't make any boring commitments (like go to the gym every day or eat less chocolate). Instead, I made a simple vow to be more crafty. Crafty is my specialty and I sort of let that part of myself fall to the wayside in Korea. Perhaps it was because I wasn't inspired or maybe I felt I didn't have the supplies. I don't know. But anyway, I've done a good job with my resolution so far. My first project was to recover a bench that I found at Goodwill. It was a nasty shade of blue complete with dirt and grime. Despite, the foundation was beautiful and I thought I'd give 'er a go. Here's the before and after shot:

I chose a lovely golden fabric that complemented our interiors a bit better. Pretty, huh?

Now, my second project was to make a fabric wall hanging. Our walls are quite barren, so I took it upon myself to make some inexpensive art. I made a tutorial on Wendy's Gems if you're interested. Peek:

My latest project was Valentines. I designed some cute v-day cards and then made a DIY envelope full of Turnip seeds. Cute! For those who requested/received my Valentines, I hope they put a happy smile on that pretty face of yours!

Hmm...let's see. Since I last updated we got a lot of snow:

This recent snowfall has inspired David and I to complete an item on our 2010 list of 50 goals (inspired by Amanda Fales). List? You wanna see it? Okay, but no laughing or teasing.

~~build an igloo~~
go strawberry pickin'
make tofu
write a lover letter to each other
don't eat processed food for 30 days
read a book together and talk about it
make ice cream
~~try a new restaurant~~ (we hit up the Red Lion Grog House in Fountain Square - yum!)
pull an all nighter
color a picture
grow a garden
buy a bike and ride it
go to history museum
host a dinner party
pay off a credit card
sell something at a farmers market
go fishing
go to a music show
go to noraebang (karaoke)
make wine
shadow a beekeeper
walk in a park
go bowling
no technology for 3 days (including phone, computer and TV)
draw on the sidewalk with chalk
go to a festival (any kind)
go camping w/ no whining from wendy
make homemade ravioli from scratch
take a road trip
try a restaurant from diners, drive-ins and dives
take a class on whatever
go to the indy 500
practice our german and spanish
bring food to our neighbors
buy a $20 lottery ticket (don't judge)
try miracle fruit
make our own pizza from scratch
go to the cincinnati zoo
go to a place that makes cheese
go to the shipshewana flea market
volunteer somewhere (animal shelter?)
join a death panel
have an international skype party
make a play jungle for goguma and lamia
have a picnic with wine/cheese
go a week without air conditioning in the summer
have a dance party
take a nice picture together
repurpose a piece of furniture from flea market/garage sale/craigslist
don't drive for 1 week

I'll continue to update the list whenever I update this little blogaroo. ^o^

Anyway, I think I'll end this post with some views from First Fridays in Fountain Square. We went last weekend with Amy and Jayson with a Y. There are some more photos on NUVO.net if you wanna check 'em out!

a handsome clan

lol

typical

band photo?

That'll do it.
Wendy

leave me your stardust to remember you by

2010-01-10T19:49:00.001-05:00

It's been quite a while since I updated so prepare for a bohemoth of an update full of eclectic goodness. You should be very excited at this point.

Mmk, I feel okay beginning. I'll go in according to how things passed. It only makes sense, right? First things first: I opened an ETSY shoppe for my photography. It was really only a matter of time. I'm going to give it a go for a few months to see if I can be prosperous at all. Right now I have mostly whimsical, fun photography. I think I'll add some of my travel photography in the coming weeks to see how they do. It's hard to decide how to price your items and whatnot so I'm playing with things a bit. In the meantime, check it out - please? ^^

Let's see...what happened next. Well, I suppose that'd be Christmas, right? David and I had 3 Christmas's - one at my parents, one at his parents and one with my extended family in Indianapolis. I cannot express how grateful I was to spend all the holidays in the states this year. I really enjoyed Korea but there's something that gives me warm and fuzzy feelings when I'm with my family lapping up good times. Proof:

My daddy. My mom's cat had kittens and they were so adorable. This is a photo of Dad holding one.

Are you dead yet?

and...

zee mama

Here are a few snaps from the big dinner with my extended family. It was a beautiful display of food, love and happiness (and I say that with utmost sincerity)! My family is wonderful. There were tears, laughs, annoyances and everything else you'd expect at a Christmas dinner!

The dinner table.

Mmm...the plates and silver anticipating salmon, ham and roast beef among other tasty side dishes!

A wintry wonderland outdoors made us feel warm and safe indoors.

Uncle, Sister and Grandma

Exchanging presents

Handsome brother on the right.

Mmk, so we all know what glorious holiday falls after Christmas, right? Why, it's New Years Eve/Day - and this year was a biggun:2010! Can you handle the fact that it's 2010? What were you doing 10 years ago? How has your life changed? Did you think you'd be here, now, doing what you're doing? I recall 2000 very well (I was in Phoenix, AZ preparing for the world to end) and a mere 14 years old.

So, the year 2010 deserves a more grandiose celebration. That's why I headed to the colorful and diverse New York City. It was actually the first time I'd ever been there and I had an absolute blast. Amy-roo has friends there and so we stayed with them (Urara and Koichi). Amy described them perfectly: little sprites. They're both from Japan and have lived here for 10 and 5 years, respectively. I think I fell in love with them both! We explored all parts of NYC, I caught up with Lauren O. met new and wonderful people and ate some wonderfully tasty food! In photos (of course):

Urara -- I love this photo of her! So happy.

I got off my plane, took a cab to Brooklyn and then we all ventured to Manhattan within an hour of my arrival! The first place we ventured to was Korea Town (how appropriate)!

It was so comforting to hear Korean/see Hangul all around me. I loved NYC for its impressive diversity.

A cute Korean grocery store where a kitty was roaming around. Can you find it?

We did venture to MOOD, the fabric store that all the designers go to on Project Runway! It was so bizarre!

Flashy Times Square

My favorite photo <3

Everyone knows it's Wendy.

Rockefeller Tree

Goofing off in Saks on 5th Avenue

A tasty German pub in Williamsburg district of Brooklyn. Yummy food!

Breakfast with Urara and Koichi in their apartment

A better view of their apartment (which was uber charming, btw).

Outside view of their apartment!

NYE night, preparing dinner. We had a group of people over and ate a traditional Japanese NYE meal. Very memorable evening. ^^*

Dinner is served:

Preparty fun:

Happy gang? I think so.

NEW YEARS DAY....

Traditional Japanese New Years Day meal! My tastebuds were very happy.

Magnolia Cupcake Bakery in Manhattan

Traditional Southern Meal cooked up by Amy (her family used to make it)! Everyone and their New years traditions...we didn't have any (except to take down the tree)!

Lauren and I. We ate at a tasty, trendy restaurant in the meatpacking district, had coffee and then I visited her apartment and chatted.

Pretty Central Park. I love seeing the city peeking through the bare trees.

Can you tell how cold it was? I got a pretzel and it turned into an icecube 3 minutes later!! :) haha

Mmk, now that I've overwhelmed you with photos I think I'll call it a night. G'night, dear!
Wendy City

The Sky is Overspread with Cloudy

2009-12-07T23:36:00.002-05:00

Bonjour. There are two cats in our life these days. This past weekend I went back to Middlebury (my hometown) to pick up Lamia from David's parents house. His parents were watching Lamia while we were living abroad and it's high time we brought her back to our humble quarters. Goguma is about as pissed as can be and Lamia already peed outside of the litter box. I pray hope they turn into cheery chaps instead of maintaining the status of selfish, onery boogers. There is enough Wendy/David love to go around.

In other news, David and I went to get a Christmas tree today. I used that as a motivator to get my work done early! ^v^ It's a real live Christmas tree and the first one we ever purchased together. We played William Hung's "Hung for the Holidays" (well, David did...much to my chagrin) and had the song "Baby and Jesus Santa Claus" on repeat for a solid 15 minutes. Then we swtiched to Yo-Yo-Ma. I love Yo-Yo! We decided to do twinkly white lights with vintage, glittery gold bulbs I found at the flea market for .95c (totally circa 1960s). Atop that 6'5'' sucker is a silver, heavy angel from Global Gifts, a gift from my Grandma in 2006 (we get Christmas ornaments yearly). The end result:

Hmm...what else can I tell you? Well, I decided to start up "Wendy's Gems" again! It's just a site that features random goodies I find on the internet, usually from Etsy or something similar. It's just a side hobby that gives me an excuse to window shop. ^*^ Take a peeksy, if you feel so inclined.

Last, but definitely not least, I wanted to share some photos from our recent road trip. David, Amy and I drove a very long 12 hours to Kansas to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family. You see, my family typically does nothing for Thanksgiving (though on the year I decided to head to another state they threw a big shebang!). It was so much fun learning about and exploring Amy's hometown. She lives about 15 minutes away from Wichita so we spent a day there, as well! Photos from the festivities:

We hit St. Louis along the way. I didn't realize it was only 4 hours away from Indy.

Did I mention that Lilly--a big-hairy and lovable canine--came with us?

I loved the flat landscapes of Kansas. It seemed like the sky never ended.

In Wichita we visited a large antique store.

Ain't she purty?

We found all kinds of thrilling goodies.

Including a giant, stuffed elk!

Don't worry -- it was only $10,000!

We walked around the streets of OldTown, Wichita

And ate some delicious grub @ the brewery. Veggie burger for me!

We also went to Old Town theater to see A Christmas Carol (which, by the way, is totally not for children. But the movie did change Amy's life)! The theater was super rad because you pushed a button on your theater seat and then someone came to take your order. I had a Sex on the Beach + popcorn and David and Amy shared a pitcher of beer.

'Til then, penguin.
Wendy City

ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze

2009-11-21T14:19:00.002-05:00

Today is a really lazy Saturday. That's to be expected. After all, it's Saturday, m'dears. I kind of just feel like writing about nonsense all day long. I should probably write about things that make sense though. I need to earn my paycheck, you see.

Anyhow, a lot has gone down since I last updated. David and I watched our 1 month anniversary of the wedding shenanigan come and go this week. Can you believe it? I can hardly comprehend it. Although the wedding was so much fun and I would do it again in a jiffypop, you better believe I am relieved to have all that planning out of the way! And the stress over the forecast was becoming too much to bare! We should have all the photos from the photographers, soon. I'll post more photos for those who have asked! I got so man kind messages from others planning their own weddings who decided to drop by and see the end result of mine and David's. So, utterly sweet!

But let's see...since this is primarily a photo blog, I suppose I should update you with some things that have happened. My handy dandy camera has been by my side (uh...der!) this whole time I haven't been updating. Lucky, you! Please forgive me for going back in time quite a ways. I have some fun pictures that I just have to share. Let's start with Halloween (only my most favorite holiday ever. EVER.)

I was a deviled egg.

Amy was Zorro/Zorra

David was Zombie Kerfoot

We went to Jayson with a Y's apartment for a snazzy dance party. Fun ensued:

The Robot made an appearance

Exhausted at 4:30 am

The following day we hit up the Irvington Halloween Festival for good times.

I met a real live party animal

And heard real live music

Twice!

And then I encountered a real live headless horseman

David took his mask off to reveal his real self: A crying baby

And I discovered the cutest costume(s) ever.

Let's fast forward a few weeks to LAST weekend. David's brother, Adam, came down to Indianapolis from Goshen to hang out. We went to the Casino on Friday (where I learned you cannot take pictures! darn!) and then hit Bloomington, Indiana to shop/eat on Saturday. That night I beat everyone in poker. I will brag about that for a very long time to come. Again: I beat everyone in poker. Thanks.

A cute cafe in Bloomington

Outside the cafe

Pretty accessories. Love.

The weather was obviously perfect.

We ate at the Irish Lion, established in the mid 1800s and very, very cool.

Beer was had by beer drinkers.

Junk food + poker. Look at all my poker chips!

CONCLUSION:

Mint chocolate baileys + skim milk over heart shaped ice cubes! Yum!

Later skater,
Wendy City

Keep me warm in your love

2009-10-23T20:22:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that the wedding was a week ago already. I must say, my nerves are more calm and I'm basking in the glow of that newlywed feeling.

So many people have been emailing/calling/messaging about pictures and so I thought I'd give you all a little sneak peak. These are from the wonderful photographer's proof page. All brides, no matter where you're located, should consider hiring AMANDA FALES of AmandaFales.com. Her and her husband, Andy, make a remarkable (and professional) team. Amanda and I went to the same college and my freshmen year we lived across the hall from one another! I still own some of the things she gave away at the end of the year!! :) Crazy how time flies.

Here are a few photos. Enjoy! :)

We held the wedding at Indianapolis' historic Benton House. It was built in 1873 on a charming, wooded lot by Mr. Benton, the founder of Butler University. I loved it for its vintage, Victorian qualities. You'll see:

The rings

David and I decided to do all our wedding photos before the actual ceremony. I got ready at our apartment and he got ready at The Benton House. Here is the moment after our "first meeting." Aw.

We enjoyed some quiet moments to ourselves.

I just love my expression there!

Steamy!

You can see my bouquet a bit in that photo. I absolutely loved it. Miranda at Bloomz in Indianapolis did a fabulous job with my requests and had lots of great ideas. Here's a zoomer:

There were so many portraits Amanda did with me. I really like how this one turned out!

And look at those shoes! People flipped when I told them my shoes were purple, but they totally go, right?

The wedding party was fantastic!

So handsome!

And there we all are.

Let's move on to the actual ceremony, held at Shalom Mennonite Church.

Whoa stained glass!

My grandmother maid the pew decorations.

I designed the programs. Thank God for InDesign for brides on a budget! :)

Me getting ready to walk with Mommy and Daddy. I sobbed like a crazy fool!

Pretty church.

The crowd got a few shots, too! ^^

My cousin, a bridesmaid, read from Song of Songs.

My Aunt Grace sang "Caro Mio Ben."

My sister sang "You Are the Sunshine of My Life."

And then it was over! :D

A congratulatory hug from my dearest professor from college, Hank Nuwer!

A few details from the reception (I had another photographer shoot the reception and am waiting on those. We had a live string trio, wine and desserts)!

My grandmother (who used to be a florist) also designed the centerpieces. The eating took place in a tent outside of the Benton House.

Tent!

More later. :)
<3,>

if you'll be my star I'll be your sky, I live to let you shine

2009-10-12T14:22:00.008-04:00

My dears, I apologize for the hiatus. America has turned me into a slacker. Well, not really. I've just been engrossed in wedding planning details, readjusting my life to the USA lifestyle and all that nonsense. But here I am, purple-clad with a mess of hair plopped on my head. Happy Monday. ^o^

Let's see, what's going on in my life these days. The most obvious answer to that question is: the wedding. I cannot believe it's encroaching so quickly. Saturday...Saturday, folks! Wow. I've checked the forecast rather compulsively over the past two weeks. There were a few days where I melted into a pitiful puddle of depression over "80% chance of rain and high of 44 degrees." But now, dearies, the forecast is only 5 days out and calls for a day full of sunshine with a high in the mid 50s. Still a bit chilly, but the sun will warm up the tent, me-thinks. And, if everything fails then I'll move things into The Benton House and we'll make due. I'd hate to put that $1400 tent to waste, though. Weddings are expensive, friends.

Well, instead of posting pictures of wedding details (let's wait until after the nuptials, mmk?), I thought it'd be nice to show you all my Indiana abode. We live in Irvington, an East-Side district of Indianapolis that can be described as quirky small town meets haunted historic neighborhood. David and I live on a quiet, cobblestone street in a duplex apartment/house. Hardwood floors, fire place, quaint and lovely. We've still got a bit of decorating to do (and have actually done some since the photos were taken).

In pictures:

What a pretty number

Autumn-blue sky

Our street

Across the street.

Furniture on our porch (which will be Halloween clad after the wedding)

We let Goguma play outside sometimes (with supervision, of course!)

She's made one friend already...a calico mix we call Bubbles

Goguma loves the windows

She is our spoiled little princess.

The living room. We had our first fire with Amy a few days after we moved in. S'Mores and Hot apple cider + rum.

The bedroom

Bedroom...!

I created these while in College. All you do is go to the local flea market or antique store and purchase some pretty sheet music. Buy a frame that will fit them (these frames push the picture all the way against the glass) and then hang 'em up. Simple!

Bedroom...reading nook.

Kitchen-times.

More kitchen. The painting on the top left is my first-ever color painting! A work of art (haha!).

Really long hallway. Goguma, David and I run back and forth at night. We just love all that space!! ^b^

Hallway closet houses cosmetics, toiletries, towels, blankets and a few clothing articles.

Bathroom...Where's Goguma?

"Office" this room is just awful. We need computer chairs and plan to put a high kitchen table up on the opposite side...perhaps a rug on the floor.

My car...David's is right behind it. It feels wonderful to drive again. It's like a pair of wings.

There she is. Her name is "Meow."

That's all. Wendy City signing out, from the Indy-City.

and this is all that's left, scraping paper to document, it's time to move on

2009-09-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

Welp. Here we are. The night before David and I depart for good ol' America. It's a bittersweet feeling, but I think I'm ready ready ready to go.

Goguma, the sweet little thing, is totally weirded out. She's looking around the vacant apartment, sniffing the suitcases and looking at me half inquisitively, half-disapproving. This is her home. But I'm sure that she'll love Naptown. There's lots of handsome felines roaming the streets on our block. Aw, our pretty block with cobblestone roads and shady trees. I can't wait to tend to our little garden. I know it's getting cold but perhaps I can grow at least one thing? We'll see.

I can't wait to arrange all the furniture, gather some firewood and start a fire in the fireplace (which David and I haven't done yet in our apartment!). And the wedding is so soon -- I'm viewing it as more of a welcome home party. I think I'll put together a slideshow and some other things to reflect our travels together. David, that good looking bugger, and I have had a wild year.

Anyway, as I said, it's a bittersweet feeling leaving Korea. I know that I'm ready to head home now, but I will miss everything that Hanam and Seoul have had to offer. From late night trips to grab kimchi mandu to children screaming our names to the friends we've made who are (quite literally) from all over the globe. It's especially sad to say goodbye to those people because the likelihood of us all getting together in one place again is quite small. Still, though, David and I have dates planned for Canada, the UK and South Africa. And of course those folks living in the States. Sigh Sigh Sigh.

What a year...

I figured that it'd be more appropriate to post photos that related more to going away. So, here they are. Photos from our going away party and a few other things.

A few phoos from the apartment...

Our refrigerator, full of love from the US.

Check out that rad pink blanket!!

I have grown to love this kimchi-smelling place, but I am looking forward to a more spacious domain! :P

Goguma loves looking outside. :)

Mmk - so for our goodbye party we went to Chicken/Hof and then went to noraebang (karaoke). Afterward we hit Lenny's for what everyone in Hanam calls "Lenny-bang."

David, Dante and Lenny make some noise to kill dead air!

Sing it!

Two South African's and a South Korean (A new sitcom?)

David fell in with this lovable Brit named Lenny Leneghan!

See?

Bertus found a new use for his pants. Kate asked, "How does he push the buttons?" The answer? "That's what friends are for." True statement.

Check out what is in David's hand!

Aw

Off to Lenny's we go.

That is beer. In a bowl. No questions were asked about this.

Hey, it totally works.

Oh god, I'm such a lucky lady.

I just got luckier.

I'm not sure where the hats came from...

But they inspired some American-like yee-haws.

David wanted to punch him all night.

Again...

Nice glasses!

BFFFFF

Okey dokey -- next set of photos. These two are from a lunch David and I had with my co-teacher and adviser on Saturday afternoon. It was a traditional Korean meal with all the side dishes/sit on the floor/etc. The food was outstanding! I will miss Korean food, and my Korean colleagues, for sure.

Yeon Hee, my co-teacher, is on the left. Joy (Mrs. Heo) is on the right.

Last, last last thing! On Saturday night, David, Kate, Gemma and I went to a Korea Hwe (raw fish) restaurant. We ate the traditional Korean meal called "Sannakji," which literally translates into Live (San) Octopus (Nakji). All they do to prepare it is grab the octopus out of the tank, cut its tentacles off and cut it into smaller pieces. Then they place it on a plate with oil/sesame and serve it to you. The catch is that the tentacles are still alive/moving around. They suction onto the plate/your mouth and so you chew it really, really well and then swallow it. There really isn't much taste. You dip it in a red chili pepper paste (the same we used for Chogae Goo-ee, grilled shell fish) which is actually really delicious.

I didn't take photos of it because I figured there'd be more of an impact if there was a video. There are two very short videos. Enjoy!

Take 1

and...

Take 2

So, Korea. I'm out. USA - prepare yourself.
Love, Wendy City

You were blowing kisses and I was waiting in the car

2009-09-14T06:46:00.008-04:00

Anyeong, dear hearts. Wow. I'm kind of in state of shock these days. David and I have less than a week left in Korea and I'm beside myself, lost in a chaotic, half-confetti drenched web of glee, fear, confusion, poignancy and obliviousness. I swear to God I can't picture my life back in the United States. I just can't do it...it's so, so strange. What a weird feeling I'm having...oh dear. I say to myself, "Well, maybe I need one more month, a few more weeks, blah blah." But then I know that if that were the case I'd yearn for the day to be closer. And then once it was, I'd have a repeat of this strange feeling. There should be a name for this feeling. I will coin one.

I'm not going to lie, I've been quite emotional recently. It's ridiculous, really. I mean, commercial's are bringing me to tears. And today I went to the teacher's conference, held every Monday, and started getting all weepy in front of all my colleages as a hearty thank you speech spilled from my lungs. Though less than 1/4 probably understood what I was saying, I think the lone tear that filled up the space between my eyelids demonstrated my love for Chunhyun. My school has been so, so good to me. I cannot express how blessed I was to have such a wonderful co-teacher, my friend, and an advisor, my friend and teacher, such great students. Sure, there are a few varments out there, but I love them just as much.

I didn't think I would get so attached to this country, to my students, to this lifestyle. I didn't realize I would break anyone's heart because I was leaving. I came into it all quite bad at teaching, heartbreakingly homesick, nervous, shy and scared. I surprised myself in Korea - I did something I never imagined I would do. And after a few months I did it with gusto and, I dare say, a bit of talent. It was strange to watch my anxiety melt into joy.

So here I am. 6 days away from my long anticipated departure.

Anyway, as promised, here are photos from the one and only Great Wall of China. It was an incredible trip and completely worth the spontaneous vacay to Beijing. I can tell you, after hobbling around the Pyramids on camels, camping out in the Amazon, cuddling next to Tigers in Thailand, hiking Mt. Sinai, seeing the Harajuku girls do their thing in Tokyo...the Great Wall of China surpasses them all in impressiveness. There are few things with such history and beauty that you have the opportunity to climb and walk all over. I'll never forget the long sweaty hike up all those stairs and the cool breeze (and kisses shared with David) in the watch towers of the Mighty Great Wall; the expansive landscape rustling around us. Remarkable. I hope that you can experience even an ounce of the energy we felt while roaming around the ancient landmark. Enjoy:

hola, it's me!

David + beer

Finishee, Wendy City

Far, far, there's this little girl

2009-09-07T06:52:00.002-04:00

Bonjour. I'm going to keep the text brief in this update because I am so behind in posting photos! Oops. Yesterday David and I went to the Korean DMZ (demilitarized zone). I took photos wherever I was allowed to and I'll post those at a later date. The experience was really cool. We were, in fact, able to see North Korea which was pretty cool.

In other news, today marks exactly 2 weeks until we board the plane to Chicago. In other words, I'll be on American soil two weeks from now. Whoa! :)

Mmk - on to the photos. This next back is from China. I'm going to post a small sampling from The Forbidden City and the Lama Temple and then you can check out the rest at my flickr. Just click the pictures and it'll take you there. I want to post most of the photos I took of the Hutongs, though. I'll explain what they are when I get to the photos!

Anything else to say? Hm...I can't think of anything. Took care of some more wedding things, bought bridesmaid's gifts (so adorable!) and everything for the wedding favors. My card got charged twice for those, though...ugh! :x I have to call and amend that one. Okay, nothing else to say. :)

Photos!

This first batch is from Beijing's famous Forbidden City.

The moat outside of the Forbidden City. So cool! You can see how hazy/polluted it is in Beijing with this photo. Yuck!

Us standing outside of the FC.

Inside of the Forbidden City. So you know, the Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace that served as a city for royalty beginning in the Ming Dynasty and lasting to the end of the Qing Dynasty. If anyone else entered besides those of royal blood, off with their head! :D

*We had our names hand engraved into little stamps. It's kind of touristy but super cool! If you want to be pen pals I'll sign my letter with my chinese name stamp.

Like I said, if you want to see more (and there are plenty), click on one of the photos! :)

The next set is from the Lama Temple, also in Beijing. It was built in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty and is the largest and best-preserved lamasery in Beijing.

Does David love me?!

This buddha (the Maitreya Buddha) is so rad! It's located in The Pavilion of Infinite Happiness and up until 10-15 years ago it was the biggest Buddha in the world at 26 meters tall (that's about 85 feet, folks)! Here's a photo with David in it to put the height into perspective.

Okay, I also want to include some photos from the Beijing Olympic area. There are only a few. It was actually really cool to see this modernly designed buildings. It was quite hazy the day we went, but what can you do? :)

This is the aquatic center, where Michael Phelps spent most of his time at the 2008 Summer Beijing Olympics. Rad!

This is me in front of the Bird's Nest. This is where the opening ceremony took place and other sports events.

Okay. And this last set of photos (for the blog) are of the Beijing hutongs. Hutong's are the name for Beijing's tiny alleys/streets and are part of what makes the city so unique. People live in these hutongs (and there is food, businesses etc. there, as well) and share a communal bathroom and whatnot. Very interesting place to wander and get a taste of "real Beijing." This hutong was located directly behind our hostel.

Mmk, that's all for now. The next update I'll post pictures from The Great Wall of China (so incredible!) and then after that photos from the DMZ. Until then, dearies.

Wendy City

Every day she writes words and more words

2009-09-01T07:09:00.002-04:00

Happy September! I was filled with anticipation and a little bit of shock as I turned the page on (all 4 of) my calendar(s) last night! Two questions: 1- Where did summer go? and 2- Seriously?

It feels so bizarre to see that bright pink circle taking up 3/4 of the space on September 21st. I made that circle months and months and months ago. Seems insane that I'm going to stare at it every day for the next 20 days. AND, I only have 11 more days of teaching left. That's 2 more times teaching each of my classes. I don't know what to do with myself!

Anyway, yesterday I paid a bajillion dollars worth of things for the wedding. At first I was jumping with joy that I finally paid off those "lasts," and then I got sick to my stomach thinking about what else David and I could have done with that money. And then I got really excited again because we're getting married and it's gonna be a big happy coming home party! I finished paying for the tent/chairs/linens/tables/etc. and I put in the last payment for the reception string trio. Then I set aside money for all that wine (winos!), food, hair and makeup.

Really, folks, I think I'm kind of starting to like this whole planning thing. So much so that I may plan a birthday bash or something similar in the future. I love coordinating all the details, thinking about the decorations and outfits. Wee! :)

So far we have about 100 RSVP's and we're waiting to hear back from 90 more people. I'm assuming that a good handful of those folks won't be able to make it because they're out of town or are busy or hate me (just kidding), but I'd be really content with a number in the 110-140 ballpark range. That would be a little under what we were expecting and that'll cut a few costs, too.

***For those who still haven't RSVP'd (the date was Aug. 31), don't worry. Just shoot me or David an email or something to let us know if you are/aren't coming! ^o^

Mmk - onto some photos. I am going to take a quick break from China photos (even though I have so many more to post), and show a few from a few weeks ago. I taught English summer camp and my sweet little kiddos were the cutest things ever. I shot a few class photos and then some while they were playing a "reading game." Enjoy!

I'm getting really poignant placing this series of photos. While I may not know every one of my student's names, each of their faces have made an impact on me. Excuse the weepy captions.

The boy on the left (yellow) said to me, "Oh, teacher, you go home soon?" and I said, "Yes, I go home in September." He got all somber and then said, "Oh teacher. I am very sad. very very."

The student in pink shorts once brought me gotgam, like prunes but made from apricots. I was too afraid to try them and too sentimental to throw them away. They got moldy. :(

The boy in the middle (glasses) is so hyperactive that he puts me into cardiac arrest twice a day. And he is obsessed with the hippo song (like most of my students) and is one of my most enthusiastic dancers.

The boy in the red shirt (back, right) is so bright. He reads non stop (I've even had to confiscate books during my class!!) and knows every answer to my questions. Once David and I ran into him at the grocery store. He said, "Hi teacher!" and I said, "Hello! How are you?" He said, "Not so good." After I asked why he said, "I am very tired." Aw.

The girl hiding her face in the back left goes by the name, "Lisa." She hates having her picture taken most of the time. One time she asked me about lesbians just to get a shock reaction.

The girl in the orange shirt, front, loves to hold my hand and the first time I met her she reached up and felt my face/nose/ears. I believe that was my second week here in Korea.

This class is something else. I suggest clicking on the photo to get a close look. I snapped this right after I said, "Act crazy!!"

Clearly, the boy in the blue, front, is a handful. He's a good student, though. The boy second from the left in the front is one of my favorites (I know I shouldn't have 'em). He lives near David and I and always says, "Hello Wendy teacher!!" One time I walked when the light was red and he told me I was very bad. He and I also coined the term, "Chicken in the kitchen," - a motto used to help them distinguish which was the food, which was the place since they sound so similar.

One more of that class:

There's my little Chicken in the Kitchen!

This lady is full of attitude! But always happy.

This class was ridiculously shy! But once class was over, a group of girls would always stay after and we would listen to K-pop (Korean pop) and they would sing and dance all around the classroom. Pure happiness! They would scuffle out the door and scream, "WENDY I LOVE YOU!"

See? Kids like me! :)

Cheers, city folk.
This is Wendy City saying adieu.