Happy

Zander turned one last Friday. Yep. Already. We had a party for him on Sunday and you wouldn't know he's my kid. I practically had to force feed him his b-day cupcake. Most kids dig right in and make a huge mess. Not him. He licked the frosting a lot, but didn't make much of a mess at all.


We had his doctor's appointment Monday and he's doing really well. He had to get 5 shots and a finger prick for lead level testing, and he survived. I talked to the doc about weaning him off the bottle. And I'm happy to report we are already down to just 1 bottle per day. My kid is easy. I've taken away 2 bottles per day just this week, and he hasn't even noticed. I'm SO lucky. Suri Cruise, who gets anything and everything she could ever want, still has a bottle at 2 1/2.

October 17th Z and I are taking our first plane ride together. We're going to Texas to visit my friend Sarah. American has a direct flight, but I hate that I'll have to pay extra just to check a piece of luggage. If I could just do a carry-on I would, but I can hardly carry my kid any sort of distance, much less have luggage with me! I wonder if I can bring my umbrella stroller and have that put in the "valet" section of the carry-ons. Hmm. I may have to think about that, so he has somewhere to sit during our airport waits.

TV Reference (Since TV Guide is already taken!)

I don't watch all of these shows. Just a lot of them.

I need to pare down my list!

Grey's Anatomy - September 25
Two and a Half Men - September 22
New Adventures of Old Christine - September 24
How I Met Your Mother - September 22
Big Bang Theory - September 22
Prison Break - September 1
Sarah Connor Chronicles - September 8
Heroes - September 22
Samantha Who? - September 23
Fringe - September 9
Lipstick Jungle - September 24
Chuck - September 29
Knight Rider - September 24
My Name Is Earl - ?
The Office - September 25
Desperate Housewives - September 28
Brothers & Sisters - September 18
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - ?

Lost, 24 and Dollhouse don't start until 2009. 24: Exile (the prequel to the season) will air November 23.

Kari: 101

I am SO stealing that title from TC. I was thinking of doing one of these, and hers made me go for it!

Plus, I started this blog a while ago, so some of you don't know quite enough about me! :)

1) I believe I've seen every episode of the show LazyTown
2) I have a bad potty mouth, mostly when I'm driving
3) I am putting $1 in my son's bank every time I swear in front of him, and going broke in the process
4) I quit McDonald's when I was 16 because they wouldn't let me work the grill
5) I am totally addicted to television
6) and chocolate
7) I have only been to the Milwaukee Zoo for a ceremony for graduates of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Dept training program
8) If my son had been born on time, he would have turned 1 on Monday
9) Instead, he'll be one on the 22nd
10) I've had 6 cars since I turned 18, and 4 of them were brand new when i bought them
11) I dated a cop for a year, and the last time I saw him he "didn't recognize me" at first
12) I have 2 neighbors who have sons that are just 3 and 2 months older than mine
13) I love to cook, but don't get a chance often because my husband is SO picky
14) I have a recipe blog with over 1,000 recipes and tips on it
15) I graduated from Madison Media Institute early so I could take a job in Stevens Point
16) I later worked with one of my MMI teachers
17) I've worked in restaurants, retail, real estate and radio
18) My high school crush lasted from 7th grade on
19) his wife is expecting a baby on my son's 1st birthday
20) I'm "afraid" to have a daughter someday because of the way the world is
21) My son's name is Alexander, with Andrew having been a backup name. My TS "upline" had a son 4 days after me (at the same hospital) and named him Alex, with Andrew as a possibility. We never discussed names
22) I started selling Tastefully Simple in February
23) I am a procrastinator
24) I am a spelling freak. I will critique anything I'm reading for proper spelling.
25) I have a hard time telling people how I really feel, especially if it's negative
26) I used to hate chickpeas (garbanzo beans) but I recently tried them again and LOVE them!
27) I sweat like crazy. I think Target and JCPenney are set at 100.
28) I like ice cream, pizza, spaghetti and french fries, among others
29) I don't remember a lot of things from High School
30) I rarely carry an umbrella
31) I was on the edge of my seat the first time I saw "A Time To Kill"
32) I met my husband online. We met in Feb 04, moved in together in May, got engaged in June and got married in July '05
33) I put the ceremony together, we wrote our own vows, a friend married us, and the men wore Monty Python & The Holy Grail tunics and carried swords
34) I had bridesmaids from Madison, Dallas and Brooklyn, NY
35) my favorite vacation was a road trip to San Francisco
36) Guy Fieri is my new favorite Food Network personality
37) I record numerous Food Network shows (rachael ray, throwdown, food network star, diners drive ins & dives, etc)
38) I clip coupons and actually use them!
39) I don't buy pre-shredded or pre-sliced cheese
40) I LOVE CHEESE! I'll try just about any. Some of my faves are: extra sharp cheddar, provolone, feta
41) When I went to NYC over my 1st anniversary, one of the places I HAD to go was Nathan's on Coney Island. We didn't even go to the typical touristy places (we tried for the empire state building, but the line was too long)
42) I went to NYC in '97 and it was a disaster
43) I am a sucker for reality shows. Tori & Dean, Big Brother, Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, The Two Coreys, What Not To Wear, Must Love Kids, Jon & Kate Plus 8
44) The funniest thing I've seen was when we went to see Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood (From Whose Line Is It Anyway) at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis
45) I also went to Minneapolis to meet Rachael Ray at a book signing
46) I'm going back to Minneapolis for the next 4 days
47) I've been in 7 weddings, not including my own
48) I love beer
49) I hate liars
50) I have an email in my inbox from 3/6/07
51) I buy most of my books from Half Price Books, or I just borrow them from the library
52) I love Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
53) I decided, after a trip to Vegas and some rides at the Circus Circus, that I don't like roller coasters anymore
54) I am cheap frugal
55) I had to email TC to find out how to strike out that word!
56) I went to Washington DC for my honeymoon. it was HOT!
57) I don't like coffee, but I do like coffee flavored things
58) I worked at a coffee shop
59) As much as I enjoy cooking, some of it intimidates me
60) I have had a penpal since I was 10. We've met 3 times.
61) I started league bowling when I was 7
62) It drives me nuts when someone refers to Espresso as Expresso
63) My best friend moved next door to me when she was 18 months old and I was 14 months
64) She's lived in IA, NY, AZ and now TX, and we're better friends for it
65) She had her son just 7 weeks after I had mine
66) I met one of my very good friends at a temp job I only had because I got fired from the radio station
67) She had her son 6 weeks after I had mine
68) There are only 2 people left at the radio station that were there when I left
69) My sister-in-law made me a memory candle for my wedding, it got "hurt" during the reception so she took it to fix it and I haven't seen it since
70) I have 3 godchildren
71) I once toured the Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago
72) I drank and ate breakfast with David B from Real World New Orleans (and others) in Chicago
73) I like the name Ashley, but with my last name, I'll never be able to use it
74) I got glasses when I was 17
75) I still watch 90210 reruns
75) I love avocados
76) I had "the real deal" sushi in san francisco
77) I once saw a motorcycle with training wheels (today actually)
78) I prefer cheez-its over cheese nips
79) I never wanted kids, until I met a guy that I never even dated
80) His wife is due with their first in December
81) I do not enjoy cleaning
82) I started working for the City of Madison while still in high school
83) Though most of my closest friends did not, I enjoyed pep rallies
84) My one and only trip out of the US was to Mexico on a high school trip in '93
85) I've been fired from 2 jobs and walked out on 2 jobs
86) one of my teachers from madison media institute writes for the State Journal
87) If you ask me a question, chances are I will google it if I don't know the answer
88) some of my other favorite sites are: wikipedia, imdb, fark, bloglines
89) I go to Merle Norman every other week for a hydrating facial
90) I never saw and episode of One Tree Hill or The OC, But I have watched much of The Hills and Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
91) I also watched Real Housewives of Orange County
92) I never went on more than one date with anyone younger than me
93) I had to have braces twice because the retainer I got after the first set didn't work
94) I enjoy checking out profiles on Myspace and Facebook
95) I have found a real place in my heart for Papa Murphy's pizza
96) I quit smoking for 7 years
97) I only smoke now when I'm drinking or REALLY stressed, and thankfully I'm really stressed only occasionally
98) I've recently figured out what types of people I don't need in my life
99) I make lists
100) I, too, prefer to sleep au natural
101) Like TC said, some things you learn from other people

That's all, folks. I'll be in Minneapolis Thurs-Sunday, and am not sure how much internet access I have. So I may be doing a lot of catching up on Sunday night!

Can I make a request?

I heard that question (or a version of it: Can I request a song? Can you request a song? I found that last one the strangest...why would you call me and ask if I could request a song?) MANY times throughout my radio career. And while this doesn't have anything to do with music, I must make a request.

I am ok with you calling me. I'm ok with you leaving me a message if I "miss" your phone call.

But PLEASE don't leave the following message:

"Hi Kari, It's Ann." click.

Because you know what? I KNOW it was you. I have caller ID. If you leave me a message and I take the time to listen to it, it would be nice of you to tell me why you're calling!

Also, don't say:
"Hey, I have a question. Call me back."

ASK THE QUESTION! Because maybe if I don't have the answer I can find out before I call you back.

That's it.

Have I mentioned I have a brand new kitchen? THAT makes me happy! :o)