WW Team Races For The Cure

Over a decade ago, I worked at a charming historic hotel in Marietta, Ohio called The Lafayette. My time with this classic beauty of a building would be brief as an employee but would have an indelible impact on my life. This would be where I would meet Keith, and the rest as they say is history. I would also make a few friends amongst the staff and a few of those would go on to be friends for life. Karen Paul, hilarious and wonderful to be around. The lovely Courtney Grimm aka Princess Courtney. And then there's Wendy Wharff...joyous and energetic with a smile and laugh that lights up a room. I used to crave being around Wendy...she could lift you up without even trying. I loved watching her sing the song "Lucky" on karaoke...girlfriend could tear it up. Wendy was my date for a friend's wedding and we celebrated all night long. Wendy was foremost a Mom, though, and clearly her most powerful love was reserved for her son Jesse.

After about a year, I left town, and distance and time found me losing touch with my Lafayette buds. Facebook has allowed me to connect with them again and last year I would find out from Courtney that our dear Wendy was in the fight of her life. She was in chemo treatments for breast cancer. By all accounts, Wendy fought the good fight and today she's more of a force of nature than ever. This coming Saturday, October 16, Wendy will be taking the WW Team to participate in the Susan Komen Lowcountry Race For The Cure. I'm including an excerpt from her race page in her words:

Last year for this race I was a Cancer Patient - Just finishing 20 weeks of chemo and preparing to begin radiation. I was tired but hopeful and had just landed a new job!

This year I'm a Cancer Survivor - Just 10 months since my last treatment, hair is back, my spirit is strong and I just landed a new job! Yep...another new job. But this time, it's about me.

Two days after this years race I will take my new post as the Executive Director of Memorial Health Foundation in Marietta, Ohio. Part of me says it's my way of taking this challenge to the next level, another says it's just part of the man's plan. In any event, I will proudly display my 2009 1st Place plaque & race jersey in my brand new office (with room for 2010, of course!)

She also shared with me a pic of her team and their sign from last year as well as a recipe. The recipe is called "Beach Shrimp". It's a dish her mother made on a previous beach trip and last year, they rented a beach house for the Race and made this dish again, serving it with crusty bread and "lots of vino". The recipe follows the end of this post.

Wendy, I'll be with you and your WW Team in spirit this weekend. Your courage is beyond words and you are an inspiration to all of us. Look up Race for The Cure on Google and you'll find the race site and from there you can look up Wendy's page. I would have included a link but my link feature is apparently not working. You can also go to my comments section below where Wendy herself left a lovely message and set it up where you can click on her name and that will take you to her race page. There are many ways to donate on this site as well and needless to say, it's for a very worthy cause.

Go WW Team!

Wendy's Beach Shrimp

3 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp

1 (16-oz.) bottle Italian dressing

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 lemons, halved

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 stick butter, cut up

Place first 4 ingredients in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, toss to coat. Squeeze juice from lemons over shrimp mixture, and stir. Add lemon halves to pan.

Sprinkle evenly with parsley; dot with butter.

Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Serve in pan with toasty bread