Wendy and Bryan arrive...and leave.

We have had a wonderful time with our friends Bryan and Wendy who came all the way from N.Carolina to visit us and tour New Zealand! We spent last weekend with them on the West Coast and hiked on Franz Joseph glacier. We stayed in a tiny beach town named Okarito. Bryan is a marvelous chef so Blaine requested for him to make spaghetti and meatballs which he has fixed for us before. We enjoyed many incredible meals with them (eating seemed to be the theme of the 2 weeks!) Thai, Indian, green-lipped mussels, lamb chops, fish n' chips, etc.

Wendy just graduated nursing school and won the achievement award from the instructors, so of course we had to celebrate her success! She gets the pleasure of studying for the NCLEX now!!! We miss you two already!!!

Ketchup

• Ketchup is the most widely used condiment in the United States. Ketchup can be found in 97% of all kitchens--a showing matched only by salt, pepper, and sugar.


• H.L. Heinz is the king of Ketchup, claiming 56.7% of the ketchup market in 1994.


• Children under the age of 13 consume 50% more ketchup than people in other age groups.


• Ice cream makers Baskin Robbins tried Ketchup Ice Cream. They refer to it as the only vegetable flavored ice cream they ever made. After making several gallons of the stuff, they soon realized it would not sell...


• That Ketchup is great for restoring the glow to copper pots and pans? The acid in the ketchup recipe helps to remove the tarnish and bring out the shine.

You now have your fill of random facts about ketchup, Blaine's favourite condiment. He even puts ketchup on macaroni and cheese! Yuck. Luckily we don't have to import this item...but if I don't have a spare in the cabinet at all times then you'd think the world was ending.