Life is good

Life is busy as well. I definitely forgot about my blog over the past couple of weeks. That's not to say I don't have anything to write about. I have been busy!! My schedule is a bit out of control with people on vacation so I've been working a lot more days, cutting into my "weekend". I can't complain though because it's given me more opportunities to be a part of the new steam. Plus, I've been in the studio a lot more so I've had the chance to get to know the anchors and reporters better which is something that's harder to do when I'm in the newsroom.

I sure haven't let any of that get into the way of my social life :)
A couple weeks back Drew and I played in a golf scramble with my parents. I was more entertaining than I was helpful. (It was only my second time playing 9 holes.) We had fun though, I just need to get some lessons and practice more. The following day I attended my high school reunion. That was interesting and fun to catch up to people I haven't seen in a while. It wasn't a huge turnout, but it was held at a park so it was a very relaxed environment. I'm definitely glad I went.

Last night was a very eventful evening! Drew was asked to be a part of the honor guard and hold the flag during the national anthem. I, therefore, made it onto the field at the beginning of the game. Boy is that a view. Afterwards, when we were walking off the field I ran into a girl who works at the station with me. She was running a camera and asked if we would want to participate in a game later during the game. Drew ended up playing this jeopardy-style game and won $100 gift card to a new casino in the area. I let him play because I figured I wouldn't have been at the game if it wasn't for him. At least I made it onto the jumbo tron for a short time ;)

Tonight we are going to a wedding. The bride graduated from the same HS as us and coincidentally, the groom went to my grade school. He's a year older than me, but his brother and two cousins were in my class so it should be fun. I haven't seen any of them in a while.

I think that's the condensed version of the past couple of weeks. I will try to post some pictures either today or tomorrow. Side note: my sorority sister who was in the car accident is out of her coma . She has a long way to go in terms of rehabilitation, but she's not giving up. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Pictures as promised

Bengals training camp. I think they are stretching in the first picture and then the second was take during a drill. You can see two of the players hitting each other in the foreground. And of course, the Jimmy Buffett concert!! Ferry ride to the concert...

A sea of fans...With my brother, Matt...All dressed up...

Thetas, bengals and parrot heads

(**Pictures to come!!) It's been an exciting last couple of weeks. I was lucky enough to catch up with two of my sorority sisters: Becky and Emily Rose. Becky was in town with her husband, brother, and two nephews. I met them at the Reds game and I think I was the only one who was disappointed by the outcome. The Reds lost to the Padres 4 to 7 - ugh it was ugly! Emily Rose surprised me with a trip to the area. Her family decided at the last minute to make a trip to see a Reds/Cubs game. Again, the Reds made sure they left happy. The Cubs beat the Reds 4-2. I didn't attend that game, but I did get to visit with Emily and her family for awhile. I'm looking forward to visiting Chicago in the next month or so. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to Indy for the baby shower as I had hoped. It was just too much/dangerous trying to drive after working a Saturday morning shift.
Sunday I went to the Bengals training camp with Drew and his sisters. All three of them are big Bengals fans, with season tickets. It was interesting to watch the players practice, especially the kicker. I graduated HS with him. It's one thing to recognize someone on the field, but another to actually know him - to be able to say I had homeroom with you, etc. It'll be fun to follow his progress throughout the season and how he interacts/gets along with the players. It's pretty cool that he's played HS, college and now pro ball all in his hometown. This Wednesday is the premiere of the HBO special "Hard Knocks". A crew has been following the team for so many days/hours and will produce 5 specials, featuring the team.
And finally, on Thursday I went to the Jimmy Buffet concert. It was my first Buffet concert and probably won't be my last :) We didn't do the all-day tailgate thing like so many people do, but we did take a ferry ride to the venue so we wouldn't have to deal with traffic. That was an experience in itself. It's amazing the range of people who show up for the concert and the outfits they wear. We were in the lawn and it was a sea (no pun intended) of Hawaiian shirts and lei's. I didn't go crazy with my outfit, but I did get a lot of compliments on my mom's parrot earrings - she too wore them to a Buffet concert at least 15 years ago. Thankfully, the weather held out. It had been raining all week, but by Thursday it dried up and the sun was shining. It was a great night that seemed to go by way too fast, but I guess that's what happens when you're having fun. I'm lucky that my schedule is "flexible" or so weird that it lets me go to baseball games, training camps and concerts.
This week I am looking forward to enjoying the hot weather, watching the Bengals on HBO and playing in a golf scramble. Oh, I should have some good stories about that! I've only played 9 holes once and desperately need to get to the driving range!!
Until then, please keep another one of my sorority sister's in your prayers. She was in a terrible car accident over a week ago. She was driving to work when she lost control of her car and hit a telephone pole. She's still in a coma, but continues to fight and improve everyday. This is a link to an article the IDS did soon after it happened. http://idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=69154
(The Herald Times did a story, but you have to have a subscription to get to the articles.)

Family fun

What a wonderful weekend. It flew by way too fast, but it was a lot of fun and a great way to lead into this week. My sorority sister Becky is coming in to visit Wed. and Thurs. with her family and then on Saturday I'm off to see more sorority sisters at a baby shower in Indy. I am very excited, but it just proves how much I am growing up that I am getting invitations to baby showers and weddings. I've been to ones in the past, but now the invitations are being addressed to me and not my mom.

Back to this past week/weekend. Work got a little crazy with people taking days off and calling in sick, but that just means I had the chance to get more experience and show that I'm willing to come in and help when I can. It also meant less sleep and working double shifts between the doctor's office and station. O well, I survived and am grateful I have a place to go to when so many people are struggling to find a job.

Luckily, I'm getting use to the daytime sleeping and planning ahead to make sure I don't crash in the middle of my shift. Sadly, my car isn't as reliable. Friday my back passenger tire blew out putting a kink in my schedule. Not only was it flat, but it was completely destroyed and couldn't be patched up. I ended up getting all four tires replaced because the tred on them was terrible!

I still found time to go out and catch up with friends and of course family.
My dad's brother came in from Pennsylvania and gave us a reason to all get together. It was the first time I've seen my dad and his brothers together.
I also got to see my cousins who I probably haven't seen in over 8 years - we're still trying to figure out how long it's been. Over all it was a great time - lots of story telling and laughing.

My brother Matt and my Uncle Ronny staying cool in the pool.Drew and I trying to stay out of the sun.

And this one goes to the Reds!

My losing streak is over! I finally saw a winning game Friday night. The Reds beat the Brewers 4-0!! I was getting a little worried, especially with Becky and her family coming in at the end of the month to see a game. I didn't want to go into that game having seen only losses.

Unfortunately, I did experience a loss on Thursday. My older brother is playing in a co-ed kickball league and they needed an extra girl. It was a lot of fun. We played against another team made up of kids we went to high school with. (Our) My brother's team lost by two, but it was the best lost they've had all season. One game was as bad as 1-15! So, there is a strong chance I will be asked to play again this coming week as a lucky charm - we'll see.

And, as promised, here are a couple more pictures from the station.

Make-up room
Assignment desk

Looking out into the newsroom (where I work/write) from behind the assignment desk

Losing track of time

Where does the time go? Seriously, the weeks seem to fly by. I think it's because I don't start working at the station until Wednesday so Fridays (and the rest of the weekend) seem to be here before I know it. And of course, there is always something to do. I babysat Friday and Saturday this past weekend - always nice pocket money - and went to an army picnic with Drew Sunday. It was a lot of fun; Nice meeting all of his friends and now I can put a face to the names.

I do have more pictures of the station that I will post when I get home. This past Saturday was absolutely nuts. Once the show starts at 6am, I'm the only one in the newsroom for two hours. It got crazy with a house fire, meth bust and answering phone calls. I did a lot of writing breaking news stories on the fly. The good news, I watched the evening news when I was babysitting and my same stories were used again, with a little bit of developing information mixed in. It was great to know that no one changed my writing.

The downfall of being so busy is I am super behind on laundry and my room is a mess - what's new though ;)

Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well and I will be sure to post again today or tomorrow.

July Already!

I cannot believe it is already July! Time seems to disappear. It's going to be Halloween before I know it. In that case, I must enjoy each day and while the weather here great for July 4th I had a wonderful weekend. I didn't work at the doctors office on Friday so I was able to plan ahead (my sleeping schedule) and spend the day outdoors with Drew playing putt-putt and riding go-carts. The day was gorgeous, but my putting wasn't. I lost by a couple of strokes and therefore had to buy dinner. O well, I'd rather lose fair and square than have someone let me win :)
I worked Saturday morning and I was extremely busy. There were two double homicides, a fire, and tons of activities. Plus, now that the executive producer is not coming on Saturdays I have a lot more responsibility and work to do. Still, I love what I'm doing and am grateful that I have the opportunity to work when so many people don't. I was exhausted by the time the morning was over. I slept until 6ish and then spent the rainy holiday night in good company making dinner, watching a movie and eventually enjoying some fireworks once the rain stopped. Today, I spent the day cleaning and organizing. I know, not the crazy 4th that some of you had, but plenty enjoyable.

I tried to take some pictures of the studio before the anchors and production team showed up Saturday morning. I'll try again next weekend (and include the news room) from another angle. It's hard getting the entire room in one shot. This is what I was able to get...

From the back of the studio... From the left side of the desk... Behind the desk - you can see the weather wall/green screen ahead...You can see the weather desk on the left, and main desk straight ahead...The "Monster" where we do weather teases, 'News Where You Live', economy stories, etc...