Just a quick blog to ask you to send positive thoughts and prayers toward a couple of people who could use them.

    Ray Bredemann is our longtime assignment editor at RTV6, known for his resourcefulness, and his commitment to the environment!  The assignment editor is sort of the Grand Central Station of the newsroom, coordinating all the crew assignments, police scanners, story ideas, and endless phone calls, faxes, and emails.  I figured out early on, that if you need directions ANYWHERE, Ray’s the kind of guy who will drop what he’s doing to draw you a map showing every detail down to the door you’ll want to enter and the name of the guy who works at the front desk!

      Every night after the late news, I see Ray loading up the station’s recyclables into his own truck.  One night I thanked him for all he does, and he brushed it off, saying,  “Just taking care of Mother Nature.”  Any time I’m tempted to toss a can into the trash because it’s easier, I think of Ray, and reconsider.

     Anyway, Ray gave us all a pretty big scare several weeks ago when he had a serious seizure at work.  Doctors discovered a brain tumor, which they removed, and he is now undergoing cancer treatment.  He tells me his prognosis is good, and the hardest part is the “mental fog” he feels he’s in, plus having to “slow down to less than 100mph.”     I’m sure Ray and his wife, Sue, would very much appreciate knowing that some viewers are thinking of him and wishing the best.

   Also, keep in your thoughts Bruce from Lebanon, the Iraq war veteran I mentioned in the previous blog about Ian’s surgery.  It turns out he, too, is fighting cancer, quite stoically, while also taking care of his daughter who’s recovering from knee surgery.  I met him only briefly but he made a big impression, and I have a feeling we’ll be keeping in touch for quite some time.   He seems strong and determined to stay positive during a challenging time.

  Thanks for taking time to read.

    I hope you all have a great weekend. Ian, his sore back and I are going back to the gorgeous garden where we were married 8 years ago on April 28, to have a little picnic and pop some champagne (don’t tell the park staff!)   We haven’t been back since that wonderful day, and I can’t wait to have a little peaceful time to reminisce together.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Trish

It figures that on a rainy Monday, most of us could use a little pick-me-up.  Music seems to work for me most of the time, and tonight, I dove into an old box of CD’s to find the cheesiest possible showtunes.  (Yes, I am an OFFICIAL theatre geek, because I do have an entire box of this stuff!)    

     Stuck in a rut?  Stick in the Sondheim and let your mind get totally distracted by the twists and turns.  

   Ugly attitude?  Try a little “Wicked” and get your witchiness out of your system. 

Bummed out or discouraged?  “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” has a pretty good take on what “Happiness” is, even if you’ve tried and failed to kick a football a few times too many.

    But showtunes have their limitations – so I’d love to hear your best “get me out of a funk” recommendations…. (Elvis always welcome!)

In the meantime here are a few new photos of Cal and Clara to help me find some smiles. Kids being kids almost always cheer me up. Maybe they’ll work for you too.

Have a better Tuesday, okay?

Trish

     It’s hard to believe neither my husband nor I have turned 40 yet, but between us we’ve had 3 surgeries in the past year!   Ian just went under the knife today (Tues) for a ruptured disc (yes, ouch) and I’m glad to say he’s doing alright tonight.  He has been in tons of pain for the last two months, most recently walking like an 80-year-old.  Today post-surgery, I would say his hobble looked more like 103-years-old.  Maybe by tomorrow he’ll sink back to 80, then 70, then back behind his drumset feeling a spry 65, and by his 39th birthday this summer I hope his walk matches his actual age!

Calvin and Clara have become little caregivers, softly patting Daddy’s bandage, and carrying him soup and grilled cheese on a tray, and asking “Would you like anything else, sir?” 

      Before I got him home it was a long morning waking up hours before the sun, and waiting, waiting, waiting, in the surgery center.  (Ian’s dad came to town to help get the kids to and from school, etc, thankfully!)  I know I looked pretty bedraggled in that waiting room, but somehow a bunch of people recognized me and struck up some very memorable conversations.   Here’s one moment that I don’t think I’ll forget:

    A tall man wearing an Operation Iraqi Freedom baseball cap spotted me in the crowd and came over to chat.  It turns out he’s a proud dad from Lebanon, accompanying his daughter to surgery.  He said he hoped I’d at least get the night off from work after being there all morning (not quite, as it turned out!)  

    This dad explained his 12-year-old daughter was in for her 2nd knee surgery, and that he had no doubt she’d be absolutely fine.  She’d been a preemie at birth, weighing less than 2 pounds, and had proven her strength more than once.  I told him I went through major surgery at age 13, and while it wasn’t fun at the time, it gave me a sense of toughness and perspective that has really helped me over the years.

      Later I briefly met the man’s daughter, whose eyes lit up, and gave her my words of encouragement. Then I turned to her dad, and acknowledging his hat, asked if he were a veteran. When he replied yes, I stuck out my hand to thank him for his service.   

      That big strong military dad, whose name I did not even know,  did something I would never have expected in a million years.  He hugged me, saying thanks for all the work we journalists do getting soldiers’ stories out to the public.  I told him ours is the easy job - I can’t imagine making the sacrifices people like him and his family have made.  He repeated something I’ve heard from countless soldiers and veterans:  as challenging as it can be to serve, his biggest concern the whole time was for his family back home. 

  Tonight, I’ll be thinking of  that family, and praying that little girl has a speedy recovery, and that her parents can rest easy.  This chance meeting made me realize how awfully thankful I am that my husband made it through the latest bump in our road safely, and that it was us, not our kids, needing operations this year.

Have a great week!

Trisha

Check out these pictures of the newest reporter to hit Indianapolis!!  My daughter, Kennedy.  We had a daddy-daughter date on the same day the Extreme Makeover Team introduced us to Bernard McFarland.  I had to go to work to do the story but I wasn’t about to cancel my time with Kennedy. My wife had an appointment and we had a babysitter issues so, after we saw Sleeping Beauty at Beef and Boards, she accompanied me to 2400 North Oxford Street to meet Bernard (He is a class act!!!)

She was a real champ.  They obviously didn’t have activities for children so she entertained herself with the crews, the camera and, as you can see, the microphone.  A couple hours later, and my little reporter had enough and decided to rest in the comfort of my arms.  There’s nothing better!!!

As for Bernard McFarland, I am so proud of him.  One person truly can make a difference!!!

It’s not nice to come home from a trip to warm, sunny places, and gloat about your tropical getaway to everyone back home – especially when winter forgot to step aside and let spring finally get its turn for good.

So I’ll keep it short.

We’ve been away. 

It was very nice.

A small spring break family reunion in the sun of sorts, thanks to my very generous (and organized) parents.

Cal and Clara consumed their weight in ice cream and swam until they started to grow gills.

One person on the trip (who shall remain nameless) consumed his weight in Long Island Iced teas and had an equally blissful time.

New sibling (and sib-in-law) bonds were formed.

Cousins played and grandparents glowed.

And my cluttered mind found a - gasp – moment of clarity one day in the ocean.

If you try to keep your footing at the edge of the ocean, the waves will keep pulling the sand out from under you.  If you wade out a little deeper and just relax, riding with the waves instead of struggling against them, you’ll have a lot more fun and a much more extraordinary experience.

Chew on that metaphor – I’m going to keep picturing that sun as we ride this wintry wave.

Have a great week!

Trish