You know it’s a true vacation when you forget your hairbrush and decide you don’t care. Didn’t matter. The ocean breeze would’ve undone any hairdo anyway. (jealous yet - sorry!!!)

If you’re an avid 6news viewer you may have noticed I was off for a few days.   My husband Ian and I took a long weekend to go to a friend’s wedding.  Now he’s a good enough friend that we would’ve made the trip WHEREVER he and his bride decided to take the plunge… but it certainly didn’t hurt that the bride and groom’s location of choice was in a warm, beachside location!  

We love you even more, Mike and Jamie.

     I’ve never spent a winter anywhere BUT the Midwest. From Chicago, to Green Bay, to Champaign, to Des Moines,  I’ve survived plenty of nasty winters, but this year got to me a little more than usual.  There wasn’t all that much snow, it was the GRAY that was killing me. 

    Sweating in the sun, listening to the waves crash, while sipping a fruity cocktail, never sounded so good. And it was.

    Even better was the fact that some of the coolest and funniest people I know (such as Stephanie and her husband, Nadas singer-guitarist Jason pictured here) were all assembled at this same beach - most of us thanks to generous parents watching our kids back home!

    The groom, Mike,  is one of the singers in the band Ian drums for, the Nadas, so in addition to consuming record amounts of tequila, the group pretty much commandeered the karaoke bar one night, much to the horror of some Canadian guys who told us, “You’re not supposed to do karaoke if you’re actually GOOD!  Just our luck a bunch of musicians would show up here!”

   I got to practicar mi espanol, catch up on sleep, soak up some sun, laugh with my husband, bond with friends, and have time to miss my kids (I’m pretty sure more than they missed me).   It was absolutely awesome. I don’t think we’ve ever blown our tax return money so wisely.

   So hopefully I’ve carried a little bit of that beach relaxation back here to Indiana - now that spring is finally arriving things are looking up!

  One more side note - any Bachelor fans recognize this guy?  Bachelor Bob from a past season was in the airport - Ian actually spotted him, much to his own horror. (Todd agrees, Ian loses a few “cool” points for admitting it - I’m sure he’ll tell everyone I forced him to watch at gunpoint).  Bachelor Bob was very nice to us, in spite of my bedraggled “I’ve been in an airport for way too long” appearance.

 Alright - back to work - the Obama-Clinton debate is going and I need to watch. But I will keep my beach pictures handy in case I need a break from all the TV station noise and vanilla-colored wall in front of my desk.

Write in if you have a good getaway tale to tell - or if you just need a mental break!

Trish

I was so struck by a story in our newscast tonight I felt I needed to pass along more information to moms!

ABC reported an incredible story of a new mom from Pittsburgh who died suddenly. She had been passionate about making sure her preemie daughter, Isabella, had breastmilk to increase her odds of thriving.  After her death, friends rallied around the family, and connected with the International Breast Milk Project, to provide baby Isabella with donated breast milk.  Now the baby is well enough to go home with her grateful dad. 

  I looked up the website - IBMP mainly provides breastmilk to AIDS orphans in Africa.  Yes - even if you’re here in Indiana, you can donate.  They check out your medical history, have you do some testing, and will ship you coolers and even provide a pump if you need one.

   If you are a nursing mom or know someone passionate about breastfeeding who might be interested, here’s the info.  http://www.breastmilkproject.org/hiw_faq.php

And if you’ve ever donated and would like to share your experience , I’d love to hear from you!

Take care of yourself and thanks for reading -

Trisha

One of the blessings and curses of being a journalist is the gnawing curiosity that you carry around.  Especially when you meet fascinating people. 

I have a hard time just playing it cool and making small talk.  I want to cut to the chase and jump to the big, probing questions - usually not because I’m chasing a story - I just really want to understand them.

   Ian’s late Grandmother Andresen shared this inquisitive quality, to the extreme.  She was famous for “interviewing” everyone she came across - waitresses, cab drivers, the usher in church, fellow guests at a wedding, you name it.  Somehow she could charm almost everyone into revealing the innermost working of their souls in the space of about 10 minutes.  She was remarkable. An outing with her might push a few social boundaries, but it was NEVER, ever dull.  I told her she would have made a wonderful journalist. 

     Well the other night, I met someone with such an interesting past, I absolutely could not stop myself from getting nosy.  Ian and I were invited out to dinner by a new friend (and luckily for us steakhouse co-owner!) who met us while Ian was playing drums with a local jazz band.   He brought along with him former racecar driver Derek Daly and his wife, Rhonda.  http://www.motorvationllc.com/

    You may have heard or seen Derek as a broadcast analyst for motorsports here in Indy.  He was born in Ireland (which means he still has that wonderful brogue!) and developed an impressive racing career in Formula One and later the CART series, including many Indy 500 races. 

  I guess the normal questions would have been, how did you get started, or what were some great moments in your career???  For some reason though, that’s not what I had to find out.  My first question to my new acquaintance:  “How do you become a former racecar driver?  Once it’s in your blood, how do you know when to stop?”

     My perspective might be a little skewed. I am married to someone so passionate about his career that he says he’d keep playing drums even if he were hooked up to oxygen with no arms and had to fasten a drumstick onto his head.   But then again Ian’s music career doesn’t come with the same obvious physical risks and grueling competition as racing.

   Derek said after surviving a terrible crash, and going on to win his first major competition, he realized the thrill of standing on that winner’s block wasn’t what he’d always imagined it would be.  He had become a father, and realized that he could no longer pour so much of himself into his beloved sport.  It was time to branch out, and find other outlets for his passion.

    I’m glad I asked. 

After that conversation a part of song from the musical Wicked (one of my obsessions) kept running through my head:

   Getting your dreams it’s strange but it seems a little, well, complicated

There’s a kind of a sort of - cost.

There’s a couple of things get lost. There are bridges you cross you didn’t know you’ve crossed until you’ve crossed.

And if that joy, that thrill

Doesn’t thrill like you think it will

Still, with this perfect finale, the cheers and the ballyhoo

Who wouldn’t be happier? So I couldn’t be happier…

Because happy is what happens when all your dreams come true.

Isn’t it?

Got a show to do now - thanks for reading.

Trish

..

THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE.

When the NCAA basketball tournament kicked off on March 20, I filled out my bracket with no real expectation of coming close to picking a winner. This year, I simply didn’t follow college basketball nearly as closely as I usually do. After that first weekend, I only remembered a few teams I had chosen - and they lost. I figured I had no chance. But when I came in that following Monday, guess who was in first place. Yup!! Yours truly!!! I’m still not quite sure how I did it, but I was number one in a contest that has over 100 participants. Not bad. My points were big. And my head grew even BIGGER!!! I started believing my own hype. I mercilessly teased a friend of mine at the station. “Hey Aaron,” I would yell. “We’re both in first place. I’m in first! And you’re in twenty-FIRST. Ha! Ha! Ha!” I admit it. I was nothing short of obnoxious.

THEN….. CAME….. THURSDAY!!!

When Stanford lost to Texas, and Memphis kept on rolling, I knew things weren’t looking good. Then Tennessee lost to Louisville. And I don’t even want to discuss my picks in the Midwest region because that’s a complete mess! Let’s just say I have dropped from first place to…. uh.. 27th. (Actually it’s a tie for tenth. But so many people are tied for first, second, etc.. that my name is 27th. Does it really matter? I don’t think I have a chance.) What’s even worse, I sure got what was coming to me. My good friend Aaron just smiles. It’s not that he’ll win. He’s only jumped to 19th. But I’m pretty sure he’ll beat me.

THE LESSON I’VE LEARNED?

Don’t brag? Remain humble? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch? Maybe.

But you can also “bet” I will follow the season a lot better next year. And for that bracket, hopefully that lesson will hopefully “pay off!”

By the way, I have UCLA over North Carolina in the final. We’ll see.

       Yes, Jo Frost’s show on ABC is reality television - meant to entertain an audience and capture ratings.  But when I met her in January it couldn’t have been clearer - the British Supernanny is dead serious about her true mission:  to awaken and educate struggling families across America.   I applaud her for that!  Parenting doesn’t make headline news every night, but it’s something I’m passionate about getting into more public discussions.  The more we hide our struggles, the heavier they feel.  Get ‘em out there, and we all learn something. (at least I hope)

       Tonight (Weds at 9pm) the epsiode filmed with the Addis family in Noblesville airs.  I interviewed the family for reports that air in our newscasts tonight, to find out what the experience was like.  while they say the process was tough, Leslie Addis says the results were well worth it. “Night and day,” she told me, from their life before Jo.

       This family’s story involves two really complex and tough issues:  a death in the family, and a mother’s struggle to find confidence.  Leslie (a mother of four) has a very well-meaning mother, Charity, who also lives in the home. Chariy confessed to me that she was unknowingly shaking Leslie’s confidence, by questioning her parenting decisions.  In an effort to be helpful, she basically rendered her adult daughter helpless.   Charity had tears in her eyes as she described to me how grateful she is to Jo for pointing this out.

       It really got me thinking about how many of my friends have struggled with this same issue, even with our mothers living in different homes or even different states.  Who hasn’t had a moment when you KNOW that your parenting decision, isn’t the one they would have made.  You feel their scrutiny, spoken or not, and doubt begins to gnaw.  Even the most understanding, supportive, and well-meaning parents can sometimes make us worry that “we’re not doing it right.”

       When we first moved to Indiana, we went through some pretty draining parenting struggles as we helped our kids  (Calvin, 5 and Clara, 2) adjust to the move, a totally new neighborhood, new schools, upside-down schedules, and a heightened stress level at home.   I knew it would be tough on them, but it was more intense than I expected.

    When we had visits from the various grandparents, some of what they saw was not pretty to say the least.  Ian and I were learning on the fly how to cope with the new obstacles, sometimes by trial and error, but held firm to our own techniques.  We knew it would take time and commitment to work through it all, and that while we were very aware that our own parents may have handled the struggles quite differently, we had to get through this our way. 

     I’m so glad to say we got over the hill, or broke through the clouds, or whatever metaphor you want to use, and things are much sunnier nowadays.  Upon seeing how great things are going for the kids now, my Dad said something that I’ll probably never forget.    “Whatever you guys did, it worked.”

There’s probably nobody I want to impress more than my own parents. That kind of affirmation is absolutely priceless.

I hope you’ll watch the show tonight and share your own stories and thoughts here.  I look forward to hearing from you!!

Trish

PS -  If you watch tonight’s episode, notice the lack of any product labels or artwork on walls!  Leslie tells me the ABC crew had to tape over any logos (even on her cans of Dr. Pepper!) and remove any art that could copyrighted.  The family also wore the same outfit for several days in a row to help the editors with continuity. Fascinating!