Friday, December 23, 2011

Give Toms

Good Life



OneRepublic has re-created their hit music video "Good Life" and it's a performance you won't want to miss. The artists are making memories around some of your favorite Disney attractions at Walt Disney World Resort and they're joined by several familiar faces, including Donald Duck on drums. Read more at the Disney Parks Blog: http://bit.ly/skuav4

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Germs on Planes

Where Germs Lurk on Planes

It's a common complaint: Fly on a crowded plane and come home with a cold. What's in the air up there?

Air travelers suffer higher rates of disease infection, research has shown. One study pegged the increased risk for catching a cold as high as 20%. And the holidays are a particularly infectious time of year, with planes packed full of families with all their presents—and all those germs.

Also, viruses and bacteria can live for hours on some surfaces—some viral particles have been found to be active up to a day in certain places. Tray tables can be contaminated, and seat-back pockets, which get stuffed with used tissues, soiled napkins and trash, can be particularly skuzzy. It's also difficult to know what germs are lurking in an airline's pillows and blankets.

Hydrate. Drinking water and keeping nasal passages moist with a saline spray can reduce your risk of infection.

Clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. We often infect ourselves, touching mouth, nose or eyes with our own hands that have picked up something.

Use a disinfecting wipe to clean off tray tables before using.

Avoid seat-back pockets.

Open your air vent, and aim it so it passes just in front of your face. Filtered airplane air can help direct airborne contagions away from you.

Change seats if you end up near a cougher, sneezer or someone who looks feverish. That may not be possible on very full flights, but worth a try. One sneeze can produce up to 30,000 droplets that can be propelled as far as six feet.

Raise concerns with the crew if air circulation is shut off for an extended period.

Avoid airline pillows and blankets (if you find them).


The rest of the article here.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Prep & Landing

I think I know what Ryan and I will be watching tonight :) Check out what just arrived in my inbox!!


Enjoy the New Holiday Special Again and Again
The Christmas elves are back and they're teaming up with Noel, the foremost Naughty Kid Field Expert, in a race to recover classified North Pole technology from a computer-hacking Naughty Kid!
Watch the full special and more new videos online!

Secret Santas

Secret Santas give out $12,000 in $100 bills

If you had $12,000 sitting in the bank, what would you do?

You might pay down the mortgage, buy a car, maybe leave the money to collect some measly interest.

Well, how about withdrawing it in crisp $100 bills, heading to the streets and handing out every last cent to strangers? That’s exactly what a married couple did Monday, for the fourth year running. They took out all that cash — remember, $12,000! — and went around Lincoln Park and Detroit, wearing red Christmas elf hats, and gave the money to people they did not know.

No strings attached.

“I get such joy out of this,” said the woman, who, like her husband, allowed the Free Press to ride along in exchange for not naming them. “What I get for my 12 grand every year is the best day of my life.”


The rest of the article here (and YOU SHOULD READ IT!).

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Ry's Motorcycle

So a few weeks ago Ryan bought his motorcycle. I haven't posted much about it because we haven't had it at our place much. It was off getting checked out and fixed up, then we were waiting on the registration and title. Now everything is at least at the house, so Ry went out for a couple rides this weekend. It is a 1971 Honda CB 450. There is some work Ryan wants to do on it, but it is ridable and he likes it (which, I am told, is all that matters). We shot a couple pictures of it tonight by the garage (maybe I'll get some action shots after the holidays).






Friday, December 16, 2011

Postcard

Just in case you haven't gotten our Christmas Postcard, here is a snapshot of it


[Ryan made it for us, but he says I was the art director :) I LOVE the reindeers and Santa. PS Yes, Ryan is wearing a Detroit shirt because it is the only red one he has :) ]

little hurricane video

Little Hurricane (Baby It's Cold Outside) - Wilcox Sessions



We thought we needed to indoctrinate little Shiv to Christmas, so we decided to get a tree. And if we were getting a tree we should probably shoot it. When Little Hurricane posted a free download of their take on pop standard 'Baby It's Cold Outside', we had to do a Christmas special. There were cookies and a ham, and the highlight of the day was CC giving Adi his first ornament.

Happy holidays!

Dick and Beaver

Christmas @ Dland

Although Ryan and I are 'ballers' (HAHAHA) we don't have the Deluxe Disney Pass. That means there are some dates that are blocked out to us (cutting down on the price - but if we wanted to go during those days we would get a discounted price, but still have to buy a ticket on top of the pass). Most of the days that are blocked out are Saturdays (they would rather get money from guests rather than letting is pass-holders in and filling up the park). The other times of the year that are blacked out are around the holidays. This past Sunday was going to be the last day we could go up to Disney before our passes get blacked out till after the first of the year. We HAD to make the trip to see the park all decked out for Christmas. We didn't stay for the fireworks (since we had to work the next morning), but were able to catch most of the characters in their holiday attire and see the BIG Christmas tree lighting (not to mention go on two rides that we haven't done before). Below are a few of the pictures:








PS I think this might be the BEST picture of Ryan caught on a ride camera :)



The rest of the pictures can be found here.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Last Walt Pic @ DLand

On this day 45 years ago, the world mourned the loss of Walt Disney. We look back on the last photo of Walt at Disneyland park and how the image continues to live on at the Disneyland Resort.

The Last Photo of Walt Disney at Disneyland Park

On this day 45 years ago, the world mourned the loss of one of the 20th Century’s greatest visionaries and most beloved figures, Walt Disney. Just a couple months earlier, in the fall of 1966, Walt had publicity photos taken at Disneyland park. Joined by Mickey Mouse at Sleeping Beauty Castle in the Disneyland Fire Department “Engine No. 1,” Walt was photographed by my former colleague, Disneyland Chief Photographer, Renie Bardeau, who retired in 1998. That day, Renie took what would be the final photographs of Walt Disney at Disneyland park.

Prior to his retirement, Renie told the Los Angeles Times, “There is a little story of when I was shooting that particular picture. It was shot on a Rolleiflex, and there are 12 pictures on a roll. I had shot 11 pictures of Walt at different angles… watching for his smile, watching to make sure Mickey was looking the right way, making sure the (castle) spires weren’t hanging out of Mickey’s ears. Anyway, I had shot 11 pictures, and I had said, ‘Thank you, Walt, that’s it.’ He asked me if I was sure, and I told him I was. He then told me that at the Studio we treat film like paper clips. You shoot, shoot, shoot all the film you need because if it’s not in the can, you will never have it. So he asked me to shoot one more. So, I shot one more and he said, ‘That’s fine, thank you, Renie,’ and he walked away.”



Over time, the photo has become an iconic image of Walt, but few people know that it was the last time we saw him at his beloved Disneyland.


The rest of the article here.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Shoelace = MVP

Robinson Voted Team MVP for Second Straight Season

The University of Michigan Club of Greater Detroit held the 91st annual football bust Monday evening (Dec. 12) at the Laurel Manor in Livonia where the 2011 team awards were announced and the senior football student-athletes received their coveted 'M' rings. Junior quarterback Denard Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach HS) was voted as the BO SCHEMBECHLER MOST VALUABLE PLAYER for the second consecutive year and was one of seven players to receive individual recognition.

Robinson helped lead the Wolverines to a 10-2 mark and a 6-2 record in the Big Ten Conference. He completed 133-of-237 passes for 2,056 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing 208 times for a team-leading 1,163 yards and 16 touchdowns. Overall, his 34 touchdowns on the season marked a career best. Robinson now ranks eighth in U-M annals with 4,814 passing yards and eighth with 3,216 rushing yards. His 38 passing touchdowns rank sixth and his 35 rushing touchdowns rank fifth. Robinson was also named to the All-Big Ten second team by the media.


The rest of the article here.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

6 Signs of Fibro

6 Strange Signs of Fibromyalgia

Sensitivity to touch, feeling disoriented – these and other mysterious symptoms are often related to fibromyalgia.

If you have fibromyalgia, you're undoubtedly familiar with the chronic pain and fatigue that often accompany this disorder — which affects about 5 million Americans, primarily women.

But feelings of pain and exhaustion aren't the only symptoms of fibromyalgia. Other signs that aren’t necessarily visible to others can affect you and make the condition even harder for those around you to understand.

Here are some of the lesser-known signs of fibromyalgia that you may experience:

Allodynia. You might not give a second thought to rubbing a loved one’s shoulders or patting a friend on the back. But for someone with allodynia, being the recipient of these simple gestures can result in excruciating pain. Allodynia is a heightened sensitivity to touch, which results in pain from things that normally would not cause discomfort.

Sensitivity to fragrance. This fibromyalgia symptom is almost directly tied to allodynia and occurs for many of the same reasons. “Increased light, sound, and smell sensitivity are all common,” says Teitelbaum. “We have an enormous amount of sensory input coming in, and it takes energy to sort through all of this to separate the noise from the static. Fibromyalgia predominantly represents an energy crisis, and as the body has trouble sorting through the signal from the noise, it reflects as increased sensitivities.” In addition to whole-body approaches to treating fibromyalgia, Teitelbaum says the anti-seizure medication gabapentin (Neurontin) can often help decrease these sensitivities.

“Fibro fog.” Also called “brain fog,” this is a very serious fibromyalgia symptom that leaves many people in distress. “Brain fog or fibro fog is a classic component of the energy crisis we call fibromyalgia,” says Teitelbaum. Some of the common signs of fibro fog include a difficulty with word finding or substitution, loss of short-term memory, and occasionally even episodic disorientation that lasts for about 30 to 60 seconds. "With this disease, calling one’s husband by another man's name is not a Freudian slip," Teitelbaum notes. He explains that there is no single cause for fibro fog; rather, it can be caused by a combination of many factors including low thyroid levels, poor sleep, hidden infections such as Candida, and alterations in blood flow to the temporal lobes of the brain, which regulate speech.


The rest of the article here.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Santa

Today it was time for our annual PHOTO with Santa!! We hit up the mall this afternoon before it was too crazy.



Santa really liked both of our shirts :) What do you think about them??




Clif Mojo Bars

Ryan LOVES the Clif Mojo Bars. He will normally take a bar of some sort with him to work every day along with his lunch (like a Clif Bar, Powerbar, etc). When the Mojo ones are on sale I make sure to stock up. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are more of a trail mix bar, rather than a protein-packed-mix that is formed into a bar shape (I know, don't get me wrong, I love all of the bars, but when I was thinking about how to explain the traditional ones I sort of realized what they are).

Sometimes we get a craving for something sweet...and salty. That’s why we make CLIF Mojo™. It’s all about different flavors and textures to satisfy your sweet (and salty) tooth. Add in some crunchy nuts and you get a delicious snack your body will dig. It’s chock full of whole nuts, pretzel pieces and other tasty morsels. Crunchy & chewy, with a sweet & salty taste, it’s a perfect snack. And since it’s made with 70% organic ingredients, it’s good for the planet too.


Anyway, the last time they were on sale I picked up a new flavor (new to our grocery store, but I think it has been one of their normal flavors for a while) - Chocolate Almost Coconut. I took one of them to work yesterday [I only work a half day on Friday, so Ry and I will normally do an early dinner Friday afternoon/ evening, so we don't eat our normal lunches] and FELL IN LOVE!! They are scrum-didily-umptious! If you can find them in a grocery store near you, I highly suggest picking one up. It reminds me of an Almond Joy (but some what better for you, hehe). YUM!

Dream your way to the islands with this salty sweet mix of toasted coconut, chunks of chocolate, and whole roasted almonds.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Do Good Anyway

"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow, do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough, give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
— Mother Teresa

1992

Ridiculous 1992 Class Pictures :)

Kyle in Kindergarden



Me in 2nd Grade


Christmas Party

Last night was Ryan's work Christmas Party. That means one of the only times during the year that we actually dress up :) So OF COURSE we have to snap a few pictures to capture the moment ('cause it may be another year before Ry wears a tie and I wear a dress). I think we took about 20, but these three were probably the only ones worth showing (and two of them look almost the same).





PS Thanks Madre & Padre for the box of gifts that arrived today! It made our tree look much more festive :)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Mitten State

Okay, I caw a couple of these pictures yesterday and they really made me chuckle. First I will post the pictures and then the article :)






Wisconsin's use of mitten to promote winter tourism a real stretch, Michigan fans say

"Wisconsin thinks its state is a mitten. And they're using it in their state tourism campaign. #FAIL http://t.co/L8fLbKsH #mittenlove"

That tweet sums it up for Alex Beaton, founder and director of business development and marketing for Awesome Mitten, a website launched in June that promotes all good things about Michigan.

Michigan, not Wisconsin.

A few hours ago Beaton tweeted, and posted, her dismay at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's new mitten image, vaguely shaped like a map of the state, used in its winter promotional materials. Beaton said she spotted the misshapen mitten at www.travelwisconsin.com, the state of Wisconsin's tourism site.

"Oh my gosh, it's hilarious," Beaton said of the rapid response to her post — 16 comments and five shares, in less than an hour.

"People are outraged."

Lisa Marshall, communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, said the state's advertising agency came up with concept. The image, of a knit mitten stretched to the west to look more like the state of Wisconsin, went into use on its website Dec. 1.

It follows a similar campaign used in the fall, which featured an image of a colorful leaf shaped rather like the state, she said.
She said people in Wisconsin believe their state is shaped like a mitten, with Door County the thumb, and that people in Wisconsin use their hands to point out locations in the state just as folks in Michigan do.


The rest of this article here.

Frost Alert

Brrrrr.... It's been cold in these parts the last few days... Yesterday morning we woke up to 28* weather. I was checking out Weather.com this morning and it has FROST advisories for this morning and tomorrow morning... [PS I don't think it would be soooo bad if I could talk myself into turning on the heat, but since I can't do that, 28* outside means fairly chilly inside] [PPS (or is it PSS) I think my Michigan blood has failed me....]

Frost Advisory for San Diego County Coastal Areas, CA

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A FROST ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM PST FRIDAY. A FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PST THIS MORNING.

* TEMPERATURE: TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 20S TO MID 30S THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING AND AGAIN FOR SEVERAL HOURS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

* LOCATIONS: PRIMARILY IN WIND SHELTERED LOCATIONS AND LOW LYING AREAS.

* IMPACTS OF FROST: SENSITIVE PLANTS MAY BE DAMAGED OR KILLED.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Grama Rama

My grandma is in the hospital right now. They are trying to rule out what it isn't, to figure out what it is. My mom went over there on Saturday to run her around for her errands (like she normally does) and the door was locked. She went around the house and couldn't get a response. My dad was out of town, so she called her brother. He suggested that she call the EMT. The EMT and Fire Rescue had to jimmy the door open and they found her curled up on the floor in the bathroom. She had left her Life Alert on the bed post, so couldn't push it for help when she was in trouble. They believe that she had a minor heart attack, but want to rule out everything else as well (such as a stroke, lung blood clot, accidental overmedication, etc). My mom and dad have been at the hospital with her since it happened on Saturday (going home for sleep and a little break here and there). My mom brought her computer with her to the hospital today to show grandma some of the family photos and such on Facebook. Apparently she loved them all and was having a great day. My aunt posted a 'Christmas' shot of us grandkids from 1986.



The girl sporting the kitty sweater is my cousin Jennifer (who now has 2 daughters of her own). The boy on grandma's lap next to Jennifer is my cousin, now 25 years old, Casey. Next to Casey is my brother Kyle, who is about 3 weeks younger and of course I AM on grandma's other elbow. This was Christmas 1986.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Sing Off

I was cheering for Pentatonix from the get-go (Urban Method was my second place pick)! I am happy that they won! Can't wait to hear their CD once it is released.

Just in case some of you don't watch the show, it is an ALL-VOICE show (no instruments, just singing, beat-boxing, etc). Pentatonix was the smallest group (only 5 members), but I swear they had one of the biggest sounds. Not to mention they were some of the youngest contestants (the 3 singers are only 19).

Here are a few of my favorite performances.

" Dog Days Are Over "



" Let's Get It On "



" Video Killed The Radio Star "

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Christmas Tree

We put up our tree a couple weekends ago (since we were going to be out of town for the week of Thanksgiving we wanted to get it up the weekend before that one). This past week the bottom strand of lights burnt out. We went and got a new strand last night and rewrapped the tree. I am going to try and get a few good pictures of our decorations this weekend, but I took a couple with Ryan's iPhone (Hipstamatic App).





Thursday, December 1, 2011

12 Days of Mayhem

Big 10 Coach



Yesterday Coach Hoke was named Big Ten Coach of the Year...

Today, he is already looking ahead...

"The most disappointing thing for all of us is we didn't win the Big Ten championship. At Michigan, that's an expectation. We've got a lot of work to do."

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Hoke = Coach of the Year

Hoke Voted Big Ten Coach of the Year by Media and Coaches

The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday (Nov. 30) that University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke was chosen as the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, as selected by conference coaches, and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year, as picked by the media.

Hoke is the sixth first-year coach to earn the McClain Coach of the Year award, which dates back to 1972 and is named for the former Wisconsin coach. This is the inaugural awarding of the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year honor, which pays tribute to Ohio State's Woody Hayes and Michigan's Bo Schembechler.

Hoke led the Maize and Blue to a 10-2 overall record, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play. He is the second Michigan coach to win at least 10 games in his first season at the helm, joining Fielding Yost, who won 11 games in 1901. Hoke also became the fifth Big Ten coach to win at least 10 games in his first season as head coach, joining Wisconsin's Bret Bielema (12-1, 2006), Ohio State's Earle Bruce (11-1, 1979), Yost (11-0, 1901) and Minnesota's Henry Williams (10-0-2, 1900).


The rest of the article here.

Promised Land Trailer

Promised Land trailer from WalkingOnWater on Vimeo.



Israel is a country that is loved, hated, and often misunderstood by much of the world. Who really belongs there? Why is Jerusalem so important? Why do some believe in a messiah who will put things right?
Amidst this seemingly endless battle over land and religion, surfing has emerged as an escape from the controversy.
Promised Land is a unique look at this ancient place through the lives of two friends from different faiths, brought together by their love of the oceans that separate them.


Walking On Water Films proudly announces the release of our new movie titled Promised Land. Here is the latest trailer for you to see. The world premiere will be in Israel on January 2nd and the world tour will begin in California also in January of 2012! See you at a premiere coming to a theater near you! If you would like to host a screening please email: info@walkingonwater.com

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family



Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.

The fight to to keep marriage equality in Iowa continues, help us support Iowans like Zach.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Little Hurricane

little hurricane: ""In case you missed it. Here's a free download of our take on "baby, it's cold outside"""










Let's Go Blue!

2011 Michigan Wolverines Beat Ohio State Buckeyes



Mike Martin and his fellow Michigan Wolverines beat Ohio in the Big House to finish their first season under Coach Brady Hoke with a record of 10-2.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Carseat Canopy

Merry Christmas! Promo Code for a Free Car Seat Canopy!



It's as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Go to CarSeatCanopy.com.
2. Click on "Shop Now" and select any Car Seat Canopy or Whole Caboodle Set that you like. The Whole Caboodle Set includes the same Car Seat Canopy as well as a matching Minky Car Seat Slip Cover, Minky Head Support Pillow, Replacement Umbrella with Minky Lining and a Baby Lap Blanket with Minky Underside. This promotion brings the price on any "Whole Caboodle Set" regularly priced at $135 to only $29.95!
3. Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code " CHRISTMAS and it will bring your product total on a Car Seat Canopy to $0 and $29.95 on any Whole Caboodle Set!

Remember: the promo code is " CHRISTMAS " and you can order as many times as you want - just open a new browser window each time you do.

At $29.95 for The Whole Caboodle, you're getting the best baby shower gift you will ever give or receive! Feel free to pass this promotion on to your friends!

Deer Giveaway :)

AWESOME GIVEAWAY FROM KELLI MURRAY! CHECK IT OUT HERE!!

And in the “spirit of giving”…..a GIVEAWAY! So this little print is not even available on my ETSY shop yet, but it will be very soon. Whoever win’s this will have the very first one. I am in the process of making several more paper prints available in my SHOP, so stay tuned for that! I am kind of excited about having more options for people to choose from! This one is fittingly titled “Hello Dear”. It is a 12″X12″ print of one of my original works painted on wood, and it could be yours. This giveaway will last through Thursday, Dec. 1st.



Thanks everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Play 60 Lions



[Love that Barry is driving the bus!]

This Is Michigan

Sunday, November 27, 2011

OTB Christmas

OTB Christmas from outsidethebowl on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving Carp

When we are down in Destin, we do a lot of fishing. Normally we just catch little Blue Gills or possibly turtles (we just fish off the dock that is in the backyard). Thanksgiving morning my dad caught a HUGE carp! It was big enough for us to have a Thanksgiving Feast from (if we would have kept him, but we merely Catch and Release). I think it took about 20 minutes to get him 'in the boat'. We guesstimate it was about 36 inches (measuring the recycle bin Ryan helped scoop him up in).





The video is funny because I didn't realize I was still taking video of the catch (I thought I had turned it off... as you can see, Ryan normally handles the 'nice' camera :) ).