We’ve got a lot going on this week (what else is new?) so this is a mini-post to hold you over! This past weekend we attended the Wiggle Waggle Walk in Altamonte Springs to support the SPCA. It was a very casual walk around the lake at Crane’s Roost Park for hundreds of local pups.
Millie did a great job! We completed the walk and stayed to watch the costume contest (and got some good ideas for next year!). She was pretty much passed out the rest of the day, but we look forward to participating in more SPCA events in 2012!
I was super excited when I heard I would be attending the WorldMark by Wyndham Annual Owners Meeting in Bellevue, Wash. It’s a trade show and business meeting for WorldMark (one of the Wyndham Vacation Ownership clubs) that features representatives from all over the company – including the Destinations magazine team, a.k.a. me!
As I’ve never been to the West Coast (I’ve never made it past the Mississippi River before) I was pumped for the trip to Bellevue, which is just outside of Seattle. And I also crossed the first item off my 30 Before 30 list!
We arrived in Washington on Wednesday afternoon after changing planes in Phoenix and leaving Orlando at 7:30 a.m. After setting up for our Thursday meeting we headed to the city, and I was kind of surprised at how hilly it was!
My boss Merav and I found a parking spot downtown and headed out to explore Seattle. It’s a great walking city and we got really lucky with the weather – it wasn’t the rainy, dreary place I thought it would be, at least not while we were there!
You can’t go to Seattle without stopping by the fish market! We went to Pike Place Market and although we didn’t buy any fish – or see them throw any either – it was still an experience. All of the seafood in the city was awesome, I wish I could have brought some home!
We walked through the main market, although most of the stores were closing up when we got there around 5 p.m. on a Wednesday. The three-hour time change was definitely noticeable, making me sleepy pretty much the entire trip.
I was so excited to see the Space Needle – I felt just like I was in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy! I am not a fan of heights, but I braved 520 feet up to the observation deck in a see through elevator (I just didn’t look down).
We had dinner reservations at the Sky City restaurant at the top of the Space Needle, but we stopped off at the observation deck beforehand. My legs were a little shaky, both from the height and from the chilly weather, but the view was worth it!
The restaurant was fabulous! All of the tables are right along the windows, so every seat has a great view. The restaurant spins, making a full rotation every 47 minutes, so you are always seeing something different. And the food wasn’t bad either!
The reason I was in Washington – the Annual Owners Meeting – took up the day on Thursday. Merav and I had a booth where we asked owners to vote in our annual photo contest and shot some short videos about why owners love their timeshare so much!
It was a very short trip, but it doesn’t take much to fall in love with the Emerald City. Seattle is a big craft beer center, so of course Brandon had me keep track of all the local brews I tried. Hopefully we will be able to make it out there together sometime soon for the Tacoma Craft Beer Festival.
Book Report: “Don’t Breathe a Word” by Jennifer McMahon
When my friend Jamie first told me about “Twilight,” I was a little skeptical. A vampire love story? I didn’t think I could get into that. Well, I felt the same way when a member of my book club offered up this novel as the next read for the group.
She said it was a story about fairies. And while it is about fairies, it is so much more. I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. It’s not the fantasy fiction book that you’d expect – it is complex, suspenseful and even a little bit spooky.
It’s more about the idea of fairies than an actual fairy tale and it is a bit scary. I actually had to be sure to read it with the lights on and watch a little TV before I went to bed so as not to keep myself up all night worrying over it!
I definitely recommend this book – it’s the perfect read leading up to the spooky Halloween season!
This week I have something a little fun – an adult alphabet to help you get to know me … and if you play along, something to help me get to know you, too!
We all know our ABCs but this little survey is a way to really get you thinking about some of your favorite things and quirky characteristics. Some of the letters took me longer than others, but in the end I’m happy with my answers!
I encourage you all to give it a try and fill it out, even if you don’t feel like sharing. I promise, it’s fun!
Ambition:To leave a legacy
Bad Habit:Procrastination
City: Orlando
Drink: Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager
Education:Bachelor’s degree in journalism
Food: Bread
Guilty Pleasure: A good book
Hometown: Mount Prospect, Ill. (and Orlando, I guess)
Ice Cream:Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food
Jonesing for: Chocolate (dark, yum!)
Kryptonite: Puppies! Especially MY puppy
Look-a-like: Vanessa Lengies from “American Dreams” and “Waiting”
Movie:“Pretty in Pink”
Nickname:Anna Banana
Obsession:Owls
Perfume: Can’t go wrong with a classic like Chanel No. 5
Quirk: When I eat M&Ms I like to line them up by color and eat them in order
Regret:Not trying to get more scholarships so I wasn’t paying off student loans until 2030
Starbucks: When I was in school they had a bananas and crème Frappuccino, I got one every single day!
Thrift Find of the Year: Dress pants from Sears
University:University of South Florida (but of course, I also root for Clemson)
Vacation: Anywhere Wyndham has a timeshare resort 😉
Wine: White Zinfandel
X: XL 106.7, I’ve been listening to it for years!
Years: 27 and change
Zen: Being on the beach
Now it’s your turn. I want to know what your adult alphabet looks like!
Blog Report: A Toast (WhitTheHeck.blogspot.com)
I first found this alphabet activity on the blog A Toast. I am absolutely in love with the concept of this blog, it’s basically a toast to whatever the blogger, Whitney Heckathorne, wants to talk about.
She covers everything from “The Bachelor” recaps to travel tips and of course all things owls – did I mention Whitney is the national director of communications for Chi Omega? 😉 I love checking back in to see what Whit is up to.
She is also a great resource for finding new, interesting blogs that cover several feel-good, girly topics. If you’re into blogging or simply reading blogs this one is not to be missed!
I wanted to send a quick mid-week post (in an effort to make up for missing a few postings here and there the past couple of months) and hopefully it will help get you through the rest of your week!
I went searching on Brandon’s phone for a picture he took a while ago and I found a couple of super cute Millie videos that I just had to share!
This first one warms my heart … Brandon took it when we brought Millie home.
I didn’t even know about this video, apparently Brandon used to slide Millie across our wood floors!
After she tore apart her soft, squeaky toys we bought Millie her first bone – which confused her.
It’s the funniest thing when Millie hears a new sound and turns her head trying to figure out what it is.
2011 Wiggle Waggle Walk
Speaking of Millie … she will be participating in this year’s Wiggle Waggle Walk, a fabulous fundraiser benefiting the SPCA of Central Florida. She has set a fundraising goal of $100 to help support, and eventually, find permanent homes for the homeless animals.
The walk takes place on Oct. 22 at Crane’s Roost Park in Uptown Altamonte – come out and support Millie (she will be wearing a Halloween costume!) and help make a difference in the lives of animals right here in Central Florida.
Visit Millie’s fundraising page today to make a pledge (and be sure to read her special message). Everyone who donates at least $5 will get a 2012 poster calendar featuring Millie herself! And the best thing about this event is that due to all of the generous sponsors, ALL pledges will directly benefit the animals in our community.
We hope to see you in Uptown Altamonte later this month!
I realize I’ve been seriously slacking on my blog posts, but rest assured annatomy readers – I am back on schedule and already have my next several posts ready for publication (and maybe even a couple of special mid-week treats)!
It’s been about five years since Brandon and I went to a game in Clemson, so we started talking to our friends in the spring about planning a trip up there. We ended up recruiting seven other people to join us at the Clemson/Florida State game on Sept. 24 in South Carolina: Benli (Ben and Alli Stout), Lina, Lina’s sorority big sister Emily, our buddy Curtis, Brandon’s cousin Troy and Troy’s fiance Sarah.
After a relatively painless seven and a half hour drive (we left at 5 a.m. and pulled up to the hotel at 12:30) we headed out to lunch at Loose Change and even had a little extra time for some shopping – notice Brandon’s new shirt, hat, croakies and koozie.
At night we made our first trip to Triple Ts (Tiger Town Tavern). We got there early to save a table with a good view of the TVs and the UCF game for Benli and Curtis. Alli, me, Lina and Emily hogged the booth most of the night while the boys kept the drinks coming.
One of my favorite things about Clemson is the school spirit that runs throughout the entire town. Every so often Triple Ts would play Clemson’s “Tiger Rag” and the entire bar would join in. Brandon liked to take it as an opportunity for some friendly family taunting.
The next day we got a great tailgating spot and spent the morning and early afternoon shopping, drinking, killing it in cornhole and playing drinking games. Emily, Lina and I put on our Chi O pins and threw up a couple of Xs and horseshoes!
Brandon and I – the cornhole champs for the day (my back is still hurting from carrying our team) – both got new game-day outfits for our trip and ended up leaving with a whole slew of other Clemson souvenirs while we were in town.
While we were walking to the stadium from our tailgate spot we passed a friendly tiger who was willing to take a picture with us. This was right around the time that my new purple sandals started killing my poor little feet.
We had awesome seats (thank you, Curtis!) that were technically in the visitors’ section but we didn’t care and there were plenty of tiger fans around to cheer along with us. And I love how you get a good view of my orange paw print in this shot!
After the game – and a Clemson WIN – they brought down the goalposts and all the fans rushed the field. It was a really great game and a great weekend overall, we will definitely be back before another five years go by!
I found this highlight video online. Of course it’s not as good as being there in person, but watching it brought back a lot of the excitement that was in the stadium during the game. Enjoy!
Of course we couldn’t leave Clemson without bringing something home to our little Millie. She now has a new scarf to wear on game days – it’s a little big (they didn’t have her size) but she looks good in orange and purple!
We had an absolute blast and can’t wait to take another trip up there for a game. It’s been a week since we got back and I haven’t been able to get “Tiger Rag” out of my head, I guess that’s just the price you have to pay for a “Clemson good time”!
Book Report: “South of Broad” by Pat Conroy
I picked a novel set in South Carolina for my report this week – it seemed appropriate – although it takes place in Charleston rather than the western side of the state. This was a Chi Omega Book Club pick and although it started off a little slow I ended up really liking this book.
I have a bad habit of looking up reviews on books before I read them and then forming a preconceived opinion. I did that with “South of Broad” but was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.
The story had a ton of twists and was full of suspenseful surprises. It’s about a young man, his mix-n-match group of friends and how their Southern upbringing shapes their lives and friendships.
Pat Conroy is the same author that wrote “The Prince of Tides” and “The Great Santini.” Most of his books are set in South Carolina where he grew up and currently resides. I’m thinking of trying out some of his other novels because I really liked this one!
anna•tomy 