Palomas!

I know this may sound weird but in Chile it's commonplace to feed the pigeons (in Spanish, "palomas"). The vendors in the plazas even sell pigeon food! The palomas usually come right up to you and eat out of your hands. I thought Sydney might be afraid of them but she wasn't at all! She loved it! (Although she wasn't afraid to push them away if they got too close.)

Goooooolll!!!!!

(Posted 07/15/10)

I love hearing the commentators say GOOOOOOLL!! (Spanish for goal) on Chilean television. Sometimes I would think they'd need to take a breath in the middle!
What an opportunity! We got to be a part of the celebrations as the Chilean soccer team (aka "La Roja") did better in the World Cup than most expected. The entire country got behind their team and many businesses and schools actually shut down or had all employees and/or students huddled around a television set to watch the games. Pretty cool to witness firsthand.

This was a common sight on game days. Flags flying out car windows while car horns honking like crazy.

Thousands of Chileans filled the plazas and streets to celebrate victories.

A local TV crew trying to get some good shots by standing on top of their work vehicle.

Viva Chile!

Even the workers got into the spirit. And check out the riot gear on that officer!

I couldn't help but join in the celebrating!

No riots broke out when we were there... but police were ready, just in case. They did have to get people out of the streets by using tear gas and water cannons.

This is the second game that they won. We were in a mall in La Serena where a huge television screen showed the game in the middle of the food court.

There's Dave cheering on "La Roja"!

Chile pics

(Posted 07/07/10)

In case you can't tell... I love to take LOTS of pictures! So needless to say we brought back hundreds of pictures from our trip to Chile. So I plan to just start from the beginning and share a few pics here and there. These pics are from the first few days of our trip. Enjoy!

Sydney loved my relative's cats...or should I say "gatos!" Although they may not have felt the same way about her. :-) Dave and I are both very allergic to cats so I was glad to see that they didn't seem to bother Sydney at all.

Sydney with my Aunt Teresa (or Tia Tita as we call her)

Sydney LOVED the Metro. She thought it sounded like a train and yelled "choo choo!" every time we got close to a Metro station.

Ah... the beautiful mountains. And yes, those are palm trees.

Sydney was getting into the local culture (too bad her mom lost this poncho after buying it. Boo!)

Sydney saw this hat and just HAD to have it. I think she was trying to look like dad.

"Aren't we so cute?!"

Trip to Chile

(Posted 06/29/10)

Hi again!
I've been a little "out of touch" for the past two weeks. My family went to Chile to see my mom's family! It was a great trip. And our little girl, Sydney, was an AMAZING traveler. She did two 9-hour overnight flights, two 6-hour bus rides, lots of rides on the Metro and taxis, and met lots of new relatives...and never complained about any of it! Such a good little girl!
I will be adding pictures soon!!!

Kiss

(Posted 06/07/10)

Sydney LOVES giving out kisses right now...but here's a cute pic of me giving her a kiss. She thought it was hilarious!

LOST Theories

(Posted 05/28/10)

(This post is for all "LOSTies") Now that you have had some time to think about it, what do you think Lost was all about? I'll share what I think later.
Updated Friday, June 4, 2010:
So from what I can tell, LOST fans either loved the ending or hated it. And I mean really hated it. I was in the "loved it" category and I really thought that I wouldn't like it. I just figured that I had gotten so used to cliff-hanger style endings that I wouldn't enjoy a wrap up, of sorts. I think it all comes down to why someone watched the show. If the viewer liked the relationships/acting (as I did) then it was a fitting ending. But if he/she enjoyed the sci-fi nature of it...then there may have been some disappointment. All along I liked the redemptive nature of the island and the personal experiences that people went through. The ending, for me, was all about redemption...and what people had to go through before they could find complete peace. Which really is a lesson to all of us. I also got very emotional during Jack's dad's speech...maybe because I lost my own dad five years ago. Just seemed like a lot of wisdom being passed down...even if it was in too late (at least in this life here on Earth).
I know many of you didn't watch the show and didn't care about how it ended...but those of us that did spent so much time talking about it over the last six years... I felt that I had to take a moment to talk about it. Okay enough of that... stay tuned for more pics of Sydney!!

Sydney, Dogs, and Photos

(Posted 05/21/10)

Some of us Channel 7'ers recently took a photo that will be a part of the 2011 Pulaski County Humane Society Day Planner. Melinda Mayo, Renee Shapiro, Lauren Scott and I along with our four-legged friends Ozzie, Mr French, Zoey, and Lucy posed for the camera. Randy Dixon took several shots and we think we got at least one good one in there with all 8 of us smiling! Andrea Davidson, our babysitter, and Sydney came with because Sydney is CRAZY about dogs right now. She ran around yelling "puppy, puppy, puppy!!!" She really liked little Zoey...and chased her around everywhere she went. So adorable!

Sydney at a Mansion

(Posted 05/17/10)

My dear friend Amanda Manatt is getting married next month...and we recently went to a tea in her honor at the Marlsgate Plantation. It was so beautiful!! Sydney and I got all dressed up (she even wore her Easter bonnet but didn't want to have it on for any of the pictures). She LOVED the stairs and made a big mess with the rasberry cookies (I didn't get any pics of that...I was trying to clean her up!). It was a great time!!

Me and Sydney with the bride-to-be, Amanda Manatt!

Rock Climbing Safety

(Posted 05/10/10)

As some of you know... my husband is a rock climbing instructor and guide. Tonight, he and his climbing partner will be featured in a story about rock climbing safety. Tune in at 10pm on Channel 7 or at www.katv.com. I know, shamelss plug...but it's so important for climbers to be safe out there! Thanks for watching!

Thanks to Langston School!

(Posted 04/30/10)

I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone at Langston Magnet School in Hot Springs. I was invited to speak about my career for the school's Career Day and had a great time!! The third and fourth graders I spoke to were so well-behaved and asked some great questions. So impressed with all the students, teachers, and staff. Thanks, Langston!!

Wildwood Park

(Posted 04/26/10)

We went to Wildwood Park this past weekend to see some of Ballet Arkansas' concert (which was awesome!!). Sydney enjoyed watching the dancers but really enjoyed running around the beautiful grounds. Here are some pictures I took. I used my phone to take them so they are not very good quality...but they were too cute not to share. Enjoy!!

7 years at 7

(Posted 04/19/10)

Hi all!

It's hard to believe but as of this week, I have been working at Channel 7 for 7 years! Time sure does fly by when you're having fun. :-) When I took this job as a reporter from Duluth, Minnesota my husband and I planned to live here a year or two...and look at us now! Arkansas has taken us in and treated us so well. So thanks to all of you!!!

Our Little Climber

(Posted 04/12/10)

Sydney spent some time at the rock climbing gym this weekend...she loved it! She even tried to climb some of the walls. She's way too young to actually climb but her dad, the rock climber, was very proud of her!