Day 16: Weekend Warriors

::yawn::

Sorry this is late...it's been one of those days.  Actually, it's been one of those nights...then one of those days...and then one of those nights again (but who's counting?)

This post goes out to all those people to whom "TGIF" holds absolutely no significance.  To those people who miss concerts, and sporting events and movies.  To the people who have to leave the family BBQ early...or miss the fishing trip all together.

Ah yes, my friends...this goes out to the people who work weekends.

It stinks.  There's no way to sugarcoat that.  No way to be thankful for a social death sentence (there's really not).

What I am thankful for however, are the people I get to share my "weekends" with...my "weekend warriors" if you will.  You will never meet a harder working group of people.  Weekenders do twice the amount of work (if not more) with half the help (if not less) and rarely get recognized for it.  Yes, it's a part of the job.  And yes, it's a part of the job that we signed up for.  Yadda, yadda. I get it.  But that doesn't make it any easier.

I love my job. I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I just wanted to let my fellow weekend warriors to know that you rock my socks off.

Seriously!

Pete and Chris - You've been doing it longer than me, and my hats go off to you both.

Pete - You're my savior on the weekend, and do WAY more than most in an effort to make my job a little easier.  I appreciate that.  A lot.  Little things like printing scripts, A'ing and B'ing, yanno, the whole 9, really adds up.  You're just a huge help and a damn good cook ;)  THANK YOU.

Chris, you're like the Brandon Inge of my MLB team (Hey, I'm a Tiger fan...it's the best example I've got!)  You're a master at all shifts, and that includes REPORTING! (bet you never thought you'd hear me say that, eh?).  You're going outside your comfort zone...and you're a rock star at it.  You're not too bad at making new graphic elements for the weathercast either ;)  

Kristin - My newest weekend warrior...You already know what I think.  We spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day talking about it :)  But for the sake of those that don't know - you rock!  You go above and beyond what's expected, stretching yourself thin to make your sportscast the best it can be.  And you care...genuinely care...about having the best content possible -- even on a weekend.  Your passion is both admirable and contagious.

The list goes on and on.

From the reporters who work 12-hour shifts without question, covering three stories a day as a one-man-band, and then tackling breaking news on top of it...you're awesome.  Few people can say that they've done such a thing.  And trust me (I can say this, because I lived it!) it will give you such a solid foundation for the rest of your career.  You're learning so much now, so quickly.  It doesn't seem that way, but it's a blessing.

And then there's all the folks in production...and everyone else that works their booty off to get a show on the air...

THANK YOU.

The weekend show wouldn't be twice-nominated for an Emmy if not for all your hard work.  We wouldn't be the team that we are without you.

Yes, having to work through the weekend isn't all that much fun...("T-G-I-Sunday" just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?)...but there's no one else I'd rather work them with.

You're my weekend warriors...

and I'm thankful for you :)

Day 15: The Heat is ON!

Who likes bills? I hate them actually...just another reminder that I'm an adult, with adult responsibilities, and that I can't spend my entire day playing in a sandbox.  Just sayin'.  Life was so much simpler back then.

Some bills I can forgive a little more easily than others.  My credit card statements? Yeah, you're probably one of the highest of the bunch -- but let's be honest, I probably have something cool to show for it (or at the very least, a full belly). Rent? You frustrate me.  Heat? You frustrate me more.  You can't survive a Minnesota winter without heat, yet I don't turn my heat up as balmy as I'd like to, because I can't afford it.

Essentially, my thermostat is set to the bone-chilling, menopause temperatures of my parents' house (sorry, mom).  That's what extra socks are for, right?  And blankets?  And besides...it saves me on grooming costs for the dog, because I leave her a little shaggier to stay warm during winter.

So my house may not be the warmest...but at least I have heat.  I have the option to turn it higher.  146,000 people applied for heat assistance through SEMCAC this year.  That's 146,000 needy families, with at least a few freezing children, with blankets heaped high on their beds.  That's not even to say that all of those people will be approved for the help - just that they asked for it.

The number of people in our area requesting heat assistance has gone up 6% in the past year, and there's no doubt that increase is being felt all across the country.

Feeling down today?  Look at these stats from the 2009 National Energy Assistance Survey Report -- which surveys all of the people receiving energy assistance in 12 states, including Minnesota.  (Here's a link: http://www.neada.org/communications/surveys/2010-04-19NEADA_2009_Survey_Report.pdf)

What did people do to make ends meet before getting the help (or even sometimes after the help)?
- 36% closed off part of their home to conserve the heat
- 33% used their oven to heat their home.
- 26% kept their home at a temperature that was unsafe or unhealthy
- 20% had to leave their home for part of the day to stay warm.

Feeling better about your situation? Keep reading.
- Nearly 1/3 of the THOUSANDS surveyed said they went without food in order to heat their home.
- Over 40% sacrificed medical care.
- 25% had someone in the home get physically sick because it was too cold.

My house may be chilly...but I'm not sick.  I can still afford medical care.  And I'm still well-fed.

Besides...cold temps give me a reason to crochet, right? Who doesn't love an afghan?

Or this little number for Janie??

The heat is ON!
And I'm thankful for that :)

Day 14: Small notes, BIG difference

Have you told someone you loved them lately?  Called them up to tell them how much they mean to you?  How much they add to your life just by being in it?  Have you?  You should try it...a little appreciation goes a long way.

I make it a point to tell people how much they mean to me as often as I can.  I tell my friends I love them before I hang up (that gets kinda messy when you first start dating someone -- haha), I notice the little things (or at least try) and try to make the people in my life feel like they matter -- because they do.

It's a gift given to me by both my parents.  My dad always told stories at the dinner table about these long conversations he had had with the janitor in the building that day.  He always said how he made a point to know everyone in his building (he's a doctor) and treat them with the respect they deserve.  He always took time out for "the little people" so to speak.  And I've taken that to heart...there's no person that's too small to slip through my "friend net".  My mom on the other hand, has a heart the size of Texas.  When she loves you, you know it.  She's affectionate, caring and would give someone the shirt off her back if it would make their day better.  And with their powers combined (haha...sounds like Captain Planet!) it makes for a kid with a pretty good head on their shoulders.

I'm a pretty open book.  I care to all ends of the Earth.  In fact, I'd say my affection and compassion for other people can, at times, be to my own demise.

(There's a point to all this, I promise!)

My paternal grandfather died before I had a chance to say good bye.  I was working in Montana at the time, and while I knew his time was coming, there was no way to know for sure when it would be, and my bereavement leave wasn't very forgiving.

I missed the chance to say good bye.  I missed the chance to tell him that I loved him.  I missed the opportunity to hug him.  The next time I saw him was at his funeral.  I burst into tears instantly.

After that moment, I told myself that would never happen again.  That people would know what they meant to me.  If they made my heart smile, they'd know.  If I loved how their nose crinkled when they laughed, I'd tell them. If they made my day, or my hour, or my minute, I make sure they know.  It's important.  Not just to feel loved, but to know you're loved.  Not to feel special - but to know you are.  And not just to feel appreciated but to truly believe it to be so.

It's what makes the world turn.

I try to do it in my every day life, but apparently I don't do it enough.  Because as I write these posts (and feature certain people in them), I'm getting feedback that isn't only appreciative, but genuinely surprised.

I made their day, by letting them know that they made mine.

These are some small notes (written by a small author) that are making a BIG difference.

And I'm entirely thankful that they're having such a positive impact :)

Day 13: Drewster

WAKE UP!  You're not tired of my New Year's Resolution already are you??

Well, devoted fans...this darling little man...is my nephew :)

Drew William Frye <3

Today this strapping little lad is five months old.  He's my sister's baby...the first in the trio of kids to have a baby (or even get married)...which means..this little bugger...made me an aunt (or a Teta as we say in Ukrainian) :)

 As I said, he was born on August 13th...(a Friday, which is about as unlucky as you can get)...but on December 24th...I got about as lucky as I could get.  Because, I got to meet my nephew :)

I FINALLY MET MY NEPHEW!!!!!

By the time this photo was taken, we had already bonded for a few hours, so he obviously felt comfortable enough to modify my outfit to his specifications...which in this case, meant spitting up in two giant gobs (or really one great one -- that started on my boob and dripped its way to my belly).  But in an odd way, I'm thankful for that too.  Because if it meant meeting him and getting spit up on, or not meeting him at all, I'd let that boy ruin my entire wardrobe.

Up until that point, I only got to see Drew and experience the snippets of his life through photographs.  I skyped into the birth (well, not the actual birth...but the hours leading up to)...and then I get the occasional (ok, who am I kidding?), the WEEKLY update e-mails from my sister...complete with about 20 photos.  But none of that compares to meeting him...feeding him...kissing him...holding him...

I'm missing a lot of firsts in his life, but I'm thankful that he's too young to remember, and that my sister is so quick to forgive.

I'm thankful for the technology that allows me to experience these firsts on a several-hour delay (which is almost like the real thing).

And I'm thankful for the chance to be an aunt (I'll definitely be the crazy one)...

And I'm thankful for this little guy...

::sweet little Drew::


Happy birthday buddy :)

Day 12: Silence is Golden :)

 There's a dog downstairs that's causing me to question my love of animals.  Seriously question.

The thing never stops barking.  Wait, I should back up.  My downstairs neighbor is a senior snow bird.  Usually, it's her weirdo son that comes in and checks on her (or sometimes sleeps there with his son for months at a time), but lately it's some lady in a lexus with a very LOUD dog.

I've never seen the lady.  I have however, seen her dog....when it soared through the air at my dog, teeth exposed, and attacking my sweet, little, unsuspecting 11-year-old Janie.  We were coming in from a walk.  I hardly even had the door open, when this little spider monkey creature lunges at J.  From the shadows of the garage, I hear some half-hearted shout of "No! Stop!"  I wasn't impressed.

At the time I was thinking..."dogs will be dogs"...until Monday and Tuesday (my weekend) came around.  That frickin' thing never shuts up.  It doesn't even need to hear a door open, or a car horn or sense the presence of a dog in the hallway.  Nope.  Just barks.  Yips actually...all day long.  I can hear it coming up through the floor.  I gave it the benefit of the doubt for one day...it's now been three.  I'm ready to kill that dog.

But that wouldn't be very New Year's Resolution-y would it?  My ever-increasing hatred of the yipster of a dog that lives below me, has given me some insight that I'm rather thankful for.

My dog doesn't bark.

At all.

Like ever.

She's like the Helen Keller of dogs.  Ok, perhaps that's not the best example...but she really doesn't bark.  The occasional squirrel might send her into a tizzy.  If she is able to see the other dog...she'll get protective of mama (gotta love it)...but other than that...that girl is as quiet as can be.

What a blessing!  She's never upset any landlords, I've been able to sneak her into non-dog friendly hotels, and for awhile there, even take her to work with me.  She's perfect...

I love her to pieces -- and her lack of barking is only part of that ;)

More later...but again...why rush?  We still have over 300 days left! :P

♥ xoxo ♥

::my sweet little girl::

Day 11: I've Got Friends in (all sorts of) Places...

When you work in TV, you bounce around a lot.  It's not like being a dentist, where there are 100 offices in a ten-mile radius.  In TV, you have one station in a 100+ mile radius.  Ok, so maybe there are two or three stations, but they're all in the same market, and chances are, if you work at one, you signed a "no compete" saying you wouldn't work at any of the others within one year of the termination of your employment.  AKA - ya gotta move.

I grew up in Southeast Michigan, went to school in the center of the state, free-lanced at a market there, then headed west 2,000 miles to a itsy bitsy town in Montana, and then east along I-90 to Minnesota.  I'm still 1,000 miles away from home...and some days, it feels like I'm so far away, I may as well live on the moon.  Other days (like today) I'm reminded of how many amazing friends I've been able to make here in Minnesota.

I was only in Montana for a little less than two years.  A year of that was in one city (where the Bureau was) and the rest...was an hour east over a mountain range.  So, even though I was there for nearly two years, I wasn't exactly in the same spot.  Don't get me wrong, I made friends (and some great ones at that), but I wasn't there long enough to develop life-long friendships.  I had one awesome, amazing best friend...and my friends were his friends (and I couldn't have been luckier, because they were pretty awesome people) but I never really had my own "circle".

That changed when I moved to Minnesota.  This is the longest I've lived in any one "home" since my parent's house.  I've had a chance to establish myself here and really plant my roots.  It's a beautiful thing.  I've made truly amazing, long-lasting friendships with my co-workers (Jill, Chad, Megan, Pete, Brad, etc......), I have two of the best gay husbands a girl can ask for, I have friends at both offices where I volunteer.  I have friends inside and out of work (yay DTEAL!).  It all just kind of clicked in my head today...

I woke up early to work out with a great friend...waved to a friend driving a bus for PossAbilities on the way, got a handful of hugs once I got to volunteering, got my bangs trimmed and my hairdresser showed genuine interest in my life and well-being (beyond the obligatory hairdresser questions!), started planning a trip to visit one of my best friends from childhood, got some phone calls today from friends in Montana, Minneapolis, Michigan and Minnesota, (almost) had dinner with my friend from Albert Lea...

In short -- a lot of friends.

I'm surrounded by such an amazing web of people, I'm so truly blessed.

And so truly thankful :)

Day 10: No Pain, No Gain

I have never been the type of person to work out.  Ever.  My concept of exercise consisted of picking up the remote and setting it back down...and for awhile there, I truly believed that french fries constituted a vegetable on my plate.

I was athletic when I was younger.  It's hard to believe, I know, but there was a time when I was AHEAD of the curve on the growth chart.  I played center on my 5th grade basketball team (quit laughing, I can hear you from here), and used to be a setter/blocker for volleyball.  Somewhere along the line, I stopped growing.  And once I realized my stride was more like that of a hamster...and less like that of a gazelle, sports pretty much fell to the back burner.

But there's one thing you have to understand.  Just because I turnd my back on athletics...doesn't mean that my family did.  Athleticism pretty much courses through the veins of 99% of my family.  Cool beans, yo.  You go run - FOR FUN no less.  I'll sit here and nap.  Wake me up when you're done.

The lazier I got, the chubbier I got.  It's true.  I could show you pictures...I looked very much like Theodore from the chipmunks.  I didn't play sports anymore, and the concept of walking into a gym and working out (in front of people!! can you imagine??) was beyond my comfort zone.  I tried.  I remember thinking it was a good idea (and in easy credit) to sign up for step aerobics in college.  I figured...how hard can it be? You're stepping on a flippin' box...to music no less.  Oh boy, was I wrong!  I had a hard enough time cramming myself into a spandex workout outfit that I should have known moving around gracefully in the thing wouldn't have been easy.  I looked more like an overstuffed Ukrainian sausage than a lean, mean exercising machine.  Make no mistakes about it...stepping on a box to music was hard.  It didn't help that my stride was half that of the box, and it took 2 of my steps to every 1 step of the instructor.  Or, that every other girl in that room was about 95 pounds, with perfect hair and perfect make-up.  They glistened...I was dripping with sweat and heaving in the background.  So much for getting fit.

And then I moved to Rochester...had some sort of quarter-life crisis and decided to join a gym (I know...right?).  And while flashblacks of my last row, disco fever step aerobics class briefly flashed in my mind...I somehow managed to push them aside, thanks to the wonderful Jill Kasparie.

There's many things about Jill that I'm thankful for, but we'll stick to her helping me get back to the gym for this post.  Afterall...we have 365 days...why rush?

Jill inspired me to work out, she showed me how the machines work, she never laughed at me when I nearly broke my neck on a medicine ball (it was pretty funny), or questioned my profusive sweating (when you work out with her, it does get pretty brutal).  She's awesome.  She's inspiring, patient and kind.  She got me down to a size 4 (no joke), and into an XS (Me? EXTRA small?  Not just small?? No flippin' way! I used to think those were doll clothes!), and she motivated me to sign up for a marathon (So if I die on the course, you'll know who to blame).

She's wonderful...and for that, I'm entirely grateful.

You know how they say "No pain, no gain"?

I gained something special when I met her ;)

::besties::