Thanks to our jobs, those of us in the news business definitely enjoy a few perks.  One of them is having the opportunity to judge various contests.  Yesterday I got to indulge my sweet tooth by judging a dessert contest.  The fine folks at Multi Packaging Solutions had their company picnic yesterday and several workers whipped up their favorite sweet treats.  To be honest, I loved them all.  I’ve always said that I’d make a terrible judge.  I never want to hurt anybody’s feelings.  I guess you could say that’s one of my sweeter attributes.

Tom did a little judging himself this weekend.  He judged a fried chicken contest.  He said there were 21 entries.  Who knew there were so many ways to fry a chicken?  He admitted that after about six versions, he was ready to fly the coup.

Dan has judged his share of food contests.  The ones that really stand out are the chili contests.  You really have to be careful with chili.  Some people like it hot… really hot.  I’ve never really understood why some people like to sweat when they eat.  Oh well.  We all can’t have the same tastes… or tastebuds.

Paul has also tasted a few contest treats over the years.  He has a vivid memory of any ice cream contest.  Poor Paul suffered one of those ice cream headaches.  No doubt our favorite morning weather guy prefers warm weather and warm food.

Well, that’s the dish on how the Good Morning Indiana crew occasionally spends the weekends.  We hope you had a wonderful weekend and got a chance to enjoy some great food with your friends and family.

Those of us on the Good Morning Indiana crew like to focus on the positive aspects of our crazy schedule.  For example, we never have to worry about being in a traffic jam.  We leave the station early in the afternoon, so we can enjoy most of the day and evening with our friends and family.  With gas prices at record levels and inching higher, however, we quickly realized we’re at a disadvantage when it comes to alternative ways to get into work.  We had a story today that predicted gas prices will eventually reach about 7 dollars a gallon.  Needless to say, most Americans will likely find other ways to get where they need to go.  When you work our hours, however, you can’t rely on those other options.  We have quite a few co-workers who ride the bus from Fishers everyday.  Those co-workers work the usual 9 to 5 schedule.  I’d love to eventually see an elevated rail system in Indianapolis, but who knows when or if that will happen.

In the meantime, many Indianapolis residents are easing up on putting the pedal to the metal and finding ways to cut back on other expenses.  My husband and I don’t drive quite as much as we used to and we really don’t eat out much.  Considering the fact we have three small children, I’m sure most restaurant owners are thankful for our absence.

When Tom was running late for work, a few viewers suggested we fly Skycam Six to his hometown to pick him up.  Well, unfortunately with high fuel prices, it would have cost too much to fill the chopper.

I wouldn’t be against carpooling in the morning… as long as the guys picked me up last.

It’s just amazing how quickly things can change.  I never thought the day would come when I’d get pumped about finding gas for $3.93 a gallon.

I am pumped about the weekend, though.  Whether you’re taking a weekend drive or staying close to home, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Well, we had a few seconds of panic on Good Morning Indiana.  I was reading a story when I noticed the monitor behind me… which was supposed to show video… was black.  When I finished the story, I noticed the prompter was blank, as well.  The story Dan was supposed to read wasn’t there.  Paul just walked up to the set and we decided to talk about the weather.  Our producer then told us, via our earpieces, that we had lost everything.  Dan looked down at our anchor desk computer and noticed that the rundown was blank.  I just gave Paul my signature wide-eyed… “let’s just keep going” look and Paul launched into the forecast.

Everything we do is now computerized.  The rundown outlines what’s coming up next and includes scripts and video information.  If it is blank, our computer is blank… and Dan and I are left with blank looks on our faces.  The problem was quickly found.  One of our producers was trying to get the 7:22 news cut-in ready and accidentally erased the 6 a.m. rundown.  We quickly switched things back and the show went on as planned.

I guess it just shows how vulnerable we really are.  Even though we’re a news operation in a major city, one wrong knock on a button and we’re reduced to telling knock-knock jokes.

No… we didn’t try a new format this morning.  If you watched Good Morning Indiana from 5 until about 5:30, you noticed that Paul covered weather and a little traffic information.  Around 5:30 or so, Joni joined us with traffic updates from Skycam Six.  And finally, around 6:17, Tom joined us with a look at traffic patterns.  Unfortunately, our hard-working traffic guy overslept.  Tom says he woke up and thought to himself… “Humm.  I haven’t heard the alarm yet.  Maybe it’s still early.”  Tom looked out his window and noticed a bank clock had the time 4:22.  Not wanting to believe the worse, he checked his cellphone.  Sure enough, it was 4:22.  As many of you know, Tom lives near Cincinnati so there’s no way he could have possibly made it here before 6-o-clock.  Thankfully, Paul and Joni were able to keep our viewers informed until Tom arrived. 

I’m glad that Tom was able to make it here safely.  I always worry about people who oversleep and then try to rush into work.  If your alarm clock doesn’t go off, you can get over it.  If you go off the highway because of excessive speed, you can’t always recover.  And so, I’m glad Tom was able to join us for the last part of the show.  He did comment that the show went by really fast this morning and he rather enjoyed it.

Now Tom should have even more energy this afternoon.  He and Paul are scheduled to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at this afternoon’s Indian’s game.  Dan had the honors recently and said he had a blast.  Just remember, Tom.  I don’t think you can sing the song during the bottom of the 8th inning.  Good luck!

Good Tuesday morning, everyone!  I am back from a family celebration in San Antonio.  My younger sister is now everybody’s sister.  My sister Nicole took her first vows to be a Nun in the Catholic church.

It was a wonderful weekend.  The church was full of people who love my sister.  I was so overwhelmed and proud.  Person after person told me how Nicole is a good friend to them and a wonderful human being.  I had countless older people tell me that my sister is like a daughter to them.  What a testament to the kind of person my sister is!!  My sister may have taken a vow of poverty, but she is truly rich in all the ways that matter.

While it was great to be back in Texas and see lots of family and friends, we had Texas-sized temperatures.  On Saturday, we reached 100 degrees.  The other days we were there, it was 97.  Even my kids commented about how hot it was.  To help the kids cool off and reward them for having to sit through quite a few sit-down events, my dad bought the kids tickets to a Water Resort outside San Antonio.  We took the kids on Sunday afternoon.  It was so much fun.

The kids also enjoyed flying and were pretty well-behaved on the plane.  I always feel bad for the other passengers on the flight.  Let’s face it.  Whenever people see small children boarding the plane, their first thought is usually… Oh, my.  Please tell me those kids aren’t sitting near me.  It’s o-k.  I completely understand.  I was pretty proud of my kids’ behavior, especially during the flight home.

I am especially proud of my sister.  I know that God is going to use her for wonderful things.  He already has.  It’s amazing how many lives she’s touched and how many people love her.  One of the priests at the reception said something that inspired all of us.  He said that while God chose my sister to enter the religious life, we all have a vocation in life.  Whether we’re married, a parent or single, we can all carry out our purpose with a smile in our heart and show others how God’s love works in our lives.  I know my sister has inspired me to be a better person.  I’ve always thought she was special.  Now so many other people know it too.