It's more than a three day weekend

Growing up, Memorial Day meant two things. Visiting my Grandpa Gene's grave, and handing out poppies. I know that this holiday is meant to honor those who've died while serving our country, but in my family we also honored people like my grandfather - who survived World War II.

In uniform

With my Grandma Susan, my mom and younger sister Shelia

Susan & Gene

1970

My Grandpa Gene died when I was five. Unfortunately, some of my most vivid memories of him are during hospital visits when he was suffering from emphysema. There are a lot of great stories about Grandpa (particularly his sense of humor) but like a lot of World War II veterans he didn't share much about his experiences overseas. In spite of that, there was always a feeling of pride surrounding his service, and we honored that by visiting the cemetery on holidays like this one.

Some of you may be familiar with the Memorial Day poppy. When I was a kid, my friend Jessica and I would pass them out during the Memorial Day parade in Chadron. Jessica's Grandpa Jerry was also a veteran, and very involved in the American Legion and VFW. I don't know that we had a very firm grasp on the meaning of the poppies, but we knew giving them out in exchange for donations was a good cause.

If you didn't buy a poppy, or visit a friend or loved one's grave on this Memorial Day - at least take a moment to reflect on how blessed we Americans are, and how much of that is because of men and women who sacrificed their lives.

Shameless self promotion

Just a quick post before the weekend hits . . .

Sonya Heitshusen has a great series coming up that you really should make a point of watching.
It's about this young woman, Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Jamie Jaenke, who served as a reservist with the Seabees.

You may remember hearing about Jaenke, as she was one of only two Iowa women to be killed in the war. She was killed last summer by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Sonya's story is about Jamie's sacrifice, and the loved ones left behind. Susan Jaenke is Jamie's mother - she's raising Jamie's daughter Kayla. Because of the way the law is written, a $100,000 death benefit is locked up in trust and cannot be touched until Kayla turns 18. You may've seen a few news stories about this, or read about it in the paper but you haven't seen and heard parts of the Jaenke's story that are heartbreaking, and incredibly frustrating. Sonya's reports air Sunday and Monday during our 10pm newscasts. We hope you'll make a point of watching, and that you'll let us know what you think.

Coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll be bringing you the story of a couple from Perry. These folks have been dealing with cancer for the past three years, and have been caught up in a long fight with their insurance company. I'm finding out that their struggle is not unique. Toshia and Ivyl are great people, and I think our stories with them will give you some insight into how the health insurance claims, denials and appeals process works.

Speaking of which, I need to get some more writing done before our early shows. Enjoy this fantastic weather and have a wonderful weekend!

Erin

Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

A wedding, and old friend, and a baptism

I feel like I'm still recovering from a very busy weekend!
First, a wedding. Our friends Troy & Amy tied the knot Saturday night. The ceremony and reception were held at the Johnston Barn. I'd never been there before, and it made for a really neat setting. The only downside . . . no air conditioning. My husband was a soggy mess by the time we left! I would always rather be too hot, than too cold so it didn't bother me. Weddings and weather can make for an interesting mix. On our wedding day it was freezing, and windy. I've heard some horrible stories about how the weather ruined wedding days - do you have any to share? Hindsight being 20/20, I really wish we'd done something very small. Planning a huge wedding and reception is stressful, and a lot of work!
After leaving the reception, I got to see an old tv friend who now lives in Kansas City. He was back in Des Moines to visit his mom on Mother's Day (how sweet). I was struck by the fact that it's great to have people in your life who you can pick up with as if a day hasn't passed since you've talked or seen each other. That's how it is with my friend Michael. Plus, he is absolutely hysterical and I end up laughing constantly when we're together.
Sunday was a big day - we had a baptism to attend Sunday evening for Baby O!

Here's Olivia decked out in her baptism best!

Proud parents!
Father Jim Kiernan baptizing Olivia.

I've mentioned Father Jim in previous posts . . . he is my husband's uncle. He married all four Kiernan boys to their wives, and now handles all baptisms. Yep, he is a busy guy - even though he's officially retired! The service was held at Saint Patrick's Church in Madison County. It's where the Kiernans grew up, and where we got married so there are a lot of neat memories there. Guess what - I don't think there is air conditioning there, either! So, we had a busy - and sweaty weekend.

Finally, be sure to tune in every night this week at 10 o'clock, for Kerry Kavanaugh's special reports "From Mexico to Marshalltown."

Thanks for watching & reading!

Erin

Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Birthdays!

I was with very special people as they celebrated significant birthdays last weekend.
The first party was Saturday night, in honor of Sonya Heitshusen's big day. I won't reveal her age (you can ask her), but on the card I gave her I wrote "You're still as hot as ever, making ?? look great!" I forgot my camera, so no pics from that birthday bash. Needless to say, it was a great time.
The next day I drove through what felt like life-threatening thunderstorms to get to Omaha for my Great Aunt Louise's 90th birthday party. It was worth it.

Here's Aunt Louise with her daughter (my mom's cousin) Pam

Aunt Louise blowing out candles (I wonder what she wished for?)

Aunt Louise with her youngest brothers, twins Bruce & Brent

First, a brief story about my Great Grandma Edith Johnson and her children. My Grandma Susan was the oldest, followed by Louise. They were both born in a sod house in Nebraska. Then came Wayne, Err and June. According to family legend, most people thought that was it. That is until my Great Grandma found out she was pregnant (again) at the age of 45! She saw a doctor just once during her entire pregnancy, and it was quite a shock when not one, but TWO babies arrived! First of all - can you imagine giving birth to your first two children in a house made out of dirt?!?! Second, can you imagine having twins when you already have five kids, and you're 45?!?! Incredible (to me, anyway). There are a lot of great stories from my extended family about life on the farm, and Aunt Louise shared some of them on Sunday. At one point, the rest of us were talking about our first jobs, how old we were, and how much we got paid. Louise pipes up and says, "I remember my first job. It was papa saying, grab your boots and a pail, there's milking to do!" We asked how old she was at the time as she said, "Probably about six." My Grandma Susan used to tell stories about helping papa kill chickens. Talk about earning your keep!

There's more to share, but I'm up against deadline once again.

Thanks for the comments and emails - feel free to share some of your birthday and family stories.

Erin

Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

A busy weekend that didn't go as planned

Hi gang . . . sorry for the delay, I keep getting sidetracked while trying to blog.
First, thanks for the great feedback on kids, and kid-related questions. I received a lot of emails after my last post, and all of you contributed very thoughtful comments. Keep 'em coming, and feel free to share on the blog!
This will likely be brief, as we're getting close to newstime.
Last weekend, Michael and I had planned to do yardwork and projects around the house, and not much else. We didn't make it to Peggy's, but our cleanup on Saturday was interrupted by a phone call from Jon Cahill inviting us to Carl's Place. For those of you who've never been, Carl's is the kind of place where not much is required in the way of appearance. So, even though neither one of us had showered all day, and we were stinky and had dirt under our fingernails - we went to meet some of the Channel 13 crew. It was a nice outing, followed by a trip to Hooters with our friends Chad and Kim to eat wings. Yes, another nutritious meal for the Kiernans. Sigh.
ANYWAY . . . a typical Sunday night for us is comprised of making a decent dinner (wow!) and watching our HBO shows. Jon Cahill is to blame for disrupting that ritual. He hosted a grill out at his house and of course we had to be there! It was a great night. Beautiful weather, great food and wonderful friends (I was tickled to see Jeriann Ritter and her boyfriend two nights in a row. . . our opposite schedules make it hard to have many social outings). There were a lot of new faces there too, which made for interesting conversation. One of the best parts (to me) was hearing young people talk about how much they like living in Des Moines and how exciting it is to watch all of the new development taking place downtown and in neighborhoods like ours. What do you love about living here (or wherever you live)? Let us know.
The worst part of the night was me sitting in sap. That's right - sap. It's seeping out of Cahill's deck in places, and of course that's right where I sat. I figured my pants were ruined, but not so! Becaue of the sap incident, I'd like to tell you about my new, all time favorite cleaning product . . . Oxyclean. This stuff is amazing. Granted, I scrubbed the snot out of my pants with the stuff before throwing them in the washer, but the bottom line is - the sap is gone! I know I'm a dork for being so excited, but I can't stand throwing away money so I'm thrilled that my clothing has been salvaged and I don't need to go shopping for new khakis. Do you have any miracle products you'd like to tell the group about? If so, post away!
Alright, I'm out of time here . . . I hope all of you had a great weekend, and that you're enjoying the gorgeous weather.
Later!
EEK