COMING HOME

  What a great idea. 

   As you may have seen in my special report at 7pm Thursday, HVAF is compiling homecoming stories from veterans. They’re searching for stories from those who have come home from service, and from veterans who’ve found their home after homelessness.  It was my privilege to get a chance to meet with two Indiana veterans who have submitted their incredible stories.   I am humbled and awe-struck, and very grateful to have a job that allows me to tell  their stories to a bigger audience. 

    Here’s the info on how veterans or family members can submit homecoming stories to the HVAF “Coming Home” book mentioned in my Thursday special report. 

    I am told if you are not comfortable writing it yourself you are welcome to have someone help you with the writing process.  They will accept submissions at least through the end of the year.  Once the book is published 100% of the proceeds will go to help HVAF continue to help homeless veterans.

There are several ways you can submit pieces: 

Their website is www.hvaf.org

You can email Courtenay Nold  cnold@hvaf.org for more information.

Or you can send your piece to HVAF of Indiana, INc.

Attn: Courtenay Nold

964 N. Pennsylvania St.

Indianapolis, IN 46204

JOSH PETERS BOOK SIGNING

     The young Iraq war medic with the incredible combat story you heard in the 7pm piece will be signing copies of the book he co-wrote along with a fellow soldier. on Saturday.  I could not put the book down.  

    If you’re interested in picking up a copy of Josh Peters’ book, “Not on My Watch: the 21st Century Combat Medic,” he will be at Mudsock Books and Curiosity Shoppe at 116th and Allisonville in Fishers this Sat., July 12, from 11am-noon. 

ANTHEM PLANS

I will certainly be thinking of all the brave veterans and service men and women as I sing the National Anthem at the Indians game this Saturday night. 

   It’s easy for a singer to get caught up in the vocal difficulty of the piece. I know my performance won’t be on par with Whitney Houston or Faith Hill (Todd says just listen to the Carl Lewis version and I’ll feel better!)  I just hope the spirit of the song helps me overcome any nerves.  Game’s at 7 - I hope Kevin’s rainy forecast doesn’t pan out!

More coming soon.

 Trisha

DEANNA’S PICK

I can’t quite explain or justify my fascination with The Bachelor/ette, so I won’t even try.

The best I can figure is that as someone with quite a lot of responsibility and serious work to get done every day, I crave a frivolous little weekly escape, and in spite of the ridicule of my husband and many co-workers, this habit seems to have stuck. ( I know there are more of you out there - admit it!)

So tonight, I am proud to say - I CALLED IT!!!  Late in the game, granted, but I figured out last week that between Jason, the cute single dad who makes her feel “safe,” and Jesse the free-spirited snowboarder who she finds “exciting,” DeAnna would follow her heart and end up with Jesse (right).

Since I am married to someone who’s occasionally had longer hair, has tattoos, and a non-traditional career (in music), perhaps I sensed her hesitancy to choose someone “safe.”  As sweet and responsible and charming as Jason is, I can see why he isn’t quite exactly her perfect match. She strikes me as someone who’s really independent and confident she can stand on her own two feet - or on someone else’s snowboard - without losing her balance.

Anyhow my intuition helped me win a bet with a co-worker who was a Jason fan (Jennifer R. owes me a Diet Coke!) but I think that’s about it.  Maybe I should be a match maker.

 TODD’S DANCE MOVE

Every once in a while the stress and seriousness of the newsroom erodes, and we have a moment of total childishness.

Tonight, in the midst of one of those conversations too strange to try to explain, Todd busted out his signature dance move.  His one and only dance move.

He insists that no matter how he tries to dance, or what the music is, it comes out the same way.  Fists up near his head, swaying back and forth with a funny expression, with the occasional clap thrown in for good luck - Old school. 

Aren’t you all thankful for my camera phone?

Farewell to Shades

In my last post I mentioned my friend Eric’s tragic loss of the sunglasses he’s had since 1994. This is his last photo witih the beloved specs. Tonight, he shared his tribute:
SHADES OF GLORY
It was my fortune to have worn
The glasses which I now must mourn:

Shades of Glory, ’tis for thee I pine.

Since that night thou didst elope

I find that I can only hope

You rest upon a nobler nose than mine.

You left this world with much to do,

But maybe Ray Charles will fancy you;

(I tell myself you’re in a better place).

I know you would have wished instead

To wrap your frames ’round Bono’s head,

Or e’en to plant yourself on Jack Nicholson’s face.

With twice the power of a tinted monocle, You did dark deeds which I now chronicle And showed the skill to transform day to night.

O ocular guardian, O retinal defender,

O UV warrior, O sunbeam suspender,

While wearing you I never felt too bright!

 
Feel free to pass along condolences - along with your Bachelorette thoughts and dance tips for Todd!

I promise a much more serious entry later this week about a new project I’m working on that will HOPEFULLY help redeem any credibility I’ve lost with tonight’s blog.

Trish

(Thursday night update:  Check out the new photos I just added tonight! I’m also glad to report I am winning the battle against my headache, thanks to some new prescriptions. Thanks, Doctor P!)

I will start by stating the obvious to any of you who’ve read this blog regularly: I adore my kids.

I consider myself a very attached, involved, doting mom, who genuinely gets a thrill out of things like making spaghetti and meatballs out of play-doh, watching t-ball games where base-runners go the wrong way around, cuddling a kid who’s scared of thunder, and reading “Calvin and Hobbes” for the 999th time.

I’ve wanted to be a mom as long as I could remember, and could not wait to start a family once Ian and I got married 7 years ago.

BUT…

I admit - an occasional afternoon or evening without them…can be nothing short of heavenly.

Just like Saturday night was.

With Ian out of town (teaching at band camp!) and our super-nanny throwing a killer popcorn party for the kids at home, I linked up with 4 ADULT friends for a hilarious and beautiful night out at Symphony on the Prairie.

The two couples I went with (yep - I was the fifth wheel) had never met, but as I suspected, hit it off in a heartbeat.

Dean (a music teacher in Avon and Ian’s college roomate from the University of Illinois) provided comic relief all night, and his wife Adrianna wore a perma-grin.

Here’s a self-portrait of Adrianna and I - love that blue sky!

The other couple, my church friends Eric and Andrea, had been kid-free all weekend thanks to doting grandparents.  I lost count of how many times Andrea stopped to look around with this stunned and blissful look on her face, “I am having…the nicest….weekend!!”

Here’s Eric showing off his favorite pair of sunglasses, which he insists were in style when he first got them.  Here’s what he emailed today after realizing he’s finally LOST these precious relics (much to the delight of Andrea)

Eric: The shades were circa 1994, and yes, sadly, they’ve gone to sunglasses heaven.  I feel almost EXACTLY as Tom Hanks’ character did in “Cast Away” when he lost Wilson.  I’ve been working on a tribute to them (and to what was, according to my best estimate, one of the 25-longest relationships in my life). 

Eric, I say just thank the heavens we had a few final tribute photos of your favorite shades, including this precious photo suitable for framing. Stunning (although I think I’ll stick to my pink and brown ones from now on). I will look forward to reading your tribute once you’ve pulled yourself together enough to write it.

Anyway, looking back on this evening, I can’t remember exactly what was said that was so funny, but I know there were several times when I had to choke back loud cackles, worried I’d be tossed out of the Symphony event by some humorless prairie security guard (probably in period dress).

We sent Ian several phone-photos and messages from our heavenly night, trying to explain why exactly we were having such great fun.  Was it the gorgeous weather? The no-kids factor? The seductive Italian music? The tempting spread of food covering our blanket on the lawn? The witty and wild conversation? The bottles of red and bottles of white that kept getting uncorked? (That seemed a probable answer, but too simple)

I think it was a perfect combination of the right people, in the right place, at the right time, getting a much-needed break from the world of sippy cups, Disney movies and goldfish crackers.

And don’t the kids always look a little more precious when you’ve had a few minutes to miss them?

Fellow parents - I’d love to hear your stories of “escapes” if you care to share!

Thanks for reading -

Trish