40 years is a looooooooooooong time!

Hi, everyone!
I'm back at work after a trek west to Chadron, NE. I apologize for not keeping you "in the loop" prior to leaving, but my folks didn't know I was going home and I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Last Sunday marked 40 years of marriage for my parents, which I find amazing. You may remember from earlier posts that the Moodys spent most of the summer galavanting around the country, which is part of the reason it was challenging to plan an anniversary party for them. I think we will have a big bash next summer, before they pack up and move to Arizona.
ANYWAY . . . the first evening I was home, we went to Chadron State Park - here's the fam.


We went to the park to hang out with my Aunt Kay Lynn and Uncle Carl . . . here they are standing in front of their home on wheels. This rig is ENORMOUS. You would not want to be on the road if I was behind the wheel!

The next night, we rode a dinner train to celebrate my folks 40th wedding anniversary. From left to right, Colleen Harvey, me, mom, dad, Bev Stitt, Rob Harvey. Colleen knew I was coming home and planned this outing . . . she and her husband are owners of the dinner train.

Nebraska buttes . . . see, the entire state doesn't look exactly like what you see when you drive through on I-80!

My mom and Colleen . . .
Bev and I had chocolate martinis for dessert . . . yum! Mrs. Stitt was my high school English teacher and she's like an aunt to me (for lots of reasons that would be too complicated to explain in this post) . . . anyway, she's the best!
Pretty sunset . . .
A final toast for Larry & Cheryl! My uncle is an engraver and he gave them a really cool set of glasses and bottle of champagne engraved with their names and wedding date - what a nice keepsake!

I really wish I had an old picture from August 27th, 1966 to post here - but I don't know how to do that. Maybe my Aunt Kay Lynn can send me one . . . she's the techie/historian in our family. It's pretty neat to look at that stuff, and talk to people about what was going on back then. We watched the video from that day when I was home, and it was a riot. Kay Lynn was pregnant with my cousin Michelle (the one who introduced me to Joan Jett), all of my grandparents were still alive, and my dad was really skinny and kindof looking like he might throw up. :) A lot has changed in forty years (particularly my mom's hair - it was long and blond then), but I think a lot of things have stayed the same . . . like the way my folks laugh together. Maybe that's one of the "secrets" to a long-lasting marriage. What do you think?

Iowa State Fair hangover

If you've spent any time at the fair "on the clock" you know what I mean.
I love the fair.
However . . .
If you are there for long periods of time as a food vendor, a 4-Her, a ticket taker, an entertainer, a radio host, a bartender, a tv reporter, etc . . . you are two things when it's over.
Exhausted.
And bloated.
These are some highlights from two days at the Iowa State Fair.

Here's Dave Price moments after throwing poop in the annual cow chip throwing contest. If he doesn't look very happy, it's because he's watching his chip hit a tree. Don't worry Dave, there's always next year!

And this is the whole Channel 13 gang after the event. I really wanted pics of Kerry Kavanaugh doing this, because she's a novice. When we were picking out our chips she asked one of the organizers, "Do you have gloves?" She's from Boston, what do you expect? I performed horribly. One of my good friends who saw the video accused me of
throwing like a "girlie girl" and she's right, it was ugly. Our 10pm producer Maggie threw her poo a lot farther than Kerry and me, although none of us managed to place. But as you can see, we got participant ribbons and boxes of candy! By the way, the fudge inside is shapped like a pile of "you know what."

Later that day, I spent some time with the Pork Producers. This is my new friend Dana, who really knows how to grill chops! Unfortunately, I made my way here after eating Chicken on a Stick, a smoothie, a corndog, a funnel cake, another Chicken on a Stick . . . you're probably starting to understand why I wrote that the State Fair hangover includes being bloated!

Look who else was hanging out with the Pork Producers . . . Chief Weatherman Ed Wilson! Why is he wearing an apron? He sure didn't cook our meal that night!

It is always a riot doing live tv in a crowded place with a guy like Ed. Folks go nuts when they see him. A lady who is probably my mom's age just kept hugging him and telling him how much she loves him. Never a dull moment!

The final day of the fair ("Extreme Sunday") is what I had been waiting for, and not because of the half price admission . . . but because of JOAN JETT!!!

I love Joan Jett. The first 45 I ever bought with my allowance money was "I Love Rock & Roll." I think I was in kindergarten. I think my mom might still have the record somewhere. I don't have any siblings, but my cousins are all older than me and it was my cousin Michelle who introduced me to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. Thank you, Michelle!

Sadly, there were a gazillion people jammed around the Riley State, and I only got this view because a nice man let me jump up on the bleacher next to him to take a picture.

Here's a lady who probably looks familiar to a lot of you. It's Heather Burnside from KGGO! Heather spent EVERY SINGLE DAY at the fairgrounds this year. Here she is with her friend Regg, head coach and general manager of the Des Moines Buccaneers.
This is my friend Amy. We went to school together at Drake, which means we are at a point in our lives where we cringe when thinking about how long ago that was!

And here's Regg again! Never met him before, but any friend of Burnside's is a friend of mine!

Can you see Joan Jett in this picture? That's what I thought. Probably because she is a little, tiny woman about the size of Jeriann Ritter (speaking of JR - we were supposed to meet up, but could never find each other... the crowd was crazy). Joan should've been standing on some sort of huge platform for this event. The good news is, she sounded incredible. Little woman, enormous voice. Her band is great, too.

Who are these people?!?!?
This couple on the left . . . no idea. I took the picture because they were dancing like maniacs. I don't think they know each other, because the girl walked away and the guy kept dancing like that with any female in close proximity. Whatever works for ya, buddy!

I do know this lovely couple. It's 10 o'clock producer Maggie, with her boyfriend Garrett. After hearing Joan belt out "I Love Rock & Roll" these two strolled the fairgrounds and reappeared with this amazing work of art.
You can kindof see Joan here . . . only because I cropped and zoomed this photo to death.

More mob scene . . .

And finally, time to call it quits.
We are bruised from fighting the crowd, bloated from all the food on a stick, and sweaty from dancing it off. It's a good thing we only do this once a year!

I know, I know . . .

I'm doing this blogging thing less and less frequently.
There will be a new posting this week, I promise!
Thanks for your patience,
EK

Kids are a lot of work!

I'm back . . . sorry about ditching the blog for the newscasts. This is a picture of my friend Brenda, her little girl Myka and me at Chuck E. Cheese last Saturday. That place is nuts! All of your senses are assaulted the minute you walk in the door, and I think they must put speed in all of the foods and beverages that kids consume because the little people get really wound up at this joint.


Brenda ("Brennie" to me) and I have been friends since we were in kids . . . got to be really good friends in high school when she helped me pass horrid classes like Chemistry and I helped her with English assignments. It's hard to believe that's been fifteen years ago. Oye. I've been to visit Brenda and her husband and kids a few times, but she hasn't been to Des Moines since my wedding (nearly five years ago), so she decided it was time to come see us. We had a great weekend, but I quickly learned that there is NO DOWN TIME when you have two kids, ages five and two.




Of course, my friend Courtney (Maxwell) Greene already knows this. Here she is at the psycho kids palace/parents spend gobs of money joint with her oldest daughter, Rachel.



And here's Myka again (making a goofy face) with Courtney's youngest - Samantha. They are so stinkin' cute! Did I mention that by this point in the night I was almost in a coma because I was so tired?



I was so tired, I'd stopped chasing Brady around. That's why there aren't any pictures of him during our outing. He was busy bouncing from the semi driver game, to skee ball, then on to motorcycle riding and shooting baskets. So - here is a picture of Brady on a slide instead. Nice hat, dude! Go Huskers!

Sunday morning, the thing that woke me up was a sweet little voice saying, "When is Erin getting out of bed?" and my cat hissing. The little people had been awake for two hours, and I was still unconscious. I managed to haul myself out of bed and down to the kitchen, where my husband had the kids set up with "Captain Crunchberry" cereal and juice boxes. I made a beeline for the coffeepot. After consuming a disturbing amount of caffiene I played with the kids and Michael made breakfast and we had a fun morning. A few hours later, Brennie hit the road. We immediately went back to bed. This kid stuff is hard work! Big fun, but exhausting.

An old friend & her kids come to visit

This will be brief, because it is 4:27:17 and I need to get ready for the five o'clock newscast.
This photo is of Myka, Brady and Ethan. Myka and Brady belong to my friend Brenda, and Ethan is my friend Kim's little boy. Myka, Brady and Brenda came to Des Moines from Nebraska for a visit last weekend. More news about that tonight. Needless to say, I'm still tired.