NYE 2010

I usually give my top 10 things of 2010... but I'm too busy right now! Erika, Mike and Jim are here right now... this morning, we ran the Resolution 5K at the beach!

Happy New Year!!

A Challenging Week, A New Discovery

This week has been a tremendously challenging week for several reasons... my dog's ACL injury, stress at work, life issues, etc.

But in all of it, I discovered something personal, and I thought I'd share.

I've been with my husband for about seven years. We spent five years dating and will celebrate our second wedding anniversary this September.

But, through various adversities this week, I discovered the best quality in Jim. (At this point, you can stop reading if it makes you want to gag a little bit. It's okay, this blog post isn't for everyone.)

The reason I think it's so poignant is because it hit me in a single moment. It was like a light bulb went off, and it was clear as ever. People always say the dorkiest crap about their spouse, but, it is pretty incredible that a marriage can truly grow into something bigger than imagined.

My discovery with Jim is that he is honest to a fault. He has not a single mean bone in his body. That doesn't mean he's a sucker, a door mat or a push over... it just means he does not boast in being correct, seek revenge or turn around and wrong the person who wronged him.

I realized recently that he is truly a good man. One who takes care of his family, and one who is always on the right side. Jim has never been in trouble for being "wrong." I mean, there are a lot of times I think he's wrong about his opinion... but he's never wrong in his intent.

And, I'm lucky to discover this before our two-year anniversary. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next two, three, or four decades! (However, I wish he'd do more yard work...)

Found it! Michelle and Jim... KY3 archives!

KSPR's Gridiron Joel Girdner was creeping on the internet and found this picture of me and my sweetheart just now. Thanks, Joel!

If I remember right, this is after a tornado. I kind of think this was after a tornado hit the River Downs subdivision in Nixa. Refresh my memory... 2006? Those were the good days... I mean, not because of the tornado. But because Jim and I worked together.

Man, he really got sick of me!

Our First Easter! (Excuse the Bed Head)

Wow! The Easter Bunny left us something at our door!

Jimmy and Minnie must've been good to get all of these treats. The Easter Bunny left Minnie some Dingo balls, a chew toy and some Dingo rawhides. The EB also left Jimmy chocolate eggs, Peeps, egg-shaped gum, Sweet tarts and Sprees (Jim's favorite!) How did the Easter Bunny know what we liked?

Our Trip to San Francisco: Meeting More Birth Family

We are in San Francisco right now, doubled over in pain, which was brought on by a massive sushi intake.

Jim is flipping through the channels and is watching TV. I'm updating stuff on the web. I won't say what else he's doing... (toot toot!)

Anyway, today was the first day I met my biological aunt, Yung. I call her IMO because that means "mother's sister" in Korean.

She is super sweet. Her partner, Stacy, is great. They've been together 30 years, I think. He is a retired Navy guy and acted as our tour guide. Together, they are so cute! We pretty much ate and drank our way through the tourist spots of San Francisco.

Here's the gist of what our day looked like:

We ate in the Sunset area. Jim had a lamb burger, Stacy had lasagna, Imo and I had a bowl of Thai style noodles.

We went to Golden Gate Park and walked through the botanical garden.

We went to the Fisherman's Wharf and drank coffee. Then we went somewhere else and drank beer.

We went to Chinatown. My aunt bought me a fanny pack. Stacy bought us a cricket.

We went to Union Square. We walked through the Westin Hotel and went up to the 32nd floor in the elevator. Nearly got sick.

We came back to Cole Valley and ate a huge plate of nigiri sushi.

Now we're in a food coma, though I told Jim I was kind of craving ice cream!

Anyway, my bio aunt is so neat. She has this really high-pitched voice and is so cute. She is also very generous. Stacy is such a storyteller. He is really entertaining...

Jim and I had a long day. We had planned on going up to wine country, but now I'm not so sure. I can only think and write in simple sentences right now.

Jim covers Obama's Inauguration!

Jim is covering the inauguration in Washington, D.C. You can catch a glimpse of what he's doing on KY3 or by clicking here.

He says he's having a good time, but he's ready to come home! I think a lot of people don't realize what hard work it is (especially for an old dog like him!)

He had to get up at 3:30 a.m. today to catch the train into D.C... then he has to lug the camera all day. He called last night to complain about back pains, though he said it was pretty cool to be there for the historical event.

I asked him to pick up an Obama buttom for the kids (I like to say that sometimes), but he said he probably won't have time. See, this is what I'm saying... you don't really get to enjoy an event when you're there for work. Plus, you're not with your friends or family, so that just makes it seem even more work-y.

And now, I won't get my button.

(**If you want to watch it live, go to KSPR.com**)

I'm getting a new sissy!

Now that everyone (who needs to know) knows,
I can share some good news.

My brother-in-law is getting married!

The Van Dillen men. Good lookin' bunch, right? (Susanne Priedohl)

He and his girlfriend, Tiffany, got engaged on Christmas Eve. At last check, they're planning a Spring 2010 wedding. I can't wait!

One of my fave reception pics (Jeffrey Sweet)

Boy, they are going to have some really tall, athletic kids. Both played college sports, and both are super cute, fun, smart, and amazing.

Congrats to them!

Now, the question is...

will Jim's sister, Erika, be the 2011 wedding?

If we keep looking as hot as we did on my bachelorette party,

I don't see why not.

Sassy! Erika, Me and Tiffany

Finally, the end of the wedding!

courtesy Dave S. via phone

A big thank you to everyone who showed up at our wedding reception Saturday night! We had a little bit of a stressful beginning (100 RSVPs but 164 showed up! Yikes...), but everyone was so calm... and the staff at Mille's was on top of it. THANK YOU!

Also a big thank you to the person/people who ANONYMOUSLY donated several hundred dollars to help with our bill. Wh-wh-what? Jim tried to get it out of the person in charge. She said, "Listen, I've been doing this for 10 years, and I've never seen anyone do that." We were shocked, floored, and grateful. Wow!! Unbelievable. How will we ever find out????

We had a great time. It was wonderful. We have such great people in our new family... Jim's family is awesome (uh, hello...did you see the dance floor??) And, thanks to Mama and Papa Bear Sherwood for helping us throw a great bash. Without them, we would have had a pony keg and a small get-together in our backyard!

We wish we could've talked to everyone longer, but man... mingling is a full-time job. We had no idea how busy we'd be talking to everyone... and we didn't even get to everyone! Nuts! We felt so blessed to have so many of our good friends and family around.

OH, and the Allie Catz were awesome! If you ever want a good band, you must hire them. They were fabulous! Everyone kept talking about how wonderful they were. We were so impressed. Thanks guys!

Jeffrey Sweet was also our photographer. He was working his tail off!! When we get our pictures, we'll post them up here for our friends to see... but until then, enjoy the few we got from our friend, Tracy (who also just got engaged...yea!!)

My college friends surprised me... they made me sing our old KU karaoke staple: "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. Yes, this did happen. Thank goodness, it was later in the night. Embarrassing!

Some of my best girl friends from KU. I can't believe they made the trip! A big honor to have these busy girls there...

Jim's debut on the Daily Show!

Check it out! Jim and Dave on The Daily Show... on a side note, there are no other obscenities in this piece, other than the title. He's about 3:25 in...

The DNC, Jim & The Daily Show??

Jim is currently covering the Democratic National Convention. It's been kind of a crazy few days for him... I just got off the phone with him and he was ordering dinner at 11:30 p.m.

Jim is there covering the convention for KY3. In case you didn't know, Jim is the chief photographer at KY3, and that's how we met. He's there with political reporter (and friend) Dave Catanese...

Anyway, though the work is hard, hectic, and extremely exhausting... they're enjoying themselves. And get this-- the dashing duo has a pretty good chance of being on The Daily Show this week!

Jim said that he was walking along and noticed Rob Riggle... when a producer from the show asked him if he wanted to be in a skit. Dave and Jim said, "Duh!"

Turns out, they shot a skit and played a local news team... I think maybe someone tried to choke them?? I couldn't really understand what Jim was saying during our phone conversation. Anyway, tune in on FRIDAY. SET YOUR DVRs!

Hopefully, it will make air. We'll see!

By the way, interesting tidbit--Rob Riggle is from Overland Park, KS... and he went to KU. I had no idea! And Jim said Rob recognized KY3 because apparently he has a lake house in the Ozarks. Imagine running into him at Party Cove!

Dude... the fair's here...

Holy crap. It's time for the Ozark Empire Fair. Click here (then scroll down) to see the last time I went. It was also the year I got a back tattoo.

Also, it was the last time I saw a really good girl fight. This little 100 pound girl went after this guy and started hitting him in the back of the head. Everyone scattered, the cops had to break it up, and it was nuts.

It was also the last time I really got to hang out with my friend Kimberly before she got married...and it was just after Jim and I got back from Hawaii, Trip #1.

Ahh, the fair. Good times.

Hope this year I can meet Weird Al! If anyone wants to go with me, let me know! Jim is out of town for his second bachelor party this weekend, and I can always use a good fried oreo.

Mix Tape Bingo Rocks!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have made history as The Coffee Ethic's first-ever Mix Tape Bingo winner!! (Actually I tied with another girl, but I think that's because we may have had the same card.)

We must've been on a roll. Our table won 3 out of the 4 games played at Mix Tape Bingo.

How does Mix Tape Bingo work, you ask? They play a lot of cool songs while you play Bingo. You have to name them...whoever gets the most right, wins a cool prize. Of course, there are other prizes for the Bingo winners (and they are equally cool!)

Tom and Shawn hard at work for Mix Tape Bingo

My friends Joanna and her husband Mark both won...

The only one who came up empty-handed was Jimbo.. but he didn't walk away empty-handed. I am getting a kewl SWAGBOT t-shirt made especially for him. SWEET.

Definitely one of the highlights of my week!

Boy, it's been a busy, stressful and sad week

I have a lot to say, but no time to say it. But first, I want to share an experience that I had this week and am wondering if others can relate.

Jim had to put down his dog, Jasmine, on Saturday. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. She was such a beloved friend, and after 12 years, she had cancer in one of her bones. I'm sure she had it in other places as well, but the cancer attacked her leg and left her unable to walk.

I don't want to go into details, but being in the room with her was very hard. Thankfully, she went peacefully, but it was terribly sad. I think Jim's whole family is depressed by it--they had been taking care of her in St. Louis, and she really became a family dog!

Anyway, we all miss Jasmine, and I wanted to write about it since she was a big part of our lives...

I'm transferring to Alaska?

Schurz Communications (the company that owns KY3 and runs KSPR) bought a great station in Anchorage, Alaska. For those of you who follow industry news, KTUU is well-known for having phenomenal photographers. One to mention is Scott Jensen.

courtesy KTUU.com

He was once the National Press Photographers Association Photographer of the Year...and he used to work at KARE in Minneapolis. I met him when I went to NPPA a few years ago, but I had admired his work for a while because he worked with KU alum and reporter Greg Vandegrift.

courtesy kare11.com

These guys really put most of us to shame. I am the kind of reporter/photog groupie who would love to just breathe the same air that they breathe (kidding, sort of...) Maybe that's why I'm marrying a photographer! ha!

I miss working with my Jimbo.

Anyway, the information might not mean much to most people, but I thought it was worth a mention and a consideration for a future transfer to Alaska...except I hate cold weather!!

ATTENTION LOCAL NEWS JUNKIES

Jim Van Dillen, Laurie Patton, Jim Hankins

If you haven't heard the scoop already, Ky3 Crime Reporter Laurie Patton is leaving. This coming week will be her last. She is leaving the news business after 8 years to work for the Cox foundation and to start her own company, The Life Story Company (see the links section of the blog.) Please fell free to send her well-wishes at lpatton@ky3.com, but hurry, she won't be able to check it after Friday.

What's your story?

One of my best friends and co-workers, Laurie Patton, is branching off to work on your life story. In fact, she's started a cool new company called The Life Story Company. Think of it as a documentary about your loved one or an autobiography about yourself. Pretty cool. I just had to show what she's up to. And FYI, she's the crime reporter--just goes to show you that everyone has a soft side. There's a link to her website at the bottom left. Check her out!