Summer on the go

Sept. 14, 2015

Bittersweet day today as my younger son starts 4th grade. It's officially the end of summer now. And what a great summer it was. 

Being out of work allowed me to travel to many wonderful places with my family as we learned about our new area.

I was going to do an entire blog on our visit to the Denver Zoo but I decided it would be more interesting to write about several different places that we were able to visit, usually for free, during the summer months.

So here are a few of the fun stops we made in the Denver area:

**Celestial Seasonings free "tea tour" in Boulder...one of the first tours we took after we arrived here in June. We had done this tour years before but wanted to come back. When you first arrive you get to sample from dozens of different types of tea while you wait for your tour to start. You are given a hair net and watch a 9-minute video about CS history before you embark on the walking tour of the tea factory. Everyone loves the stop in the Mint Room where your sense of smell is overloaded with peppermint and spearmint.

**Downtown Aquarium. The 9-year-old loved this and really wanted to gofor his birthday (we had been once before years ago) so my parents took him and I when they visited. There are tons of animals (mostly fish and other sea creatures) on display and it's always fun to see the jellyfish and the sea cucumber and various other marine life. I think I like the shark tank the best. They swim right up to the glass and their are windows on the ground so you can see them under your feet. The "mermaids" show is pretty cool too and just before you leave you can feed the stingrays in their tank.

**Denver Botanic Gardens. Hubby and I had been here on my first trip to Denver back in 1999 so it had been a while. It's only gotten better since then. Many varieties of flowers and plants in bloom, beautiful water areas, lots of sunshine and places for kids to explore, a gift shop, a small cafe, a library and inside you can visit the famous corpse flower.

**Denver Zoo. Like all the other places, we had been here once before years ago but my 9-year-old animal lover really wanted to come back. This zoo is great: Big, fun, educational. I imagine in the fall when it's not so hot it will be even more amazing. We love penguins and didn't realize they had 2 penguin exhibits. The elephant presentation was great. There's an area where you can feed the giraffes. Peahens and peacocks as well as ducks and other animals run free. There's lots to see and do here: a train ride, a food truck, indoor and outdoor displays and other activities.

**Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Not far from the zoo, We've been here twice since June, thanks to free admission days. I think my kids like the science area the best, seem to spend most of our time there. We have yet to check out a movie in the Imax theater there but the building also offers great views of the city and a nice planetarium. There was a temporary exhibit on Poison last time we went and it was interesting to see how they worked pop culture (Snow White, Harry Potter) into it.

**Lakeside amusement park: the boys love going here (and their dad loved coming when HE was their age), some cool old-school rides at this longtime attraction. There are inexpensive snacks, a train ride around the park, a giant Ferris wheel, several county-fair type attractions and arcade games as well as a beautiful view from the lake.

Some of my previous work

Some of you, mainly potential employers, have requested to see some of my work in the past.

Here is my linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/lisa-kohlbrenner/8/951/4ba

I have included below links to the works I could find online.

Clay Today reporting links:

http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/84/16/00380/01-12-2012_archive.pdf

http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/84/16/00379/01-05-2012.pdf

http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028416/00376

http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/84/16/00375/12-08-2011.pdf

Times-Union blog links:

http://jacksonville.com/users/lisa-kohlbrenner

Link to story I wrote for T-U on Denver band Big Head Todd and the Monsters: https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1G1-130415581/big-head-todd-still-rockin-after-20-years

My Facebook pages, personal and professional:

https://www.facebook.com/LisaKohlbrenner

https://www.facebook.com/LisaGKohlbrenner

My resume

Lisa Kohlbrenner     multimedia journalist and editor 

EXPERIENCE 

Assignment editor  FOX 30/CBS 47 Action News, Jacksonville, Fla.  August 2012-June 2015Runs assignment desk, pitches stories, maintains contact with outside sources, police and fire departments, assigns news units. Helps department heads to coordinate production activities. Help to write and edit online stories and social posts. Books interviews and satellite time as needed. Answers viewer calls, sends nightly daysheet, tracks court case, events, government meetings.

Copy editor   Times-Union, Jacksonville, Fla.   June 2000-July 2001, Feb. 2003-Sept. 2011
*Print duties: Edited news, feature and business stories for grammar, style, content, and consistency. Wrote headlines and photo captions. Served as a chief and/or pressroom liaison several times a week, working directly with pre-press and printing staff to ensure deadlines were met.  Regularly designed seven community news zoned sections in addition to editing the stories. Wrote stories for print and blogs for Jacksonville.com.
**Non-print duties: Posted stories to and moderated comments on Jacksonville.com; managed five-person TV team in coordination with news partner First Coast News; served as on-air talent for 11:15 p.m. “Tomorrow’s Headlines Tonight” live TV segment; read and produced weekly radio teases for WJCT 89.9 FM.  

Radio host/intern    WHLG-FM Coast 101.3, Stuart, Fla.                                        February 2002- February 2003
Served as on-air personality. Voice-tracked the midnight to 5 a.m. shift. 

News copy chief     The Stuart News, Stuart, Fla.                                            July 2001-February 2003
Served as nightside editor on all stories and as liaison with pressroom to ensure deadlines were met. Edited stories for grammar, style, content and more. Wrote headlines and other display text.  Designed section fronts.
Edited stories, wrote headlines, designed section fronts and designed inside pages for 50,000-circulation daily.

Journalist     Palatka Daily News,         Palatka, Fla.                       October 1998-July 1999
Served as reporter/photographer/copy editor/website editor for daily paper serving 20,000  people. 

Writing samples: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/lisa-kohlbrenners-blog  OR  lisakohlbrenner.blogspot.com

Education and training 

University of Florida, bachelor of science degree in journalism, 1998
Newsplex in Columbia, S.C., convergence training. Week of training on various media, May 2003

It's been an emotional roller-coaster of a week

This week has been a very difficult one for me, emotionally. Not only am I really missing Florida but I feel like my patience is being tried from every angle. If this is a test, I am not sure I am going to pass. I know there are people out there who have it harder than I do (I'm praying for Lafayette right now), I get that, but sometimes you just have to get it all out and this week is my pity party.

I had two job rejections this week and probably a few more I haven;t even heard of yet or won't hear of because the company doesn't have time to send replies. We also got a lot of our bills from the Florida property and they were a lot higher than we expected (Realtors left lights and water on in the home and we are the ones who end up having to pay). We have zero income right now and no money. I do not know where the funds will come from to pay these bills or the ones we have coming from our time here. I am about to file for temporary assistance (when I said we had no money I meant it) but I'd rather not go that route. I read the long, drawn-out application and I don't want to spend half a day in the office filing it out and waiting for the money to come. I have faith.

I have never missed Florida more than I have this week. I miss having a house and job and two cars and food and our own bedrooms and a backyard for the dog to run in and all my connections and the free pool and all the fun, free stuff to do. Everything is more expensive here. Oh and I really miss the beaches! Our new community won't have a pool or amenities center. Our new house costs twice as much as our Florida one and it's about the same size. We sold one of our cars before we left so we are down to just 1: our 2007 Honda Pilot with hundreds of thousands of miles on it and a bad leak that we can afford to repair.

Now we find out Ben doesn't even have a school he can attend. DH was hoping he could take the boys to his school with him but 6th grade is full. Ben is on the wait list for a nice k-8 here but we haven't heard back yet. DH doesn't want him going to the school our community is zoned for because it has a below average rating. I really wish we were back in Florida, everything was so much easier and cheaper back there.

On a positive note, I did get 1 phone interview and unrelated, I got invited to visit CBS Denver next week and meet some of the staff. I am excited for that. It's not a job interview by any means but it will be cool to be back in a newsroom again, however briefly. It's a step in the right direction as I try to start over.

Also, one of the fun things we did get to do this week was the free admission day at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It's one of the top-ranked botanic gardens in the U.S. and it's easy to see why. The weather was great for a tiptoe through the tulips and watching the bunnies and bees move among the various flowers and plants. There were quite a few new additions since our last visit many years ago and the kids had fun checking everything out.  They also have some great concerts there this summer!  I recommend stopping by if you are ever in Denver.

Here's hoping something new blooms for me soon! Fingers crossed ...

Back from hiatus!!!

Hello again!

OK, so I have been HORRIBLE about keeping the blog up to date this year (like I said I would) but in my defense, this Mom On The Go HAS been very busy. Allow me to explain.

In June, I quit my assignment editor job at Action News, sold my Jacksonville home (the boys' first home, where they grew up) and moved to the Denver area: 2 kids, 1 dog, no money, no home, and no job prospects (not for a lack of searching). The 3-day drive out here was rough, the month-plus of job searching and house hunting has been brutal. The weather has been hotter here than we suspected. This native Floridian misses Jacksonville almost every day. But I am adjusting and it helps that my best friend was already out here and she is just a short drive away if I ever need to talk.

However, more than a month later and I am still without a job.I apply for at least two jobs every day and I have had a couple of interviews but so far no luck. Even so, the available openings are not for positions I really want. Despite my age, I really want to be a TV host. I don't have much experience in it but it's always been a dream of mine. I always tell people I want Mario Lopez's job on "Extra."

So after much soul-searching (and talking to a friend who says that even though we are thousands of miles apart he can help me make a demo reel) I am going to pursue my passion. I know I have a lot against me: I am a bit late to the game in more ways than one, I don't have any current work and my old radio and video reports are on VHS or cassette tape. (Can anyone out there help me digitize them please?) But that same friend filled my head with the idea that my dream is STILL possible and I know anything is possible. I'm going to push forward and see what happens.

I am going to start blogging regularly so check back often. I'm going to find my old work and post it and create new videos. I've created a new Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LisaGKohlbrenner) and a new YouTube channel will be coming soon too! Please let me know the kind of video topics that you would be interested in watching as I am looking for ideas on what interests viewers. Also, I am looking for any help I can get financial or otherwise (We have zero money right now). If you know anyone in Colorado who can help me launch my career or even just help spread the word and get my name out there, please let me know. You can email me anytime at lisa@kohlbrenner.com.

I appreciate you reading this and any advice or support you can provide. If nothing else, please keep me in your prayers. Thank you.

                                      (I will miss my time and my friends at Action News very much!)

The blog is back for 2015!

One of the resolutions I made earlier this year was to revive this Mom on the Go  blog. What better way to do that than with my encounter with Alan Thicke!

I have enjoyed much of his work ever since I was a child and he was playing Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. Among other things,  I used to watch Thicke of the Night and enjoyed 1987's TV move Not Quite Human where he played a scientist dad who created a human-like android that he tries to pass off as his son.

The actor and I have had exchanges on social media in the recent past-after he posted a photo of his knee surgery and I tweeted him a "Get Well Soon" message he replied with a comment about cupcakes I had made (I had Tweeted a photo of cupcakes I had made for co-workers).

Long story short, I recently Tweeted at him about wanting to meet him once I found out he was going to be in Jacksonville as host of the touring Dancing Pros Live show. He at some point Tweeted to me "Show me that smile again," a reference to the opening line of the "Growing Pains" theme song.

Some time on Sunday I get a DM from his Twitter account asking me if I need media passes to the Jacksonville performance. I am out of town and unable to attend (and unable to DM back) so I Tweet @ him my reply, including my email address for future contact. Later, I get an email with a name and number of someone I can text for tickets. 

By the time I got home from our out of town trip, the show was over. I assumed I had missed my chance to meet him but was too exhausted from the day to care much. I sent a polite thank you email and my apologize that I could not attend and really wish that I could have met him.

Just before 9:30 on Monday morning, I get an email, again from the Alan Thicke account: "departs Omni lobby at 10;30. can get photo then"  What? I can't believe what I am reading? Is this even legit? Everything else seemed legit. Then the panic sets in. I have about an hour to shower, get dressed and ready and drive downtown from my home one county down and about 20-30 minutes away.

I kept thinking I would lever make it but I pulled into the parking lot next to the Omni Jax downtown with time to spare. I walked inside and used the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror. Then I waited in the lobby, and waited. Kept thinking I heard his voice coming. 10;30 came and went and no sign of him.

I expected him to be escorted by an entourage of people or the other show performers or a hotel security guard at the very least. But when I saw him about 10 minutes later. It was just him strolling into the lobby with his wheeled luggage.

As I started to approach him, he said "is that Lisa?" (There was no one else in the lobby but us, a concierge and the two clerks behind the counter.)

I said "yes, hi! It's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm sorry I'm late he said."

"Oh that's OK, I know you are busy getting ready," Or I said something along those lines. 

And I gave him a hug (probably not what he was expecting but oh well. When would I ever see him again?)

I handed him my business card so he would know I was who I said I was and he said "oh assignment editor, you're an important person."

"Well... at least I like to think so," I joked.

"Maybe this guy can take our photo," Thicke said, motioning in the direction of a concierge standing there who had NO idea how to work my cell phone camera.

"I'm sorry you had to miss the show," he said to me.

"So am I,"  I said. How was it?" I don't remember his response. I also asked him where his family was but I don't remember his response to that either. In my rush to get the cameras ready and take up as little of his time as possible I forgot a few things.

I took one of Alan alone and handed it to the man, but it didn't take. So I took a few selfies but the quality was poor. The man finally took one and we checked to make sure it was there.

I asked him to sign my Growing Pains DVD and as I got the Sharpie ready he said 'here, I have these for you," and handed me a bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies that I am assuming are a free gift in every hotel room at the Omni.

He signed the DVD and said a good bye and started out the doors, stopping for a newspaper on a table on the way out. When we were outside I asked to take one photo of him with my "good" camera and he obliged. Then he got in to a small chauffered car on his way to the airport for his next stop: New York.

And I got into my car, paid the $3 parking fee and went home. It was a great day for someone like me who is a huge celeb hound and who didn't think this meet-and-greet was going to happen. 

Mom on the go again! The blog returns...

It's been a long time (almost a year) since I posted anything to my blogs so I think it's a good time to revive it, especially because I have been living up to my blog name. The mom on the go lifestyle is in full force.
After a couple of weeks without my babies (most moms would relish the break but I truly missed them), I hopped on a plane to join them in Colorado, where they were spending their summer with family. Husband had taken them and the dog out there in mid-July but I. had to wait for the "sweeps" rating period to be over to take my vacation time.
I got up early on July 27to eat breakfast, tidy up things and pack the last of my belongings. My Realtor was kind enough to pick me up and drive me to JAX. While waiting for my flight, I ran into the dad of one of my older son's friends. He happens to work for the airline I was flying on. I felt lucky to have already seen two familiar faces that day. But I Couldn't wait to get off the plane in Colorado and see my children. There really is no greater feeling. ....And even now, as I type this up on my mobile phone while we drive through Georgia on our way back home, I am so grateful for the time we got to spend there together and all the memories we made. Part two of our journey (after I arrived ) will come in another post.

Ghouls out in Georgia

NOTE: I have been meaning to post this blog for quite some time now but have been so busy that there was never a good time to do it. I am taking some time now to do so.

I love this time of year--the holiday season is beginning and pumpkins and pumpkin-flavored baked goods and coffees come back.

Last month we drove to Valdosta, Ga. to check out Wild Adventures' annual Kid-o-Ween activities. (For those who don't know, Wild Adventures is a theme park about a 2-hours drive from Jacksonville, Fla.) It's a trip we have enjoyed making for the past  few years.

There are a few mainstays we look forward to each year, such as the trick-or-treating - -the kids get a bag upon entering  and then proceed to various locations throughout the park where they can collect candy. No costumes required. My sons always try to hit every candy stop.

Kid-o-Ween also includes fun, family-friendly shows like the interactive game Do You Boo? and Count Rockula's Dance Party--a popular spot where kids dance along to Halloween songs. The park also offers some of its regular shows during this time, like Tigers of India.

When we weren't riding the rides, we took turns through the hay bale maze, let each boy pick his own mini pumpkin from Monty's Magical Pumpkin Patch (good deal for just $1 each), and they decorated treat bags and paper masks at the craft station.

Although we didn't stay into the evening hours, at night the park transforms into "Terror in the Wild" a more-adult-themed event. Terror, aimed at guests ages 12 and older, includes live actors dressed in costumes and scary attractions like the Ghost Train, Field of Screams and Pumpkin Forest.

The park will also be opening two new rides in 2013: TailSpin and Wacky Wheels.

A tasty lesson on life, lunch

So I made the ultimate sacrifice last week: I ate school cafeteria 
lunch. I am kidding. It really wasn't all that bad and it was a good 
lesson--and blog. It seems not much has changed in the decades since I 
spent time in a school cafeteria.

I was at the boys' new school for one of my first volunteering efforts. 
It was picture day for the lower grades (K-2) and I was told it would 
be a lot of fixing collars and combing hair--basically making sure the 
kids looked OK. It turned out they already had someone else to do that 
job so instead I basically escorted the kids off the cafeteria stage 
and down a ramp they had probably never used before and into the 
cafeteria where the rest of their class would be waiting.

  It was an all day assignment so rather than going home to get some 
food (a 5-minute drive) I figured it would just be easier to eat lunch 
with my younger son. Afterall, it was cheese quesadilla day in the good 
old cafe so why not? I like quesadillas.

But I forgot I have not been through a cafeteria line in decades. 
Grabbing a milk to drink was easy enough but I almost forgot to grab a 
tray. And then there were students in line in front of me who wanted to 
talk--wanted to know who I was and why I was there: Was I a teacher? 
Then what to order: The cafeteria worker plopped 4 quesadilla triangles 
onto my tray (and I wondered why the shell had bumps on it--what made 
it that way? My tortilla shells don't look like that when I make them). 
Then a side of Mexican rice and another side of corn was added to my 
tray. I also grabbed a banana that I ended up NOT eating and a frozen 
fruit bar for my son that I knew he would want.
Lunch was $3 (not bad for all the food I got). The student 
meal--slightly smaller is only $1.75. The cashier asked if I wanted to 
put it on my child's account but I didn't (wanted to save the money for 
them). So I paid cash, which they did not seem to like.
Then my son and I sat down in the guest section and I tried the food. 
Just as gross as I remember when I was a kid.

In all seriousness it was not that bad. The quesadillas were OK, just 
OK--probably not the kind that children would like. I know my son did 
not even want to try them even after I added sour cream (which he 
loves) to them. I am guessing many children tossed the Mexican rice. It 
is not something a child's palate would enjoy. And the corn was 
forgettable. There was nothing spectacular about this meal or that 
would make me want to eat it again.

Parents, please do not be fooled. Your children are NOT eating the 
school lunch you are paying for. It's just not appealing enough to 
them. Did you ever wonder why they were so hungry when you picked them 
up after school? I was the lunch committee chairwoman at our last 
school so I spent a lot of time supervising lunch. The children throw 
out EVERYTHING they don't want or don't have time to eat and that 
included unopened bags of chips, cookies and Capri Suns as well as 
fruit or salad that they did not care for. I was amazed at how much of 
their lunches went straight into the trash because the either didn't 
like it or spent most of their time socializing.

I know school systems have spent a lot of time and effort to make the 
lunches healthier than when I was in school but little else has changed 
in the way of flavor and appeal. And trust me, the kids are picking and choosing which items they eat. So be sure to have some snacks ready after school. Even on pizza day. I'm just saying.

Better late than never

I have been reading about how to have a successful blog because, believe me, I want this one to succeed. "They" say you have to keep it current. oops. Unfortunately, I have not been doing the recommended "one post a week" update because we have just been so busy. On The Go is an understatement. I have barely had time to breathe since we got home from our summer trip to Colorado.

It was bittersweet coming home. So glad to be back in my own house, in my own room and my own bed, not having to share space with anyone. So happy to be in my home state in a city I was familiar with. But at the same time, I had made a few new friends --and visited old ones --back in Denver and knew I would miss them and all the fun we had. As well as missing the family members we had visited. Not to mention that area is just beautiful.

Even last week when we went to the beach (my how we had missed the beach!) and I took a photo of a sand dune because it reminded me of the mountains. You just can't re-create that out here, no matter how hard you try.

But after 6 weeks at a mile above sea level, I was ready to come back down to Earth. There was so much to do out there and so much family we stayed busy. There wasn't much access to the Internet and when it was it was shared. So I suppose I could have found a way to carve out some time to blog regularly but that would have been difficult. So I am writing one now and hope I remember to keep this blog current. Better late than never!

Not that there wasn't plenty to blog about. We visited Golden, Boulder, Colorado Springs and other towns. We stopped at the Century 16 in Aurora and saw the site of the shooting. We could see the smoke from the Waldo Canyon fire. We took a tour of Hammond's Candy Factory, walked the 16th Street Mall downtown, visited the Denver Children's Museum and Denver Art Museum, went gambling at the casinos in the Black Hawk/Central City areas, played at various parks, checked out books at the library and many other fun things. This summer was definitely about being on the go, in more ways than one.

But it is good to be back. Lots of changes for us upon our return. Our house is up for sale, I am looking for work and the boys start their first year at public school, and with a few less teeth than they had at the start of summer. We're looking forward to the new school year and all the things it has to offer. I hope you are too.

On the road again...

Who would have guessed when we embarked on this road trip back in mid-June that so much would happen between now and then. We left Jacksonville and now there is heavy rains and flooding from the tropical storm. We arrive in Colorado and there are wildfires forcing evacuations in several different areas. What is going on? Where we left and where we are both are having major weather issues. I keep saying that we brought the heat with us from Florida because the temperatures have been in the 100s here all week. I thought we came to Colorado for the summer to escape the Florida heat. Yes, I know they say it is a dry heat here and you don't get the humidity but, as I said on my Facebook page, hot is hot! And  it is.
I am missing home, Jacksonville, the beach and my friends. Don't get me wrong: Colorado is beautiful and I am having a nice time but this is not home. I am a Florida girl through and through. I am lucky to have a couple of friends here--and Internet access--to keep me sane.
The road trip was a nightmare with the kids and I wrote a blog along the way. However I typed it up on my OLD laptop and don't have the technology with me to transfer it from there. As a matter of fact I don't even have my USB cord with me to post photos. Maybe soon.
Thank goodness there are some comforts from home here, like Starbucks, Target and my 5-year-old's favorite, Einstein Brothers. It seems their bagels are one of the only things he will eat for breakfast out here.
What else can I say? I am trying to get acclimated to being closer to the sun and the thin air here. I have made some new friends and visited with old ones. I am searching for a job and I am hoping that keeping this blog up to date will help.
We have visited Boulder, Mother Cabrini Shrine, downtown Denver and a few other areas. Mile High Stadium is now Sports Authority Field. The kids are enrolled in the library summer reading program so they can get free tickets to the local theme parks. And I am still in search of a good Thai restaurant here. They have a Thai Basil like my favorite place back home but sadly only the names are the same.

You will be missed Grandpa

My grandfather passed away yesterday (5/8/2012) and there's so much that I want to say. I could turn this blog post about him into a book but I honestly don't know where to begin or how to say it. His name was Osvaldo Flores and he was a good man, mostly. I was born on his 50th birthday so I always felt a special connection to him (and we never forgot each other's birthday). Some of my earliest memories are of him coming to the apartment we lived at when I was a little girl and bringing me gifts, such as some books about prayers (One that I think i might still have) and buying me my very first Cabbage Patch Doll (at the time, finding them was no easy feat). And we spent many a weekend riding around downtown Miami in the taxicab that he drove for a living. Those were fun times. It was very obvious that he loved us. He was there for all the special moments. He always gave me a Christmas card, no matter where I was and I still have many of them saved. One of the last photos I have of us together is at my wedding in 2000.

In recent years he had lived in several different nursing homes with my mother tending to him there  almost every day before or after work. She tried to be by his side as often as she could. When I would come down to visit South Florida, my mother would insist I come visit him at the nursing home. This was very difficult for me sometimes. Some visits he spoke, sometimes he didn't. They said he might have had Alzheimers. Did he remember me? Of course he has changed a lot since those cab-driving days. He was not the same man anymore. I can't put it in to words right now. Oh, that man was still there behind his eyes but unable to articulate his thoughts and feelings as well. Still when I did get to talk to him on the phone there was always an "I love you." And I hope he remembers how much we all loved him.
He has met my children and I hope I can figure out where I put the photos of him holding my sons. They won't remember their great-grandfather but I will be sure to share photos and memories with them. I hope he is pain free and up in heaven now, watching over us all.
 I don't know what else to say.

Keeping it fresh

I read books on creating blogs that recommend that you add a new post at least once a week to keep it up to date and fresh. I understand that but as a mom on the go I have been so busy lately, there hasn't been much time to write. We have a lot going on right now with Ben about to turn 8 AND make his first holy communion. Plus both boys have soccer and that keeps us pretty busy as well.

We just got back from a weekend in Orlando and I do plan to blog about that (especially because I had not been to SeaWorld in a long time). But in the meantime, I did not want to forget to post my latest foray into my dream job (that would be television).

I had the opportunity to do a 60-second commentary for First Coast News as part of the I'm Just Sayin segment. It was fun and exciting. I love being in front of a camera. In case you missed it I am posting the link here. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1593520939001

Little pain, little gain for fans on Miami film set

I read online just days before our Spring Break trip to Miami that Mark Wahlberg was in Miami filming scenes for “Pain and Gain,” a new Paramount film directed by Michael Bay. Then before the trip my brother called me to say he had driven past the Biscayne Boulevard building one day and has seen them filming. As if I wasn’t excited enough already, he had to make it worse. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a BIG celeb hound. I knew that once I was in town, a little stalking would be in order, especially after doing a little research and learning the film also stars The Rock, Tony Shaloub, Ed Harris, and Rob Corddry.

My brother (hoping to see The Rock) and I headed briefly to the set at 81^st Street and Biscayne on the Saturday morning Before Easter. I got excited as we drove up and I could see the “Sun Gym” signs that I had seen in photographs online. It was true! I was here! No longer staring at the building on my computer screen, the 3-story building was now before me. We parked and got out. Security guards everywhere. But no sign of anyone else.

We must have circled the building a half-dozen times as I shot photos from all angles of anything that looked interesting: The Paramount Pictures 18-wheelers, the lighting crane, the garbage cans (I had seen Wahlberg jumping out of one in a photo online), and I snapped a photo through the glass doors of a makeshift gym façade they had made up to look like a GNC counter.

We approached a friendly-looking security guard and started talking to her. “Toni” told us that she had met a few of the actor and they were all so nice. She told us about meeting The Rock and she also told us that they were not filming anything over the weekend and we should come back on Monday.

When we came back on Monday I expected there to be a mob of fans being held back by police tape across the street. There was no such thing … and no sign of Toni. We did see two paparazzo with huge wide angle lenses across the street. And on the roof of the building we could see filming going on. But you couldn’t see it unless you stood across the street and even then, even with my camera zoom maxed out I could not make out the people or get much of the scene.

We noticed a stairway on a building across the street and climbed them. The angle didn’t reveal much of anything and I could no longer see the scene. I did see an extra walking down the street so I took a photo. Turns out it was fitness expert Jennifer Nicole Lee who spotted us easily from up there. With not much to see from up there except a few equipment trucks, we soon went back down.

Again we walked around the building a few times. Started talking to a lively guy at catering and he eventually invited us in to the catering room. In front was just those silver buffets set up but in the back of the room, a bunch of extras were sitting around. We got to talking and eventually he walked us through the room, into another room that was hair/makeup and wardrobe and out a back door that led us right out to where the filming was taking place!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No one so much as batted an eyelash that we were there. Catering guy, who shall remain nameless to protect his identity, said just be inconspicuous (which meant I was somehow going to have to find a way to hide the camera that had been hanging from my neck the entire time). He said just blend in and you’ll be OK. He was right. Until we walked right past where they were filming a shot, we had been invisible. I glanced into the parking garage and just saw a lot of bodybuilder-looking extras standing around and more of those white-balance boards. My eyes were trying to adjust from the brightness outside to the darkness inside the garage where the scene was. When they did adjust I finally saw what I think was Mark Wahlberg in a light blue Sun Gym tank punching at something (for the scene). The only photo I could snap quickly:

 It was too late. It happened too fast. The next thing I knew the worker who had been standing outside asked us to move, asked us what we were doing. We told him and somehow we ended up outside the scene, walking around the outside of the set again. Back at square one. We mulled about a little bit longer. Catering guy, who told us he kept calling Tony Shaloub “The Monk” every time he came in there to eat and shared an odd story with us about the Black Dahlia, told us where “base camp” was so we walked over there and saw a fenced-in, security guarded lot full of cars of all kinds, more equipment trucks, trailers and transportation vehicles. I took a few photos and then we headed back. We had been hoping for a glimpse of someone famous but after about two hours it was finally time to go. We went back and said goodbye to “Catering guy” and we left. “More than we expected but less than we wanted” is how my brother summed it up. It was a pretty eventful day, getting to go where we did. I kept thinking “suck it paparazzo” while you were across the street snapping photos with your fancy cameras, I was ON the set, talking to the people who actually experienced it, getting insider photographs and making my own memories.

"Pain and Gain" comes out next year. The low-budget film is based on the true story of Daniel Lugo (played by Wahlberg), a bodybuilder who gets caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that go terribly wrong.


(BTW: My brother went back to the set after I left Miami. They had moved locations much further down Biscayne and of course, now that I was not there, he saw The Rock (and met actor Larry Hankin.)

If you cook it, they will come...

Come on In, the Water's Fine: If you cook it, they will come...: I love the Internet—it’s a library/encyclopedia/dictionary at your fingertips 24/7. Whenever I (or my sons) have a question about something?...

If you cook it, they will come...

I love the Internet—it’s a library/encyclopedia/dictionary at your fingertips 24/7. Whenever I (or my sons) have a question about something? I can plug it into a search engine and BAM! – instant answer about nine times out of 10.

Lately, for example, I have been Googling recipes. I recently rediscovered my little (2 quart) slow cooker and I don’t like many of the recipes in the cookbook that came with it (Venison? Hello!) So I have been going online to find family-friendly recipes. More specifically I wanted  tried-and-true meals that my picky 5-year-old would eat. And there are PLENTY of websites full of slow cooker recipes.

Chicken

On Facebook, I found the Crock Pot Guys (https://www.facebook.com/crockpotguys) and posed the question. One of the suggestions that came back was  for a Bacon Ranch Chicken (https://crockpotguys.com/2011/09/bacon-ranch-chicken/). (By the way, the picture with this link does NOT do it justice.)

All of the ingredients seemed to be things my kids liked already. Then we tried it. I could not believe how good it was. And the chicken cooked for so long that it got soft enough to shred and the 5-year-old, while not into the egg noodles, LOVES the chicken shreds! Success!

Fish

But now we get into the Lenten season and as Catholics that means no meat on Fridays. But could I make a fish meal that the kids would like (I think fish sticks get boring fast.)? I have made salmon before and it was good. I am going to try a new recipe tonight—probably just adding honey and lemon juice to the pot and see what happens. Should only need to cook for about 2 hours.

Meat

We don’t eat a lot of red meat but I have tried meatloaves and various lasagna recipes in the crockpot made with ground chicken or turkey. While it usually tastes good, in a pot as small as mine, it usually does not scoop out in one piece. It’s more of a glob on the plate.

If you have got questions, suggestions, have a favorite recipe your kids love (let's share) or are looking for a particular recipe, please contact me.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog.  This is my first entry and I am not sure what I should say in it so if you have questions please just ask me.
My name is Lisa and I started this blog after reading a chapter called "Everyone Needs a Blog" in a book about making money from home. I'm not really planning to make money with this blog. It's just for fun. But I do hope it showcases my work and leads to bigger and better things.
 I have always wanted a blog and just didn't know where/how to begin. I think this will be a good start.
I am no stranger to writing, I have been doing it for most of my life. Whether it was short stories, songs and poems for myself, papers for school, or articles and reports for work, I have always enjoyed the power of words.
I hope that you will visit my blog often and that it sparks dialogue. My topics will include everything that I am interested in, from entertainment and pop culture to travel and cooking and parenting. Oh and I am always looking for family-friendly things to do around town so if it's free, fun and happening on the First Coast, even if I can't attend, I will try to share the details so that you can.

Feel free to contact me anytime. I look forward to your feedback.

---Lisa