As the waters receed...

Welcome to Nashville. It's more heartbreaking than any country song I've heard. The flood waters took over the Delph (Adelphia Coliseum) along with 2nd Avenue and Broadway. "The Mother Church," or Grand Ole Opry and Oryland are under acres of water as well. And in the bottom two pictures, you can see my old newsroom which is just a couple of blocks from the state capitol. It is in the basement (or dungeon as I called it) of NewsChannel 5 which oddly resembles a UFO. Tornadoes have struck Nashville a time or two and being underground can be a blessing when trying to keep the operations going I guess. But flood waters had no problem shutting everything down anyway. So strange to see my old desk there and notice how everything else is gone. Michelle (my old roomie who still works at Ch 5) said trucks spent a couple of days working around the clock to suck out all the water. Can you imagine? My heart goes out to my 2nd favorite city (Chicago being #1)and the outstanding people there who will rebuild and transform Nashville back to it's vibrant self.

Mrs. Tennessee America 2010

My life long friend Michelle was part of the Mrs. Tennessee America competition. Everyone was in Jackson which is roughly 90 miles from Memphis. They spent early Saturday (2am) morning waiting out tornado sirens in the basement of the hotel. Then the venue for her pageant was without power and the roads were under water.

After some fast rearranging, the ladies competed in the hotel lobby instead. And they really pulled it off! Just as in life, you have to roll with it and make the best of a situation. What a memory for everyone. Congratulations to the new Mrs. Tennessee America 2010, Monette Bryant. And congratulations to Michelle! You were dynamite!!
1)Lining up for evening gown.
2)Mrs. Tennessee America 2009 and Michelle. Gorgeous!
3)The new Mrs. Tennessee America and court
4)Post pageant toast to Michelle's hard work

Getting there was half, no, the entire battle.

In the quest to go support my fabulous best friend and former roomie Michelle, I flew down to Tennessee this weekend. When I arrived, they had already shut down I-40.That is the main artery from Memphis to Jackson to Nashville.

Severe (and I mean SEVERE) flooding closed the highway and all the other side roads were now under rising waters. Bridges were out and a dam south of there had given way. So hundreds of us sat on the highway and along the one detour for-EVER. Seriously, for hours we were stranded. Wished I hadn't indulged in that venti iced coffee before hitting the road, but what's a girl to do? I needed some caffeine! With the long wait on the highway going nowhere, people were low on gas and the only exit open for the only detour was without power. No power for those critical gas stations. Crazy!

Slowly, I-40 opened to the bigger trucks and after speaking with the Tennessee Highway patrol (THP) they allowed soon-to-be grandparents to enter so they could go to their daughter who was just trying to have a baby and they allowed me and my super duper rental to head on through. THANK YOU!!!

By the end of the weekend, we would learn that was nothing compared to the devastation taking over my old home of Nashville.

A little something to love!

Here's is something I found and love. Maybe you will too! It is a reuseable chalkboard sticker. That's right! You can pull this baby off and put it somewhere else without damaging your walls. It is made by an Illinois company called Mishu. $12 and it's yours. www.mishudesigns.com

Go Team Rocky!!!!

It was the Annual March of Dimes walk in Lake County. This year my dear husband volunteered to come along with us and my daughter was also able to make the jaunt. Last year she was left at home (with my husband...not by herself;)) because it was storming outside and she was just a baby. Well, she will always be my baby, but I digress. The honorary family this year was from Grayslake. They have a 3 year old son who was born 8 weeks early with minor complications. A year later, their twins were unexpectedly born 17 weeks early and both were only over a pound and simply before their time. They are now guardian angels over the family as they wait for their upcoming baby to arrive. Love is sent your way by us all!

1 in 8 babies are born too soon and so the March of Dimes fights for preemies as hard as the parents of preemies fight for their baby birds. Granted doctors, medical technology and alot of prayer work wonders these days. But the fight to figure out how to prevent premature births is a mission thousands around the country took on this weekend. My BF Deanna Linz walked with her husband and son Carter "Rocky," in DC. Carter was born at 23 weeks. Weighing just a few ounces over a pound, he shows just how special you are and how much you will thrive in spite of the circumstances. She was able to raise close to 2-thousand dollars! Well, we raised about four hundred which is not nearly as impressive, but I just know it will be put to good use for all those other fighters out there.
1)Getting ready to walk. Prep is the key here when carting the kiddos for a few miles. Water,crispie treats, wet wipes...more wet wipes...
2)My babies. John was busy waving to everyone including all the dogs.
3)Some of the hundreds who came out to Libertyville.

Has it been that long?

This habit got started just after I had my son and I was even there while pretty pregnant and hopped up on roids with my daughter. What can I say?

Thank you to Dan Ferrelli from the Aurora Police Department who has asked me to be part of the sessions at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy at the College of Dupage. These men and women come from dozens of police and fire departments including Chicago, Deerfield, Oak Park....ect. Some of us who have spent years (ok, a decade give or take a few years)as the "evil," media go in and put them through mock interviews and are part of panels for Q&A. It breaks down some of the preconceived ideas of the media. You can admit you have those nasty thoughts also. I hate to burst the bubble by telling you we are not even close to what you see portrayed in movies. For the most part(95% of us anyway)we are dedicated to accuracy and legitimacy. Reputation is built on credibility.

These men and women are so busy responding to crime scenes or calls of emergency, the last thing they need to focus on is answering to the media. But, it is part of the job. So, we try to help get them in shape for it. We help them, help us in a sense. And so I wish them all SAFE and productive careers keeping us all safe. And I thank Dan for continuing to ask me to be part of the education.
1) Mock interviews in front of the lights and camera.
2) What did you just ask me?;)

Walk This Way...

My dear friend Jennifer Naida invited me to go with her to Oak Lawn and help set up an event for a couple of gals who are getting ready to be part of the Avon 2-day walk for breast cancer. They will walk 39 miles over 2 days this June. To help raise funds which will help raise awareness, they put together a day long event in Oak Lawn at Bourbon Street. They had more than a dozen baskets up for auction and held a "Bags," tournament. Now depending on where you're from, the name of the game changes. On the South side, it's called bags. In Indiana and other areas, the game is referred to as Corn Hole. I prefer "bags."
They put the "fun" in fundraiser! They had some great ideas for fundraising as I get ready to take on the Komen 3-Day Walk in August. Someone asked me if it was a conflict of interest to help out the competing Avon Walk teams when I am taking part in the Komen 3-day. Nope. After all, we are all working for the same thing...to find a cure for breast cancer which could also help unlock the mysteries of other cancers. Hats off to you ladies and many foot rubs come June! We wish you both the best of luck with your journey and may you raise both tons of money and awareness.