(7-21-08 update: a couple of new photos added at the bottom!)

Well, I haven’t bumped into Coach Dungy in quite a while, but I have been awfully busy.  There are all kinds of bits and pieces of stories I’ve wanted to share with you that certainly don’t fit into newscasts, so here goes nothing.

FISH FILLET FIXATION

   Someone PLEASE help Todd stop himself.  He is suddenly addicted to McD’s Fish sandwiches.  He knows he has a problem. Help him if you can - I’m sure his wife Valarie will thank you too.

TODD AND…. TRISHA CLARA

  My 2 and a half year old daughter is very interested in my work.  (Not so much the news part, I hate to admit, but the fact that I fix my hair and put on makeup and jewelry and fancy shoes every day.) One night before she went to bed I called to talk to her and she asked Todd and I to send a picture - so this is what she got.

     Clara is especially fascinated by the necklaces (”pretty beads!” I wear to work.  Sometimes she puts on her own beads and drags her plastic laptop out, announcing that she is going to work.  You go, girl.

   One night last week I came home wearing a silver necklace.  Clara told me, “Mommy, that’s beautiful!  I will wear it when I’m a grown up and I go to work with Todd.”   

  So now my daughter is after my job, and Todd’s going to have to commit to at least another 20-30 years in this role to make her dream come true.

THE PLAY’S THE THING

       As an admitted theatre geek, I am proud to say my little guy, Calvin, just finished his first play!!  Yes - he was the only boy at acting camp, much to his dismay. (”The girls were kissing me!” he confessed.  Ian’s still trying to convince him that some day he won’t complain about that.)

     By being the only man in the group, he landed two key roles in two little shows they did:  here he’s the prince rescuing Rapunzel from her tower.  I only have shaky home video (shaking because I was choking back laughter) of his other role - the Big Bad Wolf that tried to eat Little Red Riding Hood.  He delivered his lines loud and clear, making a terrifying villain AND a charming prince. 

  WORKING MOM MIRACLE

      By the way, the fact that I was there to see this Tony-worthy performance in person seems miraculous and I must thank my understanding supervisor and Todd for making it possible.  The “show” was held in the mid-afternoon, treacherously close to the 5pm news deadline, yet I got the okay to be there.  It means the world and then some to be able to have a job I love AND be able to be there for my kids at these kinds of important occasions.  I LOVE working with people who get how important that is.

BLACK EXPO EVENT

     Todd and I along with Erika Flye and Derrik Thomas had a chance to stop by a Media Reception held as part of the Black Expo Summer Celebration.  Being in a room full of so many talented journalists and media employees made me appreciate once again how awesome it is to work in such a diverse newsroom within such a diverse city.  It’s inspiring to be surrounded by trailblazers in this industry - kudos to the award recipients, keynote speaker Amos Brown,  and the organizers of a wonderful event! I was honored to be invited.

     LOOK MA, NO TRAINING WHEELS

   It’s official.  As of this weekend I no longer have a little boy I have a big kid.  My husband Ian gets the credit for getting him to conquer this milestone.

Kindergarten starts in less than a month. 

  I must remember to stock up on Kleenex.

MONKEY BUSINESS

George and Clara make quite a pair.

I love this kid’s sense of humor!

     I will add this one to my “sign collection” - ridiculous photos of friends and family members ( and sometimes myself) posing next to odd signs and statues.  I’ve been doing this since I was probably 13 and haven’t gotten sick of it yet.

  JURASSIC KIDS

      Cal and Clara and their lookalike cousin, Jackson, became a family of dinosaurs nesting at the Children’s Museum! 

    My parents brought the little guy down from Chicagoland for a weekend visit so they could beef up my cheering section when I sang the anthem at Saturday’s Indians game!  I’m so glad the rain held off just long enough for an inning of ball (exactly the limit of the 3 kids’ attention spans).   

   My Auntie Corky was also there taking tons of photos, so if she sends them my way I’ll paste them in here.  ( 7-21-08 update: HERE THEY ARE - she sent me no less than 98 photos. Wow.  You can thank me for sharing just these two - the scoreboard, and Clara’s popcorn grin!)

    Seeing all the kids together was really fun. And really exhausting.  Jackson’s feet never stop moving.

 WHO ARE YOU??

   Finally, I’d love to hear from some of you who read but don’t usually comment.  Who are you? where do you live and work? Why do you watch 6news or read our blogs?  Any burning questions?  Really, I’m curious!

Thanks for reading.

Trish

  I had to go back to Maryland a couple of weeks ago to settle some issues regarding my mother’s estate.  It was not necessarily a trip I was looking forward too but my mood quickly changed when I bumped into my favorite coach.  That’s right, Tony dungy!!! He was also traveling to Maryland so we flew on the same plane. 

  He was so unassuming, humble and friendly.  I meet a lot of people as a tv journalist, but I have to admit I was a little starstruck.  We talked about our respective trips, family and, of course, the Colts. All I’ll say is he’s feeling good about this year’s team. 

  After we spoke and posed for a picture (Look at my daughter.  It looks like she’s a fan too) I began to think about why he is so successful and is able to connect with his players.  He has a gentle but commanding way about him.  It’s not that you think he’ll yell. If I were on his team, the last thing I would want to do is disappoint coach Dungy.  That would be far worse than any shouting match.

  We have a great team in Indianapolis.  But I have to say it’s the coach who is truly first class!

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