Catching up on the DVR

Last night I sat down and was able to watch a show that's been trapped in the DVR: Stand Up to Cancer. I was in Michigan at a rehearsal dinner when the telethon aired (Sept. 5) so I asked Trevor to DVR it for me. Some would consider DVRing a telethon an odd request, but I am glad I was able to catch the unprecedented event.

Jennifer Anitson. Beyonce. Fergie Ferg. Miley Cyrus. Sheryl Crow. James Taylor. Melissa Ethridge. Charles Barkley. Eva Longoria Parker. Meryl Streep. Ellen DeGeneres. Jack Black. Robin Roberts. Natasha Bedingfield. Lance Armstrong. Elizabeth Edwards. Scarlett Johansen. Christina Applegate. Abigail Breslin. John McCain and Barack Obama. Katie Couric, Brian Williams and Charlie Gibson. All of these individuals and many more came together for one hour on a Friday night to show their dedication to ending a horrible disease that affects too many Americans.

I had a range of emotions when watching Stand Up to Cancer. I was sad, especially when Katie Couric interviewed a young girl (maybe 10 years old) currently facing cancer. I laughed when the same young girl said "I'm not a very complacent patient." I was scared when thinking about the odds that I or a close friend or family member will be diagnosed with cancer. I was amazed and thankful that some of the world's most influential celebrities volunteered to use their likeness to raise money for the horrible disease. But most of all, I was optimistic. Optimistic that with the dedication like that displayed on Sept. 5, a cure for cancer is close.

In the amount of time it's taken me to write this blog post, 38 people across the United States have died from cancer. I looked online this morning and Stand Up to Cancer has raised $100 million. An amazing result to something so simple and so important - and clearly, by the startling statics, something so desperately needed.

If you missed Stand Up to Cancer, you can watch it online HERE. I highly recommend it.

Today's Special

I was obsessed with two shows when I was young: Mannequin and Today's Special. I'd like to take this late night opportunity to tell you a little sometin' sometin' about each of them.

Mannequin

Soon after I started at Barkley I started working on an account called Organized Living. As far as what it was: the name says it all. I am pretty sure it's bankrupt now, though. Beside the point. Anywho, I was once in an internal OL meeting with Becky and Lindsey - both my superiors. We were brainstorming holiday and an idea came to me: an amazing store window. I compared it to the windows Jonathan made in Mannequin. I got nothing. I reminded them what Mannequin was all about. Still nothing. "How could you not know about Mannequin? I love that movie!" Even more blank stares.

I'm sure you, my dear friends, remember Mannequin. It's not only one of the greatest movies of all time, it's also Kim Catrall's start.

Today's Special

I think my all time favorite show though, besides Mannequin, is Today's Special. I would watch it religiously; I am sure my folks would attest that. I vividly remember when I stumbled upon the wonder that is Nickelodeon. I was young - somewhere between three and five I'd say and I had Nickelodeon on. I am pretty sure I said to my mom (and for some reason I REALLY REMEMBER THIS): "I just found a great station for kids. It's called Nickelodeon." Turns out I was a little sales person 25+ years ago.

The BEST part of Nickelodeon though was "Today's Special." Like I said. I can't beGIN to describe it; best show ever. I am sure it won Emmy's. But what I can tell you is a lot of people I talk to don't know about Today's Special (when we are discussing at opportune times of course). However, there is one person who knows Today's Special and knows Maria (I think that was her name), Jeff, Sam and Muffy. And that person is T Fitch.

Just one more reason we were meant to be together.

Yes, I'm a little concerned both my favorite shows when growing up included mannequins. When I decipher I will let you know.

Someone, aka my idol, has posted a video of Today's Special on YouTube. Click on the hyperlinks above to view. I applaud you friend. Has anyone else been a huge Today's Special fan?

Today is my one month anniversary at BL

Just thought I'd share.

Audi-os Jeep

And welcome new car.

Just your ordinary Wednesday night

We celebrated Trevor's 29th year at Lazlo's. Always a great meal.


When we were at the hospital yesterday Michelle gave us one of Jackson's blankets to take to Berkley. Apparently a way to acclimate a dog to their new human brother or sister is to have them smell a blanket the baby has been wrapped in. We documented it for the Segers. Berkley didn't have too much interest, but Macy did (weird - she has to get her nose in everything!) so I was trying my best to keep her back and not contaminate ("add her smell to" is probably the operative phrase) the blankie.

A question posed to all children's clothing manufacturers:

Why must you slap a bear, dog or giraffe on every article of clothing you make?

My little lunch date

Emilie and I ventured to Methodist over lunch to meet our new little buddy: Jackson Kieth Seger. Jackson arrived last night at 5:44 weighing in at eight pounds, three ounces. He, mom and dad are all doing well! He is absolutely precious and I'm thrilled for the Segers. Kind of makes me tear up when I think back to when I met Michelle - in Mrs. Meeker's 5th grade class - and how fast the years have gone.

Enjoy these photos of the little one.

Also thought you'd enjoy a photo of the sleeping arrangements at our house last night (minus me). We watched Berkley Seger last night so we could take her to Bark Avenue today. She and Macy are having a great time being roomies! So much in fact I dropped their hound hineys off at Bark Ave. at 6:40 this morning (they open at 6:30) and as Brian said, "Wendy will probably pick them up at 6:29:30 tonight." (They close at 6:30.) Just want to make sure we and the Segers are getting our money worth :-)

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear T Fitch,
Happy Birthday to you.

Dear John

Just say what you need to say already. Your song is driving me bonkers!

Your listener,
Wendy

There's Gonna be a Widdle Won!

Michelle and Brian are at the hospital and by the sounds of it baby Seger will be arriving today! Good choice poppin' out today, little one. You're gonna be a Virgo like your aunt Wendy!

In all seriousness, I can't concentrate because I keep thinking about what's going on! I can't wait to hear about the newest addition ... thinking about you, Segers!

Such a sad story

Bellevue man accused of beating his dog with golf club
BY RICHARD EGAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A Bellevue man used a golf club to beat his rat terrier because it wouldn't stop barking.

The dog's injuries were so severe that it was euthanized.

Carson Smith Sr., 41, of 1416 St. Joachin Court, was ticketed Sunday night by the Nebraska Humane Society on suspicion of animal cruelty.

Smith was cited on suspicion of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Mark Langan of the Humane Society said he forwarded a report of the incident to the Sarpy County Attorney's Office, which will decide whether to upgrade the charge to a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Langan said Smith got angry when his dog, Sam, wouldn't stop barking. Smith struck the dog on the head with a golf club, causing massive skull and brain injuries. The family rushed Sam to a veterinarian's office. The dog had to be euthanized at 3:30 p.m.

Langan said Smith was with the family at the veterinarian's office and was remorseful about the incident.

Langan encouraged pet owners to call the Humane Society's behavior hot line (444-7800, ext. 221) if they become frustrated with their dogs.

"People can get help from professionals about behavioral issues like barking, showing aggression or house training," Langan said. "We have great success. He (Carson) chose the wrong alternative and was criminally and morally wrong."

My Weekend Totally Sucked

Literally.

It's been sneezefest 2008 for me the last few weeks. I'm sure part of it has to do with the crap in the air (hayfever), but I am sure the amount of dust in the Fitch household was also a contributing factor. So, yesterday I said sayonara dust and busted out the Dyson.

I'm obsessed with the thing and thank the Hites for introducing us to such a sucky vacuum.

I started with our room and bathroom and spent two hours in those two areas only. The Dyson dominated the blinds, the ceiling fan, lamp shades, air vents, an artificial plant and other places where dust was inconspicuously hiding. I took a photo of how much crap the vacuum pulled up - and that was before vacuuming the carpet or the bathroom.

It
Was
Nasty.

I don't know if it's a good thing the Dyson was able to suck up that much dust or if it's a bad thing there was that much dust in our room.

Vacuuming might not sound like that exciting of a weekend, but in reality it was exactly what I wanted to do. Being that this was my first weekend home in five weeks (Boston Aug. 14-17, Cleveland August 21-24, Denver Aug. 29-31, Michigan Sept. 4-7 and KC Sept. 13-14) I was looking forward to a productive weekend. We purged cabinets and closets and cleaned the garage. Macy got groomed. We visited TCBY. We moved dangerously close to buying a new car. I worked Secure Your ID Day. We hosted an impromptu BBQ Saturday night.* It was a great weekend!

*One of the highlights of the BBQ was that the Neals came. It's so fun that they live in Omaha and can just swing by! Plus, they brought Stella, the world's happiest baby. Josh, Shannon, Emilie and Eric and Michelle and Brian came by too - it was great to see Shel...might just be the last time we see here prego! Baby Seger is coming any day now!!

Day at the Spaw

Didn't my new groomer do such a great job? Thanks for the referral, Ellie.

But man, getting beautiful is such tough work.

Yo to the Yo

It's Friday. It's 4:20. You know what that means. Time to blog.

It's been a good week. Has flown by actually. Last night we went to the MicroBrew HaHa, a benefit for Habitat for Humaity. It was a good time. Decent beers (I prefer my Mich Ultra over really dark MicroBrews) and a host of great restaurants, including Ms Pub, Flemings and Liberty Tavern. The weather was beautiful-I encourage all three of you who read this blog to go next year.

We have a pretty low-key weekend planned. I have a work event early tomorrow morning so we've decided to stay in tonight. After traveling for five weekends in a row (count 'em five) I'm looking forward to a Friday AND Saturday night in my own bed getting pestered by Macy.

Peace out reada.

Because $25 for the second bag wasn't enough

United Airlines is doubling its fee for a second checked bag from $25.00 to $50.00. The charge goes into effect today for travel beginning November 10 and applies to tickets for flights within the U.S. or to or from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.*

If you have two bags you might as well just add $100 onto your ticket price.

Unbelievable.

*This annoying update brought to you courtesy of The Boston Globe.

I just felt like a total nerd

taking this photo of my office. And of course the freelancer walked by right as I was taking it. But I had too many requests to see what my office space is like. Kidding. I just think it's cool so I had to share. We're adding on - hence the sheets of plastic. I have a great view of the Woodmen Tower, First National Building and other downtown monuments. It's pretty nice to be able to peer out the window when I am blowing my nose or stretching or what have you. With the addition, I don't know if I am staying in this space or not - which is why it looks a little drab right now. Just wait until I bring in my boxes of crap and brighten up my office! Is a valance in an office too much?

For all you baby Mamas out there

I was on Bed Bath and Beyond's Web site looking for a wedding registry and noticed they now carry baby items. I perused; they have some cute stuff. If you're into that kind of thing.

How 'bout them Apples

Trevor got me a new iPod for my birthday. I had the original old school iPod and he upgraded me to a video iPod. I'm excited about it.

He bought it SUNDAY. That's not capitalized to emphasize that he bought it on my actual birthday. It's capitalized because TODAY Steve Jobs announced a new line of iPods. Today. Two days later. My brand-spanking-new-although-opened-but-still-without-music-iPod is already outdated.

I have a rotten Apple.

Getting a Wii Bit Fit

We broke out the Wii Fit last night. I'm pretty obsessed with it...especially since it weighed me and said I'm about 20 lbs. less than I actually am. So the scale on the balance board isn't exactly right...

Anyhoo, I got quite the ab workout from the Wii Fit. Not from the exercises per say but from laughing while watching TFitch yoga. It was damn funny.

Congratulations Amy and Brad

A very special friend of mine got married over the weekend: Amy Hartfelder. I met Amy in 1991…not at the usual place a 5^th grader would meet a new friend – like school or softball or church. (Yes we went to church back then.) We met the Hartfelder family in 1991 at Kennedy Space Center. Random? A bit.

We were visiting Cape Canaveral because the weather that day was rainy and dreary (typical for a Floridian March.) Kalin, a 1^st grader, was adamant about sitting in the front row on the top deck of the double-decker bus and, because of his running and probably pushing old folks aside, he got his wish. Sitting next to us was another family of four. One thing led to another and my parents got to talking to the parents of the other family. Turns out they were going on the same cruise as us the next day – the Big Red Boat – and staying at the SAME hotel after the cruise – the Disney Inn. Most importantly, the four adults also learned they were all big fans of Bud Light. To make things more ironic – they figured out Amy and I were born five days apart.

Amy and I never talked that day, but I did kind of stalk her. She had these enormously high bangs and I thought she was SO cool. Every time she got off the bus to take a picture, I asked my parents for the camera and followed her. Apparently I was a weird kid.

The next day we boarded the S/S Majestic and not 20 minutes after we checked into our cabin there was a knock at our door. It was Amy, and her cousin Amanda whose family had joined them on the cruise. We’ve been friends ever since that knock on the door. For several years when we were young I would fly to Michigan and Amy would fly back to Omaha with me. Her family has been to Omaha several times; including for my wedding and my parents’ 40^th AND 50^th birthday parties. My family has been to Michigan, numerous times including for Amy’s graduation from Central Michigan. (We were supposed to go to her brother’s wedding, which was 9/15/01. I will let you guess why we weren’t able to attend.) Our families have been to Chicago, Toronto and Lake of the Ozarks together. It’s truly a friendship of fate. And while we don’t see each other as frequently anymore, it’s a friendship that picks up right where we left off.

We were thrilled to be at the Hartfelder/Reuther wedding. It was a gorgeous event and I wish Brad and Amy a lifetime of happiness!

Below: The gang at the rehearsal dinner (minus Trevor & Kalin who were unable to attend)

Happy Birthday to Wii

I got a Wii Fit for my birthday. I'm so pumped!!

In the words of Dave Matthews, "So Much to Say"

It's been over a week since I last blogged and I think something exciting has happened each day since. I witnessed my last Breast Cancer 3-Day event as a member of the event's PR team. I began a new job. I attended one of my best friends' weddings in Denver. I met my second cousin for the second time ever. I attended the best movie ever: "Mama Mia: the Sing-a-long." Needless to say there hasn't been a lot of time to blog. So let's catch-up.

I attended the Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day August 21-24. Cleveland is the biggest shit hole I have ever been to. Just going to throw that out there; that is really beside the point. The Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day was an interesting one to say the least. Getting asked to dinner by a reporter. Stung by a bee on my finger. Hal Sparks and Dr. Roizen. The list goes on and on. There was a huge surprise at the Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day though, when I went to a "meeting" behind the closing ceremony stage and it really was "Wendyfest 2008" as my clients and partners affectionately named it. They had a little going away celebration for me and it meant so, so very much. I'm looking forward to walking in 2009 (probably in Denver - I already have one walking buddy!) to see them all again!

I started my new job as a Public Relations Account Executive at Bailey Lauerman August 26. I really, really am enjoy it and feel I am adapting well. I think being in a smaller office makes it easier to get to know everyone and the surroundings better and quicker. I've jumped right into projects, including assisting with press conferences in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney and assisting with media relations for today's BBB Integrity Awards in Lincoln. So far, so good!!!!

Kristi and Andy were married in Denver Labor Day weekend and it was such a fun and beautiful event. I could go on and on about how memorable their wedding was. I thank them for letting me be a part of their special day and wish them many, many years of happiness. The PG photos have been posted here. 

My cousin Olivia was in town with her son, Micah. He turned one in March and I've only met him once before this time (totally unacceptable! Austin is just too far.) My aunt and uncle were in town for my aunt's 50th birthday so we had some quality family time at Tanners - of course we'd meet at a bar. We see each other so rarely; I love the times when we are able to get together.  

I just got back from by far the best movie ever: "Mama Mia: the Sing-a-long." Emilie and I saw it with six of our closest friends. Really it some sucker-of-a-guy who was roped into seeing it with his girlfriend/wife/date and a group of four women who had admitted to margaritas beforehand. One in particular was a "dancing queen." I snapped a picture of her on my camera phone but I'm still trying to figure out some features of the Mac and can't download it. Rats.

I'm sitting here now watching Tina Fey speak. Oh wait, that's Sarah Palin. They have an amazing resemblance. 

Tomorrow it's off to Michigan for Miss Amy Hartfelder's wedding ... which reminds me I better get to packing!!