A Singing Valentine

This is a local Barber Shop Quartet. They're going to be featured on our show on Friday. And today, they were in the office spreading Valentine cheer. Our producer Maggie decided it would be fun to have them sing to me... so I was one of the "victims". Only I didn't really know what was going on. She called me out into the hall and I was surprised when they started singing to me. I was also surprised to see the 2 camera guys videotaping the entire thing! It was a very awkward moment! Well, not really a "moment"... more like an awkward 5 or 6 minutes. The song they sang to me seemed to go on forever... and ever... and ever...

I'll try to remember to post a link to the video after it airs on Friday. They sang to at least half a dozen people by the time they were done. I hope I don't look too ridiculous!

Bachelor Monday

As I sit here watching the Bachelor, I'm updating the blog. I know, it's sad. But at least I admit it. I watch the Bachelor. It's my weekly waste of time. It makes me laugh. The women are catty and mean, and the guy takes himself way too seriously. It's amusing and foolish and ridiculous all at the same time. Oh, and it's amazing. That's the Bachelor's favorite word. All of the women are amazing...

Also, while I'm sitting here, I'm whitening my teeth! How about that. I'm finally doing something on my Bucket List. I took a before photo. In 14 days, I'll take another photo and do a before/after blog post. I'm curious if it will make a difference. I'm 6 minutes into my first 30 minute treatment and I already don't like it. It's uncomfortable and icky. And I feel like I'm drooling. I can't wait to be done.

Eric is out of town tonight. He's in Plattsburg. For those of you who aren't familiar with where that is, it's about as far away as NYC. But in the other direction. In the middle of nowhere. He had to go for a shoot, for work. And since it's such a long drive, he went up today and is spending the night. The shoot is in the morning. And he'll be back tomorrow evening.

Tonight Alex and I had a nice evening out for dinner. We went to the Olive Garden. It was kind of a "congrats" on the great report card kind of thing. (He got a 96.5 overall GPA!) And it was just a nice way to spend some time together. We talked about the classes he's going to be taking next year. In High School. High School! How can I be old enough to have a child getting ready to go into High School?? Eek.

It's time to go make cinnamon rolls! Alex likes our new Monday evening tradition. It's a nice treat that everybody enjoys. Hopefully by the time they're done it will be time for my teeth whitening strips to come off!

Weekend Wrap-Up

I think Laura and Kelly enjoyed their weekend "in the city". We kept very, very busy.

Playing with the super ball, among other things.

And posing for pictures.

And being silly.

I taught Laura how to do the "shy girl" pose. I think she got it down on the first try!

We made Valentine Cookies. Laura was a HUGE help, as always. (Kelly was busy trying to get all the chocolate from the bottom of her cup of chocolate milk.)

Here's the finished product of the cookies. Didn't Laura and Kelly do an excellent job decorating them?! They were deee-licious!

Laura is very proud of her work, as she should be. I think her fingers may still be sticky from all the frosting.

Laura also helped Uncle Eric make pizzas for dinner. (Don't worry, we didn't eat too many cookies before dinner...)

Laura even helped clean the house before she left! I'm thinking I might need to borrow her again soon... she's very helpful!! I think her parents have trained her well!

Somebody was pooped. (And looking a wee bit on the pudgy side too...)

Half Time

We're about 1/2 way through our Laura and Kelly weekend. They're keeping us very busy! They brought a bunch of friends with them and Kelly made sure they were comfortable on the couch.

Alex was "teaching" the girls something or other using a big dry erase board. I'm not sure what... I was asked to leave so he could continue his lesson...

Jenny also helped keep the girls occupied as they played ball together.

We've done lots of arts and crafts. Here the girls are coloring their "Valentine Bingo" cards we printed off Crayola.com (LOVE that site!) We've played 5 games of Bingo so far.

I got the girls some mini mailboxes from A.C. Moore. They had sugar cookie mix inside with sprinkles and heart shaped cookie cutters. (They were only $1.50 each!) We'll be making the cookies later this afternoon.

We also made Valentine's and put them in the mailboxes. Laura was very good at making cards and made several special ones for Uncle Eric. We just finished lunch and are getting ready to go to the bookstore soon. I hear them playing hide-n-seek with Alex right now... I think we may all be asleep early tonight!

Weekend Plans

Look who's coming to stay with us this weekend!

I'm sure we'll have lots of fun stories and pictures to share! I predict there will be 2 exhausted adults on Sunday and one very, very tired dog... 

Office Space

I thought I'd show off my office today. It's a very small space, but I like it. I have a lot of "stuff" crammed into this very small office. The photo above is a view of the monitor of my PC... with a TV in the background. Yes, I get to watch TV all day... well, it's on all day. I'm not really watching it. But I do listen... and sometimes I watch... Do you like all my ABC Network posters? A fun perk of my job. Fun artwork for my office walls!

On the other side of my desk is my Mac. Yes, I have a PC and a Mac. Right next to each other. I go back and forth on both of them all day. I use the Mac primarily for video work and print. The PC is really only used for on-air still graphics. The program we use to run the scripts for newscasts (ENPS) is PC-based. So I needed a PC in order to upload stills for shows. Before we got ENPS, I had only had a Mac.

The Mac has 2 monitors, which I love... I wish they were nice new flat-screens, but I guess I can't have everything! (Although it's on my wish list...) You can also see my favorite Audrey Hepburn movie poster. And the "Dancing with the Stars" board that we use on our morning show. Each new season I have to make a new one. Yep, I make it, the old fashioned way. With an exacto knife and spray mount. Just another fun part of my job!

This is my photo printer and the small counter that I do any paste-up work on. If I have bigger projects, I use the conference room. I really don't do all that much paste-up type work. Most everything I do is on the computer. But on the occasion where they need a few signs made or posters mounted, it's nice to have a space to work.

Another view of the photo printer, and the "print work" printer. It used to sound like a hamster running on a wheel when it printed. Until it died. Now it's just collecting dust. You can also see the new "2010 Weather Calendars" in the above photo. Does anyone need one?? I still have a bunch (shhh!)... they did sell out though. Let me know if you'd like one, I'll try to get one out to you!

And that's it! The room where I spend 9 hours every day. (Yeah, I usually have my lunch right at my desk too.) For the most part, I really enjoy what I do. It's fun and crazy and stressful and different every single day.

Jenny and the Duck

This is Jenny and her duck.

Don't touch her duck. She's very possessive of her duck.

She likes to carry it everywhere. And keep it away from people who might try to take it... not that any of us would ever try to do that...