It's Friday. Thank goodness. This weekend I'm going to party, party, party ... as in, help host a baby shower!! I can't wait because it's for my friend and co-worker Jen Ayres. She's having her first little newsboy, which you may have heard about on social media. It's kind of a big deal! Here's Jen, our social media guru, pre-pregnancy... If you want to go to a more crazy event, I might suggest splurging on a babysitter for the Frozen Assets party in downtown Madison (that's what that first pic was about.) Thanks to Madison Magazine's Brennan Nardi and WISC's executive producer Jess Laszewski for inviting me. People got into the funky spirit of the 70s while helping support the Clean Lakes Alliance. See more pics here
It was a sold out event, and a lot of fun! Photos below are from the Clean Lakes Alliance's FB page:
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The year was 2006, when Jim had long sideburns and we thought the rollerskating rink was still a cool place to throw a birthday party.
I had blonde streaks in my hair. Jim always wore a pager. I cannot wait for this movie to come out! Tammy stars Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon... and was shot in the Wilmington area. Did Melissa McCarthy give me super cool crocs? The trailer was recently released: I had a very small role in the movie playing a reporter. However, I recently had to do some voiceover work in Madison! That was a neat experience. I had to go to a recording studio and work LIVE with the folks in California.
It literally took about 5 minutes worth of work, but I got a little sneak peek of myself on the big screen. I cannot wait for the movie to come out! WISC and Morgan Murphy Media folks had a great time at the Raise the Roof Gala! It is such a great cause and we were so proud of News 3's Charlotte Deleste, one of the keynote speakers! Charlotte shared Gio's story with an intimate group of 1200 people! She spoke so eloquently, not forgetting to mention all the wonderful people who help her son at the American Family Children's Hospital. I tried to record her speech and got a majority of it with my cell phone: Another highlight - singer Phillip Phillips entertained the guests with a number of songs, including "Home" and "Gone, Gone, Gone"... If you've been paying attention, he's featured in American Family commercials! And if you're not from the Madison area, American Family is headquartered here. I struggle with the fact that I'm in my mid-30s and am still a childless woman. I am, of course, the real mother of two wonderful doggies, but people keep telling me it's not the same. (Are you sure?) The truth is...I stopped taking birth control the second I got married in 2008. If you're doing your math correctly, that would mean more than 5 years of marriage and no baby. We've been together 10 years. Is it difficult? Yes. I don't really talk about it, but it doesn't mean I can't talk about it. I get very excited for friends and family members who are getting ready to have babies or already have them (it's basically everyone!) And, for the most part, I can also talk about what's going on with our personal no-baby situation. It's complicated, and doctors aren't really sure, so that really sums it up. Once a very close family member asked me, "Do you hate babies?" Seriously. I don't hate babies. I happen to really, really love them. But I don't believe in fussing over certain things that children won't remember, like presents for near-newborns. That's really more for the parents than the baby's sake. I personally think if a child can't open a present or enjoy a toy... then we should be able to have a reasonable conversation about how to be more resourceful. ANYWAY. I love children. I am not freaking out about my childlessness yet because frankly, my husband and I would consider adoption. But in the meantime, being childless can have its difficult moments. I don't have kids, but I have a healthy, mid-level career. It's not like working at the network or anything, but I have made choices to continue to work in the news industry, and sometimes the choices I've made have been more difficult than others. Sometimes that gets interpreted to "selfish" or "incapable of love" ... or worse. Childless women with careers are sometimes seen as power hungry, and that's just not fair. I've found that women actually happen to be the worst at this. I've had friends say to me, "You won't really know what love is until you're a mother." Now, I wouldn't dare take anything away from mothers, but I think it's insensitive and wrong to say a person can't understand real love unless they've birthed a child. I've also seen "real moms" do that to adoptive mothers. It's just hurtful. Also, women are quick to jump on how other women parent. There is a huge story coming out of my old market, Springfield, Mo., this week. 10-year-old Hailey Owens was found murdered, allegedly by a school faculty member. But when her mother did an interview with my old station, the mother-vultures blew up Facebook with vitriol, attacking that mom for not grieving properly: "I would scream and punch something before I'd talk to the media..." "I'm not judging... but that mom is weird... " "She seems too excited that her daughter is dead..." The mom has never been a suspect. Without being cavalier, I've covered enough murders and tragic events to know that trying to plan how you'd feel or react is pretty assinine, insensitive and wrong. People are different, they face different emotional and physical challenges, and they react differently.
It kind of reminds me of the first funeral I attended. I was in high school when my good friend's older brother died in a car crash. I remember bawling my eyes out, and I didn't even know him. But, it was so traumatic to see a young person in that way. His family, however, seemed at peace with it. Maybe it was because they already lost their dad to cancer. Maybe they were spiritual. Maybe it was none of my business. My point is that we all love in different ways, and we are all capable of real love and real grief. Sometimes I love so much it hurts. Is it different than a mother's love? I'm not sure, but I hope to find out one day. In the meantime, I just want to share a message of love because there are certainly a lot of people who could use more. Paoli is such a quaint little area outside of Madison, but the food and the art gallery at Creamery Cafe is world-class. Seriously. My friend Hannah (and Channel3000.com editor) recently stopped by to meet up with owner Theresa Abel, who will be featured in an upcoming issue of Madison Magazine. We got a one-on-two tour of the facility and had a delicious lunch at the cafe... I mean, check out the pic of the cheese! So, pretty soon, I'll be sharing the backstory to the cafe and why the art gallery is literally filled with artists known from around the country. You may be surprised to learn why so many wonderful artists want to be featured in a little place like Paoli... and I'll share it soon! It is high-end and comforting at the same time. We really had a great afternoon there. Taken in 1998 in Busan. Days before, I learned I had biological sisters. This is Hyun Jeong and Yeoun Jeong. Our oldest sister Hyun Mi is not pictured.
My sister Hyun Jeong and her husband are moving to Wisconsin in the next few weeks. I will write more about it when it becomes final. Lots of things can happen between now and then... so I'm not going to get my hopes up until they're here! If you are interested in our story, you can read it in the adoption section of this blog. The city of Madison is calling for a snow emergency. That means it's bad enough that all streets need to be plowed... and that residents need to adhere to the alternate side parking rules for at least the next two nights. On my way into work, I passed only one car crash off Stoughton Road... surprisingly there were no issues on the Beltline. Thank goodness! The snow was really coming down at that hour, and I'm glad that people appeared to be driving safely. Be safe out there! Schools are closed and we're getting more reports of crashes and mishaps... we just got an email from a caller who said she witnessed a tow truck driver getting hit by a car. So, please be careful! Chief Meteorologist Gary Cannalte is answering winter weather questions on Live at 5 today as well.
It was nice seeing so many faces today at Hilldale for the Passion for Fashion show! We had such a great time showing off great looking ensembles in reds, pinks and oranges! Special thanks to Ann Marie from Reve for putting it altogether! The models and volunteers were great. DJ Nick Nice , Brittany Lee from the American Heart Association and Leslie Watkins of Hilldale helped put together such a great day! I loved being the the event's emcee.
Also - I met the lovely Leana' Cristiana, who is up for Mrs. Wisconsin. You can vote to help her win most photogenic! She is such a wonderful woman... you should definitely check out her story. AND REMINDER: If you went today (great crowd), you can also use this pen to save an extra 20% at Macy's through the weekend! What a great party to celebrate the Spectrum Magazine from the Madison Area Diversity Roundtable! Long story short, Madison is home to a lot of different folks and continues to expand when it comes to diversity. The magazine is put out once a year to celebrate a snippet of the awesome people who live here and make a difference in how we work, live and play. Many thanks go to Madison Magazine for taking on the production of the whole thing. I also contributed to the magazine by writing an article on how we PLAY. If you're new to Madison, you've got to check out the UW Library Mall - it is one of the most diverse places in the city... and one that often impresses visitors. Your stomach can literally take a trip around the world when you hit up the city's food cart capital.
Talk about a world on wheels! Read the article |
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