A Very Merry Christmas

Family, friends, and food.  This Christmas has been amazing.  Spencer and I celebrated twice.  The weekend before the holiday at Allison and Walker's beautiful home in Champaign...and on Christmas Eve at his parents near Chicago.    I really had an amazing week and Spencer continues to say what a great holiday he had.  I, we are so lucky.

Christmas at the Forman's

And finally, a picture from our adventure Saturday.  We tried dropping our Christmas tree off at a tree recycling spot in one of Indy's public parks.  The park hadn't been plowed but we decided to risk it, drive over some old tracks and get to the appropriate parking lot to dump our tree.  Turns out those tracks weren't even on the road.  We ended up stuck in the middle of the park, on top of wood chips/grass, who know.  Spencer saved the day.

Getting Healthy

Kinda.  But look, we ran a 5k!   And this week marks Spencer's 6 month of not smoking.  Go him, go us.

Distracted

Excited for Christmas, to see my family, that my dad is traveling to see us, to give everyone their gifts, and to dress Zoe up daily in some ridiculous holiday get-up...but distracted.  It's hard to not get wrapped up in Friday's tragedy in Connecticut shooting.  Working in news makes it worse.  I nearly started crying this morning as I waited to go live on a completely different subject, because coverage of the funerals aired right beforehand.

I don't have much to say on what happened.  Not going to get into gun control, even the treatment of those with mental illness.  I'm just sad.  Feeling like most everything else is trivial right now.

Also really wishing this amazing show from the late 90s was real.  Yes, that a cat had delivered someone a newspaper with all the day's headlines, a day early...anything to prevent what happened.

The rest of my week, which I have off, will need to be filled with love and alcohol.

Lately

I've been self-conscious.  I'm back on TV and in the same television market as quite a few beautiful women.  Two weeks ago I met with a style consultant through work, which didn't help.  From my makeup to my hair and wardrobe, I was picked apart.  So self-conscious.  I'm not used to this.  It's this feeling that makes me wonder sometimes if TV is for me.

Reporting on a "jaw-dropping" fire.

If I wasn't a TV reporter, I truly feel I'd be fully comfortable with myself.  A lot of things would be different.  I'd experiment with my hair. Have a political opinion that I actually voiced.  I'd even likely get involved with some of the organizations I agree with, but can't publicly support in an effort to stay neutral.

Lately, I feel like being on TV, speaking to thousands of people daily, actually mutes me more than it does expand my voice.  Maybe that will change, I'll grow more comfortable and find my niche on screen.  I can hope, because aside from the whole 'being on air' thing, I really do enjoy being my job.  Which, I assure you, involves way more than just being on air.

Reporting from Indianapolis, Me.

Roomies

I have a job, I pay my bills, I take care of myself.  It's how it's been for years now.  In fact, I lived alone, with no roommate for nearly five years up until September when Spencer joined me in Indianapolis.

I've had to get used to some less-than-ideal things, at least I thought I had, but right now I can't come up with any.  Really.  Okay, maybe I'm a little annoyed by dirty clothes scattered here and there...and that when he throws plastic bags under the sink for re-use he ties them in a knot first.  But really, that's the most I've had to 'deal' with.

The truth, have a roommate and living with Spencer is amazing.  He makes me coffee as I get ready for work, if I'm sweating as I straighten my hair he doesn't even flinch at running upstairs to grab the fan.  He's taken on my pets as his own, feeds them and probably takes Zoe out more than I do.  And this morning, or last night, however you want to look at it, he continued his streak.  I woke up for work to find, on the kitchen table, all the grocery items I'd mentioned we needed just hours earlier along with some cash and a coupon for an oil change, which he insists I need to get immediately.  It was a tiny gesture in the overall scheme of everything he does for me, but it's a good example of why my life in Indianapolis is going so well.

I can take care of myself.  I always have.  But man, it's really nice having someone else look out for me too.

Crafts by the Christmas Tree

Proud to say, I have a real Christmas tree.  Spencer and I picked one up from a tree farm earlier this week.  We had this grand idea that we'd find the perfect tree that we'd then cut down ourselves.  Well, we cut down a tree.  But it was a weak looking one.  The best trees were already gone.  Shortly before leaving we found a pile of imported pre-cut trees at the farm and we did the unthinkable.  Took one of them instead, and placed the tree we'd just cut aside.  I know, awful, but we love our tree now.  No lights yet, that's tonight.  But here's a sneak peak.

 Last weekend was spent in the Chicago area, going to funerals.  Two women, mother to girls my age, passed.  It was tough.  Just a minute ago I was thinking about Frosty the Snowman...how he ran around the streets of town even though he knew his end was near because of that damn sun.  I guess those funerals, coupled with the holidays and loss of my mom have put me in an odd mood.

Work is going well.  Loving that they give me eight days off before the end of the year, even though I just started there in August.  I took three days off this past week.  Gave me the chance to go out in the evening like a normal person, not someone who works at 11:30 pm.  And to craft.  I finished this tree skirt...

I couldn't even tell you how I made it.  It involved a lot of random cutting.  And if you look closely, it's a mess.  My other big project, which is really just a test-run of a bigger version down the road.  Spray painting  a rug...

The rug, $1.50 from Walmart.  Some painters tape and standard spray paint, and voila!  I tried this same project last week with acrylic paint and a paintbrush.  It looked awful.  Next up, a bigger rug.

And finally, another craft project I finished about a month ago ago.  This...

I doesn't look like much, as I need to get a third mason jar...but it's a planter.  Planning to grow some herbs in the jars, which will be hung on the wall, out of the reach of the cats.

And so the weekend begins.  One with little plans, which means it should be amazing.  We're hoping to go see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra live on Sunday.  Looking into tickets in a bit.  We randomly were talking last night about how cool a live show of theirs must be, I looked into it and, of course, they're playing down the street Sunday.

Peace, love, and a five dollar growler fill (because it's Friday and that's what Friday means to me).

Mom's Cheesy Potatoes

Getting ready for family Thanksgiving this weekend.  We're holding it ahead of time because of my and my sister's crazy schedules.  It's not Thanksgiving without cheesy potato casserole.  Mom always made it for me.  And so I went back through our emails for the recipe, which I asked her for years ago.

Her email (11/25/08) sent to 23-year-old me, living in North Dakota, and not making it home for the holiday, will ensure her potatoes live on:

"i sent the recipe from a website called cooks.com. 

if you don't get it that's where i got it under potato casserole.  there are so many variations on it but the biggest difference was whether to use one or two cans of cream of something soup.  i sent the one with 2 cans.  also the onions are optional.  fyi sometimes i sprinked a little parmesan on top too but that's just more money to spend. 

note that it says 2 pounds of frozen hash browns.  that is one package if i remember correctly. 

any questions call but it couldnt be much simpler. 

i think it helps to grease the pan if the recipe didn't say so.

love love love

i'll miss you but i'm not looking forward to the "sadness" tha'll be in the air and you're going to miss that!!  love   mimsy"

I Do As I'm Told

On Friday, boss told me I'm doing well, but suggested I cut my hair and 

get a brighter colored coat.  Back Monday, and tada!

Catching Up

Posting this as I sit in a station car, waiting to go live to show off how windy it is. Yes, slow news day.

I keep regretting not blogging. Not taking a moment to pause and grasp everything in words. I'm really happy right now. I have Spencer, who is beyond amazing, my new job, and Indianapolis. It's working out.


Spencer's Halloween Costume, Indiana Governor Candidate John Gregg

Spencer has a job now, although likely temporary. He's doing contract IT work with Eli Lilly.  Working a normal schedule of 8 to 5.  Indianapolis has grown on him too.



Spencer first time camping!





Zoe's first time camping too.  She wasn't a huge fan.

The homemade carrot cake I made for Spencer's 29th.

We've tried to make the most of being here.  Last week it was a Colts game, before that we went camping with Walker and Allison nearby, and every Friday evening we get our growler filled for five bucks at Sun King Brewery, just a couple miles from our home.

Mason Jennings!

This past weekend, another one in which Spencer and I took to the town like tourists. We ran into Mason Jennings (a singer-songwriter I once had a poster of on my dorm room wall) while getting Thai. I swooned, chatted his ear off, and then, after being put us 'the list', we went to his show.
Saturday it was a dog costume contest in Broadripple.  Spencer and I threw together an Ewok costume for Zoe, who didn't end up placing.  *sigh*
We took advantage of some free Heartland Film Festival passes I acquired and saw a documentary in theaters on dyslexia. Then later Saturday night joined our neighbors for our first burlesque show, where, by the way, my transvestite cowgirl costume took 'best costume' making up for our earlier injustice.
Sunday was pumpkin carving and Ghostbusters II. And we finally put the scarecrows out that Spencer's mom gave us when the family visited us last week.

Ashley (Spencer's Sister), Spencer, and I at our first Colts game.

After every weekend, as Spencer and I settle back into our opposite schedules, he tells me 'I had such a great weekend.' And I feel the same. We're a new couple in a new city. It's pretty awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I have my days: I came home from work crying yesterday and seeing a woman at the film fest who looked like my mom from behind threw me in a depressed spiral for hours.  But still, I'm happy.



A gift from Spencer's parents.

Bingo Bango Bongo

As Spencer and I drove to 'Hanna's Haunted Acres' last night he was full of song (as usual).  The song he chose this time though, oddly familiar.  "Bingo Bango Bongo, I don't want to leave the jungle.  I refuse to go," he sang.  Bingo Bango Bongo.  My mom used to say that all the time.  She'd clap her hands together and say loudly, in a silly way, "Bingo Bango Bongo, would you like to go to the Congo?"  I always thought it was a phrase she made up, purely out of rhyming.  Thanks to Spencer, and a video game that it turns out drilled the song into his head, I now know my mom was projecting altered lyrics of an Andrews Sisters song.  A piece of my mom, and my childhood, I never fully got, being explained.
'Civilization' by the Andrews Sisters has since become our song for the last 12 hours.  Spencer hooked up with his computer speakers, and as I sat downstairs reading this morning, I heard him blasting it upstairs in our office.

Now some randomness.  First, let me brag about how amazing Indianapolis's downtown library is.  Six floors of anything, and everything you can imagine, about a mile from our home.  Glad I didn't wait to check it out.

 

And some cute pet photos.  Zoe in wrap-around shades Spencer found among his belongings.  Livey, thinking she's hiding as usual, as she sits in a small open box in the middle of the living room.  And a photo of the cats in the kitchen, gathered around me shortly after I got home from work the other morning.

Monkey Helpers

The last email my mom sent me, entitled "Check this out!" contained a link to monkey helpers for the disabled.   Made me smile this morning as I scanned old messages she sent me.

Indy

Living in Indianapolis about a month and a half now.  My weekdays consist of my working overnights, coming home, running errands, working out, and going to sleep by 1:00 pm.  At work I cover breaking news: fires, police chases, overturned semis, and again, fires.  Lots of fires.

I'm healthy, happy, and getting the hang of this.

And using Twitter a lot.  For a look at what I'm doing day by day...check out by feed in the right column.

New Roomie

The boyfriend moved in this weekend.  Party time.
He says we're going to take over Indianapolis.

We spent the weekend unpacking.  Made it to Fort Harrison State Park to try out kayaking during the Hoosier Outdoor Experience event.  This 'morning' as I headed to work, he made me coffee, sat with me as I ate my breakfast, and stood outside in the dark as I left for work, holding Zoe and waving her paw at me.

 I feel like we're playing house.  But I like it.

Also, Zoe is better.  After getting sick again thanks to a swollen paw, she was given another rounds of meds...and as of today, is back up and running.

Sick Dog

Zoe's sick.  Pooping blood.  Pooping everywhere, really.  My poor doggie.  She'll be ten this October and I can't help but think that between her heart murmur and deteriorating teeth, she doesn't have long.  The vet prescribed her some meds and is doing some tests.  So we wait to figure out what's wrong.

In the meantime, I'm keeping a very close eye on her.  If I leave the room for a moment, she drops one. So everywhere I go, she goes.  If I leave a room I call her to follow, constantly glancing behind me to make sure she hasn't ruined my floor.

I am leaving her alone during work hours, in her crate, of course.  The destruction she's able to create while in it, amazes me.

But I love her.  I cried as I drove her to the vet Tuesday.  Realizing, this little dog has been with me since I was 17.  She's a piece of my family that was.  Of Galena.  Of my parents still together.  Of mom.

Oh Zoe.  Get better.

The terrified face of a dog at the vet.

Not in my job description...

...But a very welcome addition.  Rode in the station's chopper three times last week.  Am being trained on how to operate the camera.  Not sure how often I'll actually be riding.  But thrilled I've already had so many opportunities.  Indianapolis is beautiful from above!

  Right, Kurt?

Kurt Vonnegut mural in downtown Indy.

My Life Lately:

The crate saga continues.  Twice in the past week she's left a surprise for me, in the crate and inevitably on her.  This particular picture is of a day she amazed me by someone removing the tray that had been latched both underneath, and within her crate.



Super happy at the new job.  Still getting a grasp of everything, started on air this week, working when most people are sleeping: 11pm to 8am.

Got together with the Galena girls for a reunion in Chicago.  Awesome to see them, and to finally grab a drink at the Violet Hour in Wicker Park (which we're standing in front of in the photo).

And my home.  Indianapolis.  Still unpacking and waiting eagerly for Spencer to move in within the next month.

Back to Work

I didn't get another animal.  This is Scraps: A dog up for adoption at the Indy Humane Society, and the station's Pet of the Day.

Well, I'm back to wearing makeup and doing my hair.  Two days into my new job reporting in Indianapolis and I couldn't be happier.  Everyone is welcoming, the station is giving me a full week of training to acclimate me into my position (on air next Monday!), and I have lots of fun new gadgets.  I've been given a Galaxy 3 phone, a brand new Mac Book Pro, and HR gave me a Fitbit today, which is basically a high tech pedometer. 

Fancy new computer!

There is a downside, although as an optimist, I now see it as a positive: My shift.  I'll still be doing the morning show as planned, but with in a half hour of my first day was told I'll be starting my day at 11pm, rather than 3 or 4 am as proposed.  Soooo yeah.  11pm-8am.  Gather new content (primarily crimes happening overnight), get it ready for the show, go live, and go home.  It made me sick to my stomach at first, working overnight hours.  But upon reflection I've realized it simply means I sleep during the day, wake up as Spencer presumably will be getting home from work, spend the evening with him, and then head to the station.  "We'll make it work," Spencer said.

Speaking of Spencer, our six month is today.  He's back in Chicago, working for another month as he tries to find a job here.  But flowers greeted me when I got back to our apartment.  My first bouquet from him.  Flowers, mind you, that I may have implied a couple weeks ago I wouldn't mind receiving.  He did well though, and within two seconds of placing them on the mantle Emma showed her appreciation for them.  I've since strategically put them somewhere the cats can't ruin them.

This post has an air of gloating, but in the last few weeks everything has worked out really well for me.  I got the job I wanted, have a boy I love relocating for me, now live two short hours from Allison (who already visited me for a spontaneous weekeday dinner) and well, the third item I want to mention: I love our apartment.  I apologize for my recent good fortune.

 

Our two-story duplex.  Still unpacking and yet to be decorated. 

Finally...pictures of the actual move.  It happened so fast.  More luck: the movers I hired on both ends were amazing.  I'll miss Chicago, but am feeling pretty good so far about Indianapolis.