The Adventures of ME

Keys

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:30:00 GMT

I love keys...

Because a key, almost always, means freedom.

Ciao for now,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Local Art

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:31:00 GMT

We're going to a show tonight of local artists, including our sculptor friend Annie. She made this yoga girl for me for my birthday and I really love it. We're excited to see her new stuff and the treasures the artists of Avignon have in store for us. Don't worry, we will take plenty of photos to share with you guys!!

Support local art.

Without support, the artists stop creating things to inspire us...

Ciao for now,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

le Vin

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Check out our new photo album, le Vin, on Facebook.

We will make additions to that folder periodically, since wine is such a big part of our life here.

In the meantime, ENJOY!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.429729163707471.111951.202046406475749&type=1

Ciao for now,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Adventure ME

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:20:00 GMT

Hi guys! We are in the process of moving all of our photo albums over to Facebook, so they are easier to access. Our FB page continues to grow in popularity, so this just makes sense. Although, the move will take some time and will happen slowly. In the meantime, we will upload all NEW photo albums directly to our Facebook page. Pretty smart, eh?

So, with that being said, I come to the point of this post! Head over to our FB page and check out the new album entitled Courthezon. The photo above is to whet your appetite -- it's the City Hall in the beautiful village. It also happens to be VERY close to where we live.

facebook.com/adventureme

and follow us on Twitter

twitter.com/adventuremenow

Ciao for now,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Duckets

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:49:54 GMT

I've been thinking about a charitable experiment for some time. As many of you know, I spend a large chunk of time doing charity work. I support things I believe in and help however I can. It just feels good...

What I am thinking about now is more personal. Weeks ago, I jokingly tweeted that we could seriously impact someone's life if we all gave a $5 donation to one person in need. To my surprise, I received many private messages from people saying they would be thrilled to participate.

The tweet was inspired by people I know online -- A single mom who struggles to make ends meet and a young student working towards an advanced degree in a foreign country. Basically, good people who need help with the bumps in the road.

So, my question is: How many of you would be interested in participating?

$5 bucks, to positively affect the life of a stranger...

For more info, please email me@adventureme.com or leave a comment here.

Thank you for your support, as always...

Ciao for now,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Feng Shui

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:19:43 GMT

Feng Shui, which literally translates to "wind and water" is the ancient Chinese art of placement. The goal is to enhance the flow of Chi (also Qi, which is life force or spiritual energy), and to create harmonious environments that support health, beakon wealth and invite happiness. At it's most basic level, feng shui (pronounced fung shway) is a decorating discipline based on the belief that our surroundings affect us.

With our pending move, we are reading about feng shui in order to maximize the harmonious energy in our new space. It really is fascinating to read about and we are looking forward to trying at least the basic principles.

For more information or to make tweaks to your space, check out this great article from HG:

http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/feng-shui-your-bedroom/index.html

Happy placement!

Ciao for now, E

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Envirosax

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:03:48 GMT

Envirosax is my latest and FAVORITE new find, so I had to share it with you guys!

These are fantastic, eco-friendly reusable bags that are literally PERFECT!

They fold up to be tiny - smaller than my iPod - and are fully washable.

They come in great patterns, fresh colors and promise to never fade.

And the best part -- they hold up to 44lbs of stuff!

Check out the site to see for yourself -- envirosax.com

Happy shopping, peeps!

Ciao for now,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Personal Update

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Greetings to all our lovely Adventure Me friends! It's been awhile since we posted and we'd like to explain why... at least a little bit.

Personally, we have been going through a difficult time with unkind people. It's been very hurtful to our spirits and made us want to communicate less. But, now, that is over... We know that communicating more is in our best interest. In an effort to explain our absence and make some sense of how we are going forward, here is the long & short of it:

Some people are mean, no matter how kind you are.

Some people revel in misery and seek to stamp out joy.

Unfortunately, we had to accept a great deal of bad behavior before coming to the following conclusion:

THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT WORTH OUR TIME.

And so, with that in mind, we close the door on the dark times and the situations we cannot control or fix. We move forward into the sun. In the sun is where we belong. Where we thrive. Where we choose to live. We won't trade that for anyone or anything. It's ours and we are grateful for it.

Going forward, you can expect many more posts from us, full of sunshine and happiness. We have so many wonderful things to share with you and we are sincerely looking forward to doing just that.

Thank you for your patience and for your support these past months. We are always amazed by the kindness shown to us by our FB and Twitter friends, as well as our loyal blog subscribers.

We are starting fresh now, but with a deep and sincere appreciation for all of you. Thank you.

Now, let's go have some fun!!

Xoxo,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Banana Bread

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:59:18 GMT

With Christmas fast approaching, and the holiday season in full swing, we are spending more time baking. This is a wonderful recipe for Banana Bread (which we are making this week!) but can also be made as muffins.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
4 -5 bananas (use completely black bananas, this is very important)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease or spray 2 loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a masher or by hand.
3. Dissolve soda in buttermilk-- use a larger container as it will foam up quite a bit.
4. Mix all ingredients by hand and add in 1 cup chopped nuts.
TIP: rolling nuts in flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out ALMOST clean. (Totally clean will mean a dryer loaf.)
6. Let cool 15 minutes after removing from oven and remove from pans.
7. Or let cool, cover with foil, slide into freezer bags to freeze -- Great when using tin foil pans.

We would be thrilled if you shared your favorite recipes and/or cooking ideas with us!
Email us : me@adventureme.com

HAPPY BAKING!!

Ciao for now... E

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

WFP Wednesday

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:31:41 GMT

Since the start of the recent drought in the Horn of Africa, I’ve met countless families in Ethiopia struggling to grow the food they need.

So when an opportunity like this comes along, I’m quick to share it far and wide.

If you complete this short online quiz, our generous partners Monsanto Company and Monsanto Fund will feed a hungry child in the Horn of Africa:

http://quiz.wfp.org/wfpusa/HoA

Then share it with your networks to ensure another child is fed!

If you take the quiz and tell three friends and each of your friends tell three friends, imagine how many children in the Horn of Africa we could feed together!

Test your knowledge, engage others, and transform the lives of hungry children – all in just a few minutes.

Will you test your Horn of Africa IQ and then challenge your friends?

Thanks for getting involved,

Judith

Judith Schuler
Communications Officer, Ethiopia
World Food Program

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Simple & Delicious Gyoza

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:57:01 GMT

This simple but delicious recipe for Gyoza comes to us, courtesy of the wonderful Paxochka.

It's a wonderful change from our typical holiday meals -- Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

Chicken mince

Finely diced water chestnuts
Thinly sliced shallots*
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
I add finely sliced pickled ginger.

Smoosh it all together. ( Yes, smoosh is a technical term.)

You need Gow gee wrappers now. Chinese supermarkets will have them. Regular supermarkets may also have them. You probably should buy them before starting to make this...

Directions:

Place wrappers flat on board/bench.

Place spoonful of mixture in centre.
Wet finger with water and run it over one side edge of the wrapper.
Fold gow gee wrapper in half like semi circle.
Press edges together.
Pleat edges, as pictured above.
Stand gyoza flat on its butt.
Steam over boiling water.
Heat more sesame oil in a pan.
When gyoza are translucent remove from steamer and sear base in hot sesame oil.

You can serve with a simple soy sauce, garnished with scallions.

For more kick, try this sauce:

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
Whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, green onions, and sesame oil in a bowl; allow to sit 15 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Social Networking

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:50:00 GMT

Please connect with us on your favorite social networking sites --

On Twitter : https://twitter.com/#!/AdventureMeNow

On Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adventure-ME/202046406475749

And on our new, special fundraising site with the World Food Programme : http://wefeedback.org/supporters/adventureme-adventureme

We look forward to seeing you on the web and thank you for all your support!

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

ME loves you!

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:24:22 GMT

So much big news going on with ME right now!!

We are so excited and happy about our new baby niece, Presley, so we are making these cool butterflies to send to her. They will be a cool addition to her nursery and a special little token of love from ME.

We are also looking forward to the arrival of my mom in a couple of days. This is her first visit here, to Provence, so we intend to make it a special one. Yeah, momma!!

But most of all, at least for today, we want to wish a super happy birthday to my best friends. They share a day - how cool is that? They are also 2 people I am deeply grateful to have in my life. They always have my back and I love them dearly.

You guys are REAL friends in a sea of imitators. More than friends, actually. You are family...

Happy Birthday, wonderful brothers!

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

A real genius.

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:19:42 GMT

iCan't imagine our modern life without your ideas.

Thank you for all you did.

RIP Steve Jobs...

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Congratulations

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:21:00 GMT

Congratulations to wonderful friends on the arrival of their beautiful baby girl, Presley Kate!!!

She is literally the most beautiful baby in the world and instantly won our hearts. How could anyone not be in love with gorgeous Baby B? It would be impossible...

We sent some gifts for her as soon as we knew she was coming. One of the things we sent was the teeny, tiniest onesie. At the time, I was convinced it would be too small, but the sales lady laughingly reassured me. Seeing that beautiful angel wearing that tiny outfit was amazing - thank you for the pictures.

I love you, Heather & Ryan. You are going to make wonderful parents, just as you have always made wonderful friends. I am the proudest auntie in the world! Thank you for the beautiful addition to our family.

Lots of love,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Did you miss ME?

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:09:54 GMT

We've been gone far too long, due to some massive computer problems. Thankfully, they are nearly fixed and we can get back into the swing of things. Our fried hard drive is at the tech doctor's place now, in an effort to resurrect our summer photos. If we get supremely lucky and have them restored, we will have some wonderful stuff to share with you. If not, we will let you know and ask you to observe a moment of silence with us...

In other news, the most wonderful new-mom-to-be will be welcoming baby Presley into the world any day now. If you're a friend of the Bums who Garden, you still have time to shoot a baby gift over to them, but you better make it fast!

And finally -- As I try to get myself sorted out and ready to play, I want to share this little tidbit of cool music, sent to me today. I'm really crushing on her voice, so I hope you like it too.

See you on the flip side!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gg8pZYjCTM

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Saint Tropez

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:56:03 GMT

Saint Tropez was all we knew it would be - A beautiful seaside resort town, filled with flash! It was wonderful to experience it for the first time with our sweet friend, Maggie. She, M and I had a great time shopping, exploring, and people watching.

Her visit was the clear and obvious highlight of our summer thus far.

We loved every moment of it!

As for St. Tropez, it was just as exuberant and fun as we imagined. The yachts were impressive, although not quite as dramatically conspicuous as in South Florida.

Here, the wealth was evident but still a wee bit subtle.

After all, we only saw 2 Ferrari's all day!

We did see more than our fair share of "interesting" people cruising around.

Young and old. Tan and tanner. Trophy wives and geezers.

In other words, something for everyone.

A wide variety of visual treats stretched as far as the eye could see.

We had a lovely fish dinner and soaked it all in -- dinner and a show!

All in all, it was a great place to visit and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. As one of the "beautiful people" or just a gawker, St. Tropez is guaranteed to please...

We hope you enjoy our photos!

http://photos.adventureme.com/GalleryFilmstrip.aspx?gallery=966448

Until next time -- Lots of summer fun, hugs and kisses!

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Bon Voyage !!

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:50:06 GMT

To the beautiful and talented Maggie "Cookie" Collins,

Thinking of you and sending lots of good energy for your big move to Tokyo today.

I know it's not easy to pick up &

move to a strange new world, but the rewards are so worth it.

Trust me, my love. It's going to be great!

Bon Voyage!

Love to you always,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

L'Isle sur la Sorgue

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:54:09 GMT

Welcome to one of our favorite little villages, L'Isle sur la Sorgue. It's name is simple enough, "The Island in the Sorgue". The Sorgue River flows through and around the village from it's origin at Fountain de Vaucluse, one of the largest springs in the world.

( See previous post for more about that village.)

The water is crystal clear and is 13C (55F) all year round. Let me assure you, there is nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than treating ourselves to an ice cream from the FAMED Isabella, while dangling our tootsies in the river.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must add that we do that quite often...

The village itself is really charming. It's packed with art galleries & antique stores, as well as hosting a Provençal market on Thursday and Sunday mornings. The market on Sunday is huge and filled with colorful characters and delectable delights. You can buy traditional Provençal items ( such as linens and pottery ) or load your tote bags with fresh food. The choice is yours, but either way, it's an experience not to be missed.

After working up an appetite shopping, stop for a bite at one of the many waterfront cafés & restaurants. For a slightly hidden but equally beautiful option, try Le Jardin du Quai. It's an outdoor eatery, nestled among the trees, that features truly delicious fare. The set menu allows to chef to experiment with local/seasonal foods and is guaranteed to be a real treat. We must caution you though - they are closed on Tuesday & Wednesday, so plan accordingly.

For a better look at this beautiful village, go to our latest photo album. We're sure you will enjoy the virtual experience of exploring this wonderful place.

http://photos.adventureme.com/GalleryFilmstrip.aspx?gallery=957892

Lots of love from sunny Provence,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Whirlwind!!

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:01:13 GMT

Hi guys! It's been a whirlwind few weeks for ME - visitors, travels, adventures and other shenanigans have kept ME really busy. The good news is that we have a little down time now, so we can catch you up on all that's been going on. We have loads of photos and fun stories to share with you, so we are working hard to get it all organized.

In the meantime, just to whet your whistles, we have added a few cool pics from the Mont Ventoux here in Provence. As the name suggests, the wind was intense ( venteux means windy in French ). For all you cycling fans, you'll recognize it from what is known as the toughest leg of the Tour de France ( which just concluded, by the way ). For the rest of you, it should be recognizable from the background of many of our photos. It's nicknamed the Giant of Provence and it certainly is. We appreciate it's beauty everyday, but really enjoyed the afternoon we spent exploring it, up close and personal. It's 1909m and at the summit, we were freezing our summer-clothes-wearing butts off. Even so, the view was spectacular and the sunset more than made up for the chill.

Check out the pics on our FB page :

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adventure-ME/202046406475749

or on our website:

http://site.adventureme.com/

For more information about le Mont Ventoux, courtesy of our peeps at Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Ventoux

Much more to come soon!!

Love and kisses,

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.

Happy Birthday, America!

me@adventureme.com (ME) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:35:22 GMT

To celebrate today, we found the wonderful story of Constantino Diaz-Duran.

He's a native of Guatemala who came to the US to pursue his dreams of being a journalist in a free society. He's currently a fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University and will soon realize his goal of becoming an American citizen. Needless to say, he is happy and proud to finally become an American. So much so that he's going to take a very long walk, just to talk to the Americans he'll meet along the way. That's a pretty cool idea, if you ask ME...

Chronicling his journey from New York to Los Angeles is his way of celebrating his eligibility for American citizenship. Follow this celebratory adventure, as he walks alone across America, asking ordinary people what being an American means to them. I'm sure the answers will inspire us all...

Learn more on his blog:

http://zocalopublicsquare.org/thepublicsquare/2011/06/30/the-journey-begins/read/walk-like-an-american/comment-page-1/#comment-237765

You can also follow him on Twitter @cddNY.

Happy Independence Day, America!

All original content is the property of AdventureME. Enjoy it but do not duplicate without express written permission.