Root for Trace TONIGHT!!!!!

Check out the two hour finale of "Celebrity Apprentice" tonight on NBC starting at 8 pm. It's down to the final two! Our cowboy Trace Atkins and Simon Cowell wannabe Piers Morgan!

The winner will receive a $250,000 check for his favorite charity.

Trace's charity is FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network).

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) was established in 1991. FAAN's membership now stands at close to 30,000 worldwide and includes families, dietitians, nurses, physicians, school staff, and representatives from government agencies and the food and pharmaceutical industries. FAAN serves as the communication link between the allergic patient and others. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the largest charity in the U.S. dedicated to helping and advocating for the 12 million Americans with food allergy. Trace's 6-year old daughter had a severe, life-threatening reaction to peanut butter when she was just 9 months old, an experience Trace called "terrifying." FAAN has played an instrumental role in the lives of families like Trace's and thousands more across the US.


GO TRACE!!!!!

Pics from my vacation to Ocracoke Island, NC!

Granted, they're kinda crummy cuz I forgot my REAL camera and used my camera phone. But my camera-phone pics aren't near as stinky as John Shomby's. Here's yer proof right here! At least you can make out what I was attempting to capture! Anyhoo, here ya go!

From our visit to the Blackbeard Museum. The wax big dummy is almost handsome like Johnny Depp's Capt. Jack Sparrow. Unfortunately, that can't be said for the real Blackbeard. All accounts say that he was a yukky stinky smelly kind of guy and folks often begged him to bathe if he was gonna hang out on the island. But he wouldn't. Would take away from his pirate mystique, ya know. He probably stunk so bad that folks willingly handed over their booty just to get the boy to move upwind. And we hear that his breath could kill seagrass forever. Too bad there weren't Tic-Tacs in those days. ARRRRRRRRRRRG!!! Yeah, okay...moving on.

Here are some beautiful pics of the marina just before a big thunderstorm was supposed to roll through. BIG emphasis on the word "supposed", okay? The wind kicked up, the sky looked threatening and we ran like mad women back to the room before we could get our hair wet. And all we got were two drops. All that exercise for nothing??? What a tease.

If you look closely, you can see the lighthouse at sunset. This was the view from our deck. Actually, it was MUCH closer and prettier than the pic shows. But once again, ahhh the woes of a camera-phone. Still, my pic doesn't suck like John Shomby's.

My daughter Laura asked why I kept taking pictures of this cat. I told her I've been coming to Ocracoke for over 10 years and I have enough pics of that danged lighthouse. So, meet Zack the Ocracat. Legend says that the first Ocracat came over on Blackbeard's pirate ship and all of the cats who run free on the island are decendents of that cat.
Anyhow, Zack "works" at the hotel where we stayed. He is "Guest Greeter" as you can see here. He may be pirate cat decendent, but his breath ain't kickin' like Blackbeard's.

This is my daughter Laura trying on a sweet hat at "The Pirate's Chest." I think she looks fabulous in it and I don't know why she wouldn't let me buy it for her. Oh well, just for THAT, I'm going to tell you a funny story about her.
This happened on the day we were coming back from Ocracoke. Anyway, we were in line waiting for the next ferry. Laura decided to take a potty break before the ferry arrived. As she got out of the car, she quickly realized that she had forgotten to WEAR HER BELT because when she stood up, her pants dropped to her knees and there she stood, wearing a pair of red boxer shorts with hearts all over them. The lady behind us laughed so hard, I thought she was gonna fall out of her van. Of course I had to call my best friend to share this little gem!!! Too bad I didn't have the camera-phone ready to roll when this happened because you KNOW I would have posted it.

Laura now thinks that maybe she should have let mom buy her that goofy hat.

Need Creative Ideas!

I need Easter basket help. You see, the Easter Bunny does NOT visit anybody over the age of 15, so I am stuck with the grueling job of doing HIS job for my daughters. (Wish I liked rabbit stew.) Last year, I was a very boring Easter Bunny. (And I've spent months after easter picking up that plastic green grass off the floor and furniture.) So I need help. This Saturday, I'm going out to buy things for my daughters easter baskets and I need creative ideas. Your help COULD win you a $100 gift card from K-Mart. (read rules at end of this blog.)

Keep in mind that I have OLDER children. 21, 19 and 16. And they swear they still believe in the Easter Bunny. (And Santa and the tooth fairy...blah, blah, blah. They'll say anything to keep getting presents. They're just like their momma!)

Can you help me come up with some creative ideas?

Here is a little bit about each girl:

Laura (21): Doesn't wear make-up (she's just a pretty girl. I don't think any of my girls need make-up...but two of them wear it.) Occasionally, she will wear a clear lip gloss. She doesn't wear jewelry either. She loves Harry Potter, she loves to read, PERIOD. She's a Monty Python and Johnny Depp fan. She adores striped knee socks and sandals (worn together) and t-shirts with funny sayings on them. She also draws. Mostly anime and she is extremely talented.

Allie (19): Loves to wear make-up. The more, the better. Wears her hair up most of the time. Listens to all types of music, mostly rock, but likes Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift. She likes big earrings...and a lot of bling. Loves funny looking bedroom slippers and pajamas...and scary movies. She's a "Sun Chip" addict.


Gabby (16): Wears make-up sometimes. She has to be in a mood. Loves hoodie sweatshirts, jeans and funky shoes...but has been known to wear dress up in pink occasionally (for her Aunt Ginni.) Is addicted to her I-Pod. She also loves fun jewelry. Mostly chunky big jewelry. Is an avid reader of teen fantasy books. Along the same lines as Harry Potter.


All THREE of them love those little marshmallow PEEPS. (Not to EAT...those things are just GROSS! And they have a shelf-life of FOREVER.) They dress them up and take pictures for their myspace pages.

All three are chocoholics like mom. Laura and Allie like the Cadbury eggs. (That commercial sold them years ago.) Gabby loves "Robin Eggs." We've still got 10 year old jellybeans. They will eat "Jelly Bellies" but jellybeans are reserved for decorating "Peeps." (They say regular jellybeans are yukky too.)

Okay, so there you go. Some clues about my daughters. I need some great creative ideas to put in the Easter baskets. I want the girls to either say "I've got the coolest mom in the world" or I want them to laugh themselves silly! (We love to laugh). I will take all 5 emails out with me on Saturday, March 22nd and do my shopping!

Send your creative ideas to karen@eagle97.com with a phone number where you can be reached. I will choose one in the 12 o'clock hour today through Friday. The one I choose will win a $100 gift card from K-Mart! Send your entries now to karen@eagle97.com. (contest open to Hampton Roads and surrounding areas only. Must be 18 or over. See contest rules at www.eagle97.com)

Thanks in advance for your help!

Note: I will be on vacation from 3/19 thru 3/25. I will still have access to my email and will still choose one during this contest week. Amanda Meadows will be sitting in for me during my vacation and I will be calling her with the winner of the day!

Edited 3/27/08

Congratulations to all of our winners this week!!!! Keep listening for more cool contests like this one on 97-3 The Eagle!!!!

BIG DUMMIES! GRRRRR....

I'm gonna let it all hang out here. I'm annoyed and pretty darn hot about this.

The past two days, I have taken a little detour from my long roadtrip to the studio to treat myself to a Starbucks Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte. I took Harpersville Road going past Peninsula Catholic High School as the route to my nearest drive-thru Starbucks. What has happened to me in the past two days should NEVER HAPPEN...EVER! At the time of my commute, the speed limits near schools are dropped to 25 mph. (if the big dummies I am about to refer to are reading this, THAT means SLOW THE HECK DOWN! PRECIOUS CARGO ARRIVING AT SCHOOL! C'mon Flashing lights, the whole nine yards....get a clue!) Speed limit on Harpersville's two lane road is 35 anyway. I was going about 38, maybe 40 in the 35. And for TWO MORNINGS IN A ROW, SOME idiot was in a big hurry to get NOWHERE. Rode my bumper down that two lane road. When the speed limit dropped in the school zone, I dropped to 25. STILL had that somebody riding my bumper...I mean SO CLOSE, I could get a back massage!!!! I was seriously afraid that if I had to stop, my car would get totaled by the moron behind me. Yesterday it was a small Honda, today it was an older blue truck. What part of SCHOOL ZONE did they not get??? To top it off, that is only one of THREE school zones on that small stretch of road.

Once they saw a chance, both of these idiots managed to cross a double yellow line and squealed tires to get around me. STILL in the school zone! Did I mention yellow lights flashing...signs everywhere???? I've got a daughter in school myself. I don't care if the person riding my bumper does NOT have children...the law applies to EVERYONE! I can only pray that they were caught before the next school zone.

I am SO MAD I could spit nails!!!! And if this makes you angry too, feel free to post a comment on this blog entry. I'm not a cop so I can't do anything about it on the road...but I can sure make an example out of them here.

Okay...Guess who else is a "Hannah Montana" fan...

Of course my daughter Gabby is. But this is ridiculous.

The family dog. I'm mortified.

Thank you so much!

Thank you for all of your prayers for my daughter. Her thyroid medication has been adjusted and she seems to be doing okay. Her doctor plans to release her from the hospital today, but will be doing frequent follow-ups to make sure the medication is working as it should.

During the three days that Laura was in the hospital, my family, friends and I have come together to help care for her nearly 3 year old daughter (my sweet grandbaby) Jade. She has been so much fun, but I do have to admit, I almost forgot what it was like to care for a little one! They are so BUSY BUSY! Which kept ME busy-busy! Jade's a very happy little one and loves to giggle. With the worry we've been through in the last few days, Jade's little giggles were a big blessing.

Jade is visiting with my crazy friend Tammy today...and Tammy has three cats! Well, Jade LOVES cats! Right now, she is having so much fun with cat toys that it's easy to figure out what to get her for her 3rd birthday next month! Rubber mice and cat tunnels! Nana gets off cheap this year! LOL!

Prayers needed...

My daughter Laura is in the hospital right now and we're unsure when she is coming home. She is 21 years old...was diagnosed with thyroid disease when she was 14. She has been on medication since her diagnosis, however, she has had serious problems lately. Please send your prayers for my daughter's recovery. It's a very rough road for us right now.

Thank you so much.

Martina In Concert on WHRO!

Tomorrow night at 8 pm as part of WHRO's fundraiser, they will be broadcasting Great Performances “Martina McBride: Live in Concert.” Between 8 and 10, I will be co-hosting the fundraiser and during the concert, WHRO will be offering some great Martina incentives including concert tickets to her show October 5 at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater. (Tickets for her VB concert will not be on sale until later in the year.)

Pledge your allegiance. Support Public Television! Join me tomorrow night (Wednesday March 12th) for Great Performances, Martina McBride: Live In Concert on WHRO channel 15...at 8 pm.

From WHRO and 97-3 The Eagle!!!!

Yep, sometimes "embracing change" is for the birds!

Well, it seems that I'm not the only one with a grievance with "new chair." As of today, "new chair" officially sucks.

In the years I've known Jennifer Lewis, she has never ever complained about anything. Not even Jimmy Ray. That, my friends, is NERVES OF STEEL. I envy her sometime.

But today, Jen spoke her peace about "new chair." It ain't happening, no way...no how.
And you know how serious she is about it? She would rather sit in THIS chair! And she is. That's right. Sweet, precious Jennifer would rather sit in a beat up, taped up, falling apart at the seams, piece of crapola before she would ever consider sitting in "new chair" again.

Pretty sad, huh?

But alas, "new chair" is still in the studio and according to engineering, it must stay there. (Maaaaaaaaan, what did Jen do to reap such crummy Karma???)

Anyway, we have decided that we would give "new chair" to Jimmy Ray as a gift when he returns from his vacation. He doesn't read my blog...so don't nobody say nuthin', k? Just let him think we're thinking about him. Thank y'all!

"Embrace change."

"Embrace change." That's a phrase I have heard time and time again. To me, "embrace change" means "Something's gonna happen and you probably ain't gonna like it, so suck it up and get over yourself." I haven't met too many people who don't cringe at the thought of "change." Some do well, others don't. For the most part, I do well with change. Not without kicking and screaming, but I do eventually adapt.

BUT...today, I'm going to kick and scream about a "change" I'm not willing to make!

Well, we had a very comfortable chair in the Eagle studio. A little old...it's been here for about 7 years, but nonetheless, very comfortable and still looked good.

Well, this morning, "old faithful" was NOT in the studio and replaced by a brand new chair.

I hate new chair. It's hard. It hurts my butt. I don't wanna embrace new chair. I wanna toss it. But I sit in it hoping I may come to love new chair. After an hour, I realized why Jombi stood up for his show this morning. It didn't get any better. My backside fell asleep and I had a heck of a time waking it up. I looked pretty ridiculous to passerbys.

So, I did what I had to do without causing a major catastrophe. I complained to our engineering department. Assistant Engineer John said old chair had a broken wheel and he just fixed it. Minutes later, he brought it back in the studio and now I'm sitting comfortably again.

New chair is still in the studio, though. Apparently it's JEN'S new chair. Sure hope she can "embrace change."