This morning I went to the downtown branch of U.S. Bank to speak to employees as they started their kickoff for the March of Dimes, March for Babies. It was sorta weird to speak to a group like that as I felt like an outsider, but I hope by sharing my story with them it will motivate them to raise money for the cause.

I have to say that U.S. Bank is really doing it right. They had a breakfast this morning where employees paid $5 to eat, and that money went to the March for Babies. They also let their employees buy a jeans pass for $50, so they could wear jeans to work until the event. How cool!

I have a hard time really explaining to everyone what it was like to have a baby born at 27 weeks. I didn’t know that a 27 week old baby could even survive! But with the advances we’ve made in medicine…it can happen. And groups like the March of Dimes help so much. A few gals came up after I was done speaking about Rhiannon and our time at the Blank NICU and thanked me for sharing our story. I thought that was really nice. 

So here is what I really want to share today. YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE WALK! It is so easy. You can walk and raise money for a great cause. The walk is at the Blank Park Zoo so your entire family could have a blast in a great location, for a great cause. Go to my page to get more information or to make a donation. I’m not to my goal yet, but I did tell everyone that I would be kinder and gentler in 2010 if I reached my goal. (I tend to be a little high strung and hot headed at times.)

If you come into STAR to pick up a prize, I have a donation bucket at the front desk where you can put change, $1 or whatever. I am so proud that STAR 102.5 is involved with the March for Babies and proud to walk with the Blank NICU team.  Get more details HERE

So last night was the Bon Jovi show in Omaha. And this is my favorite band. I have been a fan since 1981 and I’ve been to over 11 Bon Jovi shows. The last two times they came to Des Moines I didn’t enjoy them as much as I should have.

During the Have A Nice Day Tour I was really really sick. So I went and got to stand on the side stage pit and enjoy the awesomeness that is Bon Jovi, but had to leave early as I was very sick. In fact, before the show I went to the doctor just to get antibotics before the show.  On the Lost Highway tour I had just had Rhiannon and she was still in the NICU. I was nervous about leaving her to go to a concert. But I went and escorted some winners to the side stage area and made sure they had fun. But again, I left early because of Rhiannon.

So I wasn’t going to buy tickets to the Omaha show, but a friend had tickets and gave them to me. So I thought, why wouldn’t I go? Hubby was up for watching Rhiannon, so I took Shana from the STAR promotion team. Shana has been helping me with the March of Dimes, March for Babies, so I thought this would be a great way to reward her for her hard work. As we got closer to the show date I kept thinking, ‘I’m too old for a roadtrip’ and ‘I’m so tired I’ll never last’.

Yesterday Shana I left Des Moines about 4:45pm. And it was foggy. I had a latte for the trip and we had Bon Jovi’s Circle cd in the cd player. We had to drive under the speed limit due to the poor visiblity with the fog. We knew our seats were pretty high up, but who cares? We got to the Qwest Center with no problems and grabbed a hot dog and took our seats. We did learn that the higher up your seats are at the Qwest Center, the smaller the seat actually is. Large butts don’t fit well. I’m not saying Shana has a large butt, I do…but she also had to squeeze in sideways so I know it wasn’t just me…

This tour there were no side stage pit areas. The concept was a circle around the stage and some fan club members sat inside the circle. The band could walk around the circle to closer to the audience. I had read that they were going to pull out some songs they haven’t done in a long time–and they shocked me by opening up with Blood on Blood from the New Jersey cd. I’ve never heard that one live. So I knew we were in for it! They shocked me with songs I hadn’t heard live in a very long time! They played Never Say Goodbye, In These Arms, Something For the Pain and  I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead among others! The stage set up was very cool. The screens in back were fun to watch. And the verdict…THE BEST CONCERT I’VE BEEN TO IN 10 YEARS.

I’m shocked to write that. I thought I was over the excitement of Bon Jovi. Especially since this new cd isn’t my favorite. But I was so wrong. I loved every minute of this concert and have my fingers crossed they return to Des Moines on the next leg.

Now the ride home. More fog.Visibility was so poor that I got vertigo trying to drive and had to switch with Shana. I made myself sick trying to drive between the white lines with the fog. It reminded me of the bed spins after a night of heavy drinking. (I had no adult beverages mind you) And getting up this morning was not pleasant. We returned to Des Moines around 2:30am. I am exhausted. But worth it. Worth every minute.

On to something else…sad news out of Hollywood about Corey Haim. Passing away at 38. I did watch the reality show The Two Coreys and he really did seem lost. It sorta felt like we heard alot about his addictions, and you knew we would eventually lose him too early. It is a rough business for young actors and actresses. I don’t think he ever learned how to exist out of the spotlight. Very sad.

So this weekend my husband and I went shopping as we got our tax return. We paid off bills and had to buy some things for the house. And we got a chance to spend some time together, which is rare since he works a part time job on weekends.

So Saturday he got off work early and we grabbed Rhiannon to head out for lunch. We decided to go to Smokey Row as he had never been there. We sat in a booth and he loved the atmosphere as much as I do. I loved the kids menu! Rhi’s food came on an old school lunch tray. So cute! But the staff was friendly, the customers were all very cool with Rhiannon standing up and looking at them over the booth, and the food was great. Only downside was they weren’t serving the Chicken Tortilla soup I had last time. I’ve been craving that for over a week now!!

We stopped by Homemakers afterward to buy a recliner that was on sale. It is on back order until mid April, but we got it anyway. Love the new Homemakers! Beautiful store and crazy busy on Saturday!

Saturday night after all of our running around we stopped and got something to eat at Chicken Coop in West Des Moines. Every place was busy and we decided to head close to home. It should have just been our first choice! Their food is always great and the service really is wonderful. We had a cranky kid on our hands who was really hungry, and our server Jimmy made sure her food order got in right away. If you shop at the HyVee on Grand/EP True there are usually coupons to the Chicken Coop on the back of your cash register reciept. You must try it!

Sunday we went shopping for my husband’s birthday present. Since he works a lot we really treated him this year but he agreed he has to do everything I ask for awhile.  We also had a Borders gift certificate to get Rhiannon some books for her birthday last  month. We went in and picked her up some great books and she is very excited!

 Then we headed home for my favorite night of the year..Oscar night! I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were hilarious! It was long and really could have been trimmed in many areas, but over all good. Then I had to watch the season finale of Big Love on HBO. By the time I got to bed it was midnight and I am beat!

It was a very busy weekend and I am exhausted! But we had a great time getting to spend time together.

With a winter that has blanketed much of the country in snow, I found a website dedicated to those who have to park on the street. It is a collection of notes from people who have dug out a parking space for the car and want to hold their spaces. I found this hysterical!

Go HERE to see it all!

So yesterday Rhiannon had Speech Therapy at our house. We work with Early Access and they are helping to get Rhi up to speed on talking.

Michelle is the gal that works with us and yesterday she had Rhi help her put together a Mr. Potato Head. It looks close to this:

So Rhiannon gets done helping Michelle put it together and as soon as she puts on the eyes, nose, mouth and mustache she looked at it, and said ‘Poppa’!

This is what she calls my dad, her Grandpa. She calls him Poppa. He looks like this:

Not quite Mr. Potato Head. But my mom laughed pretty hard when I told her!

I below to a scrapbook club that meets once a month. We get together and design a couple of different pages and enjoy getting away from the kids and husbands. We have been meeting in the conference room of a grocery store but due to a scheduling conflict we had to find a new place to meet Monday night. So we went to Smokey Row in Des Moines, on Cottage Grove. One of the girls in our club is a regular there and they allowed us to use their back room for our club.  I had never been there before, but WILL be going back!

For starters, the atmosphere is great. Seriously! Very comfortable and relaxed. I remember watching the building go thru the changes as they remodeled last year, and waited for it to be completed. The staff is great! And I knew I wanted to get something to eat before club and I was told their food was good too. I ordered a Heath Mocha (I really needed the caffeine) but had a tough time deciding what to order for food. The menu looks easy, but there were way too many choices that looked appealing. Finally I took a chance on the Chicken Salad Crossiant and a cup of the Chicken Tortilla Soup. Bingo! We have a winner! I love sandwiches on crossiants, so that thrilled me, but the chips that came with it were yummy too! And the soup was the highlight of my night! It had a kick to it, but so wonderful I wanted to go back for more. Everyone at club loved Smokey Row and I think we might try to do more stuff there. One of the girls had an Irish type shake, with espresso shots added in.

I really want to buy some mugs and shirts there too as they have a gift section that looks like I could do some damage in! If you get a chance, try Smokey Joe’s. I told my husband we are definately heading there for lunch sometime this weekend.  They have a great menu, coffees and lattes, Italian Sodas and sooo much more!

So yesterday was the March of Dimes, March for Babies kickoff luncheon for team captains and sponsors. It was held at the Blank Park Zoo and since STAR 102.5 is a sponsor, I headed out to speak to the group. (Thanks to Marianne for working on the air for me so I could go!)

Most of you know this is a passion of mine, because I really believe if it wasn’t for the March of Dimes, the research wouldn’t have been there to save Rhiannon. We were lucky enough to have a great staff of doctors and nurses at Blank Children’s Hospital who took care of us and helped Rhi to thrive. She was born at 27 weeks, and weighed 2 lbs, 2 oz. We were in the NICU for 96 days, and when you spend that much time anywhere, you really get to know the people around you. And because of all of this, my husband and I have thrown our support behind everything that the March of Dimes is involved in. Now of course I am trying to raise funds for the March of Babies and you can donate right thru my webpage online. I am also getting donations from friends, family and coworkers. I have to thank one of promotion team members for all of her help. Shana has stepped up and helped me with everything that has to do with the March for Babies. I really don’t think it would run as smoothly without her. (I will reward her greatness!!) So I was thrilled that she came to the luncheon with me.

Patrick Dix from WHO-TV was the MC and he did a great job. I had never met him before and had the opportunity after the presentation. Very nice guy and he has adorable twin boys who spent some time in the NICU.  It was great to meet some families who decided to create their own teams and raise money for such a great cause.  The 2010 March of Dimes Ambassador Family for Des Moines is the Doria Family. The shared their story about how both of their children were born premature and they have been involved in the walk since 2005. They showed a video with their story and I started to choke up looking at the pictures. It brought back so many memories of our time with Rhiannon in the NICU. This was not good as I was up next to speak.

And here is where it gets really embarrassing. Patrick introduces me and I walk up to the podium with the Rhiannon’s board…shown here.

Families made boards like this for last years March for Babies walk. They were posted all along the walk and it was a great way to celebrate the success stories and really see who benefits from the research the March of Dimes does.

So I get to the podium and as I start to speak I start to cry. Seriously. I got so emotional and overwhelmed that I had sobs caught in my throat. I have no idea what I actually said, but I **think** it was something about believing if it wasn’t for the March of Dimes I wouldn’t have my daughter, who is now a healthy 2 year old. I think I mentioned how proud I was to walk on the Blank NICU team, beside the doctors and nurses who saved Rhiannon’s life. I am pretty sure I held up the board and everyone giggled because it was upside down. I have a brief recollection of saying that even if I can’t get everyone I know to donate a dollar, if I can get them to help me spread awareness then I have won. And as I looked up I saw Shana had tears in her eyes, Jen and Tria from Blank NICU had tears, a new captain at our table had some wetness on her cheeks….and I knew I had to finish before I cried even harder. (Maybe they were crying because they felt bad I was doing so bad up there in front of everyone?)

So it was a very emotional presentation for me and it renewed my belief that this organization is amazing. The March for Babies is May 8th this year at the Blank Park Zoo. If you stop in to pick up a prize at the STAR offices, maybe you would like to drop some change in the March of Dimes bucket I have at the front desk. No donation is too big or too small. For more information or to donate online you can also go to my March of Dimes page HERE.

I’ll have more updates every couple of days. The March for Babies is on!!

I am so excited that STAR 102.5 is helping to spread the word about the upcoming March For Babies! This is a cause I am very passionate about as my daughter was born 3 months premature. I can easily admit that I didn’t know everything the March of Dimes does, until I was in a situation where I we benefitted from their research. I feel horrible that I wasn’t educated before then. But what I can do now is spread the word. I know times are tough and it may be a real challenge to donate $$ to every cause you want. But what is easy to do is to raise awareness…and that is free!

There are 71 days left until we head to the Blank Park Zoo for the walk. What a great place for it!! I am walking with the team from the Blank NICU again this year. In a lot of ways this walk is a reunion of sorts for us. Families we met in the NICU join us. We get to see the doctors and nurses that helped us each and every day.

One thing that the March of Dimes does is sto upport all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects. This research is so important as more and more babies are being premature. It feels so good to know that we are making a difference!

If you want to donate to the March of Dimes and their March for Babies, I have a widget right on my page where you can click on it and easily make a donation. And thru my blog I will be giving you as much information as I can about the March of Dimes and the upcoming walk. My hope is that you can help me spread the word.

We had a great event at Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in West Des Moines earlier this week with Alex Band. Members of the STAR email club were invited to join us for a private mini concert with Alex–which was amazing! He has had massive success with radio hits like ‘Why Don’t You and I’ with Santana, and of course ‘Wherever You Will Go’. We were also treated to his new single ‘Tonight’ which will be on his new album, coming out in May. It was a great time and all of our winners really enjoyed themselves with this edition of our Combat Hunger Concert Series! We have the pictures up already and you can listen to the performance thru the On Demand section.

It is time once again to do the March for Babies with the March of Dimes! My daughter was born at 27 weeks and spent over 3 months at the NICU at Blank Children’s Hospital. I really don’t know that we have our little angel today if it wasn’t for the advances made possible by organizations like the March of Dimes. So I want to help raise awareness about the wonderful things they do, and raise money.

 I have vowed if I pass my goal of raising over $550 I will be a nicer, gentler person in 2010. Anyone who knows me is laughing at this very moment as I am very impatient and hot headed. But that is my vow. And I am so proud to be a part of this event!

Last year we did the walk and we are joining the team again this year that our doctors and nurses are on. The walk this year is going to be at the Blank Park Zoo. I would love for everyone to spread the word about the this event if you can. And if you feel like making a donation to the cause you can do it right thru my March of Dimes page HERE. Soon I will have a widget up on my page where you can donate by clicking on it. That is coming…

This is a picture of Rhiannon and I at the walk last year. We can’t wait to walk again this year for such an incredible cause!