Monday

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
I am getting really sick of this dreary weather - how about you? Right now I'm looking out the window at the gray sky, thinking a nap sounds wonderful. Sonya mentioned seasonal affective disorder last week and I'm thinking a lot of us have a bit of that going on right now.

It truly feels like Monday. Here's a funny quote I just found about this day of the week: "Monday is a lame way to spend 1/7 of your life." ~Author Unknown

Also lame ... spilling an entire glass of red wine all over cream colored pants. Thank God for Spray & Wash. Pants saved.

Not lame - having a husband who can fix almost anything. My folks' golf cart broke down when Michael and I were out for a ride one night. We had to push it about a mile. From what I can gather online, most electric golf carts weigh about 600 pounds. Not exactly a romantic outing. Our assumption was that the cart needed new batteries, but Michael kept investigating because the lights still worked. He ended up finding the problem - a blown battery cable. The next morning he went to Auto Zone, got a new cable and had the cart repaired in no time. Whew!

There are TONS of Iowa people in Arizona. Every time I've been there visiting my parents I meet snowbirds who watch Channel 13 - this time a lovely couple from Indianola. What a small world.

THIS JUST IN! Baby Fales has arrived. Congrats to Andy and Kahala.

Have a great week,
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

A great getaway

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
What a shock to the system ... enjoying 90s and sunshine in Arizona and returning to 40s and rain in Iowa. Ugh.


Here are my folks enjoying some pool time. Swimming is one of the activities the physical therapists recommend for my dad on the days he doesn't work out with them.

Even though we did spend some time swimming, we also did a fair amount of lounging. I love my dad's shirt. My mom got him this one and one that reads "Every day is training day" at Target.

We soaked up some rays during the day and went out for dinner at night. Aren't my folks cute in their matching shirts?

Michael and I aren't as coordinated.

One of the many fun moments we had was when Dad opened this gift. He loves the movie "A Christmas Story" so when Michael spotted the infamous leg lamp in Walgreens he bought it for him. It's been sitting in a box in a corner at my parents' house since mid-December, "fragile" stickers and all.

Michael was in charge of assembling "The Major Award" and Mom actually put it in the window of the den. Hilarious.

We had a wonderful time - it just went too fast. I am so grateful for the recovery my dad is making and for the prayers and words of support from many of you. Treasure the time you have with your loved ones. If I've learned anything during the past year it's that life can change in an instant and we shouldn't take anything (or anyone) for granted.

Thanks for stopping by,
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

A late, and very random post

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
Today has flown by and I haven't accomplished nearly what I wanted to ... including tending to the blog.

How about the weather this weekend?!?! I hope you had a chance to enjoy what felt like summer. I confess, I turned on the AC ... how 'bout you?

Sonya, Andy and I ate food more suited to fall and winter on Friday night, and lots of it! We were judges for a chili contest that served as a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I lost track of how many different concoctions (both chili and cornbread) we tasted but by the end of the night all of us felt like we were going to explode! As you know, Sonya has raised money for LLS for many years. She's doing it again this year with Team in Training. To help her, check out her webpage: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ia/malibutr11/sdheits4589
Another great way to help LLS is through the Man, Woman, Celebrity of the Year campaign. My friend Scottie Janssen is a candidate this year. His son Noah is a leukemia survivor. You can donate here: http://www.mwoy.org/ia/localchapter/candidates
It also just so happens that I met the Girl of the Year Friday morning. Photojournalist Jeff Felton and I are doing a story about Anna and a local man who's raising money to help kids like her. More details in the coming weeks!

Speaking of chili... my Dad made a big batch over the weekend because it was "cold" in Phoenix. That means it was barely into the 60s. I loved being able to brag that it was in the 80s here! I'm heading south later this week so I'll have pictures and an update on that front next Monday.

Right after my surgery my folks sent me a plant and some treats from a place I've never heard of that sounds really cool. I love finding out about locally owned, unique spots and know many of you do, too. Check out this site for info and let me know if you've been there, or know someone who has. http://www.gortzhausgallery.com/

Finally, Sonya and I capped off the weekend with a trip to a local spa for pedicures. I forgot to take a picture of us when we were there, so I took one of our toes today.

We went to Serenity Aveda in Valley West Mall and had a great experience. I would rate Serenity and the Spa at West Glen as to great pedi places. Ladies, what are your recommendations?

OK... I am ready to head home.
Thanks for dropping by!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Food ... for eating, and for thought

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
I hope you all had a great weekend enjoying those record high temps - unfortunately it's back to reality today.

I don't have much to report since I'm still recovering from surgery and limited in what I can do. Being prohibited from doing any kind of workout is really driving me nuts. Michael and I did go for a walk yesterday afternoon, but I plodded along at a snail's pace. I guess it was better than nothing, but certainly not what I'm used to doing to get my blood pumping! I can't wait to get back to normal.

Speaking of exercise - you've got to check out Workout of the Week tomorrow at 5. Sonya and I hit the field with the Iowa Crush a few weeks ago and you'll get to see how we did. We worked hard and had a blast, but I don't see us joining the team anytime soon. You'll see why...

Now on to food. I've written many times that this is my weakness when it comes to being fit. It's not that I dislike healthy food, it's just that I have no willpower when unhealthy food is presented to me. My solution is to keep bad stuff out of our house and avoid going out to eat as much as possible. Not always fun - but it helps. Lately I've been really good about eating stuff like fruit, yogurt, almonds and cereal here at work and last month when I spotted coupons for McDonald's oatmeal I was really excited. That is until the day after I'd gotten a bowl in the drive through (it was delicious!) and read an article in the newspaper about how the stuff has almost as many calories as an Egg McMuffin!!! What?!?! Granted, the oatmeal is a bit healthier than the breakfast sandwich ... but still ....
You can make your own comparisons by checking out the nutrition information McDonald's puts on it's website. It's nice to have something like this to look at so you can be armed with information BEFORE you order. http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionfacts.pdf

OK, I'm out of time here. The five o'clock calls...

Have a great week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com